Monthly Archives: October 2010

Shrimp & Broccoli on Pasta

I had intended that this next post be a craft idea, instead of a recipe, but due to my weekend being consumed by a full-blown migraine and shopping for jeans (pretty much equally painful), I give you another original recipe: Shrimp and Broccoli on Pasta. Those of you who have paid attention to my older social network postings might recognize this one.

I originally made (and became addicted to) this dish over a decade ago, using Sea Pak Garlic & Herb Marniated Shrimp from the frozen aisle. Then, all of a sudden, they discontinued it. I searched for several years to find a suitable replacement, but nothing I could find tasted the same. Finally, one day, I decided to try to come up with the marinade myself. After several incarnations, I’ve finally come up with an approximation that hubs and I agree is pretty darn close.

And awaaaay we go!

Ingredients:

  • 30 large or 40 medium cooked, tail-off shrimp
  • Angel hair pasta (2-3 portions)
  • 1/8 C shredded parmesan
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • ¼ C pine nuts
  • 1-2 C broccoli florets
  • 4 T olive oil
  • 1 T garlic powder
  • 1 T paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano

Directions:

  1. If shrimp are frozen, thaw in Ziploc or sealable container.
  2. Drain water and add 1 T olive oil, garlic, Paprika, and oregano.
  3. Mix and coat shrimp well.
  4. Marinate in fridge for at least an hour.
  5. If broccoli florets are frozen, thaw before use.
  6. Boil water and cook the pasta. Drain and set aside.
  7. In large fry pan, add pine nuts and 1 T olive oil. Brown pine nuts on high heat.
  8. As soon as pine nuts begin to brown, add marinated shrimp.

    Pine Nuts - Ready to Add Shirmp

    Pine Nuts - Ready to Add Shirmp

  9. Brown shrimp on both sides, then lower heat.
  10. Add broccoli and lemon juice.

    Shrimp & Pine Nuts With Broccoli Added

    Shrimp & Pine Nuts With Broccoli Added

  11. When broccoli is heated through and shrimp almost looks a bit charred, add pasta, parmesan, and remaining olive oil.
  12. Stir to combine and coat pasta with flavorings from the pan.

    Pine Nuts, Shrimp, & Broccoli Combined With Pasta

    Notice that the shrimp & broccoli looks lighter in color. This is because the seasoning has distributed itself to the pasta.

  13. Top with additional shredded parmesan if desired.

    Yum!

    Yum!

This recipe will feed 2, with enough for seconds. If you eat small portions, or you’re  planning on dessert, it could feed up to 4. Really, though, it’s so good, Husband and I almost always polish it off, with a wee portion for the Kid.

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Post Numero Dos: A Lesson Learned

Today’s lesson in (mommy-)blogging:

One should not attempt to make technical changes to one’s blog while the toddler is awake.

You may or may not have noticed some downtime in the past 12 hours or so. It is not always easy to multi-task with a little one around, and attempting to do so can result in inadvertently un-hosting one’s domain. Oops. I’ve mostly fixed things. Though the new install of the blogging software seems to include a buggy theme… in particular, the one on which I’d based my original layout… so I had to base my design on a slightly different theme. Tweaking shall continue as I find quite time (ha!).

My apologies to Samantha and Lisa, who so kindly commented on my first post. In the technical mayhem today, your comments from yesterday have vanished into the cloud. I do hope you won’t hold it against me, and that you’ll come back anyway.

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Post Numero Uno: Mushrooms Stuffed with Scallops & Goat Cheese

Wow. Thank you. Thank you for coming. You seem like a great crowd. I hope you’ll enjoy the show. Oh, wait. This isn’t standup. It’s my blog. Ok then. For my first post, I bestow upon you, my reader, an original recipe. Well, I suppose all recipes are original at some point, but this one is original to moi. I made it up all by myself, with a teensy bit of input (some incorporated, some ignored) from Husband and a couple of friends. So, without further ado, I give you… da da DA! Mushrooms Stuffed With Scallops & Goat Cheese.

Ingredients

  • 1 16oz package of white mushrooms
  • 20 bay scallops fresh or frozen & thawed (bay scallops are the little ones – think BAYbee scallops vs. the larger sea scallops).
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 T minced garlic (fresh or from a jar)
  • 1 t minced garlic (fresh or from a jar)
  • ½ C Italian style breadcrumbs
  • 2 t fresh lemon juice (or Minute Maid bottled lemon juice from the freezer section – do NOT use “Real Lemon” lemon juice. I promise it will not taste nearly as good)
  • Goat cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Thoroughly wash mushrooms. Pop out and discard stems.
  3. Place mushroom caps in a shallow casserole dish.
  4. Sautee garlic & scallops (on medium heat) in 1T olive oil, stirring/flipping them frequently).
  5. Sauteeing Scallops & Garlic

    Sauteeing Scallops & Garlic

  6. When scallops are cooked through (they’ll be opaque, about 3-5 minutes), remove from pan and dice.
  7. Place diced scallops (and toast-dark garlic) in a bowl and combine with breadcrumbs, lemon juice, and remaining olive oil.

    Ready to Stuff

    Ready to Stuff

  8. Press mixture into mushroom caps.
  9. Top each with about ½-¾ tsp of goat cheese.

    Ready for the Oven

    Ready for the Oven

  10. If desired, sprinkle a little bit of extra bread crumbs on top.
  11. Bake for 30 minutes.
    Mushrooms & Goat Cheese - The Finished Product
    Mushrooms & Goat Cheese – The Finished Product

Notes
  • Always follow proper safe food handling practices with raw seafood.
  • This dish may be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator (covered so it won’t dry out) for a few hours prior to topping with breadcrumbs (if desired) and baked.
  • I initially made this recipe as an appetizer for the Bears game last Sunday (yes, we sometimes get fancy with our football food in this house). I used the scallops in their whole form, but Husband and I agreed (based on the tweaked recipe) that it’s better when they’re diced.
  • I encourage you to share and tweak this recipe as you see fit. I only ask that if you repost it somewhere that you give credit where credit is due.

And so, there you have it folks. My first blog post. I hope you’ve enjoyed it – and that you’ll enjoy the mushrooms even more.

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