In memory of our last BBQ. Lol.



( more kabob creations and pairings here )

I have a ton of fresh cilantro that I need to get rid of, and I bought some black tiger shrimp today, so I decided to throw together this concoction.  I marinated the shrimp in olive oil, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, pepper and the aforementioned cilantro, cooked them (I bet they would be fantastic grilled!) and served over rice noodles.  Fabulous!

The reason I wrote my primer on making roux was so I could write a post about making shrimp etouffee--a classic South Louisiana stew served over rice.

Because, really, you can't make an etouffee without knowing how to make roux.

This recipe results in a very rich, very filling, very delicious dish that has about a bazillion fat calories in it. Which is fine, if you only eat it now and then.

I suggest serving this with a really good green salad with vinaigrette, and crusty baguette, and of course, steamed rice. Jasmine rice is especially good.

Recipe and photos here

I grew up in a landlocked state and currently live in a different landlocked state.

I didn't grow up with shrimp--with or without heads.

But, when presented with the freshest shrimp you can buy in Ohio--live, fresh from the pond, with heads intact, of course, I had to buy a pound.

But then, we had to cook and eat them.

Read about our adventures here--which include finger-licking good food porn photos of both raw and live shrimp and cooked and delicious shrimp.

And, then answer me this--would you, never having done so, sucked the heads?

This is a recipe I got from Rachael Ray. This is my first time making it. Next time, I will double the recipe, and increase the number of chili peppers & garlic cloves to add more punch. And I need to invest in a lemon zester. I thought a regular grater would do the trick, but I was quite wrong. All in all, though, it was YUMMY!

( Recipe here. )

Today I was in Bridgeview, Illinois where my mom's boyfriend works, and the three of us went to lunch at Ing's Palace (8900 S. Harlem Ave). They go there often and enjoy many of the meat dishes. I've been there just a few times as its out of the way, but I look forward to it when I know I'll be in the area. The staff's friendly, there are vegitable eggrolls, soup and a few specific vegitarian meals including MooShoo, Veggie Delight, Vegetable Almond Ding, and Garlic Broccoli. I eat some seafood though and there's also a good selection of that. They also have a few "american dishes" which is great when you have a fussy kid that doesn't like chinese food (hamburger, bbq ribs, fried shrimp, chicken nuggets, etc.) They are also very good about altering dishes on request.

This is my favourite thing there that is modified according to my tastes.... it's the Kung Po Shrimp. They usually make it with regular shrimps, but when I saw that they had breaded shrimp (which is in another dish, Hung Sue Shrimp) I asked to have that shrimp instead. It is not deep fried thickly coated breading either, its more like lightly battered in flour- so it is very YUM, but not heavy or oily. They also have the BEST eggrolls. The serving sizes are quite good. I had two plate fulls at the restraunt, took the rest home, had about 1 and a half platefuls later and I still have 1 plate full left for tomorrow!

Prices vary, something like a small order of chop mein being aroun $4, while some dishes, especially the ones with shrimp, scallops, mussels, and lobster can be $8 to $15 or "seasonal price". It is however worth it- some places are stingy and count out specifically6 or 8 medium to large shrimp and use lots of veggies to fill up the dish, but here they give you alot of shrimp or meat- more I think than the veggies. The Lunch specials are about $5-7 and include soup and a large eggroll.

Click images to enlarge:
First Serving:
After 3.5 servings I still have this for tomorrow:

Trying to get a move on with trying new dishes. I've been falling back on cooking familiar dishes but have still made a reasonable dent in my goal to try 50 new receipes. Any nominations for yummy and/or easy recipes to help nudge me along are welcomed.

I made this couscous dish up! That surprised me. The seasoned shrimp mixes well with the crunch of the pine nuts. The cranberries add a bit of sweetness. Part of me wants to add a vegetable to the mix but I can't decide what to use. Peas? Diced carrots? Spinach? I just don't know. But I hope you enjoy this recipe. It tastes great and doesn't require much effort.

Just wanted to share dinner tonight!

( Read more... )

I just got back from a 10 day Baltic cruise on the Star Princess, and while I am not coming with photos of the food (my husband hates "pretentious" food, so we mainly stuck to the 24 hour buffet, and it's not really pretty looking), I do come bearing recipes that I got from one of the executive chefs. I went to a cooking demonstration that he gave on Sunday, which was followed by a tour of the galley.

So: 3 Italian recipes (all of which are pretty easy), and a dessert.

I'll put them behind the cut.

( Pasta, Shrimp, and Black Forest Cake )

I came up with the recipe the other day. It's based on the Oven Baked Shrimp Risotto recipe on the Knorr website, but I changed a lot in regards to ingredients, prep and presentation. No pictures (sorry, I tried, but they were really blurry and murky) but the recipe is below (under cut)




It was (and is!) delicious. It reheats very well and travels for lunches. Even my kids (one of whom refuses to eat anything with "visible" onions) loved it. They tried to pick out all the shrimp and eat them!

I made this for brunch recently. Delicious protein overload to share. It's simple scrambled eggs, and shrimps sauteed in some extra virgin olive oil with marinated white and green onions and spices. There's no real "recipe" but it's simple enough to make. I keep marinated onions around for quick fixes like this.

x-posted to ethnic_cuisines

I made a delicious thai curry (technically a "lam") with coconut cream, lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, fish sauce and this funky shrimp paste. I also simmered some bok choy in coconut milk. Surpisingly, the sweet yummy goodness in curry comes more from the ginger and lemon grass. Coconut milk by itself has texture and a sort of taste I can only describe as "corny", but it isn't as sweet as I thought it was.

Does anyone know anything about these southeast asian shrimp pastes, and what else I might be able to make with this pungent stuff?

I saw Tyler Florence make this on television this morning, and I have to say that the whole time I was watching, it was all I could do to keep from drooling in my lap.

This is one of my favorite southern recipes, because it's so simple, and yet the flavors are so incredibly BIG, and complex, and deep, and the mouthfeel is pure comfort. PURE comfort.

The spicy sausage playing brilliantly with the sweet succulence of the shrimp, the glossy gravy, the decadent creaminess of grits and butter--it's absolutely one of the most amazing dishes, in my opinion, to come out of the south.

And this rendition was just as delicious as I fantasized it would be...

( Cut for recipe and pictures... )

Absolutely amazing.

Thanks, Tyler--you've totally redeemed yourself for that dreadful tuna recipe!

( Spicy Shrimp Recipe )

( Spicy Shrimp Pictures )

--Rachel

I whipped this up a while ago, and it was pretty tasty. :)



Recipe here.

Pretty simple. Linguini in pesto and shrimp seasoned with a rub and oil and grilled on the BBq. Topped it off with a nice crisp and cool Mojito.

Spicy shrimp/chorizo skewers w/ saffron orzo, roasted red pepper strips and fresh sauteed favas.