Joyce Goldstein has a couple of dozen cookbooks under her wing. Literally. Taverna, from which this recipe comes, was early on, in 1996. It’s about the “best of casual Mediterranean cooking”, something about which Joyce knows a thing or two. That, and flavor. In her time, Joyce Goldstein has been chef at the Chez Panisse Café, has owned and presided over the ground breaking Square One restaurant in San Francisco that emphasized Mediterranean cuisine, and Café Quadro for pizza and sandwiches. She currently consults on all things culinaire and can be found at her own website. Her recipes in Taverna are brief, to the point, and accentuate distinct flavor.

 

I have a cat. When she runs out of canned food, I make a Costco run, usually picking up a few other odds and ends. This time I added a pound and half of big shrimp to the cart. With those on hand, and the last big ripening of tomatoes in the garden, I reached for Taverna, figuring it was time for a recipe road test.

 

1 ½ pounds large shrimp (prawns) peeled and deveined

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 T olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped, or 6 green onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

1 ½ C tomato sauce, or 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

Pinch of sugar, if needed

½ pound feta cheese, crumbled

¼ C chopped fresh Italian parsley

 

Preheat oven to 450°, or preheat a broiler.

·      Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and black pepper. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 2T of the olive oil. Add the shrimp and sauté, stirring briskly, until pink and beginning to curl, 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to four flameproof ramekins or small gratin dishes, distributing them evenly.

·      In the same pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 2T olive oil. Add the yellow onion or green onions and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, the cayenne (if using), and oregano and sauté for 2 minutes longer. Add the tomato sauce or the tomatoes and simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes longer. Add the sugar if the tomatoes are not sweet and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

·      Pour the sauce over the shrimp, dividing it evenly. Then sprinkle the feta over the tops. Bake or broil until the cheese melts, 5-8 minutes if baking, 3-5 minutes if broiling.

·      Sprinkle the shrimp with the parsley and serve hot.

Recipe Road Test: Ramekins? Really? I suppose any self-respecting kitchen has a butt-load of ramekins or small gratin dishes. But not this one. So my first choice was about cookware, and I chose the Pyrex pie plate. It worked, though the presentation wasn’t nearly as cool. So, fear not in the face of directions and remain forever flexible.

I cheated the timing on the shrimp when it got right down to the sauté. I figured they had already suffered the indignities of freezing and thawing, so the last thing they needed from me was overcooking. If they got a minute in the pan, in small batches, I’d be surprised. Pink happens fast, and they were already shaped like commas. As each batch came out of the pan (slotted spoon time) I arranged them in the glass dish.

As for the sauce, how can you have too many tomatoes? I used everything that looked like it was about to get mushy. I hate growing food only to throw it away. I didn’t peel or seed the tomatoes – these guys were on the small side and I didn’t want the hassle. But normally I would. Stringy tomato skin in a dish is unappealing, so I don’t recommend it. And then there’s the issue of bittering by skin and seed. I can’t say I noticed that effect. But when I devoured the dish, I did push the skins the side of the plate. Fussy, huh?

I chose to go with the cayenne and it’s a good call. Gives it a little kick. I used fresh, not dried oregano because I grow it.

My wife is sold on the feta; I am not. I know. I know. It’s Mediterranean. I just find that the cheese interrupts the way the onion, tomato, garlic, cayenne, and oregano work with the shrimp – which is sublime. And it introduces a secondary texture, kind of soft and squishy. So, if you feel inclined to leave out the feta go ahead and do so. If anything, I’d up the garlic, but that’s just me.

With what is perhaps the final blow to tradition, I served this dish on brown rice.

 

Bottom line: I’d follow Joyce Goldstein just about anywhere. This is a simple recipe to prepare, and the results are indeed tasty.