Shrimp scampi sounds so gourmet, it must be difficult - right?

This easy shrimp scampi recipe will show you that fancy sounding doesn't mean difficult.

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/8 cup olive oil
4 - 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine (optional - see Variations below)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:
Place butter and oil into large sauté pan and heat to melt the butter. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add wine, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and the shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn opaque or pink, stirring occasionally. Stir in parmesan cheese before serving.

This is great served over angel hair pasta (or steamed rice if you prefer).

Tips and Variations:

• This sauce cooks so quickly that to time the recipe perfectly, start the sauce just as you add the pasta to the cooking water. If you are using fresh pasta, which cooks much faster, put the pasta in the cooking water just after you have added the shrimp to the saucepan.

• I add chopped cooked asparagus to my shrimp scampi recipe and add the cooked pasta right to the pan with the shrimp. The pasta gets basted with that wonderful sauce and is even better I think. Just add a salad and dinner is ready.

• Some people say not to add parmesan cheese to a sauce with lemon. I say, it's delicious - go for it. I add lots of parmesan cheese to this dish.

• If you don't have wine or don't want to use it, add an equal amount of pasta cooking water to thin the sauce a bit.

Makes 4 servings.