Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! While I didn't make this dish for Mardi Gras specifically, it could still sort of work. It has shrimp in it anyways.

Ok, so I made this for Valentine's Day, I'm just a slacker and just now getting around to posting it. Whatever you make it for, it's quite yummy and easy to put together. Make up a holiday if you need to. Sometimes you need to spruce up a Wednesday night just so you can get through the rest of the week.

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini
Adapted from Tyler Florence

1 pound fresh linguini
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions
For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates. Cook pasta for 2-3 minutes. (If using dried pasta, cook per package directions.) Drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine, heavy cream and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.


Printable version

Shrimp Mac and Cheese

Why hello, 2010! Nice to meet you. Hopefully you're a nice year and not a bad year. Brian brought up an interesting point the other night. He said that he heard a man say "I don't pray for a better year when the new year rolls around, because God always ends up making my year bad to prove how blessed I was the year before. Now I just say that I pray I'm blessed in the new year." Very wise and very true.

But, I digress.

This mac and cheese was made on New Year's Eve as a way to say "Bye bye fattening foods. Hello, diet." I realize I'm showing you this late and that most have probably begun some sort a diet regimen (I know I have). But, keep this recipe in mind for, oh let's say, March when the diet is out the window. :)

The original recipe calls for lobster, but at 5:15pm on New Years Eve, I didn't want to hunt down lobster, so I opted for frozen shrimp, which was equally delicious.

Lobster/Shrimp Mac and Cheese
Source: The Neelys

4 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing dish
Kosher salt
1 pound penne pasta
2 small shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar
2 cups shredded Gruyere
2 (8-ounce) raw lobster tails, defrosted if frozen, meat removed from shell, chopped OR one bag frozen shrimp, defrosted, and chopped
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust racks to the middle. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with butter.

In a large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve.

Add 4 tablespoons butter to a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter shimmers, add the shallots and garlic and saute until translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the tomato paste and flour and stir to toast, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce, by half, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the cream, whisking well to remove any lumps. Add the paprika, cayenne, and bay leaf. Bring the cream up to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Let reduce until the cream is thick and can coat a spoon, about 5 to 10 minutes. When thickened, remove the bay leaves.

Stir in the grated cheeses, a handful at a time, combining well after each addition. Add the chopped lobster meat to the sauce and stir well. Add the pasta and stir. Add to the greased baking dish and sprinkle with the panko crumbs and parsley. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.


Printable version

Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce

Hello world! Miss me? Just say yes. :)

Can you believe Christmas is 17 days away?!?!? Wow! This is the time of year for holiday parties, get-togethers, dinners at various family members' homes, and all out festivities. Now is the time of year to throw the diet out the window and be happy.

Well, it shouldn't be that time of year, but who says I can't try and make myself feel better?

I've been wanting to make this dish for a LONG time but there's always been that one ingredient that's made me leery...clam juice. Eww. I didn't know if I could bring myself to make a wonderful pasta dish and then ruin it with clam juice. Nothing against clams, I'm sure they're lovely. It's just not my cup of tea.

However, I saw this on Food Network over the weekend and I just had to try the dish. I had to have it and have been thinking about it since Sunday morning. So I went to the grocery store after work Monday night and was all prepared to be adventurous. Then fate stepped in and my store was out of clam juice. Darn. So I made it without it. Honestly, I don't feel like it needs the clam juice, so I will continue to be stubborn and leave that pesky ingredient out. Feel free to try the recipe with the clam juice and let me know how it tastes.

Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce

Source: Giada

1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
1/3 cup clam juice (Or if you're a wuss like me, leave it out)
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and set aside.

Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 cup parsley, and the red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice (if using), and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp, the cooked pasta, and the remaining herbs. Toss together until all ingredients are coated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. The sauce will still be runny, but it will thicken as it stands.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

Spicy Shrimp Creole

My family is from Louisiana. My mom was born in northern Louisiana and my dad was born in southern Louisiana. I was also born in southern Louisiana. My poor brother was born in Mississippi, but he's Cajun at heart, and we can't fault him for where my parents were living at the time. :) Growing up, we had a lot of Cajun/Creole food. My mom had to learn how make most of it after she and my dad got married, because she didn't grow up eating Cajun food.

The first time my Maw Maw (my mom's mom) had this she said "It's good, but it sure is hot!" My mom said that of course, I didn't mind the heat since I was a little Cajun.

I honestly, don't think it's all that hot, but I eat a lot of spicy things. Rotel tomatoes come in different strengths, so you can go with whatever your family likes to eat.

Spicy Shrimp Creole
Source: My mom

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 Tbsp. minced parsley

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup water

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (10 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. salt

Hot, cooked rice

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over high heat; add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Reduce heat; stir in shrimp and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, onion, parsley, and green pepper; cook 2 minutes. Gradually add water, stirring constantly; cook over medium heat until thickened. Stir in tomato sauce, Rotel tomatoes, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot rice.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

When Brian asked me what I was making for dinner, I replied with "Barbecue Shrimp." He looked at me and said "Oh, ok. So are you using the grill?" I told him no and he gave me a quizzical look and said "Oh, are you making barbecue sauce?" Nope. He just shrugged his shoulders, gave in to the confusion and walked off.

You see, New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp has nothing to do with grilling or barbecue sauce. It does have something to do with butter. A whole stick of butter.

Feel your arteries clogging yet? I know I do!

You must serve this shrimp with french bread so that you can soak up the sauce with the bread. Yum. It's the only way.

BBQ Shrimp
2 pounds shrimp
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 - 2 Tbsp. hot sauce
1 -2 Tbsp. Cajun Seasoning (Recommend Tony Chachere's)
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the butter, wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic, lemon juice and seasonings in a large bowl. Pour about half the mixture into a large baking dish. Place the shrimp into the baking dish and pour remaining sauce on top of shrimp. Bake for 20 minutes or until shrimp are pink, stirring twice. Serve with french bread for dipping.

Grilled Shrimp

Is there anything better in the summer than grilled shrimp? I think not.

We had a cold front come through over the weekend, which made temperatures seem like fall. It was a very nice change from the 110 degree heat index we had for about a week straight. In order to take full advantage of the cooler temperatures, I decided to use the grill and grill some shrimp and vegetables.

The shrimp are very simple. I got the recipe from here and it's now become my go-to grilled shrimp recipe.

I take two bags of frozen peeled and deveined shrimp and marinate them in Italian Dressing. If they are still frozen, leave them in the dressing for at least 6 hours. However, I like to thaw them out just by running cold water over them for about 10 minutes before putting them in the dressing. Before you are ready to grill, skewer the shrimp and sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning or Tony Chachere's. I like to use metal skewers, but if you have wooden skewers, they would work fine too. Just be sure to soak them in water to prevent them from burning on the grill. Place shrimp on the grill and when they are opaque, take them off and enjoy!