Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti with Shrimp and Arugula

Dear Jess,

I have been thinking about you a lot lately. I miss you. I am so excited for our upcoming adventures on the 3rd.

Jason has been wanting pasta for about the last... 14 months. I don't eat a lot of pasta because I find it too heavy. So when I was craving spaghetti I ripped open my copy of Jamie Oliver Italy and scoped the pasta pages for inspiration.

I found: Spaghetti con Gamberetti e Rucola (Spaghetti with Shrimp and Arugula). I think any recipe where I get to cook with alcohol is my favourite. There's something about the aroma that jumps out of the pan at you... there is just nothing else like it. So when you add some sun-dried tomatoes, hot peppers, shrimp, garlic, lemon and fresh arugala to white wine... mmmmmmmmmm.

Spaghetti con Gamberetti e Rucola
From Jamie's Italy
1 lb. dried spaghetti
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 dried red chilies, crumbled
1 lb. peeled raw large shrimp (If you're using frozen, make sure they are completely thawed)
1 small wineglass of white wine
2 heaping tbsps sun-dried tomato puree, or 6 sun-dried tomatoes blitzed in a blender
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 handfuls of arugala, roughly chopped (I used way more than this)

Cook your spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, heat 3 good glugs of extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan and toss in the garlic and chili. As the garlic begins to color, add the shrimp and saute them for a minute. Add the white wine and the tomato puree and simmer for a couple of minutes. When the pasta is ready, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce, squeeze in the lemon juice, and add half the chopped arugula, using a little of the reserved cooking water if you want to loosen the sauce a bit, and correct the seasoning. Divide between four places and sprinkle with the grated lemon zest and the rest of the arugula leaves.

As I am always saying: I love you and miss you and can't wait to see you.

So much Love,