After a
busy day, I was planning on doing no cooking tonight.  I have an early flight in the a.m. to Chicago
connecting to Milwaukee.  Packing and picking up the car tonight after getting new breaks was all
I wanted to do.  Maybe get something out.  Easy.  Something in the air, maybe the smell of the
Summer rain, perhaps...gave me the feeling that I was on the Mediterranean, anywhere..France,
Spain, Greece, Italy...somewhere there.  When that travel-memory-wanderlust thing hits, I need
to recreate a taste of it...shocker..I needed to cook!    The late summer sun hitting
the beach in Capri..the smell of seafood, fresh vegetables and lemons...this was what I was feeling.
He must be nuts you're saying, maybe..but I felt like I was where I was when I took that picture 3 years
ago.  Opening up the refrigerator I decided to make a salad with baby spinach, grape tomatoes, and
warm seared shrimp with a garlic, lemon and basil dressing.  You will make this over and over again
after you see how relatively (i said relatively) easy it is to make if you have the ingredients on hand.
Start with 1 1/2 lbs of peeled and deveined 31-40 shrimp...(that denotes there are approximately 31-40
shrimp per pound)...these cook up quickly and are perfect size for a fillling salad or even a pasta
dish.  Sprinkle with seasoned flour, make sure they are all covered, and satue' them in a pan with 2
tbs. heated olive oil.Saute' for about 3 minutes per
side, or until they curl up after you've turned them over.  Drain on paper towels.
In a bowl, whisk together 2 thinly sliced cloves of garlic, 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp. sea salt,
some freshly ground black pepper, and the juice of 2 lemons.  Then add the warm shrimp to it.
Now in a larger bowl, add 2 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes, 5 torn basil leaves, and 1 1/2 lbs. of
baby Spinach, toss it all together.  Then add the bowl of shrimp with the dressing and gently mix it
with the spinach and tomatoes.  Arrange it on a serving platter and garnish with a little more sea salt,
pepper, and lemon wedges.  Done..this feeds 4.  It can sit out on a table for a relaxed meal or buffet.
A fresh bright and assertively flavored dish that doesn't take more than 1/2 hour from start to finish (did
I just sound like Rachel Ray? ..ok, the difference between her and I is that I'm not looking for something
to take only a 1/2 hour to make, this just does.  And that's the best part..


Try doing this by grilling the shrimp also..a different flavor, but still very Summery and Mediterranean. I
prefer the saute' method, but find your own favorite way to make it!