Linguini al Limone, with a fantastic Murphy-Goode Sauvignon Blanc



2008 Murphy-Goode
The Fume



Another week, come and gone!  Boy time does fly sometimes.  Decided to make another recipe from Cook’s Illustrated magazine – Linguini al Limone…..  it awesome. Creamy, just the right hint of lemon without over doing it....

 Needed a good wine to go with it, and happened upon a new version of an old favorite – Murphy-Goode Sauvignon Blanc.  I love Murphy-Goode wines!  They are always consistent, and always good.  I have been to the vineyard in the Alexander River Valley, several times.  This wine used to be labeled as a Fume Blanc, (FB is really Sauvignon Blanc), but now is simple called “The Fume” 



It is a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, but not your typical, grassy acidic SB at all.  It was a little tight initially, because I had it a tad too cold, and seemed VERY subtle at first.  Bone dry, nice citrus flavors of pineapple and tangerine, with a very light finish initially.  When it warmed up, the tangerine really came out, and the finish was incredible – VERY long.  When paired with the Linguini – served in a lemon, cream, basil sauce, the wine REALLY came up to speed.  This is a fantastic food wine, and the incredible balance of citrus, fruit, with just a hint of oak for structure really matched the balance of the acidity from the lemons and the fat from the olive oil and cream in the sauce.  A superb combination, if I do say so myself!!  With the food, the pineapple and tangerine flavors really popped, and the finish seemed to go on forever.  For $10.99 a bottle, this is a real keeper, especially if you are like me, and not a huge fan of big, bold, grassy, acidic Sauvignon Blancs.

Linguini al Limone
with Lemon Shrimp Scampi



Now for the linguini.  This recipe really piqued my attention when I saw it.  Of course I had to tweak it a little. ( I used Linguini Fini instead of spaghetti, and I added some lemoney shrimp scampi for a little protein.)  It is very simple to make, and the most important thing to remember is to use EXACTLY the same amount of lemon juice and cream.  I cut back on the pasta liquid for this recipe because using the amount in the magazine, the sauce, while awesome tasting, was a little watery.  Another important step is to let the dish sit for a few minutes before serving to allow the flavors to develop.



Ingredients:

1/2 lb Linguini Fini ( for 2 servings)

¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil

1 large shallot, minced – split into two piles



¼ cup heavy cream

3 tsp lemon zest,(about 2 or 3 lemons worth) and the juice from 2-3 lemons (1/4 cup)

½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

fresh ground black pepper

2tbs fresh basil leaves, chopped

10 large shrimp, (21-25 count)

3 cloves garlic

1 tbs butter




1. Bring 3 quarts salted water to boil, add pasta and cook till al dente, stirring frequently – about 8 minutes or so.  Check frequently so you don’t overcook the pasta.  Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain, drizzle with olive oil, stir and set aside.
2. While pasta is cooking, defrost, and peel shrimp.  In sauté pan, heat 2 tbs olive oil, and 1 tbs butter till melted.  Saute garlic, and ½ shallots till translucent.  Add shrimp, and cook until opaque – about 4 minutes.  Just before the shrimp are done, add 1 tbs of lemon zest, and stir well.  Remove from heat.  (Try and time it so the shrimp and the pasta are done at the same time, otherwise you will have to reheat the shrimp, over low heat)

3. After the pasta is drained, add 1 tbs olive oil, and heat the other half of shallots, with ½ tsp salt, until soft, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in ¾ cup pasta water and all of the cream into pot, bring to a simmer and cook for 2 – 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, return pasta, and stir until coated.  Stir in 3 tbs oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese and ½ tsp pepper.
4. Cover, and let pasta stand 2 or 3 minutes, tossing frequently.  Stir in basil, season with salt and pepper, and serve topped with the shrimp.

Buon Appetitto!