Orichiette with Spinach, Shrimp and Garlic Chips

Have I mentioned my undying love for garlic? If not, you should know that garlic is on the top of my list of favorite ingredients and that I have yet to to try a dish that I think is too garlic-y. Sure, raw garlic is a bit of a different ball game, but when it's cooked I love it in almost any savory dish.

In the current Valentine's day spirit I'm not sure that garlic is the most favored flavor but in my case, if you want to be my Valentine, the more garlic the better. Lucky for me, I share most of my time with someone who loves garlic just as much as I do. Just this past weekend, Oliver and I made garlic and lemon chicken with an herb and roasted garlic sauce. Roasted garlic gives garlic cloves a sweet and almost nutty taste - it's amazing. We made an extra head of garlic and munched on the extra cloves while touching up the sauce.

I realize that this might make me a little strange, but we all have our obsessive food habits, don't we? The garlic in this pasta concoction really made the dish. This pasta dish was another one of those meals I didn't really mean to make a post out of but couldn't resist once I saw the finished product sitting on the table. It was simple and the perfect quick lunch.

Recipe (for 2)
Orichiette for 2
10 shrimp
4 garlic cloves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A good handful of fresh baby spinach
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
In the meantime peel the garlic and slice it into even-sized garlic chips. Add a good drizzle of olive oil to a pan on medium low heat and add the garlic. Allow the garlic to flavor the oil and turn a light shade of golden brown. Add the peeled shrimp to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium. As soon as the shrimp turns pink in color add the spinach and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the drained pasta to the pan (with about 1 teaspoon of pasta water) and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning.Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!