Domestifluff : Food, Craft, Etc. » Seafood

Gluten Free Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

Kristen — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:12:05 +0000

I always feel like I’m getting away with something when I make a dish that tastes like it should have a bazillion calories, but there’s no butter, cream, cheese, or bacon to be found in the ingredient list. I spotted this creamy garlic pasta recipe in the June issue of Eating Well, and it’s both tasty and quick to make (less quick if you’re deveining the shrimp yourself), a great combination for a weeknight dinner. The yogurt adds a nice tang to the creamy, garlicky sauce, and loads of veggies make it a fresh-tasting, nutritious dish. I’d describe it as a cross between fettuccine alfredo and pasta primavera, with shrimp (always a welcome addition, in my book) thrown in for good measure.

Gluten Free Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables
adapted from Eating Well, June 2010
recipe yields 4 servings

Ingredients

6 ounces gluten free spaghetti
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Liberally salt the water and add spaghetti. Cook until the pasta has about 3 minutes until it’s al dente, and add shrimp, asparagus, bell pepper, and peas. Cook until the pasta is al dente and the shrimp are cooked through, about 2-4 minutes more. Drain.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together grated garlic, salt, pepper, yogurt, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add the pasta mixture and toss until pasta and vegetables are thoroughly coated. Serve with pine nuts on top, if using.

Shrimp Curry with Coconut Rice

Kristen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:38:24 +0000

These days, I order most of my spices from Penzey’s, and a big thank you to Alton Brown and Good Eats for introducing me to this place. Penzey’s has pretty much every spice you can imagine, and I can really taste the difference between the quality in their spices and those that I pick up at the grocery store. I also appreciate the great prices that they have on bulk spices like ground ginger, cinnamon, and chili powder, which I seem to use by the bucketful.

Every season, I look forward to receiving the Penzey’s Spices catalog (you can read it online, too), not just because I love looking through all of the different spices and flavorings, but also because every catalog includes several recipes sent in by Penzey’s customers. Each recipe includes a heartwarming story that tells how a particular dish, dessert, or what have you became a part of the person’s life. I think that most of us can relate closely to these stories, as food is so much a part of all of our lives, and we all have recipes that are special to us.

The most recent Penzey’s catalog had a recipe for shrimp curry, and though I haven’t had much luck with Indian recipes, I had a good feeling about this one. Going with my gut definitely paid off because this curry is absolutely delicious. I shaved a few minutes off of the prep time here and there, and it was still wonderful. Plus, I’m almost giddy because I finally managed to concoct a coconut rice recipe that rivals the rice that I had years ago and have been trying to duplicate since. This was one of those meals where everything just came together in a magical way, and I know that I’ll be making it again. Next time, I think I’ll try chicken or sweet potato in place of the shrimp because I think that they’d both work well.

Shrimp Curry with Coconut Rice
serves 6-8

Ingredients

FOR THE SHRIMP CURRY
adapted from The Eatons’ Shrimp Curry

2 lbs. shrimp (21-25 count per lb.), peeled and deveined
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large yellow or white onion, finely chopped
3-5 Tbsp. sweet curry powder (add 1-2 Tbsp. hot curry powder for a spicier curry)
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (vinegar will work in a pinch if you don’t have lemons)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk (full fat or lite)
1/2 – 1 tsp. kosher salt to taste

FOR THE COCONUT RICE

1 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup jasmine rice
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk (full fat or lite)
1 tsp. kosher salt

Instructions

1. For the curry: In a large, deep sautee pan, melt the butter and add the onion. Cook over low heat until the onion is soft and transparent, about 10-15 minutes. Add the curry powder and continue to cook on low for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly as the curry forms a paste.

2. Add the lemon juice and stir. Add the tomatoes. Continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes on low. Add 1/4 of the coconut milk and stir. Add more coconut milk until you are satisfied with the consistency of the curry base. Remember, the shrimp will add some additional liquid. Simmer the mixture for another 10-15 minutes.

3. When ready, bring the curry base to a boil and add the shrimp. Stir constantly to ensure that the shrimp cooks evenly for 6-8 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve over rice.

4. For the coconut rice: In a medium saucepan over low heat, add olive oil and onion and cook until soft and transparent, about 10-15 minutes. Add the rice, chicken stock, coconut milk, and salt and stir. Place a lid on the pan and cook on low for 18-20 minutes. Do not remove lid or stir while rice is cooking. Remove from heat and allow to sit, with the lid on, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Scallops with Coconut Sauce

Kristen — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:55:00 +0000

I had an ambitious plan to make the best coconut rice that I’ve ever tasted and, unfortunately, it failed miserably. Well, the rice itself wasn’t so bad, but about half of it ended up burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan. Oh well, I suppose I shouldn’t complain, as I’ve had pretty good luck when it comes to making rice on the stovetop. You have to expect some failures sometimes. The rice that I was able to scrape from the pan was good, but it definitely wasn’t the tastiest coconut rice that I’ve ever had, so I’m not going to include the recipe here. Now, when I finally do make the tastiest coconut rice ever, you’ll be the first to know.

Moving on from the rice to the much more successful part of the meal — the scallops with coconut sauce. I concocted the sauce off the top of my head and didn’t write it down, but it was fairly simple to put together, so I think I’ll be able to recreate the recipe from my memory. It was quite flavorful, if I do say so myself. You will have a good deal of leftover sauce (I didn’t estimate the amount that I’d need very well), but the leftovers would be great over rice, chicken, shrimp, or even something like broccoli. Or you could just halve the recipe.

Scallops with Coconut Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb. sea (large) scallops
1 small shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 cup coconut cream
juice of 1 lime
zest of 1/2 lime
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. dried pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
salt to taste

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat the coconut or vegetable oil on medium low and add minced shallot and garlic. Cook until the shallot and garlic begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut cream and fresh ginger. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, about five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and zest, dried pepper flakes, and salt to taste.

2. Meanwhile, heat a skillet until a droplet of water evaporates instantly upon being dropped into the pan. When the skillet is hot enough, add about half the scallops (not too many, as the pan will cool too much and the scallops won’t sear properly) and sear for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and bring the heat back up before adding the second half of the scallops and repeating the searing process. Serve immediately with the coconut sauce.