Spicy Cajun flavours kick up this easy cream sauce. Look for smoked sausages where they sell bacon and other deli meats in the grocery store.
Cajun Shrimp Linguine
500 g (1 lb) large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
5 ml (1 tsp) paprika
2 smoked sausages (about 250 g/8 oz), thinly sliced
15 ml (1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
250 ml (1 cup) 10 per cent cream
125 ml (1/2 cup) water or reduced-sodium chicken broth or stock
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 ml (1 tsp) chopped fresh thyme or 2 ml (1/2 tsp) dried
1 ml (1/4 tsp) cayenne pepper
1 pkg (350 g/12 oz) fresh linguine pasta
1 green onion, thinly sliced
In a bowl, toss shrimp and paprika together to coat; set aside.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-fry sausage slices for about 4 minutes or until golden brown; transfer to a plate. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.
In a small bowl, whisk flour into cream and add water.
Return skillet to medium-high heat and add cream mixture along with garlic, thyme and cayenne pepper.
Bring to a boil and add shrimp; simmer for about 4 minutes until shrimp are pink and firm. Return sausage to skillet and warm through.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook linguine for about 3 minutes or until tender but firm.
Drain well and add to skillet. Cook, stirring, on low heat for about 2 minutes or until sauce coats pasta well.
Serve in shallow soup bowls and sprinkle with green onion.
Makes 6 servings.
Tip: If the smoked sausages are spicy, reduce cayenne pepper to 0.5 ml (1/8 tsp).
Source: Emily Richards for anydaymagic.ca