Garlic Butter Shrimp over Quinoa and Spinach

I'm pretending this is a healthy dish, paraded over a bed of quinoa. But it's really not. It's shrimp drenched in garlic butter. No, it does not compare to the wonder that is Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Shore of Oahu. But few shrimp dishes are. I'll take what tasty seafood I can get in this land locked state.

adapted from Pinch of Yum

The Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
7-9 cloves of garlic, minced, divided
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 tsp chili powder, divided
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 cups fresh spinach, torn
4 cups vegetable or shrimp stock (save those shells for just this purpose!)
6 Tbsp salted butter, divided
1 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 Tbsp dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley for serving
lemon wedges for serving

The Process:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cloves of the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes more, or until fragrant. Add the uncooked quinoa and ½ teaspoon chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently for another 1 minute until the quinoa is coated in chili and oil. Add the broth, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa is tender.  Add the spinach during the last 2-3 minutes cooking and steam until wilted. Fluff with a fork and toss with parsley.

While the quinoa is cooking, melt 1 Tbsp of the butter in a large skillet over medium high-heat.  Add the shrimp and remaining 1 tsp chili powder. Cook until the shrimp are opaque, 3-4 minutes. Add 2-3 minced cloves of garlic and swirl around in the pan until the garlic is fragrant.

In a small saucepan over medium-heat, melt the remaining 5 Tbsp butter.  Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in the dry white wine.

To serve, layer the quinoa mixture into the bottom of a casserole and top with a layer of the shrimp. Top with chopped parsley and drizzle with garlic butter. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Voodoo Shrimp with Spicy Polenta and Greens

I'm not sure why the original recipe developer dubbed this dish Voodoo Shrimp. Poking around a few recipes and sites, there does not seem to be one dished dubbed this title...some are skewer and grilled, some sauteed, others boiled. I found a few drenched in honey and tobasco. Other recipes calling for 2 sticks of butter. The closest recipe I could find similar to the one I based this dish off of hails from The House of Blues. The best I can tell, for this version the Voodoo comes from the beer in the stock...originally Blackened Voodoo Lager by Dixie Brewing Co.  But I'm not going to complain. The heat coupled with the mixture of flavors certainly casts in own special spell.

And beer added into the mix? Yeah, I'm netted. I do not have access to Dixie's brew, but any Schwarzbier will do in a pinch.

The spice list seems long, but you likely already have everything in the pantry. A Cajun or Creole mix would work in a pinch if need be...use about 2 Tbsps. The greens add some much needed color as well as an additional palate to sup up the great sauce. Making the spicy shrimp stock from scratch is truly worth the extra time.

adapted from Home Sweet Jones

Serves 2-3

The Ingredients:
for the shrimp
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 lb large uncooked shrimp, shelled and de-veined, (shells reserved)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 bay leaves
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
1/2 c water
6 oz black lager or Schwarzbier
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato, finely diced
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

for the polenta

2 Tbsp butter, divided

1 clove garlic, minced

1 dried de arbol chile, crushed

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup coarse ground corn meal

salt and pepper to taste

for the greens
1 Tbsp oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 bunches of green (collard, turnip, radish, spinach, etc) about 12 oz

The Process
for the shrimp

In a small bowl, combine paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne, oregano and thyme. 

Combine 1/2 the spice mix with the uncooked shrimp and toss to coat. Set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the celery, fennel, and garlic and sauté until fragrant 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp shells, remaining spice mix, bay leaves, lemon juice and zest, water, Worcestershire sauce, and beer. Bring to a boil and reduce. Simmer for 30 minutes or until reduced by about half. Strain the liquid into a measuring cup, discarding the solids. There should be about 3/4 cup of liquid. 

Return the liquid to the pot and set over medium heat. Add cream and brown sugar, shrimp, and diced tomato. Simmer until shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Whisk in the butter, basil, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

for the polenta 

Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chile. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the stock to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the remaining butter, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

for the greens
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and green onion. Saute until fragant, 1-2 minutes. Add half of the greens along with the salt and broth. Sautee until just wilted. Add the remaining greens, cover and remove from heat. Keep warm until ready to serve.

to serve

Spoon a serving of polenta on the center of each plate. Top with a generous serving of greens. Divide shrimp among the plates and ladle the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

Red Curry Risotto with Thai Shrimp and Aspargus

Dinner tonight was an exercise in time and space management. The meal came together in about 45 minutes. All of the steps involved were fairly easy. But there was a lot to keep track of. I also did not seem to have enough space to broil the shrimp and asparagus at the same time. And sadly, the constant barrage of rain kept the grill at bay. This added some stress to the time management aspect. I opted to broil the asparagus first, tenting with foil afterwards to keep the spears warm until I was ready to plate them. The hot risotto spooned over the top helped bring the spears back up to temp.

Best plan of attack: create a mise-en-scène...laying out all of your ingredients and utensils. Start the risotto and get it to that first ladelful of broth. Start the shrimp marinading. Continue stirring the risotto. Broil the asparagus. Skewer the shrimp. Continue stirring risotto. Broil the shrimp. Plate. Serve.

Collapse into the chair after that marathon of planning and prep to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

risotto adapted from Pretty Little Dishes
the shrimp and asparagus preparation are my own

serves 4

The Ingredients
for the risotto:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely diced red onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups aborio rice
3/4 cup kolsch beer (or white wine)
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp red curry paste
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt to taste

for the shrimp:
1 lb large shrimp (31-35 count), peeled and de-veined
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp peanut butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp brown sugar

for the asparagus
1 lb aspagus, trimmed
oil
coarse salt

The Process:
for the risotto
In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken stock to a gentle simmer.  Keep warm.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil.  Add the onions and garlic. Sauté over medium high heat until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the flaked coconut and rice, stir to coat evenly.

Slowly pour in the kolsch.  Lower heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring continuously.  Once the beer has been absorbed, add the warm stock, one ladleful at a time, allowing each addition to be fully absorbed before adding the next.  Patience is key.  Stir gently and continuously. 

After about half of the stock has been used, stir in the coconut milk and red curry paste, mixing until well combined.

 

Awww...curry, I love you too!

 

Continue to add the broth, one ladelful at a time.  After the last ladle of stock has been absorbed, and the rice is creamy in texture and slightly al dente, add the butter. Season with salt to taste. Remove the risotto from the heat. Cover and let rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.

for the shrimp:
Rinse the shrimp and set aside.

Whisk the remaining ingredients together to create a thick marinade. Place shrimp in a shallow bowl or zip-top bag. Pour the marinade over, coating the shrimp completely. Cover and refrigerate. Marinate at least 15 minutes, but no longer than an hour.

Preheat the broiler or grill. Remove the shrimp from the marinade. Thread onto skewers, about 4-5 per skewer. Broil or grill until shrimp are opaque and slightly charred, 3-4 minutes per side

for the asparagus
Preheat the broiler.

Lightly oil a baking sheet and spread out the asparagus in a single layer. Generously sprinkle with coarse salt. Broil 8-10 minutes, flipping once, or until the asparagus is tender and beginning to char.

to serve:
Divide the asparagus among four dinner plates, arranging the spears in a single, parallel layer. Spoon a generous scoop of risotto down the center of the spears. Top with two skewers of shrimp and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.