29 May 2011

Garlic Shrimp Florentine with Tomatoes and Garlic Breadcrumbs for Feed The Hope

Garlic Shrimp Florentine with Tomatoes and Garlic Breadcrumbs

Back in 1867 a newcomer to Canada from Vedano, Italy by the name of Carlo Onorato Catelli established Canada's first pasta plant on Saint-Paul Street in Old Montreal where he paved the way making macaroni and vermicelli by hand. Since then, the small operation has grown to include a full range of CATELLI® pasta shapes and varieties.

From now until June 16th the company is running their Help Catelli Feed the Hope campaign where you can enter their weekly contest and win $250 in groceries as well as $250 for your local food bank. You can also help Catelli set a record and be one of the 5,000 people to sign up and pledge to eat pasta on May 31st for Hunger Awareness Day. For every person that signs up Catelli will donate 1 serving of pasta for every family in need. If they reach 5,000 people they will donate 10,000 extra servings.


After my trip to Washington DC my cupboards are bare so what better way to celebrate this initiative than to use what I have available. I have the luxury of having well-stocked cupboards which far too many in our nation do not. So for this weeks Presto Pasta Nights I am getting my "pasta legs" on and creating a dish perfect for those scorching summer nights!

Presto Pasta Nights has been the baby of Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast for over 5 glorious years. Whenever we feel the urge for some pasta we can go over to her site and have 3 years of entries from all over the world to choose from, from pasta salad to lasagna to Pho. There is a pasta for every season, every ingredient and every taste. All of these delicious pasta dishes have been submitted by all of you!!! This week the event is being hosted by the Pasta Queen herself Ruth at Once Upon a Feast.

Pasta is part of a well-balanced diet. Current dietary guidance calls for up to 65% of daily calories to come from carbohydrates. My cupboards are always full of pasta in countless shapes and sizes. It is simply too hard to resist at our local Italian grocers, especially since they have expanded!!! I want to have pasta every day of the year!!!!

 1) Carbohydrates like pasta provide glucose, the crucial fuel for your brain and muscles.

 2) Pasta is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, which provide a slow release of energy which will get you trough all the kid taxi runs and other daily chores.

 3) Pasta is very low in sodium and cholesterol-free.

 4) Whole wheat pasta can provide up to 25% of daily fiber requirements in every one cup portion.

Pasta is not the culprit to weight gain it is what you put on top. It’s a fact:...reducing calories, not carbohydrates, helps you lose weight if that is your goal. Even if you are the size you have always wanted to be this dish will boost your vitamin content for the day. With sauteed tomatoes, wilted spinach and shrimp this is a lighter version of pasta.

On May 31st "get your pasta legs on" and join kitchens across the nation with a delectable pasta dish.


**Garlic Shrimp Florentine with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic Breadcrumbs**
recipe by Valerie Harrison for More Than Burnt Toast

For breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper

For Pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
about 18 to 20 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 teaspoon dried oregano
a pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
two big handfuls of spinach

For Breadcrumbs: In a medium nonstick frying pan, heat the 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat for breadcrumbs. Add the bread crumbs, garlic, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and garlic and stir. Let the tomatoes cook for about three minutes, stirring only occasionally, until they start to break down. Add 1/4 cup wine and reduce sauce until liquid is absorbed approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

To the pan add the shrimp. Stir. Add oregano, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper. Saute until the shrimps turn a lovely pink colour. Add lemon juice. To the pan add spinach and stir. At this point I add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and mix well with kitchen tongs. It depends on how wilted you like your spinach.

Sprinkle with toasted garlicky breadcrumbs and serve.

Serves 4

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.
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25 comments:

  1. Valli really I missed your dishes and lovely meals! Look delicious! huggs, gloria

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  2. What a lovely dish and a fantastic way to get your pasta on! I'm going to go over and check that out, it sounds wonderful.

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  3. Almost any dish with shrimp and garlic will be high on my list, but this one looks especially divine.

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  4. What a wonderful cause - as a fellow Italian, I LOVE pasta, and cetainly need no excuse to indulge in it! Happy to do my part...

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  5. That looks so scrumptious! A majestuous pasta dish.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  6. Such a great cause and a beautiful dish!

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  7. If there's one thing I can do...it is pledge to eat pasta! This shrimp pasta of yours looks amazing!

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  8. That looks delicious and what a fabulous cause! I have been craving pasta lately and look forward to making this recipe - YUM!

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  9. I'm a pasta lover and this dish has some of my very favorite flavors! I've never seen Catelli pasta,but I think it's a wonderful cause for them to support!

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  10. A wonderful idea from the Catelli pasta people, Val. Kudos to them.

    And while my present diet plan does NOT include pasta :( , I'm saving this lovely recipe as the end is near. :)

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  11. AnonymousMay 30, 2011

    This is a lovely addition to my "pasta with" collection. The step where the tomatoes are lightly cooked then the pan deglazed is lovely.

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  12. Val, this is a really lovely recipe. I've bookmarked it. This sounds truly delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  13. Wow! That looks absolutely delicious!

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  14. lovely cause Val thank you for sharing

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  15. As much as I l-o-v-e pasta, I've recently been thinking of it as the enemy, but I'm liking the statistics you quoted. I think the enemy is my voracious appetite when it comes to pasta.

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  16. Catelli is actually the brand of pasta I buy all the time, how wonderful they're giving back!!

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  17. Pasta and shrimp..one of my favorite combos. Looks like a fabulous meal.

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  18. Wonderful recipe, Val! I've book marked this one.

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  19. What a great pasta dish! I have to make it for my daughter... she is a pasta lover!

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  20. Totally delicious Val. This is one of my favorite combo.

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  21. Fantastic dish! Includes all my favorite things... shrimp, garlic, a little heat and crunch of bread crumbs! Perfection on a plate AND it's healthy! Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

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  22. I have never heard of Catelli pasta, but will look for it now that you've mentioned it. Your pasta dish looks like something I'll make over and over - I love the greens thrown in with the shrimp.

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  23. It's great to find a company who gives back to the community.

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  24. This dish has become my absolute favourite and I'm cooking it again today, Val. Thanks so much for a beautiful recipe with such perfect flavours.

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    1. I'm happy you enjoy it Robyn. I love the breadcrumb topping.

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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