It is not often that we have left over red wine in the house…most often if a bottle is opened, we drink it.  But, we did have about a cup of  Chateau St. Jean  Merlot left over the other night so I decided to cook with it.  Next step…what to cook.  I had already made drunken pastawith red wine, so I wanted to try something different.  I had some jumbo shrimp in the freezer, couscous in the pantry and tons of veggies and herbs.  Surely something could come out of that.  Yep…..Red Wine Shrimp with Herb and Veggie Israeli Couscous. 

We paired with an amazing Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley called Winderlea.  Started by a couple who traveled to Burgundy from their previous home in Boston and fell in love with great Pinot Noir, so they moved to maybe the best Pinot Noir growing area in the US…Willamette Valley, Oregon…bought a vineyard and are making small production, incredible, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Elegant and lush with balanced fruit and earth flavors, which enhanced the rich flavors of the shrimp and sauce.

Recipes:

Red Wine Shrimp
Ingredients:
3 large cloves garlic – minced 
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 Roma tomatoes – chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons butter – cubed
1 pound extra large shrimp – peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Season shrimp with salt and pepper, set aside.  Pre-heat oven to 350.  Stir together all ingredients except shrimp in a medium baking dish with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Place in oven and heat through, allowing the butter to melt and the flavors to combine.   Rem0ve from oven and add shrimp to sauce, stirring to coat.  Place back in oven and cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 8-12 minutes.   Spoon into a serving dish with sauce.  Serve with couscous.

Herb and Veggie Israeli Couscous
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 yellow onion – chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots – peeled and chopped into bite size chunks
1 zucchini squash – cut into bite size chunks
1 red pepper – roasted, skin removed and cut into bite size chunks
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 cup Israeli Couscous
1.5 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Preparation:
In a medium sauce pan saute the onion, garlic, carrots and zucchini over medium heat until the onions are translucent in 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add Italian spices.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Stir in the peppers and couscous and turn heat to a low simmer.  Couscous should cook in about 5-7 minutes.  Once cooked add in herbs, lemon zest and adjust seasoning.  Serve warm with red wine shrimp.