CEiMB: Shrimp Fra Diavlo with Spinach

I have been such a bad CEiMBer lately :( I missed several weeks of cooking over the summer, and now I’m totally off-track from the rest of the group. While they are making the Fettuccine with Crab and Asparagus this week, I decided to make this shrimp dish from a few weeks back.

My first experience with this “devil” of a sauce was back in 2006 while I was on a cruise with my parents and grandma. Interesting that I can remember a meal I ate so long ago, isn’t it? Well, it happened to be the same dish the chef prepared the following day at a cooking demonstration, so I guess it stood out to me. Now, speaking of demonstrations, this is the same cruise where I became famous for my “shaking” skills. Let me explain. One morning, at what felt like the crack of dawn, my mom, grandma, and I decided to go to a demonstration on cocktail-making. Apparently I looked a little too sleepy, and the bartender called me up on stage to help him mix a chocolate martini. I don’t know about you girls, but when a very good looking man holding a chocolate drink tells me to shake it, I do. So he and I were shaking our drinks and dancing around. It was quite embarrassing but also a lot of fun. Little did I know that there was a videographer taping the entire demonstration, and the clip of me making my drink would play on the ship’s televisions over and over and over again throughout the rest of our trip. Several people stopped me to talk about my short stint as a bartender; it was like being a celebrity! And, yes, my family bought the DVD, so my dance (and funny face after tasting the very strong cocktail first thing in the morning) are locked away in the vault of family memories forever.

Back to Ellie’s dish. Spicy tomato sauce with shrimp and pasta – what’s not to love about that? Throw in some spinach for a healthy boost, and it was a great meal. I was most impressed with how quickly it all came together and will definitely make this one again and again. The only changes I made were to increase the amount of tomatoes (which were from my grandma’s garden) and sauce ingredients, and next time I’ll add even more crushed red pepper flakes for more of a kick!

Shrimp Fra Diavlo with Spinach

12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 small onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups canned tomatoes, unsalted
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound shrimp, uncooked, cleaned
5 ounces baby spinach, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente and according to the directions on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, 8-10 minutes. Add the shrimp and spinach and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the drained cooked pasta to the sauce and toss until well combined.

Source: Ellie Krieger’s “So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week,” p. 162
4 servings | 12 POINTS