First day of October, welcome to the Autumn
Season.  Today's post was going to be all Oktoberfesty, especially with the grey weather we've had this week.  But
instead, I'm just not ready to give up the ghost of Summers' past and while working today, watching the rain pelt
the windows and flood the ground I found myself on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean...floating somewhere
between Tunisia and Mallorca....or Barcelona and Marseilles, or..well..you get the idea.  Anywhere the sun was
shining, where it's warm and full of blue skies.  Just not ready for the approaching Winter, even though Fall is
a great season for everything, especially food.  During one of the grey days we had this week I prepared a
dish that rang loudly with all the notes in the Mediterranean flavor songbook.   After my cooking demo at Whole
Foods on Tuesday night I did some shopping and fell in love with the 16-20 @ lb. Wild Caught Shrimp which just
happened to be on sale.  I bought one lb. with no dish in mind.  Oh, by the way, that warm sunset you see above
was taken sailing on a cruise a few years ago...we were between Barcelona and Marseilles so you're looking at
either France or Spain, or both, and that water is the Mediterranean.  All the excellent health benefits aside, the
foods of the Mediterranean are sunny, bright, flavorful and satisfying.  They do not need to be overworked to make
them shine.


Here is a map which shows how many different cultures, and foods are influenced by the geography and climate of the
area.  The olive and the sea most influence each nations' foodways.  Geography then takes over and each country
creates it's own spin on it's agriculture, livestock, and history to create a similiar but very diverse cuisine.  Certainly
Syrian food is not the same as French Provencale, nor is Cypriot food the same as Corsican, but each culture draws
on this ancient sea.
With a few key ingredients, in this case, Shrimp, lemon, pasta, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, oregano, wine...you can
mix and match and come up with sunny ideas to brighten up even the grayest of days.

  All Aboard the cruise ship and into your kitchen to create this light
and delicious shrimp dish...a classic combo of Mediterranean ingredients and ideas, Shrimp Mediterranean let's call
it...it's not Italian, it's not Spanish, it's not Greek or Algerian, it's not Turkish or Egyptian, it's just Mediterranean...Start
with good shrimp...16-20 @ lb, with nice firm shells, use 1 1/2 lbs for a dinner or lunch for 6.  Slice the shrimp thru
their backs and remove that nasty iodine tasting vein. Leave the shells on them.  When you can get Wild Caught
or good shrimp, when they are this big, the shell is not a problem to remove while eating, making minimal mess.
And a shout out to Chef Stuart Drexler of Los Angeles, one  of my Facebook friends, for telling me to salt them, then
rinse, this makes their texture even better.
  Aren't they handsome?? I had 1 1/2 cups of leftover pastina
in the fridge, and I thought, let me combine the shrimp with the pastina, ala cous-cous fashion.  The idea worked. So,
have 1 1/2 cups of drained cooked pastina on hand for the dish.  Saute' the shrimp in some olive oil for about 3 min
on the first side, then 1 min on the other.  Now add 1 sliced clove of garlic and just blend with the shrimp, remove
the shrimp to a platter of bowl and cover it.  They should not be fully cooked at this point.  In the same pan, add a
little more oil, 2 thinly slice cloves of garlic letting the garlic get fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 drained and seeded
diced vineripened tomatoes.  Salt and pepper.  Let this start to cook down, this will take about 6 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata Olives...nice and briny...A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and 3 tbs. of a dry white wine.
What an aroma!
  Toss in a few torn basil leaves and some fresh oregano, then add the shrimp.
Let this cook for about 2 minutes, then add the pastina making sure it's well incorporated into the sauce and shrimp.
You can add a little more olive oil now and check your seasoning.
  Let it sit for about 3 or 4 minutes before serving.  Serve up
a crisp San Pellegrino with lime or lemon, a chilled glass of dry White Wine, or even a cold Peroni with this.
Some good bread on the side...a frisee or bitter greens salad bathed in a white balsamic and extra virgin olive
oil dressing...

Garnish with lemon slices and fresh basil and oregano...I guarantee that even if you haven't been to the
Mediterranean, you're there when you are eating this dish...light and bright...something to think about
making as the darkness of Winter fast approaches..this will give your mind a little vacation and refreshment.
Bon Voyage...