Category: Fish and Seafood
Greek Pasta with Feta and Shrimp
| May 7, 2012 | Filled under Fish and Seafood, Light, Pasta and Noodles, Quick Weeknight Meals, special projects |
Lipman Produce recently asked eleven bloggers to create a recipe for their new consumer web site, Lipman Kitchen. Lipman is a family-owned company that’s been around since the 1930′s but, until now, their tomatoes never had a “brand” associated with them. They’re actually North America’s largest growers of field tomatoes, so there’s a good chance that you’ve eaten their tomatoes without knowing it!
It’s funny, but other than looking to see if produce at the grocery store is local or not, I’ve never really considered where it comes from or who grew it. It never occurred to me that all of the tomatoes on the shelf might not have come from the same place (unlike say, in the meat section where I know the pork all comes from the same major producer unless the label indicates otherwise). Now, with their consumer launch, Lipman tomatoes in the Northeast and in South Florida will be identified with signs, stickers, and packaging. While I’m not sure how I feel about branding produce, I like that it made me think about where it comes from. Read More
Shrimp + Grits with Creole Cream Sauce
| April 15, 2012 | Filled under Fish and Seafood, Lent, Quick Weeknight Meals, Shawn's Favorites |
Sometimes I come up with ridiculously complicated recipes with ingredient lists a mile long. I know, it’s incredibly annoying. Other times, I get into the mood for simple food. As long as you use good, quality ingredients, you really don’t need to use a million spices and seasonings to make things taste good. Lately, I’ve been in a simple kind of mood.
I’m taking a class about food blogging right now, and this afternoon I listened to an interview with Molly from Orangette. She commented that as she became more interested in food and cooking, she became less and less interested in fancy ingredients and food trends and focused more on the simply joy of eating something like cheese and crackers. Read More
Shrimp and Grits with Creole Cream Sauce
Yields 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutesOne afternoon last month, Shawn called on his way home from work and asked if he should pick up something to make for dinner – he knew that I didn’t have anything planned. I told him that I’d cook, but I really didn’t have any ideas. I asked him to just grab whatever looked god and I’d figure out something to make. When I finally got home, I found that he had purchased a pound of shrimp, a block of monterey jack, and a carton of grits. I guess he knew what he wanted!
I’d never made shrimp and grits before (and had only ever eaten it once!) so I consulted a few friends on twitter for guidance. I added a pepper that I had the the fridge and, taking a cue from the menu at New World, made a spicy Creole cream sauce to blanket everything with. The resulting dish might not be traditional, but it definitely hit the spot.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Water
- 1 cup quick cooking Grits
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 pound peeled and deveined Shrimp
- 1 Tablespoon dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- ¼ cup Skim Milk
- ¼ cup Tomato Juice (from a can of tomatoes)
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, or more to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 Onion, chopped
Preparation
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the grits. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
- Meanwhile, combine the shrimp, oregano, thyme, and a little salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the shrimp until it is thoroughly coated.
- Melt the butter in a small pan set over high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until it’s lightly tanned – like the color of coffee with cream. Slowly whisk in the milk. Stir in the tomato juice and cayenne.
- Add the oil to a skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp. Cook for a few minutes, or until the spices begin to brown. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pepper and onion. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
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