spaghetti aioli with shrimp and asparagus.

Alright. You may have noticed that I have yet to attempt any type of pasta dish on my blog. Now...this is not because it's not a staple in our house (because it TOTALLY is!)...it has more to do with the fact that I am kind of scared to post anything Italian. In the past 8 1/2 years with my now husband Joe, I have experienced some of the BEST pasta dishes I believe known to mankind! Homemade tomato sauce, homemade fresh pasta, lasagna, stuffed shells, gnocchi, linguini, martini, bikini! Ooops...I think Vince from Slap Chop temporarily took over my body :). But in all honesty, it's really hard for me...a "mangia cake" to compete with an 80 year-old Italian woman, visiting from "the motherland", rolling little cavatelli by hand and serving them with a tomato sauce that was crafted from fresh roma tomatoes and simmered all day long. Nona...you are a true inspiration!

The only reason I have the courage to share this creation with you is because it has received my husband's stamp of approval (and it's pretty darn good if I do say so myself!). When in comes to pasta, Joe has been been spoiled for his entire life. He never even knew what Ragu was before he met me! So if he's a fan of this...it can't be all that bad. My apologies to all the Italians out there if this is not quite "how mama makes it".


Spaghetti Aioli with Shrimp and Asparagus
                        (Serves 4)

- (1/2) cup of extra virgin olive oil
- (4) cloves of garlic, cut into quarters or halves
- (2) medium sized onions, diced
- (6) cloves of garlic, minced
- (1/2) tsp. salt
- (1/4) tsp. pepper
- (1) tsp. Italian seasoning (or 1/2 tsp dried basil and 1/2 tsp oregano)
- (1/2) hot chili flakes
- (1) bunch of asparagus, cut into 1"-2" pieces
- (1/2 - 1) full bag of frozen shrimp, thawed (add the whole bag if you like a lot of shrimp)
- (1) box of spaghetti
- (1/2) cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or not so fresh)


Add 1 cup of olive oil into a larger frying pan, preferably something a little deeper that has a lid. Add the 4 chopped garlic cloves into the pan. Place the pan on the stove on low heat (I put it on at about 2, but it depends on your stove). You're going to be infusing the flavour of the garlic into the oil, so you want to slowly simmer the oil without burning the garlic. 

Continue to simmer the oil and garlic for about 15 to 20 minutes. About halfway through, turn the garlic. By the time the 20 minutes is up, the garlic should be a light brown colour. Remove the garlic from the pan and discard.

While the oil is simmering, you can get started on chopping up all your veggies. Make sure to snap the woody ends off of your asparagus before cutting them up into pieces.

 
After removing the simmered garlic from the oil, add the diced onions and continue to simmer on low heat. Stir in the minced garlic after a few minutes along with all the spices. 

Continue to simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the asparagus pieces, stir and cover. 

 

After a couple more minutes of simmering, add in the shrimp. If you're using pre-cooked shrimp, they will simply need to be warmed throughout. If you're using raw shrimp, you will need to cook the shrimp until they turn pink in colour. Remember to keep an eye on your vegetables as they cook as suggested cooking times can vary. You don't want to overcook your asparagus as it will become mushy, and overcooking shrimp will make it tough.

Once the asparagus is just tender and the shrimp is properly cooked, remove the aioli sauce from the heat. Scoop the sauce over a bowl of plain al dente spaghetti and toss to combine all the flavours. Top with the Parmesan cheese and serve.

Buon Appetito!