The best recipes use great ingredients and are simple to put together. Fat shrimp coated with smoky paprika, along with creamy beans in a tomato sauce with a bit of spice makes this a quick and tasty dinner. I substituted jalapeno for the dried chiles de arbol in the original recipe and skipped the fresh bay leaf since I didn’t have any, but made up for some flavor by adding finely chopped scallions. Smoked paprika, while a little pricey, is well worth the splurge and livens up this dish immensely! Make sure to pair it with a really good bread and a fresh salad for a wonderful dinner on a cool evening.
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp oil
3 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (you can use more if you like is spicier)
1 fresh bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 1/4 cups chopped tomato (Roma tomatoes are best)
1 tbsp tomato paste
two 15 oz cans cannelli (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp smoked paprika
chopped flat leaf parsley
grilled bread
Turn on the broiler and let it get hot while you continue with the rest of the recipe.
In a large, deep, oven proof skillet, heat 2 Tbsp the olive oil over medium heat and add 1 clove of minced garlic, jalapeno pepper, and bay leaf to the pan. Stir and allow it to sizzle around in the pan until fragrant. You don’t want the garlic to become browned or it’s going to make your dish bitter.
Stir in the tomatoes. Move them around the pan a little, letting them cook down for about 5 minutes until you can break them apart with a spoon. Stir in the tomato paste and keep cooking, stirring, while it cooks and caramelizes into a darker red, about 3-4 minutes longer. Add the beans and broth, giving it a great stir to lift anything stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Simmer the mixture about 3-4 minutes until the juices are thickened up a little, then add the scallions, and taste and season with salt and pepper.
In a medium sized bowl, toss the shrimp with smoked paprika, garlic, and 2 tbsp oil until they are well coated. Lay in the skillet on top of the sauce in a single layer, then set the entire pan under the broiler.
Broil until the shrimp are just cooked, turning and moving them a bit if you need to. It should only take a few minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley.
Ladle into bowls and serve with a toasted crusty bread to sop up the sauce.
Serves 4
Adapted from Bon Appetit
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