Shrimp & Tomato Spaghettini

Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut off and discard the stems of the peppers; remove and discard the cores. Halve the peppers lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice on an angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Place the tomatoes in a bowl; gently break apart with your hands.

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the breadcrumbs and half the chopped garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Turn off the heat and stir in half the oregano. Transfer to a plate; immediately season with salt and pepper to taste. Wipe out the pan.

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned shrimp in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly opaque. Turn off the heat. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate.

Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan of reserved fond; heat on medium-high until hot. Add the sliced peppers and white bottoms of the scallions and remaining chopped garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the tomatoes (carefully, as the liquid may splatter), remaining oregano, and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat.

While the sauce cooks, add the spaghettini to the pot of boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Turn off the heat. Reserving 1/4 cup of the spaghettini cooking water, drain thoroughly and return to the pot.

Add the butter, seared shrimp, verjus, and sauce to the pot of cooked spaghettini; season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, stirring vigorously, 1 to 2 minutes, or until combined and the shrimp are cooked through. If the spaghettini seems dry, gradually add the reserved pasta cooking water to achieve your desired sauce consistency.Serve the finished spaghettini garnished with the garlic-oregano breadcrumbs, sliced green tops of the scallions, and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!