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 Recently I was at my local Wegmans doing my weekly shopping. Although the humidity has dissipated, it is still rather warm. I swung by the seafood department and eyed possibilities for supper. I was in luck, they had fresh, never frozen shrimp from North Carolina for $14.99/lb. Now the question was, what recipe can I prepare that I haven’t made before? As I have been doing this blog for five years now, it’s very rare that I repeat a recipe. After five minutes of viewing my app for NYT Cooking, Epicurious and Lidia Bastianich’s website, I did find a recipe that was easy, used minimal ingredients and could be prepared in about 30 minutes, Lemony Shrimp over Zucchini from the website Lidia’s Italy. This recipe serves 6 to 8 people, however, I halved the ingredients for just my husband and I. For the recipe besides shrimp and zucchini, you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano (preferably Sicilian on the branch), fresh garlic claves, unsalted butter, dry white wine, lemon zest and juice, fresh flat leaf Italian parsley and bread crumbs. The most time-consuming part of this recipe was shelling the shrimp (by the way I saved the shells to make a stock). I also prepped the zucchini by cutting them into matchstick lengths and gathered the rest of my ingredients. I used a 12-inch non-stick fry pan for cooking. First in the order of preparation was sautéing the zucchini until it tender-crisp. I kept the zucchini warm in a low oven. Using the same pan, I did a quick sear of the shrimp. Lastly, a pan sauce was made using white wine, lemon zest and lemon juice. Once the sauce had come to a boil, the shrimp were added back to the pan and a sprinkling of parsley. Lidia also added a bit of breadcrumbs to the mixture and had the dish return to a boil and thicken the sauce. For my presentation I add both the zucchini and shrimp to the pan and served it over orzo. The dish was light and delicious. I initially used a bit of restraint with the red pepper flakes, however, a bit more was needed to really punch up the flavors. Overall, a wonderful and easy meal, especially on a busy weeknight. Also, my husband suggested scallops as an option. LEMONY SHRIMP OVER ZUCCHINI Gamberoni con Zucchine By Lidia Bastianich from www.lidiasitaly.com Serves: 6 to 8 Ingredients ZUCCHINI 3 TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 4 MEDIUM ZUCCHINI (ABOUT 20 OUNCES), CUT INTO 1 1/2-INCH-BY-1/4-INCH-THICK MATCHSTICKS 1/2 TEASPOON KOSHER SALT 1/8 TEASPOON CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES 1/4 TEASPOON DRIED OREGANO, PREFERABLY SICILIAN ON THE BRANCH SHRIMP 3 TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 2 POUNDS EXTRA-LARGE SHRIMP, PEELED AND DEVEINED 1 TEASPOON KOSHER SALT 6 CLOVES GARLIC, FINELY CHOPPED 3 TABLESPOONS UNSALTED BUTTER, CUT INTO BITS 1 CUP DRY WHITE WINE GRATED ZEST AND JUICE OF 1 LEMON 3 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED FRESH ITALIAN PARSLEY 2 TO 3 TABLESPOONS BREAD CRUMBS For the zucchini, add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, scatter in the zucchini. Season with the salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the zucchini begins to wilt but still has a little bite, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the dried oregano, remove from the heat, and keep warm. For the shrimp, add the olive oil to another large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half of the shrimp and season with half of the salt. Sear quickly on both sides, about 1 minute, and remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining shrimp and salt. When all of the shrimp is out of the skillet, add the garlic and butter to the oil remaining in the pan, and cook until sizzling, 2 minutes. Add the white wine, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp back to the sauce, sprinkle with the parsley, and toss. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and return to a boil to thicken the sauce. Serve the shrimp over the zucchini. 
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