Penne Alfredo with Shrimp

What’s so great about making pasta alfredo? Everyone does it, just mix some pasta with a jar of sauce or whip up an instant packet. Certainly tossing in some shrimp doesn’t qualify as a new recipe. However, this is the first time I’ve made alfredo from scratch and, even though it’s quite simple, it was new and exciting to me. Photo and recipe below…

Penne Alfredo with Shrimp

Penne Alfredo with Shrimp
(Original recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook for Alfredo Sauce)
Serves One (with a little extra sauce)

• 1 cup dry elbow penne
• 8-12 frozen pre-cooked peeled deveined cocktail shrimp
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 ounce grated parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
• Pinch nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper

1. Boil water and cook the pasta as directed on the package, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water
2. Thaw the shrimp by your preferred method (I simply just put them in a small mixing bowl and fill it with my hottest tap water, in less than 5 minutes they’re ready to go) and removed the tails
3. Simmer the cream in a large skillet over medium heat until it has thickened slightly and measured roughly 3/4 cup. (Yeah, it’s not like you’re going to know how much is in there, just eyeball it, the key is, it reduces noticeably) This takes about 8 minutes. Cover and keep warm off the heat
4. Whisk in the butter, parmesan and nutmeg into the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste
5. Toss in the shrimp and stir. Mix sauce with pasta and toss to coat. Add the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce before serving.

Honestly, this tasted different than any alfredo I’ve had in the past. It wasn’t a bad thing, it was just different. It was *very* cheesy compared to most store-bought alfredos, which are very creamy with a hint of cheese. This alfredo sauce also has more texture than the velvety stuff that comes in a jar. It’s kind of rustic and nice. I’ll certainly be making it again, but I’ll be experimenting with different cheeses and spices. Of course, there will probably always be shrimp. I add shrimp to everything.

-Oji Chef