Shrimp Fried Rice

Oh how I love thee....

5 cups cooked rice, I use brown
3 eggs
1 lb of 30-40 count shrimp, peeled, deveined, and thawed if frozen
1 tbs soy sauce
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 cups frozen mixed peas and carrots, thawed
4 green onions, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or large pan. In a bowl, beat eggs until combined. Turn heat to medium and pour in the egg. Allow it to cook for about 1 minute then lift the cooked edges to allow the uncooked egg to go underneath. Continue until all the egg has set. Remove to a plate, cut into small pieces and keep warm.

Add another 1/2 tbs of oil to the wok and add shrimp and soy sauce. Cook, stirring often, until shrimp are no longer pink, about 1 1/2 minutes, do not overcook, they will cook more later on in the dish.

If necessary, add a little more oil and then add onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and allow it to cook for about 1 minute. Add peas and carrots and stir until warmed. Toss in rice and then add shrimp and eggs. Stir in green onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with soy sauce.

This recipe makes about 4 large main dish servings and 6-8 side dish servings.

Shrimp Boil

This is a very easy, but very impressive dinner. Serve with crusty bread and lots of wine.

2 lemons, halved
1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning
1 head of garlic, top sliced off
1 large onion, quartered
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 pound baby red potatoes
4 ears corn, husked and snapped in half
4 sausages, cut into thirds (any kind you like, the spicier the better)
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, de-veined but unpeeled (frozen OK)

Dipping Sauce
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tbs Old Bay
2 cloves garlic, crushed

In a very large pot, add 3 quarts of water, lemon, onion, garlic, Old Bay, and thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium and add the potatoes, cooking for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes soften. Reduce to a simmer and add corn and sausage, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes if using fresh and 4 if using frozen. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp, sausage, and vegetables to a large serving bowl and spoon a cup or so of the cooking liquids over.

For the sauce, melt the butter and stir in the old bay and garlic. Pour some over a plate of the shrimp or offer it for dipping.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Basically this is a spicy shrimp sauce. I decided to make a sauce with grape tomatoes because I though it would made a nice sweet and spicy sauce... plus I had a TON of them!

1 lb shrimp (20-30 count), de-veined and peeled
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups grape tomatoes
1/2 c chicken broth
1/4 c white wine
A handful of basil, chopped
Pasta

Stir together shrimp, salt, and pepper. Heat a sauce pan over medium-high heat and add a couple table spoons of oil. Cook shrimp for about 2 minutes and flip over for another minute or two. Shrimp will be cooked when they are completely pink. Remove to a plate.

In the same pan, add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and stir. Add grape tomatoes and turn up the heat to high. Saute the tomatoes and allow them to burst. During cooking, push down on the tomatoes with the back of a large spoon, helping them to break down. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Continue helping the tomatoes to break down and create a sauce. Once the broth has reduced add the wine and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Serve with pasta and garnish with Parmesan.

Garlic and Lemon Shrimp with Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Garlic and Lemon Shrimp
Delicious and amazing come to mind... The husband doesn't care much for shrimp, but he will even take seconds of these. Serve these babies with some of my Perfect Polenta and the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli and you have an amazing dinner.

1 lb of 31-40 count shrimp, de-vained and shell and tail removed
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
4 gloves garlic, minced or crushed
A splash of white wine
Salt and pepper

In a bowl, combine the shrimp, lemon juice, garlic, wine, and a good dash salt and pepper. Let the shrimp sit in the marinade for a few minutes.

After they have had a chance to soak in some of those flavors, pour the whole mixture into a non-stick skillet and cook over medium heat. Arrange the shrimp so that they are in an even layer and all get a chance to cook. They will only need about 3-4 minutes on each side, so watch them carefully and flip when they are nice and pink on the first side, there should be no gray left on them. Don't cook them too long or they get rubbery.

(hey, I'm getting better at this food picture taking... huh?)

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Olive Oil
1/2 an onion, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 large head of broccoli, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and pepper
A handful of parmesan

Preheat your oven to 375. Drizzle a baking pan with olive oil, and use a piece of broccoli to make sure it is coated. Toss broccoli, onion, and garlic onto pan and drizzle a little more oil on top. Season with some salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes, broccoli should be starting to soften and get a little brown on the under side. Toss on Parmesan and put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes, until broccoli is tender.