Simply Superb Shrimp Scampi

Sometimes I find really amazing recipes at the strangest of places.  The other day, my friend Colleen and I went food shopping at Whole Foods (yes, she was brave and went shopping with Laela and I), and wound up talking to the samples woman.  She made shrimp scampi- which I generally can't stand, and made it light and lemony- not heavy, buttery and cloying like I often find shrimp scampi to be.  It was so good, I bought a pound of shrimp and all of the ingredients that she recommended.  We had it for dinner that night, and, in the words of Laela: "MMMMMM!  Yummy!  Delicious Mama!!"  Make this.  It's super simple and absolutely fantastic.

Shrimp Scampi

serves 4-6

You'll need:

• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp (I used frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, they only take a minute or two extra to cook.)
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons (preferably Meyer lemons)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 bag baby red and green chard, cleaned and rinsed (you can add more if you like.)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Pinch cayenne pepper (I added a little more than a pinch because we like a little kick.)
• Salt to taste
• Chopped Italian parsley

Instructions:

• Finely chop the garlic.
• Melt the butter over medium low heat.  Saute the garlic gently until very fragrant.
• Add the wine and lemon juice and raise the heat to medium high.
• Reduce the wine mixture by half, and add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Add the baby chard and cook briefly.
• Add the shrimp and cook just until done, 3-4 minutes. (They'll turn from clear to pinkish-white)
• Add the chopped parsley and lemon zest.
• You can serve this as is, or add cooked pasta to the mix so that it can seep up all of the delicious sauce.

Enjoy!!