Vegetables are often used together with fish in traditional Italian cooking. This recipe is over the top and seems to have every available vegetable cooked with shrimp; to me it resembles jambalaya without the chicken and sausages, and it is great served over steamed rice or pasta.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　4 garlic cloves, sliced

　　1 stalk celery, cut into 2-by-1/2-inch strips

　　1 large carrot, cut into 2-by-1/2-inch strips

　　28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand

　　1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

　　1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes

　　1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped

　　8 large cremini mushrooms, sliced

　　1 medium zucchini, cut into 2-by-1/2-inch strips

　　1 red bell pepper, cut into 2-by-1/2-inch strips

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

　　1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed, shredded

　　

Step 1

Pour the olive oil into a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, let sizzle for a minute, then add the celery and carrot. Cook and stir until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, then slosh out the can with 1 cup hot water and add that as well. Season the sauce with the oregano and peperoncino, bring to a rapid simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Toss the scallions, mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, and salt into the pot. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook until the sauce is thickened and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes more.

　　

Step 3

Stir in the shrimp. Simmer until they are pink and just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the basil, and serve as I like to do, over rice, pasta, or even polenta.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.