Cooking Lesson #44— Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta

How you doin’? We are not very well this morning we are sorry to report. When we originally wrote and published this piece it was before the carnage of last week and the weekend. Let me try to explain… our offices and homes are located on the Wilshire Corridor in West Los Angeles—between the Fairfax area and Santa Monica. If you watched the news over the weekend those were two of the hottest spots in Los Angeles on Saturday and Sunday. I can’t even begin to tell you how devastating this has been to all of us right-minded protestors, property and business owners and law enforcement and fire personnel. 
 
For those of us who were born in Los Angeles it has brought tears to our eyes to see the destruction to our working relationships between our citizens and law enforcement as well as the destruction of many of the landmarks we grew up with. 
 
Let everyone know what happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis was one of the most deplorable cases of police brutality we have ever seen—it is enough turn everyone’s stomach. The perpetrators must be quickly tried and meet the punishment they deserve—no excuses. These events have triggered emotions in all of us and those who took to the street to let their opinions known and legally protest for reforms are soundly within their rights. Unfortunately, their/our best efforts for peaceful protest were hijacked by a few criminals, gangsters, thugs, thieves who used the protest movement as a wedge to cause mayhem, bodily harm and destruction of our beautiful Southern California cities. Los Angeles, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Long Beach, and Culver City law enforcement officers as well as the California National Guard showed great restraint with the provocations (rocks, bricks and bottles) and insults that were thrown in their faces.
 
It is now apparent that our city officials vastly underestimate the potential risk to our citizens. How this can happen in the face of what was so clearly seen in Minneapolis last week is a mystery to us. Protestors, bystanders, businesses, property were left unprotected. All of this is inexcusable and not only should the criminals be met with swift justice, so should those who have been elected to office to “protect and defend” the citizenry of our great state be held accountable for their actions and inactions at the ballot box.
 
In keeping with our Covid-19 cooking lessons I have attached our pre-scheduled recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta. Please share a prayer for all of our great cities, our state and the United States of America. God bless!

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A few chain restaurants offer Bang Bang Shrimp or Chicken—I like Cheesecake Factory’s style. It is described as a Thai-inspired dish that consists of crisp shrimp (or chicken) tossed in a sweet chili-based sauce. I decided to whip up a combined version of what I thought Bang Bang Shrimp could be with a portion of pasta to boot. This sweet and not-so-spicy (just a nice kick) shrimp dish can be served over a pile of your favorite greens, in a rice bowl with some steamed broccoli or even, dare I say, in a taco. Or if you’re not so inclined, the shrimp is just as tasty all by its lonesome. A dish that makes your mouth say “bang bang” is definitely all the more reason to try it.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
For the crispy breadcrumbs:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh or Panko breadcrumbs
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch garlic powder

For the shrimp pasta:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
juice of 2 medium limes (about 1/4 cup), divided
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
12 ounces dry spaghetti
1 pound uncooked peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced, divided

Directions
Make the crispy breadcrumbs

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the breadcrumbs, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Stir-fry stirring constantly, until golden, crispy, and fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes; set aside. Be careful not to burn.

Make the shrimp pasta

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
2. Now you have a lot of things coming together at the same time—bang, bang, bang! Lightly coat a rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray; set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
4. Whisk the yogurt, sweet-chili sauce, honey, garlic powder, half of the lime juice and fish sauce together in a small bowl; set aside.
5. When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes or according to package instructions.
6. Pat the shrimp dry and place on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Season with the salt, black pepper, and cayenne and stir to coat. Spread into an even layer.
8. Roast until the shrimp are opaque and pink, stirring once halfway through, 6 to 8 minutes total. Do not overcook.
9. Drizzle the remaining lime juice over the shrimp and toss to coat, scraping up any flavorful bits on the baking sheet.
10. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour in the yogurt sauce into the pot and toss to evenly coat the pasta.
11. Add the shrimp and the juices from the baking sheet, along with half of the scallions, and gently toss again.
12. Plate it up and generously sprinkle each serving with the crispy breadcrumbs and remaining scallions.
13. Serve immediately.

ChefsSecret: The sauce can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

#Entrees #Shrimp #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

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