Make this simple shrimp dish often, but only recently did I discover how good it is served on a bed of farro (see page 190), which Lidia Bastianich introduced me to. It’s also delicious with rice, grits, or polenta. You’ll get a good two meals out of this amount.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail intact if you like picking them up and sucking the meat out of the tail end. Remove any black digestive tracts. Heat the oil in a wok or a heavy sauté pan, scatter in the garlic, and toss the slices in the hot oil for about 1 minute without browning them; then add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the flesh has turned opaque and rosy. Splash in the wine, cook down slightly, scatter parsley and/or other herbs on top, and they’re ready to go.
Variation
Step 2
To make a more substantial dish, scatter in several mushrooms (halved if big), and stir-fry with the garlic for 2 or 3 minutes. When you add the shrimp, toss in about 1/4 cup frozen peas or a small handful of pea pods or sugar snaps and a couple of scallions, sliced lengthwise. Chunks of asparagus are good, too, when in season.
Second Round
Step 3
A nice shrimp salad is always good. You can also reheat the shrimp and add either fresh ripe chopped tomatoes or a canned tomato squeezed with a little of its juice, to make a sauce for pasta. Recently I had a small treasure trove of cooked shrimp, and I cooked some thin-sliced fennel in a bit of olive oil and water until tender, then added about six shrimp, and had this over some fast-cooking polenta for a very quick supper.
