Sunday Scrounge

Scarcity needn't result in mediocrity

Three things make up a good Sunday: rest, questioning your life choices, and a good meal.

On a recent Sunday, having been in town long enough to deplete my food inventories but with no desire to fight the weekend grocery crowds, I was on the verge of having trail-mix for dinner.

Turned out that all I needed to avoid a food crisis was some protein, a bit of fat, lots of salt, and a positive attitude.

Here’s what I made.

1. Gather your ingredients

After looking through the fridge and all my cabinets, here’s what I came up with:

• 1 lb. Spaghetti

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 lb. jumbo shrimps, be-headed

• Broccoli and cauliflower florets

• Olive oil

• Red wine vinegar

• Capers (optional)

• Spicy yuzu sauce

• Juice of half a lemon

• Parmesan cheese (or any crumbly cheese)

• Arugula (returned to the fridge un-used)

2. De-poop the shrimps

Shrimp are nasty but delicious creatures.

As my grandma used to say, they are the cockroaches of the sea.

She wouldn’t touch them with a 6-foot pole.

If you’ve ever cleaned a sizeable shrimp, you would know why she thought that. If you haven’t, then hopefully you’ve been buying them cleaned, otherwise you’ve ingested a lot of shrimp feces.

Nasty business

To clean the critters, peel the skin, slice along the middle of the back with a sharp knife, pull out the dark matter, rinse, and repeat.

No one will know where they were

3. Boil the water and pre-cook the vegetables

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a quarter cup of salt.

Heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan on medium-high.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil, cook the broccoli and cauliflower for a couple of minutes, add two ounces of water, increase the heat and cover for 3 more minutes.

Set the vegetables aside.

4. Cook the shrimps and the pasta

Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 8-10 minutes (or as long as it says on the packet).

Shrimps and pasta

Slice two cloves of garlic thinly.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan.

Add the garlic and the shrimp, don’t overcrowd the shrimp, and let cook for around 3 minutes until they start turning pink.

Flip the shrimps and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until they are opaque and slightly browned.

Don’t overcook shrimp, it will lose a lot of water and become rubbery.

Transfer the cooked shrimps to a plate.

5. Bring it all together

Mix two tablespoons of yuzu with two tablespoons of grated parmesan, lemon juice, and a splash of red-wine vinegar.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan.

Transfer the pasta from the pot with tongs, don’t worry about draining it, the water will help with the sauce.

Add the yuzu mix and a tablespoon of capers, stir until everything is combined.

6. Eat

Serve the pasta in a plate and top with the cooked shrimp, capers, extra grated parmesan cheese, and some chili flakes for good measure.

Season the cooked vegetables with olive oil and salt, and eat.

The third pillar of your Sunday is now restored.