Dinner for a Friend

We started with a cheese tray and Hot and Spicy Pecans. I used ancho chili powder to give the nuts a smoky taste.
Next up, a chickpea and tomato salad. One of my co-workers brought in some fresh tomatoes from her garden.

Chickpea and tomato salad

1 15-oz cans garbanzo beans,drained
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
Chopped parsley

Dressing

1/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

For our main course I did a shrimp pasta with garlic breadcrumbs. I liked the breadcrumbs. I think the dish needed something to spice it up a bit. Perhaps some fresh lemon thyme? Or maybe the chili flakes I forgot!

Pasta with Shrimp and Garlic Breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from French bread
8 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 lb shrimp, peeled
½ C parsley chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes (I forgot to add these)
8 oz. Pasta
¼ cup pasta cooking water, reserved

Directions:

In a large pot, cook pasta in salted water. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/4cup of the cooking water for the final dish.
In the meantime, heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and half the minced garlic. Saute until the crumbs are golden and crisp - 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil and butter in the same skillet over medium high heat and add the shrimp and the rest of the garlic. Saute until the shrimp are opaque in the middle (3-4 minutes).
Stir in half the parsley, all the lemon zest and juice and chili pepper seeds. Toss and add the cooked pasta and cooking water and half the breadcrumb mix.
Mix well