Shrimp with Deconstructed Pesto

While I appreciate how well I've managed my basil this year, it has been a challenge to use or preserve the abundance.  I mean, how much pesto do you really need in the freezer?

I decided to do one last severe trim to the pot before it got too cold out and the leaves became damaged.  Since I don't have hard freezes, it will over-winter and bounce back in the spring.  Some of it is hung up to dry, and the rest went into this dish.

All this sauce became was a tomato-basil pesto that you don't run through the food processor.  It's still whole, with all the ingredients intact, just in different proportions.  I went easy on the cheese and heavy on the tomatoes.

The pasta was simple homemade wheat noodles, and the shrimp is thrown into the sauce at the end to cook in its heat.  You can use packaged pasta and pre-cooked shrimp if you want to focus on the sauce.  Same result.

1/4 C olive oil
*4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
*4 oz basil leaves
1 Tb lemon juice
salt to taste
*1 lb shrimp, size of choice
*1/2 C parmesan cheese
2 Tb pine nuts for garnish
pasta for serving

1.  Start a pot of water for your pasta.  This will come together faster than I thought.  Heat the oil over medium in a large skillet.

2.  Cook the minced garlic in the oil until fragrant, 2 minutes.  Add the can of tomatoes, with their juice, and the basil.  Bring to a low boil, then lower heat slightly so the basil doesn't fry.  Stir in lemon juice to preserve the color of the basil.  Taste and add salt if needed, keeping in mind the shrimp and cheese will bring some salt to the dish.

3.  After placing the pasta in its pot, add the shrimp to the sauce.  They should cook in about the same amount of time.  Once the shrimp is pink all the way through, turn off the heat.

4.  Serve sauce on top of pasta.  Garnish with pine nuts and cheese.

Difficulty rating  π