Tangy and Spicy Shrimp

Here's another fairly easy recipe especially if you buy your shrimp already peeled and de-veined:

Tangy and Spicy Shrimp
serves 2

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup chili or garlic chili sauce
1 lemon, sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1- 1 1/2 lb. shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

In a medium saucepan, cook all ingredients except for shrimp over low heat until butter is melted and combined.

Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil. Lay shrimp flat and pour sauce over the top. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours turning the shrimp halfway through.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minute or until shrimp is cooked through but not overcooked! I served this with a quinoa/brown rice pilaf. (One of the boxed varieties from the store.)

Penzeys and Fishy Times

Have you ever shopped at Penzeys? This is one of my new favorite places! They recently opened a store in Sandy Springs but you can also shop online or through their catalog. One of my cooking friends turned me on to this place. There have a really nice variety of spices and better prices than the grocery store. Though this might not be true if you have steep shipping prices. So you may want to see if there is a brick and mortar store in your area. The spices here also seem fresher than the ones bought at the grocery store. You can even smell them while you shop (if you go to a store.) So far, I've gotten the following spices: Sunny Paris, Fox Point, Bold Taco Seasoning, and Chicago Rub. Their catalog has some good recipes as well which leads me to what I made...Baked Tilapia and the healthier side dish. I halved the recipe for the fish. You might remember me saying that I hate cooking fish at home and rarely do it because of the smell. I don't know if it was the type of fish or the fact that it was marinated first, but no smells here!

Baked Tilapia with Sunny Paris
Source: Penzeys Catalog

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia filets
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice, plus additional lemon to squeeze over fish
1 cup panko crumbs
2-3 tsp. Sunny Paris seasoning (purchased from Penzeys)

Steps:

Combine olive oil and lemon juice in a bag or container. Add the tilapia and slosh to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to an hour.

Preheat oven to 425. In a bowl, combine crumbs and seasoning. Remove fish from marinade place in the bowl making sure to coat both sides of the fish. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil that is sprayed with cooking spray. Don't crowd the filets. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes or until the crumbs start to brown.

Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower
Source: Cuisine at Home

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 lb. cauliflower florets
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup buttermilk or 2% milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
Chives, chopped


Steps:


Boil potatoes, cauliflower, and garlic in a pot of salted water until tender when pierced with a fork (15ish minutes). Drain, return vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat until excess water is evaporated.

Mash vegetables with milk and butter using a hand mixer on low speed or potato masher utensil. Season and top with chives.

Chicken and Shrimp in Tomato-Coconut Sauce

Apparently, this is a Brazilian dish which threw me for a loop even though I'm not any sort of an expert on the Brazilian culture. With the coconut milk, I thought it was an Asian dish. But my assumptions were also based on my previous experiences with Brazilian food which consisted of their steakhouses (churrascaria) or bakeries with meat-filled pastries and wonderful cakes. Which by the way, you must go to the Brazilian Bakery on Powers Ferry in Marietta and try some of those cakes. They are incredible.

This was a nice flavorful dish without a ridiculous amount of prep. I did cheat a little and used canned diced tomatoes (one 14.5 oz. can) instead of fresh ones. But I didn't do this because I'm lazy. I just don't really like cooking fresh chopped tomatoes because the skin always comes off in the pan.

Chicken and Shrimp in Tomato-Coconut Sauce
Serves two.
Source: Cuisine At Home

Ingredients:
Basmati or Jasmine rice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breast ( 5-6 oz. each), seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup onion, diced 
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
6 shrimp peeled, deveined
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Garnish with:
Chopped fresh cilantro or lime

Steps:

1) Cook rice according to pkg. directions, keep warm

2) Sauté seasoned chicken in oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook covered until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

3) Stir in tomatoes and coconut milk, cover and cook until tomatoes begin to break down, 5-6 minutes.
Add shrimp, scallions, cilantro and lime juice, cover and simmer until shrimp are cooked, 2-3 minutes.

4) Spoon rice onto 2 serving plates, then divide chicken and sauce between them. Garnish with cilantro and lime.

Cajun Pasta and Da Beans

Okay so maybe you can get sick of pumpkin. I'm admitting defeat. Me and the pumpkin are taking a little break because I may have eaten a little too much of that yummy cake in my last post. But a good friend of mine sent me some pumpkin butter in the mail for my birthday so I'm pretty sure this will be a quick break so I can jump right in to that. Said friend also sent me an awesome soup cookbook from Crate & Barrel. I can't wait to share some of those recipes with you!

Last night's dinner was really good and didn't take long at all, maybe 30 minutes. The key to this meal is to make sure you time everything just right so that the pasta and the sauce are ready at the same time. (It would also help to have the green beans finished then as well.) Oh and of course, don't forget the wine! Also, I halved the actual recipes listed.

Brown Butter Beans
Source: Cuisine At Home

Ingredients:
4 cups green beans or haricot vert
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt, pepper

Steps:
Boil green beans for 4 minutes in a large saute pan. Drain,
Use pan to melt butter over medium-high heat until light brown.
Stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
Deglaze pan with lemon juice. Remove from heat.
Add beans and toss before seasoning.


Cajun Shrimp with Fettuccine
inspired by recipe from Cuisine At Home
makes 6 cups

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. FRESH fettuccine
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb. turkey kielbasa, sliced
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup green onion, chopped

Steps:

Bring water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Prepare sauce while water boils. Drain pasta.

Saute kielbasa over medium-high heat in a pan about 1 minute on each side. Add shrimp and garlic. Cook until shrimp turns pink. Be careful not to overcook. Remove shrimp and kielbasa from the pan.

Deglaze the pan with sherry. Scrap up the brown bits in the pan.

Add cream, butter, chicken broth, and cayenne to the pan. Then add the pasta, kielbasa, and shrimp back in. Off heat, mix in the egg yolks and parm. (The heat will cook the yolks.) Garnish with green onions.

Something Smells Fishy

I made fish last night...at my house. I'm sure that I've mentioned before that I have an aversion to cooking fish at home but don't mind it at restaurants. The smell just gets to me. But this didn't make my house too smelly and it turned out pretty good. I don't have good pics because I only took one of my non-perfect fish packets before they went into the oven. A note about the banana leaves: You might not find them displayed in your grocery store so you will likely need to ask one of the produce employees to get it for you from the back. At least, that was my experience at Whole Foods. They brought out a huge sheet and offered to cut as much as I needed. It was $5.99/lb and I ended up purchasing 87 cents worth. The leaves can be a little tricky. They started breaking apart while I was handling them. The recipe isn't my own but was passed on to me from my aunt who found it here.

Baked Wrapped Tilapia
Source: www.epicurious.com

Ingredients:
1-inch cube fresh gingerroot, finely chopped or grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 green onions (green part only), finely chopped
Fresh chile to taste (I used one serrano - use more if you like spicy food)
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp grapeseed (or safflower) oil
Dash of toasted sesame oil
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of fish sauce
4 tsp dark maple syrup
4 fillets (4 oz each) fresh tilapia (or other firm-fleshed whitefish)
4 large banana leaves (or unbleached parchment paper)

Steps:

 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine all topping ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place a fillet on each banana leaf and divide topping evenly among them, spreading it over the top. Fold each banana leaf over to form a packet around each fillet and seal the edge of each packet with a small piece of aluminum foil, crimping it tightly. Place on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes.

 

 

Storms and Salmon

Those who know me well know that I do NOT like to make fish at home. The smell is too terrible to deal with after the meal is over. But I do like a nice fish when dining out. However, I decided to put on my big girl panties and make a salmon dish at home. I know enough to know that you should always buy wild salmon and not farm-raised. But I was having one of those days and ended up buying the farm-raised kind by mistake for more money like $24 more money. Oops. Why would farm-raised be more money anyways?! Anyways, the sauce that I made smelled so so good. It almost seemed like candy and I couldn't wait to eat it. But what happens as we are finishing preparing the salmon...a crazy storm (yes, again) starts out of nowhere and the power goes out. Greaaat. We were lucky that it was pretty much cooked at this point but we couldn't see to get the sauce correctly on it or eat it for that matter. I'm pretty sure this was a fabulous meal from the smells but it wasn't the most enjoyable dining experience eating in the dark. The asparagus that I had on the side wasn't quite done cooking so it was a tad crunchier than I like. I'm just glad this happened tonight and not last night (our anniversary.) Oh yeah, Happy Anniversary to me. That dinner was great with no flubs. We ate at Local Three  which was awesome.

Either way, I think this was a good recipe so I definitely wanted to share. Also, I thought the name that I gave it was kind of clever. Please humor me:

JD's Single Barrel Salmon

Ingredients:

2 large salmon filets, skin off
1/3 cup orange juice
3 Tbsp Jack Daniels Single Barrel Whiskey
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped bourbon pecans (you can find these at Whole Foods but regular pecans will work as well)

Steps:

Preheat broiler.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Broil on a lightly greased pan for 5 minutes.

While salmon is cooking, prepare sauce. Combine orange juice, whiskey, and syrup in a saucepan over medium heat.

Take salmon out of oven and brush both sides with the sauce. Put salmon back in over for 7 more minutes. (It should flake.)

Add nuts to the sauce and cook on high until it forms a syrup. Pour sauce over finished salmon.

I'm Back!

Was I missed or did no one realize that I was gone? Don't answer that. I went to visit some friends at the beach for a few days and before that I cooked some recipes that weren't really blog-worthy. But I promise to do better with keeping up now.

Last night, I made a risotto dish. I always feel a bit nervous when cooking risotto since it has to be closely monitored for it to turn out just right. But I have to say that this one turned out pretty good. I made the stock to cook it in as well as the garnish to go over the top. But the risotto was already flavorful from the stock that I think this dish would also be enjoyable without the shrimp or the gremolata.

Shrimp Risotto with Chive Gremolata 
Source: Cuisine At Home magazine

Shrimp Stock:

Shrimp shells (from 1 lb. shrimp)
2 cups water
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 cup leek greens, chopped
Dash of peppercorns
4 fresh parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves

Risotto:


2 Tbsp butter
1 cup leeks (white part), chopped
1 cup arborio rice
3/4 cup dry sherry
1 cup frozen peas
1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp red cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp parmesan, grated

Chive Gremolata:

3 strips thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 Tbsp fresh chives or green onions if you can't find chives
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Salt

Steps for Gremolata:

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. (About 5 minutes on medium-high heat). Drain bacon and mix with remaining ingredients. 

 Steps:

In a large pot, combine shells, water, broth, leek greens, peppercorns, parsley sprigs, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain stock and discard pieces. Return stock to pot on low heat.

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in saucepan over medium heat. Cook leeks for 2 minutes before adding the rice and cooking an additional 2 minutes. Don't let the rice burn!
Deglaze pan with sherry. Stir frequently until liquid evaporates.  Add 1/2 cup of the stock to the pan and stir until absorbed. Continue adding stock 1/2 cup at a time until rice is cooked (about 25ish minutes). 
Stir in peas and shrimp until shrimp is pink and cooked. You may find it easier to cook the shrimp separately and then add it to the risotto instead. Season the risotto with the cayenne, nutmeg, and salt.
Take risotto off heat and mix in butter and parmesan.
Garnish with Gremolata.

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

This dish shouldn't be confused with the Shrimp n Grits recipe that I already have in my blog. While it's a similar type dish, the flavors are quite different. But they are both delicious! I might like the flavors of the other one a tad better but this one is faster and easier to prepare. It's actually not my recipe but a friend of the family's who graciously shared it (the same one who shared this  fabulous recipe.) Of course, I act like this dish is so effortless (which is almost is) but I fumbled. Since it was just two of us eating, I modified the recipe to make less of it. But apparently going to Georgia Tech, doesn't = math wizard because I calculated the amount of chicken broth incorrectly and added an extra cup. Sooo...my grits took FOREVER to cook down. But you won't make that mistake, will you?

Also, I noticed that some of my blog posts had almost 1500 views. So, who are you? It's okay to introduce yourself or comment! If you have suggestions or requests for me, I'll take those as well. In fact, it's gets pretty lonely having shy readers!

Shrimp and Grits Casserole ( per Glen)

4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup uncooked grits
8 oz velveeta or cheddar cheese shredded and divided
2 tbsp butter
6 green onions: green parts only, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1-10 oz can Rotel tomatoes and chilis, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook grits in broth/stock until done.
Saute onion tops, pepper and garlic in butter until tender.
Divide cheese into two units: 1/3 cup and 2/3 cup.
Stir together onion mix, grits, 2/3 cup cheese, shrimp and Rotel.
Pour into greased 2-quart baking dish.
Sprinkle top with reserved cheese.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Goin' Coastal

A seafood restaurant somewhat recently opened up in Virginia-Highlands, Goin' Coastal. I haven't had the chance to dine there just yet but I thought I'd "borrow" their recipe for delicious shrimp chowder. And it was indeed delicious. I will have to pay them a visit in the near future.  Eating the soup made me feel like I was somewhere in Savannah enjoying hot soup and a beautiful view of the river. But in reality, it was more like the rain gushing down outside my window. Uh, hello sunshine, where did you go? I may need to have a talk with the weather gods because two weeks ago we were snowed in, last weekend it was in the 70's and I was enjoying a cold beer on a patio and now it's cold and rainy again. Anyways, the soup was yummy and I made corn muffins to go with it. We also enjoyed a Chardonnay from Three Sisters Winery. More on that later...

From the menu of Goin' Coastal
Shrimp Chowder 
Makes 13 cups (I didn't make this much, don't you worry)

Ingredients:
3 cups seafood stock
3 bay leaves
1 pound, peeled shrimp, cut in thirds
3 tablespoons  olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups finely diced yellow onion
3/4 cup finely diced celery
3/4 shredded carrots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons seafood seasoning
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 pound unpeeled red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup minced parsley
salt and pepper

In a large saucepan, bring seafood stock and bay leaves to a boil. Turn off heat and add shrimp. Cover pan and allow shrimp to poach while you start the chowder.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and saute for  3 minutes. Add seafood seasoning and cook for another 3 minutes. 

Drain seafood stock into saucepan with vegetables. Set shrimp aside. Discard bay leaves.

Add tomato sauce, potatoes, and hot sauce to the stock mixture and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn heat to low, add cream and corn; stir to combine. When soup is heated through, remove pan from heat and stir in shrimp and parsley. Taste for seasoning and serve.


Okay, so back to the wine...Georgia is the last place you probably think of when you imagine wine. I know it was for me until I spent a weekend in Georgia Wine Country. No, that's not a typo there actually is one.  Now, a lot of the places here are known for their sweet wines and I am NOT a fan of sweet wine.  It's unfortunate that not many places serve Georgia wine and that most people turn their noses up at the thought of it. On my visit, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found (and I have visited Napa and Sonoma.) My favorite Georgia winery is Three Sisters Vineyards. It is probably the most causal, laid-back winery but don't be fooled. They make some damn good wines. If you do visit, they do a free tasting and also a premium tasting for a fee. (The premium tasting is not to be missed!) My favorites are the Cynthiana, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc, and Pinot Blanc. The Fat Boy line is also quite good if you are looking for a less expensive bottle. Other honorable mentions for Georgia wineries are: Wolf Mountain Winery, Frogtown, and Montaluce Winery (I love to look at the estates around this one.)

A Lil' Southern Tradition

 I was born in the Northern part of this country but raised in the Southern part. Regardless, I still don't think of myself as a "Northerner" or a "Southerner." But since I've spent most of my life down south, I figured I better start learning to cook like a southerner. One of my favorite dishes to eat and to make is Shrimp 'n' Grits. I found a particularly good recipe for this on the lovely Vintage Victuals blog.

She was kind enough to let me share the recipe here.  I highly recommend checking out her blog as she has been doing this for awhile and has some great recipes! The only modifications that I made were: 1) I left out the ham because I just don't like ham overall and 2) I added a tad more cheese (you know because I saved the calories from taking out the ham hah).

Georgia Shrimp 'n' Grits
 as seen here


I think I started eating before I took this picture so it's not "perfect."

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. wild Georgia shrimp
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup quick-cooking grits
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon butter
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
4 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 slice cured country ham, cooked and torn into pieces

Steps:


Peel and de-vein the shrimp.
Combine in a small bowl the Cajun seasoning, the paprika, the Italian seasoning, and the pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the shrimp, tossing until they are well coated. Set aside.
Next, pour the water, the chicken boullion, and the butter into a heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a full boil. Slowly add in the grits, and whisk constantly, cooking over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, the cream, and the cheddar cheese. Continue to cook and whisk for 2-3 more minutes, until grits become very creamy and thick. To quote the original recipe, “Don’t skimp on the butter and the cream, folks.”
In a large skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds.
Pour in the spiced shrimp and cook JUST until they are done and tender, about 2 minutes (depending on the size of your shrimp). Do not overcook or your shrimp will get rubbery.
Remove the shrimp from the pan to a clean bowl and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove.
Add the flour to the drippings, stirring to make the base of a roux. Cook for 10 minutes until medium tan in color. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and the cream. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the worchestershire sauce and hot sauce, stirring to incorporate. Finally, add the country ham.
Serve the shrimp on a generous bed of grits, topped with the roux sauce.

Yum!!!