A few key ingredients give classic dishes like shrimp scampi and rice and peas a delicious Spanish flair.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- About ⅓ cup 2-inch-long pieces broken regular or thin spaghetti
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup freshly shelled peas, or frozen peas (thawed)
- One 4-ounce jar chopped pimientos, drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
- 4 large cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 4 spring onions, whites and greens, cut on an angle into ½-inch slices (or 2 leeks, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ½- inch half-moons)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup sherry, or ½ cup white wine
- 1 lemon, juiced (about ¼ cup)
- 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Hot sauce (such as Tabasco), to taste
For the rice, in a medium saucepan, heat the oil, one turn of the pan, over medium to medium-high. Add the butter. When it stops foaming, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pasta and cook, stirring often, until deeply golden and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add the rice and cook until toasted, about 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the smoked paprika. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the peas and pimientos. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
For the shrimp, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil, two turns of the pan, over medium-high to high. Add the shrimp and cook until just opaque in the centers, about 2 minutes per side. Add the garlic and spring onions; season with salt and pepper. Add the crushed red pepper and toss 2 to 3 minutes more. Mix in the sherry and cook until almost completely reduced, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and butter and swirl the skillet until the butter melts, about 1 minute. Top with the parsley and hot sauce. Divide the rice among shallow bowls. Top with the shrimp.
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