Shrimp Oreganata
serves 3-4

On Thursday night, after arriving back at my aunt and uncle’s house from a doctor's appointment, I cooked off some stress and, maybe a side of fear. There’s something that is incredibly therapeutic about cutting a stick of butter into tiny little, perfectly sized cubes. Moments later I was slippery with love, salt, fat and the promise of a good meal with my loving family. And, as I got lost in cubing, I got lost in the thought of possible shoulder surgery and a 6 month recovery. The conversation with the surgeon resurfaced in my mind and I put the bits of butter aside. I wondered if I would be able to continue to cook in a sling?

Before I left for the appointment, it was decided that I would make shrimp oreganata with roasted cauliflower and asparagus for family dinner. My initial offering of roasted broccoli and roasted asparagus did not sit well with my uncle who gazed up at the kitchen ceiling and politely said “You know how I feel about two greens with dinner?” I sat, waiting for the doctor, thinking about this moment and smiled, “Why was I pushing for two greens anyway?” The recipe would have enough butter and olive oil in it to make the consumption of vegetables null and void in terms of qualifying this as a healthy meal. Now, with cooking, it is considerably more important that what I prepare is tasty and eaten with zeal, than healthy or low in fat. Two greens? Would I be able to continue to cook in a sling?

I toasted the breadcrumbs in a small pan coated with olive oil and an abundance of garlic. I stood over the stove and hummed my new song “Can I cook in a sling?” My aunt cleaned shrimp as I cut cauliflower and my uncle opened a bottle of white wine. I dried each shrimp with a piece of paper towel and placed them, one by one, in a baking dish. I poured chicken stock and wine around the shrimp, topped them with the toasted bread crumbs and then gazed at the tiny cubes of butter. I separated each cube of butter and placed them atop the shrimp.

Imagining how life’s setbacks can be setups is something I spend a lot of time thinking about. In a series of setbacks, I set up a beautiful dinner. I remembered that I am surrounded by love. I thanked God for the gift of family and, well, butter. I am sure I will figure out how to cook and feed myself in a sling.

Shrimp Oreganata: Preparing the Breadcrumb Mixture
2 T extra virgin olive oil
8 medium cloves of garlic, minced
Zest from ½ of a lemon
½ cup of Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
3 T grated Locatelli / pecorino romano
2 T flat leaf parsley, minced
2 T dried oregano
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Add breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley and all dry ingredients to a mixing bowl
Heat olive oil in a medium nonstick pan over a medium low flame, add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes
Remove pan from the flame and add in breadcrumbs, tossing to coat
Put the breadcrumbs aside

Preparing the Shrimp

30-40 medium shrimp, deveined
¼ cup of chicken stock
¼ cup of white wine, anything you would drink
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 stick of butter cut into small cubes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Arrange shrimp in an oven safe baking dish
Pour the chicken stock and white wine over the shrimp, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sprinkle the shrimp with the breadcrumb mixture and drizzle with olive oil
Evenely place the cubed butter a top of the shrimp and breadcrumbs
Bake the shrimp for 12 minutes at 425 degrees, then change oven setting to broil for 5-7 minutes (beware of your own broiler and how toasty it gets in there) until brown a brown crust forms
Remove shrimp from the oven and serve hot with crusty bread to scoop up all of that buttery breadcrumb mixture, which I’m pretty sure you can also do while in a sling and recovering from shoulder surgery

Shrimp Oreganata + Visions of Cooking in a Shoulder Sling