Shrimp
- 24 jumbo shrimp (1-1½ pounds), shelled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- Salt & pepper
- 4 ripe plum tomatoes
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 cup olive oil
- salt and white pepper
- 2 cups olive oil
- 4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Grilling the Shrimp:
Mix the smoked paprika and the salt & pepper and season the shrimp. Prepare your grill (outdoors) or grill pan (indoors). Brush the grill grate with oil. Grill the shrimp until cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side.
Making the Tomato “Butter”:
In a heavy bottom sauce pan cut up the plum tomatoes in quarters, add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Cook on medium low heat for about twenty five minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down and lose their shape. When completed take the stewed tomatoes to a blender or immersion blender and blend till smooth and buttery leaving no residual pieces.
Making the Cilantro oil:
Prepare a small pot of water boiling on the stove. “Blanch” the cilantro by adding it to the boiling water for about 10 seconds, making sure the leaves are in the water the whole time. “Shock” the cilantro by removing it from the boiling water and adding it to an ice and water bath. Drain the cilantro and pat dry. In a blender add your cilantro, salt, white pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Blend until it is smooth on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes. Store this mixture overnight in your refrigerator so the herb pieces that weren’t fully pureed can settle and still add flavor over night. The next day filter the oil through a coffee filter or cheesecloth and store in the refrigerator until needed. NOTE: When using extra virgin olive oil you will find that it thickens when refrigerated. Allow the cilantro oil to come to room temperature and it will regain its regular viscosity (you can substitute canola or vegetable oil instead if you like). This and another herb oils will keep up to two weeks without losing too much of its color and flavor. You can use this same method for numerous herb oils!
Making the Chili oil:
Combine the oil and crushed red pepper flakes in a heavy small saucepan. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Transfer the oil and pepper flakes to a bottle. Seal the lid. Refrigerate up to 1 month. Keep squeeze bottles of flavored oils available at all times. If you don’t want the oil getting too spicy remove the pepper flakes through a strainer after 24 hours.
Gianluca Paris is the Executive Chef and owner of Luca’s Mediterranean Café, a fine dining restaurant, The Market at Luca’s, offering light bistro style fare and gourmet take out and Luca's Culinary Journey Catering in Keene, New Hampshire, where he lives with his wife Lindy and his two children. He is the recipient of many accolades, including “Excellence in Dining” and “Best Service/Wait staff” every year since 2002 from Market Surveys of America, along with “Best Mediterranean Restaurant,” “Best Fine Dining Restaurant,” “Best Caterer in New Hampshire,” and, for four years, “Best Restaurant in the Monadnock Region” from New Hampshire Magazine.