Baked Shrimp

I get off work at five o'clock which means I won't be home until at least 5:30 or, if I do some quick errands, around six. What to do for dinner? Lately, it's been shrimp. At around seven bucks a pound, a half-pound will give me a dozen--not a bad dinner for only $3.50. Add an avocado or fresh broccoli and voila! A dinner fit for a king.

Snazzy appetizer? Dinner? You choose. Either way,

you can't go wrong!

Adapted from a Jacques Pepin recipe, this is also a knockout appetizer. And it can be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated, then baked in no time.

Unlike a shrimp scampi, it's not swimming in butter. Feel free to play around with different herbs. On one occasion I used half fresh chives with the green onions. On another, a bit of chopped rosemary. Sometimes I add several good shakes of Old Bay's. Or a light dust of Cayenne. If you like things spicy, I could see a bit of finely diced jalapeno pepper. I also add a bit of grated Parmesan to the bread-crumb topping. But one thing is certain: don't skimp on the garlic! And I always add a bit of grated lemon zest.

Having said that, my new favorite way is to add one tablespoon dried 'fines herbes' with a bit of dried dill. (Click here for info about how to make fines herbes: Kitchen Bounty: Fines Herbes--OR use heaping teaspoon each of the following dried herbs: chervil, parsley, chives and tarragon.)

(Serves 2 as a main course or 4-6 as an appetizer)

• 1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 12) 26-30 size
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions (see "notes" at end of post)
• 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon finely-chopped or pressed garlic (I use 2-3 teaspoons)
• Several grates of fresh lemon zest (optional)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter mixed with 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt, pepper, and/or Old Bay's Seasoning or seasonings of your choice--to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs or Panko break crumbs (not dried!)*
• 1 tablespoon melted butter and/or oil
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 2 tablespoons dry, white wine

In a small bowl, toss the shrimp with the onions, mushrooms, fresh herbs if using or  fines herbes (recommended) garlic, and powdered seasonings of your choice. Add the two tablespoons melted butter and one tablespoon olive oil. Mix well.

Spread in a shallow pan that is large enough so the shrimp form a single layer. I use an 8 x 8 pyrex dish. I've used a pie plate but don't recommend it since the juices congeal around the sloped edges and don't cook with the shrimp.

Mix the Parmesan with the bread crumbs. Add just enough melted butter and/or oil to coat them and still leave "fluffy." Sprinkle over the shrimp. Sprinkle white wine over all, if using.

Bake in a 425-degree oven (F) for about 15 minutes. Cool a bit and serve with lemon wedges.

*I'm not an advocate of dried bread crumbs. It's a cinch to make fresh in the food processor and even easier to buy Panko-style bread crumbs--both are light and fluffy, absorb juices well, and add a crispness without being dried and grainy like the traditional dried bread crumbs. If you live in a country where green onions are not readily available, I'd suggest one tablespoon of chopped shallots.

Easy Rice with Spinach and Parmesan Cheese (Company Rice)

I love "green rice," but it's complicated and takes time. You have to cook the rice first. Saute onions. Assemble it and then bake it. And I love rice. So, years ago, I began experimenting with all the basic ingredients of green rice but in one pan. It's now a standard recipe for me. When served to guests, it's always a hit, hence my real name for this recipe, "Company Rice." It's just too easy not to make!

Use chopped frozen spinach in a bag--not the box!
Fresh Parmesan works best for this recipe.

• 1 cup raw, white rice (I prefer Uncle Ben's Par-Boiled)
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach (maybe a tad more)
• 1 tablespoon dried, minced onion flakes (I use McCormick)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 scant teaspoons Kosher salt
• Pepper to taste
• 2 cups water less 2 tablespoons
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not canned)

Add all ingredients except for butter and cheese in a 1 1/2 quart pan. Stir. Bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover until water is absorbed and rice is done, stirring once or twice during the process, about 15-20 minutes or so.

Remove from heat. Stir in the butter until melted. Taste for seasonings adding more salt and/or pepper if necessary and/or butter. Mix in the cheese using a fork. Re-cover and allow to sit about ten minutes. Re-fluff and serve.

Notes: I've also used half water and half chicken stock to cook the rice. If serving with a beef dish, use half beef broth and half water. This dish is easily made ahead and re-heated in the oven or microwave.

Homemade Lamb Sausages with Feta, Rosemary, Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Simmering sausages allows the spices to shine. Frying and grilling
literally burns them away.

Yes, you can make your own sausages. All you need is ground meat and some small Ziploc freezer bags. And, I guarantee you, they will taste better than anything you purchased pre-packaged or frozen. (More Ziploc sausage recipes can be found here: Kitchen Bounty: sausages.

With Easter just a short memory behind us, lamb is still abundant, particularly ground lamb. And it's pretty reasonably priced, too. One pound will yield four sausages. Don't be afraid to experiment with your spices. Lamb loves spices. Since the sausages are simmered and not fried or grilled, the cheese stays intact instead of melting away.

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 heaping tablespoon freshly minced rosemary, needles only, no stems (stems can puncture the plastic bag when forming the sausage)
• 1 heaping teaspoon minced or pressed garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced parsely
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) dried thyme flakes
• 4 sun-dried tomato halves, soaked in hot water, drained and chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons Feta cheese crumbles
• Zest from 1/2 lemon
• pepper
• Pinch or two of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water (scant)

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. To test, take a small teaspoon of the meat and microwave for about 15 seconds. Taste. Re-season if necessary, paying close attention to salt.

If possible, refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to mix, or for a few hours.

Place 1/2 cup meat mixture inside a Ziploc freezer bag. Form into a sausage shape by sliding the meat down into bag with the edge of your hand. Expel air and seal carefully. Roll. At this point they may be frozen for future use.

Fill a large pot of water 3/4 full and bring to a boil. Reduce to a slow, slow simmer. Place sausages into water trying not to allow the top of the bag to sink into the water. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove sausages from pot and allow to sit for about five minutes. The fat will rise to the top of the bag. Removes sausages. If you'd like to serve them with their natural juices, carefully make a small cut in the corner of the bag and drain the juices.

Serve plain or with Tzatziki (cucumber) sauce.

SAUSAGE ADVICE

1. Use name-brand, pint-sized plastic bags. Generic are usually thinner and the corners leak so you will lose the poaching liquid inside the bag resulting in a very dry sausage. Name-brand, such as Ziploc, do not contain BPA, a harmful chemical.
2. Use less, not more, of each spice if in doubt. You can always add more later on. Keep a notepad nearby to record what you add.
3. I actually prefer dried spices and herbs, but prefer fresh garlic that is smashed into a paste. Use fresh cheese, not canned/powdered which can dry the sausage.
4. After mixing, place a good teaspoonful on a plate and microwave for about 30 seconds or until no pink remains in center. Taste. Adjust seasonings accordingly.
5. The ideal sausage mixture is 70/30. Pre-ground pork is 80/20, but it's okay. If you have a friendly butcher, he will be more than happy to grind some fresh suet for you. You can also add ground bacon. Allow it to partially freeze, cut into chunks and grind in your food processor. But remember it will alter the taste of your sausage.
6. As the sausages poach, they will shrink. Sometimes the bag will, too.
7. Be sure to add the water to your mix. This adds moisture and helps to incorporate the spices.
8. If possible, refrigerate your mixture for several hours or overnight before forming into sausages.
9. These freeze beautifully. I allow mine to thaw before poaching. 
10. If you want, carefully remove sausages a bit before they are done and brown in a bit of butter/olive oil. 
11. Smoked paprika adds great smoky taste to homemade sausages.
12. Because they are lower in fat than regular sausages, condiments work well with Ziploc sausages.
13. If your sausage mixture ends up too strong in spicy flavors, form into patties and fry. Frying reduces the strong tastes. 
14. Here's a great site for sausage recipes and even supplies: Len Poli's Sausage Making - Homemade Sausage Formulations and Recipes

Corned Beef and Potatoes

Corned beef is a great summer dish!

I once found a wad of two-dollar bills in an abandoned field. I was elated. The kind of excitement where you don't breathe for several seconds, your eyes widen, your heart skips a beat or two, and then you take off running to tell everyone. Or anyone. That wad of two-buck wonders came to almost fifty bucks!

Well, that's how I felt the other day in the grocery store. Some of the corned beef was marked way down because they were "close-dated." I was ecstatic! I bought one two-and-a-half pound beauty for $5.20!!! And then another for a little over seven bucks! Wow! Just like "the old days" when food was affordable.

When I taught school, I used the crock pot to cook my corned beef while I was away. It had great flavor but it had a tendency to be overdone and literally fall apart.

I now prefer to simmer a corned beef on top of the stove where I can monitor it just until it is fork tender for nice, non-shredded slices.

Corned beef, like any boiled dinner, is a great summer dish (it will be 86 degrees here today in the South). You don't have to use your oven or heat up a grill outside. And cold, sliced leftovers make great sandwiches. Recently, I purchased an electric hot-plate which I can plug in on the back porch. I love it. I can even use it in the winter. It's a great investment.

I do not particularly like cabbage simmered in the meat water. To me, it comes out greasy. Instead, I prefer to make it separate. I think it tastes much cleaner.

• 1, 2.5-3 lb. corned beef
• 1-2 carrots, broken into thirds
• 1 rib celery, roughly chopped
• 1/2 half large onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves smashed, peels and all
• 1-2 teaspoons pickling spice
• 1-2, 14.5 oz. cans whole new potatoes
• cabbage (optional)

Remove beef from the package. Rinse. Place in Dutch oven large enough to accommodate. If it's a bit of a squeeze, that's okay since the beef will shrink considerably during cooking. If a packet of pickling spice is included, just throw it away. You can buy a container of pickling spice from the grocery store that is ten times better. Sprinkle beef with 1-2 teaspoons of spice. Scatter carrot, onion, celery and garlic around beef. Add water just until it reaches the top of the beef.

Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to LOW and simmer, covered, about 45-60 minutes per pound or until the prongs of a carving fork pierce the roast with little resistance.

Turn off heat but keep the corned beef in the pot. Open and rinse the new potatoes. Tuck them around the beef. Cover for about 30 minutes. Remove potatoes to a bowl. Cut into fourths. Dot with butter and a few spoonfuls of the corned beef broth. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried parsley (or fresh). Mix together.

Cabbage:  Melt 1-2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add some thin-sliced onion rings that you have cut into half moons. Half a cabbage into thin slices. Add to onion/butter/olive oil mixture. Spoon in a few tablespoons of the corned beef liquid. Cover and steam to your liking. Salt to taste.

Slice the corned beef and serve with potatoes and, if using, the cabbage. Always slice against or in the opposite direction from the grain of the meat. If the beef is a tad overdone and falling apart, slice a bit thicker than you ordinarily would. Serve with spiced mustard and/or horseradish.

I especially enjoy corned beef with buttered Boston brown bread. It is pretty readily available in most grocery stores. It is sold in a can. Some stores shelf it with the baked beans. Some shelf it with bread and muffin mixes. Here's what it looks like:

Notes: I think it wise to always plan an extra hour for the corned beef. You can always just let it sit in the braising liquid until ready to serve. Grilled corned-beef sandwiches are great, but don't use the customary Swiss cheese. I use slices of cheddar-horseradish which is wonderful.


I prefer the 'flat-end' cut of corned beef. It is uniform in thickness compared to a 'point-end.' I also like an even layer of fat on it.