By Colette is painting at a level that surprises even the art teachers. She submitted a piece to the Louisiana State Fair Youth Art Competition — a large oil painting of the yellow cottage at sunset, with the bayou behind it and the Spanish moss hanging from the oaks and the screen door open and a figure in the doorway. The figure is Mama, but also every woman who ever stood in a doorway waiting for her family to come home from the water. The painting won first place. FIRST PLACE. A thirteen-year-old Beaumont from Baton Rouge, painting a cottage on a bayou in Lafourche Parish, won first place in the state youth art competition, and the prize is a ribbon and a hundred dollars and the knowledge that the cottage will exist in paint long after it exists in wood.
Mama saw the painting — Colette brought it to the cottage, held it up in the yard, and Mama stood on the porch and looked at it and said, "C'est moi?" Is that me? And Colette said, "Oui, Mamaw. C'est toi." And Mama cried. Not the quiet cry of a woman who's moved. The full cry. The cry of a woman who sees herself preserved by her granddaughter's hands, who sees her cottage and her bayou and her doorway captured in oil and canvas, who understands that the paint is the journal is the roux is the love, and all of it is preservation, and all of it is fighting the water.
When Colette walked back through the door that evening — ribbon in hand, painting under her arm, eyes still red from watching Mama cry in the yard — I knew the night needed something that came from the water, something with heat and life and the kind of depth this family has always pulled up from the bayou. Shrimp felt right. It always feels right when something big happens down here. This spicy shrimp penne is what we made, all of us crowded around the cottage table with the screen door open, and it tasted exactly the way first place feels.
Spicy Shrimp Penne Pasta
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
- Season the shrimp. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Toss with smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
- Sear the shrimp. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1—2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet, add butter and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add red pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes and broth. Pour in the diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir to combine and let simmer for 4—5 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly.
- Finish with cream. Stir in the heavy cream and let the sauce simmer another 2 minutes until slightly thickened. If needed, add a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen.
- Combine and serve. Add the cooked penne and shrimp back to the skillet. Toss everything together until well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve topped with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 680mg