Ungrateful cats and shrimp

More shrimp, please

John was asking the other day if I'd seen "Vino" in the garden, and I said it had been many weeks. When we have that conversation, "Vino" usually shows up to prove we're wrong thinking he went to his reward. And like clockwork there he was at the kitchen door the next night when we sat down for supper. Was it the shrimp? He stayed long enough to beg one off my plate and then ran outside again like he hated us. Which he seems to, unless we're having something good for dinner.

We could see he was plump after a long winter of sleeping on some neighbor's furniture. It's been 10 years now since I "rescued" him from a wire cage at Keppler's feed store when I stopped to buy something or other for Sizzle. I have a soft spot for brown tabby kittens, but out of the whole batch he was the troublesome one they were eager to find a home for. I remember someone saying he had the potential for a useful life in a horse barn catching mice, but I didn't listen. Next time I'd take the sweet white kitten in the corner of the cage.

Back to dinner. Linguine with shrimp and garlic-wine sauce is so good. I like old-fashioned spaghetti too, the kind we all grew up with. John claims both are inferior pasta shapes, at least for red sauce. To each his own. But he doesn't have any trouble eating this dish.

Here's an easy recipe:

I usually buy shrimp frozen, so I dole out 16 or so for two servings. In about 3 tbs. of olive oil, sauté a couple cloves of chopped garlic for a few seconds. Add a big pinch of red pepper flakes. The add the shrimp to the hot pan and brown for about 3 minutes each side, or until done. Remove the shrimp and pour in about 1 cup of white wine. Boil and reduce by half. Put the shrimp back in with a grind of black pepper, dash of dried Italian seasoning and squeeze of lemon juice. Toss in about 8 oz. of cooked linguine pasta. Italian food purists would never use cheese to finish a seafood dish, but a handful of grated Parmesan at the end binds the sauce and makes it taste great.

"Vino" tested and approved.