Send over your dead SMS messages.

Hello everyone! My husband has become a bureaucratic nightmare. He says that the podcast must start  following the Orpheus Protocol, and to keep Hermes from paying hefty fines, I would have to adhere to it going forward. I have no idea how anybody's expected to actually make the recipe if we do that, but if it keeps my half-brother out of having to pay off one of his debts accruing my husband's incredibly unforgiving interest rates, then it looks like I'll have to comply. Osiris, stop selling this as a ringtone in the Nile OS store, okay? I'm not as gracious as Hestia. Nor as much of a homebody! I know that's what you did with Hestia's bird aria! And you clearly did that with "Hollow Peace" too. 

For those of you who may be interested in making the featured recipe, you'll find it below. 

My love, for this episode, I chose to provide a recipe for Gambas al Ajillo, which is an appetizer consisting of shrimp with garlic sauce.  Tapas, what we call appetizers, are popular in Spain, and this one is absolutely incredible! Here is what you will need. 

1 1/2 pounds (or about 680 grams) shelled and deveined large shrimp, tails intact

Kosher salt

1/4 cup (or four tablespoons) thinly sliced garlic; that’s a lot of garlic! About 13 cloves.

1 1/4 cups (300 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil (choose an oil that is fragrant and medium in body)

1 small dried hot red chile, seeded and crumbled

1/2 cup (about 120 milliliters or 32 grams) minced parsley

2 tablespoons dry sherry, such as manzanilla

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Crusty bread, for serving

Clams, diced ham, or chorizo, (optional)

Place the shrimp into a large bowl and add in a teaspoonful of salt. Incorporate it thoroughly so that the juices can be drawn out of the shrimp. Set it aside for ten minutes.

Be sure you wash your hands well after dealing with raw seafood! You don’t want to end up going to the Underworld before your time, after all. My husband may seem like a big Teddy bear, but in his eyes, rules are rules so you’ll probably end up in the Asphodel Meadows which are, for lack of a better phrase, mind-numbingly boring! So boring in fact that dying of boredom would be a whole lot more fun! Not even being a fan of this podcast would grant you quarter in the palace.

All right, now, in a large enameled cast-iron skillet, toss the olive oil and garlic and cook it at fairly low heat. You want to let the flavors really meld without burning the garlic or making your smoke detectors go off. The garlic will make your kitchen smell amazing, and should begin turning brown. I’d say just under ten minutes. 

Add in that chili and stir it into the garlic until you can smell it, 15 to 30 seconds, so don’t walk away!

Now throw in the shrimp and stir it in the pan, letting all that yummy garlic coat it. Do this until they’re just starting to get pink, around five minutes, more or less.

Finish the sauce by tossing in the other ingredients: the sherry, lemon zest, parsley, and a large pinch of salt. Stir until combined and move the pan to a cool burner. Let the heat from the cast iron skillet continue cooking the shrimp through for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Enjoy this dish and don’t forget to use some nice crusty bread to scoop up every dollop of extra garlicky goodness. If shrimp isn’t your thing, (or even if it is!), you can enjoy this sauce with clams, diced ham, or chorizo.

As ever, please send any feedback or dead letters to Hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com.