Dinner and TV

We are still DVD-less, since we blew it on mailing back our last few Netflix rentals. So tonight we watched "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" while eating Creamy Gruyere and Shrimp Pasta:

8 oz. uncooked pasta (recipe suggested cavatelli or orecchiette, but I used farafalle)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups 2% milk
1 1/4 cups (5 oz)* shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
1 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. dry white wine**
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain well.

Combine flour and salt in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 3/4 cup (about 3 oz.) cheese, stirring until melted.

Heat butter in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in wine and cayenne pepper, and cook 1 more minute or until shrimp is done.

Add pasta, shrimp, and peas to the cheese mixturee in the Dutch oven. Lightly spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon pasta into dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup (about 2 oz.) cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

*You really should get a kitchen scale. Depending on how you grate cheese, the measurements could be way off. I used my darling Microplane, and 5 oz. turned out to be about 2 1/2 cups, packed.
**How ridiculous is this? Luckily I had a Vacu-Vin'd bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge.

Comments

[susan]

I am trying that tomorrow. It looks and sounds delicious. Funny I was listening to a cooking show on NPR and she was saying how important a scale is and then I was watching Alton Brown and he also was talking about the scale and now you. So I am off to Sur la Table this weekend for a scale. Or if I'm feeling cheap, Bed Bath and Beyond.

[Karen]

I use mine all the time -- and I think you'll find that more and more cooking mags and cookbooks are giving weight measures. It can really make a big difference. And you don't need to spend a lot to get a good one. You want a digital readout to the 1/8 ounce and a "tare" function (so you can put a container on top, "tare it off," and then add your ingredients). I think mine is made by Salton.

[Karine]

Oh my but that looked GOOD!!
Nothing like a bit of foodie porn early in the morning :)

[Margaret]

Oh, I'm so hungry. It looks luscious. I have never tried Bloglines, but want some way to see who has updated lately.