supercook savior

There are times when hunger comes knocking and I have no clue what to put together. It's not that I don't have food to prepare, it's more of combining the ingredients in a way that won't spontaneously combust. My dad has this miraculous way of grabbing the most random things and creating something truly tasty. I have always admired that about him, and so has my stomach.

While I didn't inherit that trait from my pops, I have found the answer to my cooking conundrum. Supercook. It's a website that allows you to plug in the ingredients you have, and pulls up oodles of recipes that are doable with what you've got. Even better, it categorizes into appetizers, entrees, and desserts. I could plan an entire dinner party. Genius.

Not wanting to use too much brain power this evening, I used it and found an easy recipe from good ol' Martha Stewart. Easy is just what I need after a long day at work. Time to chow down on some grilled tomato linguine and some shrimp mixed in. Yum.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 pound linguine
1 and 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces, plus extra leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions: 

• Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside. 
•  Make sauce: To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes.  
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add tomato sauce, shrimp, and basil; season with salt and pepper, and toss. Serve immediately, garnished with basil leaves, if desired.

This serves four. So I portioned it out for one. Enjoy.