Louisiana-Style Shrimp

Lately I’ve been a bit of a delinquent.  A blogging delinquent.  As in, I have been seriously delinquent in posting with any regularity.  I know it.  You know.  Can we please agree to forgive and forget?  I’m still trying to figure out this whole full-time working and regular blogging thing.  (There’s a reason I started this site when I was just out of grad school and still unemployed!) 

I’ve got this whole new time management plan worked out though, so things should be better.  Ok, not really, I’m not that organized, but it certainly helps that all of my TV shows are done for the summer.  So much time back in my life.  Time I plan to be spending with you and some deliciously good food.  So let’s get to it.

Today’s recipe for Louisiana-Style Shrimp is one of my new favorites.  I’ve only made it once, but I’ve been thinking about it ever since – and wishing I’d doubled the recipe the first time around.  In this dish, plump, juicy shrimp are cooked in a smoky, slightly spicy, and richly flavorful sauce containing andouille sausage, peppers, onions, garlic, and beer.  Surprisingly, there are no tomatoes in this recipe – the sauce gets its reddish tint from a liberal dose of smoked (or regular) paprika.  Easy enough for a weeknight (if you have a little bit of time) and special enough to serve to company, I have a feeling this Louisiana-Style Shrimp recipe will be making frequent repeat appearances in our kitchen. 

Jalapeño-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes

There are certain recipes that just aren’t that pretty. They might be incredibly delicious, but they won’t win any beauty pageants – or food styling contests. If you were telling your friends about these recipes, you might say they “have a great personality”. And while “a great personality” might be code for something less than desirable in a blind date, it’s not at all a bad thing on your dinner plate.

Take today’s recipe: Jalapeno-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes. It’s not really a looker. One glance will not have you drooling on your keyboard. One taste might. This is one of those deceptively delicious dishes. It looks like tomato sauce on top of fish on top of sliced potatoes. It tastes like a mouthwatering, tomato-based sauce flavored with garlic, cilantro, and pickled jalapenos layered on top of moist, perfectly cooked fish on top of thin slices of tender potatoes. Sounds more drool-worthy that it looks, right?

Would you drool even more if I told you this is an easy, quick-cooking dinner? If so, grab a napkin my friends, because this recipe is indeed weeknight friendly. And relatively inexpensive. And just oh so good. Oh, and everything cooks in one dish, so there are barely any dishes to wash. Just thought I’d throw that one in there, you know, in case you weren’t already sold.

Pepita-Crusted Mahi with Maple-Ginger Mashed Rutabagas and Cranberry Salsa

Today we’re mixing things up a little bit, and I’m going to do something I don’t normally do here. I’m going to share three recipes in one post. See, it’s kind of important that I give you all three recipes at once because they all go together to make one heck of a dinner. If I only gave you one recipe at a time that would make me a tease, and no one wants to be labeled a tease – am I right? Maybe we shouldn’t go there…

The star of this post, and the main component of the meal, is Pepita-Crusted Mahi. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that have had their outer shells removed. They have a mildly nutty flavor that makes a great base for a flavorful “crust” when ground up and combined with crunchy panko bread crumbs, lime zest, cumin, and smoked paprika. The flavors in the pepita coating are the perfect compliment to mahi’s flaky, meaty texture and mild taste. All together, it’s a pretty delicious piece of fish.

To go with your entrée, you’re going to need a side dish, and Maple-Ginger Mashed Rutabagas are an excellent accompaniment to the Pepita-Crusted Mahi. In this recipe, the rutabaga is roasted in the oven with fresh ginger, maple syrup, and just a pinch of cinnamon until it is tender and caramelized. It is then mashed (or puréed – your choice) until smooth and creamy. If you’ve never tried this often overlooked root vegetable, this is definitely a good recipe to introduce you to it.

Finally, to add a bright pop of color to your plate, we have Cranberry Salsa. While I’ve had fruit-based salsas before (mango, pineapple, peach, etc.), cranberries in salsa form was a new one for me. Let me just say – so, so good. The extreme tartness of the fresh cranberries is tempered with sugar, tangy lime juice, and the kick of heat and savory flavor from jalapeno, fresh ginger, green onion, and (optional) cilantro. The salsa tastes delicious on its own, but it also works well to tie everything on the plate together. Try a bite of fish with salsa, a taste of fish with rutabaga, some salsa with rutabaga – you get the idea. However you load your fork, your mouth will be happy with this somewhat unusual and intriguing mix of flavors.

Healthy Recipes to Kick Off the New Year

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve with friends and family and have kicked off 2011 with a bang. We stayed in to ring in the New Year this year, and celebrated with friends, an enormous meal, and a whole lot of celebratory libations. After all of that revelry, Stan and I are feeling the need for some healthier meals and a little more exercise in our lives. While neither of us are big on New Year’s resolutions, eating better and moving more are certainly tops on many people’s lists for this time of year. So, in honor of those, like us, who need some holiday detox, or are trying to make good on healthy resolutions, today’s post features recipes that can help you cook your way to a healthier new year.

Soups and stews are always good in January, heating you up without filling you out. Here are some delicious, belly-warming options... (Just click on the recipe titles to link to the original posts!)

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Island Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

 Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Tortellini Soup

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Chickpea and Kale Stew

Chicken Posole

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Last weekend Stan and I went to Florida for a friend’s wedding. When we left, Nashville was a balmy 95 degrees. When we got back four days later, the temperature had dropped by at least 20 degrees, and fall had officially arrived. And really, it’s about time. I was starting to have (more) serious concerns about global warming.

The cooler weather excites me for so many reasons. Sweaters, apple picking, pumpkin carving, changing leaves, sleeping with the windows open… I could go on and on. I seriously looove fall. And I really love fall food. You’re going to see a lot of apples and squash and fresh baked breads and hearty stews coming up in the next few months. I’ve got stacks of recipes waiting to be tried and shared with you.

Today’s recipe is sort of my transition from summer to fall. It’s a warm and comforting soup, perfect for crisp fall days and nights. At the same time it is light and fresh, a final culinary ode to summer. Plump shrimp and sweet corn are the stars of this healthy chowder. Chunks of fresh veggies add color and texture, while a little turkey bacon infuses the soup with subtle smoky flavor. This was good the night I made it, but I swear it made even better leftovers. The corn seemed sweeter and the broth seemed smokier. The second day of leftovers was best of all. Who knows if it would have gotten better after that. The chowder was just too good to last any longer.

Peppery Garlic Prawns

When you are always on the lookout for new recipes to try, certain foods/recipe titles grab your attention more than others. For me, pasta, seafood, cheese, desserts, and certain fruits and vegetables are major attention grabbers. When I’m looking for things I know Stan will like, garlic, black pepper, and meat are major players. Not surprisingly, when I came across this recipe for peppery garlic prawns, I knew I had to try it.

Prawns (aka shrimp) are one of my from-the-ocean favorites, and I’m pretty sure Stan has never met a garlic-laden dish he didn’t like. During the past year, we both have come to love black pepper, so making this dish was pretty much a no-brainer. The fact that this dish requires only about 5 minutes of active prep time (if your shrimp are already peeled) and 3 minutes to cook? Yeah, I’m pretty sure there’s no beating that.

All you do is toss raw shrimp (tail on or off – your choice) with a lot of minced garlic, crushed or coarsely ground black pepper, some salt, lemon juice, and brandy. That’s right, brandy. The stuff you swirl around in snifters and sip slowly. Or, if your husband happens to be Russian like mine, you might occasionally drink shots of it while toasting special occasions. Even if you don’t drink it, brandy is worth keeping on hand for culinary purposes. It adds a special flavor to certain dishes – different than wine or sherry. For this dish, it is worth seeking out, even if you only get a tiny bottle. But really, how much fun would that be?

Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

If your New Year’s resolution was to drop a few pounds – stop reading now. If your doctor has advised you to cut back on cholesterol and saturated fat – read no further. If you follow a low calorie diet – come back tomorrow, I implore you. If you are still reading, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

For those of you still with me, you are in for a treat. A gooey, creamy, cheesey treat. We’re talking butter and cream and cheese and sour cream and more cheese. Do you feel your arteries clogging yet? Seriously, this may be one of the most fattening main dishes I’ve ever made. But I couldn’t resist. It just sounded so darn good. And the freezing temperatures make me want hearty, comfort food. (They also make me wonder what the heck is up with Tennessee’s weather. Aren’t we in the South??)

These enchiladas really are worth the splurge. They are packed with flavor from the peppers, onion, and spices. The shrimp add little pops of sweet flavor, and the cheesey sauce holds everything together for perfect, belly-warming mouthfuls. The recipe is easy enough to make it a good one for weeknight dinners, but it’s also special enough to be used for entertaining. Either way, you’ll enjoy it. Even if you do feel obligated to eat nothing but salad for the next three days.

Sole Meunière

Mmm… butter.

For those of you who love butter, this is certainly a dish worth trying. It sounds fancy, looks impressive, and is easy to make. Sole Meunière is a classic French dish featuring filets of sole dredged in flour, cooked in butter, and drizzled with a lemon butter sauce. My take on the dish is mostly traditional, differing only in the substitution of extra-virgin olive oil for some of the butter. I don’t think you’ll notice the difference, but feel free to use all butter if that’s what makes you happy. And I promise, this recipe will make you happy.

** In case you are curious, the veggies in the picture are the Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic I posted awhile back. Delish.

Risotto with Spicy Garlic Shrimp (and shrimp stock)

Risotto is one of those “restaurant” foods. You know, foods you only eat at restaurants, but never make at home. Why? Because it seems too scary, too difficult, too labor intensive. Whatever the reason, people seem to be afraid of attempting homemade risotto. Until very recently, I was one of those fearful people. If risotto was on a menu, I’d order it in a flash, but make it at home? Despite how easy the chefs on Food Network always made it seem, I was reluctant. But no longer. I made risotto for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and it was amazing. Unbelievable. Like at a restaurant. Victory was mine. And it can be yours too.

(That particular glorious recipe will be posted soon, once I make it again to get some better pictures.)

If you haven’t had it before, risotto is a Northern Italian specialty traditionally made with short-grained Arborio rice. The rice’s natural starch makes the rice creamy without actually adding any cream. It is slow cooked with gradual additions of hot stock, resulting in plump, creamy yet still al dente rice.

For this recipe, I used shrimp stock. I have to confess, I normally buy good quality stock at the store. However, when a little research told me how easy shrimp stock is to make, I decided to be adventurous and make my own. The research was right – homemade shrimp stock is simple and basically free to make, if you purchase shrimp that still have their shells. For me, it was actually quicker and easier than making an extra, last minute run to the store. For you, do whatever is easier.

The real star of this recipe though, is the spicy garlic shrimp. Marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes, the shrimp’s flavor explodes in your mouth. The marinade and shrimp juices combine to form an unbelievably flavorful sauce, with very few ingredients and very little effort. Most of the shrimp are chopped up and stirred into the risotto, so you get a chunk or two in every bite. The remaining shrimp are left whole, decorating the top of the plated risotto, inviting you to dive in. That is, if you manage not to eat all of them while waiting on your risotto…

Panko Crusted Glazed Salmon

I love seafood – pretty much all of it – and salmon is definitely one of my favorites. Maybe it’s because I grew up eating it almost every Monday night. Maybe it’s because it’s just plain delicious. Either way, I love it.

I’ve always found that Asian flavors go particularly well with salmon. This recipe calls for coating the salmon with a glaze that touches your taste buds with sweet, salty, sour, and umami – the savory fifth taste. In other words – YUM. The glazed filets are then sprinkled with panko bread crumbs and roasted to crispy, flaky perfection.

For those of you who haven’t tried them, panko are Japanese-style bread crumbs. They are lighter and flakier than traditional dried bread crumbs, and they add an awesome crunch to whatever you coat with them. Definitely a product worth trying!

Panko Crusted Glazed Salmon

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs salmon filets
2 T. tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
2 T. honey
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine tamari, honey, mustard, and lime juice. Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until the liquid reduces slightly and reaches a glaze-like consistency (5-10 minutes). Allow to cool to room temperature.

While glaze is reducing, place salmon filets on the baking sheet. When glaze is
cooled, brush over salmon filets, coating evenly.

Sprinkle panko over salmon filets.

Roast 10-20 minutes, depending on thickness, until desired doneness.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Brazilian-Style Fish Stew

Let me start by saying yum. And oh yeah. This was good. Stan, who as many of you know, is not at all a foodie, could not stop raving about this. For me, that’s about the highest praise there is.

This luscious stew is a take on the traditional Northeast Brazilian dish Moqueca Baiana. The recipe I used called for using fresh salmon. More traditional recipes seem to use primarily firm-fleshed white fish. I took the middle (cheaper) road and used fresh “fish chunks” from Whole Foods that included both salmon and various types of firm white fish. The choice was more economical (at least that day) and was delicious. I really couldn’t decide whether I liked the salmon or white fish better, so I’d advise you to just use whichever you like better.