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Calabrian Shrimp And Orzo

Photo by Flo P on Unsplash

Ingredients

  • 10 oz peeled shrimp
  • 4 oz orzo pasta
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
  • 1 1/2 tsps chili paste (Calabrian if you have it)
  • 2 Tbsps creme fraiche
  • 1 Tbsp capers
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

  1. Fill medium pot w/ salted water and bring to a boil.
  2. Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel, place in bowl with chopped garlic, capers, and chili paste, stir and let marinate.
  3. Add orzo to pot of boiling water, and cook, uncovered, for 7-9 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot.
  4. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over med-hi heat until hot. Add the sliced zucchini in an even later. Cook, without stirring for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Move zucchini to one side of pan, and add shrimp to other side in an even layer. Again, cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes or until slightly opaque. Stir it all up,  while continuing to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
  5. Add shrimp and zucchini to the pot of cooked orzo, along with the creme fraiche and the juice of half a lemon. Stir to combine and season w/ salt/pepper to taste.
  6. Serve w/ parmesan and lemon wedges.

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Crawfish Boil

Here’s the back of the napkin scribblings from the last boil:

  1. Add water to pot, turn on burner
  2. as water comes to boil, add powder, salt and splashes of liquid crab boil
  3. add bay leaf, whole red potatoes, halved onions, halved lemons, garlic
  4. test potatoes for doneness, once done…
  5. add crawfish and cook 5-8 minutes
  6. cut off heat and soak 30 minutes
  7. add sausage, mushrooms, corn and whatever else while soaking
  8. check saltiness and add more if necessary
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Salmon Florentine

Ingredients

  • 2 packages (2 x 10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/4 cup minced shallots
  • 2 tsps. minced garlic
  • 5 sun­dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup part­skim ricotta
  • 4 skinless salmon fillets (6 oz each), rinsed and patted dry

Preparation

  1. Heat oven to 350°. Squeeze spinach of excess liquid. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more. Add spinach, tomatoes, salt, pepper flakes and pepper; cook, stirring, 2 minutes more.
  3. Remove from heat; let cool 15 minutes.
  4. Add ricotta; stir to combine. Add extra salt and pepper.
  5. Pile spinach mixture on top of fillets.
  6. Put fillets on a rimmed baking sheet or in a glass baking dish; bake until cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

Do it with Quinoa pilaf.

From self.com.

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Summer Risotto

Ingredients

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cups diced zucchini
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 lb. arborio rice
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2-3 cups non-fat chicken broth
  • 2 Tbsps. light butter
  • 6 Tbsps. grated Parmesan cheese
  •  18 sea scallops
  • 1 bunch parsley, chopped

Preparation

  1. Heat oven to 250˚. Gently toss tomatoes in 2 tsp oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake on a non-stick baking sheet 1 hour.
  2. Heat 1 tsp oil on medium heat in a medium pan. Cook garlic and half the onion until translucent; add zucchini and cook 5 minutes. Pureé zucchini mixture in a blender with lemon juice and 1 Tbsp oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a medium pot on medium heat and sauté remaining onion until translucent. Add rice and cook 2 minutes. Gradually pour in wine, stirring until rice absorbs wine. Add broth 1 cup at a time until absorbed, stirring continually for 20 minutes or until rice is tender (add more broth in necessary). Once rice is cooked, stir in zucchini pureé, butter and cheese. Set aside.
  4. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a small pan. Salt and pepper scallops and cook both sides until lightly browned. Add tomatoes and sauté 5 minutes. Spoon risotto on plate and top with scallops, tomatoes and parsley.

from self.com

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Lima Beans & Shrimp

Shrimp and Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lima beans, soaked overnight
  • 3 lbs. head-on medium shrimp
  • 1 smoked ham hock
  • 6 cups chicken stock water
  • ½ lb. pork (or turkey) tasso, diced
  • 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup bell pepper, chopped
  • ¼ cup celery
  • ¼ cup green onion
  • 1 jalapeño
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley
  • thyme, to tase
  • Joe’s, Tony’s (creaole seasoning)

Roux

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup flour

Preparation

  1. In big stock pot, cover ham hock with chicken stock water, simmer on low for 1 hour.
  2. Peel shrimp, reserving ½ shells and heads. Dash shrimp with creole seasoning and place in fridge. Place shells and heads in pot with 6 cups water, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Skim impurities that rise to surface.
  3. Make a medium dark brown roux in heavy stock pot or dutch oven. After roux has reached proper brownicity, fold in onion, bell pepper, celery, green onion, jalapeño, garlic, and thyme. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Turn up the heat on the roux mixture and add beans, meat. Slowly cover with strained shrimp stock and ham hock stock. Add hock ad-hoc. Bam!
  5. Simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hrs, skimming impurities that rise to surface.
  6. Add shrimp and simmer for 20 more minutes, or until pink.

Serve over rice, and top with parsley before serving. Whip up some cornbread, too. You won’t regret it.

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Oyster Andouille Pie

Ingredients

  • Pre made refrigerated pie crust
  • 2/3 cup fine chopped celery
  • 2/3 cup fine chopped vadilla onions
  • heaping tablespoon flour and same amount of oil for roux
  • 1 link smoked andouille sausage chopped fine
  • 1 pint fresh oysters  drained reserve water
  • 1 cup chopped green onions
  • couple dashes worcestershire and hot sauce

Preparation

  1. Let pie crust get room temp them line bottom of 9″ pan. Make roux the color of until brown paper bag.
  2. Saute onions and celery until soft. Mix in roux, oysters and green onions. If too dry add a little oyster water…go easy not much. Pour into pie shell. Cover with pie crust top. Slit top about 12 cuts.
  3. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hr until brown. Let cool slightly before cutting to serve.
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Jambalaya

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. boneless chicken, cubed; AND/OR
    • 1 lb. shrimp, boiled in Zatarain’s and peeled; OR
    • 1 lb. leftover holiday turkey, cubed; OR
    • 1 lb. of any kind of poultry or fish, cubed; OR
    • Any combination of the above
  • 1 lb. (hot) smoked sausage, andouille or chaurice, sliced on the bias; OR
  • 1 lb. diced smoked ham
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 – 6 cloves garlic, minced (amount to taste; I like lots)
  • 4 ribs celery, chopped
  • 3 small cans tomato paste
  • 4 large Creole tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced; OR
  • 1 28-oz. can tomatoes
  • 8 cups good dark homemade chicken stock
  • Creole seasoning blend to taste (or 2 – 3 tablespoons); OR
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teapsoon thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked (Some people like converted rice, others prefer good old Mahatma. I use Uncle Ben’s converted, as the rice doesn’t get sticky or lumpy that way.)

Preparation

  1. In a sauté or frying pan, brown the chicken, sprinkling with Tony Chachere’s seasoning if you’ve got it; a bit of salt, black pepper and red pepper otherwise. Don’t brown if using leftover cooked bird, but you still might want to season the meat. Tear or cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
  2. Brown the sliced smoked sausage or andouille and pour off fat. In the pot, sauté the onions, garlic, peppers and celery in oil until onions begin to turn transparent.
  3. In the same pot, while you’re sautéing the “trinity”, add the tomato paste and let it pincé, meaning to let it brown a little. What we’re going for here is an additional depth of flavor by browning the tomato paste a little; the sugar in the tomato paste begins to caramelize, deepening the flavor and color. Keep it moving so that it browns but doesn’t burn. Some friends of mine hate this step, so you can skip it if you want, but then it won’t be Chuck’s jambalaya.)
  4. Once the vegetables are translucent and the tomato paste achives sort of a red mahogany color, deglaze the pan with the about 2 cups of the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to mix up any browned bits, and stir until smooth, making sure the sautéed vegetables, paste and stock are combined thoroughly. It should be fairly thick.
  5. Add the Creole seasoning, tomatoes and salt to taste. Cook over low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the meat and/or seafood and cook another 10 minutes; if you’re using seafood, be careful not to overcook it.
  6. Add the rest of the stock, check seasonings, and stir in the rice, combining thoroughly. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is cooked through. If you haven’t checked your seasonings before adding the rice, it’s too late! It’s much better for the rice to absorb the seasonings while it’s cooking. Check seasoning anyway, then turn the heat down to low-medium and let the sauce thicken up a bit, with the pot uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients. When the jambalaya has thickened up a bit and has reached the “right” consistency (you’ll know), it’s done.

Serve with salad and French bread.

From GumboPages.com

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Pacific Salmon with Roasted Garlic

Ingredients

  • 2 medium heads garlic, broken into separate cloves, peeled
  • 1/2 cup (about) olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 8 6- to 7-ounce salmon fillets
  • 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place garlic in ramekin. Pour enough oil over to cover. Wrap ramekin in double thickness of foil. Bake until garlic is very tender, about 35 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic and 1 tablespoon cooking oil to food processor. Add butter to processor; puree. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place salmon on baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle each fillet with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, then spread 1 tablespoon garlic puree over each. (Can be made 1 day ahead; chill.)
  3. Bake salmon uncovered until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle rosemary over and serve.

Serves 8

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Crawfish Monica

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pasta (fusilli or rotelli)
  • 1 sticks butter
  • 2 onions
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped fine
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped fine
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 Tbsps flour
  • 1 cup half & half
  • 1 cup green onion, green and white parts chopped
  • 1/4 lb velveeta (or white american cheese)
  • 1 lb crawfish (if frozen, sauté in butter/spices before)
  • 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
  • Joe’s Stuff seasoning (or equivalent cajun allspice)

Preparation

  1. Boil pasta.
  2. Sauté onions, peppers, and celery in butter until soft. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add flour and stir until absorbed. Add half & and half and heat through.  Add cheese and melt it all down. Add crawfish and parsley. Season with Joe’s or Tony’s, etc..
  3. Bake 30 minutes at 350˚F. (optional)