PrintDinner Tonight: Shrimp Bruschetta from 'da Zaccaria'
This Mario Batali recipe comes from his Simple Italian Food, a book that I somehow missed out on. I love his Molto Italiano and the Babbo Cookbook, but was a little surprised to find this amongst the stack at the local library. It sounded exactly like something I needed. I was worried about the lemon sauce and crispy garlic at first, but after the three minutes of boiling, it reduced to a beautiful lemony glaze that was perfect over the shrimp.
The only ingredient that might cause problems is the limoncello. It, unfortunately, also gives the dish its soul. There are some easy limoncello recipes, if you have a few months and some extra bottles of grain alcohol hanging around. As for substitutes, it’s all rather sketchy looking. It’d just suggest biting the bullet and securing a bottle—it’ll last for ages if you don’t drink it first. Or you could search out for some mini bottles, which is what I was able to find. That way you can whip up this wonderfully simple recipe in a matter of minutes and stun some guests.
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. He sells wine for a living and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Shrimp Bruschetta from 'da Zaccaria'
- serves 4 as an appetizer -
Adapted from Simple Italian Food
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 ounces Limoncello
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 slices of Italian bread
1 bunch chives, chopped
Salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Pour the oil into a large saute pan over high heat. When just starting to smoke, toss in the garlic. Cook until it turns light brown.
2. Add the shrimp and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, flip, and cook for 1 minute. Remove the shrimp.
3. Pour in the the limoncello, lemon juice, and wine. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Toast the bread.
5. When sauce is done, turn off the heat, sprinkle in the chives and season with salt and pepper.
6. Place a few shrimp atop each piece of bread, and top with the sauce and lemon zest.
View other entries from Dinner Tonight.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Sponsored Link
Recipe
Mango Bean Salad
Fresh fruit and hearty beans make a refreshing side for our Morningstar
Farms® Southwestern Style Veggie Cakes.
Get this recipe »
3 Comments:
Regarding making limoncello - this is the recipe I use. I triple filter vodka through a charcoal filter (read: I buy the cheap stuff and pass it through a Brita pitcher reserved for the purpose), zest the lemons with a microplane (after scrubbing off the wax), and make as directed. When I bottle the limoncello, I make sure to add a couple teaspoons of the preserved zest to the bottle; the sugar turns it into a delightful chewy addition to the liqueur.
I've had Italian friends and family comment that this is the best limoncello they've ever had outside of Italy. Personally, I couldn't imagine making it with grain alcohol as strong as Everclear - I think the alcohol would completely overwhelm the delicate lemon flavor and make it too strong for use as a digestivo.
jenilowrance at 5:04PM on 04/02/08
I have to say that Simple Italian Food is probably my favorite of Mario's cookbooks. The food is easier to cook (primarily because the ingredients are easier for me to find) and is absolutely fantastic. This is my go-to recipe for bruschetta when I have guests coming over in the summer. It is delicious and really easy to make - about 15 minutes aside from preparing the shrimp.
mustardbear at 2:45PM on 04/03/08
I agree with much of the first comment but not the grain alcohol part. The Italians always use grain alcohol when making Limoncello. Vodka imparts a flavor of its own that isn't very Italian in nature and vodka doesn't provide the kick that a proper Limoncello requires. This is the limoncello recipe that I use and it can be condensed to make the liquer in 10 days if absolutely necessary but I wouldn't recommend it.
limoncello at 7:15PM on 04/05/08