Joanne Weir's Grilled Shrimp with Romesco Sauce

Joanne Weir teaches hands-on cooking courses in her professional kitchen in San Francisco and also has a schedule of week-long journeys to locations in France, Italy, and Spain. She is the author of several cookbooks. Her latest Cookbook, Wine Country Cooking, will be published in August.

You can find out more about Joanne Weir and her cooking classes on her Web site.

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled
12 bamboo skewers
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 red bell peppers
1 slice coarse-textured white bread
1/4 cup almonds, skinned
1 ½ cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped, fresh or canned
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegarFlat-leaf parsley leaves as a garnish

Thread the shrimp on the skewers.  Brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. 

Preheat the broiler.  Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds and ribs.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Broil the peppers until the entire skin is black, 6 to 10 minutes.  Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag, close tightly and let cool 10 minutes.  Using your fingers, peel off the skin.  Core the peppers and cut into 1-inch dice.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the bread and fry, turning occasionally, until golden on both sides.  Transfer the bread to a food processor.  In the same oil and skillet, over medium heat, fry the almonds, stirring until golden, 2 minutes.  Add the almonds, tomatoes, garlic, paprika and red pepper flakes to the processor and pulse several times.  Combine the vinegar and the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil.  With the processor motor running, gradually pour olive oil mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat a charcoal grill.  Grill the skewers of shrimp skewers for 1 to 2 minutes per side.  Remove from the grill and serve with romesco sauce.

Serves 6

Joanne Weir's Cookbooks