Bowtie Shrimp and Spinach

I recently read a poem that referred to shrimp (I think it was by Ogden Nash) as the "wingless hummingbirds of the sea". Quite a beautiful visual this portrays!

Shrimp has quite a long history in cuisine, and even Marco Polo mentioned its abundance in Chinese markets way back in 1280. It is still quite the popular food dish with Americans alone consuming over 850 million pounds per year! And while only a few species of shrimp have a market value, there are over 300 species of these tiny creatures.

Shrimp have quite amount of nutritional value in addition to being pretty damn tasty, and can be prepared in all sorts of ways. Anything from your basic shrimp cocktail to a spicy creole dish, shrimp are definitely versatile.

Wanting to throw together a quick dish for two this past week, I decided to combine three of my favorite things: Pasta, Seafood and Greens. Below is a simple light recipe that any seafood lover can enjoy.

Patton's Bowtie Shrimp & Spinach

Ingredients

1 12 oz. box of bowtie pasta
1 package of baby spinach leaves
1 lb. shrimp (deveined and peeled)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Juice of one lemon
3 medium tomatoes
2 Tablespoons of minced fresh basil
Salt and Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

Put water in a large pot (enough to cover the pasta) and add a couple tablespoons of Olive oil and a pinch of salt. Once boiling, add the box of bowtie pasta and cook until al dente. Then drain water, reserving one ladle full of the pasta water.

While the pasta cooks, devein and peel the shrimp then lightly salt and pepper them. Cut tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Mince the garlic. In another pot, add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom. Add the garlic and the shrimp and cook over medium-high heat until the shrimp are pink in color. Add the basil, pepper flakes and half the lemon juice and cook 2 minutes more. Drain the pasta (still reserving one ladle of the cooking liquid) and then add the pasta, tomatoes and the bag of spinach to the shrimp mixture. Cover with a lid and cook just until the spinach wilts. Once the spinach is wilted add the remaining lemon juice, the ladle of the pasta cooking liquid and any additional salt and pepper to your taste preferences. Toss entire mixture together and serve with lemon wedges as a garnish.

This makes a great weeknight dinner and makes four servings, so if there are only two of you, there will be plenty to take to lunch the next day!