From SPQR: Modern Italian Food and Wine, by Shelley Lindgren and Matthew Accarrino, with Kate Leahy.
Spaghetti with Shrimp and Tomato Passatina
Serves 4-6
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 pound shell-on raw baby shrimp
Kosher salt and black pepper
A pinch of dried red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
4 breadsticks, like grissini, broken up
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
12 ounces fresh spaghetti or dried
1. Heat a thin film of olive oil in a large, wide pot over medium heat.
2. Stir in the onion and sweat until softened, 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic and sweat 1 to 2 minutes more until aromatic.
4. Add the carrot and sweat until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Turn up the heat to medium-high, stir in the shrimp, and season with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes.
6. Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer.
7. Stir in the tomato and return to a simmer.
8. Pour in 1 cup of water, lower the heat, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp are soft enough to break up with a wooden spoon if pressed.
9. Stir the broken grissini pieces into the pot, remove from the heat, and stir in the parsley.
10. Place a food mill fitted with a coarse plate over a clean pot.
11. In batches, pass the shrimp and broth through the food mill. You will have a coarse paste. (If it's too dry to go through the food mill, stir in more water).
12. Taste the shrimp paste and season with salt and pepper.
13. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
14. Cook the spaghetti for 4 minutes if using fresh, and as directed on the package if using dry.
15. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a cup of pasta water, and return the spaghetti to the pasta pot.
16. Stir spoonfuls of the shrimp paste into the spaghetti until evenly coated, adding a few spoonfuls of water if the pasta looks dry, and simmer for one more minute before serving.
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Reprinted with permission from SPQR: Modern Italian Food and Wine, by Shelley Lindgren and Matthew Accarrino with Kate Leahy, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
