Linguine with shrimps and cherry tomatoes

I have a memory of sitting at a table of a fancy Italian restaurant at the centre of Luxemboug. It is lunchtime in summer and for me it is vacation, but for most of the people around me it is just the lunch-break from work. So, they are wearing elegant suits and women wear pearl necklaces and even teenagers are with Louis Vuitton bags. I spent an hour over a glass of wine and a bowl of linguine with prawns in front of me, watching the people around. And although the sauce for this pasta is rather Mediterranean style, it will always remind me on the lux-life in Luxembourg.

Ingredients:

• 500 g linguine
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 21 shrimps 
• 9 cherry tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 100 g grated Parmesan 
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparation:

Boil pasta according to the instructions. Shell prawns and devein them. Half the cherry tomatoes.

Meanwhile heat a skillet with the olive oil and butter over a medium-high flame and put the minced garlic and some salt. After a minute add the peeled shrimps. Turn them to the other side after a minute (when ready, shrimps turn pinkish), stir in the cherry tomatoes and heat for 2 minutes. I like the cherry tomatoes to retain their fresh look and taste, that's why I prefer them nearly raw. If you like the pungent flavour of hot pepper flakes, this is the time you should add them to the mixture. Add the lemon juice and combine drained linguini with the shrimps mixture tossing gently. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan. Season with pepper.