Creamy Dilled Shrimp Fettucine

There's just something about the dark days of winter and the cold temperatures that makes me want more and more comfort food. Creamy pasta dishes fit the bill perfectly. This is just one of several you will see posted here in the next few weeks, and this recipe got such rave reviews when I made it, that I'm sure it will be part of our regular rotation. I was excited to be assigned to Jane's beautiful blog, The Heritage Cook, for this month's Secret Recipe Club.

Jane has a lot of recipes to choose from! It was hard to narrow it down, but eventually I settled on this, due to my whole comfort food trend. I made just a few adjustments to this recipe to suit our tastes. The biggest change I made was to the preparation - I simplified it a bit to save time and dirty dishes... and the results were wonderful. I hope you'll try this soon - it will brighten and warm up any dreary winter day!

Creamy Dilled Shrimp Fettucine

1 cup half and half (or 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream)
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. lemon juice
A few drops of Sriracha, Tabasco or other hot sauce, optional
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, drained well and cut into strips
1 lb medium cooked shrimp
8 ounces fettucine

Cook the fettucine until al dente in a large pot of boiling water; drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, in a glass measuring cup, heat the milk/cream in the microwave for 1 minute.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onions to the pan and cook til softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the wine and whisk until slightly thickened. Gradually pour the hot milk into the mixture and whisk vigorously until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon juice and the dill, and hot sauce, if you're using.

Add the pepper strips, shrimp, and pasta to the sauce and toss until evenly coated. Transfer to a greased 2 or 3 quart baking dish. Bake at 375 until it is bubbling around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serves 4.

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