Coconut Curried Prawns

I got a new cookbook! The Melting Pot. The World in Your Kitchen Each chapter of the book highlights a different country and nationality (Malaysian, Chinese, Ethiopian) and gives you an introduction to the cuisine, flavors you'll find in the kitchen, and, of course, offers recipes. I like the aspects of learning the contents of an Estonian store cupboard and lessons learned along the way when discovering Perisan cooking but I'm not a fan converting measurements from metric to imperial (note to self: do not buy English cookbooks).

The Coconut Curried Prawns recipe came from the Caribbean Kitchen section. Allen loves curry and coconut so I figured it was a good one to try first. He loved it. The color turned out much more yellow than the red curry pictured in the book. Regardless, we'll make it again. It's easy, rich and a bit different Caribbean style, Mon!

Ingredients:
200 g prawns (you tell me how many!) Actually, we used about 20 (or more) frozen shrimp.
1 small red bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic
A small bunch of spring onions (green onions)
5cm of ginger (I don't know what this quantity is either so I used about 1 tsp
1 scotch bonnet chili (a small colorful chili that's got a thin skin and is hot!)
1 tsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk
A small bunch of coriander (cilantro)
Salt and Pepper

Prep:
1. Clean and de-vein the prawns
2. Finely chop the red pepper, garlic, green onion, ginger and chili
3. Do not shake the can of coconut milk, open and spoon off the heavier coconut cream from the top of the can and set aside the rest of the coconut milk
4. Roughly chop the cilantro

Cook:
1. Heat a little oil and fry the red pepper, garlic, green onion, ginger and chili with the curry powder and a pinch of salt and pepper until soft and glossy
2. Toss in the prawns and cook for one minute
3. Add the coconut cream and half the milk. Turn up the heat to cook the prawns and reduce the sauce. Add milk until you get the consistency you want
4. Cook for 10 minutes and serve with freshly chopped cilantro

Very easy and, again, fairly rich. Probably a recipe best to consume in small quantities but, instead, we ate the entire meal in one sitting.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with White Cheddar Cheese Grits

I've been watching Top Chef from the get-go and just last season I decided to try out a recipe that a Chef named Tre prepared on the show. I love grits and bacon wrapped shrimp so I figured this was a win-win recipe. It turned out that the grilled corn and white cheddar grits recipe is a keeper (I made this again for a Bacon party and people liked it just fine), the bacon wrapped shrimp aren't much different than how I usually make them normally and the chipotle-tomato butter sauce isn't worth trying again. (I made it twice and it turned out the same both times. It's got a nice flavor with a bit of spice but it doesn't thicken as much as I'd like and it's not worth the effort.) From this, I figure that Top Chef recipes are probably not really tested in an actual kitchen. I mean, the grits made enough for a few dozen people!

Shrimp Prep: Season shrimp with a little Kosher salt. Using a hot grill, quickly mark each shrimp. Remove from grill and allow time to cool. Shrimp should still be uncooked. When cool enough to handle, wrap each shrimp with a half piece of bacon. Season with cracked black pepper. Sear each shrimp in grapeseed oil till crispy on both sides. Serve when rest of dish is ready.

Grits Prep:Using a deep saucepot combine chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer, add butter, and allow time for it to dissolve. Slowly whisk in grits a little at a time. When grits begin to thicken, lower heat. Switch to a spatula and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust for addition seasonings if needed. If grits are too thick, add more chicken stock.

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter Sauce: In a saucepot, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat. Next, add tomatoes, chipotle peppers and peppercorns. Continue to cook for another three minutes. Deglaze with chicken stock and lower heat. Cook for 5 minutes then place in a blender; blend till smooth. Place liquid back in saucepot and over low heat mount with butter, whisking in a little at a time. Add cilantro and season with lemon juice and salt. Turn off heat and allow 5 minutes to steep cilantro. Strain through fine mesh strainer and reserve warm till time to serve.


(Messy, messy, messy when your blinder lid doesn't stay on!)

To Plate:Place small amount of grits in the center of a large plate. Drizzle sauce around grits. Place three pieces of shrimp around grits. Serve. (THREE?!? Make that Nine!)

For the Shrimp:
18 pc black tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2T Kosher salt
9 bacon slices
2t cracked black pepper
Grapeseed oil for searing

For the Grits:
2qt chicken stock
1qt milk
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1qt instant grits
2 cups grilled corn kernels
1 cup poblano peppers, small diced
2 cups aged white cheddar cheese
3T chopped cilantro
2T Kosher salt
2T cracked black pepper

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter:
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2T chopped garlic
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3T chipotle peppers (in Adobe)
1t black peppercorns
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 bunch cilantro1 lemon, juiced
2t Kosher salt

(Not the greatest of pictures.)

Shrimp and Tomatoes Over Soft Polenta

Q. What do you do if you're sitting around with some frozen shrimp, corn meal and a can of diced tomatoes?

A. This recipe.

This is another I found in Everyday Foods and I love it because it tastes good, it's healthy and it introduced me to soft polenta. The only suggestion I have is: don't make it for guests if they don't like tomatoes!

1 1/2 lbs frozen medium shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined (tails removed)
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoons red-pepper flaces
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 recipe Soft Polenta
green beans

1. Season shrimp generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; set aside.

If you buy frozen shrimp skip step #1. Simply put the shrimp in a collandar and rinse with cool water until no longer frozen (just a few minutes).

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to pan; cook garlic and red-pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juices along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down and become saucy, about 15 minutes. (I think this step actually takes 25 - 30 minutes but maybe it's just me.)

3. Meanwhile make Soft Polenta. Just before serving, stir reserved shrimp into tomatoes. Divide polenta among four bowls; spoon shrimp and tomatoes over polenta. Serve with green beans* if desired (and let me say, you desire).

*Green Beans:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 lb trimmed green beans until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain; return to pot. Toss with 1 tablespoon butter, if desired (and let me say, you desire). Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

Make this! You won't be disappointed.

Barbecue Shrimp

I went to Hong Kong Market yesterday looking for black cod and ended up with a pound of head-on jumbo shrimp. Yep, I'm an impulse food shopper.

After a good half hour of looking for recipes online (especially trying to find a recipe where would not have to go out and buy a lot of other ingredients) I came across this Barbecue Shrimp recipe from Nolacusine.com.

I'm not sure why it's called Barbecue Shrimp since you do not use barbecue sauce or a grill to cook it but the recipe is still a keeper and quick and relatively easy.

New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp Recipe

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp Fresh Oregano, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/2 Cup Abita Amber beer, or another good quality beer (Allen went to Fiesta and bought some Abita instead of using the Miller Lite in the fridge...considering it only takes 1/4 cup for 1lb of shrimp I think he had ulterior motives.)
1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Black Pepper, freshly cracked
3 Tbsp Italian Parsley, minced
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 lbs Head on/shell on shrimp

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F.

Melt 2 Tbsp of the butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until slightly browned. Add the fresh herbs and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the beer, reduce by half. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, black pepper, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and the shrimp, tossing to coat well. Transfer the shrimp and sauce to a baking dish where the shrimp can bake in the sauce in a single layer. Place into the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Do not over cook the shrimp!

Serve in a large bowl with the chopped parley, your favorite beer, and lots of fresh French Bread for dipping in the sauce.

I cut off the heads before serving so we didn't have to deal with antennae and eyeballs at the table. Allen struggled with getting the shell off (and struggled with his dislike of having stuff on his fingers) and eating was more labor intensive than cooking -- so I'm glad I only got 1lb of shrimp (6-7 large shrimp each).

I also made Vigo red beans and rice because we had one link of Ted's venison sausage to use up and because Allen loves the stuff. (I froze the leftovers so he'll have something to eat while I'm out of town next weekend.) Along side the bread and butter it was a filling meal and a nice New Orleans style treat.

Linguine with Shrimp, Tomatoes and Feta

The only thing easier than blogging is making this dish.

I cut the recipe in half and used half a bag a non-name brand frozen shrimp from Fiesta ($5.00)that were actually the best frozen shrimp I've ever bought (read: not tough). I used the little bit of basil that has survived from the plant I bought last fall. Fresh basil made it that much better and I can still taste it and smell it on my fingers from dicing.

This recipe takes no time. 10 minutes for prep, 1 hour chiling in the fridge, and then another 20 outside to let the mixture reach room temperature while you heat up the linguine. The only thing I'd recommend is to make sure the tomato/shrimp/feta sauce is no longer cold when you add the noodles because the only heat you're adding is noodles and you want the dish to be warm.

1 pound medium shrimp (about 40)
2 pints vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
4 large garlic cloves
1 bunch scallions
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta (about 6 ounces)
1 pound dried linguine

Shell shrimp and, if desired, devein. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook shrimp until cooked through, about 1 minute, and drain well. Halve tomatoes and mince garlic. Finely chop scallions. In a large bowl stir together all ingredients except linguine with salt and pepper to taste. Chill sauce, covered, 1 hour. Let sauce stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. In an 8-quart kettle bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil and cook linguine until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta water and drain pasta. Add pasta to sauce and toss well, adding enough pasta water to reach desired consistency. (This recipe is from Gourmet magazine.)