Shanghai Shrimp

This summer has been, needless to say, hectic so far.  But in the most fun sorts of ways!  My birthday was a blast!  We had a great yoga class with my favorite yoga teacher out on the lakeshore path.  There are lots of photos up on strangeplaceforyoga, so head over there and check them out.  We followed it up with an awesome (and plentiful) sushi dinner with friends (and my baby brother!) which made me smile.

I have also been traveling for work, and even though it may feel like I'm always on a plane, when I travel I get to do my favorite part of my job and I've enjoyed all of the interesting things I've been learning.

A couple weeks ago, we were able to spend a day up out on a friend's boat on Lake Geneva which was an absolute blast!  We've also been taking advantage of the many summer festivals in Chicago.  Last weekend we went to Country Fest, where we were able to lay out in my new birthday hammock all day and enjoy the great weather and music.  Last weekend I also had my first trip to Ravinia, where we had a great night with Darius Rucker, Rodney Atkins, and Jana Kramer.  I had the best night singing, dancing and picnicing!



The summer is only ramping up from here!  Soon I'll be headed on my last work trip of the summer (I hope) followed by a visit to my parent's house in NH.  I'm ready to get out on the lake and waterski, as well as spend lots of overdue time with family.  Once I get back, it will less than 2 weeks until our big trip! We're headed all over the Pacific Northwest and then flying down for a few days in San Diego to cap off the end to of the Monkey Scientist's last summer break.  I couldn't be more excited.  If you have any advice please share!



Hopefully between all of the travel and fun I'll have time to share another recipe with you soon.  In the meantime, this recipe was PERFECT for my crazy hectic lifestyle lately.  Aside from the produce, we had everything we needed in the house, which is always a plus for me.  Although the prep takes a little while, once the vegetables are chopped and the liquids are measured out, it doesn't take very long to come together.  Plus, the boys were happy because it made a LOT of food!  It was perfectly finished with a little watermelon for dessert, and I still had time to make Chipotle Brownies (man, does that post need to be updated) for the Mexican-themed party we're going to tonight!



Shanghai Shrimp
from Family Circle

Ingredients
1 7 ounce package rice stick noodles
3 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (divided)
3 tbsp rice vinegar (divided)
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp salt
3/4 lb mini sweet peppers,tops trimmed, quartered
8 oz sugar snap peas
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 lb raw cleaned shrimp (thawed if frozen)
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 - 2 tsp Asian chili-garlic sauce (sambal oelek)

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and cook for 3 minutes, then drain.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large wok over medium high heat. Add the cooked rice noodles, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 tbsp of rice vinegar. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the noodles just start to brown from the heat and the sauce is evenly distributed.  Remove the noodles from the wok onto a large platter.
3. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil to the wok and heat over medium high heat.  Add the sweet peppers, sugar snap peas, and onion to the wok and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the onions just start to soften.  Add the shrimp and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, for an additional 4 minutes or so, until the shrimp are opaque.  Whisk together 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, the sweet chili sauce, lemon juice, and chili-garlic sauce, then add to the wok and cook for an additional 1 minute.
4. Pour the vegetable and shrimp mixture over the noodles, with all of the sauce in the pan, and serve.

Paella Shrimp

It has been a long time since I last made paella! Honestly, living in Chicago, I never thought we'd make it again.  This isn't exactly the seafood capitol of the world, and I am lacking a paella pan (we used my friend's last time).  So when the roommate suggested it, I was... well, I was asleep. Solidly napping. I didn't even click the link in his text, I just send back the letter K and possibly a "stop texting me I'm napping."  Hey, we had a busy morning eating endlessly and playing Bocce to celebrate the Monkey Scientist's parents' anniversary!  The Monkey Scientist and I deserved a nap!



Anyways when I finally re-entered the world and looked at my phone, I figured out we were having paella and I was actually really excited. Nervous about how to make it without a paella pan, but excited.  As it turns out, you can TOTALLY make paella in the cast iron skillet. So even though I'd totally gorged myself on the all you can eat buffet that morning, I was ready for a big paella dinner.



I should start by saying, this recipe is totally different than my other paella recipe.  If you live by the water and have access to great seafood, I'd probably tell you to stick with that one. It's just so loaded with goodies. But for paella in the Midwest, aside from just making a meat-based paella with chorizo, this one is pretty awesome.  The flavors are great. The rice cooks perfectly.  And the shrimp are briny and perfect. Plus artichokes? You can never go wrong with artichokes.  I just might fall asleep and let someone pick my dinner more often!



Paella Shrimp
from What's Cooking America?

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 pounds raw extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined (save the shells!)
Ground sea salt
2 1/4 cups bottled clam juice or fish stock
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup uncooked Spanish or Arborio Rice
2 tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
Lemon wedges

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle the shrimp with ground sea salt.
3. In a large saucepan over medium-heat heat, heat the clam juice or fish broth, wine, and saffron; reduce heat to low and keep broth hot (not boiling. (I love making my own fish broth, but we didn't have the time so we used bottled clam juice. However, since we didn't have enough, we also boiled the shrimp shells in some water to make extra broth. Like I did here. Easy a pie.)
4. In a large Paella Pan or heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add onion and red bell pepper. Stir to mix and cook 3 minutes or until slightly softened.
5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in garlic and rice and continue stirring until garlic is fragrant and the rice is evenly coated with oil, about 1 minute.
6. Stir in tomatoes, paprika, and salt. Toss 30 seconds or so.
7. Stir in hot clam/saffron broth mixture. Return to heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer (stirring and rotating the pan occasionally) 10 to 15 minutes or until rice is no longer soupy but sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice in the oven.
8. Stir in shrimp and artichokes hearts.
9. Transfer paella pan/cast-iron skillet to the oven and cook, uncovered, about 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is almost al dente and until almost all liquid is absorbed. (NOTE: Never cook paella until the rice is completely done. If you do, it will be mushy by the time it reaches the table. Remove from the oven when the rice grains are no longer hard but still have more bite than you want and a crust forms around the edge of the pan.)
10. Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let sit 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked to taste. Paella must rest after being removed from the oven, during which time the final cooking takes place.
11. To serve, sprinkle with chopped parsley and arrange lemon wedges around the top of the paella. Serve immediately. To eat, squeeze lemon juice over paella.

Makes 4 servings.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa

Do you ever have those nights when you're just craving something super healthy, but still chocked full of flavor?  I was the other night, and I happened to find some quinoa in my cabinet.  I used my favorite - foodblogsearch - to look for a good recipe, but everything seemed to be vegetarian.  I wanted to use shrimp since I hadn't had seafood in a little while, so I added it to my search and came across this recipe.



Now normally, I am not a kale fan (aside from the kale salad my best friend makes).  Kale chips? Not my style.  Remember when I made the Tomato Braised Chicken with Kale?  I told you all I just was not feeling the kale. It can be really bitter and I just don't like it that much.  But, as long as I was going to eat healthy, I needed my dark leafy green.  But, I thought I'd give it another shot.  Everyone else seems to love kale these days, why can't I?

I think the trick here was cooking the kale down with a little oil and butter until fully cooked.  I honestly just think it may have been a bit raw last time I made it, and maybe that's why it was so bitter.  This time a huge bunch cooked down by probably 70%, and it really wasn't bitter at all - in fact it was juicy and loaded with flavor from the lemon and tomato sauce.



One of my favorite parts of this meal was the cost.  All of the ingredients cost $5.84.  It could easily serve 2 for dinner or 4 for lunch. I ate it for dinner and then for lunch for a couple of days.  Even if you are trying to save money, I recommend you get a nicer brand of tomato sauce.  A can of off-brand tomato sauce was 33 cents, while Tuttorosso was on sale (by surprise, it didn't even have a sign!) from 60 cents to 40 cents.  The difference in flavor is totally worth the extra 7 cents.



I sort of surprised myself, but I completely loved this recipe.  The kale was delicious, there was just a little bit of shrimp for some seafood (tastes like New England) and substance, and the quinoa was nutty and made the meal feel complete.  I liked it better when the quinoa was really mixed in with the kale and shrimp so that it could absorb all the flavors from the lemon, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes.  Of course, I use way more red pepper flakes than the original recipe called for - and to be honest it wasn't even very spicy still.  If the Monkey Scientist had eaten this, I probably would have had to throw some cayenne in, but he was busy working late again.  I thought this was a delicious meal full of all sorts of healthy and delicious things.

Also - sorry that these photos are pretty out of focus.  My camera was not cooperating.  Some day I'll buy my DSLR and self-focus, but for now I just deal with what I have.



Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa
slightly adjusted from Healthy Green Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup white quinoa
pinch of Himalayan or sea salt (I used garlic salt)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
5 small garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 pound shrimp
1 bunch kale, chopped fine
8 oz can tomato sauce (I used Tuttorosso)
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
course sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Thoroughly rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer (this is important or it will be bitter). Bring 1 1/4 c water to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook until all water is absorbed (about 12 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to sit in covered pot for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
2. In a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed pan, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, being careful so it doesn't burn.
3. Add the shrimp and kale and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the shrimp have just turned pink and the kale is cooked through.
4. Add tomato sauce and cook for another minute or so. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
5. Serve over quinoa.

Tom Yom Shrimp and Noodle Soup

Something that's always disappointed me about DC has been the lack of ethnic culture in the city.  Sure, we have some really great restaurants, but where am I supposed to get my chopped liver? Where can I get a hot stone bi bim bop? And, maybe I'm just from Boston and have always been spoiled, but I've yet to have a really good (and not overpriced) Italian meal - with homemade pasta, fresh seafood, and way over-sized portions.



After being here for a while, I found that there is one ethnic fix that I can't get in the District - but exists just a short drive away (when someone's willing to take me).  Fantastic, authentic (I don't mean orange flavored chicken) Chinese food.  "Chinatown" in DC is a hoax - it mostly has a bunch of chain stores and restaurants (like Legal Seafood and Clyde's) with their names in Chinese.  The real Chinatown exists just north of the District in southern Maryland.



This weekend, the Monkey Scientist and I took a trip up to Wheaton, MD.  We had some really good dim sum at Hollywood East and then made a trip to the H Mart there.  I have to admit, not the best H Mart I've ever been to, but I found nearly everything I needed for several dishes - including this Tom Yom soup.  Tom Yom is one of my favorite soups - Paragon Thai and Spices in Cleveland Park make delicious versions.  I've been wanting to try making my own for a few months now, so I got all of the ingredients I could at H Mart to make it this week!



My Tom Yom Soup broth wasn't as dark or red as the versions I've eaten in restaurants.  I think that this color may come from using dried chilis and frying them with the shallots at the beginning - I'd like to try making this again to see if that works.  The flavor however, was really close - I was actually surprised!  And man oh man is this broth good - sweet, sour, a little bit spicy, and the lemongrass is so unique and brings great depth of flavor.

I decided to add rice noodles to give this soup a little more substance so that we could have it as dinner - Paragon Thai has a version similar to this that they serve as a meal - but if you wanted to serve this as an appetizer you could leave them out.  I also changed the recipe below to use about half as many noodles as I actually used, since they soaked up almost all of the broth, and the broth really is the best part.

You could also add more vegetables at the end if you wanted, but I like the simplicity of this soup with such a complex broth.  Other things that may make sense to add would be chicken and green onions (my store has been out of green onions for a while).  My final review?  This a really great soup that will impress your family and friends.  Take a trip to your local Asian market and make this - you won't regret it!



Tom Yom Shrimp and Noodle Soup
Adapted from Wandering Chopsticks and Tyler Florence

Ingredients
1 lb shrimp with shells and heads
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch knob galangal or ginger, minced
2 quarts fish stock (water or chicken stock would work, too)
2 tsp tamarind paste (optional, but add umami)
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar (white or brown)
1 tbsp fish sauce
3 small Vietnamese red chili peppers, diced (more if you like it hot)
2 limes, zested and juiced
4 oz small-width rice stick noodles
1 15-oz can straw mushrooms, drained

Instructions
1. Peel and de-vein shrimp. Set aside both shrimp and the shells in separate bowls.
2. In a heavy pot over medium heat, heat oil. Once hot, add shallots, garlic, and galangal or ginger. Sauté until edges begin turning brown.
3. Add shrimp heads and sauté until pink. Add stock.
4. Mix in tamarind paste, lemongrass, salt, sugar, fish sauce, chili peppers, lime juice and zest. Simmer 1/2 hour.
5. Meanwhile, soak noodles in warm water for 5-10 minutes. Strain.
6. Strain out all of the ingredients from the soup to get a clean broth. Return to a simmer/gentle boil then add shrimp, noodles, and mushrooms. Cook for 5-8 minutes until noodles are soft and shrimp is cooked through. Serve immediately.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo

I'm back!  I had a beautiful holiday full of twirling princesses, a white Christmas, a little skiing, and lots of love in both New Hampshire and Chicago.  I hope you had a great holiday season as well!



Now that I'm back, it's back to the kitchen!  This week I decided to try out a recipe that you might have seen before.  Apparently, it's made commonly enough that when I brought in leftovers for lunch my coworker knew within minutes which recipe I'd made.  But I made a couple of changes to make it my own, so hopefully it will still be a bit fresh for you!



One of my favorite gifts this holiday season (though there were many) was from my baby bro, who had just returned from a trip to Israel.  He visited Capernaum Vista Olive Farms on his trip, where he watched olive be pressed fresh, right in front of him! He brought me back a 3 pack of different high end extra virgin olive oils, all of which are delicious, and which were perfect for using in this recipe. (Just don't tell the Kosher Israelis that I put their olive oil on shrimp...)



I still had lots of fish stock in my freezer from October, so I decided I'd add a little flavor to my pasta by boiling it in fish stock instead of just water.  I'm not sure it made a whole lot of difference, but gave a nice undertone to the dish.  One of my New Years resolutions will be to experiment with making new types of stock this year - I think that making my own chicken/beef/vegetable/lamb broths will be a lot more versatile than the fish broth, since I can't get the best seafood in DC.  Does anyone have any ideas for what to do with my last 2 quarts?



We really enjoyed this dish overall!  I can't say it was my favorite dish of all time - it doesn't quite have our usual high impact flavor profile - but it was easy to throw together, tasty, and healthy.  It was lemony, fresh, with some light protein from the shrimp (which were cooked to perfection after ~5 minutes), and I adore eating orzo.  It'd be a great dish to bring to a potluck or on a picnic. It's also a pretty ideal dish to throw together when you need to eat a quick dinner so you can snuggle into bed to watch your team win the Sugar Bowl.  And on that note, GO BLUE!



Roasted Shrimp and Orzo
adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
1 quart fish stock (optional)
1/2 box orzo pasta (I like Barilla)
Kosher salt
Good olive oil (like this)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 1/2 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup freshly chopped mint
1/2 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
1 cup feta cheese, large diced

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Fill a large pot with fish stock or water (fish stock just adds extra flavor! If using water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil), and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente (follow your package instructions). Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.
3. Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!
4. Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the mint, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Unless you're totally impatient like me, set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Seafood Paella

This weekend, my friend and I were supposed to go apple picking, but the weather simply did not cooperate!  It was cold (in the 40s!) and rainy, just awful.  Apple season is early and short down in DC which means we might never get to go now, big bummer.



Instead of letting the weather get us down, we decided to get the best ingredients we could find and make paella.  Her mom gave her a nice big paella pan - although after it was all made it ended up being smaller than we expected - and she had a cookbook and a recipe in mind.  We set to work scoping out the best place for all of our ingredients.



For the vegetables (onions, bell peppers) we went to the Mount Pleasant farmer's market.  For the seafood, we drove all the way down to Southeast DC to visit our favorite place, the Maine Avenue Fish Market.  Now I can't say for sure that the quality there is better than the supermarket (it's not like they're pulling fish out of the Potomac, or at least I hope not, but the selection is the best in the District and the fish never smells like it isn't fresh.

The prices are reasonable as well for most things, although shrimp were fairly expensive (even though they had endless varieties!).  I was able to get my fish carcass there for $1 - a nice salmon head, fins, tail and bones.  My friend thought I was kidding when I suggested we get it, but I most certainly was not!  Making the homemade fish stock was the most exciting part of the day (for better or for worse)!



Sorry, I had to re-post that one.  I'm sticking by my Halloween excuse.  I love it.

After the fish market, we hiked back up to Giant to get the rest of the groceries, and ended up stopping at World Market as well for saffron ($4.99 vs $19.99 at Giant - probably because it was from India not Spain).  I have to admit the question I've gotten most when I tell people I made paella is "where'd you get the saffron?"  I know it's always expensive, but are there quality differences as well? I thought the less expensive World Market saffron worked just fine!



When assembling I realized there was no way I was going to fit the rice and stock in the paella dish without major overflow.  I halved the rice (and the stock, of course) and made these changes in the recipe below.  I like my paella with lots of seafood and a little rice, so feel free to double it again if your pan is big enough.  Just make sure you double both the stock AND the rice (should be a 2:1 ratio).



Overall, an awesome recipe and a very fun day.  My friend and I are New England girls, so of course we love almost any seafood dish, but the Monkey Scientist loved it as well.  It's loaded with filling seafood and the rice soaks up the flavor of everything. It was definitely missing a flavor element though, so next time I'd probably add a hot pepper or two (anything from jalapeno to habanero, depending on your tolerance for heat) when I add the onions.  Maybe even some Old Bay, this is DC after all!



Seafood Paella
adapted slightly from Paella Paella

Ingredients
8 oz mussels
8 oz clams
5 tbsp olive oil
8 oz fish (use any white fish that is sturdy)
8 oz squid, sliced into rounds
2 small (or one large) onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 small red bell peppers, diced
1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained then chopped
1 cup rice (any short grain)
2 cups fish stock
1/2 tsp saffron
salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (save the shells!)

Instructions
1. Scrub the mussels and clams thoroughly, removing all beards and barnacles.  Soak in water to let any sand fall to the bottom of the bowl.  Discard any that fail to close when tapped sharply.  Set aside.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a paella pan over medium heat.  Add the fish and squid and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until they start to brown.  Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the paella pan and cook the onions, garlic, and peppers until tender and starting to brown.  Mix in the tomatoes and continue to cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the fish, squid, and rice to the paella pan.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.  Stir in the fish stock, saffron, salt, and pepper, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
5.  Add the shrimp, mussels, and clams and continue to cook over low heat until all the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes depending on the type of rice.  Discard any mussels or clams that have failed to open.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Fish Stock

In high school, I spent a lot of time over at my best friend's house, where her mom was always cooking up some sort of stock.  Usually it was a leftover chicken carcass boiling away on the stove with carrots, onion, and celery. The freezer was full of the stuff, and any time they wanted to make soup (or her mom's gravy) they'd pull out a tupperware, defrost on the stove, and it'd be ready in no time.

I loved this idea!  I am always spending way too much money on stock full of totally unknown ingredients.  I had only every tried making shrimp stock before, but it was so easy that I wanted to try again.  I stayed in my seafood comfort zone, but I will definitely be venturing out to chicken or beef stock next time!



Now I admit, making stock is scary. Mostly because of that scary word I used a minute ago.  You know, carcass.  But think of it as being resourceful.  Using the whole animal, not just the parts you eat directly.  And better yet, think of it as the easiest step you can take for better food at a lower cost.

There's much more to tell about how I ended up with this giant fish carcass (the story is coming, I promise) but let's just say I only paid $1 for it and it made enough fish stock for cioppino, shrimp risotto, and much more - including the recipe that's coming up later this week.  It's chocked full of flavor - definitely try it out.  And don't be scared of the picture with the fish head floating up - I just did that for effect... it is almost Halloween after all!



Fish Stock


Ingredients
20 cups water
1/4 c white wine
1 fish carcass (everything but the filets - head, bones, fins etc)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp herbes de provence
3 small carrots, cut in thirds
1 large onion, quartered
shells from 1/2 lb shrimp
2 lemons, quartered (skin on)

Instructions
1. Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a large stock pot.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
3. Remove fish head, veggies, and lemons using tongs or a slotted spoon (it's nice if you use a pot with a strainer insert and then you can pull that out and dump it).  Run through a mesh strainer to remove any remaining solids.  Use within 3 days or freeze.

Southern Seafood and Rice

Today I want to welcome a new guest author to yelleBELLYboo.  Jeff is one of my very best friends and former roommates from college, and is now living much too far away in Minneapolis.  While I attribute my basic cooking skills to my mom, some of my more fine-tuned skills I perfected with my college roommates, including Jeff.  When we lived together, he always had to make a little more dinner than he planned to eat, because he knew I was bound to smell his cooking and sit on the other side of our counter until he put a little bit on my plate. I am so excited to have him sharing his talent on yelleBELLYboo with this amazing Southern Seafood and Rice recipe!

Inspired by my dear friend Dani, I tried a new recipe from my 1 and only cookbook. It's called "Simple Meals" and it has so far lived up to its promise...


I was flipping through the pages today when I saw this recipe. I already had most of the items needed, so I thought why not? Not only was it easy prep, but it was a one pot, one dish meal. Easy to serve, easy to clean, very tasty.

You start by thawing your shrimp or scallops. I'm sure fresh seafood would make this dish even more delicious, but there is no butcher shop in downtown Minneapolis, so I did what I could. After chopping up my green onions and garlic, I dumped everything into a big pot and started bringing it to a boil. Then you add the tomatoes and rice. It's really that simple. You add all the ingredients into the pot and let it cook.

Meanwhile, since I wanted a bit more protein in this meal, I started pan-cooking 1 chicken breast. I seasoned it with Tony Chachere's spicy creole seasoning to complement the rest of the dish. It went very well!

I don't really have too many "in-process" photos since everything goes into the pot at one time. But, the results photos (I think) do this dish justice. Paired with some nice cornbread, this was a delicious Sunday meal.

Southern Seafood and Rice (with chicken)

Adapted from Simple Meals
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

3/4 pound fresh or frozen shrimp or scallops

2 1/3 cups chicken broth

4 green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes or cajun-style stewed tomatoes

1 cup long grain rice

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's creole seasoning

Fresh Parsley
Frank's Red hot sauce
(the original recipe also called for frozen okra, which I omitted)

Instructions

1. Thaw shrimp or scallops, if frozen. Rinse, pat dry, set aside.

2. In a 3-quart saucepan combine the broth, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic and ground red pepper. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in stewed tomatoes, and rice. Return to a boil; reduce heat.

3. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is just tender, stirring once or twice.
4. Meanwhile, season chicken with creole seasoning and sear in a separate pan until cooked through.

5. Stir in shrimp or scallops and chicken. Cover and simmer for 3-5 more minutes more or until shrimp turn pink or scallops turn opaque and rice is tender.

6. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with parsley and a few dashes of hot sauce to taste.

Ruth Reichl's Thai-like Noodles

I'm currently reading Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl.  I found it in my parents' basement when they moved out of my childhood home and I loved Comfort Me With Apples - and this book hasn't let me down! I've got to buy Tender at the Bone. Garlic and Sapphires is really entertaining - it chronicles the time she spent as the restaurant critic for the New York Times and the disguises she wears while visiting restaurants.  It also includes recipes from meals she eats or makes throughout the book.

One of those recipes is for Thai-like Noodles.  I had a box of thin rice noodles in my cupboard for a while (I got them on sale and with a coupon), so when I read this recipe I thought it'd be the perfect way to use them.

Another money saving tip - when I only need 1/2 lb of ground pork (or other meat) I ask the butcher at my grocery store to give me a smaller portion than what's out on the shelves.  That way I never end up with frozen meat that I might use who-knows-when.  All you have to do is ask!

Fish sauce, Sriracha and unseasoned rice vinegar are stables in my house.  It's amazing how many Asian recipes you can make with the same simple ingredients.  I happened to have run out of the peanuts I used for the Asian Slaw, so I omitted this one ingredient.

These noodles were pretty easy and turned out tasty!  I recommend using a bigger pan than I did, as a lot of the ingredients hopped overboard while stirring.  It definitely is an easy last minute dinner any night of the week!

Thai-like Noodles

An Americanized version of Thai noodles
From Ruth Reichl

Ingredients:
1/2 pound very thin rice noodles, preferably Thai rice sticks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar (or unseasoned rice vinegar)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground pork
4 scallions, white and tender green parts, sliced into 1/2-inch lengths
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 limes (juice only)
1/2 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges, for garnish
Sriracha Chili sauce

Directions:
In a large bowl, soak the noodles in hot water to cover for about 20 minutes (or according to package directions, mine only took 8 minutes) or until soft, then drain and set aside.

Combine the sugar, fish sauce and vinegar. Set aside.

In a wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is very hot. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, just until they change color, about 1minute. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Add the garlic to the wok, and as soon as it starts to color and get fragrant, about 30 seconds, add the pork and half of the scallions.Cook just until the pork loses its redness, 2 to 3 minutes, then add drained noodles and mix quickly. Add the fish sauce mixture, reduce the heat to medium and cook 5 to 8 minutes or until the noodles have absorbed all the liquid.

Clear an area of the wok and crack 1 egg into it, breaking the yolk.Tilt the wok to get as thin a sheet of egg as possible and scramble just until set, about 1 minute. Then mix the egg into the noodles.Repeat with the remaining egg. Add the shrimp, remaining scallions and red pepper flakes and mix thoroughly. Add the lime juice and cook,stirring for 1 minute.

Transfer the noodles to a platter and top with a sprinkling of peanuts. Serve with lime wedges, the remaining peanuts and lots of Sriracha.

Notes from RR: Makes about 3 servings, depending on how hungry people are.  I could probably eat this entire amount by myself.  And it's excellent for breakfast the next day. (from yelle: ooo now I can't wait to have it tomorrow morning!)

Shrimp Bisque with Sherry

I woke up Valentine's day morning still fighting my chest cold and cough.  I decided the best way to fight it would be with a nice spicy soup.

Soup season is almost over in DC.  Today the temperature got up over 60.  I'm definitely not complaining!

I really enjoyed making the shrimp stock for this recipe.  I'd never made my own stock before, nevermind shrimp stock, so this was a great learning opportunity.  It was easssyyy!

I kicked up the spice - using a bunch of chili powder and red pepper flakes instead of the cayenne.  I think it could have used a little bit of garlic as well.


The soup was yummy!  I couldn't get it quite as smooth as I wanted it to be in my food processor.  I'm afraid I might have damaged the blades.  Does anyone know where I can get replacement blades for a Hamilton Beach food processor?



Happy Valentine's Day!

Silky Shrimp Bisque with Sherry

from Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

3/4 lb medium shrimp, shelled & deveined, shells reserved
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/3 cup dry sherry
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp long-grain white rice
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan set over moderately high heat. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring frequently, until the tails turn pink, about 2 minutes. Add sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until most of sherry is evaporated. Add water and bay leaf, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes. Pour shrimp stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Press gently on the shrimp shells to release extra liquid. Discard shells and bay leaf.

While stock is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a bowl and set aside. To the saucepan, add 1 tablespoon olive and carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until the onion and celery are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp stock, rice, tomato paste, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cover the saucepan and simmer the mixture until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Reserve 8 shrimp and stir the remaining shrimp into the soup. Allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender or a regular blender (in 2 to 3 batches), puree the soup until smooth. Take care not to burn yourself. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in cream. Reheat on low.

Serve soup and garnish each serving with 2 of the reserved shrimp.

Makes 4 servings (appetizer size)