my apartment still smells like shrimp

last night i thought i'd try a recipe from a restaurant cookbook that a good friend sent to me last year. the restaurant in question, while a favorite of mine, is now a 5 hour plane ride away; while i was more looking for a relatively easy to prepare meal than feeling nostalgic, it was still nice to have the link to a place i've enjoyed dining at on many an occasion. it's also a shame i didn't take more pictures!

i scaled the recipe down to make two servings.

curry cream
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1/2 tbsp butter (i always play loose with butter amounts, so there was likely closer to 1tbsp here)
3/4 tbsp olive oil
3/4 c minced yellow onion
1 tbsp grated ginger
3/4 tbsp minced garlic (ditto garlic amounts. who wants to be precise with garlic and butter? not me!)
1/2 tbsp minced jalapeno (or to taste)
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
cayenne to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1c heavy whipping cream
3/4 tsp lime juice
3/4 tsp brown sugar



heat oil and butter and saute onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos for about 3 minutes. add spices and heat for a minute, then add cream and bring to a simmer. reduce while cooking the seafood; about 20-3om. prior to serving, add sugar and lime juice to taste.

seafood with pasta
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this part is easy. i imagine the curry cream would go fine over plain pasta, or pasta and vegetables, or chicken, or mushrooms, but here i used scallops and shrimp. yum.

6 large scallops
6 large shrimp
olive oil
1/2 c julienned red onion
1/2 cup garden peas (or snaps or snow peas, your choice; if the latter two, then julienne the pea pods)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb fresh pasta
3-4 c baby spinach
1/2 c parmesan reggiano

heat oil and saute shrimp and scallops until just cooked and the surfaces of the scallops have started to carmelize. in a separate pan, caramelize the red onions in olive oil over medium high heat. toss in the peas and cook very briefly - 30s or so. add onions and peas to the seafood and combine with curry cream, then bring to a simmer. toss in pasta (shape of your choice, but the original recipe calls for pasta sheets torn into little artistic and expensive restaurant shapes) and coat, then add parmesan and serve!

the original recipe calls for fresh baby spinach, but i wasn't in the mood for that. my stove is tiny and the number of pans i have is limited, so after i added the onions and peas to the seafood to simmer, i wiped the pan down quickly, tossed a pat of butter into the still-hot pan, and wilted the spinach for a few minutes while the seafood simmered. i guess that makes it less of a texture and flavor complement, but also less of a garnish and more of a side... your choice!