Shrimp Alla Nonna-My Way

This is one of my favorite shrimp dishes. I made a similar recipe that I saw on Everyday Italian, but wanted a lighter version so this is what I came up with.
Cook's Notes- You need 2 very important tools for this dish. A whisk and a hand held grater that resembles a wood rasp. You must have the whisk for the sauce and the grater for the lemon zest. It's important that you add the garlic after the shrimp hits the hot pan, otherwise it will burn.
Take a moment before beginning to cook to dice the garlic, zest the lemon and then juice it.

Serves 6-8   Cooking time 40 minutes
2 pounds of  large 31/40 shrimp, peeled, deveined & tails removed
2 cloves of diced garlic
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2cups fat free half and half
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1 1/2 pounds thin spaghetti cooked and drained

Bring 6-8 quarts of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt. You want it to taste like sea water.
Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile in a large sauce pot melt 2 tablespoons of butter. When it is completely melted add the flour and cook for another minute stirring continually. Whisk in the half and half until flour/butter mixture is completely incorporated-no lumps allowed. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Once you have gotten the mixture smooth, switch to a spoon and stir until thickened. Turn off the heat and add the lemon zest and juice. Set aside to keep warm. In a large skillet heat the remaining butter and olive oil. When pan is hot, add the shrimp, garlic, remaining salt and pepper. Saute, stirring continuously until the shrimp just turns pink. DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SHRIMP. Pour the lemon sauce over the shrimp in the pan and turn the all the way down. Drain the cooked pasta. Pour into a large bowl and pour over the shrimp. Toss to coat the pasta.
Even though Italian's consider cheese on fish a big no-no, I still like it anyway so top it with good quality parmesan if you like and serve immediately.