Spanish Chorizo & Shrimp Paella

Weekend trips home always mean one thing: cooking! Not just throwing together a quick supper, cooking. My dad in particular is quite fond of making a big production of it. We can easily turn a dinner into an all afternoon affair. Not really because it's necessary, it's really just an excuse to catch up & spend time together.

In anticipation of their upcoming trip to Spain he decided paella would fit the bill. Paella can be a simple dish, but if you're in the mood for a challenge you can easily make an afternoon of it & that's just what we did. Simmering home-made shrimp stock, warming coals for the grill, dicing veggies.  

Chorizo & Shrimp Paella, serves 6

2 spanish chorizo sausages, sliced thickly

1 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined, peels reserved for stock, optional

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow onion, diced

2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. frozen sweet peas

2 stalks fresh thyme

a generous pinch of saffron threads

1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (pimenton)

1 bay leaf

1 c. clam juice

2 c. water

3 c. chicken stock

4 c. short grain Spanish rice or arborio rice

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

up to 1/4 c. olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Begin by peeling & deveining the shrimp. Set the shrimp aside & reserve the shells. Over medium-low heart combine the chicken stock, water & clam juice in a sauce pan. Add the shrimp shells, saffron, Old Bay, the bay leaf & a pinch of salt & pepper. Simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes & up to an hour. Once warmed through & fragrant, strain, discard shells etc. & keep warm over low heat.

Meanwhile, if using  grill, which I highly recommend (it adds a really fantastic smokey flavor), heat the coals. If not, heat your stove to high heat. Once the grill or stove is hot throw the chorizo a cast iron skillet (this is important, it really adds a nice flavor & can take really high heat) & sauté for a minute or two until they have slightly browned. Remove them from the pan & set aside. 

Toss in a big drizzle of olive oil & scrape up any browned bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the onion & sauté until translucent (about 2 minutes). Add the peppers & tomatoes & cook another 3 minutes until they've softened. Add the garlic, thyme & half of the parsley & sauté until fragrant (about 45 seconds to a minute). 

While the veggies cook scoot the pan over to one side of the grill & grill the shrimp on the other side (about 1 1/2 minutes per side). If cooking stove top, sauté the shrimp in another pan for a few minutes until cooked through with a bit of salt & pepper. Set aside & reserve.

Throw the rice in & cook until it becomes opaque (the rice has a tiny bit of translucency to it & cooking it for a few minutes should make it appear opaque) & is coated with oil. Once your rice is ready add a bit of the warm shrimp stock & stir to loosen any bits that have stuck to the pan. Tuck the chorizo & shrimp into the rice/veggie mixture. At this point, stirring is no longer necessary & is traditionally avoided. Now, add the broth one 1/2 c. at a time letting each bit absorb before adding more. Continue this process until the stock is all absorbed.In the last few minutes, sprinkle the top with peas.

Serve up immediately & garnish with remaining parsley.

Commander's Palace Shrimp with Tasso, Five Pepper Jelly & Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

Vacations were rather limited this summer. Quick trips back home & a weekend get away or two were about it. So, for now I'll have to live vicariously though my parents little vacation to New Orleans. Though I haven't heard much about their trip other than their meal at the infamous Commander's Palace. An institution since 1880, their menu zeros in on Creole & American favorites. Apparently this particular meal changed my dad's life. More times than I can count, my dad has proclaimed he's just eaten the "best meal of his life." He remembers them all. Homemade gnocchi & wood fired pizza in Little Italy. Street tacos in San Miguel. Chuck wagon style Sunday brunches of fried chicken & biscuits in Buffalo Gap, TX. Oysters on the half-shell & martinis on the Gulf. He means it too, so when he came back from New Orleans touting his latest "best meal of his life" I was sure it was good. Singularly the best meal of his life, who knows, but certainly among them. Something of a somber hush comes over him & his eyes get starry when discussing this dish. Without hyperbole he emphasizes that this, Commander's Palace Shrimp with Tasso, Five Pepper Jelly & Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc, was truly the best meal he'd ever had. And, after painstakingly recreating it at home, deveining shrimp, chopping tasso ham & mincing a mountain of pepper into tiny bits, to the tune of seriously pepper burned hands, I might ad, I believe him. I might even be the best meal I've ever had. Burns be damned.

Shrimp & Tasso, serves 6 - 8

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace

36 jumbo shrimp, shelled & deveined

6 oz. spicy tasso, julienne into 1" strips (can be found in speciality meat markets)

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. vegetable oil

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Make a 1/4" incision down the back of each shrimp & place one strip of tasso in each incision. Secure with a toothpick. Lightly dust each shrimp with seasoned flour & fry in oil until golden (about 1.5 - 2 minutes on each side).

Five Pepper Jelly

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace
1 each red, yellow & green bell peppers, finely diced
1 jalapeño

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 oz. karo light syrup
6 oz. white vinegar

salt to taste

Put light syrup and vinegar in a pot and reduce until sticky (about 2 - 4 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and cook until the peppers are soft (about 5 minutes). Add salt to taste.

Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace
5 oz. Crystal hot sauce (or similar hot sauce, such as tabasco)

1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
2 oz. heavy cream
1 1/2 lb. butter
Saute garlic and shallots in a pan with a little butter until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add crystal hot sauce and reduce by 75% (about 4 minutes). Add cream and reduce again by 50% (about 3 minutes). Slowly whip in softened butter a little at a time until all butter is mixed in (5 minutes more).

Placed cooked shrimp in a bowl with Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc sauce and toss until well coated. Serve over a bed of white rice (I prefer Basmati) & drizzle with Five Pepper Jelly.

Simple Supper: Jalapeño Citrus Salmon

Admittedly, between summer goings on cooking can slip by the wayside. I've found it tough to stay committed to meal making every evening. There are taco stands to pillage, burgers to devour, beaches to plunder, concerts to attend, beers to sip ... you get the picture. So, next time you find yourself drawn out of the kitchen by summer's many distractions give this quick, light recipe a try. Bright grapefruit & sharp jalapeño dress up an everyday piece of salmon & it doesn't weigh you down. Not to mention, you'll have it done in less time than it takes you to wait in line for those irresistible tacos.

Jalapeño Citrus Salmon, for 2

2 6 - 8 oz. red river salmon fillets

1 grapefruit, sliced thinly

1 - 2 tbsp. pickled jalapeño slices (depending on how spicy you like it)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 c. orzo

1 c. baby spinach

Preheat the oven for 375F & line a baking dish with foil. In a separate pot, bring water to boil for the orzo. Salt & pepper the salmon on both sides & drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic & top with grapefruit slices & jalapeño rings. Bake for 10 minutes or until the fish is opaque & cooked through.

While the fish bakes, boil the orzo (about 7 - 8 minutes). Drain & toss with spinach, salt, pepper & a bit of olive oil.

Serve the fish over a bed of orzo & spinach.

Kitchen to table time: 25 minutes

Simple Supper: Spanish Shrimp Salad

The wind whipped so much sand into our eyes & beer cans that the beach had to be abandoned this weekend. We quickly too refuge at the nearest tourist trap disguised as a beach side cafe & dove into tropical drinks & shrimp salads. The drinks were stronger than expected, but the salad (not unlike all their other food) - weak. Typical boiled shrimp plopped on top of wilted lettuce. No loss, by the second round of piña coladas & blue moons we would have been happy with just about anything.

Here's my alternative to that sad shrimp salad: Crunchy & light, this spanish shrimp salad bulks up on veggies & skips ubiquitous lettuce. Opting out of the usual boiled-to-death shrimp, warm roasted shrimp lends a smokey, hearty bite. Shrimp salad can be flavorful & hearty -- just don't look for it at beach side tourist cafes.

Spanish Shrimp Salad

1 small jamaica, peeled & sliced in 1" strips*

1 small red bell pepper, sliced in 1" strips

1 - 2 small cucumbers, sliced in 1" strips
1 tbsp. pimenton

1 dzn. shrimp, peeled & de-veined

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

1 small shallot, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F & line a small roasting pan with tin foil. Toss the shrimp in 1 tbsp. olive oil, pimenton, salt & pepper. Roast for 6 - 8 minutes or until they are bright pink. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Toss the sliced veggies* in a bowl with the cooled shrimp. In a small jar, add the remaining olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, shallot, cilantro, salt & pepper & shake vigorously. Pour the dressing over the veggies and shrimp.

*Jamaica can be a bit tough to peel. I recommend slicing the top & bottom 1/2" off & running your knife along the sides working your way down -- similarly to peeling an orange or grapefruit -- until add the skin is removed.

Simple Supper: Fusion Somen Noodles with Prawns

"... but we had plans to watch HBO." I Love You, Man pricelessly captured the 20-something young professional couple's Sunday night. Well, they nailed ours anyway. Every Sunday Ray & I tuck into our premium cable binge & I like to make a meal to match. With fresh somen noodles on hand & an interesting Bittman "fusion" recipe my mom tipped me off to, we slurped up a big bowl of Fusion Somen Noodles with Prawns (well, I had prawns. Ray abstained.)

Shocking though it may sound, ketchup is the basis for the smokey/sweet broth these noodles swim in. I love concocting meals from kitchen staples, & this recipe snugly fits the bill. All you really need to toss this meal together is a few tablespoons of ketchup & soy sauce, some noodles, & fresh veggies. Try this dish with soba noodles, whole wheat spaghetti, or bean threads. The prawns can easily be swapped for chicken, pork, or tofu. Throw in a bit of chili paste, diced jalapeño, miso paste, sesame oil, or any other Asian seasoning you have on hand. So, think creatively here. Now, I think it's time for a big bowl of ice cream to mourn the loss of Flight of the Concords.

Fusion Somen Noodles with Prawns, serves 2

adapted from Mark Bittman's, Egg Noodles with Soy Broth
3 tbsp. soy sauce, more to taste
3 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar, more to taste
a few drops dark sesame oil
a squirt of sriracha (red chili) sauce

3/4 c. napa cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

a drop or two of fish sauce

1 - 2 scallions, minced

1 tsp. sesame seeds
a sprig or two of fresh cilantro
1/2 lb. egg noodles, preferably fresh
8 - 10 prawns, deveined & peeled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. In a smaller pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil; once boiling, reduce heat so water bubbles gently. To the smaller pot add soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, & sriracha sauce, along with a pinch of salt. Stir and let simmer.

Prior to adding the egg noodles, blanch the napa cabbage for 30 or 45 seconds then set aside. Add egg noodles to large pot. If fresh, cook for no longer than a minute, if dried, cook for about 6 minutes or until the noodles tender. Drop the shrimp in the water during the last minute of cooking. Drain the noodles & rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Taste broth and add more soy, salt, vinegar or heat as you like. Divide noodles into bowls and pour hot broth over all.

Garnish with scallions, cilantro, & sesame seeds.

Squash Orecchiette with Prawns

Growing up my family's "fancy spot" (for birthdays, celebrations, & the like) was Johnny Cace's, a haunt of a sea food joint with deep red velvet booths. It was the kind of place that has regulars, juicy steaks, shrimp cocktails, & martinis. It seemed so glamorous to me as a kid. Every time we went, without hesitation I ordered Shrimp Remoulade. Not the usual kid dish, but any thing that featured avocado & boiled shrimp was okay by me.

Somehow, despite my deep childhood devotion to shrimp, they don't made their way into my kitchen often. It's such a shame, because they are incredibly easy to cook, take mere minutes, add a nice pop of color & imbue basic dishes with just a touch of glamor. I suppose it's that childhood hold over from those velvety red booths & that dimly lit dining room, but shrimp just read glamor in my mind.

Great to whip up for company or a romantic night in, squash orecchiette with prawns is a meal to impress. The colors in this dish are gorgeous -- bright buttery gold & pink with flecks of green from the basil -- it looks almost as good as it tastes! As an added bonus, this recipe is quick, easy & won't leave you stuck in the kitchen for ages.

Squash Orecchiette with Prawns, serves 4 - 6

recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiiss
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb. orecchiette
1 lb. prawns, peeled and deveined
3/4 to 1 c. whole milk

1/2 c. chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 c. grated parmesan

Warm 3 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.

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 pasta & set aside.

Meanwhile, warm the remaining 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with the remaining 1 tsp. of salt and remaining 1/2 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper. Add the prawns to the pan and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes.

In a large pot over low heat combine the cooked pasta, pureed squash mixture, and 3/4 c. milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 c. milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add the cooked prawns, basil, and cheese. Stir until warm and serve. Garnish with parmesan cheese.