shrimp shrimp!

I wasn't exactly sure what qualifies a dish as shrimp scampi, so I decided to look it up... It turns out scampi literally means shrimp, so shrimp scampi= shrimp shrimp! Further investigation revealed that scampi does refer to a style of preparation in which shrimp is cooked in butter and garlic. Well there you have it, I made shrimp scampi. 
This dinner was totally thrown together on a whim, had I prepared better I would have stocked up on white wine, but balsamic vinegar was a viable substitute in the clutch.  Most importantly, this was very quick to make which is exactly the kind of meal I needed after a long day at work. I bought deveined easy-peel shrimp so most of the work was done for me.  

Balsamic Shrimp Scampi (serves 2 hungry roommates)
approx. 2 cup cooked thin spaghetti ( or angel-hair) --I like Ronzoni Smart taste
18-20 medium shrimp 
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (loose or in water)
1/3 lg. vidalia onion, chopped
3-5 lg. garlic cloves (I obviously went with 5)
crushed red pepper

Start by boiling a large pot of water for the spaghetti. While the water boils, prep your ingredients: chop the onion, mince the garlic, prep the shrimp.  If you didn't buy de-veined shrimp, be sure to clean all of that yucky stuff out of the shrimp before you cook it! I bought de-veined easy-peel shrimp so most of the work was done for me.  I just removed the outer shell, leaving just the tail at the end. Leaving the tail prevents the shrimp from coiling up tightly in the cooking process.  I bought loose sun-dried tomatoes which were a little dry so I heated a small pan of water to soak them and plump them up a bit. 

When the pasta is ready to go into the pot, heat 1 tbsp of butter in a saute pan.  I later added another 1/2 tbsp at the end mainly just to prevent the spaghetti from sticking. Use your discretion just don't overdue it with the butter. Add the chopped onions and garlic to the pan. I like to use a garlic press to get a nice fine mince.

 Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and crushed red pepper to the pan. I used just a little shake so the heat doesn't completely over-power the dish, but gives it a little kick.

 Next add the shrimp.  Stir it occasionally so the good stuff doesn't get stuck to the bottom.

 As the shrimp starts to cook, it will become a whitish-pink color.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes at this stage. If the pan is looking a little dry, add some water from the pasta pot rather than more oil or butter.

Cook the pasta al dente then strain it and add it to the shrimp pan.  Cook it just a few minutes, enough to blend the flavors and give the spaghetti a little bite.  By bite I mean crunch (not burnt!), which totally brings me back to my childhood... If you grew up in an Italian household you probably know what I mean.  I LOVED fried spaghetti night with Sunday's left-overs!  

 Top the pasta with a little grated cheese and fresh parsley or basil if you have some. Enjoy!