Shrimp with Kale and Shitakes

This wonderful recipe came from Carolyn Cope, author of the Umami Girl blog.  It is very umami, indeed, with the shitakes, soy and shrimp doing their umami-ish thing and the kale going along for a little trendy veggie cred.  And it is so good that husband, when told of this dinner, started squawking (righteous indignation against kale) but promptly quieted down and finished his dinner happily.  

Please splurge on the shitakes and don't settle for criminis or other button mushrooms unless you have no choice...the shitakes really add the meaty quality that makes this dish sing.  If you can't find the lacinato kale, you could try another kind, but it will be more bitter.  And don't use bagged kale...you have to get those stems off. 

Ingredients:

• 
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced 
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bunches Lacinato (black) kale, stemmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and cleaned
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional and I used about 2 Tbsp instead of the full amount)

Directions:

1.  Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a wide frying pan. Add the onion and shiitakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute.

2.  Add the kale by the handful and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and almost tender, about 3 minutes. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan to make room for the shrimp. Then add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally , until not quite opaque, about 3 minutes.

3.  Add the soy sauce, wine, and cream if using, and cook until sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.  

Grilled Shrimp and Vegetables with Israeli Couscous

 

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine June 2006 by Melissa Roberts-Matar

This is one of those ooh and ahh type recipes that come off as super impressive with not too much work.  It helps if you have the herb garden outside with the oregano and thyme, but I would definitely purchase those items rather than use dried to pull this off correctly. You can make the shrimp, veggies and couscous ahead of time and them combine them together with the feta just before serving.  Here is my handy dandy helpful tip:  when grilling shrimp, thread each of them on two skewers to prevent the shrimp from twisting around and it will be easier to flip over the fire.  Oh yeah, Israeli Couscous is available at Trader Joes, but is even cheaper at a kosher market.

 Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups pearl couscous (sometimes called Israeli couscous; 3/4 pound)
• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl ounces)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
• 2 lb large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined if necessary
• 2 medium red onions (1 pound total)
• 2 pounds large zucchini (about 4), cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 6 ounces feta, crumbled (1 1/4 cups)

Preparation

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).  Toss shrimp with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and thread 4 or 5 shrimp onto each skewer (don't crowd, or shrimp won't cook evenly).

Peel onions and trim root ends slightly, leaving ends intact, then halve lengthwise and cut halves lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide wedges. Insert 1 wooden pick through each wedge to hold layers together while grilling, then put onions in a large bowl with zucchini. Toss vegetables with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 

Grill shrimp skewers on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once with tongs, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer shrimp, discarding skewers, to a clean bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.  Grill vegetables on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until just tender, about 5 minutes, transferring to bowl as grilled. Remove and discard picks from onions.

Whisk together vinegar, oregano, thyme, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl until salt is dissolved. Add 1/3 cup oil in a slow stream, whisking until vinaigrette is combined. 

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then toast couscous, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes. While couscous toasts, stir together broth, water, and saffron in a large glass measure. Add to couscous with 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and couscous is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Stir vinaigrette to combine, then stir 2 tablespoons into couscous and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature. 

Drizzle vegetables with remaining vinaigrette and toss to combine.

Spoon couscous onto a large platter or shallow serving bowl. Arrange shrimp and vegetables on top of couscous and sprinkle with feta. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Orzo with Shrimp and Tomatoes

Having tried a few new recipes that were less than stellar (sorry, Rick Bayless, your tortilla soup did not make the cut), I made an old forgotten favorite from the Sofi cookbook last night that reminded me of why I do these posts....great food fairly quickly, and generally not too bad for your waistline.  You can even use the peeled raw frozen shrimp in a bag to make less work for yourself.

3 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped*
1 T fresh basil or 1/2 t dried if it is winter
2 T dry white wine
salt and pepper
bag o' shrimp, raw and peeled (tails on are ok)
3 oz feta...best quality you can get (bit under a cup)
1 lb orzo (yes, they have it at the market...Barilla makes a decent one)

Put a big pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil.  Dump in the orzo and set the timer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over med  heat and, when hot, add the garlic.  Stir quickly and try not to let it brown.  Add tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes.  Raise heat to med high and add basil, wine, salt and pepper to taste and shrimp.  Simmer for approximately 5 minutes until the shrimp turn pink.  Add the feta.

Drain the pasta and put back in the pot.  Add the shrimp and tomato mixture and stir over med heat for a couple of minutes and then serve.

*to peel tomatoes, cut an "x" in the bottom of the tomato and put in a small pot of boiling water...cook for a minute and then put tomato in ice water to stop it from cooking.  Peel the skin right off of it!

Spicy and Savory Shrimp

Spicy and Savory Shrimp

Serve with Rice

Serves: 2 but you can increase the shrimp to feed more

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (or more if you can take it)
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 plum tomato, seeded, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dry white wine (I actually forgot to add this and it was still delish)
20 medium shrimp
Salt & pepper
A splash of lemon juice
2 basil leaves, chiffonade
Lemon slices to garnish

1. In a sauté pan over medium/high heat, combine the butter and olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the hot pepper flakes and onion. Sauté for 1 minute.

2. Add the lemon zest, tomatoes, garlic and white wine. Sauté for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Remove the shrimp to the serving plate and top with a splash of lemon and basil leaves.

5. Serve shrimp with lemon slices.