Cumin & Chili Shrimp with Roasted Corn & Poblano Polenta

I love everything about cumin. The nutty, warm flavor it brings to each dish heightens the taste of every bite. The hubs tends to think that I add too much cumin when cooking sometimes but I just can't help myself.

When I came across this post from Elly Says Opa, I knew that it would become a favorite in our house. We really like trying new things with shrimp since it is healthy and so easy to prepare; and since discovering that polenta is really easy to make, we've been trying various versions ever since. The Mexican twist on the dish is fun and this would be a great meal to make the next time you have company over.

Cumin and Chili Shrimp with Roasted Corn and Poblano Polenta

from Elly Says Opa

For the shrimp:

Olive oil

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 T cumin

1/2 T chili powder

1/2 T ancho chili powder

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Toss shrimp with cumin and both chili powders in large bowl. Add to skillet and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until shrimp is transparent and cooked through. Serve over polenta.

For the polenta:

1 poblano pepper

3/4 cup roasted corn

2 tsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2/3 to 2 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you want the polenta)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup Monterrey jack cheese
Salt and pepper

Over a gas burner or under your broiler, char the poblano on all sides, until the skin is blistery and black. Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Once cooled, peel and dice.

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat Add the garlic and stir until just fragrant. Stir in the chicken broth, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste; bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta – it will absorb the liquid almost immediately. Add the diced poblano and corn. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the cheese and reseason if necessary.

Serves 2

Red Pepper & Corn Risotto with Seared Scallops

Risotto is something that takes time. And love. And more time. It's not something that can be rushed and should more than likely be made on a weekend night while sipping a glass of wine. Or two. Or three.

The hubs has gotten to the point that his risotto is pretty much perfect. Its taken lots of practice (and more nagging from me than he would like because it does take so long to make), but the end result is so worth it. It's definitely possible that the first time you try cooking risotto, it could be an utter failure. I encourage you not to give up. Risotto is a dish that warms the soul and its worth all of the time and effort that goes into it.

For this version, we made a red pepper and corn risotto served with seared sea scallops. The recipe below is for a larger group, but can be scaled down to accommodate a smaller crowd; however I recommend making the risotto as is because you just can't go wrong with leftovers.

Red Pepper and Corn Risotto

1 cup diced red pepper
1 cup corn, removed from ear
8 cups chicken stock
Bouquet garni (Rosemary, thyme and bay leaf in cheesecloth)
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T butter
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine (We use chardonnay)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 T fresh basil chiffonade

In medium skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, red pepper and corn until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Add chicken stock and bouquet garni to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering. In a separate large saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil, butter and shallots. Cook shallots until soft, for 5 minutes, then add garlic, stirring frequently. Add arborio rice to shallot and garlic mixture and continuously stir until rice is toasted, about 5 minutes. Add white wine and stir as wine is absorbed into rice. Add one ladle of stock at a time, while continuously stirring. Continue to add ladles of stock every 5 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. Add red peppers, corn, and Parmesan stirring to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add to plate and sprinkle basil on top of risotto. Serve alongside scallops.

 

Seared Scallops

18 large sea scallops

Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Start by rinsing scallops under warm water. Pat completely dry. Season each scallop liberally with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once pan is to temperature, add scallops and sear each side for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with risotto.

Serves 6



Great Summer Recipe: Ceviche

I’m always looking for great recipes that are light and healthy during the summertime that are easy to make and won’t heat up the kitchen. Ceviche is the perfect dish for that and can be altered to act as a main dish, appetizer or a great party dish. The hubs and I were craving seafood last weekend and made this version alongside our Basil Mojitos. The spin on this version is the addition of a little bit of spice—specifically by adding a bit of Sriracha and red pepper flakes.

Ceviche

½ cup orange juice
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes total)
1 T Sriracha
½ t. red pepper flakes
1 T extra virgin olive oil
½ cup red onion, chopped
1 cup roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
½ pound cleaned squid, cut into ¼ inch rings (bodies only)
½ pound bay scallops
½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 whole avocado, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt

Combine orange juice, lime juice, Sriracha, red pepper flakes, EVOO and salt into a large, non-reactive bowl and stir to combine. Add chopped onion, tomatoes, cucumber, squid, scallops and shrimp to marinade. Marinate, uncovered and chilled, for at least 3 hours. Add cilantro and avocado to mixture and chill for another 30 minutes. Serve in wonton cups.

Wonton Cups

Nonstick cooking spray
24 wonton wrappers
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Add each wrapper into a section within the muffin tin and brush with EVOO. Bake for 8-10 minutes until browned and crisp.

Enjoy!

Busy, busy, busy...

Okay, so I know that I promised to post updates last week. Obviously, that didn't happen. We have so super busy between work, a couple of weekend trips and all of the activities for my brother's upcoming wedding.

With all of this flurry of activity, we've also not made it to the grocery store which means less time cooking. When we got home from the KU football game on Saturday, our fridge was completely empty. A Lean Cuisine for dinner on a Saturday night is not my ideal choice.

When this hectic time of the year rears its ugly head, a fool-proof way for us to actually cook at home is to plan our meals for the week in advance. So, I headed to the grocery store yesterday afternoon, list in-hand. This is what we came up with:

Sunday: Wine, cheese and cocktail shrimp
Monday: Philly Cheesesteaks (using the leftover baguette) and roasted red potatoes
Tuesday: Garlic Pork Chops with Sauvignon Beurre Blanc and mashed potatoes
Wednesday: Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
Thursday: Rep outing at The Westside Local (and yay--hubs is invited!)
Friday: Manale Shrimp
Saturday: Wedding reception/out with friends

As you can see, I tend to find my recipes online which is also a great time-saver! Two of those that we're trying are new, so I'll make sure to let you know how they turn out!

Sunday Night Dinner: Surf and Turf

Sunday evenings are the time of the week Dave and I have decided to reserve for each other. It's a great opportunity for us to catch up before the busy week starts and spend some quality time together. Most Sunday evenings, we spend our time in the kitchen cooking a nice dinner and enjoy it with a glass (or two!) of wine. This past Sunday was no different.

I had ran errands on Friday and made a stop at Sam's to pick up dog food. Of course, no trip to Sam's is complete without perusing through the grocery area to try out a few samples and that's exactly what I did. Last time I was home, my mom had mentioned that Sam's offered fresh seafood on Friday's and Saturday's...low and behold as I picked up my pita chip with hummus sample, the seafood station was in sight. They had some lovely ahi tuna, shrimp and huge king crab legs.

As I was taking a look at the crab legs, the person working the station had just pulled together a one-pound bag and said "I would jump on these if I were you, they're the best ones of the day." She must have seen my huge eyes and knew that she could take advantage of my weak moment. But, hey, it was a holiday weekend and at $16.99/lb I figured it would be a good meal to celebrate the end of summer. Or at least that's what I told myself at the checkout line.

Cooking crab legs really isn't all that difficult, as most people just steam them for a few minutes and serve with butter or lemon juice. While that is a great method of preparation, we were looking for something a bit more unique that would give the meat even more flavor. That's when I stumbled upon Emeril Lagasse's Drunken Alaskan King Crab recipe on Food Network. Seriously...what could be better than crab steamed with beer? Since crab is the one of the components in Steak Oscar, it was decided that we would go all out for the evening and splurge on filets as well and serve them with a side of homemade mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Dave happened upon this Wolfgang Puck recipe and used it for inspiration for our meal.

In keeping with the fancy theme, the night started with dirty martinis to enjoy while we were prepping in the kitchen (or just waiting for water to boil).

Olives. Vodka. Yummy.

Next, came the choron sauce prepartion. While I am a lover of anything that is vinegar-based, the aroma from reducing the wine and vinegar combination was too much for me to handle. Luckily, Dave is much tougher than me and manned the kitchen while I was trying to catch my breath outside.

Sauce. Reducing.

A couple drinks and about an hour later, the masterpiece was complete.

While it was a lovely Sunday meal, I think that it was a bit too much food for us (and we even split the filet pictured above!). I would definitely recommend Emeril's method of steaming the crab with beer rather than water and we'll probably be trying it again in the near future. Next time, we'll just save the steak for another night :)