Rosemary Shrimp Skewers with Lemon Garlic Pesto

Another wonderful, easy, quick dish.  Quite a blessing after an awful dinner I prepared last night (another story for another time!)  After mixing the pesto, this entire dinner came together (cooking time included) in less than 15 minutes.  Now, I did have some leftover plain white rice which speeded the process.  I mixed in some of the pesto with the rice, along with some leftover thyme and rosemary then just zapped it all in the microwave.  I also tossed the asparagus in the pesto and since the asparagus was so thin, it roasted in the oven for just a few minutes after I took the shrimp out and while I was threaded them onto the rosemary skewers.  Everything came together beautifully, each bite complementing the other.  Recipe courtesy of The Fresh Market.

ROSEMARY SHRIMP SKEWERS with LEMON GARLIC PESTO (serves 4)

Lemon Garlic Pesto:
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 cup olive oil

Shrimp Skewers:
1/2 lb (16-20 {I used 21-25} count shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
rosemary sprigs, bottom leaves removed

Pulse all pesto ingredients in a food processor until they form a paste.  Remove and set aside.

Place shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, red pepper flakes, and thyme; pour over shrimp.  Set aside for 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, broil shrimp in a single layer for 8-12 minutes (what?!!!  Mine took about 3-4 minutes), turning once, until shrimp are pink.  Remove from oven and skewer shrimp with rosemary sprigs.  Arrange on a serving platter and serve with Lemon Garlic Pesto for a dipping sauce.