The Original Mid-Town Pasta is a culinary masterpiece designed to delight and satisfy, crafted with years of refinement to offer a versatile dish suitable for family-style gatherings or intimate dinners alike. This recipe seamlessly blends robust flavors and textures, promising a dining experience that can be tailored to individual tastes, ensuring everyone at the table finds something to savor.
Cooking Time and Preparation
With a total preparation and cooking time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, this dish requires careful planning and attention to detail, making it perfect for those special occasions or when you want to impress guests with your culinary skills. The preparation involves 45 minutes of both prep and cook time, ensuring each component is perfectly executed to bring out the rich flavors of the ingredients.
Ingredients
The ingredients list reads like a symphony of flavors, combining traditional elements with unexpected twists:
- Linguine forms the hearty base of the dish, providing a comforting canvas for the other ingredients.
- Blue cheese adds a creamy and tangy element, elevating the pasta with its distinctive flavor profile.
- Medium shrimp, grilled to perfection, contribute a delightful seafood essence that complements the other components.
- Fresh basil leaves and garlic form the backbone of the pesto sauce, lending a vibrant and aromatic note.
- Pine nuts and parmigiano cheese enrich the pesto with their nutty and savory qualities, creating a luxurious texture.
- Extra virgin olive oil, used both in the pesto and the tomato sauce, infuses the dish with a fruity and robust undertone.
- Red bell peppers, garlic, and red onions bring depth and sweetness to the tomato sauce, enhancing its complexity.
- Tomato paste and whole tomatoes simmered to perfection create a rich and velvety tomato sauce base.
- Herbs like bay leaf, oregano, parsley, and basil contribute fresh and herbaceous accents, tying the flavors together.
- Unsalted butter adds a touch of richness and silkiness to the finished dish.
Nutritional Information
Each serving of The Original Mid-Town Pasta delivers a balanced nutritional profile:
- Calories: 650.7
- Fat Content: 35.4g
- Saturated Fat Content: 8.8g
- Cholesterol Content: 108mg
- Sodium Content: 427.7mg
- Carbohydrate Content: 58.1g
- Fiber Content: 5.3g
- Sugar Content: 8.6g
- Protein Content: 26.6g
These values ensure a satisfying meal that balances indulgence with nutritional awareness, making it suitable for various dietary preferences and needs.
Recipe Instructions
The preparation of The Original Mid-Town Pasta is a labor of love, requiring careful execution to achieve its full potential:
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Clean and Prepare Shrimp: Begin by cleaning and preparing the medium shrimp. Brush them with olive oil and a minced garlic and pepper mixture to enhance their flavor. Grill or broil the shrimp until just done, ensuring they retain their juiciness and tenderness.
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Prepare Pesto Sauce: In a food processor, combine fresh basil leaves and garlic, pulsing until finely chopped. Add pine nuts and parmigiano cheese, continuing to process until the mixture achieves a smooth consistency. With the processor running, slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream until fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste, yielding about 1 cup of vibrant pesto sauce.
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Prepare Tomato Sauce: Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add diced red bell peppers and sauté until browned, approximately 7 minutes. Incorporate minced garlic and continue cooking until lightly browned. Add diced red onions and a pinch of salt, cooking until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste until well blended with the vegetables. Pour in whole tomatoes with their juices, vegetable stock, and a bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes. Finish by stirring in unsalted butter, fresh oregano, parsley, and basil. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
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Cook Linguine: While preparing the sauces, cook linguine according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving some pasta water.
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Assembly: In a large bowl, toss the cooked linguine with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the prepared pesto sauce until evenly coated. Arrange the pesto-coated linguine on a serving platter. Top generously with the prepared tomato sauce, ensuring every strand of pasta is infused with the rich flavors of the sauces. Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese over the pasta, allowing it to melt slightly into the warm dish. Finally, crown the pasta with the grilled shrimp, adding a final touch of freshness and texture.
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Serve: The Original Mid-Town Pasta is best served immediately, accompanied by a light salad featuring fresh greens and mandarin oranges dressed in a Dijon vinaigrette, alongside crusty Italian bread to sop up the savory sauces. Pair this exquisite dish with a lively Chianti, such as the ’97 Querciavalle Chianti Classico, to complement its robust flavors and create a memorable dining experience.
Conclusion
The Original Mid-Town Pasta stands as a testament to culinary creativity and passion, offering a harmonious blend of flavors and textures that cater to diverse palates. Whether enjoyed at a festive family gathering or an intimate dinner for two, this dish promises to elevate any occasion with its depth of flavor and thoughtful preparation.
