Garidomakaronada With Ouzo and Fresh Tomato

Now isn't this title a mouthful?

Garidomakaronada is a compound word in Greek meaning "pasta & shrimp". Garides are shrimp, makaronia is general word, like pasta.

The bounty of fresh tomatoes is here and for this very short window of time, a tomato sauce can be made from fresh tomatoes and one can actually pull off a fabulously flavourful meal.

Like most of the great pasta dishes, the ingredients are few and the produce is at it's peak. The ingredients are all used in Greek cookery and the last minute splash of Ouzo gives this dish the "je ne sais quoi".

I've chosen some larger sized shrimp for their obvious presence in the dish and more & more I'm liking them with their heads on.

I know some people are going to get all "sucky-face" with me in the comments section but I now prefer shrimp with their heads on.

The heads (and shells) give the dish added flavour and when you tear the head off the the body, stick the open-end of the shrimp's head into your mouth and suck the juices out. Try it, then tell you don't like it.

Beyond peeling the shells and deveining the shrimp, this dish comes together in the time it takes for the water to boil to the pasta becoming "al dente".

This dish is Greek, right down to the pasta choice, "Misko Makaronia Trypita no.5" or...bucantini. I chose this type of pasta as it's hollow, which allows this aromotic, seafood tinged sauce to get right into the pasta.

Celebrate garden fresh tomatoes with this quick, easy Garidomakaronada.

Garidomakaronada With Ouzo and Fresh Tomato
(for 4)

1 pkge Miskos Trypita no.5 (500gr)
16 medium sized shrimp, heads on, body shelled & deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
4 large, very ripe tomatoes, passed through a box grater
(skins discarded)
1 heaping Tbsp. of tomato paste
1 shot of Ouzo
1 tsp. of Boukovo (chili flakes)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place a large of water on the stove top to bowl. Add a good amount of salt and cook your pasta as per instructions.
2. Season your shrimp with some salt & pepper and place a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add your olive oil and quickly saute your shrimp. As soon as they turn pink, remove them with a slotted spoon and reserve.
3. In the same skillet, lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic and then reduce to medium-low and saute for about 10 minutes to soften and become translucent. Now add the tomato paste and grated tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer until the most of the water from the tomatoes has cooked off and you're left with a flavourful, thick sauce.
4. Add the Ouzo, stir in and turn off the heat and keep warm until your pasta has been cooked.
5. When the pasta is cooked, strain and add to the sauce along with the Boukovo (chili flakes) and your shrimp. Toss to coat the pasta and to allow the shrimp to finish cooking through (about 5 minutes).
6. Add some chopped fresh parsley and plate hot along with lots of napkins and bowls for the discarded heads and shells.
   

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