My friend Jenn recently hosted her birthday dinner at the tapas restaurant Pipa in New York, an Iberian yum-fest that shares elbow room with interior decorator ABC Carpet & Home, who provides romantic decor (and cleverly secures additional promo space) by furnishing the restaurant with a myriad of gorgeous mirrors and chandeliers.
Everything on the tasting menu was delicious, but the Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp in Garlic) were particularly toothsome. I’d been craving them for a few weeks, and when a few friends gathered together for dinner, we thought it would be a great dish to try out. I looked at quite a few recipes, some of which used additional ingredients other than those included here (such as sherry or cognac, paprika, and lemon), but being something of a culinary minimalist (read: lazy), I elected to break it down to its fundamental elements.
*Nota Bene, Foodiei: Though the gambas al ajillo we had at Pipa were tapa-sized, they make a wonderful entree simply by doubling the amounts per person.
Serves 4 entrees (for tapas, half the recipe)
1 cup olive oil
2 lbs shrimp (shelled, deveined, de-tailed)
10 cloves garlic (yep. no blind dates for a couple of days.)
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional – 2 precooked bratwurst sausages, as a twist on the recipe
Baguette
1. Lay out shrimp and sprinkle lightly with salt on each side. Let sit about 10 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan or skillet.
3. At medium heat, add the garlic and let cook for less than a minute (don’t let it turn brown).
4. Add bay leaf, parsley, pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste to the pan.
4a. If including sausage in the dish, add them to the pan at the same time as the seasoning. They may need a little extra time to get that delicious browning, though they are, for all intents and purposes, just being warmed up in the sauce.
5. Lay the shrimp flat in the pan.
6. Cook shrimp until they begin to turn pink around the sides, then turn them and continue to cook until they are fully pink.
7. If serving as an entree, plate the shrimp, then serve the oil separately in a dish for dipping. If serving as tapas, serve in a small dish with oil and forks. In both cases, be sure to include lots of warm, crusty bread to sop up all the garlicky goodness.
If you serve this dish as the main course, it’s very nicely complemented by a salad of mesclun greens or arugula, with tomatoes and a balsamic vinaigrette.
YUM