Shrimp Ratatouille

This is my variation on a ratatouille.  I pretty much define ratatouille as a vegetable stew with a tomato sauce base.  Typically squash and eggplant are involved with other veggies, spices, and the tomato sauce.  For this variation I was lacking the eggplant but included shrimp and served it over rice with a dollop of hummus on top.

So the first step is to saute your base vegetables.  I used zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a little olive oil until they were slightly browned and mostly softened (about 5-10 minutes).

Next I added the tomatoes.  I used canned diced tomatoes with the juice included.  Perhaps you would like to make your own sauce, or take a pre-made tomato sauce, but I find the caned variety do the trick when you add enough extra herbs/spices and the liquid cooks off.  

I added salt/pepper and thyme (and would have added oregano or marjoram had I had some) and allowed this mixture to stew for about 10 minutes before adding the shrimp and some frozen spinach.  

I let this stew for about 5 minutes until the shrimp were cooked completely.  You don't want to stew shrimp for too long because they'll end up getting tough and chewy, so add them right before you're ready to serve your dish.  I scooped this over some white basmati rice, but this is also typically a side dish in French cuisine, so without the shrimp this could go well with chicken, steak, or fish...just don't pair it with another stew because then you have too many competing sauces going on.  

Shrimp Sandwich

I'm a fan of a good sandwich, and when you're lucky enough to get fresh ingredients and good bread, you're pretty much guaranteed a tasty sandwich.  This particular lunchtime delight features shrimp, avocado, bacon, tomato, goat cheese, mayo, and a little parmesan for good measure on Tuscan Pane bread. 

Toast your bread.  I toasted one slice with some parmesan cheese to melt into it.  Spread your condiments of choice on each side.  Slice your toppings and layer away.  I did avocado on one side, since the avocado would stick well to the bread when it came time to flip.  Then the other side I started with the bacon and weighted it down with the tomato slices.  Next I topped with the shrimp that I quickly poached to cook through beforehand.  I added the goat cheese for the final touch, combined the two sides, and sliced on a bias down the middle. 

Teriyaki Shrimp over Israeli Couscous and Endive

Trader Joe's offers a new Harvest Blend product featuring Israeli couscous, red and green orzo, split dried garbanzo beans, and red quinoa.  I decided to try this new mix, but obviously needed something with more flavor to serve atop it.  I had some shrimp, veggies and teriyaki, so figured that would be a bold enough taste.  And for good measure I threw some belgian endive leaves on the bottom to add a little fresh crunch.

Saute your veggies as per usual.  A little mushroom, red onion, and garlic in olive oil is what I went for this time.

Add the shrimp and then the teriyaki.  As the shrimp cooks it will draw in the flavor.  Add more teriyaki as desired for a saucier product.  Or for a less strong taste, add some broth at this point to cut the flavor of the teriyaki.

Assemble your endive on the plate.  You could chop it up if you want it to be more salad-like, but I also utilized these as little handheld cups of couscous and shrimp.  Very graceful.

Pile your grains, rice, etc. on top.  Then you just top with the shrimp mixture and let the juices seep in.  This way you get your salad, grains, and fish all in one bite!

Potatoes, Shrimp, and Veggies over Rice and Lettuce

This was an interesting dinner I made about a month ago.  For some reason I was craving potatoes (well, aren't I always?), but also kind of wanted something fresh and salad-like.  So I figured I'd assemble pretty much everything fresh in my fridge on top of lettuce, but added some rice for texture and substance.  It was pretty good.

Ingredients: Romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, potatoes, basmati rice, shrimp, red onion, garlic, tarragon, cumin, coriander, salt/pepper, yogurt sauce to garnish

Start by peeling and chopping your potatoes.  I chopped into ~1 inch cubes, but do whatever you prefer.  Then, just as if I was preparing breakfast potatoes I cooked them in the skillet with a little bit of olive oil and added the tarragon, salt/pepper, cumin, and coriander.  Let them cook for about 20 minutes to cook through, and if you want you can periodically add a little broth that will be absorbed and soften the insides. 

Once primarily cooked, I added the red onion, a little garlic, and the shrimp to the pan.  Saute until the shrimp are pink and the onion softened.  I opted to chop my shrimp for the sake of having more shrimp scattered throughout in smaller bites.  It makes the shrimp go further.

Once cooked through you can assemble your meal.  I layered lettuce on the plate first, covered with the rice (it was leftover from a previous dinner so I just reheated it), piled the potatoes/shrimp on next, topped with fresh cucumber and tomato slices, and finally drizzled the sauce over.

The sauce was also leftover from a previous meal (see: Salmon w/ a Zucchini Yogurt Sauce).  It's basically a combination of 1:1 yogurt and mayo.  Then you throw in diced zucchini and chives, but really you can add whatever you like.  Or make your own yogurt sauce. 

So this dish is kind of like a salad, kind of like an mediterranean burrito bowl, but the combination of hot/cold, heavy/light makes for a tasty, hearty meal.

Shrimp, Vegetable, and Bacon Stir Fry over Rice Pilaf

Another pretty simple stir-fry over rice...with the addition of my favorite condiment: bacon.  Choose your veggies, saute them in olive oil, add your seasonings, serve over rice. 

Always cook your veggies in the order of what will take the longest to soften to what will take the quickest amount of time.  I always start with the garlic and onion.  Then I'll add the zucchini and asparagus.  Once they're to a good level of doneness I'll add the raw shrimp which I chopped, and when it's almost cooked entirely I'll add the corn and spinach since they don't really need to cook, just be warm. 

For seasonings I added a little cumin, coriander, and salt and pepper.  I could've gone for a wet marinade, but I wanted to keep it simple and let the flavors of the ingredients provide the flavor.  And then, since I can't resist, I threw in some chopped cooked bacon at the end for what I like to consider a nice fusion flair. 

Teriyaki Shrimp Fried Rice

What do I do when I have leftover rice? Stir-fry!  It's a very simple and quick dinner.  Take the meat and veggies you have, choose your sauce/spices, heat it all together, and you're done.

I started with a little garlic and chopped red onion in some butter.  Then I added the asparagus.  After about 5 minutes I added corn and spinach and the raw shrimp.  After everything was sauteed to my liking, I pushed the veggies/shrimp to the side of the pan and added the already cooked rice to the skillet.  I let it cook a little in the butter and then added teriyaki sauce.  After another minute or two I mixed everything together and cooked over medium-high heat to give the rice a nice little crunch.

Finally, I pushed the rice/veggies/shrimp to the edges of the skillet and in the middle I cracked an egg.  I scrambled it by itself and when it was fully cooked I mixed it all together.  I added a little more teriyaki sauce to my liking, and in about 10 minutes I had a fully seasoned, fresh cooked stir fry dinner.

Pasta Primavera

As a child, nothing on the pasta menu sounded more gross than a bland pasta surrounded by veggies.  Hence, I don't think I've ever knowingly ordered pasta primavera.  But I guess when you're an adult you realize vegetables don't have to taste bad, so I decided to combine a smorgasbord of fresh ingredients to make a delightful pasta that the child version of me wouldn't hate either.

Ingredients: Garlic, Onion, Zucchini, Asparagus, Mushrooms, Corn, Spinach, Shrimp
Sauce: White Wine, Broth, Goat Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, 1tsp Flour

So i basically chopped all my veggies.  In a little bit of olive oil I sauteed the garlic and onion.  After 3-5 minutes I added the asparagus, zucchini, and mushrooms.  Once thoroughly cooked I moved the veggies to the side and added a little flour to create a roux.  I then added the white wine (I probably used about 1/2 cup).  To cut the strong flavor of a wine sauce I added some chicken broth to also reduce/thicken.

At this point I added the raw shrimp, corn, and spinach to cook through.  I added goat cheese to the sauce last, then threw on the cooked rigatoni.  I mixed everything well, poured in a bowl, garnished with parmesan and felt like a good kid for eating my veggies.  Since we know I love cream sauces, using cheese and wine/broth as a base rather than cream itself gave me the same thickening effect, but with a little less guilt.  Highly recommended.

Spiced Shrimp with Avocado Corn Salsa

My friend hosted a dinner party last weekend and I volunteered to bring an appetizer.  The entree was turkey chili, so I wanted something that could compliment that and provide a little something different.  Now I'm embarrassed to say I did not take a picture of my finished product (mostly because it was in her kitchen surrounded by people I just met and I didn't feel the need to whip out my camera to document a bowl of shrimp).  So here's a stock photo from the internet, but if you look below you can see the blurry image of my bowl of salsa with shrimp dangling around the rim!

Look at that lovely bowl of appetizer holding it's own amidst a sea of lavish tableware.  Ok, enough about my lack of photography, here's how you make it.

Take your raw, peeled, deveined, butterflied jumbo shrimp and put them in your dry rub with a little olive oil and garlic.  I used cayenne pepper, paprika, ground coriander, dried oregano, cumin, pepper, diced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil.  Toss the shrimp to coat and place in the fridge until ready to grill (at least 30 minutes). 

Next prepare the salsa.  Dice your red onion and tomato first.  Then add your corn and chopped scallion.  I added the avocado, cilantro, and lime juice last, so as to avoid browning of the avocado.  Again, toss to coat and store in the fridge until ready to serve.  

I brought the uncooked shrimp and salsa to the dinner party and grilled the shrimp on the stove there.  You don't really need to oil the skillet since there's oil in the shrimp marinade.  Using tongs and a grill pan, cook about 2-3 minutes on each side until the shrimp is cooked through.  Arrange shrimp surrounding the salsa.  Rather than scoop the salsa with the shrimp and eat with your fingers, I recommend a fork.  The spiciness of the shrimp coupled with the cool and citrusy salsa make for a perfect pairing, and also go nicely before a hearty turkey chili. 

Quinoa Salad with Shrimp

What?  Salad for dinner again? Yeah, don't worry, I'm not turning healthy, as evidenced by the bacon overload.  But the first time I sampled quinoa it was in a salad and I was sold, so rather than serve it as a side dish, I present to you quinoa as the main event.  Perhaps this would make a great lunch salad.

This one is pretty simple.  As you may be able to tell, I was lacking in the lettuce department, so it's heavy on the quinoa, light on the greens.  I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth and threw the raw shrimp and frozen corn kernels into the pot to cook together.  I created a dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and cilantro.  To that I added the cooked quinoa, shrimp, and corn and mixed to coat.  I added the lettuce, chopped red onion, herbed goat cheese, and of course the crumbled bacon.  And there you have it.  Add quinoa to any of your favorite salads and you'll get a nice texture addition.  Though you probably want to add a lot less than I did if you're just using it as an accent flavor.  

Shrimp Quesadillas with Mango Salsa

This was the featured dinner item at my 4th of July shindig this year.  We spent all day stuffing ourselves with chips, guac, cookies, and a failed attempt at frozen yogurt, so we really weren't all that hungry.  Thus something simple and quick to hold us over before the fireworks.

Sadly, I do not have any more pictures for you.  So imagine if you will, a skillet on medium heat.  Take your flour tortilla and place it in the skillet to warm it on the side that will be holding your fillings.  Remove said tortilla and lightly butter your skillet.  Place the tortilla back in the pan, this time facing the other way so the outside is cooking nicely in the butter.  Having a pre warmed interior means faster cook time, which results in a less burnt exterior.

You can add your cheese almost immediately and watch it melt.  I then added shrimp which I poached in chicken broth, but you can use any pre cooked shrimp you have.  After only a minute or two the cheese should be mostly melted.  You can put a lid over the skillet for 30 seconds or so.  Then fold the tortilla over, heat about another 30 seconds, slide onto a plate, and slice into thirds.

No microwaves or toaster ovens allowed.

The salsa is much more exciting.  Get a fresh mango.  Chop it into small cubes.  Similarly chop some red onion and cilantro.  Put it all togeter with some fresh lime juice and toss to coat.  Proportion to your own tastes.  I had about 1/3 cup red onion, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mango, 1/3 cup cilantro, and maybe a tbsp or 2 of lime juice.

Serve as a garnish with chips, dillas, or any white fish, especially if the fish is blackened or spicy because the mango and lime provide a nice contrast.

Enchiladas

This was my first foray into enchilada making, and I wanted to make everything from scratch, including the enchilada sauce. I never really knew what went into the sauce, but now I'm pretty much an expert.  And yes, they were delicious so I will make these many more times in the future.

The roommate and I made these the other night at midnight.  Perhaps we are insane, but midnight enchiladas are something everyone should try at least once.  And they reheat well too, making for good lunch the next day. 

For the sauce, I basically followed this recipe.  I heated oil in a saucepan, added the flour, then added the chili powder.  I didn't have any chicken stock or broth, so I ended up just using water.  And instead of having ten ounces of tomato paste, I only had six.  But I did have oregano and cumin!  So this is what it looked like:

While the sauce simmered and thickened, it was time to prep the filling.  First we sauteed 1 tbsp garlic with 1 chopped shallot in a little olive oil.  Once nicely softened and lightly browned I added the corn.  

After about a minute to heat through I added a can of diced tomatoes.  I then washed, peeled, and sliced the raw shrimp into halves and added the raw shrimp to the skillet.  After about five minutes the shrimp were pink and the filling was ready.


Now I apologize for the lack of pictures at this point.  It was midnight. I forgot about my camera while my hands were coated in enchilada sauce, but just pretend you can see what I did next.  First coat the bottom of your baking dish with some of the enchilada sauce.


Microwave the tortillas for half a minute to a minute to soften them and prepare them to be rolled.  We in total used five flour tortillas.  Coat the tortillas on both sides with a thin layer of enchilada sauce.  We did this on a plate so as not to make too much of a mess elsewhere.  We then sprinkled fresh monterey jack cheese over the inside of the tortilla.  Next, scoop about 1/2 cup of the filling into the center of a tortilla.  Roll/fold the tortilla to encase the stuffing, and place into the baking dish, seam side down.  Repeat for the rest of your tortillas.  Once your baking dish is full, cover the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce.

Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese generously on top and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.  

A peak inside the enchiladas after coming out of the oven

Sprinkle freshly chopped scallions and cilantro on top of the enchiladas once out of the oven.  When serving, add a dollop of sour cream, or perhaps some guacamole/avocado and enjoy your midnight fiesta!

Shrimp, Bacon, and Goat Cheese Salad

It apparently came as a shock to most of my friends and family that i made a salad for dinner last night.  Ok, it shocked me too.  But i have so much leftover lettuce that's going bad!  So what do you add to vegetables to make them taste better?  Bacon! 

I'm pretty sure you don't need my help knowing how to make a salad, but this is what I put in it:  shrimp (poached like in the previous blog entry), bacon, diced shallot, corn, and a mix of fresh baby greens.  I made the dressing with 2 parts extra virgin olive oil to 1 part red wine vinegar, and whisked with salt and pepper and some freshly chopped basil.  Pour the dressing over the salad, toss, and at the end add the goat cheese and toss once again.  (The goat cheese is what makes the dressing in the above picture look more like a ranch, because I tossed it too much and it lost it's individual clumps...still delicious though.)

The magic touch, however, was when I scooped the bacon onto the lettuce, I didn't drain first on paper towels.  That way some residual bacon grease ended up wilting the greens, and in my opinion really improving their taste.  

Open Faced Shrimp Melt

Okay, so I realize this is very similar to the shrimp melts I posted a couple months ago, but it was so delicious last night that I felt the need to document and share.  This turns the appetizer portion into a meal.  Add whatever you like on your sandwich, and use two slices of bread if you want.

Ingredients: Shrimp, tarragon, white wine, water, scallions, mayo, lettuce, bacon, bread, cheddar cheese

First, prepare the shrimp.  Always start with raw shrimp.  It's cool if the shrimp is frozen, as long as it isn't cooked already.  That produces the best texture and taste.  I poach the shrimp in a 1:1 mixture of white wine and water with about a tsp of dried tarragon over medium heat.

I left the tails on for the poaching, but you don't have to.  After about a minute or two on each side, your shrimp should be cooked through.  Remove from the poaching liquid and set aside to cool.  Once cool, remove tails and chop into thirds.

Meanwhile, cook your bacon, toast your bread, and prep your lettuce.  Thinly slice a scallion and add it to a mixing bowl.  Add the chopped shrimp to the scallions and coat both with mayonnaise.  Use as much or as little as you like.  I probably used 1 to 2 tbsp.  Add a little salt and pepper and if you want more tarragon you can add that too.  A splash of lemon juice or chives are also suitable additions.

Assemble the sandwich.  Bread.  Lettuce.  Bacon.

Now it is up to you how you want to melt the cheese on your sandwich.  I usually put the shrimp mayo mixture on top of the bacon and coat with grated cheddar cheese, then place the entire sandwich in a toaster oven to melt the cheese.  Last night I instead opted to heat just the shrimp with the cheese on top so as to not cook the toast, lettuce, or bacon any more.  Once the cheese was melted, I scooped the cheesy shrimp on top of the bacon.


I ate with my hands, but obviously if you're classy you'll use utensils.  I'd also suggest throwing some avocado on top, but I alas did not have any.  Ideally, I would serve this on a dutch crunch roll, but the shrimp is so good it can work with whatever bread you give it.

Garlic Shrimp and Corn Soup

Happy Holidays everyone!  I hope you found yourselves warm and surrounded by loved ones this holiday season!  It's cold outside, which means it's soup weather.  So here's what feels and looks like a summery soup, but is warm enough you can enjoy it in the winter. 

Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp minced garlic, 1 lb raw peeled and deveined shrimp, 1 bag frozen corn kernels, 2 zucchini chopped, 3 cans chicken broth, 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, bacon for garnish

Start by adding the olive oil, garlic, and shrimp to a hot soup pot to cook through.

Once the shrimp are nice and pink, transfer to a bowl for later, leaving as much of the oil in the pan as you can.

Next add the zucchini to the pot and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until softened and slightly golden. 

Next add the chicken broth and thyme and let it all stew for about 15 minutes.  Add the corn and return the shrimp/garlic to the soup.  You only need to cook about 5 minutes more, but you can stew the mixture as long as you want before adding the shrimp back because the shrimp may overcook if left in a simmering pot for a long time.

Finally, I served with a garnish of crumpled bacon, because really everything tastes better with bacon.  You can put this over rice for more substance, or melt some cheese on top too.

LND: Entertaining Recipes - Shrimp Melts

 

Happy week after Thanksgiving, loyal readers!  I hope you find yourselves well-fed, well-rested, and with plenty of leftovers.  This year, I was in charge of the appetizers for our 35 person Thanksgiving dinner, so I present to you, recipes for entertainment.


Ingredients: English muffins, Shrimp, Mayonnaise, Tarragon, Scallions, Cheddar Cheese, White Wine

To make these delightful morsels bite sized, we searched high and low for miniature english muffins, since we wanted to be classier than cutting the larger-sized ones in half.  We resorted to ordering them from the internet.  Great for presentation, also great if you're happy to have 6 bags of 12 muffins each to satisfy those english muffin cravings.

Step 1: Cook the Shrimp.  I like to buy the giant bags of raw, peeled/deveined shrimp.  It's easy, it's quick, but you don't sacrifice taste or texture by settling for the precooked variety.  I poached the whole shrimp in white wine, water, and tarragon over medium heat.  Fill the pot with enough liquid to fully cover the shrimp, and add a couple tablespoons of fresh chopped or dried tarragon.

Step 2: Slice the shrimp.  Our shrimp were medium sized, so I cut them into thirds.  Put into a bowl and mix with mayo and sliced scallions.  I add enough mayo to coat the shrimp, but not overdo it.  For this recipe we had 2 lbs of shrimp and I used about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of mayo, and 3 sliced scallions.  

Step 3: Halve and toast the english muffins, then set on a cookie sheet.

Step 4: Spoon the shrimp mixture onto the muffins.  Top with grated cheddar cheese.  Place in a 375 degree oven for about 8 -12 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely melted.

Delicious shrimp melts in bite sized portions!  I also enjoy making this is larger quantities and sandwiching between some thick rustic bread for lunches.  Reheat in the toaster oven at work and it's just as good.

Homemade Pizza

Last week the roomslice was craving pizza and while we were debating which Mission pizzeria would provide the shortest wait for a Friday night dinner, we came to the conclusion that we should just make our own.  I've made the dough from scratch before, but this time we opted for the Trader Joe's uncooked packaged variety.

mmm dough. sitting for twenty minutes.

We portioned the dough into quarters to make two pizzas each.  One for dinner and one for lunch at work this week.  Now this is where the fun part starts because you can basically just throw on whatever you've got in the fridge.  I opted to first knead some chopped garlic in my dough for a kick of flavor.  Roommate went for a tomato sauce and I used a hummus guacamole for my base.  If I had had any, I likely would've opted for pesto instead, but we made do with what we had.

Roommate's more traditional pizza on the left.  My noncomformist pizza on the right. 

Toppings: I decided on shrimp, bacon, mushrooms, red onions, tomatoes, feta cheese, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese.  I was debating adding a fried egg on top at the end, but decided there was already enough going on on my pie.  Tip: I cooked the bacon and the shrimp about three-quarters done before putting them on the pizza so that they wouldn't be raw going into the oven, but wouldn't become overcooked.  This was good because it meant I didn't end up with a pizza dripping with bacon grease, (though we all know I probably wouldn't have minded).

We cooked the pizzas on one of those no-stick cookie mats which still produced a good crust, but no sticking.  Perfect.  About ten minutes at 450 degrees and we were enjoying our home-made pies without the wait or the bill that comes with a restaurant. 

Risotto

My apologies for the blogging hiatus, but the holiday weekend found me in a different state...Ohio.  But now that we're back to the daily grind, it's time to use up ingredients that will go bad if they're in my fridge any longer.  So in order to utilize the last of my heavy cream and scallions: risotto.

The key ingredient is the rice.  I always keep arborio rice on hand for impromptu risotto.  The next key ingredient is the broth.  If you have those two things, you're pretty much set for a basic risotto, but obviously more ingredients are preferable. 

Typically you begin by sauteing onions in butter and olive oil and when tender you add the rice to coat in the oil/butter.  I, lacking onions, opted for scallions.  Then once you add the rice comes the fun part, i.e. you can't really leave the kitchen for the next 22 minutes.  If you have an open bottle of white wine, throw in about a quarter of a cup before you switch to broth.  But if this impromptu risotto resulted in no white wine lying around your kitchen you can go straight to the broth, as I did last night.  You'll want to add the broth (I opted for chicken) in batches.  Initially covering the rice, keep the pot over medium heat, stir occasionally, and when the broth is mostly absorbed add more.  You'll keep adding broth for the next 20-25 minutes until the rice wont absorb any more.  (The box will tell you how many cups of rice/broth are needed, but I usually just eyeball it).  At this point I added the shrimp.  (I'm also a fan of salmon or mushroom risotto, but feel free to add any combination of sauteed veggies you like.)  For the finishing touches, add a little heavy whipping cream, and some parmesan cheese.  I also threw in some salt and pepper and basil.  You can obviously adjust the creaminess to your liking, and the more it sits, the more it will continue to thicken and absorb the moisture.

Ingredients: Arborio rice, chicken broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, shrimp, scallions, basil, salt and pepper