The bright side is I’m back. And although my fingers haven’t made it to the keyboard in a REALLY long time, my camera managed to capture all the things I didn’t manage to blog about. The most recent being THE BEST shrimp dish I’ve ever made. It’s super simple, and really, really, ridiculously delicious. Not to be confused with magically delicious. I think that may be the slogan for Lucky Charms?
So what makes these succulent little crustaceans sing you ask? Garlic, fennel, good olive oil and a little white wine. I know I certainly feel like singing after a little white wine. Or dancing. It just depends on the night...
Fennel’d Shrimp
1 pound raw deveined black tiger shrimp
½ a fennel bulb quartered and thinly sliced
1 quart of cherry tomatoes washed and halved
3 cloves of garlic
1 large shallot diced
3 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
½ cup dry white wine (use a wine you like drinking)
½ cup fish, chicken or vegetable stock
A handful of chopped fresh Italian Parsley
½ cup or more to taste of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel the shrimp and lightly season with salt and pepper. Pour the olive oil in a large frying pan and sautee the fennel over medium low heat until translucent 5-8 minutes. Add the shallots, and sautee for a few minutes more. Next add the chopped garlic and sautee until fragrant. Pour in the wine and continue cooking until the liquid has almost completely evaporated from the pan. Next add the stock, and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down and the stock has reduced and the fennel has become quite soft. Another 10-15 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they are firm and pink. Turn off the heat and add the Parmigiano and the chopped parsley. Serve immediately. Preferably with more white wine. :-)
