Shrimp Scampi. (recipe)
The first three foundations of
Cooking to Beat the Clock are: Flavor (a pantry well-stocked
with ingredients that have lots of taste); Organization (the right equipment within
easy access); and Focus (working without distraction). The fourth is
Creativity, thinking beyond recipes.
Use
my Cooking to Beat the Clock recipes as blueprints to create many more
15-minute meals on your own by thinking concepts rather than specific formulas.
Take a beef and asparagus stir-fry, for example. It’s a meat and
vegetable stir-fry when you break it down. Instead of beef, you could
use pork, lamb, poultry, shrimp, scallops, or cubes of tuna or swordfish.
Vegetables might include string beans, broccoli, or several varieties of
summer squash in lieu of asparagus. Obviously cooking times will vary,
but you get the picture.
Add an ingredient here
and there if it happens to be in the fridge or you just feel like putting
okra in the jambalaya. Maybe you want some red in that beef and asparagus
stir-fry. So you add some sliced red bell pepper. Of course, spices can
change or vary in intensity to suit your taste.
Sometimes you might
follow an ethnic bent. If you have fresh tomatoes and want to make a
pasta sauce, basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese are natural
accompaniments. But you could just as easily go Greek with feta cheese,
kalamata olives, and oregano. A marinade for chicken breasts might be
Asian, using soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and fresh ginger, or
Middle Eastern with cumin, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.
The shrimp scampi recipe
below is essentially sauteed shrimp with garlic, olive oil, butter, parsley,
lemon juice, and white wine. However, that’s just a starting point.
In his book “Fish,” author Mark Bittman says that
scampi has “more variations than you can count.” Some of
Bittman’s suggested additions include anchovies, cayenne (or other
hot peppers), cilantro, cumin, lemon or orange juice, and dry sherry.
But not all at once, please!
Want some color in
your scampi? Add some green peas or tomatoes. How about a Cajun-style
scampi with Tabasco, and Worcestershire. Or a Creole version with bell
peppers, celery, and tomato sauce? Why not think of shrimp like veal
and try shrimp piccata with lemon juice and capers? Another veal-style
scampi could include shrimp with sauteed mushrooms, shallots, thyme,
and maybe a bit of cream.
Normally I use shelled
shrimp for 15-minute meals. But the scampi cooks so fast, you could shell
your own shrimp and still make the dish in time. Don’t like shrimp?
Try scallops or crayfish, even chunks of monkfish. Shrimp scampi is traditionally
served over rice but couscous, polenta, and pasta are also possibilities.
A good quality Verdicchio or Pinot Grigio would be an appropriate wine
choice.
Shrimp
Scampi
1 cup basmati rice
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 pound large shrimp, in or out of the shell
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large cloves garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 sprigs parsley, preferably flat leaf variety
1 tablespoon butter
1)While the
hot-water tap runs, put the rice in a 2-quart saucepan. Add
2 cups hot tap water and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil
over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat off and keep covered until ready to serve. (Or put the
rice, 2 cups hot water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a 2-quart microwave-safe
container. Cover and put in a microwave oven on high power for 10
minutes. Keep covered until ready to serve.)
2)Meanwhile, if using
shrimp in the shell, peel the shrimp but leave the tails on. Put the
olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Peel and chop the
garlic. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3)Add the shrimp to
the skillet, increase the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes on one
side. While the shrimp cook, season them with salt and pepper to taste.
Juice the lemon half. Turn the shrimp over and cook for 1 minute. Then
add the lemon juice and wine to the skillet. Raise the heat to high and
cook for 2 minutes, stirring to mix well. Chop the leaves of the parsley
and cut the butter into 4 pieces.
4)Add the parsley and
the butter to the skillet. Stir just until the butter is melted and incorporated,
giving the sauce a creamy texture. Remove from the heat and serve with
the rice.
Serves 4
Per serving: 402 calories,
28 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrate, 15
grams fat, 4.9 grams saturated fat, 188 mg cholesterol, 831 mg sodium.