Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta | Bold & Flavorful Italian-American Recipe

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hey everyone and welcome back today
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we're doing a deep dive into a recipe
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that's a really cool Fusion of like
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Italian and cajun cooking it's cajun
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chicken and shrimp pasta yeah and um I
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don't know about you but I'm already
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excited about this one yeah this is one
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of my favorites who doesn't love a
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creamy pasta dish but then like throw in
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some of that spicy Cajun kick exactly I
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think this is going to be amazing I
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think you're right it's a really
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interesting combination you know you
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don't see those flavors together that
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often but trust me it really works
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the richness of the cream and the
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parmesan cheese balances so well with
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the heat from all the Cajun spices and
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the best part is you can definitely make
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this at home awesome you don't need to
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be like a professional chef or anything
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like that that's what I like to hear so
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let's um let's break down this recipe
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first up the ingredients we got fetene
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pasta chicken breast shrimp bell peppers
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garlic and of course the Cajun seasoning
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so far it seemed like a pretty
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straightforward list yeah it is I think
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that's one of the things that makes this
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recipe so approachable you probably
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already have most of these ingredients
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at home in your pantry but even though
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the ingredients are simple combining all
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these flavors and textures to make them
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really sing that's the tricky part okay
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now I'm really curious so before we get
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into the cooking steps yeah can you tell
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me a little bit about what makes Cajun
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seasoning so special what is it about
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those spices that create that like
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signature Cajun flavor that's a great
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question yeah so usually Cajun seasoning
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has has paprika cayenne pepper garlic
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powder onion powder black pepper and
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oregano but what really makes it special
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is the balance of all those spices
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together they create this complex flavor
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profile that's Savory and spicy and also
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kind of earthy at the same time
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interesting so it's not just about the
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spice level it's also about the way all
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those different flavors work together
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exactly okay now I'm ready to get
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cooking right where do we start well
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first things first we got to get the
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pasta going so cook the fetene according
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to what whatever the package directions
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say you want it to be alente of course
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and while the pasta is cooking we can
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prep the chicken and the shrimp okay a
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Dente pasta like the most important
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thing for a good pasta dish now I have a
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feeling you're going to tell me to save
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some of that pasta water you know me too
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well that starchy pasta water is like
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liquid gold it makes the sauce so much
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smoother and it helps it cling to the
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pasta so much better trust me it makes a
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huge difference save like half a cup
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okay pasta water saved now on into the
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chicken and shrimp do we cook those
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together or separately separately we
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want to make sure that each protein is
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cooked evenly and that both of them are
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cooked just the right amount so first
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we're going to sauté the chicken in a
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little bit of olive oil cook it until
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it's golden brown and cooked all the way
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through and season it well with salt and
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pepper and also a little bit of Cajun
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seasoning got it okay so the chicken is
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Browning the pasta is bubbling away I
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can practically smell those Cajun spices
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it's making me so hungry I know me too
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what's next now it's time for the shrimp
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these cook really quickly so make sure
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you keep an eye on them you're going to
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saut them in the same pan that you used
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for the chicken all those little brown
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bits in the pan are going to add a ton
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of flavor cook the shrimp until they
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turn pink and opaque that should only
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take like 2 or 3 minutes per side but
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don't overcook them or they'll get tough
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and rubbery avoid the rubbery shrimp got
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it so now we have our pasta our chicken
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and our shrimp what about that creamy
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cheesy sauce I'm ready for all the
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flavors okay you and me both now for the
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really fun part in the same pan that we
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use for the chicken and the shrimp we're
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going to sauté the bell peppers and the
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garlic until they're soft then we're
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going to add the Cajun seasoning and let
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it cook for like a minute or two you're
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going to smell the most amazing Aroma
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ooh I can't wait so we add the spices
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before the cream and cheese exactly this
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helps bring out the flavor of the spices
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once the spices are nice and fragrant
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pour in the heavy cream and let it
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simmer and then gradually whisk in the
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parmesan cheese until it's all melted
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and the sauce is nice and smooth okay so
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this is where it all comes together I
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can just imagine that super creamy sauce
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with that little kick of spice what's
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the last
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step it's time for the grand
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finale add the cooked pasta the chicken
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and the shrimp to the sauce and toss it
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gently you want to make sure everything
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is coated in sauce and now remember that
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pasta water we saved add a splash or two
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of that to the sauce to l loosen it up a
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bit that pasta water is like magic it is
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then season everything with salt and
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pepper and for a nice little touch of
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freshness sprinkle on some chopped
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parsley this sounds incredible simple
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steps but big flavor and I love that we
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only use one pan for the whole dish less
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dishes to wash exactly okay so speaking
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of maximizing flavor do you have any
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other tips or tricks to really Elevate
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this dish H let me think well first if
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you like things extra spicy a pinch of
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cayenne pepper will definitely do the
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track more is always is good in my
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book right use freshly grated Parmesan
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cheese it melts so much better and the
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flavor is so much richer it's definitely
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worth the extra effort okay noted
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freshly grated cheese anything else and
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lastly and we've already talked about
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this but I can't stress enough how
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important it is not to overcook the
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shrimp you want them to be tender and
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juicy not rubbery right if you're not
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sure it's always better to undercook
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them a little bit they'll finish cooking
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in the sauce perfect I feel like I can
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make this recipe right now I think you
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can and for our listeners who are ready
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to try this Cajun Italian Fusion where
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can they find the full recipe you can
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find it on eat everys slice.com it has
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all the measurements and instructions
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you need awesome so we've covered the
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ingredients the cooking process and all
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your pro tips now I think it's time to
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dive a little deeper what makes this
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dish stand out from other pasta recipes
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well I think it's the unexpected
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combination of flavors and textures you
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have the creamy cheesy goodness of
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Italian cuisine and then you have the
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Bold spicy flavors of Cajun cooking yeah
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like two completely different culinary
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Traditions coming together in one dish
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you know it's really interesting to
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think about how this dish kind of brings
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together like two different culinary
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Traditions so you have the creamy cheesy
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goodness that you always find in Italian
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cuisine and then on the other hand you
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have the Bold spicy flavors of Cajun
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cooking it's like a culinary mashup of
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two different worlds it really is it's a
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great example of how food can reflect
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like the history and the cultural
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exchanges of a place yeah so yeah so
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let's unpack that a little bit I mean
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Italian cuisine is known for its
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Simplicity and using fresh ingredients
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and obviously the emphasis on pasta but
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what about Cajun cuisine where do those
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unique flavors come from so cjun Cuisine
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has roots in Louisiana and the flavors
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are really influenced by French African
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and Native American traditions it's like
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a real Melting Pot of different
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influences so then this dish cajun
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chicken and shrimp pasta it's like its
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own little Melting Pot you're taking
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those classic Italian elements like the
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pasta and creamy sauce and then you add
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that cajun spice to it yeah and I think
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it really speaks to the evolution of
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American Cuisine it shows how American
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Cuisine has taken flavors and techniques
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from all over the world and created
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something totally new and different it's
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like each ingredient in this dish has
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its own story when they all come
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together in this dish it's like they're
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telling a whole new story exactly and
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that story is All About embracing
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diversity and experimenting with flavors
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it's about going beyond what we normally
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think of as traditional cuisine it's
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like a reminder that food isn't just
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about eating it's a way to express
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culture and history and creativity it
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really makes you wonder what other
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culinary fusions are out there like what
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would happen if we started mixing
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different culinary traditions in new
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ways yeah that's a great question what
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about you listeners have you ever tried
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a dish that combined different culinary
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traditions in an unexpected way we'd
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love to hear about it you can share your
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thoughts on social media or visit eat
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everys slice.com to find more Fusion
8:05
recipes so we've talked a lot about the
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history and the cultural significance of
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this dish but let's get back to the
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Practical side of things for a minute
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are you ready to share some tips and
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tricks to help our listeners Master this
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recipe I am definitely ready let's give
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our listeners all the knowledge they
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need to create this culinary Masterpiece
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at home what are some of the key things
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to keep in mind right so we've talked
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about the history the ingredients the
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cooking process now I want to know what
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are some of your pro tips that are
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really going to help our listeners like
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nail this recipe what will help them
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impress their family and friends okay
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well one of the most important things to
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remember is the pasta water don't just
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drain it and forget about it that
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starchy water is like magic for your
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sauce oh yeah we talked about saving
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some can you remind me how much we
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should save and how we actually use it
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yeah so I recommend saving about half a
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cup of the pasta water right before you
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drain the pasta and and then when you're
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adding the cheese to the cream sauce you
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add the pasta water in slowly a little
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at a time and you want to whisk it
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constantly this helps create a smoother
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sauce that will coat the pasta better so
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it's all about that gradual
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incorporation and whisking got it what
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about the spice level can we adjust that
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yeah for sure if you want it to be less
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spicy start with just a tablespoon of
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Cajun seasoning you can always add more
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later if you need to and for anyone who
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likes it really spicy add a pinch of
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cayenne pepper or if you're feeling
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adventurous
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dice up a jalapeno and add that to the
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peppers and garlic while they're
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sautéing okay spice adjustments check
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earlier we were talking about not
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overcooking the shrimp how can our
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listeners tell when the shrimp are
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cooked perfectly you want to keep a
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close eye on them while they're cooking
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they cook fast as soon as they turn pink
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and opaque they're done oh and also if
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you see them curling up tightly that
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also means they're overcooked it's
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better to undercook them a little then
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overcook them because they'll continue
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cooking in the sauce so timing and
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attention to detail are key with the shm
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okay got it any other advice before we
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wrap things up you know cooking isn't
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really an exact science it's more like
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an art so don't be afraid to experiment
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a little and make this recipe your own
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taste it as you go adjust the seasoning
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add a little more cream if you want just
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have fun with it yeah I love that it's
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not just about following a recipe
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exactly it's about taking that recipe
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and making it your own right you could
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add some lemon juice for brightness
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right you could add some lemon juice for
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brightness or maybe some red pepper
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flakes for more heat exactly you could
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even experiment with different kinds of
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pasta like pen or ratoni or add
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different veggies so many possibilities
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I think that's what makes cooking so fun
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it's not just about the food at the end
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it's about the process and being
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creative yeah and at the end you get to
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share that delicious food with people
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you love couldn't have said it better
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myself I am so inspired to get cooking
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mhm listeners remember you can find the
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full recipe for this cajun chicken and
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shrimp pasta and tons of other amazing
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recipes on eat every slice.com
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don't forget to share pictures of your
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culinary Creations on social media we
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love seeing what you all come up with
11:05
until next time happy cooking keep
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experimenting keep exploring and keep
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those taste buds happy and remember
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there's a whole world of flavors out
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there waiting to be discovered one bite
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at a time thanks for joining us on this
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deep dive and we'll see you next time

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Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta | Bold & Flavorful Italian-American Recipe

eateveryslice.com