Published by mel on June 16, 2009 in entree and recipe.
Now that is an alliterative title! Moving on…
I’m really not a big fan of store-bought or even most restaurant pesto. Something about it tastes stale or old…just not fresh. Maybe they make it too far in advance, maybe they heat it up too long before they use it. I’m not really sure – there’s just something off about it.
I’m lucky enough to live in a place where I can get fresh, local basil all year long. But most of you have likely been on a fresh basil hiatus for a few months. There’s no better way to welcome it’s arrival at the farmers market than fresh, homemade pesto.
Instead of the usual pasta, I dressed some garlic-sauteed shrimp in the fresh pesto. Nestled on creamy Parmesan polenta and topped with crisp pancetta, this is one of my new favorite recipes. It’s bright and fresh and summery, but still hearty. It’s like a fancy-pants shrimp and grits. I love it!
Continue reading ‘Pesto Shrimp w/Pancetta & Parmesan Polenta’
Published by mel on April 20, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I really love when I find a great recipe that’s 5 ingredients or less. These Garlic & Mint Shrimp are simple, easy and really delicious. I had actually planned on making and mint gremolata for some grilled lamb chops, but the grocery store let me down. No lamb chops for me. Instead, I found some nice looking shrimp and decided to saute those in garlic and olive oil, then toss them with mint.
The mint lends a refreshing flavor to the whole dish. We ate them alone as an appetizer, then tossed the leftovers with jasmine rice for a really quick and tasty meal that’s perfect for Spring and Summer. They’d also be delicious tossed with some pasta, orzo or even farro. Next time, I think I’ll also add some thinly sliced hot peppers for a little bit of a kick or some bacon. Everything is better with bacon.
Although I had really been hoping for that lamb, I’m glad the grocery store was out. I love everything about these shrimp, and I really love their simple goodness.
Continue reading ‘Garlic & Mint Shrimp’
Published by mel on March 20, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
This is one of those recipes where you think…Do these things really go together? I came up with this recipe by accident. I had bought an assortment of ingredients to use in other dishes, but things got hectic and I never got around to them. Not to be wasteful, I sauteed some chorizo with garlic, added shrimp and some ribbons of radicchio. Then I tasted. Not bad. Pretty good actually.
But what should accompany my shrimp and chorizo? Of course pasta was the first thing that came to mind, but I’ve been posting so many pasta recipes lately, I thought I’d give y’all a break. Only other thing I had on hand were some just ripe plantains. The sweetness was a perfect contrast to the slightly bitter radicchio.
And so there it is, the story of the accidental recipe. I actually love the way it turned out. Spicy, a little sweet and really unique. It also goes to show that cooking without a recipe just requires a little bit of thought. Here are some pointers from the bitchin’ Camero kitchen:
- Think about Texture. You want some kind of contrast between soft and firm. Nothing too mushy or too tough. In this recipe, the plantains are soft, the chorizo is a little tough and the shrimp add an almost-crunch. Another traditional combination? Steak and mashed potatoes.
- Color. You want as much color as possible on your plate. Not only will it be prettier, it will also be more nutritious. Contrast is key – no one likes an all-brown plate of food.
- Taste constantly. Taste your meal while your cooking it (make sure all meat is cooked!) so you can adjust the salt and flavoring as you go. Not spicy enough? Add red pepper flakes. Too bitter? Try some honey. Add flavor in small doses. You can always add more, but it’s hard to take it out.
- Flavor. Balance your flavors. Think of salty, sweet, bitter, spicy and acidic. Pay the most attention to your food’s acidity. Most people will think a dish needs salt, but usually some citus zest or juice or a dash of vinegar will make all the other flavors pop.
Cooking should be fun. Play around in the kitchen and experiment by changing up a favorite recipe or coming up with your own from scratch. Sometimes, it won’t work out, but don’t be discouraged. Order pizza and try again tomorrow.
Continue reading ‘Chorizo Radicchio Shrimp with Plantains’
Published by mel on December 22, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Maine’s got its big, meaty lobsters. The kind of lobsters so full of meat, that it’s best eaten with a bib and a bowl of melted butter. The kind of lobster that’s a meal unto itself. Here in Florida, we’ve got much smaller lobsters hanging out in the warm water. The Spiny (or Florida or Caribbean) lobster doesn’t have the big ol’ claws the Maine lobster has, and most of its meat is found in the tail.
It’s not really the kind of lobster you steam and eat with butter. Florida lobster tails can be grilled (delicious), sauteed or made into a delicious pasta sauce. Lobster at my parents house usually finds its way into a chunky, garlicky, tomato-y Cuban sauce — Enchilado. Enchilado can be made with lobster or shrimp, or a combination of both. Its rich and flavorful sauce is easy to make and impressively good. It’s also the best-ever sauce for sopping up with bread.
We usually serve it over white rice, but would also be good with pasta. Either way, it’s an especially tasty way to kick off the Holiday week. Nothing says celebration more than lobster!
Continue reading ‘Enchilado de Langosta y Camarones (Lobster Creole)’
Published by mel on June 18, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
While I was away on a girls’ weekend in Maine, Tom was attending the annual Asparagus Festival in Western Michigan. Every year, Michiganders celebrate the harvest with a parade, plenty of beer-battered fried asparagus and the crowning of Miss Asparagus. Good times were had by all from what I hear, and I got a spanking new “I <3 Asparagus” T-shirt. Because I do in fact heart asparagus, Tom brought a couple pounds home. Even after 14 hours of travel, they arrived fresh and crisp.
So what to do with them? I decided on a risotto, and in my quest to try out risottos with all varieties of grains, I used steel cut oats. Yes, oatmeal. Savory oatmeal for dinner. I was a little wary at first, but it turned out pretty and delicious. Creamy, but not mushy. Tangy and decadent as its traditional counterpart, I love that I’ve added a new grain to the risotto roster.
Continue reading ‘oat risotto with shrimp, asparagus & pecorino’
Published by mel on May 23, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I think this is my new favorite salad. Actually, I’m pretty sure it is. It’s spicy and smoky, crunchy and refreshing, which is good because it’s been over 90° here this week with 10,000% humidity. It would also be the perfect bring-to-cook-out dish (and Monday is Memorial Day!).
It all starts with a giant jicama. This one was the last one in the store and was buried under a pile of celery root. I dug it out though. And it was huge. I mean, huge. At least 2 pounds. When I shredded it, it filled my entire food processor container, and that thing is big.
Next came the black beans. Those were simple — I used canned. Then I cooked a few slices of sweet, center-cut bacon. It has less fat than regular bacon and gives the salad that smoky, meaty flavor. Then I quickly sauteed the shrimp in the bacon fat until they were just done. (If you’re not into the whole bacon thing, you can always use steamed shrimp and add a tablespoon of smoked paprika for flavor.)
A lot of lime zest, lime juice, scallions, cilantro and a couple of serrano peppers went in as well and everything was tossed together in a big blue bowl. A refreshing and satisfying salad for a cook out or a quiet summer evening.
Continue reading ’shrimp, jicama & black bean salad w/lime serrano dressing’
Published by mel on March 19, 2008 in entree and recipe.
I love plantains. They can be prepared both green (startchy) or over-ripe (sweet). They’re rich in fiber and potassium which makes them a nutritious vegetable, but the sweet ones taste like an indulgent carb.
For dinner last night, I simply peeled and halved a few over-ripe plantains and baked them. I also made a quick sautee of shrimp, lime juice, Thai red curry paste and basil. The spicy and tangy shrimp were a nice contrast to the sweet basil and plantains and the whole meal came together in under 25 minutes.
Continue reading ‘basil lime shrimp with plantains’
Published by mel on February 29, 2008 in entree and recipe.
I finally got to cook last night. Not just throw a quick soup or salad together, but really cook. It felt great to make something I was excited about, something I’ve never made before, something pretty darn tasty.
I seem to have a stock-pile of hot, Spanish chorizo in my fridge and it’s been finding its way into so many of my meals recently. I love how it infuses a dish with color and flavor. For this recipe, I sauteed it with chickpeas and added chicken stock and the thin Spanish noodles known as fideos. Something really interesting happened that I hadn’t intended — the broth became super thick and almost creamy and I couldn’t figure out how it had gotten that way without flour or cream. After thinking about it, I concluded that the little bit of water from the chickpeas thickened up as I sauteed them and the fideos released a good amount of starch as they simmered in the stock. The result was a thick orange sauce that I used to poach my shrimp.
I think I’ve found my new favorite meal in this dish. It has a really short prep and cook time and is impressive enough for guests. Oh yeah, and it’s a one-pot meal so the hub likes it too.
Continue reading ‘fideos with shrimp & chickpeas’
Published by mel on January 11, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Not that I’m making any resolutions or anything, but this year I’m going to try to use more and different whole grains in my cooking. I’ve pretty much cut out any pasta that isn’t whole wheat. I just think it tastes heartier than its pale counterpart, and it’s definitely more satisfying. I’m going the same way with rice. I’ve used red, green and black rice. They have a more unique flavor and add beautifully deep colors to a dish. So, out with the white, bleached stuff and in with the multi-colored grains.
That said, I’ve been hearing about farro forever, but have never been able to find it at any of my local stores. Farro is an ancient Italian grain, somewhat like barley, that can be used in soups, salads, or in place of rice. I’ve wanted to make a more nutritious risotto for awhile, but was hesitant to use barley in place of arborio rice. I thought it would be too—for lack of a better word—gloopy. I was delighted when I found a pearled farro at Whole Foods this weekend, and immediately snatched it up for some farroto (that would be risotto made with farro).
I had some extra shrimp, so I decided on cornmeal and cayenne crusted shrimp. To keep with the slightly Creole theme, I stirred some Cheddar and Kale into the farro risotto. The farro risotto was as rich and creamy as traditional risotto; I don’t think I’ll be using arborio again anytime soon. It was a very warm, satiating dish and we ate every last grain of the farro (which probably negated all the health benefits).
Recipe below.
Continue reading ‘cornmeal & cayenne shrimp w/cheddar farro risotto’
Published by mel on March 28, 2007 in entree and recipe.
My bridal shower was this past Saturday, and one of the (many) delicious things my mom made was shrimp cocktail. Even though there were only 23 guests, she bought about 100 lbs. of shrimp. Needless to say, there were leftovers. Leftovers which turned into delicious Thai curry noodles with shrimp!
Recipe after jump…
Continue reading ’spice’
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