12-16 lg. whole cloves garlic, plus 3 lg. cloves garlic, minced
2 lb. (1 kg) lg. or jumbo shrimp (prawns)
1/3 c. (3 fl. oz. - 80 ml) olive oil
1/4 c. (2 fl. oz. - 60 ml) tomato sauce (pureed tomatoes)
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Drop the whole garlic cloves into a saucepan of rapidly boiling water and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Peel and devein the shrimp. In a large bowl stir together the oil, tomato sauce, vinegar, basil, minced garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. Add the shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, tossing once or twice.

Prepare a fire in a grill. Position the oiled grill rack 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) above the fire. Remove the shrimp from the marinade. There will be a little bit of marinade remaining in the bowl; reserve it. Thread the shrimp and garlic cloves alternately onto the skewers as follows: Bend each shrimp almost in half, so that the large end nearly touches the smaller tail end. Insert the skewer just above the tail, so that it passes through the body twice. Follow each shrimp or two with a garlic clove.

Arrange skewers on the rack. Grill, turning them frequently and brushing two or three times with the reserved marinade, until the shrimp become pink, 6-8 minutes. Serves 4-6.