New and Improved Shrimp Scampi.

This is the second meal I made from a recent Gourmet magazine. It just looked so enticing in their photos.

It reminds me of shrimp scampi, but I find it appealing in that garlic is not an ingredient. Don't get me wrong, I love garlic. I put it in anything that should be salty (so not desserts). I recall making shrimp scampi one time in college right before going to lacrosse practice. It was during the winter, so we were practicing indoors at the rec center. As we were running around the track, I burped. Someone (Pauts) came up behind me right afterwards and said, "What is that smell?" It was my garlic. I've been wary (or not so much) ever since.

I, predictably, strayed from the recipe when I discovered we didn't have cilantro or sherry. Basil and marsala were my substitutions. And oh my, the garlic was not missed. The ginger gave the dish a mild sweetness tempered with the butter that I haven't experienced with the root herb before. (I'm used to it with spicy and citrusy Thai food). And the marsala added depth you don't get with just a butter/garlic combination.

Shrimp in Ginger Butter Sauce:

6 ounces large shrimp, peeled

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoon grated (or crushed) ginger

2 tablespoons marsala cooking wine

2 teaspoons dried basil

Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Saute ginger 30 seconds. Add shrimp and saute two minutes. Add marsala and saute until shrimp are just cooked through (one to two minutes). Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.