shrimp

Whole Wheat BBQ Shrimp Flatbreads.

December 30, 2011 · 72 comments

Lookie here… I made you a snack!

And it’s on 100% whole wheat flatbread, because, uh… someone went through a 25-pound bag of all-purpose flour in record time while baking cookies.

K, not allll of it was used for cookies… some was used for stuff like pizza crusts and… rouxs and what not, and it was most likely purchased in the early autumn, but still… I should have just make this darn flatbread out of crushed cookies because Lord knows I have enough.

Of course I’ve been to the store like six times this week already and every single time I’ve forgot the stupid flour. My laziness was at an all time high yesterday when I was still in the parking lot of the grocery store, one foot in the car and the other on the ground, thinking, “crap! I forgot the flour AGAIN.”

Then instead of running back in and buying some while I stood a mere sprint away, I got in my little car and played my little radio and drove my little self right back home. Whyyyyyy? I figured I’d have to make do with what was shoved in my “pantry.” Otherwise known as the corner of my family room floor. Not joking.

I usually like my crusts best when made with a 50/50 mix of whole wheat pastry flour and all-purpose – they stay fluffy and crisp but have a bit of texture and chewy grain, which I just adore. I’m such a texture person it’s DISGUSTING.

So I was pleasantly surprised (after I was unpleasantly angry from burning the crap out of my mouth) when the first bite tasted like crispy, cheesy crackers, just piled with tons of flavor on top. I can do cheese.

You should definitely do one of four things:

1. Make this for New Years… triple batch please.

2. Make this for dinner next week. It’s healthy… duh!

3. Make this for me. I’m hungry.

4. Get really drunk and make this at 4am. I bet it would taste soooo good then.

Deal?

Great. That’s why I love you.

Whole Wheat BBQ Shrimp Flatbreads

[bread slightly adapted from gourmet]

serves 2+, is easily multiplied for appetizers

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil + more for brushing

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

2 ounces cheddar cheese, freshly grated

2 ounces mozzarella cheese, freshly grated

1/2 pound raw + deveined shrimp (I used large pieces and cut them in half)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped

2 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

cilantro + scallions for topping

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a bowl, mix shrimp with onion powder and paprika.

In a bowl, combine flours, salt, pepper and baking powder, and mix until combined. Add water and olive oil, then mix until a dough forms – I used my hands to bring it together. Place dough on a lightly floured workspace, then roll it is a very thin (rustic) rectangle. Place it on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, until it just begins to crisp.

Remove bread from oven and brush with a bit of olive oil. Spoon on 2-3 tablespoons of BBQ sauce, then add on garlic, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Add shrimp, onion and pepper, then top with crumbled gorgonzola and the remaining BBQ sauce.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and the outside edges of the bread is golden. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes, then top with cilantro and scallions.

Note: you can easily use all-purpose flour (or a 50/50 mix) for the bread!

You know what you should finish this off with? BROWN BUTTER ICE CREAM. Yes. I know.

{ 72 comments }

Fresh Corn Chowder with Barbecue Shrimp.

August 31, 2011 · 123 comments

I’m not a super creative person.

I believe that I swung on a few branches of the creativity tree but then lost my balance, bumped my head, and fell managing to miss every branch on the way down. My parents probably figured this out when I demanded on being Jem for the 6th Halloween in a row, but whatever… I liked sparkly pink wigs.

And you might not believe me, but it’s true.

I’d love to tell you that many of my culinary creations are the result of some seriously innovative brainstorming, buuuut…. they aren’t. They are often a consequence of determining what I haven’t made yet, what ingredients I can throw together that won’t bore me to tears, what I can make to avoid something too vegetabley and what isn’t utterly disgusting when combined. Because sometimes sour cream, mango and bacon just isn’t a good idea.

And there are other things too.

I lack all fashion sense. For real. I love clothes and you surely know my stance on shoes, but I can’t put something trendily cute together to save my soul. Just give me black.

I’m terribly bad at decorating too. I blame it on my annoyingly naive expensive taste, but I just don’t know what looks good together. Any time I attempt creative decor, our home looks like it is an art project completed by the preschool down the street.

And! We all know I don’t do crafts. No.freaking.way.

The only time I ever feel that stroke of genius is when I dip a spoon in a jar of peanut butter and smother it with chocolate chips.

So when I’m lacking ideas for dinner I’ll usually ask my mom for suggestions. She only makes a few of the same meals over and over again but she has quite an arsenal of recipes. Not only are her cupboards and drawers nearly busting open with boxes and bags filled with aloha cakes and steak marinades, but she is a serial newspaper clipper. After spending a portion of her morning reading the obituaries [fascinating... I hope I don't inherit this trait from Mother Lovett] and doing the jumble, she cuts out all sorts of delicious looking things to add to her endless stacks that I totally steal. Which, thank goodness I do steal… or else my dad would be forced to take the bridge and you’d only see her, my brothers and me on Hoarders.

When she mentioned this corn chowder a few weeks ago, I stubbornly decided that it just didn’t sound good to me and there was nooo way I was making it. I brushed it off like the incredibly gross thousand-leg creeper centipede that I found CRAWLING UP MY LEG YESTERDAY (I know!!) and banned it to the I-will-never-ever-make-you-pile while eyeing up a sangria ingredients list. Priorities people.

But then the weirdest thing happened. I started craving this corn chowder. This dumb corn chowder that I had never even heard of and had no desire to make. It was all I could think about and kept me up until the wee hours of the morning this past weekend (well, maybe the Kardashians had something to do with that – are they ever not on TV?) and caused me to drink a giant coffee milkshake for breakfast the next day so I wouldn’t have to hold my eyes open with toothpicks.

Why are moms always right?

Fresh Corn Chowder with Bacon + Barbecue Shrimp

adapted from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

serves 4-6

4 slices of bacon

1 small onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons flour

1 cup of diced potatoes (2 yukon gold potatoes worked)

4 cups of fresh corn cut off the cob (this took 7 medium cobs for me)

2 cups of chicken stock

2 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup cream or half and half

1/2 pound of raw peeled and deveined shrimp

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

salt & pepper

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon slices and cook until crispy and golden brown. Remove bacon and let drain on a paper towel. Add onions and peppers to the pot with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Whisk in the flour, cooking for 1-2 minutes or until flour becomes golden in color and smells a bit nutty. Add chicken stock, potatoes, and corn. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.

While soup is simmering (or before or after or whenever is convenient for you), heat your grill on the highest setting. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, brush with a thin layer or barbecue sauce, then cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from grill and toss with remaining barbecue sauce.

Once soup has slightly thickened and the potatoes have started to break down, stir in milk and cream. Add 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, then season according to your tastes. Serve in bowls topped with the crumbled bacon and shrimp. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

For my next bowl, I’m just going to use the ladle as my spoon. This was irresistible.

{ 123 comments }

Crispy Shrimp Sandwiches.

August 26, 2011 · 110 comments

I want to bake you cookies.

Well, really… I want to make you a sandwich. Like… this one. Then bake you cookies. Maybe like a picnic type thing? We can drink Coke out of glass bottles with pretty red and white straws and watch ants crawl on our legs. I’ve never even been on a picnic. Don’t you feel bad now? No joke when I tell you I live in a bubble. Someone get me a blanket, a basket and a plane ticket to Greece. That should pop it.

But I don’t think we can take this sandwich on our picnic. This sandwich should be made and promptly eaten, if for no other reason than you’ll look really ridiculous with drool dripping down your chin. And for someone who doesn’t like mayo (me… and likely you), I’m pretty sure you will like this. It’s filled with cheese after all. And green stuff that will make you feel healthy.

I thought maybe I’d grown out of my crispy shrimp phase when it had been 3 whole days since I’d eaten those tacos, but then I found these personal ciabatta sandwich rolls at my grocery store and they said… “stuff some crispy shrimp into my fat, fluffy rolls please. Please. Do it now!” Seriously. I do what I’m told.

Then I listened to Pumped Up Kicks 34 times and danced in my kitchen trying to figure out the words. The first 12 times I sang “pumped up kiss” then the next 22 changed it to “pumped up kids.” Thank God for google.

And lunch.

If you’re feeling frisky you can use whatever bread you have on hand or do something whacked like make this into pasta. Or maybe even serve it on a salad, but honestly – why would you want to do that?! Don’t ruin it.

And you might not want to wear a bikini on our picnic because… I totally fried these shrimps in bacon grease. BEST SHRIMPS EVER. It’s like a shrimp BLT, but better. Times a million.

Crispy Shrimp Sandwiches

makes 4 sandwiches & is easily multiplied/halved

1 pound of peeled and deveined raw shrimp

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 slices bacon

1/2 avocado, chopped

lettuce for garnish (I used butter lettuce)

4 sandwich rolls/breads/buns of choice, preferably toasted

Combine flour, paprika, garlic and chili powder in a large bowl and mix. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add bacon and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is golden and crispy. Remove and let drain on a paper towel. Do not turn off heat.

Quickly salt and pepper the shrimp, the toss in the flour mixture (I actually “tossed” mine and this went much quicker and just as successful as dredging it). Working in batches, add shrimp to the skillet and cook until golden on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

Combine shrimp, avocado and crumble the bacon into a bowl and lightly mix to create a sticky “salad” of sorts. Spread bread of your choice with parmesan mayo, garnish with lettuce, then stack on the shrimp. Serve with a fork and fruit on the side.

Parmesan Tarragon Mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Spread on sandwiches. Can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an air-tight container.

You want one of these. Trust me.

{ 110 comments }

Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes, Basil and Brie.

Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes, Basil and Brie heavily adapted from Things Cooks Love serves 2-4 1 pound raw, peeled, deveined shrimp 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup dry white wine 4-5 ounces soft brie cheese, cut into chunks a bunch of fresh basil, some chopped and some left whole chopped fresh parsley lemon wedges for serving crusty bread salt and pepper Make sure shrimp are completely dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Spray a baking dish [mine was 8x8] with non-stick spray and add in shrimp, then scatter tomatoes, butter chunks, garlic and some parsley and basil (reserving some for garnish). Pour in a 1/3 cup of dry white wine. Heat the broiler on your oven (mine does not require pre-heating, if yours does, do the step first) and place shrimp directly underneath. Broil for 4-5 minutes, or until shrimp appears to be pink in color and tomatoes are popping. Remove dish from oven and sprinkle brie cheese chunks over top. Place back in the oven and broil for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Remove from oven and let [...]

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Crispy Shrimp and Mango Spring Rolls. [or Lettuce Wraps.]

Crispy Shrimp Spring Rolls serves 2-4 1 pound of raw, deveined shrimp (I also butterfly mine) 1 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 mango, peeled and sliced into matchsticks 1 bunch of bibb lettuce or rainbow chard leaves 2 seedless cucumbers, peeled and chopped 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped 1 bunch of cilantro 12 rice paper wrappers (optional) In a bowl, combine flour with salt and pepper. Dredge each shrimp through the flour to lightly coat. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add shrimp and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, just until they develop a light, golden coating. Remove shrimp and set aside on a paper towel. Cut mango, cucumbers and avocado, and set them in a bowls in an assembly line. Wash and dry lettuce or chard, tearing it into smaller leaves if needed. You can fill the leaves with the shrimp, mango, cucumber and avocado mixture and stop here if desired. If using the rice paper wrappers, fill a 9 x 13 pan with water. Dip each wrapper in the pan for a second and lay on a paper towel to dry. [...]

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Holiday Appetizers 101: Firecracker Shrimp.

Update your readers! http://feeds.feedburner.com/howsweeteats/smSp This is a spicy twist on traditional shrimp cocktail. It is also fantastic with pasta, rice, or stir fry veggies. Not that I can testify to it being with great with veggies, since I detest them, but I’m sure it is for those of you veggie lovers. I mix everything together in a large baking dish. This doesn’t look very appetizing, but it is. Trust me. The shrimp gets tossed with the sauce, then topped with lemons. When cooking with shrimp, I prefer to use raw as often as possible. I feel that it soaks up more flavor. However, it is not readily available everyday around here. Cooked shrimp is, and I just happened to have a bag of it. Peeling and deveining shrimp also drives me batty. It is one of those things I don’t have the patience for. I’d rather scoop my eyeballs out with a slotted spoon. And I know what you’re thinking. Now you know the truth. Zero patience. That’s me. Just imagine how much fun it is to live with me! So, once the shrimp [...]

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