Garlic shrimp on toast

When the weather gets unbearably hot, I don't necessarily flip into salad mode. Even though satisfaction can be found in leafy greens, tossed with a bit of this, bedding that and lightly tossed with that other thing, I rarely head that way.

I want something that's easily prepared, usually forgiving and can easily morph into a couple of different light meals, or perhaps a snack or two.

This tomatoey-shrimp dish qualifies, I think...because, at its heart it really is a non-recipe recipe: as much garlic as you want, chilli flakes, a tomato sauce of sorts and then shrimp. Balance flavours as you see fit and then...umm...eat. I've done my best to eyeball quantities so as to give you a basic idea as to what to do, but really... a bit more of this or less of this, as your kitchen dictates.

It's a sweet shrimp dish--I use my homemade ketchup which is similar to bottled chilli sauce--but if you would like something more savoury, use straight puréed tomatoes instead and play with the spicing as you wish.

The finished dish can be eaten with rice or pasta, served with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, or (my favourite) as a light lunch on toasted baguette slices (two or three slices will usually do me).


Garlic Shrimp on Toast

For the shrimp:
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
deveined
125ml (0.5c) chili sauce or ketchup (or tomato puree, if you wish)
chilli flakes (to taste)
500g (1lb) shrimp, shelled and deveined
1tsp wine vinegar (red or white)
salt
pepper
a handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

for the toast:
baguette slices
Garlic
Olive oil

Put the garlic in cold oil and set the hob to medium. When the garlic begins to colour, add the chilli flakes and warm through for about 20 seconds. Add the tomatoey sauce and stirr, Let reduce by about a third and then toss in the shrimp and stir as they cook through. Stir in the wine vinegar and balance flavours to taste. Add basil, mix all together and remove from heat.

Toast the baguette slices under the broiler. Remove, rub with garlic and drizzle with olive oil

Spoon the shrimp onto toasts.


cheers!
jasmine



I'm a quill for hire!

Fishy Fridays: Chilli garlic shrimp

This one I fully credit the palate worm.

I've been craving many things this month. No. I'm not pregnant...at this point such a feat would be indicative of Divine intervention...and although Loki seems to have taken residence at mine, we're just good friends.

This wretched cold of mine (yes, I'm still suffering residual coughs and sneezes...and my sinuses haven't been helped by the wacky weather we've experienced) left me craving foods I was too tired to make myself and to lazy to find someone who'd make it and deliver to my doorstep.

What I wanted was a combination of the salt and pepper squid my favourite dim sum-ery makes and Thai sweet chilli garlic shrimp. A combination of the salty goodness of those crunchy coated squiggly tentacles and the sticky heat of shrimp. Yes, I know the sauciness of the dish would probably negate the crunchiness of deep fat frying, but the palate wants what the palate wants.

It's really easy to put together--basically all the wet ingredients can be measured out with a shotglass. I chose to marinate the shrimp before dredging and frying. I just figured it was the best and easiest way to get as much flavour into the meat, and not have the sweet-saltiness just sit on top. I had them with glass noodles (fast and easy), but I think rice would be a nice pairng as well. To keep the heat bright, I sprinkled the minced chillies just before serving.

Yes, it's fried. You can deep fat fry the shrimp if you wish, but I just shallow fried them. It's not scary. Really. Don't look at me that way.


Chilli Garlic Shrimp

4 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbps honey
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp nam pla
1 Tbsp black vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb ginger, minced
2 green chillies, minced (or to taste)
500g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
cornstarch, for dredging
peanut oil, for shallow frying

Mix together soy, honey, oystersauce, nam pla, vinegar, garlic and ginger. Divide mixture between two bowls and let shrimp marinate in one bowl for at least 15 minutes.

Dredge shrimp in cornstarch while you heat the oil in a wok until shimmery.

Fry shrimp in batches until cooked.

Tip out oil and clean out the wok. Tip in the unused marinade and let bubble. Tip in the cooked shrimp and coat well. Let sauce reduce to desired thickness before serving over noodles or rice. Sprinkle with minced chillies.

cheers!
jasmine

Waste not, want not

Am I the only one who finds this seemingly newfound frugality fad mixed distrust of the food industry with a bit comical?

I mean...it just seems like a few years ago most people I knew were more interested in loading their shopping trolleys with loads of processed foods or simply just getting coffee, bottled water and snacky foods, leaving their meals up to office cafeterias, restaurants and fast fooderies. These were the same people who would mock me for baking my own bread, brownbagging my lunches, buying "family packs" of meat and *gasp* using the produce weigh scales when buying fresh fruits and veggies.

Today colleagues ask me how to make the breads and pastries they used to buy at the shops, the lunch hour microwave queues are longer (while caf lines are shorter), total strangers stop me and ask me about portioning with family packs and what on earth they can do with all those pork chops (do I have a forehead tattoo signalling a passing familiarity with cooking?) and I actually have to wait to use the scales.

Don't get me started on the food boors.

As someone raised on home-cooked foods by budget-conscious people, I think I've done well enough with sticker shock--I've always looked for bargains and bulk cooked to avoid the "there's nothing in the house to eat/make and eat quickly" as often as possible. I was also taught to figure out what to do with scraps. I'm not always the greatest at this, but every once in a while I'm quite pleased at the silk purse I've fashioned.

Take, as an example, my latest creation, born of the drawn salty-sweet peach juices from the peach chutney I last blogged about. I turned it into a satay-like peanut sauce. Unfortunately, I can't give you exact measurements--in my experience, silk purses rarely get them--but I mixed in some chunky peanut butter, sesame oil, powdered ginger, garlic and onion powder, chilli oil, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar and a pinch of brown sugar, put it in a jar and stored it in the fridge

I've used it a couple of times and it tastes great with shrimp or chicken. Of course, you don't have to make your own peanut sauce to make my peanutty shrimp and noodle dish--store bought will work just as well. Again, no quantities--just use as much as you have/want/need/suits your taste.

Peanutty shrimp and noodles
slivered onions
slivered carrots
slivered bell pepper
minced garlic
cleaned and peeled uncooked shrimp
chilli sauce
peanut sauce
soy sauce
cooked rice noodles


Heat oil in a wok and tip in the onions, carrots and peppers and stir fry. When they are about half-way cooked, add in the garlic and stir for a out 30 seconds and then remove to a plate. Add more oil if necessary and add the shrimp. Cook for a few minutes, add the sauces and then the cooked noodles and stir until the shrimp is fully cooked. Return the veg to the wok and just toss everything together before serving.

cheers!
jasmine