Garlic & Herb Shrimp with Vine Ripe Tomatoes
/In preparation for our long drive last weekend, I downloaded a few new podcasts. Among them was Gastropod, which I had never listened to, but since I'm just generally enamored by all things recipe related, I figured I'd like it.
Spoiler alert: I really liked it. Spoiler alert number two: The podcast wasn't about recipes at all -- actually, it was all about the cool facts and histories behind the food we eat. The first episode (which is really old at this point... I'm behind the times), is all about the science and history of cutlery! Did you know that the introduction of the table knife impacted human anatomy? Or that what your fork is made of may impact how your dish tastes?
That last one was new to me. It makes sense--I actually hate eating off of wood (Those little wood scoops that come with single serve ice cream containers drive me crazy. Yuck!)- but I had never thought twice about it. Anyways, in their podcast, Cynthia and Nicola do a spoon taste test, where they talk about the flavor differences between stainless steel, tin, copper, wood, and even gold. They even interview spoon scientists (yup, that's a thing). Their conclusion? You'll just have to listen ;)
So now, with this idea in my head that my silverware is changing my meal, I kept wondering "How would this taste if I had a copper spoon?" and thinking "This would be better on a gold spoon." This dish was no exception.
Made with vine ripe tomatoes and splash of wine, this dish has a natural sweetness that is bright and fruity. The perfect spoon/fork/knife for this dish would be plated in gold, which is supposed to be subtly sweet to human tastebuds. I don't have any gold cutlery, so for now I can only imagine sitting down at a well-set table with dainty glasses, pressed napkins and a golden fork for every course.
Probably for the best, this dish is far to easy to feel at home on a table like that, and I'm not complaining! Easy = yes.
What do you think? Does your spoon make a difference? I think we should all do some taste tests and compare notes!
Garlic & Herb Shrimp with Vine Ripe Tomatoes
Serves: 4 | Active Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Add more oil to the pan if the pan is dry, and reduce heat to medium. Sauté diced onion until transparent. Add the splash of wine, and scrape bottom of the pan. Add diced tomatoes, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until tomatoes are soft and begin to fall apart.
- Return shrimp to the pan, and add minced herbs, a dash or two of salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Serve hot.
