Pan seared Shrimp & Simmered White Beans - Bonus! 2 for 1 tonight.

I made Pan Seared Shrimp tonight, from a recipe sent to me by Cooks illustrated ( I subscribed to their email list at CooksIllustrated.com). It was pretty quick and quite good, especially since I used the Garlic-Lemon Butter variation. I had to use smaller shrimp than the recipe called for (36-40's), but I kept my eye on the cooking times and they turned out great.
While trying to decide what to make as an accompaniment, and I found that I had a can of Goya cannellini beans - I usually do - and as soon as I saw them I knew that was tonight's side dish would have them in it. But how? ok, I'm making a sort of scampi-ish dish, so I started thinking italian... The Simmered white beans recipe below is what I came up with. It, too, was pretty quick and real tasty. Try it and tell me what you think!

Pan-Seared Shrimp (from Cooks Illistrated)
The cooking times below are for 21/25 shrimp (that is, the size of the shrimp is such that there are 21 to 25 in 1 pound). If 21/25 shrimp are not available, adjust cooking times slightly. Either a nonstick or traditional skillet will work for this recipe, but a nonstick will simplify cleanup.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds 21/25 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until smoking.
2) Meanwhile, toss shrimp, salt, pepper, and sugar in medium bowl.
3) Add half of shrimp to pan in single layer and cook until spotty brown and edges turn pink, about 1 minute.
4) Remove pan from heat; using tongs, flip each shrimp and let stand until all but very center is opaque, about 30 seconds.
5) Transfer shrimp to large plate.
6) Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and shrimp;
7) After second batch has stood off heat, return first batch to skillet and toss to combine.
8) Cover skillet and let stand until shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.
9) Serve immediately.

Pan-Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Lemon Butter
1) Beat 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter with fork in small bowl until light and fluffy.
2) Stir in 1 medium garlic clove, minced, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until combined.
3) Follow recipe for Pan-Seared Shrimp, adding flavored butter when returning first batch of shrimp to skillet.
4) Serve immediately, with lemon wedges, if desired.


Simmered White Beans
Ingredients:
1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano or 1 teaspoon fresh Minced Oregano
2 or 3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1/2 cup of Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Directions:
1) Put all ingredients into a medium saucepan and simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10
minutes
2) Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes more.
3) Serve immediately. If serving with the Garli-Lemon buttered Shrimp recipe above, drizzle a bit of the Shrimp's sauce over the beans, too.

Enjoy!
Lorence