Posts tagged ‘quick appetizer’
Recipe of the Week – Shrimp 101
(From the Appetizer Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Oven-roasted Shrimp
We made our quarterly trek to New Jersey last week to see family and friends. The trip was great but a lot of driving as the side trips were a little more involved then usual. We ate too much food, some at restaurants and most at my mother-in-law’s house. Traditionally we do Porterhouse steaks on the grill on our last night there, this time we did them on the next to last. With family, friends and friends of family present we had a wonderful time and I got to go to my favorite grocery store, Wegman’s, for the 2″ thick steaks.
I took along a carrot cake, some angel food cakes and those wonderful chocolate cookies/cakes that are used for ice cream sandwiches. I also made, at my mother-in-law’s request, the largest pot of hot fudge sauce I have ever made. Appetizers consisted of blue cheese stuffed mushroom caps, tapenade on toast points and the shrimp; which brings me to the reason for this post.
First a quick primer on shrimp. I get questions all the time about how to determine which shrimp to use and why. so here we go. The number on the bag is the number per pound, 15 -21 means that you can expect to find 15 to 21 shrimp per pound. 31-36 means 31 or so to the pound. So basically the less per pound, lower number, the larger the shrimp. The second fact is wild caught verses everything else. Don’t worry about fresh verses frozen or frozen thawed as most of the shrimp is frozen as soon as it is caught to keep it fresh. Unless you live on the coast and can buy your shrimp from the boat that caught them, and by all means do this if possible, buy the frozen. If you can get the wild caught, this means they are not from a “shrimp farm” where they are raised on specific foods, usually in fresh water ponds; spend the extra buck or two and see how good the wild caught really are. A quick note on prawns, those huge 6 or so per pound giants in the seafood case, they are almost always farm raised and while impressive to see lack any real flavor.
Every time I make a shrimp dish using the wild caught I get tons of compliments on not only the taste but also on the texture. Please don’t overcook shrimp, they cook very quickly, which makes them the ideal easy appetizer. With cocktail sauce or sautéed or baked get a little wild in your life and give these a try.
Oven-roasted Shrimp
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 1 | lb | shrimp, deveined, shelled |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 4 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Place the shrimp, olive oil, chopped garlic and salt and pepper in a large plastic bag. Shake the bag and let stand for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place contents of bag on a jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with a lip) and cook in oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Recipe of the Week – Pesto ( hold the pine nuts)
(From the Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Basil Pesto on Pasta
Pesto is a wonderful thing. You can make it with almost any herb or vegetable. You can serve it as an appetizer, a dip or a sauce on pasta or meats and fish. Basically you add cheese, garlic, olive oil and your herb or vegetable and some nuts together in a food processor, process until you get the consistency you wish and voila! you have it; all in about 30 seconds.
We have been making assorted pesto for years; combining sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pecans or spinach and hazelnuts, and of course basil and pine nuts. (see our selections at emealsforyou.com). The problem and reason for this post is that there seems to be a shortage of pine nuts on the market. Usually readily available in the grocery in pound bags, you are lucky to see a couple ounce jar in the Italian specialty aisle for about $5. Don’t let this dissuade you from making pesto. Use toasted walnuts in place of the pine nuts and you will not notice the difference. The texture will be the same and you will get the same “sweetness” that the pine nuts provided. Basil is flourishing in the bright sunshine, plant some or buy some but give pesto a try for a great meal.
Basil Pesto
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 0.5 | cup | basil leaves, whole |
| 0.75 | cup | pine nuts, toasted |
| 0.75 | cup | cheese, Romano |
| 1.5 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 0.75 | cup | oil, olive |
Toast pine nuts lightly. Place basil, pine nuts ( or any other nut you choose), garlic and romano in food processor, process until a paste forms, add oil slowly until you reach the consistency you desire. Should be spreadable, like peanut butter.
Note: Great on sandwiches, may be used on pasta. I spread it on toasted French bread, sprinkle with romano and basil and broiler slightly.
Shown here on pasta.
Recipe of the Week – Hummus
(From the Appetizers Category at www.emealsforyou.com)
Hummus
We have been doing a lot of “small plates” in recent weeks. My wife would rather have several choices of foods then one big meal. As in my recent posts I find “small plates” to be an excellent way to use up all the small quantities of leftovers without them appearing to be leftovers. Some of our neighborhood friends have been asking how they can make interesting appetizers for their guests. As many are single and don’t cook, the requirements are that the appetizers have to be easy to prepare, something they have on hand and most of all good.
Hummus falls into these categories. You can put this recipe together in a few minutes and it will bring raves from your quests. The recipe calls for chic peas, also known as garbanzo beans, but I use white beans or navy beans if I don’t have the chic peas. Both provide the smooth, fulfilling taste, are easy on the budget and will get you out of the kitchen and onto the deck quickly.
Hummus
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | Old Movie Night (Theme Meal Plans) |
| 1 | 16 oz can | chic peas |
| 0.25 | cup | oil, olive |
| 2 | Tb | sesame seeds |
| 2 | Tb | lemon, juice of |
| 2 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 0.25 | tsp | pepper, fresh ground |
Lightly toast sesame seeds in a pan. Drain peas and place in a food processor along with all the ingredients. Process until smooth . If too thick add a little more oil or lemon juice.
Serve on toasted pita wedges.
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