Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1-1.25 kg shrimp (peeled, deveined)

1 onion (finely chopped)

1 tsp crushed garlic

1kg red, ripe tomatoes (skinned, seeded, chopped)

1/4 cup capers (drained)

Juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup black olives (pitted, chopped)

1/2 cup dry white wine 

1/4 cup fresh basil (torn)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp olive oil (extra)

Salt + pepper + sage + herbes de Provençe

Method:

Heat a cooking pan or a wide skillet on medium-high.  Add oil and onion.  Stir until translucent.  Add all herbs and seasoning; with very little salt.  When fragrant, stir in garlic. Add prepared tomato.  Cover and simmer over medium-low heat; just for five minutes.  Stir in wine.  Cover and bring to the boil, then allow to simmer for almost 30 minutes to thicken; adding small amounts of hot water; whenever  necessary.  Taste for salt; allowing for the end result of additional saltiness, due to capers and olives.  Blend sauce with an electric hand blender until puréed then pour back into cooking pan.  Meanwhile, heat a wide skillet on medium-high.  Add extra olive oil.  Lower heat to medium-low.  Sauté garlic without changing its colour, followed immediately by washed and thoroughly drained shrimp.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper; in small amounts.  Stir occasionally, until shrimp turns pink and is done; (six to eight minutes).  Add lemon juice, stir it in, then remove away from heat.  Bring sauce to the boil.  Stir shrimps into sauce.  Add capers and olives.  Cover and simmer only for three to five more minutes.  Serve hot, over a bed of fluffed rice.  

*A version of this article appears in print in the 15 December, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly