Recipe of the week | Scampi alla busara

Just before the weekend, all readers who cook ask themselves this eternal question: what are we going to eat? To inspire you, The Press suggests a recipe that will make your mouth water.

For 2 people

Ingredients

• 50-60 g panko breadcrumbs
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 12 g parsley leaves
• Sufficient water
• 1 or 2 stalks of celery
• 2 or 3 bay leaves
• 12 red shrimp from Argentina
• 2 large fresh tomatoes
• 3 oz brandy
• Fresh ground pepper
• A few basil leaves
• 1 stalk of garlic scapes (6-8 inches in 1-inch lengths) or 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 180 g egg spaghettini pasta (200 g for egg-free pasta, like classic angel hair pasta)
• Spicy oil

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. With a knife, make a small “x” incision at the base of each tomato, just on the surface.
2. Prepare a small quantity of minute stock with the celery and bay leaves. Keep warm.
3. To make the “green breadcrumbs,” heat a little olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Brown the panko over medium heat for a few minutes, with a good pinch of salt. Let cool slightly, then pour into the food processor. Add the parsley leaves and chop everything fine. Put aside. You will probably have more breadcrumbs than needed for the recipe. Green breadcrumbs will keep for four days in the refrigerator.
4. When the water boils, add the tomatoes. Remove after a minute, when the skin begins to peel away from the flesh. Let cool a little and peel. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, then deseed them.
5. Bring another pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
6. Peel the shrimp and keep the carcasses. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half the garlic, the scales and a little freshly ground pepper. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add a sprig of thyme. Pour in the brandy and let reduce until dry. Caramelize the bottom well, then add about 3 small ladles (about 1/2 cup) of celery-bay broth.
7. Strain into another small saucepan, pressing out the solids, and keep the bisque warm.
8. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add another spoonful or two of oil. Add the rest of the garlic, then the tomato quarters, one or two at a time, to prevent the oil from cooling too quickly. Remove the garlic. Add one or two basil leaves. When the tomatoes start to melt a little, pour two ladles of bisque into the pan. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Place the shrimp on the tomatoes, without mixing. Add a dash of spicy oil.
9. When the pasta is cooked (Fabrizio cooks it “to the gum”, so the stage before al dente!), transfer it directly from the cauldron to the pan with the tomatoes and shrimp, not bothering to add a little cooking water. The shrimp will finish cooking with the heat of the pasta. Mix gently.
10. To serve, the chef prepares pretty “nests” of pasta in a ladle, using large tongs. He then places the shrimp and tomatoes, drizzles everything with good olive oil, then sprinkles with green breadcrumbs.

Source: recipe from Fabrizio Caprioli, chef of the Barcola restaurant in Montreal.

Recipe published on lapresse.ca on August 28, 2017.