RECIPE: SHRIMP WITH OREGANO AND GARLIC


It’s the beginning of a new cooking group. Our group began long ago as the Sunday Slow Bakers, then changed to the Sunday Slow Scoopers, then became the Sunday Slow Soupers, then recently were the Sunday Salad Samplers. We are now beginning a new chapter, and we will now be making Sunday Small Bites.
This one is a little different. Each week, someone picks our featured ingredient. That week, everyone makes a small plate using that ingredient. The rules are that you are to make a recipe that you’ve never made before. I’m challenging myself a little more. Unless I really can’t find a new recipe any other way, I’m using cookbooks I already own to find my recipes. I have lots of cookbooks, but don’t cook from a lot of them. I usually go to epicurious.com to find recipes. That would be so easy for this challenge, because all I would have to do is a search for appetizers with the ingredient listed.
This week was my week to choose our ingredient. I chose SHRIMP. I elected to make an appetizer that is very easy to make, from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook I don’t think I’ve made anything from.
The shrimp were good, but I wouldn’t make the recipe as stated again. I really liked the oregano flavor, but I didn’t like the texture of the dried oregano. Next time I’ll use fresh and I think it will be much better. I also used more garlic than called for-I used 5 cloves. And instead of the 1 cup of olive oil, I used 1/3 cup, which was plenty. I don’t agree with the cookbook author that this is the flavor of paella. I make a shrimp that’s similiar with just garlic, rosemary and olive oil that I love, but the oregano is another flavor choice that would be a nice appetizer to certain dishes when you might not want a rosmary flavor.

SHRIMP WITH OREGANO AND GARLIC
Serves 6
From Williams-Sonoma “Complete Entertaining Cookbook”
“Classic paella-style flavorings season these grilled shrimp. Make extra marinade to offer as a sauce, or simply garnish with lemon. If using wooden skewers, soak them first in warm water for 20 minutes.”
SHRIMP WITH OREGANO AND GARLIC
Serves 6
From Williams-Sonoma “Complete Entertaining Cookbook”
36 large shrimp
3 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Shell and devein the shrimp; set aside. Warm the oregano and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for about 2 minutes to remove the bite. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar and the remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool, then pour over the shrimp and marinate for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Prepare a fire in a grill. Position oiled grill rack 4-6″ above the fire. Or, preheat a broiler. Lift the shrimp from the marinade and thread 3 shrimp on each of 12 skewers. Grill over hot coals or broil until pink, about 2 minutes on each side. Serve with lemon wedges.