Curried Shrimp

I was looking for something quick last week and all I had at home in terms of meat was frozen shrimp. So I opened up Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" and found the shrimp section. That's what I love about his books - they're organized by the main ingredient, so if you have something and you want to know what to do with it (which is usually the case for me), you can look to him for ideas. This book also has an intro to every section to give you an overview on how it's used, prepared or bought - which is really useful! I even had to look in there for how to cut a pineapple and not get spiky or tough parts. Pathetic, aren't I? :)

Curried Shrimp (from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)
4 to 6 servings
Time: 45 minutes

(You can make the sauce ahead of time if you want, and just add the shrimp and lemon juice at the last minute.)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
2 large onions, minced
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
2 Tbsp minced cilantro leaves
1 lb. small waxy red or white potatoes, peeled and halved (I just used whatever I had at home and cut into bite size pieces)
2 cups cored and chopped canned or fresh tomatoes, with their liquid
Salt to taste
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, in the 20 to 30 per lb. range, peeled, rinsed, dried, and cut into halves or thirds (I also de-vein)
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used bottled)

To make:
1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet for 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until golden, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the curry powder, cayenne, and half the cilantro and stir. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and salt, stir, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes (mine only took 20).
3. Add the shrimp and lemon juice, and cook, uncovered, until the shrimp turn pink, 3 to 5 minutes (I cooked mine a little longer - about 10 min). Add the remaining cilantro and serve with white rice.

This was great - I'm definitely making again.