Paella on the Grill

Paella is a traditional rice dish of Spain.  It is a combination of saffron-flavored rice and various meats and/or shellfish.  Paella's name comes from paellera, the flat, round pan in which it is cooked.

After cooking paella, there is usually a layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan, called socarrat. To paella connoisseurs this is highly desired and is essential to a good paella. Even heat under the flat paella pan helps to achieve this. I have cooked paella on the stovetop.  It tasted great but I had to move the pan a lot to get even cooking underneath it and never got a real crispy socarrat. My solution to this was to cook a paella on our BBQ grill.  Traditionally, paella is cooked over open wood fires so this is a close substitute. It worked wonderfully!  I turned all the burners on the grill and the paella pan had even heat throughout. Next I need to try it in our wood-fired pizza oven. 

 

Paella is a one-pan dish.  It's not hard to make but does take some time to get all the liquid absorbed in the rice and to achieve the crunchy socarrat. We made this one Friday evening.  The weather was wonderful, we opened a bottle of wine and chatted while the paella was cooking. 

There are two key ingredients in paella.  The first is a short grain rice.  If you can find a paella rice (bomba), that is preferable.  My local stores didn't have any so I used an Arborio rice.  The second key ingredient is the spice saffron. A little saffron goes a long way, I only used 1/2 teaspoon in my paella.  I also soaked mine in the chicken broth so that the saffron flavor was more evenly distributed throughout the paella.

You can add or substitute other meats and shellfish such as chicken and clams to the dish.

This is a great dish to serve to a crowd, it makes a lot. Traditionally paella is served straight from the pan, it's placed in the middle of the table and everyone eats from the side closest to them. If you're not comfortable with that, serve it in a bowl!

Paella on the Grill

1 lb. shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1/2 lb. smoked Andouille sausage, sliced
1 1/2 cups short grain rice
1 white onion, finely chopped
4 small fresh tomatoes, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
5 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat your grill, for a gas grill have all burners on and leave on medium-high.

Put chicken broth in a saucepan, add the saffron.  Warm up on grill.

Put the paella pan on the grill and drizzle the bottom with the olive oil.

When the pan is hot, add the sliced smoked sausage and cook for a few minutes.  Add the onions and garlic, stir for a minute more, or until they are releasing their aroma.

Add the tomatoes and paprika.  Stir until combined then add the saffron-infused stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the flame so it simmers gently for 15 minutes.

Add the rice.  Stir everything in the pan thoroughly.  Once mixed thoroughly, do not stir again.  Arrange the shrimp on the mixture.  Continue to cook the rice over medium to low heat.  Add the green peas when very little liquid is left in the pan.

Increase the heat to high for a short time to create the crusty socarrat. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

It takes a bit of time for all the liquid to be absorbed.  Grab a glass of wine and relax!

Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli with a Limoncello Cream Sauce

I have become obsessed with Limoncello.  It’s probably been around for 100 years but I’ve only discovered it for about a year now.  I’m definitely behind! Besides being a nice after-dinner drink or used in a brunch beverage, it’s also quite good for baking.  Basically any recipe that calls for lemon juice can be enhanced by using Limoncello. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I ran across a ravioli recipe at the Proud Italian Cook website with a Limoncello cream sauce and knew I had to try it.  One, because, as I’ve mentioned, I’m becoming quite fond of Limoncello.  Two,  I like to make fresh pasta and am getting better at it each time I do. A free Sunday afternoon found me putting this all together.

The original recipe called for two lobster tails and one pound of shrimp.  As it was a dinner for two, I halved those ingredients.  By doing so, I still had more filling than I had pasta. The ingredients are pretty pricey and I didn’t want to waste them so tossed the rest of the ingredients into the sauce.

The recipe also called for 1 teaspoon of mascarpone cheese, which is basically an Italian-style cream cheese.  At my local stores it’s around $5 for a container; too expensive for just one teaspoon!  So, I left that ingredient out and didn’t notice that it was missing.  I also added Parmesan cheese to the sauce, to thicken it up some and add a little more saltiness.  I found the sauce to be too sweet without the cheese, but everyone’s taste buds are different!

Another nice thing about cooking or baking with Limoncello is you don’t have to open a bottle of wine, you can just pour a little shot of Limoncello while you work! This tends to make for a happy cook!

Pasta dough can easily be made in the food processor but doing it the old-fashioned way means I don't have to wash more dishes!

 

Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli with a Limoncello Cream Sauce

1 recipe pasta dough (I used this recipe)

 Filling:

1 small lobster tail, pre-cooked and chopped into small pieces

½ pound of medium shrimp, pre-cooked and chopped into small pieces
1 garlic clove, diced
½ shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Limoncello or lemon juice
¼ cup Ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon chopped parsley

 Limoncello Cream Sauce:

4 tablespoons Limoncello

1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter
Heavy cream
Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan, add garlic and shallot, and cook for a few minutes until softened.  Add cooked seafood and parsley, toss until coated; set aside to cool.

Combine the cooled seafood mixture and Ricotta cheese.

Roll out pasta dough into long sheets.  Space a heaping teaspoon of filling along the pasta sheet, spacing evenly.  Brush along edges of filling with beaten egg wash.  Place second sheet of pasta on top and seal edges.  Using a ravioli press, cut into shapes. Drop into boiling salted water and cook.

For the sauce, simmer the Limoncello and lemon juice, then whisk in the butter until well incorporated.  Add cream and Parmesan cheese to get a thicker sauce.  Note that this is a light sauce, you aren’t drenching the ravioli. Spoon sauce over cooked ravioli and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Lemon Shrimp & Vegetables with Lemon Pepper Pasta

I grew up in an "Okie" household so fresh, homemade pasta wasn't on the menu. We had a lot of mashed potatoes! Mom made homemade noodles for her chicken and noodles but that was the closest to fresh pasta we got. I love Italian food and have been experimenting with making my own pasta for the last few years.  What was once an intimidating process to me has gotten a lot less so.  A friend told me about some lemon pepper pappardelle that she got at Trader Joe's.  Of course, I thought, "well, I can do that!" This dish came together, as a result.

To make the pasta I used this recipe, adding 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning to it. The result was a zesty pasta which added a little pep to the shrimp sauce.

Pappardelle pasta are large, broad, ribbons of pasta.  This shrimp sauce is very mild so having a more substantial pasta rounds the dish out nicely.  Of course, any type of pasta can be used.  If you aren't using lemon pepper pasta I would recommend adding some lemon pepper seasoning to the shrimp sauce to add a little more flavor.

Lemon Shrimp & Vegetables with Lemon Pepper Pasta

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (16/20 count size)
12 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
8 ounces pappardelle pasta (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Bring 3 to 4 quarts of  salted water to a boil for the pasta. 

Season prawns with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stir to combine.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Add sliced zucchini and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the sliced tomatoes and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the vegetables, and stir to combine.  Transfer to a bowl and reserve.

Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan, and turn heat to medium low.  Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking for 2 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic does not brown or burn. You want the garlic to cook slowly and the flavors to infuse the oil, turn heat to low, if needed.

Add the shrimp.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until just pink in color. Add lemon juice and zest to the pan, stir to combine.  Add the cooked vegetables and basil to the pan, stir to combine with the shrimp.

While the shrimp is cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender.  Drain the pasta (reserving the water) and toss with the shrimp/vegetable mixture, adding some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, to make a creamy sauce.  Add salt and pepper, to taste, if desired.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Garlic & Herb Roasted Shrimp

I’m almost embarrassed to say this, but I only cooked one dinner last week. We either grabbed a quick bite on the way home from work, had pizza with our son and his family, or munched on cheese and crackers. I am so anxious to get back in the kitchen again. Only a few more days of tax season left!

A few days ago I was bound and determined to cook a nice dinner.  I knew it had to be something quick and easy as our life is so hectic right now.  I turned to my favorite cookbook author, Ina Garten, and her most recent book Make It Ahead and her Garlic & Herb Roasted Shrimp.

I first began roasting shrimp when I made Ina’s roasted shrimp appetizer.  Roasting the shrimp is so easy.  With this method of cooking, the shrimp has a very nice flavor.  I find sautéing shrimp often makes “rubbery” shrimp.  This is not the case when you roast them!

A good thing about this recipe is the ability to make part of it ahead of time. I prepped everything in the morning and refrigerated until I got home. All I had to do for dinner was throw the pan in the oven and make the side dishes. 

The sauce is very flavorful, with lots of lemon.  I served it with steamed broccoli and angel hair pasta, both of which were enhanced with a little of the lemony butter sauce.  We also had a few slices of sourdough baguette which we dipped in the butter. It was a great dinner!

Garlic & Herb Roasted Shrimp

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large lemons
2 pounds (8-10-count) shrimp, peeled with the tails on
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the butter over low heat in a medium sauté pan.  Add the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper and cook over low heat for one minute.  Off the heat, zest one of the lemons directly onto the butter mixture.

Meanwhile, arrange the shrimp snugly in one layer in a large (12-inch) round ovenproof sauté pan (or 10x13-inch baking dish) with only the tails overlapping. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp.  Sprinkle with the sea salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.  Slice the ends off the zested lemon, cut five (1/4-inch-thick) slices, and tuck them among the shrimp.  Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, just until the shrimp are firm, pink, and cooked through.  Cut the remaining lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the shrimp. 

Serve hot with toasted bread for dipping into the garlic butter.

 

 

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

Tax season 2016 finds me, once more, working 7 days a week. We've done it so many years now, we are used to it. Strangely enough, Sunday is the day I most look forward to.  No client appointments, no phone calls, no interruptions, I go to work in my workout clothes. I save my big projects for Sundays, turn on the stereo and work away!  I do, however, try to be home by 4ish and to cook us a nice dinner. This not only gives us a chance to relax, unwind, and chat, but also enables us to start the week with leftovers, either for lunch or for dinner. By the time we hit Thursday or Friday we're often eating cereal for dinner! Such is the glamorous life of two CPA's!

This week found me making Shrimp Lasagna rolls, a recipe from Giada De Laurentis. We love pasta and lasagna, and anything with shrimp in it, so it seemed like a good combination.  This wasn't a very involved recipe, was very easy to prep, or should have been. I had some unsettling medical news earlier this week and my mind has just been wandering all over the place.  I didn't buy enough ricotta so had to send my Hubby to the store for more.  The first four rolls I made, I used the marinara sauce as the filling, rather than the shrimp mixture.  I had to take them apart and re-do them! So if your brain is working correctly, these little rolls are easy to do!

We really enjoyed them.  The filling is flavored nicely with the shrimp.  They are a nice change from a traditional lasagna. A loaded green salad and a few glasses of wine made for a enjoyable Sunday night dinner!

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

1 lb. lasagna noodles
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 (15 oz.) containers whole-milk ricotta
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese


 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 6-8 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and garlic to the pan and saute until shrimp are cooked, about 4 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from heat and let cool. Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a bowl with 1 cup ricotta cheese, the parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce with the remaining 1 cup ricotta and stir to combine.

To make the lasagna, cover the bottom of a baking dish with 1/2 cup marinara mixture. Lay 4 noodles flat on a dry work surface (I used waxed paper). Spread about 1/4 cup shrimp mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll up and place seem-side down in a baking dish. Repeat to make 12 rolls total.

Pour the remaining marinara mixture over the rolls and top with the mozzarella. Bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.


Garlic & shrimp?  What's not to love about that combination?

The ricotta/shrimp filling.

Assembling the rolls was easy!

Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Tamales

Last month we were able to get away to Las Vegas for a few days to see Brooks & Dunn and Reba in concert at Caesar's Palace. That gave me the opportunity to make reservations at a few celebrity chef restaurants.  One night we had dinner at Giada and the other night we ate at Bobby's Flay's Mesa Grill.  We had eaten at Mesa Grill once before and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The second time didn't disappoint us either.  For an appetizer we each had the shrimp and roasted garlic tamale. We enjoyed it so much we went back the next afternoon to have a margarita and share the appetizer (their margaritas are amazing, too! ) At that point I knew I wanted to try these at home so bought his cookbook.

We had another couple over for New Year's Eve so these were on our menu. They were good, very good, but not as spicy as I remembered the ones we had at the restaurant.  Next time I will add some chilies or red pepper to jazz them up some.

This was my first attempt at making any sort of tamale.  The filling is a soft filling, when you open the corn husk after baking it loosely spreads out. Traditional tamales have very firm masa fillings. These weren't hard to make, just took time and a lot of dishes! But I had all afternoon so did it in steps.  The next time I make them it will be when we are entertaining more people.  It was a lot of work for just the four of us! 

Here is the recipe .  Don't be intimidated by its length, many of the steps can be done ahead of time.

The part I had a hard time with was tying up the ends of the tamales.  The recipe calls for using strips of the corn husks.  Most of mine would break as I went to tie them.  So I grabbed my ball of twine and used that instead. Maybe not as pretty and authentic but this was better than the tamales falling apart!

The tamales have a loose, corn and cornmeal filling.

Ready to be steamed.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp Kebabs

 We've been spending most of our evenings in the backyard, planting, weeding, marveling at how fast the plants are growing (our tomatoes are taking over!), and relaxing.  Grilling dinner just seems an automatic when we're already out there. These kebabs went together quickly and took no time to cook, a great meal on a night when I was wanting to spend my time doing other things! Some nights I would rather play in the dirt than in the kitchen!

Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp Kebabs

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used a 12-15 per pound variety)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 large limes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium bowl, juice one lime.  Add shrimp, garlic, salt, cumin, and cilantro.  Stir to combine. (At this point, you can let the shrimp marinate for a short time, the lime will begin to cook the shrimp if you let them marinate too long).

Slice remaining limes very thinly into rounds. Beginning and ending with shrimp, thread the shrimp and (folded) lime slices onto skewers (if using wooden skewers soak them in water for 30 minutes).

Heat the grill on medium heat and spray the grates with cooking spray or wipe down with oil.  Grill the shrimp, turning occasionally, until shrimp is opaque throughout about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Squeeze additional lime juice on them before serving, if desired.

As the shrimp had Mexican flavor we served the kebabs with grilled corn and black beans.  A very yummy and delicious dinner that was low-cal and nutritious, too!

Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry with Lemon Sauce

More than once, I've gushed over the wonders of living in the midst of farm country, all the fresh fruits and veggies we have within minutes of home. But fresh produce doesn't last long, is best used as soon as possible.  Often, when gifted with a bunch of fresh produce, I find myself at a loss as to how to incorporate them in my meal plans. Such was the case when a neighbor brought me a huge bunch of asparagus. I had already bought groceries for the week, had things pretty well planned out.  We love asparagus but I wanted to do something different than serve it as a side dish.  So I went browsing online and found this recipe.  I had shrimp for another recipe already in the fridge, so changed my plans to make this dish.  We devoured it! The only thing different I will do next time is double the sauce, there wasn't nearly enough for our tastes! It was a very easy after-work dinner.

Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry with Lemon Sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and each stalk cut into 2-3" pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Lemon Sauce
2/3 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest

In a small bowl, whisk together all the lemon sauce ingredients and set aside.

In a large frying pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to pan in a single layer and cook for about 3 minutes, turning them over to cook both sides. Season shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Shrimp should be beginning to pink on both sides and be opaque, but just slightly undercooked (they will finish cooking when added back to the sauce).  Remove from frying pan and place shrimp on plate.

In same frying pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook until asparagus is tender-crisp, bright green, and just barely beginning to brown. Season asparagus with 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Add ginger and garlic and stir to combine with asparagus.  Cook for another 30-45 seconds.

Pour in lemon sauce mixture into frying pan with asparagus.  Add shrimp back into pan and combine with sauce and asparagus. Simmer for about a minute or until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and serve over rice, if desired.