{"id":4746,"date":"2022-07-27T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesaltedpotato.com\/?p=4746"},"modified":"2022-07-29T10:56:20","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T14:56:20","slug":"tomato-and-chili-shrimp-with-the-ultimate-focaccia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesaltedpotato.com\/tomato-and-chili-shrimp-with-the-ultimate-focaccia\/","title":{"rendered":"Tomato and Chili Shrimp with The Ultimate Focaccia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
This meal began with the focaccia. As anyone who bakes bread is aware, focaccia is one of the easiest of all breads to bake. I\u2019ve made it many times and have used many different recipes. I\u2019ve never made one I didn\u2019t like, although I do have my favorites. When Paul Hollywood\u2019s new cookbook Bake <\/em>arrived, I knew I\u2019d be making his version titled The Ultimate Focaccia. It\u2019s studded with sliced red onions, tomatoes and olives, and sprinkled with only oregano and flaky salt. Rather than the kalamata olives called for in the recipe, I used big soft oil-cured black olives. <\/p>\n\n\n As I got to thinking about what I wanted to serve with it, I kept going back to shrimp in a soupy tomato sauce. I didn\u2019t want a marinara or anything of that nature. I wanted the sauce to be light, full flavored, and more fresh tasting than a tomato pasta-type sauce. I wanted it to be the right consistency for sopping up with the focaccia – more juicy than saucy.<\/p>\n\n\n As I was peeling the shrimp, it occurred to me that I should use the shells to make a quick shrimp stock. It only took maybe 10 minutes and added tons of flavor to the finished dish. <\/p>\n\n\n Naturally, I wanted it to complement the flavors of the focaccia, so I kept it simple. No need for exotic spicing with this. To keep it light, I chose to chop up a couple cartons of grape tomatoes and use those as the base. Along with onion and garlic, I added sweet Calabrian chili powder. It doesn\u2019t pack much heat. It\u2019s more about the sweetness of the red peppers from which it\u2019s derived. The reserved shrimp stock, a minced Fresno chili, some lemon juice and parsley rounded it out and finished it off perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n