COMMENT:
All great pasta dishes begin with a wonderful sauce! There is no
better pasta topper than a sauce made with Creole tomatoes in season.
The sweet juicy Creoles develop into a sauce that is without comparison
in color and sweetness. The sauce recipe below may be used not only
for pasta but for your favorite seafood or meat dish as well.
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 links fresh grilled Creole sausage, sliced
- 24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and devined
- 24 Creole tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
- 2 (16-ounce packages) De Cecco pasta
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 10 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 12 large basil leaves, chopped
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup onions, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese
METHOD:
Boil pasta according package directions. When pasta is done, drizzle
in olive oil and keep warm. In a stainless steel sauce pot, heat
oils over medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, sauté the
garlic slices until pale yellow or very light browned around the
edges, approximately 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and blend well
into the garlic mixture. Bring to a low simmer and slowly add chicken
stock to retain moisture and create the fresh sauce. Cook 8-10 minutes
and add basil and cayenne pepper. Set aside. In a large sauté
pan, place 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced
onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until the onions are wilted. Add
Creole sausage and shrimp, blending well into the onion mixture.
When shrimp are pink and curled add the fresh pasta sauce and season
to taste using salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer but do not
overcook shrimp. When ready to serve, blend 1-2 serving spoons of
the fresh Creole sauce into the pasta along with a generous sprinkle
of Parmesan cheese. Once all is well coated, place the pasta in
the center of a serving platter and top with the simmering sauce.
Decoratively place the shrimp and sausage in an oval pattern on
top of pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. You may wish to
garnish the dish with a large boutique of fresh basil. |
