Grilled Shrimp Scampi

Good Housekeeping's

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

In the July 2012 Good Housekeeping, they had a "Healthy in a Hurry" recipe that looked delicious.

Like something I'd order in a restaurant if I was in the mood for shrimp and pasta (which I usually am).

We made it earlier this week and it really was good.

It's a lighter version of the original, and the flavors are great.

I personally think that the roasted bell peppers make the dish.

Brennan thought the peppers "contaminated" his beloved pasta and shrimp.

But we all ate this meal, and had plenty of leftovers for the next day's lunch (win!).

You start by putting a large pot of salted water on to boil for your pasta.

Then you make a vinaigrette by whisking together lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano and black pepper. 

Then you slice up your bell pepper and grill them, or saute them in just a splash of olive oil as I did.

The original recipe called for two small red bell peppers.  I had one large yellow so that's what we went with.

The pepper looks orange in this photo for some reason...

Now they're yellow!

Once they're lightly charred, you transfer them to a cutting board and dice them.

Then you saute (or roast, or grill - it's your choice) your seasoned shrimp and toss the cooked shrimp in the vinaigrette.

Then toss the shrimp, vinaigrette, and drained pasta together and top with parsley just before serving.

So good!

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Enjoy!



Roasted Shrimp Scampi

Good Housekeeping's

Roasted Shrimp Scampi

Brennan found this recipe in my folder of untried recipes and was so excited that we made it tonight.

I am not sure that the title gives the best description.

I'd probably call it something like "Vermicelli with Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus".

Regardless of the name, it was good!

I preheated the oven to 450* and tossed the asparagus in olive oil and Kosher salt.

I then roasted it for 5 minutes.

Basil and Mint from my pots

Then I tossed the shrimp with garlic, lemon peel, red pepper, and mint and added it to the asparagus baking sheet after those first 5 minutes.

I then roasted both for another 5 minutes.

Yes, I neglected to pull the tail shells off.  Well, my family didn't have an issue doing it themselves :)

While it was all roasting, I made the pasta.

The original recipe calls for whole-grain spaghetti but I didn't have enough on hand.

So I used the brown rice vermicelli that Brennan chose at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati last week.

It worked beautifully.

Before draining the vermicelli, I reserved 1/2 c of the pasta water, then tossed together the vermicelli, reserved water, shrimp, asparagus, juice of the lemon, the basil, 2 tsp of olive oil, the rest of the mint, and a little Kosher salt and red pepper flakes.

Everyone gave this dish a big thumbs up, which is always great!

I'll certainly make it again!

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Enjoy!

Roux-Based Gumbo

Gumbo (Roux-Style)

When we were in New Orleans at Christmas, Brennan discovered Gumbo and couldn't get enough.

I think he ordered it at every meal.

I like my mom's Gumbo recipe that is tomato-based that I will make for the family soon and share here.

But Brennan was introduced to the roux-based variety in New Orleans, so I decided to make it for him yesterday (with his help of course).

The old joke goes:

Betty:  I'd love your jambalaya recipe.

Thelma:  First you make a roux...

Betty:  Never mind.

I don't have a lot of patience for making roux on the stove, so I was thrilled to discover Alton Brown's oven-based roux!  I made it for yesterday's Gumbo and it was perfect.

I picked up Gumbo Filé (ground leaves of the sassafras tree) and then read that you use Filé OR okra in Gumbo to thicken it.  Since Gumbo without okra is like a day without sunshine, I made it with okra and served the Filé on the side.  But, it isn't necessary for my recipe below.

You start with Alton's Roux.

Simply mix the flour and oil together and put in a baking dish.  This pie plate was perfect.

Then bake at 350 for an hour.

It comes out perfect and you're ready to put it in your pot to start the Gumbo.

(If you like your Roux darker, then leave it in the oven up to 15 minutes longer).

Add your vegetables and cook for 10 minutes.

Then add sherry and combine well.

If you don't want to use sherry you can just add more broth.

Then add your broth, herbs, spice, crab meat, and Worcestershire sauce.

Simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Then add your thawed okra (frozen that's been thawed works really well as a thickener).

Then add your shrimp and heat through.

I tossed the shrimp in a little Old Bay Seasonings before adding them to the Gumbo.

I made a big pot of rice.

The only other condiments were the Gumbo Filé and Tabasco.

I like my Gumbo with a lot of rice.

If you prefer yours like a soup, just use more broth.

You'll notice we didn't even bother to remove the bay leaves - we were all anxious to get to the Gumbo.

I figured we'd just treat it like the baby in the King Cake!

I was a winner!

This Gumbo as a huge hit yesterday. 

I'll certainly be making it again and again.

As with any soups there are endless combinations. 

I'll probably add chicken or sausage next time, but it certainly doesn't need it.

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Bon Appetit!

Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Crab Stuffed Shrimp

A friend shared this recipe on facebook awhile back and I bookmarked it to try sometime.

The Men in Aprons blog has some great men-cooking-friendly recipes.

You know we love shrimp around here.

For David's birthday I decided to try this extra-special shrimp recipe.

I butterflied jumbo shrimp that had been peeled and deveined.

Butterflying is easy - just cut down the deveining line and open the shrimp up and flatten them.

I mixed lump crab meat with bread crumbs, and lots of herbs and spices and added a teaspoon of the filling to each shrimp before rolling up and securing.

You can tell some I secured the right way, rolling up from end to tail.

And others I did the easy way.  Both ways worked great and tasted really, really good!

Cooked for a few minutes at 350* - ready to devour.

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Enjoy!

Spicy Shrimp

Applejack Lane's Spicy Shrimp

I saw this delicious recipe on Applejack Lane and have followed it several times, modifying it slightly.

Joan of Applejack Lane lives in Virginia and is a retired teacher, gardener, cook, and business owner.

I would love, love to visit her Hallmark Store one day!

We eat shrimp a lot and because it's hard to find good fresh shrimp in the middle of Indiana, I'm OK with frozen jumbo shrimp that I can thaw and marinate.

While I can use a dusting Old Bay Seasonings in a pinch, when I have a few extra minutes, this is my go-to marinade.

I served this shrimp at a tailgate party yesterday and everyone really liked it.

I serve it with cocktail or remoulade sauce, but it's flavorful enough on its own.

You create the marinade, combine it well with the shrimp and let is sit in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Joan puts hers on skewers and grills them but I usually just pop them on a baking sheet and cook them at 400* for about 10 minutes.

Delicious!

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Enjoy!



Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice

Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice

One day this summer Brennan said he wanted shrimp stir fry and I thought that sounded fantastic. 
I modified a recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes.
It was really good. 
I've added it to my growing list of week-night recipes that all 4 of us will happily eat.

I marinated the shrimp in cayenne, chili and garlic powders.
Garlic and red pepper flakes are cooked in sesame oil.
Then the shrimp is cooked in the pan.

Add scrambled eggs, brown rice, soy sauce and scallions and you've got a fantastic one dish meal!

I served it alongside steam-in-the-bag snow peas.

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食飯

Sihk Faahn

(Chinese for Bon Appetit!)