“A man taking basil from a woman will love her always.”

Sir Thomas Moore

After nearly 5 years of blissfully cooking for Peter & I, my husband decided I was having too much fun. He figures there is more to cooking than grilling and camp dinners. So Peter has decided to make us dinner one night a week, on Wednesdays. Although Peter has excellent taste, he does not have as many hours in the kitchen as I do. He wants to improve his cooking skills, give me a “night off,” and impress me with intriguing meals. Without putting up a fight, I gracefully step aside on Wednesdays.

This meal is a simple and delicious hearty meal for two. It is elegant and can pass for a date-night dinner. It was inspired by a jar of homemade pesto, gifted to us by our dear friend Leslie Benz. Peter and I treat her pesto like gold and relish every bit until sadly it’s gone. If you are not as lucky to have a Leslie Benz-pesto making type friend in your life right now, opt for the fresh pesto in Atkinsons Market, in the refrigerated case with the fresh pastas.
Peter chose the small gnocchetti made by Cucina Viva. The smaller size allows more surface area to be covered with the pesto-y goodness.
You can serve this meal with a salad if you’d like, but we found the very green dish to be filling and perfect on it’s own.

Ingredients

• 8 oz gnocchetti, perferably Cucina Viva
• 1/2 lb asparagus, cut into 2″ pieces.
• 1 Tsp olive oil
• 1 Tsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 lb fresh shrimp, preferably wild, peels & deveined
• red peper flakes
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 4 Tsp pesto
• Parmesan cheese for serving

Wine Pairing : Morgan Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Monterey

Peter’s Shrimp Gnocchi
2 Servings
30 Minute Cook Time

Recipe

1. In a medium pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add gnocchetti and cook to package instructions, about 3 minutes. Remove gnocchetti and transfer to a bowl to rest. Retain pasta water in pot.
2. Return pot of water to boil. Add asparagus and cook for 5 minutes. Drain in colander, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
3. Heat oil and butter in skillet over medium-high heat until butter melts. Sprinkle shrimp with red pepper flakes and black pepper. Add shrimp to pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove shrimp from pan.
4. Add 1/3 cup of pasta water and gnocchetti to pan. Stir in pesto to emulsify with cooking liquid. Add more cooking liquid if needed to thin pesto. Add asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and shrimp and toss to combine. Plate and grate fresh parmesan cheese for presentation. Pair with wine. Cheers!