Roast With The Most

After years of languishing on my shelf relatively unused (except, of course, for chili) I've finally gotten into the groove of looking to my slow-cooker for help. I've used it more this year than ever before, which has taken some of the heat off of my oven and stove top, and also made for super easy clean-up. But as the days turn slightly warmer, I'm reminded that soon I'll turn to the stove in anger for heating up an already sweltering kitchen. And as I mentioned in a recent post, putting dinner on the table this winter has become a much easier feat thanks to my new penchant for oven roasting. And it was roasting to the rescue once again as I finally tried out a wonderful new technique for oven roasting shrimp. I love shrimp, but they always seem to either be boiled or sauteed in oil. Boiling and steaming doesn't do much for their flavor and in fact can extract flavor, which is great for a stock, but not for shrimp. Sautéing is great if you're eating shrimp on their own, but not if you mean to add them to a sauce. Cooking them in a sauce is okay, but doesn't develop any extra flavor.
 
A few months ago I saw a great tip on Ina Garten's new show, Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics. I don't normally watch her show, but on this particular lazy weekend morning I was drawn in by her recipe for shrimp cocktail. Instead of boiling or steaming her shrimp she tossed them with a little olive oil, placed them on a sheet pan and threw them in the oven to roast. In roasting them she was able to develop flavor (the shrimp caramelize a bit on the sheet pan) and also contain flavor by not boiling it out into the water. Her method also allows the shrimp to cook quickly, taking only 5-6 minutes even in the oldest and most uneven of ovens (and mine's one of them). There's no waiting for a pot to boil—just turn on the oven and let it preheat while you prep your other food, or even while you peel and devein the shrimp (if you've bought them with the shell). Because shrimp cook so easily and so quickly with this method, they're great for entertaining. The host of a Christmas party I attended this year used Ina's shrimp cocktail recipe and it was a huge hit. The fact that she could have another batch of shrimp on the table in 5 minutes made it easy for her to make more when the plate was inevitably licked clean by me all her guests. 
 
I've really taken to this method, especially for pasta dishes. After all, the stove-top can often become precious real estate when pasta is involved, with a big pasta pot on one burner, a sauce pan on another, and possibly a protein on a third, all vying for space, not to mention your attention. I most recently roasted shrimp to serve atop a puttanesca-style sauce (the ultimate pantry clean-out sauce) and found that having one less thing to watch on the stove was perfect. In fact, as long as your oven is pre-heated, you could pretty much cook everything in advance and not worry about the shrimp until your burners are just about off. I made my sauce and boiled the linguine, leaving my olive oil coated shrimp on a sheet pan ready for action. By the time the pasta was al dente I simply chucked the sheet pan into the oven, taking the five minutes that the shrimp would roast to drain my pasta and fold it into the sauce. By then the five minutes had passed and the shrimp were pink, plump and juicy, with slightly caramelized edges. All that was left to do was to top the plated pasta with the shrimp and serve. The whole dish took about 30 minutes including all of the chopping and prep work, which is pretty good for something so flavorful. A lot of that is thanks to the roasting technique, which explains why restaurants like roasting so much. Below is the easy-peasy recipe for oven roasted shrimp (good for a myriad uses) in addition to my easy pasta puttanesca with roasted shrimp.
 
Oven Roasted Shrimp
 
Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Peel and devein shrimp and toss with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Spread shrimp out in one layer on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 5-6 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
 
Pasta Puttanesca with Oven-Roasted Shrimp
makes 2 generous portions or 4 first course portions
 
16 large, uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb linguine (I like whole wheat)
2 cups crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 oz jar oil-packed anchovies, finely chopped, oil reserved
2 Tbsp capers
4 basil leaves, torn into pieces, plus more for garnish
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup pitted olives, roughly chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt
 
1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Toss shrimp with a drizzle of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside on a baking sheet.
 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet along with 1 tablespoon of the reserved anchovy oil. Add anchovies and cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes or until beginning to dissolve. Add onions and garlic and cook another two minutes, careful not to brown them. Add capers, olives and oregano, cook a minute further, then add tomatoes and basil. Simmer over low heat until pasta is cooked though.
 
3. When the pasta is done, put shrimp in the oven and bake for 5-6 minutes. Drain pasta (reserve 1 cup of pasta water) and add to the sauce, tossing to combine. Add reserved pasta water as necessary to thin out sauce. Plate and top with roasted shrimp and finely sliced basil. Enjoy!
 
-Laura

Let There Be Light

Although I spend a good part of the summer longing for the fall chill that ushers in my cashmere wrap sweaters and riding boots (and my three meat chili, clam chowder, lamb chops, and a multitude of purees), I very much enjoy the ease of many summer dishes. And while a big bowl of cheddar cheese-topped chili is quite comforting on a cold day, there's nothing better during the warm summer months than an easy, breezy dish that's as light in effort as it is on the waistline. One of my favorite proteins to make that happen is seafood. Everything from fish to shellfish is a great option for fast and easy light dishes. Whether you want to roast in the oven, grill or sauté on the stove top, seafood can be both fast and healthy. I'd spotted a delicious shrimp taco recipe in Real Simple--my favorite new quick recipe source--that utilized cabbage, corn and hot peppers, all of which were currently taking up quite a bit of space in my fridge. It was a tasty and refreshing way to spend a hot night at home without feeling bogged down.

After months of dealing with finding new and exciting ways to serve cabbage, this recipe finally gave me something that I'd be more than happy to make again, and will definitely become a staple in my cabbage repertoire. These shrimp tacos utilize cabbage by making a simple slaw using fresh corn, jalapeños and a few spoonfuls of sour cream. The citrus was a welcome bit of fresh and sweet flavor that made this slaw stand apart from the often times cloying and mayonnaise ridden cole slaw that pops up in the summer. The ingredients added up to a flavorful slaw that was surprisingly waistline friendly for the serious flavor punch it packed (sweet, tart, and spicy--yum). And for once I didn't mind using something reduced fat, since I do find that certain brands of sour cream make really tasty, rich products despite being reduced fat (Daisy is especially good). The recipe says to let stand for at least 10 minutes, but I like using napa cabbage which has a little less crunch than a regular cabbage, so I went ahead and used it immediately.

Once I had the slaw down all that was left was to cook the shrimp. I added a few bay scallops to the mix just to add something else, and their sweetness was definitely a welcome addition that contrasted really nicely with the tart and spicy feel of the slaw. I gave the proteins a very light dusting of cumin and ground coriander since the recipe only called for salt and pepper, and I like for my tacos to have a hint of earthiness. They cooked up super fast, even beating the tortillas which I was just warming up wrapped in a kitchen towel. This dish made me quite happy, and the leftovers were good too (they made it all the way to work for lunch and held up great--just keep the tortillas separate and dry). I've posted the original recipe here minus my tweaks because I think the base recipe is a really good starting point for personalization. If you like lots of spice you can definitely kick that up a notch with more fresh chilies or a hint of your favorite hot sauce. If you like it tart, replace the orange juice with lemon or lime juice. Take it and make it your own. Whatever you do, keep it light and you'll have an amazing meal on your hands (you'll definitely get up for seconds).

Shrimp Tacos With Citrus Cabbage Slaw
adapted from Real Simple

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 small cabbage (8 ounces), shredded
1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears, or frozen and thawed)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
8 small flour tortillas, warmed

1. In a large bowl, whisk the orange and lime juices, sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the cabbage, corn, and jalapeño and toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Serve the shrimp with the tortillas and the slaw. Enjoy!

-Laura

Patience Is A Virtue

While it's not always true, sometimes good things are worth the wait. I often times have an ingredient at home that I'm dying to use. Maybe because it's I've been waiting months for it to be in season, or because I had it at a restaurant, or because it's new to me and I want to play with it. Other times it's something that I love that I just don't see being used often enough. That's exactly what happened months ago when I realized that I loved Israeli couscous, but rarely saw it in use. I'd occasionally see it pop up under a flank steak or lamb shank, but otherwise it was pretty much absent from any menu. So, I took matters into my own hands and headed over to the Greek spice shop that hides in the shadow of Port Authority. Inside were grains, spices and beans sold by the pound at very affordable prices. After scooping a few pounds of Israeli couscous into a brown paper bag I paid for my purchase and happily headed home. 

For months the bag sat on my pantry shelf, looming over me and begging to be used. Try as I might to work it into the many recipes I make a week, it never seemed to make the cut, and I suddenly understood why I wasn't seeing much of it elsewhere either. Fortunately, I never allowed myself to forget about it, because all I needed was the right inspiration to come up with an idea. Flipping through a few back issues of Real Simple, I came across a story about easy dinners. One of them was a lemony shrimp dish with white beans over traditional couscous. It was the perfect dish to serve over Israeli couscous, and just like that, I'd found a great use for my secret ingredient. The one thing I knew I had to do was to add a little more zip and flavor to the Israeli couscous. While I do like it plain, simply salted and drizzled with olive oil, the shrimp and beans were in such a light and simple sauce (lemon butter sauce), that I wanted something that would bring added flavor to the dish and not just come off as a bland carb component. So, I added a little saffron to the water I cooked the couscous in to give it that little extra Mediterranean flair and flavor. It also gave it a gorgeous amber hue that looked great against the coral shrimp and pale beans. 

The dish wasn't quite done in 20 minutes as promised (those fresh jumbo shrimp weren't going to peel themselves), but it certainly was very fast in light of how much you get for the 30 minutes or so it actually takes to prepare. It's super well rounded, very tasty, and great to make for company. Not to mention, it's a very light and complete meal that does a great job of ushering in warmer weather (I can totally imagine eating this outside with a glass of great white wine). I switched up a few other minor things, like using less scallions (4 seemed excessive for the portion) and adding a little olive oil to the butter to keep it from burning, and also to use a little less butter. Everything else was great, and the dish stands to become a new staple for me. The beans were a great idea, and a great bit of added protein and sweetness. I could even see the dish working with other types of beans, even black beans or another legume like chick peas. You could dress it up a number of ways, maybe by adding fresh tomatoes in the summer and a little white wine in the sauce. Olives or capers would add a tasty bit of sour bite, too, not to mention what anchovies would add to the simple butter sauce. In the end, it was more than worth the wait for my couscous to finally flourish into the perfect, easy dish. Hopefully others will have the same epiphany, and in the meantime, I'll keep using this wonderful ingredient as much as possible. Here's what I ended up doing:

Lemon-Butter Shrimp with White Beans and Saffron Scented Israeli Couscous

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

3 cups of water

3-4 strands of saffron

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1 lb medium or jumbo shrimp, peeled

1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

juice of 1 lemon

salt 

pepper

1. Bring salted water to a rolling boil and add Israeli couscous and saffron. Cook uncovered until couscous is done (soft but still al dente), about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat butter, olive oil, garlic and scallions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 30 seconds, then add shrimp and cook until pink and done, about 2 minutes. Add beans, lemon juice, and parsley, season everything with salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.

3. Drain couscous (you can reserve the liquid for a soup, rice or regular couscous) and plate, topping with shrimp and bean mixture. Enjoy!

-Laura