Lazy Person's
Spaghetti con Gamberetti
In Aglio, Olio e Peperocino
Recipe and photos by Tom Weber

Admit it, you'd love nothing better than to travel to southern Italy, but the purse strings are knotted a bit too tight right now for you to board an Alitalia (Always Late In Takeoffs And Landings, If Available) flight and take off for the Bel Paese.

Am I right?

Have no fear, my short-order cook alter ego, Lazy Person (LP), has a quick-'n'-easy pasta dish that'll have you feeling like you're on La Penisola without ever having to leave the comfort of your Barcalounger.

To me, nothing says "Mediterranean diet" better than olive oil, garlic and spicy red pepper.

These "three of the Ave Maria" are just straight forward, basic ingredients found in anyone's kitchen that hails from the lower third of the Boot across the Strait of Messina onto the island of Sicily. From these cornerstone ingredients, along with juicy vine-ripened tomatoes, pours forth authentic southern Italian cuisine.

Along with garlic – the "Queen of the kitchen" – extra-virgin olive oil and spicy red pepper, we'll throw in some gamberetti (small shrimp), sauté it all together and pour it over, around and through al dente strands of semolina (durum wheat flour) spaghetti No. 5.

Look, people pay good money to board a plane, sit with their knees practically in their face for hours on end, check into a hotel, and then go in search of an incredibly delicious plate of pasta like the one we're about to create just for you.

Now, if you'll grab an apron and your boarding pass – first class seating only – our skipper (LP) is standing by in the cockpit to get this 20-min., non-stop dish underway.

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Step-1: Fill a large pot with water, cover and fire it up to HIGH heat and bring it to a boil.

Step-2: Peel, rinse and pat-dry the shrimp

Step-3: Rinse, dry and finely chop the parsley.

Step-4: Peel the garlic cloves and run them through a garlic press.

Step-5: In a skillet, add the extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, spicy-hot red pepper and a healthy pinch of sea salt, then fire up to MEDIUM heat and stir-watch-and-stir until garlic begins to brown.

Step-6: Add the shrimp and let them redden up a bit (about 1-min.).

Step-7: Add the white wine, 1/2 of the chopped parsley and continue cooking until the liquid reduces (about 4 min.). Turn off heat and wait for Step-10.

Step-8: Water is now boiling, Uncover pot, add 1 tbsp. of sea salt and the spaghetti and stir vigorously to ensure strands separate. Continue cooking for 7 min.

Step-9: Skim off 2 tbsp. of the foamy pasta water and add it to the shrimp mix in the skillet.

Step-10: At the 7-min. mark drain the spaghetti and place in the skillet with the shrimp, fire heat back up to MEDIUM and sauté for 1-min.

Step-11: Plate, top each portion with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and serve.

Step-12: BUON APETITO!

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Recommended Wine Pairing: Collio DOC Mongris Pinot Grigio – Marco Felluga Winery – Gradisca D'Isonszo (GO), Italy

Although the original vineyard planted its first roots back in the 1800s, the Marco Felluga Winery was formally established in 1956. Today, owner Roberto Felluga and vintner Raffaella Bruno produce some of the most splendid award-winning wines in the area thanks to a combination of their experience handling the grape, the mineral-rich soil and the estate's close proximity to the Adriatic coast.

A signature varietal from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy's upper northeast, Collio DOC Mongris Pinot Grigio is golden-yellow in color with copper tones. Its bouquet is intense and immediate with hints of acacia flowers, golden apples and rosemary. On the palate, it is elegantly fruity, full-bodied and well structured with a remarkably long finish.

Collio DOC Mongris Pinot Grigio pairs well with all types of fish-based antipasto, soups, pasta dishes and grilled main courses, but goes especially well with crustaceans and mollusks. Aside from complimenting the dinner table, Pinot Grigio is one of the Bel Paese's preferred wines to have as a midday or early evening aperitivo (aperitif).

SALUTE!