Shrimp Scampi [Rhonda]

Degree of difficulty: simple, with minimal prep
Time: 20 minutes or less
Serves: 2

"For deese ee-va-ning, we have-a de shreemp scompeee..."

I must've ordered this a thousand times at decent-to-great Italian restaurants, and in 99 percent of the cases, it's been wonderful. Because it's pretty simple to execute and pretty hard to screw up.

I know being the good cook you are, you've got a one-pound pack of large shrimp in your freezer (because, as you've learned, it comes in handy for last-minute things like prosciutto-wrapped shrimp on the grill with balsamic reduction drizzle).

And even though they aren't the most flavorful form of tomato, you probably have some grape tomatoes sitting in a lovely bowl on the kitchen counter. Fresh garlic, a pour of white wine, squeeze of lemon and you're just about good to go. Scampi is good over orzo (seen here), or rice or angel hair pasta (make plenty of sauce mmmmm) or on crostini.

Mangia! Mangia!

Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients:
1 pound frozen shrimp, defrosted, veins and tails removed
6 to 8 cloves garlic (or more if you want to stink all day), minced
1 large handfull grape tomatoes, diced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon, juiced, more if you want to use as garnish
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 or 3 chicken frozen homemade stock cubes (optional)
1 tablespoon (or less)oregano
Generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes
Sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley, if you have it, or dried parsley
1 tablespoon Italian bread crumbs

Pat the shrimp dry. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan and saute shrimp.


Sprinkle the oregano and some red pepper flakes over them while they're cooking.

Remove shrimp to a bowl. Put the butter in the pan, melt, then add garlic. Saute briefly, add white wine and stock cubes, if using, and reduce. Add tomatoes, stir.



Add some of the lemon juice, stir. (You can always add more at the end if you like it super-tangy...) Adjust seasonings (salt, pepper), sprinkle Italian bread crumbs in to thicken slightly, add the shrimp back in, warm briefly and serve.

Suggested soundtrack: Pavarotti's "Caruso"