smoky shrimp and artichoke ragout with bucatini

By rayva • January 27, 2011 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: The snow had started falling, so I wanted to make a hearty dish with a lb. of jumbo shrimp and whatever else I had on hand. After I started cooking I realized I had no white wine for the ragout so I use a combination of almontillado sherry and mirin to sharpen the flavors. Then pimenton was a natural seasoning choice. - rayva

Serves 4

1 pound peeled jumbo shrimp
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, sliced thickly
2 cloves garlic
28 ounces can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup drained artichoke hearts
1 heaping teaspoon sweet pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika) or to taste
3-4 splashes amontillado sherry
3-4 splashes mirin (japanese rice wine)
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
sea salt and white pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 heaping tablespoon wild capers

wash and pat dry shrimp, splash with olive oil and a few sprinkles of pimenton, season with salt and white pepper and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan on low heat. Add shallot and garlic cloves and saute lightly. Add pimenton and stir for a minute or two until fragrant. Mix in canned tomatoes broken up with fork or hands, bay leaf and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Saute shrimp over high heat in a skillet or grill in a cast iron grill pan until pink and fragrant.
Add shrimp, artichokes, sherry, mirin to tomato sauce, cooking an additional 5-10 minutes until flavors meld. Add parsley and capers just before serving.
Toss with cooked bucatini or penne. Drizzle with high quality olive oil if desired, before serving.