Tangy, Toothsome and Speedy Shrimp Dish

This recipe for Shrimp Piccata Over Rice came from a cookbook called Kitchen Quickies: Great, Satisfying Meals in Minutes by Marie Caratozzolo and Joanne Abrams (Square One Publishers, $14.95).

A year ago, we used a recipe for Margarita Chicken from this cookbook but hadn't opened it since, mainly because few recipes fit our "Countdown" formula.

Not that the cookbook doesn't live up to its name. It does, but most entrees have more than six ingredients or cooking time exceeds 30 minutes.

However, hungry for a quick shrimp recipe, we picked it up again and found this entree.

Of course, we had to split a few hairs. Flour is not counted as an ingredient here because we decided arbitrarily that it's a staple similar to salt and pepper.

Any way you twist it, Shrimp Piccata Over Rice is quick, slightly tangy, totally delicious and a keeper.

We served it with yellow squash, which we sliced, salted, peppered, buttered and microwaved for 3-1/2 minutes, also delicious.

Up the wine to 1/2 cup for a little more sauce. If you don't like capers or don't want to buy them just for this recipe, substitute a tsp. of grated lemon zest for extra piquancy.

With an eye toward "healthier" fare, the authors chose recipes with fewer than 5 grams of fat. The 170 recipes have been analyzed by a registered dietitian and broken down into calories, carbs, cholesterol and fat.

Shrimp Piccata Over Rice

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice
3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. capers, drained
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Cook rice according to package directions.

While rice cooks, coat a large nonstick skillet or wok with cooking spray (we used 2-3 tbsp. olive oil) and heat to medium. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Toss shrimp with flour and add to skillet in single layer (you may have to do in 2 batches if your skillet isn't big enough) and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add wine, lemon juice and capers to skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until slightly reduced. Add shrimp and black pepper, mix well and heat thoroughly for 2 to 3 minutes. (The shrimp was done before the rice was cooked, so we put a lid on the skillet and simmered on lowest setting until rice was ready.) Serve over rice.

Serves 4.

--Adapted from Kitchen Quickies