Back in the Kitchen

Well, I never left it, really, but my computer was in the shop for a week, thus no blog posts. The pantry/freezer challenge was going pretty well, then this week was one of “those”, complete with a two-day migraine, so we had a couple of nights when I didn’t cook and everyone just ate whatever they came up with from the frig. Jess and I ate cereal and Greg made himself some eggs. Yippee.

The week before I used up a partial bag of scallops and a partial bag of shrimp from the freezer to make a seafood bisque recipe. Greg and I had seen Paula Deen make this using shrimp and lobster tails over the holidays. I did do the whole bread bowl thing to serve it in, then we tore it apart and ate it with our soup…  (A day-old round loaf of sourdough purchased from the clearance shelf in the bakery section of the store. Cut out the top, pull out the inside. Brush w/ olive oil, sprinkle w/ salt and pepper, then toast in a 400 degree oven until brown.)

To cook the shrimp and scallops, I borrowed a technique from Ina Garten and roasted them in the oven with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. After they were cooked and cooled a little, I pulled off the shrimp tails and then chopped everything into bit-sized pieces.

In the interest of being heart healthy, I used olive oil instead of butter and fat-free half and half instead of regular. It was still plenty rich and oh, so tasty!

 

Creamy Shrimp Bisque

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2008

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 4 to 5 servings 

Ingredients

• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 green onion with tops, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half and half
• 3 1/2 cups fish stock (I used chicken stock – it’s what I had on hand)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 8 ounces cooked shrimp or lobster meat, chopped

Directions

In a medium saucepan, add celery, onions and butter, stirring occasionally. When tender add garlic and mix together. Stir in flour and half and half. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in fish stock and parsley. Cook for 10 minutes until it thickens. Add shrimp meat and let simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through. Stir occasionally. Add salt, to taste.  Enjoy!

Yummy goodness from the Gulf

Greg's mom brought us a treat this morning - fresh shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. I cooked it up right away, just a few minutes ago. Doesn't it look tasty? I love shrimp - boiled shrimp, shrimp scampi, shrimp salad, fried shrimp, butterflied shrimp, shrimp toast - I sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump, don't I? :o)
I never got to have shrimp when I was a kid, since it really was pretty expensive here in the middle of the U.S. On those rare occasions, it was heavily breaded and deep fried - most of the succulent flavor lost, but I liked the texture and the fact that it was a rare treat.
Then Greg and I made Red Lobster our "special place" for celebratory meals. We at there when we became engaged, when we found out Nick was on the way, and for various anniversaries. No more breaded shrimp - I discovered scampi and was hooked!
My dad loved shrimp, too. I didn't realize this until he was sick and bedridden. I was with him one afternoon when a TV commercial for Red Lobster came on, and he said he would love to go there for the "all you can eat" shrimp feast. Obviously that wasn't in our realm of possibility, but I had some Sam's Club shrimp at home in the freezer. A few days later, I brought some from home and made him scampi. His house smelled of garlic the entire evening, but he feasted and we were happy he ate a good meal.

This particular pile of goodness will be for salads. It was boiled in a mixture of water, a splash of white wine, one lemon, and some celery salt. I'll leave some whole , and the rest will be chopped and mixed with celery and mayo for sandwiches - and that's what I'm having for lunch!