Shrimp – Grow. Cook. Eat.

August 26, 2011

Kiss My Grits

Wherever I travel in the south, some form of grits graces each and every menu: at breakfast with butter and cheese or at dinner with shrimp, simmered in tomatoes.

In the summer, the grits can be made with fresh corn, the shrimp with fresh tomatoes. In the winter, the dish becomes richer and creamier with cheddar cheese instead of fresh corn and stewed tomatoes instead of the truly vine-ripened available now.

Shrimp and Grits
I'm not a huge bell pepper fan, but in this dish they really add a critical element of flavor to the shrimp sauce.

2 tbs. butter
½ cup chopped onion
1 tbs. chopped garlic
¼ cup diced bell peppers
¼ cup white wine
1 tsp. fresh thyme
2 cups stewed tomatoes
1 cup chicken or shrimp stock
½ cup heavy cream
2 tbs. tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound shrimp – peeled and deveined

1 tbs. butter (opt.)
1 small shallot, diced (opt.)
2 garlic cloves, chopped (opt.)
1 ear corn – kernels cut off (opt.)
3 cups liquid – a combination of water, milk and chicken stock
½ cup grits
½ cup grated cheddar cheese

Basil to garnish

1.    In a sauce pot or skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions garlic and peppers and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and the garlic starts to brown.
2.    Add the white wine to the pan. Let it cook down until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add the thyme, tomatoes and stock
3.    Simmer the tomatoes for about 15 minutes, until they start to thicken. Add the cream and tomato paste. Set aside.
4.    Start the grits: If using the optional ingredients… melt the butter in a sauce pot. Add the shallots, garlic and corn. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the liquid, and turn heat to high. Season with salt and pepper. If not using the options, heat the liquid in a sauce pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5.    When liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and whisk in the grits. Stir frequently for 3 minutes or until grits swell. Cover to pot and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
6.    Just before the grits are cooked, reheat the tomato sauce. Add the shrimp to the sauce and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, or just until shrimp are cooked.
7.    When grits are cooked, stir in the cheese.
8.    Serve the shrimp over the grits. Garnish with fresh basil

From the garden: garlic, tomatoes, thyme, basil (and in the background lots of eggplant and broccoli)
From the farmers’ market: onions, corn, peppers

August 7, 2010

Garden Updates – Early August (Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan)

After the long road-trip from the farm in Southern Maryland (for my annual canning pilgrimage) back to Cambridge, I usually take a gander through the garden before unloading the car and making my way inside. Have the tomatoes started to blush? Did I have a cucumber explosion? How many eggplants grew to full-size?

When I left the soil was dry and the tomatoes were floppy. Try as I might, I couldn’t get the tomato cages to stand up straight, the weight of the plants was too much. My neighbor Craig, who I entrusted to water the garden, did a yeoman’s job. Not only did the plants look well hydrated, but he brought in new stakes and garden twine to ensure the tomatoes flopped no more.

The cucumbers had already sprawled across the back fencing. I discovered several cukes that were so overgrown they turned yellow. I was curious if they’d be palatable, so I cut one open. The seeds were large and fibrous and the skin was tough and bitter – definitely not salad material. I could scoop out the seeds, peel them and then use them for a chilled cucumber soup. I will save the seeds for next year as I think they are sufficiently mature.

The lettuce finally succumb to the heat. As soon as I dig it up, I will add compost to the soil and replant for a fall harvest.

And the eggplant plant produced 3 beautiful specimen.

I returned from the farm this year with 68 jars (not as impressive as last year’s 72). But given that I still have 20 jars left from last year, it would seem I have enough for this year as well. I decided to use up a jar of last year’s stash with my dinner.

Eggplant Parmesan
“Parmesan” dishes derive their name not from the namesake cheese but from the region where the dish originated: Parma. In fact, the tradition dish has a layer of Parma ham (prosciutto) and is traditionally made with veal. Breaking fully from tradition, I served this with shrimp. Any self-respecting Italian would never serve fish with cheese, but clearly I’m not Italian.

1 eggplant, sliced into ½ inch rounds
1/2 tsp. salt
½ cup flour
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. canola oil
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small chili, minced
½ pound shrimp
¼ cup white wine
2 cups stewed tomatoes
Basil, salt and pepper

1. Toss eggplant with 1/2 tsp. salt and let sit for five minutes. Brush off excess salt.

2. Prepare the breading: in 3 separate bowls, put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Beat the egg with 2 tbs. of water until homogenized. Dip each eggplant slice first in the flour. Shake off any excess. Then dip into the egg to completely coat, and finally coat the eggplant in the bread crumbs. Repeat this process until all eggplant slices are breaded.

3. Preheat the oven to 375F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs. olive oil and canola oil. Fry the eggplant slices until brown on both sides. Don’t worry if they are not cooked all the way through.

4. Remove eggplant from skillet and put on a cookie sheet. Top each slice with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, wipe out the eggplant pan. Add the remaining olive oil, garlic and chili and return to heat. Add the shrimp and cook until they begin to turn pink. Add the wine, and then add the tomatoes. Remove the shrimp from the pan as they are cooked through, but continue cooking the tomatoes until they reduce to a desired consistency (I don’t like thin sauces). Season to taste with salt, pepper and basil.

6. Serve shrimp with sauce and eggplant.

From the Garden: garlic, basil and eggplant

From the Farm: tomatoes and egg

Garden to Table: 45 minutes

May 17, 2010

Impatient Gardener (Recipe: Pasta with Young Garlic, Tomatoes and Basil)

I’ve developed a strategy for crop rotation that, up until this year, has been pretty successful. I plant lettuces and spring crops in half the yard and then the summer crops in the other half. When the spring crops wind down, usually in late June, I prep the soil and get it ready for the fall crops which go in in August.

This year, I have a problem. I planted garlic for the first time with the notion that I would harvest the bulbs in late May/early June, just in time for the summer crops to go in. The stalks were looking thick, so I thought I’d pull one up to see how it progressed. It looks closer to a leek than a garlic bulb. They will need at least a month more.

The garden is quite full right now. Summer veggies that are already planted: celery, leeks, kale, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts. The spring veggies that will be harvested over the next few weeks: lettuce, radishes, strawberries and the questionable garlic.
If I want to plant tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant, something has to go.

I’m not sure what I will do… which would you sacrifice?

In the meantime, I couldn’t let the young garlic go to waste… I rolled out fresh pasta and tossed it with tomatoes, arugula and shrimp.

From the garden: garlic, arugula, basil and tomatoes.

Pasta with Young Garlic, Tomatoes and Basil

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbs. olive oil
1 stalk young garlic chopped, or two cloves chopped
1/4 tsp (or more) chili flakes
1 – 15 oz. canned tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbs. fresh (or frozen) basil
1/2 pound fettuccine

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt.
Season shrimp with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until it softens. Add shrimp and chili flakes and cook for 2 minutes until it begins to turn pink. Add white wine and tomatoes, continue cooking until tomatoes thicken and shrimp cook through. If the sauce seems thin, but the shrimp are cooked, pick them out and set them aside.
Cook pasta according to package direction, but for 1 minute less. When pasta is cooked, drain and toss with tomatoes.
Mix in basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

April 2, 2010

Celery (Recipe: Spicy Shrimp and Cashew Stir-Fry)

Along the lines of garlic and onions, I think of celery more as an aromatic than a vegetable. I rarely cook it on its own, but its distinctive flavor enhances French, Chinese and southern cooking. Its crunchy texture makes it a staple in egg, chicken or tuna salad.

Because of how I use celery – one stalk at a time – it becomes a regular crop in my vegetable garden. I can harvest the single stalk, leaving the remainder of the plant in the ground to continue growing. Unlike purchasing a whole head at the market – where the remainder will go limp in my crisper drawer before I have a chance to use it up.

I was working on a cookbook for Sauchuk Farm in Plympton MA for their summer CSA. His subscribers will get an incredibly diverse assortment of vegetables, including celery. The celery will keep for up to 3 weeks when stored properly (Coldest part of fridge. Leaves like to be dry in a bag. Stems like to be loose in a bag). You’d still need to use almost a stalk a day to consume it all before it goes flaccid. That creates a menu planning challenge. For that reason, I wanted to make sure I included a few recipes in his cookbook that called for copious amounts of celery.

Last summer, I made a celery Caesar salad which was quite lovely, but decided to go a different route for his book. I opted, instead, for a Chinese stir-fry – a variation of kung pao chicken that I learned at a cooking class in Beijing China. I used cashews instead of peanuts, and shrimp instead of chicken.

Spicy Shrimp, Celery and Cashew Stir-Fry
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 egg white
3 scallions cut into rounds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs. ginger, peeled and finely minced
3 celery stalks, sliced
¾ cup roasted, salted cashews
2 tbs. plain or peanut oil

Sauce
½ tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar
2 tbs. black vinegar or balsamic
2 tsp. shaio xing wine or sherry
2 tbs. water or chicken broth
1 tsp. corn starch
1 – 2 tsp or more chile paste (like sriracha)

In a small bowl, marinade the shrimp with ¼ tsp. salt, soy sauce and egg whites. In a separate bowl, combine all sauce ingredients.

Heat a large over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, ginger, garlic and ½ the scallions. Let cook for 1 minute and then add the celery and cashews. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry until the celery turns jade green, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and shrimp and stir-fry until shrimp turn pink and curl up, about 2 minutes. Return the celery and cashews to the pan and the sauce, and stir over the heat for about 1 minute to mix together evenly and blend flavors. Transfer the stir-fry to a platter and garnish with the remaining scallions.

Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

December 17, 2009

Buffalo Shimp via Cambridge

Within 24 hours of the first snowfall, the temperatures crawled north of 32F, and the one inch blanket soon disappeared. But not without a lasting effect in the garden. I harvested what I could before it fell, but the celery, lettuces and kale remained in the ground with questionable odds of survival.

Last night I peeked at the celery. It was definitely floppy, and I didn’t expect it to recover. I harvested the remaining head, and salvaged what stalks I could. The outer stalks were hollow, stringy and brown. The inner stalks seemed okay.

With Maine Shrimp season just starting, I decided that Buffalo Shrimp would be the perfect foil for the celery remnants. The celery would balance nicely with the creamy shrimp, and the cool crunch would tame the heat of the spicy chili sauce.

Most recipes for buffalo shrimp call for Frank’s Hot Sauce. I didn’t have that, and instead used Lan Chi’s Chili Garlic Sauce with a splash of red wine vinegar. I prepared the classic bleu cheese dressing with mayonnaise, sour cream, a few crumbles of cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Since Maine Shrimp are so small, I worried that the typical deep frying would make them dry and rubbery by the time the outside crisped up. I opted, instead, to dust them in corn starch and fry them in hotter-than-usual (about 425F) oil. This worked pretty well. Probably next time, though, I would use larger shrimp and a more traditional coating.

Buffalo Shrimp with Celery and Bleu Cheese Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs. butter
2 tsp. Lan Chi Chili Paste with Garlic
2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined.
1 cup corn starch

2 cups (or more) plain oil for deep fying
celery stalks

1. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and blue cheese. Season with lemon juice. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with chili paste and vinegar. Set aside.
3. Heat a pot with oil over high heat. Toss shrimp in corn starch and spank of any excess. Gently drop the shrimp in the oil ( you may need to cook in several batches to avoid overcooking). When shrimp are crispy, remove from oil with a slotted spoon.
4. Toss shrimp into chili sauce. Serve with celery and blue cheese dressing.

March 13, 2009

Get ‘Em While They’re Cold!

When my friend Paul opened his last restaurant, he called on all his friends to help on the first night of service. The usual hectic-ness prevailed with the added stress that the gas-services had been interrupted for several hours. Thankfully, his signature dish – Shrimp Shrimp, Cha Cha Cha – required no stove-top cooking. The Maine shrimp he used were so small, they cooked in 30 seconds from the hot water out of the tap!

Maine shrimp, bright pink and cheery, appear in the supermarkets and on menus in New England when the weather is dreariest — the dead of winter. These small creatures, about 60 in a pound, have a creamy sweet texture. In sushi bars, you may see them as "ama-ebi." With a rif on the Japanese ama-ebi, I serve them cold and raw, tossed with cucumbers, scallions and ponzu sauce.

The season ends on March 31, so get them while they're cold!

Ponzu Sauce
(adapted from The Dean and DeLuca Cookbook )
1 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup citrus juice – a combination of lemon, lime and orange
3 tablespoons mirin
1/4 cup bonito flakes
1 – 3 inch square piece of kombu
1/3 cup rice vinegar

Mix everything together. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Strain and store in the refrigerator for as long as you like. Use within 2 months.

February 16, 2009

Asian Pears with Salt -n Pepa Shrimp

Asian pears are a cross between apples and pears — juicy like a pear, but crisp like an apple. The round shape resembles an apple, but the brown skin more closely looks like a bosc pear. And unlike their pear-cousin, the flesh is firm when ripe.

Though they are good eating, I typically use them in a sauce — for Salt -n Pepa shrimp or with Avocado-Lemongrass Springrolls.

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbs. corn starch
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. Sichuan pepper
1/8 tsp. five spice
2 scallions, cut into rounds
2 serranos or Thai chilies, cut into rounds
1 tbs. oil

Toss shrimp in corn starch.

Heat a large sauté pan over a high flame. Add oil. Add shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes, or until they begin to turn pink. Add spring rolls to pan.

Sprinkle in spice mix (you will have extra) and coat shrimp with spice, scallions and chilies.

Asian Pear Sauce

1/4 cup dashi or water
1/4 c. soya,
1 tbs. sugar
1 – 2 Asian pears, cored (no need to peel)
1 tsp. chili paste
1 1/2 tbs. mirin
2 tsp. rice vinegar
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp. sesame oil

Put everything in a blender and puree.