Broccoli & Shrimp Pasta

It's summer in Sydney! Aussies love their seafood in the summer. It's super strange to see seafood advertised as the Christmas Dinner when I'm used to ham and turkey during the holidays. I made this dish recently and it renewed my love for pine nuts. They are so simple, but packed with flavor flav.

Ingredients: I realize some of these are in grams. Convert them. It's good for your brain.

400 g pasta bows

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups broccoli florets

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup basil, finely chopped

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

30 g parmesan cheese, grated

shrimp (you decide how much you want)

extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet directions until al dente. While the pasta is getting it's boil on, place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter has browned, add the lemon juice, broccoli and shrimp. Cook until tender and done, tossing frequently, for about 4-7 minutes. Drain the pasta from the pot and pour directly into the frying pan. Add the pine nuts and basil. Toss all the ingredients to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Dinner is done!

E: 9

A: 8

T: 9 - I love a quick and easy meal!

HH: 8 - He laughs at me when I say things like "flavor flav" while cooking.

My inspiration came from this Cole's recipe for Brown Butter Broccoli Pine Nut & Basil Pasta, but I took away a few words to simplify the title and added shrimp.

Throw Some Shrimp On The Barbie!

Before we left for Australia, we were told the following phrase would be used regularly, "Throw some shrimp on the barbie!"

Two things are funny about this:

1. Aussies say prawn instead of shrimp.

2. After almost 5 months of living here, I have never heard this phrase.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups water

1 cup white rice

2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (add more if you want it spicy)

700 g/1.5 lbs raw prawn/shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on

1 cup Lager beer

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 cups broccoli, cut into small florets

3 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 lemon, halved

Directions:

Before I started the prawns and broccoli, I started the rice using my rice cooker (not ashamed of this handy device). Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic has softened and the butter has browned.

Add the prawns to the pan and toss well to coat. Cook for 2 minutes then add the beer and Worcestershire sauce and bring to the simmer. Add the remaining butter, parsley, oregano, thyme and rosemary. Add the broccoli and let simmer until the prawns are just cooked through and the broccoli is tender, about 2 minutes. Squeeze the halved lemon over the prawns and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked rice.

Here's the Cole's recipe online: Spicy Garlic & Parsley Prawns

The link offers a video tutorial by Curtis Stone. I secretly wish this Aussie would come cook in my kitchen. It's worth watching to hear the Aussie accent while paying attention to the pronunciation of some words (oregano, herbs). Cheers, mate.

E: 8

A: 7 - My own herb garden would be nice for this recipe.

T: 9 - Dinner will be ready quick.

HH: 9