food pairing question

[phoebe]

I have a recipe that I love, I but can never figure out what to serve with it. So I end up not using it as much as I might. The amount of oil makes a salad with dressing seem too much, and no vegies seem quite right (at least none that I have in my repertoire). Please help!!

It comes from a cookbook called The Restaurants of New Orleans by Roy F. Guste, Jr. It calls for a cup of olive oil, 2 lbs. of whole shrimp (deveined with the shells left on)), black pepper, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, dry white wine and 25 cloves of garlic (smashed but left unpeeled). These are all sauted together (at intervals). This makes a really "rustic" dish that is great for bread dipping. (smushing [smooshing?] the whole garlic with the herby/shrimpy oil on to bread is my favorite part.)

Can anyone recommend what else to serve with this?

Thanks!

[Mezzaluna]

Celery root salad; tomatoes- plain sliced or broiled au gratin
Yellow rice

[coolJ]

White wine

[marmalady]

A slaw made with a vinegar dressing instead of a mayo dressing; cukes and onions dressed with vinegar/sugar; tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes!!

[Suzanne]

Ooooh, Barbecued Shrimp from Mosca's!!!! I love to make that! I usually serve it with spaghetti or linguine and use some of the cooking liquid as a sauce, and serve just a very simple green salad on the side, very lightly dressed. The suggestions that Mezz and Marm made are also great, especially when tomatoes are in season.

Here's a hint: after you cook the shrimp, take them out of the liquid and set aside. Separate the juices from the oil, and use just the juices to sauce your starch. It's probably terribly unsafe, but I save the oil in the fridge -- and I just used it to make a confit of swordfish (instead of tuna confit) -- didn't kill us, and it was GREAT!

How neat that someone else loves that shrimp dish. I eat the shells and all. After all, with all that garlic, nothing will kill you!

[phoebe]

Suzanne,

I'm amazed that someone else knows about this dish! But I have a question: how can you save the oil for later? Dipping bread in it is my favorite part. Actually, I think I could probably live (not healthily, but quite happily if briefly) on bread, oil and garlic. The shrimp and herbs are just nice additions.

And thank you Mezzaluna, CoolJ, and Marmalady for your great suggestions. I've got loads of tomatoes coming in right now, so this would be a great excuse. Is there anything other than breadcrumbs I should add to the sliced tomatoes for the au gratin? (never done one before).

[chiffonade]

The amount of oil in the shrimp prep should not deter you from serving a salad. You could coat your favorite salad ingredients lightly with a dressing that focuses on the vinegar or citrus component of the dressing. This will lend some sharpness/piquancy to your meal - a good accompaniment to the luxurious mouthfeel of the shrimp dish.

* Crusty Bread
* Any rice dish - cajun or otherwise - even a simple side of jasmine rice with chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (don't use curly)
* Broccoli or broccoli rabe, sauteed, then served either cold or hot with a splash of lemon juice, S&P and garlic.
* An Italian tomato salad with red onion.

What were you doing for dessert? I wouldn't go for a creamy item - maybe a nice fruit tart using summer fruits or poached pears?

[shroomgirl]

BBQ shrimp is a NO staple....
Cajun slaw with creole mustard dressing....I grate carrots, celery root, parsnips or just cabbage and carrots in season mix in parsley, green onions, creole or brown mustard, pinch of tarragon or apple cider viniager, mayo....

lemon ice or lemon ice cream would go well with this....or vanilla ice cream with fresh peach sauce and roasted pecans...

[Pongi]

Although I've never heard about this yummy dish, it seems to me that also a salad with a joghurt-based dressing, like a raita or a tzatziki, should be great with it. In example a tomato/cucumber, or even a fresh mango raita... A plain or yellow rice could complete your dish.

As for a tomato gratin, this is a quick but tasty recipe: use small tomatoes. Cut them in half, seed and empty them with a spoon. Chop finely the flesh and mix it with with breadcrumbs, freshly chopped aromatic herbs (basil, parsley, thyme, oregano) and garlic, salt, pepper, some extravergine olive oil. Fill the tomato halves with the filling, arrange them in a baking dish, pour some more oil on, bake at medium heat 35-45 mins or until lightly browned on top. Serve warm.

Something quicker? Take at least a lb of cherry tomatoes, cross cut them on top, make a single layer in a baking dish, sprinkle with chopped herbs (the same as above), sliced garlic, salt and pepper, pour some extravergine olive oil on top, bake as above.
Serve warm or RT.

Pongi