So Many Dishes

I don’t know exactly when Ken first tasted artichokes, but it must have been love at first taste. If I suggest any dish that includes artichokes, he will agree that it should go on the menu. He will likely suggest that I increase the quantity of artichokes. Remember the old SNL skit, “more cowbell!”? Around here, it’s “more artichokes!”

Shrimp artichoke pasta met both Ken’s expectations and mine. It was a great light pasta dish that was easy to put together. It’s a perfect summer pasta.

The recipe is from Mediterranean Made Easy, the cookbook I’ve mentioned numerous times. I increased the amount of mushrooms, and used a can of diced tomatoes rather than chopped fresh tomatoes. Since the recipe notes indicate that you can use marinara in place of the fresh tomatoes rather than, I didn’t feel bad about my substitution. Publix had beautiful large, U-15 size shrimp. Ken’s contribution was to clean the shrimp, which I appreciated.

Shrimp Artichoke Pasta

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 pound large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained, or 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 14-ounce can water-packed artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and quartered
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook and stir 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, and basil and cook another minute. Add shrimp, cook and stir 5 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink. Add artichokes and olives. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Drain pasta, add serve with shrimp mixture. Makes 4 servings.

We’re leaving tomorrow for our French river cruise, so I’ll be turning my blog into a travel blog. Knowing how we’ve eaten on our previous Viking cruises, I can assure you that there will still be food pictures. It’s going to be an interesting trip. France is experiencing record high temperatures. Looking at the forecast is downright scary: there’s only one day when the high is predicted to be less than 100 degrees, and it may get as high as 108! I think I’m going to have some interesting stories.

Happy eating, everyone!