Angry Shrimp from Self mag

I didn't know if I could make this recipe tonight using the ingredients I had on hand, mainly because I didn't have any Grand Marnier. Then I googled "what is Grand Marnier?" and found out it is Triple Sec, which I did have. Problem solved! We are having Angry Shrimp tonight on rice noodles. Sounds healthy, huh? 

I saw the recipe, along with several other delicious looking entrees, in my Self magazine. I looked at the exercises in this issue and passed, but the recipes looked totally doable. No hand stands or back bends required here! Maybe some yoga meditation moves, but that will be the extent of it. I had a bag of kale, already chopped, some frozen shrimp, raisins, dried cranberries (oh well, not cherries!), chipotle and cumin spices, fresh garlic, homemade chicken broth, and even some toasted pumpkins seeds (pepitas). It was destined to be!

Since this dinner cooks quickly, I prepped everything ahead of time and had it ready to cook when my hub gets home and takes a shower. I will cook it then and serve it piping hot as we sit down to discuss the day and watch the news. 

I did put the rice noodles in a pot of warm water an hour ago, per the package instructions, to hydrate them. Just before serving, I drained the noodles, then tossed them with a teaspoonful of sesame oil. I portioned the noodles into pasta bowls and ladled the kale-shrimp mixure on top. Orange slices and pepitas garnished the creation.

The dish garnered remarks like, "interesting" and "spicy". The guys thought the fusion of citrus and musky chili was different. The consensus it was pretty good. I will probably make it again. 

 

I followed this recipe from the Self magazine, with a few substitutions (noted):

http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2014/02/comfort-food-recipes-packed-with-superfoods-slideshow#slide=4

Angry Shrimp

Fiery chipotle gives a kick, and the iron in shrimp keeps you high-energy.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (I used black raisins)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3/4 cup diced white onion
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped (I used dried cranberries)
• 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
• 4 teaspoons chopped garlic, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup Grand Marnier orange liqueur (I used Triple Sec)
• 20 oz low-sodium vegetable broth (I used homemade chicken broth)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 lbs medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 6 cups kale, stems removed, chopped
• 3 cups cooked brown rice (I used rice noodles)

PREPARATION

1. In a small pan over high heat, toast pumpkin seeds, stirring constantly, until lightly brown, 1 to 2 minutes. In a food processor, puree raisins and 1/4 cup water 1 minute. In a large pan over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add onion; cook until translucent, 5 minutes. Stir in raisin puree, cranberries, chipotle, 1 tsp garlic and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add Triple Sec and cook, stirring, until alcohol is cooked out, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. In a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1 tbsp cold water. Gradually add cornstarch mixture to broth mixture to thicken; reduce heat and simmer 7 to 10 minutes. Add shrimp; cook until pale white, 5 minutes. Stir in zest; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In pan, heat remaining 1 tbsp oil. Cook kale and 3 tsp garlic, stirring, until kale starts to wilt, 3 to 5 minutes. Strain juices and combine with rice noodles. Divide noodle mixture, shrimp and seeds among 6 plates. I added slices of the orange on top just  for fun!

 

Bottom of the Barrel Pasta

It's the night before delivery day from SLO Veg, and I need something yummy for dinner. Let's see, I have onions: red, yellow, and a leek. I think I will go with the leek. There is corn on the cob that I thought Lee would boil the other night, but he didn't. Also, the basil, cilantro and flat-leafed parsely that I had stored in a plastic tub were still crisp. That, and some purple cabbage are all the fresh vegetables I have in my frig right now. Tomorrow's delivery of vegetables and fruit will be just in the nick of time. 

Angel hair Pasta with Shrimp

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and precooked
1 leek
4 basil leaves
3 sprigs Italian flat-leafed parsley
1 jar prepared Alfredo sauce
7 oz. Angel hair pasta

Bring pasta water to a boil and add salt. Put the pasta on and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until al dente. Meanwhile, saute the sliced leeks in butter for a few minutes, then add the shrimp and heat through. Pour in a jar of prepared Alfredo sauce and season with chopped fresh basil and parsley. Serve over pasta. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if desired.

Creamy Tomato Penne with Shrimp

I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's website and just had to have it! In a premeditated move, I bought two bags of frozen shrimp when I made a pit stop at Trader Joe's the other day--one bag for this dish, and one for something else later, or sooner!

My two grand-nieces were spending the week with me and they both are Food Network junkies! They like to cook and bake and try new foods, which I think is pretty rare in teenagers, but I love it! The best part is that they have been trained to clean up after, too! So my niece Savvy was telling me some of her favorite dishes to make were Creamy Tomato Tortellini and Abondigas soup and spaghetti (you put Siracha in it!). I would say she has a pretty sophisticated palate.

We got that lovely purple basil in our SLO Veg box last week, and I stored it in the frig in a plastic dish with a paper towel to absorb moisture. It has kept pretty well, but I need to use it up and I can add it to this dish! Savvy and I (acting as Sous chef) started the water for the penne, then proceeded to saute the onion and garlic in butter and oil. The shrimp were already cook, tails removed, so all I had to do was rinse them and chop them up. We added the wine, let it cook down, then added the tomato sauce and cream. After a few minutes of simmering, the shrimp went into the pool along with the basil and parsley and some salt and pepper. Meanwhile, Birdy had buttered a loaf of sourdough bread and spread fresh minced garlic on top of it and we had it toasting in the oven. We also had cauliflower roasting in the oven and it was just about done, nicely browned on the edges. Lee cleared off the dining room table so we could all sit down and have a delicious family meal. Everybody got their beverages and the feast began!

Creamy Tomato Penne with Shrimp, or Penne a la Betsy, as Ree calls it!

Recipe from Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman

Penne a la Betsy

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Fresh Parsley, to taste
• Fresh Basil - To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.
Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).
Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.
Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/09/penne_a_la_betsy/

****************
Here is another recipe from SLO Veg:

Roasted Cauliflower with Kalamata Vinaigrette (Cauliflower) 

yield: Makes 4 (side dish) servings 

active time: 20 min 

total time: 35 min 

Cutting cauliflower into thick, meaty slices, core and all, is a neat trick. 

So is roasting it, which brings out the best in this vegetable, caramelizing its 

edges and playing up its nuttiness. A briny olive vinaigrette adds just the right 

sharp-savory note. 
 
Ingredients:
1 (2 1/2-to 3-pounds) head cauliflower 
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
1 small garlic clove 
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (to taste) 
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped 

Preparation: Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third. Cut cauliflower lengthwise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Put in a large 4-sided sheet pan and toss with 2 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Roast, turning once or twice, until golden and just tender, about 25 minutes. While cauliflower roasts, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then whisk together with lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, olives, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Serve cauliflower drizzled with Kalamata vinaigrette. 
 

Cioppino (fish stew)

A couple of weeks ago Lee and I went to dinner at a friend's house and were delighted to be served Cioppino. It was a treat, for sure. The hostess assured me it was easy to make. I asked my niece Savvy if she had ever made Cioppino. "No, but I have always wanted to try it," she answered (which totally cracks me up because when I was 16, I am fairly sure I didn't have a clue what cioppino even was!). Great, because I had never made it either, if you don't count the time I bought some frozen boxed cioppino from Trader Joe's. I am borrowing a recipe today from Rachel Ray.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/cioppino-a-fine-kettle-of-fish-recipe/index.html

Anyway, I had some fish from SLO Veg in the freezer (we just didn't have time to cook it when it was fresh on delivery day) and I decided to get it out and defrost it this morning. I also had shrimp, so all I would need to pick up was scallops and mussels or clams. We were going to the beach today in Avila Beach, so maybe we could pick some scallops up there. I wasn't sure if there was a fish market in town or if we would have to go out on the wharf, but we would find out. Kind of sad that I have never purchased fresh fish in Avila Beach before and I have lived in this area all my life! I barely get it from Morro Bay, which is closer to home. That's why I have it delivered with my SLO Veg box each week...automatic! What actually happened was we got to the beach kind of late in the day, spent a few hours in the sun and then went and got an ice cream cone at Reimer's Candy Store, then checked out the Avila Grocery store to see if they had any fresh fish. Nope...deli stuff only. Okay, to the wharf we go!
http://www.reimerscandies.com/home.html

It looked kind of deserted when we got out there to Old Port on the Harford Pier, meaning there were lots of parking spots available, something you don't see along Front Street in Avila Beach. I parked the car on the paved parking lot and we walked all the way down the wharf to Old Port San Luis where there is a restaurant and a fish market. It was a weird kind of de ja vue as the first and last time I had ever been here was when we went to dinner at Old Port with our more grown up friends. I think I was about 20 years old at the time. Long, long time ago! Today it was about 4:45 pm, and wouldn't you know it? They closed the fish market at 4:30! Guess I will have to stop at the grocery store on the way home for scallops and mussels.
http://www.oldeportinn.com/

I was disappointed to find no mussels or clams at the grocery store we stopped at, but they did have some scallops there. (I discovered later had I stopped at the Albertson's in Arroyo Grande I would have found a great selected of shellfish). I guess fish, shrimp and scallops will have to do for this batch of Cioppino. I planned to prepare all the vegetables and fish, then let my niece put it all together in the right order. There is a certain order to it, because the fish chunks need to cook just a bit longer than the scallops and shrimp.

I diced celery, onion and carrots for a mirepoix. You know what that is, right? Well my niece does. As I was dicing up the vegies, she says, "Oh, you're making mirepoix." Yeah, I am...a "mere qua". Wish I knew how to spell it. Had to google it. Maybe if I had been raised on Food Network instead of I Love Lucy I would know these things. The mirepoix, butter and oil went into the pot. I deviated from Rachel's recipe, because I forgot the anchovie-red pepper infusion-thing, which is pretty bad because I had Lee at the computer verbally reading off the recipe to me. I just had Savvy add some anchovie paste into the mirepoix. It was fine. We added the chicken broth and tomato base, then seasoned the broth with a dash of fish sauce and a sprinkle of dried ground shrimp, two ingredients I happened to have in my pantry. I figured it would make the soup base fishier and richer. It did! Some chopped fresh parsley followed that, along with the chunks of fish which had been seasoned with salt and pepper. We looked at the clock and gave it five minutes, then added the scallops and shrimp. The pot was topped with the lid and we waited another 10 minutes. It seemed like a long wait, because we were getting not only the aroma of the fish cooking, but also of a coffee cake baking in the oven. Heavenly!
Finally, after heating up some sliced sourdough to accompany our stew, we all sat down in front of the TV and had a great meal.

Rachel Ray's Cioppino

Ingredients
1/4 cup (3 turns around the pan in a slow stream) extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 to 3 flat fillets of anchovies, drained
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup good quality dry white wine
1 (14-ounce) container chicken stock
1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed (about 1 tablespoon)
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 pounds cod, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
8 large shrimp, ask for deveined easy-peel or peel and devein
8 sea scallops
16 to 20 raw mussels, scrubbed
A loaf of fresh, crusty bread, for mopping

Directions
In a large pot over moderate heat combine oil, crushed pepper, anchovies, garlic, and bay. Let anchovies melt into oil. The anchovies act as a natural salt, the pepper flakes will infuse the oil, providing heat.

Chop celery and onion near stove and add to the pot as you work. Saute vegetables for a few minutes to begin to soften and add wine to the pot. Reduce wine a minute, then add chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to medium low.

Season fish chunks with salt and pepper. Add fish and simmer 5 minutes, giving the pot a shake now and then. Do not stir your soup with a spoon after the addition of fish or you will break it up. Add shrimp, scallops, and mussels and cover pot. Cook 10 minutes, giving the pot a good shake now and again.

Remove the lid and discard any mussels that do not open. Carefully ladle stew into shallow bowls and pass bread at the table.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/cioppino-a-fine-kettle-of-fish-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

***NOTE: Rachel's recipe doesn't call for carrots, for a true mirepoix, but since I had a whole bunch of carrots on hand, I decided the cioppino called for it. Au revoir!