Garlic Shrimp with Browned Butter Pan Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta

     Today's dish is Garlic Shrimp Served with a Browned Butter Pan Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta. It is a remarkably delicious and attractive one pan dish if one doesn't count the pasta pot. Our idea stems from Chef John's Garlic Shrimp recipe which produces fabulous garlic shrimp that can be served on toast or with almost any side vegetable or simply as an hors d'ouevre. Serving with the browned butter pan sauce over linguine is our idea of how to make these delicious shrimp into a pasta course. We hope that you try this and enjoy it.

SERVES:                    2
PREP TIME:            15 minutes +/-
COOKING TIME:   10 minutes or less

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces of angel hair pasta
8 or 9 very large shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 medium to large garlic cloves, skinned and sliced thin
1/4 to 3/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons coarse chopped fresh basil leaves
1 inch of unsalted butter
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
zest from 1/2 of a lemon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper ground coarse
Parmesan cheese for serving

PREPARATION
The Pasta
1. Boil the angel hair in salted water according to the directions on the package
2. Drain thoroughly and stir into the warm pan sauce when it has been prepared.
The Garlic Shrimp
1. Using a ten inch high temperature saute pan, heat the butter and 1/4 cup of the olive oil to medium high heat.
2. Add the shrimp and garlic and cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on the first side.
3. Turn the shrimp add the red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more. The shrimp should be cooked through with some brown on the high spots. If you are going to reserve them at 200 degrees, be carefull not to over cook.
4. Reserve if necessary in a 150 to 200 degree Fahrenheit warming oven with the serving plates.
The Pan Sauce
1. Add the remaining 1/8 cup of olive oil and saute until the butter starts to brown about 2 minutes or so.
2. Turn the heat down to low, let the pan cool for a minute or so and stir in the drained pasta, the lemon zest and the chopped basil until everything is mixed and all of the pasta is coated in the sauce.

PLATING THE MEAL
1. Spread the pasta on the warmed plates.
2. Place the shrimp vertically on the pasta back to back as in the picture. These large shrimp stand vertically because of their broad backs; but pushing them down into the pasta helps.
3. Spoon a little of the sauce and pan bits over the shrimp and pasta.
4. Sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan and serve.
5. Enjoy the meal with a side Caesar salad, a glass of white wine and garlic bread if you are hearty eaters.

Bon appetit,
Tom and Anita