• SHRIMP ROSEMARY SPIEDINI ALLA ROMAGNOLA
• Makes six servings Region | Emilia-Romagna Book: Italian Grill (ecco 2008):
• The rosemary skewers, which are easy to make, impart an herbal fragrance to the shrimp, and they look both rustic and elegant at the same time. Alla romagnola means that these spiedini are a specialty of Romagna, the eastern part of the region Emilia-Romagna.
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves only (about 2 cups loosely packed)
• 1 bunch basil, leaves only (about 2 cups packed)
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt [need to check this amount again]
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds large shrimp (21–30 per pound),
• peeled and deveined
• 12 large rosemary sprigs, prepared as skewers (see sidebar) and soaked in water for at least
• 2 hours, or overnight
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• Toss the parsley and basil leaves into a food processor, add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of the olive oil, and zap until the herbs are chopped and the bread crumbs look green. Transfer to a pie plate or wide shallow bowl, add the shrimp, and toss to coat well.
• Skewer 4 or 5 shrimp on each rosemary sprig (the easiest way to do this is line up 4 or 5 shrimp—“spoon fashion”—at a time on a work surface and run a skewer through them; then separate them slightly so they will cook evenly). Dredge on both sides in the bread crumb mixure, place on a platter, and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Put a piastra (see page 000) on the grill to preheat.
• Spritz or brush the piastra with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place the skewers on the piastra and cook, turning once, just until the shrimp are opaque throughout and some of the crumbs are browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the lemon wedges.
• Remove from heat and serve immediately with the Cherry Barbecue Sauce
• Rosemary Skewers It’s easy to make skewers from rosemary sprigs. Choose large sturdy sprigs that are about 8 inches long. Pull off most of the leaves from each sprig, leaving a nice tuft of leaves at the top (use the remaining leaves in the dish you are making, or reserve for another use). Using a sharp knife, cut off the bottom of the sprig on a diagonal to give you a sharp point. The skewer will slide easily through the shrimp when you skewer them.

• Shrimp Sizes: Shrimp are categorized by weight, using a system based on number of shrimp per pound: “U-12 shrimp,” for example, means that it takes 12 at most of these huge shrimp to make a pound. However, the signs you see at the market do not always reflect this system, and one store’s large shrimp is another one’s medium. But the fishmonger should know the “count,” shrimp per pound, so you can always ask him about their size. In general, the larger the shrimp, the more expensive they are. Peeled shrimp, of course, are always more expensive than unpeeled.
• Super-colossal (U-12): 12 or fewer shrimp per pound
• Colossal (U-15): 11 to 15 per pound
• Extra-large: 16 to 20 per pound
• Large: 21 to 30 per pound
• Small: 36 to 40 per pound
• Cocktail or salad: 41 or more per pound