Minty Shrimp Fettucine

Hi everyone!

First off, for everybody's information: the Volvo is now running just fine. "Bricks" are pretty indestructible, but they do need to have a functional Electrical System.

I've noticed...Especially in the past few weeks...that I have a ridiculous amount of mint growing in my herb garden. Now, I know that mint is a weed-type plant, and it will grow (similar to catnip...another mint) in virtually any conditions. I've got just as much basil, cilantro, parsley etc. as I can use, but I have more mint than I'll use in a year!

In my usual fashion, I called Mom for advice (it doesn't matter whether you're 4 or 40; Mom still has the best advice), and she made a few suggestions as to what I could do with all that mint. I also pursued the issue on my own, and I ran across a few recipes that sound VERY good (and as a bonus, they're all quite simple to prepare).

Here's the one I'm trying out tonight (using myself as a guinea pig, as always):

Minty Shrimp Fettucine

1 medium red bell pepper, julienned (about 3/4 cup); seeds & stems removed
1/2 pound large cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
scant 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper (or more; adjust to taste)
11 ounces (about 3/4 of a box) dry fettucine pasta
DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile prepare the remaining ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the red pepper, shrimp, mint, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Add pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Add the pasta to the shrimp mixture and toss to coat well. Serves Two.

I'm going to be substituting roasted red peppers (from a jar) for the fresh bell pepper ('cause that's what I have on hand). That shouldn't affect the overall flavor too much, although it will have less "crunch" than the original recipe. Perhaps I'll add a finely-diced fresh jalapeno as well.

I'll let you know how things turn out!

John

(printable version)

http://209.245.59.32/Gimme/65832736/1596041409/66154390/30162D80-9727-4B47-AF98-254488B3D427/0.762787/2/minty_shrimp_fettucine.doc