Summer Shrimp and Bows

Ok, so normally I wouldn't think of doing two recipes with shrimp and pasta back to back, but I was inspired by a recipe I came across last night and I couldn't resist.  Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa, has some fantastic recipes and I own 3 of her cookbooks, which are all very good.  She has a recipe called Lobster and Shells which looked and sounded amazing.  I am making dinner for my parents tonight and I just had to make my own rendition of her recipe.  I had shrimp in the freezer to replace the lobster, little bows instead of shells and asparagus along with a few other ingredients I tweaked and fresh herbs to make it my own.  You could completely take out the shrimp and make it vegetarian and it would still be delish or leave out the pasta and serve it on baby greens.  This would make a great lunch or a light dinner with nice cold glass of bubbly or white wine.....I'm getting thirsty....and hungry.  I might have already taken a bite, to make sure it was seasoned properly of course ;-)

Summer Shrimp and Bows

Serves 8

1/2 lb small bows (any small pasta will do)
Kernels from 4 ears of corn (off the cob makes all the difference but frozen would do in a pinch)
1/2 bunch asparagus, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red or orange pepper, cut in a small dice
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 lb cooked shrimp, cut in half
3/4 cup mayo (I used Hellman's light - it's a preference but stay away from Miracle Whip for this)
1/2 sour cream
juice from 1 large lemon and zest from half
1/4 cup fresh dill, minced or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
Fresh Parsley & Basil chopped (optional)

Bring a pot of water to a boil (salt the water).  Add pasta and cook until just al dente.  Add the fresh corn to the pasta and cook for 1 minute then add the asparagus and cook 1 minute longer.  Drain and add to a large bowl along with the green onions, peppers, tomatoes and shrimp.  Let cool slightly.
In another bowl, mix together the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice and rind, dill and salt and pepper.  Pour over pasta and mix all ingredients.  Add parsley and basil and mix lightly.  Cover and chill.  Check seasoning and serve cold or at room temp.
Note: If it looks like a lot of dressing it's not.  The pasta will absorb some of the dressing while it's chilling and mingling in the fridge.  Let it mingle.  The flavors will develop even more.  Mingling is good.