Shrimp and basil fettuccine in a yellow tomato sauce

Name: Shrimp and basil fettuccine in a yellow tomato sauce
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 12 oz fettuccine; 18 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 × 14 oz can whole peeled yellow tomatoes, broken up by hand; 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped; 2 scallions, sliced, whites and greens kept apart; 1 tbsp capers; 2 tbsp crème fraîche; ¼ cup grated Parmesan; ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; 1 bunch basil, torn at the last moment; olive oil, salt, pepper

Yellow tomatoes make a sauce that tastes of tomato without the red bark.

At a Glance

Time

35 min

Serves

Story

Yellow tomatoes are lower in acid than red ones, which is why this sauce needs the capers and gets away without sugar or a long simmer. It also means it goes from bright to flat if you cook it too long. Ten minutes of gentle work is the whole sauce, and the shrimp finish in it rather than beside it.

Ingredients

12 oz fettuccine
18 oz shrimppeeled and deveined
1 × 14 oz can whole peeled yellow tomatoesbroken up by hand
2 zucchinihalved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlicroughly chopped
2 scallionssliced, whites and greens kept apart
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp crème fraîche
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 bunch basiltorn at the last moment
olive oilsalt, pepper

Method

An older recipe and a more generous one, from back when the portions were larger and nobody counted.

A large pot of salted water on to boil. Break the tomatoes apart in a bowl with your hands, which is more satisfying than a knife and does a better job.
Sear the zucchini in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high, 3 to 4 minutes undisturbed, then a minute more until slightly softened. Season and lift out. Wipe the pan.
More oil, then the garlic and scallion whites for 1 to 2 minutes. Capers and red pepper flakes, another 30 seconds.
In with the crushed tomatoes, carefully. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly thickened but still loose.
Pasta into the water, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh, longer for dried, to just shy of al dente. Save ½ cup of the water.
Season the shrimp and slide them into the sauce. 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until opaque and barely done.
Pasta, zucchini and half the reserved water into the pan. Toss over the heat 1 to 2 minutes until coated. Off the heat, stir the crème fraîche through, then tear in the basil.