Shrimp Provencale

If you are looking for a light, simple, yet elegant meal after the holidays, this Provencale recipe can be used with shrimp, mussels, clams or even, as in the original that this was adapted from - snails. It does have a lot of ingredients, so you would need to plan ahead, and the creme fraiche on top is optional.

The thing that made this recipe extra special was the use of a teaspoon of herbs from Provence with added lavender. These dried herbs are readily available in most supermarkets - I used Morton & Bassett's of San Francisco's blend. The blend of all the herbs and finely chopped vegetables makes for a very subtle, and interesting flavor, but it is not so strong that it overpowers the flavor of the seafood.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 3/4 lb medium sized shrimp with shell, deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/1/oz shallots, diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 oz red pepper, finely chopped
• 2 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 oz boiled ham, finely diced
• 6 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons sweet (cream) sherry
• 8 fl ounce of fish or chicken stock
  
• 1-2 teaspoons herbs of Provence
• 1 small mild red chili, finely chopped
  
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
• handful snipped chives for garnish
• Boiled or steamed rice.
  

Method

1. Rinse and pat dry the shrimp, devein if necessary.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the shallots and garlic.
3. Add and fry the red pepper, mushrooms, ham and chili.
4. Add the shrimp and saute for 2 minutes.
   
5. Add the white wine, sherry and stock.
6. Add the drained tomatoes.
7. Season with herbs, salt, pepper and paprika.
8. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
9. Serve over boiled or steamed rice, with a spoonful of creme fraiche for each person.
10. Garnish with snipped chives.