This is a fun and easy dish.
The ingredients can be varied, but you really need tomato and some kind of
hot pepper. I like to rough-chop the ingredients and after they cook down a
bit, homogenize them in a blender. In
place of cheese (which I don't think is needed with this spicy dish), I add a
little cream or half-and-half.
Fra Diavolo means
"Brother Devil" which to me requires some serious hots. I usually use
a few Jalapeno or Serrano peppers. Today I have two Serrano Peppers. You want
this hot, but you still want to taste the food. I think sweet peppers add a
great deal of flavor so there's a little of that too. I blend all the
ingredients to make a smooth sauce so that it sticks to everything better.
Your choice of wine can
vary from whites to reds, but I would recommend a somewhat dry wine. You should
probably avoid carbonation, as this does not work well with hot food. My choice
is a wonderful 2010 red made in Languidoc Roussillon by the brothers Coston on
a 100% Bio/organic property. The wine, dubbed Les Terrasses du Larzac is made from grenache, syrah, carignan and
mouvèrdre with low yields. A super wine. See red dot near bottom of map.
In the method below, after you add the Brandy, you can either cook-off the
alcohol for a few minutes or, if you're comfortable, flambé. My grandson
insists on flambé, or the meal preparation isn't worth watching! There are many ways to cook Shrimp. With this
small number however, it's easiest to toss them in the cooking Pasta and pluck them out
with tongs when they are done. They're done within a few seconds.
You'll want little else
with this dish. I made just the simplest Salad, drizzled with a small amount of
the very finest Olive Oil.
Ingredients:
(for one: you
wouldn't have to increase these by much for two)
5 oz Shrimp
(I used 8 of the 21 per lb. size)
4 oz Penne
¼ cup chopped
Onion
¼ cup chopped
Sweet Red Pepper
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| Most of the Ingredients |
½ stalk Celery,
diced
2 Anchovies
2 Serrano Peppers, chopped
4 Capers
14 oz can
diced Tomatoes
(or fresh, if in season)
¼ cup cream
or ½ & ½
fresh
Parsley minced: (about 2 Tbs. minced)
sprig
of fresh Basil
1 Tbs. Salt
1 Tbs. Butter
pinch
of Sugar
¼ cup Brandy
2 Tbs. Olive
Oil
Equipment:
Large fry pan, Pasta pan, Electric Blender, Tongs
Method:
1. Sauté onions, celery and sweet peppers for
about 5 minutes until they have softened.
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| Ingredients Prepped |
 |
| After first 5 minutes |
2. Add Anchovies, Capers and Hot Peppers.
Anchovies will completely dissolve. Lower heat and cook for about ten minutes.
3. Turn up heat until everything sizzles. Add
Brandy and either cook off alcohol or flambé. |
| flambe |
4. Add Tomatoes, about half the Parsley, Salt
and a pinch of Sugar. Stir everything together.
 |
| Add Tomatoes, etc. |
When the ingredients come back
up to a boil, lower the heat, partially cover and simmer gently for about 30
minutes, stirring occasionally.
 |
| Ready to Simmer |
5. While sauce simmers, clean and shuck Shrimp.
6. Just before sauce is finished bring Pasta
water to a boil.
7. Add Pasta to water and set timer for about 1
minute less than box instructions.
8. While Pasta is cooking, remove Basil from
sauce and then run it through the Blender until sauce is smooth and pinkish.
Return sauce to pan and keep it on low. Taste and correct seasoning.
9. When timer shows about 4 minutes left, add
Shrimp to Pasta water. When they are done (less than a minute) remove them with
tongs and place them in sauce.
10. When Pasta is done, drain very, very well and add to sauce and shrimp. Add the cream or ½ &
½ and mix in.
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| Pasta added |
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| Cream added |
Cover and let simmer for a few minutes. At the end, swirl in the
Butter and serve, sprinkling the remaining Parsley over the dish.
Enjoy!
