Crispy Shrimp Pasta

It looks like we are making the transition back to normalcy fairly smoothly.  Of course now that I've said that something will go sideways.  Two weeks and a half to back to school, to routine and everything that goes with it.  I'm sorry to see summer go, but I am looking forward to the return of school days.  Even though Grade six is now considered "middle school" my brain still considers Grade seven as the milestone start to Junior High.  And I am amazed at how quickly we got here, for all that that sounds like a cliche.  It wasn't so long ago I had a very little girl all excited for Kindergarten.  Now she's spending her days babysitting a little girl starting Kindergarten and excited about junior high.
Last weekend Emily wanted to have a couple of her little friends for a sleepover.  I reluctantly agreed, (it had been a long week, I just wanted to drink wine and watch Mad Men) after making sure both girls would eat shrimp, since that was what I had taken out of the freezer before work.  They all said they did, so they followed me home.  I had to feed them. While the girls played Uno I made supper- it was a hit, not a scrap left.  Emily wanted more, so I assured her she could give the recipe a try the next time she cooked.  So what if we had the same dinner twice in three days?  We do leftovers all the time after all.
This is a fast and easy dish, although Emily didn't realize the shrimp had shells on, not just the tails, so the shrimp she peeled only had the tails removed.  Not the worst thing, and a good lesson.
Once the shrimp were peeled (or de-tailed) she tossed them in a bowl with a little flour, salt & pepper, while she cooked the fettuccine.
She fried the shrimp in a little butter and olive oil, then (after arguing with me about this step) removed them to another small bowl.  To the pan she added chicken stock and cream, stirring until it thickened.  Once it had thickened she tossed the pasta with the sauce and added the shrimp.
She's getting better in the kitchen all the time, although she doesn't always read all the instructions with due care.  She wanted to add the broth to the pan without removing the shrimp first, which would have made deglazing the pan difficult, but would have resulted in overcooked seafood.
This was a fast, easy and relatively inexpensive meal and will certainly remain in our rotation.

Crispy Shrimp Pasta

4ounce fettuccine                                                       1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 pound raw shrimp, peeled & deveined                1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon salt                                                            1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon pepper                                                      1/2 cup whipping cream*

2 tablespoons flour                                                     1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning**

Cook pasta according to the package directions.  Sprinkle shrimp with 1 tablespoon flour, salt & pepper, toss to combine.  Sprinkle with the second tablespoon of flour, toss to evenly coat the shrimp.

Melt the butter & olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the shrimp in a single layer & cook on each side until golden brown, flipping once, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove to a plate.

Pour the chicken stock into the skillet & cook for about 5 minutes, whisking the bottom of the pan to deglaze.  Reduce the heat to medium & pour in the cream, whisking constantly.  Cook sauce over medium heat until bubbly & the cream starts to thicken the mixture, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Cajun seasoning, adjust the salt & pepper if necessary.  Add the drained pasta & shrimp, stir to combine.

*The first two times I prepared this dish I used milk instead of cream, A little flour may be needed to help thicken the sauce

**I have also made this using Tex-Mex seasoning.