Bacon- Wrapped Shrimp with Basil-Garlic Stuffing

Rain, rain, go away!!!  It's basically rained all weekend.  I've found myself trapped in my car three times as I have oh-so-patiently waited for the rain to slow down a bit so that I could dash to wherever my destination was.  The last time happened this afternoon when I was on my way to Publix.  When I left the house, it was dark, but by the time I made it to Publix, it was pouring!  I sat in the car and then moved it to a closer spot so that I could run inside to get some ingredients for the app that I wanted to do for dinner tonight.  Rick and I were planning to grill out, but it turned into steaks in the oven on a cast iron skillet.  We did some baked potatoes, too.  Publix had their large shrimp on sale which I thought would be a perfect starter that I found on myrecipes.com.  This recipe was originally found in Coastal Living magazine.  I adapted it with one of the suggestions from the reviewers and mixed light cream cheese (my goat cheese had mold :( ) with Parmesan cheese for the stuffing.  I did 10 shrimp since there is just the two of us. The recipe called for a fruit-based BBQ sauce, and when I saw the Sweet Baby Ray's Raspberry Chipotle one, I knew that was the one for us! 

The shrimp turned out to be a perfect appetizer to hold us over while our potatoes baked and before we did the steaks.  We probably could've done just 3 each because the large shrimp were filling.  Definitely a keeper!

Here's what I did...

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Basil-Garlic Stuffing

Ingredients

10 large pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied

10 pieces of bacon (cutting 1/4 of each slice off)

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon light cream cheese

1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

1 clove of garlic, minced

 Sweet Baby Ray's Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix cheese, basil, and garlic together in a bowl.

Cut slit deeper into the shrimp (but not totally through). Stuff cheese in the slit and press closed.

Cook bacon over medium heat until partially cooked. Drain on paper towels.

Wrap one slice of bacon around the each shrimp.  Place shrimp on a greased baking sheet.  Brush the shrimp with the BBQ sauce.  Bake in the oven for 9 minutes.  

Enjoy!!!

Lobster Ravioli in a Seafood Sauce

Don't let the name fool you.  This meal is a super easy, super quick week night meal.  There are a couple of "cheats," though:  packaged ravioli and tomato sauce out of a jar.  Sometimes, I make it as a cream sauce and add 1/3 cup half and half, but I was so excited that I got to use mushrooms that I forgot to add it!  Obviously with the inclusion of mushrooms in the sauce, Rick wasn't here. He's not feeling well so it was just me and the kitties (not that I shared with them).  You can serve 4 if you pair it with a salad.  I divided it into thirds so that I can have leftovers for lunch tomorrow and the next day.

Here's what I did!

Lobster Ravioli

Ingredients
1 package of Lobster Ravioli
1/2 jar tomato sauce of your choice
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup white wine 
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Crushed red pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper


Directions
In a sauce pan, heat tomato sauce, basil, and white wine.  Season shrimp wit salt and pepper in a small bowl.
 
Heat 1-2  tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan.  Add mushrooms and saute until soften.  Add onions and saute until the start to soften.  Add shrimp and saute until they are pink on both sides. Add tomato sauce to pan and heat until it starts to bubble a little bit.

Heat 2-3 quarts of water and bring to a boil (start this as oil is heating).  Add ravioli and cook for around 4 minutes.  Drain and place 1/2 on a plate.  Top with sauce and serve.


Enjoy!

How do you feel about eggplant?

That was the text that I sent to Rick on Friday afternoon.  I'd had eggplants on my mind alll day after I passed quite a few attractive ones that were on display in the Horseshoe at MUSC today.  Every Friday, MUSC hosts a small farmer's market in the Horseshoe in front of that disappointing tent that is serving as a cafeteria while the old one gets renovated.  I find it amusing that there are all these delicious looking fruits and vegetables just a few yards from the tent, but hey, I'll readily admit that I have an odd sense of humor.

Rick didn't reply back via text but called to let me know that he'd never had eggplant before.  Honestly, I've never cooked eggplant before either, but I opted not to tell him that until afterwards.  I went on an internet search for eggplant recipes.  I wasn't sure what I wanted, but I did know that eggplant parm would be out since we did chicken parmesan recently.  Anyway, I have to be honest.  The way that I search for recipes online has evolved since I've started writing this blog.  No longer do I start with my old stand-by website epicurious.com or foodnetwork.com, but instead, I now start out with a google search of blogs.  One of the website recipes that I came across that really caught my eye was this one, but when Rick told me that the chicken that he had out was now probably bad (and that he wanted to do some grilling, too), I decided to save it for another day and keep searching.  I saw a ton of recipes for Eggplant Rolls which really got me thinking about how I could play with this concept to make something that was my own.

After picking up an eggplant, two green peppers, and two cucumbers (I feel some more tzatziki coming on...I've created a monster within myself!!) at the farmer's market, I stopped at Whole Foods on the way home.  I was looking for some sort of soft cheese to use as part of my filling.  In my mind, I was already picturing doing something similar to the pinwheel appetizers that I posted last week and using some prosciutto that I have in the refrigerator and some basil (which made me lament giving up on our basil over the last month or so) and maybe throw in some diced tomatoes and garlic...  I wanted a cheese that wasn't ricotta but not really cream cheese either, and the helpful guys at Whole Foods suggested Capricho de Cabra.  I had never heard of it before, but the friendly one helping me called it "a step above cream cheese."  A quick google search informed me that it is a goat cheese from Spain.  Sounds good to me!  


The look on Rick's face when I was slicing up the eggplant betrayed his skepticism about the meal despite his what he was saying. Too bad I didn't have my camera handy for that one.  In the end, though, the eggplant won him over!  Here's the recipe


Eggplant Roll-Ups


Ingredients
1 eggplant
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 4 oz package of prosciutto
3 cheese blend
1/3 lb of Capricho de Cabra, softened (you can use ricotta or cream cheese if you wish)

Provolone cheese, grated

Marinara sauce of your choice
Extra virgin olive oil
Italian seasoning grinder



Directions
 Preheat oven to 350F.  

Slice off the ends of the eggplant, and then thinly slice off one side of the eggplant so that it can sit stably on the cutting board.  Repeat on the opposite side of the eggplant. Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Put the olive oil on a plate and add some of the Italian seasoning to it.  Brush each side of the each slice of the eggplant with the olive oil and set aside.


Heat a grill to medium-high, and grill the eggplant (about 3-5 minutes per side depending on how thick the slices are) until they are tender.

Mix softened Capricho de Cabra, 3 cheese blend and basil in a bowl.


Place grilled eggplant on a cutting board.  Taking one piece at a time, put a slice of prosciutto on the eggplant and then spread the cheese mixture on it to cover it.  Starting with the larger end of the eggplant, roll the eggplant into a roll up and place in a baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining slices of egg plant.  Spoon marinara sauce over the eggplant roll ups and then top with grated provolone cheese.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

A Katie Hors d'oeuvres Classic: Prosciutto and Cheese Pinwheels

Back in July, I shared two hors d'oeuvres that took to a surprise baby shower for my friend Kim. Another of my favorite hors d'oeuvre to serve are Prosciutto and Cheese Pinwheels. The first time that I made them was for a Christmas party that Kristin and I had at my home back in 2003.

I have made them using all different kinds of cheeses including Gruyere, Parmesan, Provolone, Cheddar...basically whatever I have had on hand and sometimes I have even combined different types. They are really quick and simple to make and delicious warm. This is the original recipe that I used, but over the years, I've made a couple of changes.  In the picture, I didn't half the puff pastry.  Rick actually likes it better this way!

Prosciutto and Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients
3/4 cup packed, grated cheese (such as Gruyere, cheddar, Parmesan, Provolone)
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
1 thawed puff pastry sheet (1 from a 17 1/4 oz package of frozen puff pastry)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 oz of thinly sliced prosciutto
Flour

Directions
In a bowl, combine cheese and basil. Lightly flour a cutting board and place puff pastry on it. Cut pastry to make two rectangles. Arrange one half of the sheet with the long side facing and brush the edge of the far side with some eggs. Put 1/2 of prosciutto on the pastry (avoiding the egg-brushed edge. Top with half of the cheese-basil mixture. Starting with the side closest to you, roll the pastry jelly-roll fashion into a log, pressing gently to seal long edges. Wrap the log in plastic, and repeat with the other half of the puff pastry. Chill the pastry logs, seam side down for at least 3 hours and up ot 3 days.

Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/2 inch thick pinwheels and arrange with the cut sides down, 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake pinwheels in batches in the middle of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Use a metal spatula to transfer pinwheels to a rack and cool. Serve warm.

Warm Scallop Salad with Prosciutto Chips

I have to admit that I was disappointed a few weeks ago when Rick finally admitted to me that he wasn't a fan of this recipe...or as he put it, it wasn't one of his favorites. He said that it was too lemony which sent me into the kitchen to try to make it something that he loves as much as I do! Adding a pinch of sugar definitely takes care of the tartness from the lemon, and I like to add a couple of tablespoons of white wine to the lemon juice to make a more complex.

I've been making this recipe for years, and I've been known to add thinly sliced onions and tomatoes to the salad. I serve it as a main course and use 10-12 sea scallops when I'm making it for two.

Here is the recipe with my adaptations.

Ingredients

4 paper-thin slices prosciutto
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Romaine Lettuce
1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
10 sea scallops
All purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons white wine
Parmesan cheese (shredded)


Directions
Brush each prosciutto slice on 1 side lightly with some of oil. Heat heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 slices prosciutto, oiled side down. Cook until bottom is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn prosciutto over and cook until bottom is browned, flattening with spatula, about 1 minute longer. Using tongs, transfer prosciutto to paper towels to crisp. Repeat with remaining 2 slices prosciutto. Reserve skillet.

Place lettuce and basil in large bowl and mix together. Set aside.

Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper; dust lightly with flour. Heat remaining oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook until brown and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

Saute garlic in pan. Add white wine, lemon juice and lemon peel to drippings in skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour pan juices over greens and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 2 plates and top with scallops. Garnish with prosciutto chips and serve. I like to tent them around the center of the salad and surround them with the scallops. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.

Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce

Tonight is the first night this week that Rick and I have been able to spend together. Even though our daytime commitments have us a little stressed out, I'm so glad that we got to spend some quality time together tonight. With NY Strips on sale at various supermarkets, I was thinking "grill out!!!" but Rick wasn't that hungry so I opted to do a shrimp pasta dish. I searched foodnetwork.com for a recipe, and I came across this one. We both agree that it wasn't a stand out, but it was definitely a good one so I thought that I would share it here. The changes that I made was to up the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon, added two shallots, subbed low fat milk (made a roux with butter and flour) for heavy cream, a can of diced tomatoes (drained), and crab stock for clam juice.

Here is the original recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 pound penne pasta
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup clam juice
  
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and set aside.

Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 cup parsley, and the red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice, and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp, the cooked pasta, and the remaining herbs. Toss together until all ingredients are coated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

A Hidden Gem in My epicurious.com Recipe Box

Even though I was excited about seeing Rick last night, I have to admit that I was tired after a long night at the library the night before. I took a power nap after work, and when Rick's calling woke me up, I wasn't in the mood to do anything complicated for dinner. Rick said that he wasn't really hungry after going to luncheon at work so I started combing my epicurious.com recipe box for something light and easy to make. I wanted to do something with seafood as I always have a pound of frozen shrimp in the freezer, and I didn't want to have to go to the grocery store. I was looking for something new, and nothing was really appealing to me until I came to the last one in the box. Luckily, epicurious.com has this really cool feature that allows you to sort so I didn't have to go through all 600+ recipes. This particular recipe was added in June 1999, and oddly, I had never tried it. Sounded good...pasta, seafood, basil, garlic....and didn't sound too difficult.

When I went to the pantry, I realized that I didn't have any linguine. I called Rick, and he didn't either so despite my lack of desire to go to the grocery store, I found myself heading up to Publix. While there, I cruised over to the seafood counter and saw that bay scallops and small shrimp were on sale so I went ahead and got a pound of shrimp (already peeled and deveined!) and a half of pound of bay scallops to go with my pasta. I also decided to get a shallot, too.

Our timing was perfect as Rick and I got to my place at the same time. We picked some basil from our plants. Rick was on pasta duty while I did all the chopping. I wasn't able to crush the fennel seeds, and I really think I need a mortar and pestle. When cooking the shallot, garlic, and basil, I used pepper oil instead of plain ole olive oil. I never really measure how much I put in the pan before I saute--just enough to cover the bottom. I reduced the fennel seeds by half. The smell of the garlic, basil, fennel, and shallot that filled my condo was amazing.

After the shrimp (yep, used the whole pound) and scallops cooked for around two minutes, I added 1/2 of white wine and continued to cook until the shrimp were opaque. Finally, I added 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. I made sure not to cook the sauce down too much. I had Rick taste it to see if it needed anything else, but he couldn't think of anything. We both thought that maybe it was a little salty. When the pasta, seafood mix and 3 cheese blend (I live by this stuff!) were all tossed together, saltiness was definitely not a problem! A little more cheese and a sprinkle of dried parsley to garnish were added when I plated it. Rick called the dish exceptional! He really liked the little bite that the pepper oil gave it.

Yep, this dish was perfect. It was simple and easy and not heavy at all. I think that next time, I may use another shallot.

Here is the original recipe.

Seafood Catizone

Bon Appétit | December 1990

A shrimp and scallop pasta dish with basil and fennel.

Yield: 4 first- or 2 main-course servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 pound medium uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
1/2 pound scallops
8 ounces linguine, freshly cooked
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Additional grated Parmesan

Preparation

Melt butter with 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, basil and fennel and sauté 1 minute. Add shrimp and scallops and sauté until both are just opaque, about 4 minutes.
Place linguine in bowl. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Pour sauce over linguine and toss. Add 1/3 cup Parmesan and toss again. Pass additional Parmesan separately.

Changes that I made:

• used 1 pound of small shrimp
• used 2 tablespoons of fresh basil instead of dried
• added a chopped shallot
  
• added 1/2 cup white wine
• cooked in pepper oil
• added butter to pan at the end
• subbed 1/2 cup of 3 cheese blend instead of grated Parmesan