I made this last night. Combined 4 recipes to come up with one I thought my wife would like. She loved it...
Tony’s Shrimp Scampi For Barbara (my special lady)
INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined without tails. You can use pre-cooked shrimp with tails as well I did, just cook until shrimp are lightly browned
• ½- ¾ cup olive oil
• 4- 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced or chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/8 cup or so of fresh mint leaves coarsely chopped. I used spearmint because that’s all that was up in my garden.
• 2 tablespoons white wine. See this is where I put a cup and a half of wine in. Barbara likes a white German Spatlese wine.
• 2 tablespoons brandy –forgettabout it. I didn’t have any.
• Pasta- whatever you want: spaghetti is good simply because there isn’t much sauce. You could use rice, but a little spaghetti lifts the scampi off the plate and helps to catch some of the sauce.
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly. Dredge shrimp in flour mixture. I just dumped the shrimp in a large bowl and poured the flour mixtured on it and mixed it well.
2. In a large skillet, sauté dredged shrimp in olive oil for 5 minutes over high heat (if using cooked shrimp, just a minute or two until browned. I simply turned shrimp one time & cooked shrimp in batches and put on a plate, leaving the oil in the pan.
3. In the same pan, sauté the garlic, shallot, mint leaves, parsley and oregano over medium heat for 3 minutes; stirring constantly. Spoon the mixture over the shrimp. Return pan to the heat. Preheat your broiler for medium heat. Blah, blah, blah… I don't time anything. I added the wine first to deglaze all the brown bits off the pan. Then I added the rest of the stuff. Broiler? I didn’t use a broiler.
4. Pour the wine and brandy into the skillet and ignite with a match or lighter. When the flames die down, stir to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet; pour over shrimp. Skip this step.
5. Place the serving dish of shrimp in a preheated broiler for about 2 minutes. Skip this step too.
6. I had boiled a pot of water and cooked some spaghetti until al dente. Then I drained the spaghetti and simply used prongs to add to bowls. Then I used a spatula to scoop 10-12 shrimp with the little bits onto each plate.
7. Barbara said it was exquisite. I squeezed some fresh lemon juice on mine which to me made this something to die for. The Barbara unit doesn’t care for lemon. Supposedly Italians don't use grated cheese on seafood. I usually ignor this, but last night, a fresh squeezed little lemon juice brought it alive. I woke up late this morning. My wife is gone and so are the leftovers.....
Tony’s Shrimp Scampi For Barbara (my special lady)
INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined without tails. You can use pre-cooked shrimp with tails as well I did, just cook until shrimp are lightly browned
• ½- ¾ cup olive oil
• 4- 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced or chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/8 cup or so of fresh mint leaves coarsely chopped. I used spearmint because that’s all that was up in my garden.
• 2 tablespoons white wine. See this is where I put a cup and a half of wine in. Barbara likes a white German Spatlese wine.
• 2 tablespoons brandy –forgettabout it. I didn’t have any.
• Pasta- whatever you want: spaghetti is good simply because there isn’t much sauce. You could use rice, but a little spaghetti lifts the scampi off the plate and helps to catch some of the sauce.
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly. Dredge shrimp in flour mixture. I just dumped the shrimp in a large bowl and poured the flour mixtured on it and mixed it well.
2. In a large skillet, sauté dredged shrimp in olive oil for 5 minutes over high heat (if using cooked shrimp, just a minute or two until browned. I simply turned shrimp one time & cooked shrimp in batches and put on a plate, leaving the oil in the pan.
3. In the same pan, sauté the garlic, shallot, mint leaves, parsley and oregano over medium heat for 3 minutes; stirring constantly. Spoon the mixture over the shrimp. Return pan to the heat. Preheat your broiler for medium heat. Blah, blah, blah… I don't time anything. I added the wine first to deglaze all the brown bits off the pan. Then I added the rest of the stuff. Broiler? I didn’t use a broiler.
4. Pour the wine and brandy into the skillet and ignite with a match or lighter. When the flames die down, stir to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet; pour over shrimp. Skip this step.
5. Place the serving dish of shrimp in a preheated broiler for about 2 minutes. Skip this step too.
6. I had boiled a pot of water and cooked some spaghetti until al dente. Then I drained the spaghetti and simply used prongs to add to bowls. Then I used a spatula to scoop 10-12 shrimp with the little bits onto each plate.
7. Barbara said it was exquisite. I squeezed some fresh lemon juice on mine which to me made this something to die for. The Barbara unit doesn’t care for lemon. Supposedly Italians don't use grated cheese on seafood. I usually ignor this, but last night, a fresh squeezed little lemon juice brought it alive. I woke up late this morning. My wife is gone and so are the leftovers.....
)...I should put it in everything! 
I solemnly swear that this summer, I will use as much mint in my cooking as my family will let me. 
