"Firey" Twist for Shrimp

Well, here I am again sharing what I think is a wonderful, mouth appealing shrimp dish for your summer dining.  You can pair this with a rice of your choosing (brown was my choice) and some steamed broccoli for a full course meal in less than 30 minutes.  The spice is just enough to wake up your senses but not enough to send you running for that glass of water.  Try it, I think you will enjoy it and it will become a family favorite for sure.

Firecracker Raspberry Chipotle Glazed Shrimp (adapted from a Fresh Market recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb          Large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 tbsp      Extra Virgin Olive oil (divided)

1/4 tsp     each salt and pepper

1 cup       red and green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup    chopped scallion (white and green parts)

2              cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup    Chardonnay

2/3 cup    Bronco Bob's Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce (I bought this at Fresh Market)

1/4 tsp     Red pepper flakes

3 tbsp      Fresh Cilantro chopped (divided)

Preparation:

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes.  While your skillet is heating, toss the shrimp in a large bowl with 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. fresh cilantro, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

To the heated skillet, add the remaining olive oil and swirl to coat.  Add bell peppers and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the seasoned shrimp and saute until the shrimp just begin to turn pink, an additional 2-3 minutes.  Slowly add the wine scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Then add the chopped scallion followed by the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce, stirring to thoroughly combine.  Sprinkle with the remaining Cilantro and garnish with red pepper flakes.  Serve immediately with a rice of your choosing.

You'll have to enjoy a glass of Chardonnay along with this meal so you don't waste the rest of the wine in the bottle!!!

I know you and your family will love this one.

Bon Appetit!!! 

P.S. If you can't find this particular brand of BBQ sauce, I'd suggest substituting any chipotle enhanced sauce you can find and add some raspberry jam to make your own.  You'll want a fairly thick consistency for the sauce so it gives the "glazed" appearance.

Nothing goes to Waste

Recently, I found a very interesting thing to do with ground beef.  You'll never guess, but I mixed it with brown rice, diced tomatoes and some wonderful middle eastern spices to make a delightful stuffing for squash.  I hulled out some zucchini and yellow crook neck squash to create the cavity for the stuffing.  Then baked the filled squash in a bath of tomato sauce, chicken stock and white wine for a perfect meal.  Now, what to do with all the squash that I scraped out of the middle of the squash!!!

Make a wonderful soup of course.  Here's all you need to do to make a perfect, light soup that goes beautifully with a sandwich for an easy weekend meal, or as a first course for a more formal dinner.

Ingredients


6  zucchini or yellow squash (or both) cut in cubes
2  tablespoons butter
1  medium onion sliced in half moons
1  large garlic smashed
2  cups chicken stock
1  cup milk (use whole milk if you can)
1  teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt your butter in a 4 quart sauce pan and saute the onions slowly until wilted.  Add the garlic and stir briefly just to soften.  Be careful that it does not brown or it will add a bitter taste.  Add the squash and continue to saute until it is very soft and you can mash it with the back of a wooden spoon (about 10 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper and add the ground nutmeg.  At this point you need to transfer this to a blender to emulsify the mixture but if you have a "hand blender" this works just as well in the pan and you don't have to dirty another device.

Return the pureed pulp to the pan, add the chicken stock and milk and simmer slowly to incorporate everything.  Check your seasonings, adjust to suit you and you have a delightful soup, just that easy...

Bon Appetit!!!