Hemingway Dines on Boiled Shrimp and Beer

Hi lovely readers, this blog will be chronicling my attempts to merge together two of the greatest things ever; food and poetry! Every so often I will be sharing some of my favorite food themed poems along with some of my favorite eats and my own food photography. I would love any (and all) feedback, please feel free to suggest any of your favorite food poems, submit your own food themed-poetry, or request certain recipes. Without further ado, I present to you the first of many posts!

Hemingway Dines on Boiled Shrimp and Beer
by Campbell McGrath

I'm the original two-hearted brawler. 
I gnaw the scrawny heads from prawns, 
pummel those mute, translucent crustaceans, 
wingless hummingbirds, salt-water spawned. 
As the Catalonians do, I eat the eyes at once. 
My brawny palms flatten their mainstays. 
I pop the shells with my thumbs, then crunch. 

Just watch me as I swagger and sprawl, 
spice-mad and sated, then dabble in lager
before I go strolling for stronger waters 
down to Sloppy Joe's. My stride as I stagger 
shivers the islands, my fingers troll a thousand keys. 
My appetite shakes the rock of the nation. 
The force of my miction makes the mighty Gulf Stream. 

A huge seafood lover, this poem always appealed to my inner foodie with its raw description of shrimp. I came across this recipe once when I realized I honestly only had a few ingredients on hand but a killer craving for shrimp. Easy to make, the buttery-garlicky goodness of this meal really hits the spot. Pairs well with any side dish really; here in my photo I matched it up with some sauteed broccoli.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Raw Shrimp, Deveined, Shells On (or off, I prefer not dealing with the mess)
• 2 sticks Cold Butter Cut Into Pieces
• 1 teaspoon Salt (I like sea salt!)
• 5 cloves Garlic, Peeled 
• 4 tablespoons Dried Parsley (I have also substituted dried basil  before)
• 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
• 1 whole Lemon, Juiced

Directions

1. Rinse your frozen shrimp in some warm water (make sure to separate them as they have a tendency to stick when icy!). Arrange them on a baking tray and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In your food processor, pulse the butter, garlic, parsley, red pepper, salt, and lemon juice together until they make a uniform mixture. 
3. Take clumps of the butter mixture and scatter them across your pan of shrimp. Bake in the oven until the butter and garlic starts to brown, it will smell delicious.

Recipe adapted from http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/spicy-lemon-garlic-shrimp/