Shrimp with Chilies and Wine

So simple! Great appetizer or even the basis of a light lunch.


INGREDIENTS:

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, or tail on
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chili pepper or chili flakes, or dried chilies (to taste) *
1 tablespoon dark chili powder + more to garnish
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup white wine (dry or medium dry)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chili pepper or flakes and cook for 45 seconds. Add the garlic, cook for one minute, then add the wine. Add the shrimp and sprinkle in the chili powder, stir. Turn the shrimp as needed to cook them through, which should only take a couple of minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan when the shrimp are cooked, or they will become tough. Serve the "broth" on the side as a dipping sauce. Sprinkle on a little chili powder for garnish.

* If you don't like much "heat," just use a teaspoon of chili flakes

WORD HISTORY: 
Shell-This word is distantly related to "skill," as the underlying meaning of "skill" is, "capability that distinguishes; that is, separates, it from others." "Shell" goes back to the Old Germanic root "skal/skel," meaning "to separate, divide." This came from the Indo European root "skel," which meant "to cut, cleave" (you get the notion: "cut, cleave," to "separate, divide."). The Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sciell/scill," and the Anglian dialect had "scell," all meaning "seashell and eggshell." Old English also had the related "scealu," which meant "shell or husk." The idea in all cases was, "a covering that splits off or separates." The word then became "schelle/shelle," before the modern version. The verb form, meaning, "to remove the shell from nuts," came from the noun, but it did not become common until the mid 1500s! The other Germanic languages have various forms, often with a variety of meanings, so it is difficult to sort them out; after all, the word "scale" (from a fish) is also closely related, and the use for the word "shell" for some drinking glasses shows the complex nature of the word. So, just some examples in the other Germanic languages: German "Schale" (verb form: "schälen," meaning "to peel or to skin"), Low German Saxon "Schell" (verb: "schellen"), Dutch "schil" and "schaal." Swedish "skål" (meaning "bowl," from the shape of a half shell), Icelandic "skel." "Apparently," West Frisian "skyl," which meant "peel of a fruit or vegetable," is now obsolete.