Shrimp Cooked in Romesco with Wilted Spinach

Ingredients:

For the Romnesco base:

1/2 oz. raw almonds, about 2 Tbsp., or 12 nuts
1 oz. hazelnuts, 1/4 cup, or about 32 nuts
1/2 cup coarsely chopped drained canned tomatoes or peeled ripe tomatoes
about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 ancho chile
about 1 cup mild-tasting olive oil
1-1/2 oz.chewy, white, peasant-style bread, about thick slice
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp. L’Estornel brand red wine vinegar or other red wine vinegar fortified with a few drops of sherry vinegar
1 tsp. hot paprika
1/2 tsp. mild paprika
salt

To finish the dish:

1 cup chicken stock, shellfish fumet, water, or a combination
3 Tbsp. dry white wine
1/2 cup diced yellow onions
About 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt
About 1-1/4 pounds shrimp in their shells or just over 1 pound peeled shrimp
3/4 pound spinach, carefully washed and dried

Instructions:

To make the Romesco base:

Drop the almonds into a small pot of boiling water and leave for about 10 seconds. Drain the almonds and slide off the skins. Rub dry and set aside.

Roast the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet until the skins darken and start to split, about 10-15 minutes. While they are still hot, bundle them in a towel beanbag-style, then scrunch and massage them to rub off most of their skins. Pick out the nuts and set aside.

Turn the oven to broil and spread the tomatoes 1/2″ thick in a small, shallow baking dish. Trickle with a little of the olive oil and place under the broiler about 4″ from the element. Cook until the tomatoes char slightly and bubble, a few minutes. Remove from the broiler and reduce the oven temperature to 425F.

Meanwhile, pour a few cups of boiling water over the ancho chile and let it swell for a few minutes. Drain the chile and remove the stem and deseed the pepper.

Pour the mild-tasting olive oil to a depth of 1/2″ into an 8 or 10″ skillet and set over medium-low heat. Test the temperature with the edge of the slice of bread; when it barely sizzles on contact, reduce the heat slightly and add the bread. (You may need to cut the bread into pieces so it fits into the pan in a single layer.) Check the underside at 1 minute; it should just be beginning to color. Fry until it is the color of cornflakes 2-3 minutes per side. Drain and cool on a paper towel.

Thickly slice the garlic and pound into a paste in a mortar. Scrape into a processor and add the softened ancho chile, fried bread, almonds and hazelnuts. Grind into a fine, moist paste, scraping the sides frequently. Scrape in the tomato and process to a paste. Add the vinegar, paprika, the remaining extra-virgin oil and salt to taste. Taste; it should be bursting with flavor, although not overly spicy. The flavor of the paprika will come out over time.

Spread the paste in a thick layer in a small shallow baking dish and bake until the surface has turned dark orange with occasional flecks of brown, about 8 minutes.

To finish the dish:

Bring the stock, fumet, or water and the white wine to a simmer in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in the romesco base. Taste for salt. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes. As this brew cools, the crumbs will begin to swell and soften, which will give the sauce a nice texture.

Place the diced onions in a 3 quart saute pan with about 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Cook over medium heat until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the romesco and warm through. Add the shrimp and turn the heat to medium. Cook gently, turning each one over once in the thickening sauce, until the shrimp are just firm and opaque. This should take no longer than 4 minutes, but it all depends on the size of the shrimp.

Meanwhile, warm another 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a 12″ skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and sprinkle with salt. Gently turn and fold leaves until they are uniformly wilted and bright green. Taste for salt and add another trickle of oil if the spinach seems lean.

Divide the spinach among warm plates and arrange the shrimp on top of the spinach. Taste the sauce, and adjust the salt if necessary. The romesco should be fluid but thick-reduce briefly or add a splash of water if it seems either watery or pasty. Spoon the sauce over all.

Recipe by Judy Rodgers from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (W.W. Norton, 2002).