Make this simple shrimp dish often, but only recently did I discover how good it is served on a bed of farro (see page 190), which Lidia Bastianich introduced me to. It’s also delicious with rice, grits, or polenta. You’ll get a good two meals out of this amount.

　　

Ingredients

About 10 ounces medium shrimp

　　2 tablespoons light olive oil

　　1 fat garlic clove, peeled and sliced thin

　　Salt and freshly ground pepper

　　A splash of white wine or dry vermouth

　　A scattering of chopped fresh parsley (or basil or tarragon if you have some)

　　

Step 1

Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail intact if you like picking them up and sucking the meat out of the tail end. Remove any black digestive tracts. Heat the oil in a wok or a heavy sauté pan, scatter in the garlic, and toss the slices in the hot oil for about 1 minute without browning them; then add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the flesh has turned opaque and rosy. Splash in the wine, cook down slightly, scatter parsley and/or other herbs on top, and they’re ready to go.

　　

Variation

Step 2

To make a more substantial dish, scatter in several mushrooms (halved if big), and stir-fry with the garlic for 2 or 3 minutes. When you add the shrimp, toss in about 1/4 cup frozen peas or a small handful of pea pods or sugar snaps and a couple of scallions, sliced lengthwise. Chunks of asparagus are good, too, when in season.

　　

Second Round

Step 3

A nice shrimp salad is always good. You can also reheat the shrimp and add either fresh ripe chopped tomatoes or a canned tomato squeezed with a little of its juice, to make a sauce for pasta. Recently I had a small treasure trove of cooked shrimp, and I cooked some thin-sliced fennel in a bit of olive oil and water until tender, then added about six shrimp, and had this over some fast-cooking polenta for a very quick supper.

　　The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.