Shrimp Scampi

This shrimp scampi recipe is from my favorite Food Network host, Ina Garten.  I find her philosophy of bringing out the natural flavors of food instead of doctoring it up with tons of sauces and spices so refreshing.  I have never been disappointed in any of her recipes; they are always amazingly delicious.

One of the great things about this shrimp scampi is that I can make it with just my pantry items ... no grocery trip necessary.  However, it tastes so bright and fresh that it seems like you put a lot of work and ingredients into it.  The fresh ingredients, shrimp and lemons, are easy to have on hand, so I usually do.  If you needed to use lemon juice from a bottle, I guess you could, it just would not taste as fresh.   

INGREDIENTS
3/4 lb linguini or spaghetti (you can use a whole box too)
salt
pepper
3 T unsalted butter
2 1/2 T olive oil
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb large shrimp, deveined and peeled  (I use frozen shrimp)
1/2 lemon, zested
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed ( ~ 1 1/2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
1.  Bring water to a boil and add salt and a splash of oil - add pasta and cook according to package

2.  Heat butter and olive oil over medium-low heat


3.  Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute

4.  Add shrimp with 1 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper - saute until shrimp turn pink




5.  Remove pan from heat and add lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon rounds, and red pepper flakes

6.  Toss with pasta and serve!