Scampi Bake

I truly, truly love shrimp. Next to Ahi tuna, I think it's my favorite seafood, but I wanted to find a recipe that was a bit different and flavorful. I love making scampi, but for some reason it never comes out garlicky enough or buttery enough. So I found this recipe in Allrecipes.com, and I just modified it a little, but I have to say it was da bomb! Perhaps a tablespoon of garlic may have been a bit much, but we all love garlic in our family. You can cut it down to 1/2 tablespoon if you prefer. I served it with a side gremolata egg noodles, but a salad will be just a nice.

INGREDIENTS (serves 3 to 4)

• 1/2 cup butter (that's one stick, people)
• 1 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 pounds medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, with tails attached

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and half of parsley. When the butter melts completely, remove from heat.

Arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque. After you remove shrimp from the oven, sprinkle the remaining parsley and let sit a couple of minutes before serving.

Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula and Black Pepper and Seared Jumbo Shrimp

This is one of Giada's recipes I saw on the Food Network about a week ago and it seemed easy enough. The only changes I made was that I used a mixture of Pecorino Romano and grated Manchego cheese, and I used spaghetti instead of linguine. I also cut the recipe in half because it's just me and baby fetus right now. I topped the spaghetti with seared jumbo shrimp that I quickly marinated in a little store bought pesto. This is a quick meal that I whipped up after a full day of travel and it certainly hit the spot and baby Blaha loved it!

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

• Salt
• 1 pound linguine
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups very finely grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
• 12 Jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
• store bought pesto

DIRECTIONS

Place shrimp in a ziploc bag and add 1/4 cup of your favorite store bought pesto. Marinate in the fridge 15 to 30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook until it is al dente, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, sear or grill the shrimp until just done.

Immediately toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the butter to coat. While tossing the linguine, gradually sprinkle the cheese, pepper, and enough of the reserved cooking liquid evenly over the linguine to moisten. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt.

Divide the pasta among 4 plates and place 3 seared shrimps on each plate and serve.

Shrimp Cakes with Sriracha-Lemon Cream

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was in a cleaning frenzy a few days ago and I started cleaning out the fridge and freezer. Well, lo and behold I found some large, uncooked frozen shrimp tucked way back in the freezer. I thaweded them and made sure they were still good to use (and they were). So I found this shrimp cake recipe but I totally changed it and made it my own. I also came up with the Sriracha-Lemon Cream sauce, although I have to say I was inspired by the orangy-mayo sauce the sushi chefs drizzle over the rolls. Anyway, these were gooood...although kind of spicy hot, which for some reason I'm really craving right now. I made my cakes about the size of a crab cake, but you can make them smaller if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS (makes 6 large or 12 small cakes)

• 16 uncooked large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined
• 1 smal garlic clove, minced
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons shallot, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I only used 1/4 tsp.)
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• Oil for frying

Siracha-Lemon Cream

• 1/4 cup good mayo
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek
• 1 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• Juice of half a lemon
• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Corasely chop shrimp and garlic in processor. Add egg, shallot, lemon juice, mustard, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Blend-in using on/off turns. Add 1 cup panko and blend-in using on/off turns. Form mixture into twelve 3-inch-diameter cakes (I formed mine into 4 to 5 inch cakes for large ones). Roll cakes in remaining 1 cup panko; transfer to waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate 10 minutes. (Can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry cakes until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, adding more oil to skillet as needed, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place 2 shrimp cakes per plate and spoon some of the Sriracha-Lemon Cream sauce on each and serve immediately.

To make the sriracha-lemon cream: in a small bowl mix all ingredients until well blended and refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Shrimp Risotto

Once you've mastered a basic risotto recipe, you can start making up your kind of risotto flavors, which is what I did with this shrimp risotto. I was craving shrimp and I had 5 jumbo shrimps in the fridge so I came up with this recipe. I also used tomatoes from my garden and all the herbs were from the garden, too. If you have a garden and have a lot of herbs or veggies, risotto is a great way to use them up and flavor your stocks, too!

INGREDIENTS (serves 1 pregnant lady or 2 non-pregos)

• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1 shallot, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Roma tomato, diced (I used tomatoes from my garden)
• 1/4 cup white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, warmed
• 2 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped and divided
• 1 small sprig of fresh thyme
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 5 Jumbo shrimp, with shell on and deveined
• 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Coarse salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a sauce pan heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the shallots and saute for 4 minutes. Add the rice and keep sauteing 2 more minutes, until all granules are coated and lightly toasted. Add a small pinch of coarse salt and some fresh ground black pepper.

Add the wine and stir from time to time, with a wooden spoon, until almost all of wine is absorbed. Next lower heat to medium and add one ladle full of the warmed chicken stock (you want enough stock to just barely cover the rice). Then add the chopped tomatoes, sage, 1 tablespoon of parsley, the thyme sprig and the red pepper flakes, if using. Keep stirring from time to time until stock gets absorbed. Repeat the process of adding a ladle full of stock and keep stirring (I find that after 3 ladle fulls, your rice is al dente and pretty much done--this may take 20 to 30 minutes). Taste the rice for seasoning and add salt, if needed.

While your rice is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Remove immediately and shock in cold water. Peel off the shells and remove tails and roughly chop the shrimp. Set aside. In a small sauce pan melt the 2 tablespoons of butter on low heat. Add the shrimp to the butter once it's melted and remove from heat.

By now you should have added that third ladle of stock and your rice should be al dente and quite creamy. Add 1/4 teaspoon zest of lemon and the cheese and stir in. Lastly add the shrimp with the melted butter and the remaining tablespoon of parsley. Remove risotto from heat and let stand for a couple of minutes before serving.

Serve in a large bowl with more grated Parmesan and parsley. Dont' forget to serve along with the white wine you used.

Shrimp-Gazpacho Shooters

I'm in a Spanish food kick right now. Probably because my parents are in Spain for a month (yes, they are spending our inheritance) and they've been having the time of their lives with the people and the food there. And in a few weeks we're having a baby shower for my sister-in-law and the food theme will be Spanish tapas. I created these little morsels to test out (a food rehearsal, if you will) and they were quite good. I got the recipe from Cuisine at Home and I used spicy tomato juice instead of regular. Try these on a hot summer day!

INGREDIENTS (makes 16 shooters)

• 1 cup tomato juice (spicy OK)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. tabasco
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 cup tomatoes, finely diced
• 3/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
• 3/4 cup celery, finely diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cups water
• 1/4 kosher salt
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 fresh sprigs of parsley
• 3 fresh sprigs of cilantro
• 3 to 4 lemon slices
• 16 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left on
• Thinly sliced limes for decoration

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, combine first 6 ingredients; cover and chill for 15 minutes.

To the bowl add the finely diced tomatoes, cucumber, celery, red onioin, cilantro, and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste; cover and chill well.

In a large pot, heat water, kosher salt, lemon juice and lemon slices, bay leaves, parsley and cilantro sprigs and bring to a slight boil. Add shrimp and poach for 2 to 3 minutes just until pink. Drain and add shrimp to a ziploc bag. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a good pinch of black pepper to shrimp and distribute well; chill until ready to serve.

To serve: fill shot glasses halfway with gazpacho (about 3 tablespoons), hang a shrimp on the rim, and garnish with a lime. You can run a toothpick through the shrimp to stabablize it, if you prefer.

Shrimp with Udon Noodles

It's not easy cooking for one. Every time I cook for myself, I tend to over-do it and I always have left overs. And before I know it, I have left overs after left overs in the fridge and, eventually, I have to throw it out or feed it to Max (shhhh, don't tell his mom). So, I'm sticking to easy things for now, and this udon soup is SO EASY. I had a few frozen shrimp, some left over baby bellas, and exactly one egg, and voila, my masterpiece! What's great about this recipe is that you can customize it to your liking. I'm thinking next time I'll add some bok choy and thinly sliced beef.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• One package of udon noodles, shrimp flavor (in the refrigerator section)
• 6 medium to large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup sliced baby bellas or white mushrooms
• 2 Tablespoons white wine or fresh lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallions
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Place your egg in a sauce pan and fill with water to just cover the egg. Bring water to a boil. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let it cook with steam for 10 minutes. Drain and let egg cool. Slice and set aside.

In a skillet, add 2 teaspoons olive oil on medium high. Add the shrimp, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the white wine or lemon juice. Saute another 2 minutes until shrimp is cooked, mushrooms are soft and lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Follow the cooking directions on udon noodle package and make the noodles, except only add 1/2 of the shrimp packet (flavoring). Then add the shrimp , garlic and mushroom mixture.

Serve udon noodles with shrimp and mushrooms and top with slices of egg and sprinkle scallions on top.

Steamed Shrimp

Wow, it was 80 degrees today in San Diego, and it's suppose to be in the 100's tomorrow! The last thing you want to do on hot days like these is cook in a hot kitchen...or even cook at all. This is when fast cooking proteins, like seafood, become your best friends. And shrimp is just perfect for hot summer days. I have to tell you that I'm a fan of Old Bay Seasoning now, because you can use the seasoning on pretty much all seafood. Oh, and if you want to pair this dish with beer, try Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus. I'm not a beer fan, but this combination is so refreshing!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon OLD BAY SEASONING
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound fresh shrimp, with shells on

DIRECTIONS

In saucepan, combine first 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Add shrimp, stir gently. Cover; steam until tender, about 5 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and drain shrimp. Serve steamed shrimp with a side of cocktail sauce and melted butter.

Garlic Shrimp, North Shore Style

I was in Oahu again this past week (no, not for Pro Bowl) and I just had to go back to Romy's for their famous prawns. But little did I know that it wasn't prawn season! What was I to do? Instead, my sister took me to Giovanni's Shrimp Truck in Kahuku in the North Shore. They are famous for their garlic shrimp and of course, I had to try it. It was definitely different than Romy's, but it was still delicious. So, in my quest to try this dish, I looked for the recipe, but of course it's a secret recipe. The recipe below is the closest I could find. Be warned, though, because this dish really has a ton of garlic! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup Olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. large raw shrimp, deveined but with shell on (about 14 - 16 count)
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• Half a stick of butter
• 10 garlic cloves, chopped
• Steamed, white rice

DIRECTIONS

In a large, non-reactive bowl add the first 6 ingredients and mix well. Add the shrimp and let it marinate 4 - 8 hours, or overnight.

Remove shrimp from marinade and discard marinade. In a large saute pan or skillet, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat on high. When pan is slightly smoking, saute the shrimp for 2 minutes ONLY. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to low, and in the same saute pan, add the butter. Then add the 10 cloves of chopped garlic and cook slowly, until it begins to lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp cooks through, about 5 more minutes.

Serve shrimp with a side of steamed, white rice. Drizzle some of the garlic (and browned butter) over shrimp and rice. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

Creamy Grits with Shrimp

If you've ever been to the South, you've probably had shrimp and grits for breakfast or even lunch. This is a super yummy, creamy and rich dish that I just love. I used instant grits because I could not find stone-ground grits in San Diego, however my grits came out so creamy and delish you couldn't tell they were instant. After Matthew ate the dish, he lovingly said, "Kiss My Grits" to me. I think he meant it in a good way. Hmmm..

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup hot stock (shrimp, chicken, or vegetable)
• 1/4 cup butter
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup quick-cooking grits
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 bacon slices
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream, water, and hot stock; bring to a gentle boil. Add butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and ground black pepper. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly (so that the grits do not settle to the bottom and scorch), until all are added reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Grits should have absorbed all of the liquid and become soft and should have the same consistency as oatmeal (moist, not dry). If the grits become too thick, add warm stock or water to thin. Remove from heat.
2. Sprinkle shrimp with lemon juice, salt, and pepper; set aside.
3. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until brown but not crisp. Remove from heat and pat dry with paper towels; set aside. Coarsely chop bacon when cool.
4. Reserve 4 tablespoons bacon grease in the frying pan. Add onion, garlic, and red bell pepper; sauté 7 minutes or until the onion is transparent. Add shrimp mixture and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until shrimp are opaque in center. Lastly, add the chopped bacon to quickly heat through. Remove from heat.
5. To serve, spoon hot grits onto individual serving plates and top with shrimp and bell pepper mixture. Your Mama would be proud!

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Orange-Chipotle Shrimp

It has been so unbelievably hot here lately that I've had no desire to cook indoors or outdoors. I was trying to find a recipe where my outside grilling was at a minimum, and of course, I found this excellent recipe that, yes, it is also bacon-themed! Wrapping shrimp in bacon is a very common recipe and quite easy, just make sure wrap each shrimp in half of a bacon piece this way your shrimps won’t overcook and get tough. Seriously, my friend, this is all we ate while sipping super cold Amstel Lights and sitting in front of a fan that we set to go at 90 miles per hour. Stay cool!

INGREDIENTS (makes 12 jumbolicious scrimps)

• 12 jumbo, raw, peeled and deveined shrimp
• 2 Tbsp grapeseed oil or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (or to taste)
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 6 strips thin bacon cut in half (12 pieces)
• Skewers

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine the oil, orange zest, orange juice, chipotle powder and salt. Add the shrimp and make sure it is all well coated. Set aside in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes.

When you are ready, run outside and turn on your grill on high, for direct heat, then run back into house. Take a zip of your beer and take a breather.

After 10 or so minutes, wrap a half piece of bacon around each piece of shrimp, then thread the shrimp onto skewers, preferably the long, flat ones or metal skewers. You can also use bamboo, but make sure you soak them in water for at least a half hour first. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the shrimp.

Now, with all your shrimps wrapped in bacon, quickly take them outside to your hot grill and grill uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until shrimp is pink and the bacon is crisp. Make sure you take a cold beverage with you because these will be the hottest 14 minutes of your life. When shrimp is done, run back in and enjoy them with your life-partner...

Easy Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas

My entire family loves to grill during the summer. It gets everyone outside and you don't have to be in a hot kitchen because, believe it or not, most homes in San Diego do not have air conditioning! Besides grilling, another method I like to use during the hot California days is to make ceviche. You positively do not have to cook a thing, the citrus juices do it for you. Make sure you use freshly squeezed lime juice and lemon juice, and although the mayonnaise on the tostada is completely optional, you better believe it makes these tostadas super yummy!

If you're a little weary about the raw shrimp, you can just make a batch of the imitation crab meat ceviche and use that instead. It's still delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. small raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
• 5 limes, juiced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup Cilantro leaves, lightly chopped
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Tostadas
• Mayonnaise

DIRECTIONS

1. Lay out shrimp in the bottom of glass baking dish. Pour lemon and lime juice over them and refrigerate for 3 hours. The juice will "cook" the shrimp.
2. Toss into the "cooked" shrimp the jalapeño, tomatoes, red onion, and the cilantro leaves. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for and additional hour.
3. Just before serving, put the ceviche into your serving dish. Dice up two avocados and add it to the ceviche and gently mix to combine. Add a bit more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with a side of tostadas. Slather a little mayo on the tostada then top it with the ceviche and enjoy!

Linguine with Shrimp and Peas

It saddens me that when I go on a diet, my blog has to suffer. Yes, unfortunately I have not been doing any "fancy" cooking lately. I've just been sticking with salads, and the frozen lean cuisine meals. I know, I know what you're thinking; that I can probably cook healthy meals for myself, but since Matt is in Minnesota, it has been very difficult to motivate myself to cook. However, I am happy to announce that this past weekend my tia decided to cook and I was invited over for dinner. My tia Mary, as we all call her, is an interesting character in the Diva's life.

She's my mom's sister; married an Italian whom she is now divorcing; and has two beautiful children, which I call Ying and Yang: One is very dark, and the other very white. Nevertheless, the wonderful thing is that my tia learned how to cook real Italian food. The recipe below is actually one that she learned from one of her ex's family members. She used a San Marzano tomato sauce, which is unlike any tomato sauce I've ever tasted. This dish is satisfying and it's a great Italian comfort food you'll enjoy.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 2 lb. package dried linguine pasta
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups fresh San Marzano tomato sauce (or your favorite marinara sauce)
• 12 olives, pitted and sliced
• 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, sauté garlic in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until garlic is soft, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, olives, peas and shrimp; cook, stirring, 5 to 7 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Make sure you do not overcook the shrimp. Remove from heat.

Add the pasta to the tomato-shrimp mixture; tossing to coat evenly. Place pasta onto individual serving plates and serve immediately. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Shrimp Etouffée

I made a mini-version of this recipe and it came out fabulous. I didn't let the sauce simmer for 30 to 40 minutes (like the recipe said) but next time I make this dish I will. Simmering the etouffée for as long as you can is what gives this dish is authentic Nawlins taste. Oh, and don't forget the crusty French bread. Yummers.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (half of stick of butter)
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ cup of white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvegnon blanc
• 1 (15-oz) can of diced tomatoes, low-sodium
• 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken stock (or shrimp stock made from the shells of the shrimp)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 pounds of large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• Tabasco sauce (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
• Steamed white rice

DIRECTIONS

In a large pan or dutch oven, cook the butter and flour over medium-high heat stirring constantly. This is what is called a roux, which is a mixture of flour and fat.When the roux reaches the color of peanut butter, about 15 minutes, add the chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaf, dry thyme and basil.

Continue cooking and stirring until the trinity is well mixed into the roux and the veggies are soft (about 10 minutes). Add ½ cup of white wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the can of diced tomatoes and the chicken stock or shrimp stock. Bring to a boil, cover and then continue simmering on low-heat for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it reaches a not-too-thick gravy consistency.

Add 2 pounds of large shrimp, a couple of dashes of Tabasco (if using), the chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper and bring sauce back to a boil. Continue cooking for 8 to 10 more minutes.

Serve the etouffée over white rice and garnish with the sliced scallions and serve with crusty French bread, ya hear.

Seven Pepper Shrimp

If you are into spicy flavored food, this is your recipe. It's not spicy hot, but just bursting with bell pepper flavor. I used seven different kinds of peppers, but you can omit the serrano (jalapeno) peppers if you prefer. Finally, buy jumbo frozen shrimp and defrost in the refrigerator when you're ready to use them. I bought my frozen shrimp with the shell on and made a quick shrimp stock with the shells. You don't have to do this, however. Chicken stock will work well with the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 Red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Serrano pepper, minced
• 1 Anaheim pepper, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 Bay leaf
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1 cup Chicken stock (I used shrimp stock)
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 bag of jumbo frozen shrimp (13 to 15 count), defrosted and shelled
• the juice of half a lemon
• 1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper
• Cooked white rice

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large 4 qt. pot or dutch oven on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, bay leaf and half of the minced garlic. Sautee for 5 to 8 minutes, until onion is soft and transluscent.Raise the heat to medium-high and add all the peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.Add 1 cup of chicken (or shrimp) stock and simmer, uncovered, for another 8 minutes. Add salt to taste (I added 1/2 teaspoon).

While the peppers are cooking, get a large 10" sautee pan or skillet and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter on high. Once skillet is hot, add the shrimp and the remaining garlic. Sautee for three minutes then squeeze the juice of half a lemon and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Remove shrimp from heat and add it (and its juices) to the simmering peppers. Cover the pot and turn off the heat and let the shrimp finish cooking, about 5 more minutes.

Discard bay leafe and serve the seven pepper shrimp with a side of white rice. Garnish with chopped parsley or with wedges of avocados. A dry, chilled white wine goes well with this meal. Try a Pinot Grigio or a Vernaccia.