Shrimp and Linguine
Shrimp with Basil-Mint Pesto Recipe
Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper Recipe
Having a large bunch of basil in the refrigerator that needed to be used, the first that came to my mind was to make pesto. 
The first recipe I came across was a recipe for shrimp with a basil mint pesto, which sounded really good and was really easy. Just combine basil, mint, toasted pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor (don’t try to use a blender, it doesn’t work), and drizzle in olive oil. To make the pesto a little lighter, I used half olive oil and half chicken stock. Once everything was worked into a thick paste, I transferred it to a bowl and mixed in grated Parmesan cheese. Apparently putting the Parmesan in the food processor changes the taste because of the heat from the blades. I don’t know how much or if it actually changes the taste, but I mixed the cheese in afterwards. Once the pesto was made, I sauted shrimp in some olive oil and garlic until they were pink and then tossed them in the bowl with the pesto. I was going to use the pesto as the sauce for linguine as well, but after reading some reviews that said the pesto was very potent, I decided to toss the hot linguine with butter, grated pecorino cheese, and black pepper. I used some of the pasta water to make a sauce, and then added chopped arugula. Although I really liked the pesto sauce on the shrimp, I am glad I didn’t use it for the pasta sauce since it did have a very strong flavor. It worked well on the shrimp though. And the linguine was so simple, yet so good. I used whole wheat linguine, which I think taste so much better
than regular pasta. I thought the black pepper would be overpowering, but it went was balanced by the saltiness of the cheese. The arugula gave the pasta some color, but I don’t think it added much flavor. I could take it or leave it next time. Overall though, it was an easy meal that packed a major flavor punch. Seth liked it so much, he asked me to make it again tomorrow!
Shrimp with Basil-Mint Pesto Recipe
Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper Recipe