Self-Styled ‘Great Chef’ Shares Shrimp Secrets

R.W. (Wally) Murray can legitimately--and in all modesty--bill himself as one of the “Great Chefs of the West.”

That’s the name given to themselves by the members (all three of them) of a very exclusive group of amateur cooks who get together every month or so to try to out-dazzle each other and anywhere from 8 to 10 guests with their culinary skills.

Murray, 50, of Yorba Linda, is a partner and vice president of sales for Abacus Systems Inc., the Southern California distributor for NCR, headquartered in Pasadena, and a collector of many things--antiques, cookbooks, recipes and fine wines.

“But I’m not a wine snob,” he says. “Basically, I believe people should drink the wines they like, not what some so-called expert tells them they should drink with different food items.”

The “Great Chefs” group is also not all that serious, on paper anyway. “We do it for fun, to enjoy each other’s company and to share good food and wines. And it’s not all that competitive; we actually share the chores for each dinner--someone doing the entree, another the salads, another the desserts.”

One of the favorites of the group is the oven-barbecued shrimp he shared with Guys & Galleys. “It’s extremely versatile,” he says, “and so easy to make. It can be a main course or you can butterfly the shrimp right in the pan and use the whole thing as a topping for pasta.”

It also is “so easy that it allows you to have time with your guests.”

Murray’s interest in cooking came relatively late in his life--about 20 years ago when he was working at the Santa Ynez Inn in Santa Barbara. “I worked the front desk,” he says, “and got to know the head chef very well. He loved to experiment and would call me back to try a new dish or even an entire meal.

“His enthusiasm was contagious, but I never thought I could cook at all until one time with great trepidation I had him to dinner. He was very kind and raved about the meal and encouraged me to keep working on it.

“I haven’t stopped since.”

Each week, Orange County Life spotlights a man who enjoys cooking and features one of his favorite recipes. Tell us about your candidate. Write to: Guys & Galleys, Orange County Life, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.

WALLY MURRAY’S OVEN-BARBECUED GARLIC SHRIMP

Ingredients

1/2 pound butter

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2-4 tablespoons cracked black pepper

6-10 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound whole raw shrimp in shell

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of minced parsley

Dash of basil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter, oil, garlic and black pepper in heavy cast-iron skillet and place in oven until butter melts. Remove skillet and add shrimp, stirring until they are evenly coated with butter mixture. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove, toss and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes. Turn oven off but let skillet stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with cayenne pepper, parsley and basil and serve from skillet with hot French bread.