Spicy Shrimp with Ginger-Garlic Long Beans

From wikipedia: "The yardlong bean is also known as the long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean." Contrary to the description, the long beans I buy are usually only a foot-long. They can be found at markets specializing in asian produce. I'm lucky to have one of these down the block from my house. (You can find them at Fresh Farms on Touhy too.) These beans may look exotic, but in flavor they're really just like a slender green bean. Fine Cooking (issue 99) recently had a recipe using them and I was excited to give it a try. The spicy shrimp and long bean dish is incredibly simple to put together. The beans are cut into 4 inch pieces so they are easier to toss in the pan and eat. We really liked it this dish. The sauce is simple and light. The mirin gives it some sweetness which compliments the shrimp. I could see adding another veg to the beans, maybe some shiitake mushrooms or some fine-cut strips of red bell pepper, or better yet, a red chile.

Thai Green Curry with Seafood

My husband and I love any sort of spicy seafood soup . So when I saw this in the May issue of Bon Appetit, it went right in the must try stack. What also appealed to me is that this curry is a one bowl meal. Bok choy and carrots are also included in the mix. I used mussels, shrimp and bay scallops (the little ones.) And I halved the recipe. And since I only needed enough seafood for two, it wasn't very expensive to put together. (The kids got pancakes. I knew there was not a chance they'd eat this) This curry is delicious, warm and spicy, and as a bonus it will clear your sinuses! I served ours with a side of brown rice.

Shrimp with Feta and Tomatoes

In continuation of my Ellie binge...

I really liked this Ellie Krieger recipe: Baked Shrimp with Feta and Tomatoes. It is somewhat of a complete dish that you could serve with just a green salad and some toasted french bread for a light meal. I think this would also be nice with some herbed orzo served alongside. Other than that, I don't have more to say. I think the picture speaks for itself.

I guess I do have one more thing to say: I didn't use tomatoes with no-salt added because I don't stock those in the house. Regular canned tomatoes worked just fine. Just be careful about when you season to taste, remember the feta is salty too.

Fast Forward to Spicy Shrimp

I have quite the backlog of recipes that I want to share with you, and eventually I'll get to them. But I made a really nice and different stir-fry tonight and I want to give it to you right away. It has a tropical feel that us midwesterners are so in need of right now. Plus, after the kale post, I knew I should to give you something to make you come back.

This is from a very reliable CooksTalk contributor, SuB (of the famous chocolate cake.) She named it one of the best recipes she's run across in 2008. I was looking for something to do with shrimp and I read this recipe and it just so happened that I had everything to make it, the herbs included. I didn't have the kaffir lime leaf, but I never have kaffir lime leaf so that's OK.

I guess I'd call this thai. But it doesn't rely as much on the lime as most thai dishes I've made before. It does have coconut milk, chilis, fish sauce and sriracha hot sauce. If you like savory dishes with coconut milk, I highly recommend it. It is spicy, but not super-spicy and you can always hold back on the jalapeno. I included some red bell pepper in mine and garnished with scallions and cilantro. I served it with brown rice, instead of the coconut rice. I would recommend a cold beer as the accompanying beverage.

SPICY WOK SHRIMP WITH COCONUT RICE

Adapted from Gourmet, July 2006 (Don't be frightened away by the long list of ingredients, it is easy to put together)

16 oz. raw shrimp (peeled and deveined, 20–25/lb. size)
1-1/2 Tb. Sriracha chile sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (scant) unsweetened (not low-fat) coconut milk, well-stirred (half of 13oz.can)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided 1/2C.+1/4C.
1 Tb. fish sauce
1 Tb. vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
8 oz. broccoli florets, or use a combination of vegetables such as onions, snap peas, red and green bell peppers, celery, squash, carrots, scallions.
2 Tb. chopped fresh cilantro (or more, to taste)
2 Tb. chopped fresh basil (or more, to taste)
2 teaspoons minced Kaffir lime leaf (optional)
Garnish: lime wedges, chopped scallions, chopped fresh cilantro

Stir shrimp to coat with the Sriracha sauce and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, reserve.

In another bowl, stir together cornstarch, 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, the fish sauce, and 1 cup coconut milk until cornstarch is completely dissolved.

Heat a 12- to 14-inch well-seasoned flat-bottomed wok or a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until very hot, then add oil, swirling to coat. Add fennel seed and stir 30 seconds until fragrant; (be careful it doesn't burn). Add ginger and jalapeno and cook 30 seconds more.

Add broccoli to hot pan and stir-fry until bright green, then carefully pour the 1/4 cup chicken broth down the side of the pan and stir-fry until liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add shrimp mixture and cook 2 minutes until almost pink, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium.

Stir cornstarch mixture, then carefully pour it down the side of pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened and shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Stir in cilantro, basil, and lime leaf if using. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and scallions. Serve immediately over rice. Serves four.


COCONUT RICE

1-1/2 cup long-grain white rice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)

Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water, drain well and transfer to a 1-1/2 to 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add water, sugar, coconut milk, and salt. Bring to a boil, partially covered, reduce heat to low and cover completely. Cook 20 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and serve immediately with shrimp. Serves four.

Spicy Orange Shrimp

A fiery orange sauce is great on a stir-fry, especially with shrimp. My favorite recipe is adapted from a Fine Cooking (#58) article on stir-frying. The only thing I changed was to add a large dollop of chile paste with garlic to make it a little hot. And also, to make the orange more orangey, I love to add a whopping tablespoon of this orange sauce from Trader Joe's. I use this instead of orange zest. It really brings a great flavor to the sauce.

For the stir-fry above, I used bok choy and shiitake mushrooms. It really could have used some red bell pepper. I like those with the orange flavors. But of course you can use any veggies you want. The article on stir-fries is long and I can't type out the whole thing. But I'm including the sauce recipe in case you want to try it in your own stir-fry efforts. I was also thinking you could add actual thin sliced oranges to the stir-fry. They would take on a candied flavor with the glazey orange sauce and the heat. I might have to try that.

=For the sauce recipe below: In a measuring cup, combine the cornstarch with the second ingredient in the list, whisking to blend. Then whisk in the remaining ingredients.

Cantonese Orange Sauce (yields ½ cup)

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
¼ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 ½ teaspoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic (optional)
Orange zest, grated (optional) or some Trader Joes Mandarin Orange sauce

Spicy Szechuan Shrimp

There's not too much to say about this meal. I use a tried and true stir-fry sauce recipe from Fine Cooking and mix and match my protein and vegs to make a tasty simple dinner. This was one of those nights where I had no dinner planned except I knew I needed to use up the asparagus and was aware that there is always shrimp in the freezer. Frozen shrimp is a key ingredient in a well-stocked pantry because you don't need to think too far ahead to defrost and cook. I defrosted, de-shelled and deveined about an hour before cooking. For someone who really loves to cook, a stir-fry is much fun to be had. The chopping of the meat and vegetables and mixing of sauce ingredients makes for a good activity on a dull evening. The sauce reduces to a glazey loveliness that has a bite of hot. Peanuts make a good garnish if you have them.

Not your traditional Valentine's Day dinner but...

We had this chicken, asparagus, red pepper stir-fry on Valentine's Day evening. The szechwan sauce is a little spicy and a little sweet - appropriate for Valentine's day, don't you agree?