Romantic Recipes
Enjoy Handmade Pasta and More With These Valentine’s Day Recipes From Chef Jen Wanous.

Handmade Pasta with Shrimp in Tomato and Garlic Sauce

Serves 2-4

Making homemade pasta is a lot easier than you think. It’s a fun way to get hands-on with your meal, and your sweetheart can help too! Garlic is an aphrodisiac, and while its flavor can be too sharp sometimes, you can mellow it out with some slow roasting.

Fresh Handmade Pasta

Be creative with your pasta shapes, just be sure they all have the same thickness, so they cook evenly. If you are making this with your sweetheart, divide the flour in half, and you each can have one mound of flour and one egg.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 extra large eggs

Procedure:

1. On a clean dry surface, mound the flour. Create a well in the center, and crack the egg into the center. With a fork, gently beat the egg, slowly gathering in the flour as you go around in a circle. Try to keep the outer rim of the flour intact to keep the egg from running out.
2. When about half the flour is incorporated, begin kneading with your hands, adding in more flour as you go if it is too sticky. Once the dough comes together in one big mass, knead it with your hands for 3 minutes. The dough should be elastic and just a little sticky. Add dustings of flour when needed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
3. With a rolling pin or wine bottle, roll out the dough on a floured surface making sure that the thickness is similar all around. Cut into your desired shape, such as rectangles. Set aside on a floured surface until you are ready to boil them.
4. To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and gently boil for about 3-7 minutes. Test for doneness along the way. Your pasta is finished when it is cooked all the way through and has a pliable, yet not mushy texture. Gently drain and do not rinse pasta.

Shrimp in Tomato and Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 6-9 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste
• 4 tablespoons butter
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• ½ pound medium shrimp (15-20), de-veined, peeled, pat dry
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• salt to taste
• cracked fresh pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large rimmed baking sheet, add tomatoes and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, tossing quickly with your hands to coat all. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges of the garlic turn golden brown.
2. Right before the tomatoes are ready to come out of the oven, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Melt butter and red pepper flakes 2-3 minutes until butter is slightly nutty and light brown. Add the shrimp and sauté 3-5 minutes, until shrimp are entirely pink (no gray).
3. Take the tomatoes out of the oven and deglaze by pouring the white wine onto the baking sheet and with a wood spoon, scrape up any brown bits (this is where the good flavor is). Add the tomatoes and garlic to the butter and shrimp. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with cooked pasta. Garnish with basil and parmesan.

Resources

Valentine’s Day Feast for Two – AARP.org

Romantic Valentine’s Day Recipes – MarthaStewart.com

Recipes for Romance – Epicurious.com