Aug 15

Aug 15 Sun Basket Hacks: Elevated Shrimp Scampi with Bucatini and Baby Greens

Meal delivery services like Sun Basket and Blue Apron are increasingly ubiquitous. For many reasons, these providers offer a simple solution to a universal question: What am I going to make for dinner? Planning and shopping for daily meals for myself and my family used to take up quite a bit of head-space, as well as shopping time. Walking to and from my local supermarket with armsful of grocery bags, only to face the shame of having produce wilt and frozen proteins grow freezerburned because of last-minute changes in plans caused a fair amount of stress, too.

As a lifelong cook, I thrive on the creative exercise of selecting, testing and developing recipes, so I was at once quite wary that the adoption of a meal delivery service would potentially limit my ability to be creative with food and intrigued by the efficiency they offered. I resolved to test the waters, beginning by evaluating a variety of services including Blue Apron, Freshly, and my ultimate favorite, Sun Basket.

I will write a separate post eventually about our experiences with these offerings, however, the goal here is to introduce the concept of meal delivery service hacks and how I learned to leverage the best of both worlds to improve the sustainability, efficiency and delightful-ness of our daily dinners with some ingenuity, a well-stocked pantry and a burning desire to improvise, within constraints.

For newcomers to Sun Basket, let me quickly outline the offer. Every week, you pick from a “menu” of healthy dinner recipes, and set your desired portion of 2-4. Since portions for 4 generally double the recipe for 2, I will work with the basic recipes in this recurring feature. I will outline and credit the original recipe from Sun Basket, highlighting the pantry staples and green market goodies I add, as well as any additional steps required to create my elevated versions of Sun Basket offerings. Since Sun Basket repeat these offerings periodically, you can order them yourself when they appear, or you can use the recipes to create them on your own. I will only feature recipes my family loved, so you can use this content as a guide to help you make your own picks, too. If you’re not already a Sun Basket member, please use this link to start a trial and get $40 off your first delivery!

And now, without further ado, Elevated Shrimp Scampi with Bucatini and Baby Greens

Note: I am skipping the baby greens with dressing because it’s damn good, but you know how to mix baby greens with dressing, I think. I plan to try out making my own version of the yummy Sun Basket caper vinaigrette salad dressing with this recipe at some point.

Soy-Free, 2 Servings, 610 Calories/Serving (basic recipe, I have added only veggies and seasonings)

20 Minutes

Ingredients in the Basket:

2 to 4 cloves organic peeled fresh garlic
1 organic lemon
4 or 5 sprigs organic fresh flat-leaf parsley
10 ounces wild Gulf shrimp
5 ounces bucatini
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)

Added Ingredients:

Two pinches of saffron
20 mint leaves
Turmeric
One large farmer’s market tomato, ripe and juicy
One box of organic arugula

Instructions

Wash produce before use, just in case!

Bring a medium sauce pot of generously salted water to a boil for the bucatini.

Prep the scampi ingredients:

Finely chop, press, or grate the garlic. Sun Basket recommends pressing or grating half and chopping the rest, so I used my trusty garlic press for the first bit and I agree that this step, adding the toothsome chopped garlic bits to the smooshed pressed cloves, adds both flavor and texture to the dish.
Zest and juice the lemon, keeping the zest and juice separate.
Strip the parsley leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves. Strip the mint leaves from the stems, and julienne. Keep them separate, as the parsley will go in the pasta and the mint will go on top.
Rinse the shrimp, then drain on a paper-towel-lined plate and pat dry. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Here I take the extra step to carefully slice each shrimp in half vertically, as if I was butterflying the seafood, but cutting all the way through. The portions are tightly controlled and I find this makes the recipe feel more filling, since you get more bites with protein in them. As an added bonus, this allows me to easily clean the shrimp, which I do because I am becoming kind of a germophobe and am spooked by heavy metals and whatnot. :)
Core out any white center of the tomato, and dice the flesh.

Cook the bucatini

To the pot of boiling water, add the bucatini and cook until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the bucatini, reserving ½ cup (1 cup) pasta cooking water. I use a smallish coffee mug instead of a measuring cup because it’s easy to dip and pour thanks to the handle. At this point, I also recommend that you ‘bloom’ the saffron by tipping it into a cup with a couple of tablespoons of warm pasta water. Or white wine, if you’re feeling fancy. Life is short, do you!
While the bucatini cooks, start the shrimp scampi.

Cook the shrimp scampi

Tip: Wear an apron as this is a little splashy. Keep it on for the eating! Bucatini is slippery.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shrimp halves and cook, turning once, until starting to turn pink but not yet cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium, stir the butter and garlic into the pan, and cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Slide in the diced tomato and add the turmeric, chili flakes, zest the lemon right into the sauce, and pour in the saffron with its blooming liquid and the juice of the whole lemon. Let this cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato is softened and beginning to disintegrate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the shrimp, arugula and bucatini to the pan with the sauce, making sure to get all the shrimpy juices off the plate and into the pasta. Pour in the reserved cooking water, and toss gently while cooking for another 3-5 minutes over medium heat, until the greens are slightly wilted, the shrimp are cooked through and the ingredients are well-combined. The sauce should tighten up so that it clings lightly to the other ingredients. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, and toss to distribute the herbs.
For serving, I like to count off the shrimp halves into each bowl first so it’s even, then split the pasta between them. I use tongs for the pasta and shrimp, and a then a big flat metal cooking spoon to drizzle the sauce. Top with the julienned mint and cracked pepper.

While the shrimp scampi cooks, prepare the salad. Or have someone else do it. A couple of half-mooned radishes and a half a finely sliced shallot will not hurt, either.

Enjoy the pasta, secure in your virtue, your waistline (under 650 cals) and your good taste.

Cheers!