As the mother of two teenage boys, I feel like I live in the grocery store. All they do is eat. Sometimes groceries don’t even make it home. My darling children can devour an entire shopping bag of food before we make it out of the parking lot. Our food budget is almost as much as our mortgage because of those two. When I’m feeling particularly frugal, I force them to eat what’s already in the house before I venture out to the market again. In a matter on minutes, my sons can go through the pantry like a swarm of locust, leaving only the canned goods untouched.
Recently, all that was left in the pantry after an attack by a couple of mutant teenage boys was a bottle of wine, canned beans, and diced tomatoes. They’d even managed to clean out the freezer, except for a bag of frozen shrimp, freezer-burnt waffles, and rum raisin ice cream, which they knew not to touch since I tend to go straight psycho if my ice cream comes up missing. With a little culinary creativity, I used what I had on hand–minus the waffles and ice cream–to fed my boys a hearty Tuscan-style meal that left them satisfied for 30 whole minutes.
Let me know when you make this recipe. Take a picture and hashtag it #QUEENCITYKITCHEN. I can’t wait to see what you post!
Tuscan Shrimp and White Beans
Makes 8 servings
1½ pounds large shrimp (26 to 30 count)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 anchovy fillets, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Coarse-ground black pepper
3 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup fresh basil, lightly packed
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells and cook until pink and spotty, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1 cup water and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Discard the shells and reserve the liquid. (You should have about ¼ cup). Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, anchovies, and pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans, tomatoes, wine, shrimp stock, and butter. Simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat to low, add shrimp and cover the pan. Simmer until the shrimp are just opaque, about 4 minutes, stirring once during cooking. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the basil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the beans and shrimp to a serving platter, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and serve with grated Parmesan.