Shrimp Stew from Puglia

I received this fabulous cookbook from my sister-in-law Andrea for Christmas
Recipe from Mario Batali from his newest cookbook America Farm to Table. We totally enjoyed this simple meal with some crusty bread for dipping and getting every last drop. It has a smidge of spicy kick --mine was a little darker in color than the cookbook probably because I didn't have sweet paprika and needed to use regular paprika. Also added about another 1/2 cup of tomato sauce before serving.

Ingredients (for the shrimp stock):

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Reserved shells from 2 pounds of shrimp

2 tablespoons of sweet paprika or pimenton

4 cups of water

Kosher salt

Ingredients (for the shrimp stew):

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 red onion, cut into 1/8 inch dice

2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/8 inch dice

2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/8 inch dice 

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 cup basic tomato sauce

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds (16/20 count shrimp), peeled and deveined, shells reserved for stock

3 cups of shrimp stock

1/3 bunch fresh chives

1.  Make the shrimp stock.  In a 3 to 4 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the shrimp shells and toss well.  Allow the shells to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often.  Add the sweet paprika and cook for 3 minutes more.  Add the water and bring to a simmer, pressing down on the shells with a spatula or large spoon to extract maximum flavor.  Cook until reduced by one-quarter.  Season with a little sauce to taste.

2.  Saute the vegetables.  In a 10 to 12 inch saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat until just smoking.  Add the onion and bell peppers and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the red pepper flakes, sugar, tomato sauce, and salt and black pepper to taste and cook over low heat until tender, about 10 minutes.   Remove from the heat and set aside.

3.  Saute the shrimp.  In a 12 to 14 inch saute pan, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat until smoking.  Season the shrimp with salt and black pepper on both sides and cook until very red, 1 to 2 minutes.  Turn carefully with a wide spatula and cook on the other side for 1 minute.  You may need to cook the shrimp in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

4.  Make the stew. Remove the shrimp, add the bell pepper mixture and the shrimp stock to the pan and bring to the a boil.  Cook for 3 minutes, then return the shrimp to the mix and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for a few minutes more.  

5.  Plate the dish.  Ladle the stew into deep bowls and garnish with chives and and a drizzle of good olive oil.