This recipe was inspired by a recent trip Christina took to Brooklyn where she visited Allswell which also happens to be one of our favorite spots in BK! She ordered a dish of pesto asparagus with chopped shrimp and was so inspired she recreated a version of the meal from her own kitchen.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1.25 lb asparagus, washed and trimmed of woody ends
4 oz pesto, store bought or homemade
2 cups large shrimp, either defrosted from frozen or fresh, shelled and deveined
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt/pepper
Fresh basil or parsley to garnish

Directions:

1)    Drain shrimp of any juice or water, place into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and a few cracks of pepper.  Set aside.

2)    Heat oven to broil; arrange asparagus spears in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1-tablespoon olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper.  Shuffle asparagus to coat with oil mixture.

3)    Place baking sheet under broiler near top of oven; bake 3-5 minutes, until asparagus is bright green yet still has crunch.  Remove and set aside with foil gently tenting sheet.

4)     Heat a cast iron grill pan (optional) to medium high heat.  Once pan is hot, place shrimp in pan in a single layer.  These will cook very quickly!  Just about the time it takes for the shrimp to be placed in the pan, you’ll start flipping the first one’s you put in.  Cook shrimp about 1.5 minutes on either side.  Sprinkle with a touch of salt and remove from pan to a clean dish.

5)    To serve: spread pesto in center of serving platter; arrange asparagus on top and shrimp on the sides.  Drizzle with good olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh basil.

Can you really eat well and have a full life?  Absolutely, yes.  These recipes are straight from my tiny kitchen and bustling life.  My thought is that if I’m busy, other people are too.  We have to find a balance of work and play while nurturing ourselves on the very basic level of real food.  Let’s get back to the dinner table, teach our family and friends the special recipes we love, and reconnect.

foodiewithalife.com