Penne with Shrimp & Lobster Mushrooms

[Mylegsbig]

Hello there guys i was sitting around and this recipe popped in my head, not really a recipe but rather the makings of a good meal. It sounds like it could be so delicious, it just appeared as a vision in my head.

Here are the ideas I have, i hope some of you all can help me work this out and make it a reality, as I can't wing something with ingredients this expensive.

Okay, basically i want to cook up some penne and toss it with shrimp and lobster mushrooms, in a white wine based sauce.

Question 1 - Do you think a white wine based sauce would go good with these ingredients?

Question 2 - How should i make this white wine sauce? IE - Ingredients, etc. I also mean how should i apply it to incorporate it into the pasta. Should i throw some olive oil in a pan, throw in some garlic, then sautee the lobster mushrooms, then throw in white wine, then just reduce it or something? I have no idea which order to do this.

Question 3 - What is the best way to prepare these Fresh Gulf Shrimp for this recipe? - Im in houston and can get fresh shrimp, But no idea how i should cook them with this pasta. They wil be medium large shrimp. Should i clean them and then cut them in half, then sautee them? Please help!

Question 4 - Should this dish be a butter based sauce instead of olive oil? Where does butter fit into this?

Question 5 - Are there any good shrimp to use besides fresh gulf shrimp? Im trying to get the shrimp to taste as least FISHY as possible. I have a great gourmet market here and they have many kinds of shrimp, but only one kind of fresh shrimp.

Here is another kicker. This might actually make things the easiest.. let's say this is the Iron Chef... and someone just gave you these ingredients.

Penne Pasta
Fresh Shrimp
Fresh Lobster Mushrooms
White Wine
Parmagiano Reggiano
Garlic Cloves
Olive Oil
Butter


What would YOU make out of them? Please specify how you personally would turn it into a meal. feel free to add a couple side ingredients but those are the basics.


Thanks guys i look forward to all of your replies. Also, if you feel this dish needs MORE ingredients than i listed, please tell me! As much flavor as possible is what i want in this dish.

 

[AllenOK]

Question 1 - Do you think a white wine based sauce would go good with these ingredients?

Most certainly yes!

Question 2 - How should i make this white wine sauce? IE - Ingredients, etc. I also mean how should i apply it to incorporate it into the pasta. Should i throw some olive oil in a pan, throw in some garlic, then sautee the lobster mushrooms, then throw in white wine, then just reduce it or something? I have no idea which order to do this.

I would place the pan on a burner set to high, and barely heat the pan, then add the oil, swirl it around for a minute, then add the garlic and saute it for a second. Add the mushrooms and saute those briefly (as the pan gets hotter), then deglaze with the wine. This will happen fairly quickly, so have everything ready. If you get the pan to hot at the start, you'll burn the garlic in seconds. Other than that, it sounds like you've got the right idea.

Question 3 - What is the best way to prepare these Fresh Gulf Shrimp for this recipe? - Im in houston and can get fresh shrimp, But no idea how i should cook them with this pasta. They wil be medium large shrimp. Should i clean them and then cut them in half, then sautee them? Please help!

Are you talking completely fresh, never been frozen, shrimp? You're close enough to the Gulf to get them, and I envy you for it. If you get head-on shrimp, simply snap the heads off and place them in container. Remove the shells, and devein the shrimp, saving the shells with the heads. Make a stock from the heads and shells at a later time (you can freeze them if you wish).

Question 4 - Should this dish be a butter based sauce instead of olive oil? Where does butter fit into this?

If you want to use butter, maybe once you've reduce the sauce a bit, pull the pan from the heat, add a T or two of butter, and swirl the pan to melt the butter. This will also tighten the sauce a bit. Add the pasta, and toss to roll the pasta in the sauce.

Question 5 - Are there any good shrimp to use besides fresh gulf shrimp? Im trying to get the shrimp to taste as least FISHY as possible. I have a great gourmet market here and they have many kinds of shrimp, but only one kind of fresh shrimp.

If you're concerned about the freshness of the shrimp, ask the fishmonger if you can smell them. They should smell fresh, clean, and of the sea. If they smell like ammonia, don't buy them.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Allen, Yes friend, im talking never been frozen, what i meant in my question about cooking them, is actually cooking them. Should i throw them in a skillet or what? Basically how do i prepare these shrimp to toss with the pasta.

Cook time, cook temperature, seasonings, marinaade, sauce in pan to cook with, oil or butter, etc etc etc..you get the idea.

Thanks for your feedback friend.

 

[bevkile]

My answer to number 3
would be, clean them, remove the tails and a minute or two before you pasta is done , drop them in with the pasta. Make an Alfredo sauce but after melting the butter pour in a tablespoon of Emril's Bayou blast. It is just as good as Red Lobster's Cajun shrimp. Hope you like spicy.

 

[Michelemarie]

sounds good, what time is dinner?

 

[AllenOK]

Ok, I forgot to mention that. I would toss them into the skillet at the same time as the lobster mushrooms and briefly saute them until they start to turn pink and curl up a bit.

Just remember, you don't want to completely cook them when you saute them, as they will keep cooking while you reduce the sauce.

The whole process should take about 5 minutes or so, provided you already have the pasta cooked and drained.

 

[jennyema]

Good advice!

I am one of those people that nearly always agree with the "no cheese with shellfish" rule. Though lots of people disagree.

Personally, I'd avoid alfredo sauce, as it is so rich and thick. You will totally lose the wonderful but delicate taste of the lobster mushrooms, so you might as well use cheaper white button mushrooms if you choose alfredo. Also, to my palate, you are coving up the taste of the shrimp, too.

Lobster mushrroms and fresh shrimp are wonderful and expensive ingredients that give you unique flavors. My advice would be to highlight them with ingredients that enhance their flavors, like a wine/butter sauce and maybe some subtle herbs like chives or shallots. I wouldn't use parm cheese either, as I personally don't think it goes that well (generally) with shellfish.

 

[Mylegsbig]

let's say im using 8 oz of Fresh Shrimp, and 6 oz Penne Pasta, about how much white wine would be used? Just a ballpark figure.

I need to know how big of portions to make. Actually I don't even know how much shrimp or penne i need.

This will be a dinner for two people, a large male and a small female, and we will both be eating our initial portion then going back for second helpings.

We don't want leftovers.

Any idea on portion sizes for Shrooms, Shrimp, and Penne, Wine? I can eyeball the rest of the ingredients. Just a ballpark figure. Normally when i cook 8 oz of pasta for us there is leftovers. We want it to be very heavy on shrooms and shrimp so there is a bite of shrooms and shrimp for almost all the pasta ^^ Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, what is the best type of white wine for this dish? How about a nice bottle of chardonnay?( to make the sauce)

 

[jennyema]

Portion size depends on you and your appetite.

For the shrimp, you need to go by count rather than weight. For large shrimp, 8 oz. is only about 8 or 10 shrimp -- 4 or 5 each. If you use medium shrimp there will be more. I'd use a smaller shrimp and buy them by count, rather than weight (eg, tell the guy you want 20 shrimp and not 10 ounces).
Figure out how many you two want to eat. For me, that would be maybe 8 in a serving and 4 for seconds. But that depends on your appetite.

And smell them before you buy them.

Lobster mushrooms are lovely but quite expensive (are you getting them fresh? <---- envy, as they are hard to find fresh here). IMO they are an accompanyment to the shrimp, so for me a handful would do, but again, that's up to your taste. My only advice is not to hide their subtle taste and nice color with a heavy sauce.

I cook for 2 and always make a full 16 ounces of pasta (whole box) and usually have some leftovers, but not a lot. If you have leftovers from 1/2 box, then think somewhat less than that.

For the wine, I would definitely not use a California chard, as they are almost always aged in oak. With a dish like this with subtle flavors, I would use a pinot grigio or pinot gris (same thing), or a sauvignon blanc. Something not too oaky, as that will IMO compete with the mushrooms. But if you like that oaky toasty flavor, then go ahead and use it. Cook with wine you like to drink. I would make the sauce like Allen suggested, by deglazing with maybe a cup of wine and maybe some clam juice or a bit of chicken stock. Then I'd reduce the sauce, add soem butter, and taste for seasoning. I'd add some minced shallots to the mushrooms or add minced chives at the end.

 

[Zereh]

Shrimp cook super fast! Two to three minutes total is all you need; they are done when they start to turn pink (instead of being opaque). If you over cook them, they get rubbery and yucky quickly.

One way you could incorporate the flavor into the sauce without overcooking them is to remove them when they turn pink, then reduce your sauce, and then add them back in right before serving just long enough to warm them up again.


Z

 

[Mylegsbig]

". I would make the sauce like Allen suggested, by deglazing with maybe a cup of wine and maybe some clam juice or a bit of chicken stock. Then I'd reduce the sauce, add soem butter, and taste for seasoning. I'd add some minced shallots to the mushrooms or add minced chives at the end."


Wow this is the best idea ive ever heard... Jenny thank you so much im gonna add clam juice to it.... okay jenny at what point do i add the minced shallots? When i add the garlic? Dont you need to sautee shallots?

Also, im gonna use a cup of wine like you said. How much clam juice should i add?

Jenny, okay so i simmer the mushrooms in the sauce itsself?

Around how long should the mushrooms sautee?

I dont make the sauce's liquid components separate? Sorry for the questions if they seem redundant but i want this to be perfect.....

It's just say i add in the wine, and clam juice..that will be pretty heavy amount of liquid in the skillet, how can the shrimp grill in there with all of that liquid? Is it possible to stirfry the shrimp and shrooms together separately in a wok, then add them to the dish?

thanks in advance guys..and yes jenny the lobster mushrooms are fresh, and very expensive..but i do not cook meals like this all the time. I just want to try some because i've yet to taste them.

 

[jennyema]

Lets see ......

Off the top of my head, I would prepare the raw shrimp (clean and devein) and then start with some evoo in your sautee pan. I would add a minced shallot and the mushrooms and let that cook for about a minute or 2, then I would add the shrimp and garlic and a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper and let them cook all together for another minute. Then I would add the wine and deglaze the pan for about 15 seconds. When you have the fond scraped off, I would fish out the shrimp and set them aside on a plate (cover with foil), as you don't want to overcook them. Then I would add the clam juice -- maybe 1/2 cup -- to the sautee pan and let the liquid reduce by about half. When reduced, I would whisk in about 1T of butter and taste for seasoning (may need salt).

When the sauce is done, I would add the shrimp and the penne to the pan and stir to combine and heat everything up. I would probably add some chives or maybe a little flat leaf parsley to freshen things up.

But this is just me thinking off the top of my head ........ hopefully others will jump in here .....

 

[Zereh]

I'm not Jennyema, but here's my 2 pennies worth:

I'd do the shimp for the last few minutes along with the 'shrooms. Then remove the shrimp and carry on with your sauce reduction.

Mushrooms release moisture as they cook so I like to saute them until the majority of the liquid they release is reduced from the pan. (What's left in the pan will be a concentrated mushroom broth that is rich in flavor.) I'd most definitely leave the mushrooms in the sauce so they can absorb those flavors as well.

The shrimp release juices as they cook and will add lots of flavor, as will the mushrooms, so I'm not sure that you'll need clam juice along with the wine. I'd taste before adding any. =) But that's just me.


Z

 

[Mylegsbig]

Thanks Jenny that is the process i'm going to use.

So i leave temperature on skillet consistent throughout? What temperature on the skillet? I will be using a very large 12" skillet. Mainly need to know what temp on skillet for cooking the shrimp, shrooms, shallots, etc etc.

Also Jenny, just for one last clarification, i leave the shrooms in the pan the whole process of the sauce, never taking them out correct?

 

[AllenOK]

Well, me being "in the biz", I tend to cook at two temps, barely simmering, and full-blast. I would go with the high heat setting, saute the goodies, remove the shrimp to a bowl (important), then start with the sauce reduction. Once you get the sauce where you want it, add the pasta, and dump the shrimp out of the bowl, along with any of the juices that exuded from the shrimp after they were removed from the pan.

If you are uncomfortable with the amount of heat and the concentration that requires, go with a med-high heat level.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Allen, your replies are greatly appreciated brother, the only thing is, the hot to cold - high heat method you are describing sounds like advanced cooking... Surely i need to learn how to use these methods, But man, with the shrimp at 20 bucks a pound and the mushrooms at 30 bucks a pound, i will have to take an approach of an intermediate level chef...... I have had bad experiences with using HIGH Heat....even while just searing pieces of steak..let alone something as delicate as fresh shrimp and mushrooms...

 

[AllenOK]

But man, with the shrimp at 20 bucks a pound and the mushrooms at 30 bucks a pound,

Man, that's more than I could afford!

I would go with a lower heat setting then. Most of the time at work, when we do saute something, we get to get it cooked A.S.A.P., so we turn the burner up as far as it will go. Mostly, it's just necessity and experience with cooking at that high of a heat that allows cooks/chefs to do this. The only time I use a medium heat is when I'm cooking eggs, or, I'm sauteing something and can't give it my full attention.

 

[Mylegsbig]

lol please man don't let this scare you off from my threads as a professional chef your input it is highly valued to me and i always enjoy your posts....

 

[marmalady]

You live in Houston and fresh shrimp are $20/lb??? Where are you buying your shrimp? Even jumbos here in Charleston are going for $8-10/lb right now, fresh.

 

[AllenOK]

I get really sensitive about the cost of stuff, since we have 5 kids and three adults in this house, and I'm the only one working, opps, I'm not even working this month. So, I have to combine good cooking with cheap, cheap, cheap. I'm trying to teach PeppA and her mom about what and how to buy large quantities, cheap, and still be healthy. It's not really working, as they want what they want, and aren't satisfied with anything else.