I’ve not posted much lately because of work…umm, and play, but I’m committed to at least keeping up with one post a month, so here’s the latest: Shrimp Fra Diavolo – a devilishly simple American Italian pasta dish. (“Fra diavola” apparently means “brother devil.”)

I don’t cook Italian very often and it’s the food that I least often go out for; perhaps unjustifiably, I just sometimes find it a bit boring.  It’s just so common in the U.S. However, I definitely enjoy spicy food and have been meaning to make a “fra diavolo” dish for some time. Just the other day, I was watching the television program “Lidia’s Italy,” and she made Calamari Fra Diavolo over Linguine that inspired me to do something other than my baked pasta dish that I often make when I don’t have the energy to do something ambitious.

For this recipe, I used the following ingredients:

• linguine (dry)
• olive oil
• diced fire-roasted tomato, 2 cans (undrained)
• red onion, 1/2 large, finely diced
• cayenne powder (I used ~1 teaspoon)
• red pepper flakes
• garlic powder
• oregano (dried)
• fennel seed (optional)
• salt
• pepper
• sugar (sparingly, to taste)
• large shrimp, 6-8 cut to bite-sized pieces
  (I was short on shrimp, so I also cut a swai filet)

To prepare, begin by sautéing the diced onion in olive oil in a large pan.

Simultaneously begin boiling the pasta separately until al dente. Once the onion is tender, add the tomatoes; mashing them either in advance or in the pan. (I actually used a potato masher.) Next, add all the dry spices and sugar and stir regularly, while cooking and slightly reducing the sauce. I also added a generous portion of dry fennel seed because fennel is one of my favorites.

Add the shrimp pieces to the sauce and cook a few minutes; when the pasta is mostly cooked (al dente), add it to the pan as well.

Stir the pasta and sauce, and finish cooking when the pasta and shrimp are the desired doneness/texture.

I made about 4 servings. It’s a simple, yet delicious dish!

Here’s the television program I watched that inspired this recipe, and her quite different Shrimp Fra Diavolo recipe that I just found after making mine:

• Lidia’s Italy in America: New England’s Italy
• Shrimp Fra Diavolo

I hope you enjoy this dish; as with others spiced with cayenne powder, it’s easy to make it as hot (or not) as you like.

I’m cautiously optimistic that I find time to get back to blogging (and blog reading) before July.
Either way – have a great summer! :)