Garlic Shrimp Pasta

This dish ended up great although it took longer than anticipated. I used frozen shrimp, which added some time. Begin by peeling the shrimp and simmering the shells in water for about ten minutes to make a shrimp stock. Shrimp stock is the quickest stock you can make and really tastes great. You can even freeze shrimp shells until you are ready to make a batch. Since it is so easy to make, I never bother to freeze the actual stock though.

As the stock is simmering, cut broccoli into florets, slice one large shallot and slice two large cloves of garlic. Peel two additional garlic cloves. Once the stock is done, strain and trash shrimp shells. Bring the stock back to a simmer and cook broccoli. As the broccoli is cooking, heat 1.5 T of butter and 2 T of olive oil in a pan with the 2 garlic cloves. Remove cooked broccoli and bring stock back to a boil, adding more water if necessary. Add pasta to the boiling water/stock and cook. Meanwhile, add the shallot and garlic clove slices once the oil is hot. Remove the whole cloves, cook the garlic and shallot slices until slightly browned and then add the shrimp. Cook shrimp until nearly done and then add the broccoli. Stir in the pasta and add 1-2 T of the cooking stock/water to thicken up the sauce a bit. Add salt and pepper as needed.