ROSEMARY SKEWERED SHRIMP WITH GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

                                                  Prep time: 60 minutes                                                                

                                           Active prep time: 50 minutes                                                    

           Special equipment needed: Grill plate or griddle                  

                                             Special skills needed: Grilling                                                    

Serves 4 as a meal or 8 as an appetizer

This dish is a fun preparation for entertaining guests.  It is hearty, with just the right amount of acid.  The presentation is dramatic with bright contrasting colors.  The vinaigrette is perfect for dipping a nice crusty bread.  The recipe is for peeled shrimp and generally a bag of flash frozen domestic jumbo shrimp that have been properly thawed will work just fine.  Certainly, these are a better choice than a refreshed imported shrimp or even an aging fresh domestic shrimp.  Where possible, I prefer head-on gulf shrimp.  The heads give you plenty of clues about the quality of the shrimp and if you are so inclined, you can use them to make an outstanding seafood stock. 

INGREDIENTS:

6-12 rosemary sprigs with long sticks

1 cup olive oil

12 cloves garlic - Minced

2 lbs large shrimp

1 lb thin sliced bacon

1 red bell pepper - Diced

1 yellow bell pepper - Diced

1 bunch of scallions – Chopped

½ cup red wine vinegar

Prepare the rosemary sticks by stripping off all the leaves, except a small clump on one end.  Wash them thoroughly and strip off the bark. 

Preheat a grill plate or griddle to high heat.  You can cook these over an open flame on an outdoor grill, but if you choose that method, you’ll want to stick close for the entire cooking time as bacon likes to catch on fire. 

Combine the olive oil and garlic in a 2 quart saucepan over high heat.  Bring the oil to a boil and keep it on high heat until the garlic starts to brown. 

While that is happening, wrap each shrimp with a ½ strip of the bacon and skewer it with a rosemary stick. 

Grill these until the bacon is cooked to your liking.  Usually, this will take about 10 minutes.  Keep them moving throughout, being careful to get all the bacon cooked thoroughly. 

When the garlic begins to brown, add the peppers and cook until tender.  This should take about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the scallions.  Add the vinegar. 

Place the cooked shrimp skewers on a serving platter and poor the entire vinaigrette over the top.  Serve immediately with a crusty bread for dipping.