Farfalle with Portobellos & Shrimp

I've always had a weird thing about textures & food. There is a laundry list of things I won't eat because the texture just grosses me out. Oatmeal, pork chops, apple sauce & scallops are just a few. ALL mushrooms used to be on that list until I finally tried portobellos. (Granted, the first time I tried them they were, breaded, fried & dipped in ranch dressing). Their texture is quite different than that of other mushrooms. They have a meaty texture and (to put it bluntly) they aren't slimy. Now I use portobellos frequently to mix with grilled veggies or saute in other dishes.

My Farfalle with Portobellos & Shrimp recipe was one of my "kitchen experiments". I came across a similar recipe on a food blog, used it as a starting point & changed it up a bit to suit my taste.

Ingredients:
• 1/4 box of farfalle (bow tie pasta)
• 1/2 - 3/4 lb. shrimp, shelled & deveined
• 2 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned & chopped*
• 1 bunch green onion, finely chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1/2 c. heavy cream (optional)
• 1/3 c. fresh basil, finely chopped
• salt
• pepper




Directions:
1. Boil salted water, and cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.

2. While the pasta is boiling, heat butter in large saute pan. Add green onions and saute about a minute.

3. Salt raw shrimp, and add to pan. Saute shrimp with butter & green onions for about 2 minutes.

4. Add mushrooms, tomatoes & wine. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.

5. Stir in cream and continue to cook (but not boil) until mushrooms are cooked through, but shrimp isn’t over cooked. Add salt & pepper to taste. (I add quite a bit of salt).

6. Remove from heat. Mix pasta and sauce together in a large bowl, and top with fresh basil.



My Tid-Bits:

*Sorry for the lack of photos. The Hubs came in the kitchen to talk to me while I was cooking & I forgot to take pics of each step.

*How to Clean Portobellos: DO NOT put them under running water. Simply get a damp cloth & wipe off the tops. Then use a spoon to scrape the gills out of the underside. You can leave the gills in, but it will give your sauce a brownish tint.

*Chicken can be used instead of shrimp. Cut raw chicken breast into 1 in. cubes, season with salt & pepper. Saute for 4-5 minutes (instead of 2 min.) before adding other ingredients.

*This is one of The Hubs new favorites. He told me MANY times last night, while going back for seconds AND thirds, that he really liked this dish & I should make it more often. Wife tested, husband approved.

*This recipe makes 4 average size servings. It is very easy to double or even triple if you're hosting a large crowd. I recommend serving it with some French bread to sop up the extra sauce.

*Despite the fact that this dish contains pasta & cream, it's still low calorie. Each serving has about 220 calories.