Recipe of The Week: Yummy Spicy Shrimp Stew.

Yesterday it snowed. Snow? On October 18th? Usually we get until at least November until that happens. Well, it was Sunday and it was a pretty lazy day in our house, so the snow was actually a pretty welcome surprise. The cold weather in general made me crave something warm and hearty. On Friday we went to Green Street for dinner and I had an amazing clam and sausage stew. Given that my husband is pretty much an herbivore I had to change the main ingredients and to my surprise it turned out almost as delicious as the original. The fact that it took less than 15 minutes to prepare? Well, that was just the icing on the cake!

A quick and warm dinner for those cold winter nights!

Spicy Shrimp, Tomatoes, White Beans and Spinach on Garlic Bread

Serves about 2 as a Main Course, 4 as part of a dinner.

1 lb shrimp

4 slices rustic bread

extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole

fresh sage leaves, about 1 packed Tablespoon

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 14 1/2 ounce cans diced tomatoes (fire roasted if possible)

1 15 ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained

3 handfuls baby spinach

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup broth or white wine

freshly ground black pepper

Brush bread slices with a little olive oil. Set aside on a baking sheet to toast later.

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 sliced garlic cloves, sage, and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, beans, spinach, salt, and pepper. Increase heat and cover skillet to wilt the spinach. Remove cover after a few minutes and continue cooking for a few more minutes to thicken sauce to desired consistency. Add in the broth (chicken or vegetable) and the shrimp. Cook until shrimp is pink.

While the sauce thickens, toast the bread under the broiler. When done, rub whole garlic clove across the bread slices. (Skip this step if you don't like a very garlicky flavor.)

Place each bread slice in a bowl and top with stew.