Basmati rice with shrimp

Perfect with a cold beer :)


Reserved shrimp

Pre-cooking the rice with olive oil and garlic


For this rice I followed the basic steps for paella. It should be enough for a dinner for 2. I didn't have azafran one of the key ingredients for paella, and I substituted the classic avanda rice for basmati, but I think this recipe worked very well.

Ingredients:

I used about 1/2 lb of shrimp, 1/2 cup of basmati rice, 3 cloves of garlic (or to taste,) about 2 teaspoons of pimenton (paprika),1 cup of shrimp broth, 1 table spoon of olive oil, one wedge of lime or lemon and salt and pepper to taste.

Process:

1. Peel the shrimp leaving the tails on (you can butterfly it if you like) and save the shells.
2. In a small pot put 1 1/2 cups of water the shrimp shells and 1 teaspoon of salt. Make the water boil for at least 5 min to make a broth.
3. meanwhile you are making the broth, mince the 3 cloves of garlic. In a 8in skillet heat the olive oil under medium-low fire. Add the garlic and bring down the fire to low
making sure to burn the garlic. Cook for about 1min.
4. Add the shrimp and cook for about 2 min and reserve, make sure to leave the garlic in the skillet. Squeeze the lemon wedge over the reserved shrimp ( It's OK to under cook the shrimp. You will add the shrimp back later)
5. Add the rice to the skillet and pre-cook i t with the garlic for 2 min under low fire. Meanwhile turn of the fire on the broth pot.
6. Add 1 cup of broth to the skillet with the rice and disperse the rice uniformly on the skillet. Let the rice cook undisturbed until the broth is gone. I f the rice is drying to fast bring the fire as low as possible and with a soup spoon add small quantities of broth or water as needed.
7. When the rice is close to be done, arrange the shrimp over the rice. You can use a slice of lemon/lime an parsley for garnish.
8. Cover the skillet until the rice is done and the shrimp fully cooked.

Roasted Squash/Pumpkin Soup with Goat Cheese

This is a great and easy recipe from my friend Alicia. Perfect for all of those who get lots of pumpkins and squashes with their CSA shares.

1. Cut one medium pumpkin in quarters and remove the seeds.
2. Rub the pumpkin quarters with a mixture of olive oil and minced garlic. Add salt fresh ground pepper and little bit of sugar (optional.)
3. Place the pumpkin in a 500 oven for about 30 min or until is cooked.
4. Remove the skin and discard. Put the pumpkin in a blender and mix with about two cups of chicken, or vegetable broth. (You can control the texture of the soup by reducing or increasing the amount of broth)
5. Serve with little pieces of goat cheese and parsley (optional.)

Hot Smoked Salmon

Last summer I learned how to hot smoke fish. I followed the recipe used by Mark Bittman in "Fish." There are three ways smoke fish; using a gas grill, using charcoal grill and on your stove top. I used a small charcoal grill which was perfect for a hot summer day...I've been thinking in try the stove top method this winter.

Pizza

Home made pizza. Toppings: Kale, Artichokes, Gorgonzola and Parmesan cheese. If you want to know more about this recipe leave your question on the comments section.

Basa with shrimp, potatoes, onions and basil

Walking yesterday through Chinatown in search of something for dinner, I found two good-looking Basa fillets (about $4.50/ lb). The Basa is native to Southeast Asia and it is mostly farm raised these days. If you are concerned about buying locally caught this is not your fish. However it appears as a "good alternative" under the pocket guide for US fish consumers published by the Monterey Aquarium.

The cooking method is a very simple recipe from Mark Bittman's book "Fish." It works with almost any fish fillet (not sure about salmon.) First, you need a piece of aluminium foil big enough to wrap your fillet. Place the extended aluminum foil on a work surface and then place a layer of thinly sliced potatoes and onions, add salt and pepper and a few drops of olive oil, place your fillet over the potatoes/onion layer and top it with two butterfly cut shrimps (optional). Then add some fresh herbs from your choice. In this case I used basil and a bit of cilantro. Before closing your wrap, add a little bit of salt, pepper and paprika or other seasoning of your choice.
Put your wrapped fillet in a 450 oven for about 20 to 25 minutes...usually you can smell it when it is done. You can open the wrap and check if the fish is fully cooked.