Garlic and Parsley Shrimp with Bucatini pasta

 Welcome back my Pasta Pals,

What a rush posting that first blog post yesterday. I received some lovely positive feedback, and am so encouraged to keep going with this project, excited for where it may take me. Today, at work (Oh yeah - I still have a day job. I'm not a full time blogger just yet....) I discovered something fantastic: we don't always have to run away from bad situations, sometimes we can look outside for inspiration, and then bring that back to the where we currently are and transform the situation for ourselves. Hm. Food for thought. Maybe too hard to conceptualize without context, but anyway. It was a transformative feeling, for sure. 

Long days of thinking too hard should always be rewarded by big comforting mouthfuls of garlicy pasta. That's just what I did: 

What is Bucatini pasta?
This great blog post, by The Spruce Eats, gives an excellent full description: Bucatini (boo-kah-TEE-nee) is a type of pasta that is shaped like a long, narrow tube, resembling thick, hollow spaghetti. The pasta is traditionally produced and served in and around Rome, with the name originating from the Italian word buco, meaning “hole.” Also known as perciatelli, this pasta is boiled and served hot with tomato, meat, butter, cream, and seafood-based sauces.

I had picked up a box of this pasta a few weeks ago planning to use it to cook a pasta recipe from the
"Rome" section of Bibi's Italy book, but decided it would pair nicely (and quickly) with the garlic shrimp tonight. Plus, I really wanted a chance to experience the texture in a simple way. It was quite good. 

Garlic and Parsley Shrimp with Bucatini Pasta
Serving Size: 2
Cooking + prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-2 cups coarsely chopped parsley
-3 servings of dried Bucatini No. 15 pasta 
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/4 lb washed and dried shrimp
-juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime
-salt and pepper to taste

 1. Add the oil to a large saute pan. Cook the garlic until golden (don't burn it!)
2. Wash and prepare shrimp, soak for 15 minutes in fresh lime juice.
3. Add the parsley, cook until just wilted.
4. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil, salt to taste. Cook the pasta 9-11 minutes, until al dente.
5. Drain the pasta and add directly to the garlic and parsley. Squeeze half of a lemon over pasta, and then toss until evenly distributed.
6. In small saute pan, cook shrimp on low heat until pink, salt + pepper to taste. 
7. Plate the pasta, add shrimp directly. 
Enjoy!