When you eat together, friends become family. Alison says, “I cook a giant pot of pasta, a big salad, and the guests bring wine.”

What great idea as for the most part I usually have pasta on Sunday’s…I found a new little book that was dedicated to Pasta Friday (not that I needed another “pasta” book), but it just looked fun, with good recipes, and would work well as a quick go to recipe source all in one little book. It is the kind of book that can set the tone for a weekly adventure with friends no matter the number because there are plenty of scaling suggestions to follow for a large or small gathering.

So this Friday we are amidst the rainy and whirling weather conditions of hurricane Ian no one wants to go out in the mess so we begin our “Pasta Friday” just a few of us that will enjoy a first pasta Friday.

Campanelle and Shrimp in a Rich Pink Cream Sauce substituting casarecche pasta for the campanelle since we don’t feel the need to go out shopping on such a lively weather day and all of the other ingredients are staples in my house…yes even the shrimp that we buy fresh off the boat and stock up on once a year (at least 35 pounds) so I’ll be using 1 of the last three remaining from last season only to stock up again in the next few weeks.

Serves 6-8 and I made 1/2 the recipe on Friday…
slightly adapted from Pasta Friday

1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, with juices
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, with juices
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided Kosher salt
1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons smoked sweet paprika Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon anchovy paste, or 3 anchovy filets, minced (I would use slightly less 1 1/2 – 2tsp)
¾ cup heavy cream
1 pound campanelle

I put a few pinches of Italian seasoning and pepper flakes in the dish with the tomatoes, onion, and garlic before roasting

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. \

2. Combine the whole tomatoes from the cans (reserve the juice for later) with the onions and garlic in a 9 by 13-inch lasagne pan. Drizzle on 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 1 hour.

3. Toss the shrimp, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl, and let marinate while the sauce is cooking.

4. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for about 4 minutes, just until they turn pink and not any longer. Remove them from the oven and place in a bowl (don’t keep them on the hot baking sheet, as they’ll overcook).
I chose to under cook the shrimp in a searingly hot pan and removed them after about a minute when they curled up and had a nice little sear…remove to a bowl.

5. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the cooked tomato sauce and the sun-dried tomatoes, and purée until smooth, working in batches if necessary.

6. Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the anchovy paste and stir until dissolved.

7. Add the reserved tomato juice from the cans, the puréed sauce, and the cream, and stir. Taste for salt. Keep at a low simmer, stirring every few minutes.

8. Fill a 6-quart pot with water. Bring it to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the campanelle and stir. Cook until the pasta is slightly firmer than al dente, 1 minute less than it says on the package, then drain. Pour the pasta into the pot with the sauce. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Taste for salt, adding more if needed, and cook until the pasta is done, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and serve immediately.

Arevalo, Allison. The Pasta Friday Cookbook: Let’s Eat Together (p. 101). Andrews McMeel Publishing. Kindle Edition.