It’s hard to believe, considering how UTTERLY DELIGHTFUL slush, cold, dry skin, slick roads, muddy shoes, dirty floors, and cabin fever are, but I am tired of winter.

I am also tired of winter food.

I do make some effort to eat seasonally, buying ingredients that are more likely to have been grown somewhere in my hemisphere, but I have hit the wall.

I needed something fresher, lighter, more summer-y in constitution. I could not face another roast beast or mashed potato. I did not want kale or a rutabaga.

Mr. Meat and Potatoes asked for seafood the other day, and I wanted to give it to him, but I happened to be shopping at Target that day. And, for all the wonder that is Target, their seafood department is pitiful. Beyond pitiful. It rivals the fauxhawk in terms of things that are lame. It can’t really be called a department. It’s more like four square inches of shelf space in the meat section, wherein cryovac salmon resides.

So, I couldn’t help him out that day.

Later, he came home with crab legs that he swore had been on sale. Then I found a bag of frozen shrimp tucked into our freezer. I took this all as a hint, and decided to forgo my usual “no tomatoes other than canned until summer” rule, and make a nice fresh seafood pasta, even though I didn’t have fresh basil in a pot or garden to cull from.

It turned out delicious, and I forgave myself the grape tomatoes I bought, and am still working through the basil in the little plastic box in therapy. I believe it was worth it. And, it was a quick and easy dinner for a work night – a trait I really appreciate in a recipe. So, overall, I recommend. It did help our frames of mind a little. As in, I feel less likely to cut myself whilst eating a pork chop and gravy with a side of frozen corn now.

Shrimp Diablo and Noodles

1 pkg linguini (or spaghetti, or whatever you have around)
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 C dry white wine
1 can petite diced tomatoes (I always recommend Muir Glenn diced tomatoes)
1 large handful grape tomatoes, halved
1.5 lbs shrimp, largish in size
2 tsp Sriracha (more if you are into the heat)
2 T chiffonade of basil
parmesan
salt
pepper

Step 1) Put a large pot of water on to boil. Salt it heavily.

Step 2) In a large saute pan, drizzle olive oil and heat to medium.

Step 3) Toss in the garlic, and the drained canned tomatoes. Let that simmer while you throw your pasta into the boiling water.

Step 4) Get your partnet to start peeling shrimp for you. Or, you could have that done in advance.

Step 5) Pour 1/3 C wine over the shrimp and salt and pepper them liberally. Let them sit like that while you prepare the rest of the dish. I don’t know why, but I think wine-soaked shrimp are probably better.

Step 6) Chiffonade the basil. Throw half of it into your tomato/garlic mixture, and add the rest of the wine to the sauce. Continue to simmer and reduce the sauce. Don’t cover it.

Step 7) When your sauce is reduced enough for your taste (just so it’s not watery), and the pasta is about done (al dente), go ahead and drain the pasta and set it aside.

Step 8) Toss the shrimp and the cut grape tomatoes into the sauce, and squeeze the Sriracha over the shrimp. Salt and pepper the whole thing. The shrimp will cook quickly, so watch closely. This will only take a couple of minutes.

Step 9) Toss the pasta into the saute pan with the shrimp and tomatoes, add the rest of the basil, and give it all a good turn. Serve hot and grate a little parmesan cheese over the top. I also topped it with some cracked black pepper, mostly for showmanship.

You will not end up with a heavily sauced dish. Our goal with this was to really be able to taste the shrimp and just have a few light, complimentary flavors added in. This was a compromise, as Mr. Meat and Potatoes wanted me to just saute the shrimp and put them on a plate. When asked what else he’d like as a side with his sauteed shrimp, he looked at me quizzically and walked out of the room.

Since I did not want just a plate of shrimp for dinner, I did this. I think it satisfied us both. And that is a good thing, indeed.

We are such creatures of routine, so boring in our old age, that even an out-of-season meal can function as our dose of wild-and-crazy for the week. Yes, we know it’s sad. No, we don’t care. But we’d like to, and that’s what matters,right? RIGHT?