Stock Ingredients:
1 pound large or extra large shrimp, shelled
¼ cup white wine
Assorted Vegetables, 1 carrot cubed , 1 rib celery cubed, 1/2 onion cubed or (vegetable scraps that you have been saving in your freezer to make stock)
1/4 cup white wine
2-3 T tomato paste
1-2 T lemon juice
Potato And Onion Ingredients:
2-3 potatoes cut into ¼ inch slices
2 thinly sliced onions
2-3 T olive oil
Caramelized Mushroom Ingredients:
1 cup each of two or three types of mushrooms, such as shitake, crimini, oyster, etc.
4-5 T olive oil
1/4 cup chardonnay or other white wine
Herbed Shrimp Ingredients
1 lb. large shrimp, shelled
2-3 T olive oil
Assorted herbs such as Italian parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, etc for coating shrimp
1 egg, lightly beaten 2-3 T dry sherry
Before starting anything else, start the shrimp stock. Sauté 1 sliced carrot, 1/2 sliced onion, 1 stalk sliced celery (or use the vegetable scraps you've been keeping in the freezer) until slightly browned.
Deglaze pan with wine. Add shrimp shells, cover with water. Make sure to put in enough water (about 4 cups) to yield at least 2 cups of liquid after stock is simmered for about half an hour and then strained.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste about halfway through.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice to strained stock.
Continue to simmer strained stock at low heat to reduce to 1 cup or slightly less. Should be slightly syrupy.
While strained stock is reducing, make the potatos and onions and mushrooms.
Sauté potatoes and onions in olive oil until browned. Finish in 375 degree oven for twenty-five to thirty minutes.
Caramelized Mushrooms:
Use two or three types of mushrooms. (Oysters, shitakes, morels, criminis, etc.)
Sauté in about 4 T olive oil until oil is mostly absorbed, about 8 minutes.
Add ¼ cup chardonnay wine and continue until mushrooms are soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper and a couple of chopped shallots near end.
Crusted, herbed shrimp:
Dip shrimp in egg wash (1 raw egg lightly beaten) and season shrimp with a chopped blend of mixed herbs (such as rosemary, basil, oregano, parsley, etc.). Just roll the shrimp in the herbs and the egg wash should hold them on.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
Sauté shrimp in 3 T olive oil until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Remove shrimp. Add 1-2 tablespoons of dry sherry to pan and deglaze.
Add the reduced stock (you should have about 1 cup left from the reduction) to the shrimp pan now for a couple of minutes so flavors can incorporate, then remove the pan from the heat.
Combine mushrooms and potatoes and divide between plates.
Place shrimp on top of this mixture and cover with reduced stock.
Like we said earlier, herbed shrimp might take a practice session or two before you grace a dinner party with it. Let me reiterate this, though: You will be shamelessly labeled an accomplished, Italian Chef after this one! Gar-on-teed!
