GRILLED SHRIMP WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

When I want to get something on the table quickly, I often turn to shrimp. They are a wonderful canvas for so many cuisines. I usually buy medium sized ones, but once in a while, I like to get the really large prawns. I had


















a package of fresh mushroom ravioli in the refrigerator and thought
that a grilled shrimp would be the
perfect protein. Having just watched
Hell's Kitchen, on which there was a
challenge for the contestants to clean
and devein as many shrimp as possible in 5 minutes, I thought I'd have to see how long it took me to do a pound (and what they looked like when I was done). I'm proud to say that I was able clean and devein the whole pound in under 15 minutes (and they didn't look too bad, either). Of course, if Gordon Ramsey were standing there throwing the "F bomb" at me and making cruel comments, I probably would have gotten a whole lot less done. I don't mind his profanity--it's just words--but his name-calling is quite unattractive. I don't think he's really a bad fellow; but on that show, he's like your worst nightmare.

Anyway, this is a simple preparation for shrimp. To sauce the pasta, I simply heated 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and drizzled it over the shrimp and ravioli.

Serves 2 - 4
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tbs minced garlic
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails intact. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper in a non-reactive bowl and add the shrimp. Toss and cover. Let stand for just 30 minutes.

Heat a grill pan and grill the shrimp about 2 minutes on each side--until they are opaque.