Blonde Pesto

Fusilli modified a Jamie Oliver recipe to make this yummy pasta. The pesto is made from crushed pine nuts (toasted), lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Full recipe after the link.

In a big bowl, smash a handful of pine nuts into bits. Could use the butt of a knife or a wooden spoon.

Pine nuts are tastier if you toast them in a pan for a few minutes first.
Add lemon zest from 1 lemon,
2-3 big spoonfuls of olive oil,
Salt and pepper,
Lemon juice from 1/4 lemon, or more if you like lemony.
Stir this together.

Boil pasta,
Add peas for the last 4 minutes if using frozen peas.
Could use corn or a mix of frozen veg.

Meanwhile saute shrimp with some olive oil and garlic. Salt the raw shrimp and then cook.

When the pasta, shrimp are done. Toss everything into the big bowl.
Can add some salt at this time, more lemon juice, more olive oil if it seems dry.
Garnish with whole pine nuts, chopped mint and grated parmagiana.

On the side I added the tall glass of sanity–Tanqueray, lime, tonic and ice.

CONTINUE READING...

Tortillitas With Shrimp

Now I know why I resisted Twitter for so long – I'm totally addicted! On the plus side, I've been following Mark Bittman and he's been sending out some gems. Today it was Tortallitas with shrimp.

Like all great comfort food, it's uncomplicated and totally satisfying. We added shrimp, cilantro and green onion and had avocado with a squeeze of lime on the side. There's a video after the link if you want to see how it's made in more detail.

CONTINUE READING...

Shrimp and Chorizo with Chickpea Purée

Here's another recipe for Jill Norman's Winter Food. This isn't a 15-minute meal, but it isn't complicated either.

On the bottom there is a chickpea and spinach puree. Over that, chorizo, and then topped with pan seared shrimp.

CONTINUE READING...

Sloppy Shrimp Salad

“Bachelor” nights are when I like to cook. That's when Fusilli is out of town, and I'm left to fend for myself. She doesn't understand why I don't cook more when she's around, which is fair, but perfectly logical from my perspective. Her food tastes better than mine.

This shrimp salad was quite good, but I think sloppy is an accurate description. The avocado was very soft, and it didn't hold up to my tossing. The shrimp were wild, and I do mean wild. I added an entire red chili, hoping to add some heat, but I didn't get any. I tossed it with lots of lime juice, zest and olive oil.

CONTINUE READING...

Niçoise Salad

My plan was to make a spinach niçoise with salmon tartare, but the salmon was a bit tough, so I sautéed it instead. You can't really see it, but spinach is hiding under that pile of salmon, shrimp, potatoes, egg, cucumber and tomato. The spinach was tossed in a lemon, yogurt, dijon and dill dressing.

I also found a nice Pinot Grigio, at the local liquor barn, that went perfectly with this pile of goodness.

CONTINUE READING...

Favourite

No doubt about it, that headline is spelled for Cupcake, our favourite neighbour to the South.

Speaking of favourite, my mom had a colonoscopy today and she was quite hungry by dinnertime so I made her favourite shrimp risotto. Also starring fennel, carrot and tarragon. It's a normal risotto recipe except that I saute the shrimp in garlic first and add them back in at the end. Another secret is a high shrimp to rice ratio. 

CONTINUE READING...

Peel & Eat Shrimp

Day 6 – Dinner: The show is over and now the vacation begins. Tonight we we're almost too tired to cook dinner after squeezing in another breakfast at The Maple Tree, floating in the pool, eating lunch, floating in the pool, and then shopping at the outlet mall.

However, the thought of going out for dinner was enough to motivate one last effort to visit the grocery store for supplies. The menu was simple, but I think this may have been my favorite meal so far.

First, a classic steak house salad – The Iceberg Wedge. This version has shredded lettuce with a blue cheese dressing. The shrimp were marinated in olive oil, garlic, and then grilled. On the side – fresh guacamole and chips. To drink – a pitcher of Margaritas.

Best of all... the shrimp were peel-and-eat. In order to maintain some degree of decorum, I started with the salad, using my knife and fork. Once that was done, it was a hands-on affair.

CONTINUE READING...

They ain't shrimp, they prawns.

I love to BBQ. It's been more than 5 years since I've had a Q so I've made up for it by cooking almost every meal since the second I could haul that badboy outta the shed this spring. Certainly a highlight this year was the Wild Gulf shrimp that Rob tipped me off to at T&J's Seafood We soaked em in some Italian dressing for about 20 mins and then tossed em on the barbie for about 2 mins a side. Perfect. It's like lobster without the hassle. This is what Charcoal Steakhouse should be serving instead of their crappy $13 shrimp cocktail. Chumps.
Oh yeah, speaking of cocktail (haha) sauce... we found fresh horseradish which I've never had before which made the sauce so much better. In addition to this we bbq'd up some bruschetta seen here:

CONTINUE READING...