Romescu with Shrimp

Recipe by Camille Stagg, from her Spanish Cuisine class.

Romescu (Spicy Almond Sauce) with Shrimp
1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
1 medium clove garlic, crushed
About 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, according to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1 small tomato, peeled, seeded, finely chopped*
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
20 to 24 raw large shrimp in shell
Salted boiling water

Spread almonds over baking sheet. Toast on middle rack in preheated 350-degree oven until golden-brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Place in blender or nut grinder or large mortar and pestle and pulverize. Add garlic, cayenne and salt to almonds and continue to mash with mortar and pestle (or in a small bowl, using back of a large spoon). Add tomato and vinegar and mash mixture to a smooth paste.
Transfer mixture to a bowl and, using whisk or electric beater, beat in oil while drizzling in slowly, a teaspoon at a time. Each teaspoon of oil should be absorbed before adding the next teaspoon. When about 6 tablespoons of the oil has been absorbed, the sauce should be creamy and thick. Drizzle in remaining oil in a slow, steady stream, beating constantly. The sauce should be thick enough to hold its shape when spooned. Taste and adjust seasoning. Makes about 1-1/4 cups sauce.
*An Italian tomato need not be peeled and seeded.
Cook shrimp in salted boiling water about 2 to 3 minutes, until they float. Drain shrimp, plunge into cold water to stop further cooking. Serve with Romescu. Makes 8 appetizer servings.