Renny Darling's

The Rites of Spring Menu

Spring Bacchanal! a la Basque

 

Scampi a la Basque with Spinach & Shallots

This dish is a blaze of color...yellow rice, red tomatoes, green spinach...and is richly flavored with shallots and garlic.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds medium-size shrimp (about 20 per pound), peeled and deveined

Basquaise Sauce:
6 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (fresh or canned)
1/4 cup white wine
1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach leaves, defrosted and drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a skillet heat oil. Add shrimp and saute for a few minutes, or just until shrimp are opaque and pink. Do not overcook. Remove shrimp from pan.

In same pan, saute shallots and garlic until shallots are transparent. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer sauce, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and just heat through. Serve on a bed of Yellow Rice with Tomato. Serves 6 to 8.

Yellow Rice with Tomato:
1 1/3 cups rice
2 cans (10 1/2 ounces, each) chicken broth
2 tablespoons oil
1 small tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
salt and pepper to taste

In a covered saucepan, simmer together all the ingredients until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

Note: -Basquaise Sauce can be prepared earlier in the day and heated before serving.
-Rice can be prepared earlier in the day and heated before serving.
-To be safe, saute shrimp just before serving.

 

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