Crab-Stuffed Shrimp with Bucatini Alfredo

My favorite pasta was just plain spaghetti - that is until I was introduced to bucatini.  Like spaghetti, only with a hole running through the center of it.  A spaghetti straw, it doesn't get any better than this! Unable to find it in my neck of the woods, my husband and I drove all the way to Baltimore, only to find it at Three Brothers Italian Market near my in-laws. With the car loaded up with bags of bucatini, along with panettone, amaretti cookies, biscotti and ladyfingers, I did not complain about the ten and a half hour drive...both ways!

Crab-Stuffed Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients:
1 pound jumbo or colossol shrimp
1 teaspoon grains of paradise
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, optional
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs *
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
1-1/2 teaspoons parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
lemon juice
1 pound Bucatini, or pasta of choice, cooked
Alfredo Sauce (see below)


Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tail intact. To butterfly them, make a slit along the back side, taking care not to slice all the way through the body. Sprinkle shrimp with the grains of paradise. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with nonstick spray and arrange the shrimp in a single layer.
Melt the butter over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, soft and just beginning to turn golden - do not brown. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. Mix well.   If adding crabmeat, allow sauteed vegetables to cool before adding to the crabmeat.

Spoon even portions of the breadcrumb mixture over each of the butterflied shrimp. Using your fingers, gently mold each portion of stuffing around the shrimp. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink and opaque. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with lemon juice and serve immediately with the pasta.

* If using dry, processed breadcrumbs, you will need to increase the amount of butter and wine


Alfredo Sauce Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
white pepper
kosher salt
parsley or basil, chopped


Preparation:
Heat cream over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan.
Add butter and whisk to melt. Add cheese and stir. Cook approximately five minutes until slightly thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.
Add pasta and toss to coat the noodles in the Alfredo sauce.  Transfer to a warm serving bowl and top with more grated cheese and chopped parsley.  Serve immediately with the stuffed shrimp.