Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp

[Shanny]

2 tablespoons butter
6 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 pound (500 g) shrimp (or prawns) -- tails on or off
1 small yellow onion, diced
½ cup white wine
5 oz (150 g) jarred sun dried tomato strips in oil, drained
1¾ cups cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups baby spinach leaves
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoons of water (optional)
2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

    Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Add in the shrimp and fry two minutes on each side, until just cooked through and pink. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

    Fry the onion in the butter remaining in the skillet. Pour in the white wine, and allow to reduce slightly. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes to release their flavours.

    Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

    Add in the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and add in the parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. (For a thicker sauce, add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan, and continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens.)

    Add the shrimp back into the pan; sprinkle with the herbs and parsley, and stir through. Serve as is, or spooned over steamed vegetables, pasta or rice.

Found this at https://www.facebook.com/CafeDelites/videos/vb.868050759884560/1314274088595556/?type=2&theater and only revision I made was to swap out the half & half for real cream.

[Shanny]

Finally got to make this today, and I tweaked just a little more . . .

Used dry sherry instead of white wine - real sipping sherry, NOT cooking sherry.

Saved the oil from draining the tomatoes & added back about two or three tablespoons for more flavor and to increase the fats content.

And it's absolutely thick enough without using any cornstarch.

We ate it as is - no steamed veggies, no pasta, no rice. It's very filling just by itself, because it's so wonderfully rich.

[bigskygal]

Definitely going to have to try this!!  Just used up the last of my sun dried tomatoes in oil so will have to get more.  Going up to town tomorrow to see my oncologist so can shop there.

[walkerwally1]

It does look good but to me who is not really a cook, although I like to try new things, it looks like a lot of work.  I still may give it a try though.

[Shanny]

The work was in peeling the shrimp - that took me forever. BH was going to help, but he took a nap, so I didn't wake the old skunk!  I guess grating the parmesan took a few minutes too, but that wasn't so bad either.

Everything can be prepped & lined up so all you have to do is dump something in the skillet every few minutes & keep it stirred.

I used minced garlic in a jar, and dicing a small onion takes me about 60 seconds. I was going to stem the spinach, but thought about all that good fiber in the stems, so I didn't even do that.

So the prep takes time, but it isn't really much work . . . you might decide it's worth it when you taste the final product! 

[bigskygal]

I do cheat a little.  I buy frozen cooked shrimp so I don't have to do all the cleaning.

[ivan1989]

Hi
Do you guys know what is glycemic index value of Parmesan cheese? I can't find it anywhere in my chart:
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But given the fact that is a dairy product I assume it is high

[skb]

Do you guys know what is glycemic index value of Parmesan cheese? I can't find it anywhere in my chart:

G.I would be 50 as per nutriondata.self.com

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[Skhilled]

I'm not a shrimp fan but the sauce I do find interesting! I love pan reductions, pan sauces, and viniagrettes and am always coming up with new ones.

Me, I would have roasted some garlic and added it to the sauce when adding the cream. I would have also added the dried herbs at that point so they would release their flavors better. Save the fresh herbs for the end.

The cornstarch and water is not needed if you reduce the cream enough and also added enough cheese. That would have thickened it enough.