Shrimp Provencale

Bon Appetit used to have a section in their magazine “Too Busy to Cook”. It would feature home cooks with their tried and true recipes, which is where I got this one.  They no longer do this anymore but I wish they did.  I got a lot of great recipes from that column.

I have been making this recipe since 2000 and it never fails to be delicious.  I recently had an “aha” moment and realized that this is not only a great dinner recipe but a fantastic appetizer as well.  I served it at our Annual Croquet Party and it was a hit.  On top of crostini, place about 1 or 2 shrimp with the pepper/onion sauce, sprinkle with some grated Parmesan and toast for a minute or 2 until the cheese is melted.  Delicious!

This is a partial excerpt from the woman who presented this recipe in Bon Appetit:  “….I mostly use recipes that I learned from my mother while I was growing up in Toulon, France.  She was a wonderful cook, and many of her specialties are typical of Provencal cuisine, calling for light and fresh ingredients like vegetables and seafood….”

I don’t add the fennel seeds or Kalamata olives.  But certainly do if these are ingredients that you like.  They are in the original recipe in the link below.

Shrimp Provencale from Bon Appetit

3 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can also use frozen, using the defrosting directions on the package)

2 cups chopped red bell peppers (from 1-2 peppers)

1 cup chopped onion (from 1 large onion)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1, 14-1/2 ounce can petite diced tomatoes in juice

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat the oil in a very large skilled (not non stick) over medium high heat.  Saute the shrimp until they are just pink, about 2 minutes, turning the shrimp after 1 minute.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl or dish.

Reduce heat to medium and add the bell pepper, onion, thyme and garlic to skillet and saute until the onions are cooked, about 8 minutes, stirring several times.

Add tomatoes with their juice, wine and tomato paste, stirring all together, then bring to a  boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Uncover, add the shrimp and simmer until shrimp are just cooked, about 3 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with the basil and serve over angel hair or Campanella spaghetti, or rice or toasted French bread.

mise en place:

sauteing shrimp:

cooking red pepper, onions, thyme and garlic:

chop basil while this is cooking: chiffonade the basil leaves

then cut the basil in the opposite directions to make a fine chop:

onion/pepper mixture cooked:

then add diced tomatoes, white wine, tomato paste and simmer:

after 10 minutes add shrimp and cook another 3 minutes:

yum!