Lemon Pasta with Basil & Coconut Shrimp

Here is another pasta recipe!  :)  I prefer tomato-based sauces because I like the tanginess, however this is a nice change to have once in a while.  The shrimps used for this recipe are HUGE!  They are from Diana's seafood store (http://www.dianasseafood.com/) in Scarborough that I have mentioned before.  I am just looking at their website now and it looks like they are shipping in an order of sashimi grade shrimp this Friday!!!!  NOOOOOOOOOOOOO....the post is from last week and that means they came in last Friday.  What a disappointment!!!  But maybe that means they are in season, so they will come in again soon.  One can only hope.

Lemon Basil Pasta Recipe (Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.


Chili Coconut Shrimp Recipe (Chatelaine.com)

Ingredients

• 340 g frozen raw jumbo shrimp, peeled
• 1/4 cup cornstarch or all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 cup unsweetened medium desiccated coconut, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with oil. Thaw shrimp following package directions. Pat dry with paper towels. Stir cornstarch with salt and pepper in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup chili sauce with vinegar. In another shallow dish, spread out coconut. Toss shrimp in cornstarch mixture. Then, shaking off excess starch, dip each in chili-sauce mixture and coat with coconut. Place shrimp on foil.
2. Bake in centre of oven until shrimp is cooked through, about 10 min. Serve remaining sweet chili sauce alongside as a dipping sauce.

• Substitution Tip:

  Can’t find sweet chili sauce? Stir 1/2 cup honey with 2 tbsp each chili-garlic sauce and rice vinegar.