Professional chefs and home cooks find creative uses for leftovers. His recipes are usually excellent. I had some leftover spaghetti on hand and some frozen shrimp that were beginning to develop freezer burn. As a thrifty person, I couldn’t rule out these ingredients and decided to combine them in an original recipe.

When I looked in the vegetable drawer of my refrigerator, I found a red pepper, a small zucchini and a yellow onion, foods that go well together. When I checked the pantry shelves I found some rosemary breadsticks imported from Italy. Your dad! I had the makings of a wonderful meal.

I live in the Midwest and fresh fish other than walleye and trout are hard to come by. Supposedly, fresh fish is displayed in store windows, but this fish may be frozen fish that has been thawed. Eating frozen, partially thawed, or thawed and refrozen fish can put you at risk for food poisoning.

Years ago I ate a breaded fish burger sandwich (frozen fillet) and developed scombroid fish poisoning. To my surprise, gigantic hives appeared on my body. A hive covered an entire thigh. I have never forgotten this experience and I am careful to keep frozen fish totally frozen. If I buy frozen fish, I ask the clerk if it’s really fresh or thawed.

Since this recipe contains a lot of vegetables, I didn’t bother to make a salad. If you want to complete the meal with a salad, go ahead and do it. Don’t expect a thick sauce with this recipe. Instead, the pasta and shrimp are flavored with a fine sauce made with butter, wine, and garlic.

Choose a dry white wine that complements the ingredients in the recipe, not overpowers them. My husband and I loved this recipe and I think you guys will too. Since it’s winter in Minnesota, I warmed up the pasta bowls before serving dinner. Serve this recipe with breadsticks, crusty bread, or garlic toast.

INGREDIENTS

20 large frozen cooked shrimp

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, halved and cut into half moons

1 small zucchini, quartered and cut into 1/2″ pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1″ strips

1 teaspoon garlic salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons of butter

4 tablespoons baby capers, drained

1 cup dry white wine

parmesan cheese to decorate

METHOD

1. Thaw shrimp according to package directions. Remove the tails and reserve.

2. Coat the pan with olive oil. Turn the heat to medium.

3. Add the onion crescents and cook until soft.

4. Add the zucchini and red bell pepper. Cook 5 minutes.

5. Arrange shrimp over vegetable mixture. Add the pasta and toss with flip flops to combine. Turn the heat down to low.

6. Season pasta and vegetables with garlic salt, black pepper, butter, and capers.

7. For the white wine on the mixture. Cover and cook over low heat for 5-8 minutes.

8. Spoon into large soup bowls. Generously garnish with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.