Shrimp Linguine with Lemon Oil

I have a lot of favorite personalities from the Food Network. It's a given that I love all the cake guys and gals...but when it comes to cooking...I love Bobby Flays use of flavors and his style, I love Paula Deans at-home feel, Guy Fieri's cooking reminds me of my dad, Rachel Ray makes stuff that both me and my boyfriend LOVE and Giada appreciates simplicity of flavors. I wanted something light for dinner so I turned to my friend Giada. I trust her because everything I've made of hers has turned out wonderfully fabulous (I say "friend" only because I wish...haha).

I found this recipe on the foodnetwork.com. I didn't have a few of the ingredients but it sounded like exactly what I was in the mood for and I had a few things that would substitute nicely. Instead of linguine I used spaghetti (whole wheat of course). I didn't have arugula (which would have been nice) so I used fresh spinach. Lastly, the only fresh herb I had on hand was thyme so I used that instead of parsely. It still turned out light and delicious but I would recommend doing it Giada's way so I'm posting the recipe as-is!

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

Ingredients:

For the lemon oil:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested

For the pasta:
1 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces frozen shrimp
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

For the lemon oil:
Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add some of the cooking water to desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately