Turkish-Style Lamb and Shrimp Patties with Tomato-Yogurt Sauce

I saw a recipe awhile back in Bon Appetit that featured small kebabs made with ground lamb and chopped shrimp, which the author described as something of a Middle Eastern take on "surf and turf."   The idea sounded different but nonetheless pretty good to me, but rather than make little appetizer-sized skewers, I went with something a bit larger.

In terms of technique, there isn't really much to these.  Add some chopped shrimp to the lamb, toss in some grated onions, herbs and seasonings, shape the mixture into whatever shape you like (I went with long shapes, which would fit nicely on a pita bread, but circular patties would work just fine, too).   Then toss them on the grill and cook them until they're cooked through.  The result:  a rich, juicy, delicious taste treat like nothing you've ever had. 

As I said, these would go great on a pita, but I didn't have any pita around, so I served them up with a tasty yogurt sauce.   They were just fine that way, too.  On or off the pita, this surf/turf combo is a winner.

Turkish-Style Lamb and Shrimp Patties with Tomato-Yogurt Sauce

yield - 6-8 servings

2 1/2         teaspoons minced garlic
2               teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4         pound ground lamb
1               pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and
                   coarsely chopped
1/2            cup + 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/3            cup grated red onion
2               teaspoons ground cumin
1/2            teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2            teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1               cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1               small tomato, diced
1               tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1               teaspoon chopped fresh mint
                 additional kosher salt and black pepper
1               tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Sprinkle the kosher salt over the minced garlic, smearing together to make a paste.  Mix garlic paste with lamb, shrimp, cilantro, onion, cumin, red pepper flakes and black pepper.  Shape the lamb mixture as desired.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mix together yogurt, tomato, lemon juice, mint and additional kosher salt and black pepper in a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 

Remove the lamb patties from the fridge.  Prepare grill with a medium-hot fire and direct- and indirect-heat areas.   Brush the lamb patties on both sides with olive oil, then grill over direct heat for 6 minutes.  Turn the patties, grill on the other side an additional 6 minutes, then move them to the cooler part of the grill and cook until cooked through (another 5-6 minutes).  Serve the lamb-shrimp patties with the yogurt sauce.

Risotto with Shrimp and Spinach

Recently I decided to make risotto.  I've only had risotto a few times, and although I've always loved it, I only recently got around to making some myself.  By sauteing some shrimp and spinach and stirring that into the finished Arborio rice, I made a easy and fairly fast dinner.

The technique is pretty simple, really.  The only touchy point about risotto is that the rice needs to be stirred pretty much constantly for about 25-30 minutes.  Once it starts to get tender, it also tends to stick on to the pan and burn unless you keep stirring.  With a little caution, though, this is pretty easy to avoid.

My first try at risotto turned out great.  The rice was creamy and flavorful, while the clam juice gave it a subtle seafood flavor that nicely complemented the tender, juicy shrimp.  As meals go, this really wasn't very time consuming.  It probably took about an hour from start to finish.  I served it up with fresh-from-the-oven garlic bread, which warmed up in the oven while I stirred the rice and which went great with the risotto.

Risotto with Shrimp and Spinach

yield = 4 servings

1              pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3              tablespoons olive oil,divided
2              teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1/2           teaspoon table salt (+ additional to taste)
1/2           teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper (+ additional to taste)
3              cups bottled clam juice
1              bag (9 ounces) spinach
2              medium shallots, finely minced
2              cups Arborio rice
3/4           cup dry white wine
1/4           teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1              tablespoon unsalted butter

Mix together the shrimp, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon table salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl.  Cover and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the clam juice and 3 1/2 cups of water.  Bring to a steady, low simmer.

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet.  When the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp.  Saute until slightly browned on one side (1 1/2 minutes), then flip the shrimp over and cook until it is lightly browned on the other side (another 1-2 minutes).  Transfer to a clean bowl and cover.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and heat to shimmering.  Add the remaining teaspoon of garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.   Add the spinach and cook it, stirring often, until it is thoroughly wilted.  Transfer cooked spinach to a bowl and cover.

Add the final tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and heat to shimmering.  Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until they have softened (about 3 minutes).  Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until it is translucent with a white dot in the middle of the grains (about 2 minutes).  Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed. 

Add the red pepper flakes and a ladle of the hot clam juice mixture at a time and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed.   Continue adding the liquid one ladle at a time, cooking and stirring constantly after each addition, until the liquid is nearly absorbed.  After about 25 minutes, the grains will be tender and creamy-looking, but slightly firm at the center.  With the final addition of liquid, stir in the shrimp, spinach and butter.  Continue to cook until all of the liquid is absorbed.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Serve immediately. 

Cooking Tip:
One can make a near-endless number of risotto variants.  Lots of different sorts of vegetables go well with risotto.  Sauteing mushrooms, grated carrots, chili peppers or different sorts of onions works particularly well.  As it cooks, Arborio rice absorbs a lot of liquid, and a lot of flavor along with it.  One can get very different results, flavors and even colors by adding different sorts of liquids and seasonings.  Saffron, curry powder and chicken broth are all good options.  If you cook asparagus in water, then boil the ends of the asparagus stems in the cooking water for a bit, you can then use the asparagus water to cook the rice.  This will result in a risotto with very flavorful green rice.  Similarly, you can soak dried mushrooms in water, saute the rehydrated mushrooms, strain the water in which you soaked the mushrooms and add the strained soaking liquid to the rice to give the rice an earthy, mushroom flavor.

Hot Pepper Shrimp with Vegetables + Spicy Sesame Noodles

I've been flipping through a lot of Southeast Asian cookbooks of late.  Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Laotian and so forth... lots of interesting recipes representing a bunch of regional cooking traditions that share some influences and lots of ingredients, but which produce very different dishes.   Consideration of how those different cuisines overlap and what makes them distinct is what led to today's recipe.

The spicy shrimp and vegetable dish I came up with probably has more in common with Indonesian cooking than with any other specific cuisine - in fact, it closely resembles two different recipes I've seen for an Indonesian dish called Cap Cai - but I incorporated a bunch of my favorite Asian ingredients (including sriracha sauce, hot peppers, white pepper, lime juice and - of course - ginger) to give it some distinct touches.   Better yet, the hot peppers and the broccoli came from our own garden. 

I'm quite pleased with how this dish came out.  It doesn't taste much like anything else I've ever cooked, and  I wasn't sure how well I liked it first, but after a couple bites, the complex mix of flavors really starts to sink in.  The sauce is really the key.  Savory, sweet and subtly hot at the same time, the sauce unifies the shrimp and the various vegetables as a coherent dish, while at the same time it brings forth the distinct flavors of each of those ingredients.  The subtle flavors of the shrimp and cauliflower really stood out, as did the sweetness of the yams, but none of the flavors overwhelmed the others. 

I decided to serve up this new dish with a spicier variant of my Sesame Soba Noodles.  I didn't have soba noodles on hand, but linguine worked just fine, and the extra spiciness provided some continuity with the main dish at the same time the nutty sesame flavor gave the noodles their own distinct flavor.   The Hot Pepper Shrimp with Vegetables would work fine with plain rice or with any of a number of seasoned or plain noodles, and the Spicy Sesame Noodles would likewise go well with a variety of dishes, but they so well together that I decided to present them together in this post.

Hot Pepper Shrimp with Vegetables

yield = 4-5 servings

1 1/4          pounds medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2                fresh hot red peppers, minced
4                teaspoons minced garlic
2                teaspoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
1/2             teaspoon white pepper
1                large head broccoli, cut into florets
1                medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2/3             cup low-sodium chicken broth
2                tablespoons cornstarch
2                tablespoons fish sauce
2                tablespoons oyster sauce
2                teaspoons fresh, peeled and grated ginger
2                teaspoons sriracha sauce
1                teaspoon granulated (white) sugar
1/2             teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
3                tablespoons vegetable oil
1                small yellow onion, thinly-sliced
1                small yam, peeled and diced
6                green onions, white parts only, thinly-sliced
4                ounces of baby spinach

Add shrimp, minced peppers, garlic, white pepper and lime juice to a medium bowl.   Stir to mix thoroughly, then cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and allow to marinate 1/2 hour.

Steam the broccoli and cauliflower until almost done (still a bit crisp).   Spray w/ cold water and set aside.  While the vegetables are steaming, add the chicken broth, cornstarch, fish sauce, oyster sauce, grated ginger, sriracha sauce, sugar and black pepper.  Stir to mix thoroughly, then set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, yam and green onions and cook, stirring often, until the yams have started to soften and the onions are starting to brown (about 5 minutes).  Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and pour the shrimp and marinade into the center of the pan in a single layer of shrimp.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn the shrimp and cook another minute. 

Add the chicken broth mixture, stir to combine and cook until the sauce starts to thicken.  Add the steamed vegetables and the spinach to the skillet, stir to mix thoroughly, then transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve immediately.

Spicy Sesame Noodles

yield = 4 servings

3                tablespoons soy sauce
2                tablespoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
2                tablespoons rice vinegar
1                tablespoon honey
1                tablespoon sriracha sauce
2                teaspoons fresh peeled and grated ginger
1/2             teaspoon white pepper
1                pound linguine
1                tablespoon table salt
2                tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1                tablespoons thinly-sliced green onions (green parts only)

Start 3 quarts water boiling in a Dutch oven or similar pan.  Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, sriracha sauce, ginger and white pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to the boiling water and cook per package directions.  Drain, then immediately transfer pasta to a serving bowl.  Add the soy sauce mixture and one tablespoon of the toasted sesame seeds.   Toss to mix thoroughly, then sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon sesame seeds and the green onions.  Serve hot.

Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp in Garlic)

I don't cook many Spanish dishes, simply because I'm not particularly familiar with Spanish cuisine.  However, while looking at some food blogs and cookbooks I saw a Spanish dish that looked too good to pass up:  Gambas al Ajillo, or Shrimp in Garlic.   In Spain, the dish is apparently usually served as a tapas, or appetizer, but I figured it would serve just as well as a main dish.  The only problem was, I couldn't decide which of the various recipes to try.  They all looked pretty good, but they varied a fair amount in terms of ingredients. 

I finally decided to make my own recipe, taking guidance from the recipes I'd consulted.   Some of the recipes I consulted had a bit of a Mexican spin to them, rather than being strictly Spanish, so I decided to follow that idea somewhat, as I had recently found another Mexican recipe that I thought would go well with the shrimp as a side dish. 

One thing all the recipes I saw had in common was what looked like an extraordinary amount of garlic.   That sounded good to me.   They also all called for dried red peppers of some sort, ranging from the generic "crushed red pepper flakes" to some Spanish pepper varieties I've never tried.  Going with the Mexican spin, I decided to use a dried ancho chili, which I reduced to small bits by tossing it in my spice grinder for a few seconds.   Paprika was also a universal ingredient, though the Mexican-spin recipes sometimes deleted the paprika in favor of cumin.  I decided to use some of both, and made the further decision to use whole cumin seed in place of ground cumin,

The result was pretty darn good.  I can see why this dish is quite popular.   The garlic flavor was prominent but not the least bit overwhelming.  In fact, all of the seasonings balanced each other nicely, and none overwhelmed the sweet flavor of the shrimp.  Spicy, savory, sweet and a bit tart... this dish had a nicely complex mix of flavors.  Since it was also really easy and quick to make, I expect I'll be using this recipe again in the near future.    This dish has also sparked my interest in Spanish cuisine, so I will probably be trying more Spanish dishes one of these days.

Gambas al Ajillo

yield = 2 main dish or 4 appetizer servings

1/4          cup extra-virgin olive oil
12           garlic cloves, chopped
1             dried ancho chili, ground or finely crushed
1             teaspoon Spanish (smoked) paprika
1/2          teaspoon cumin seed
1             pound large, fresh shrimp, peeled and
                  deveined
1/4          cup dry white wine
1             teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4          cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2          fresh lemon

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the minced garlic, chili , paprika and cumin seed and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until the oil has taken on a red-orange color. 

Add the shrimp and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then turn the shrimp over, add the white wine and the oregano and cook another minute or two.  

When the wine is cooked mostly down, stir in the parsley.  Transfer to a serving bowl or platter, squeeze the juice from the half lemon atop the shrimp.  Serve with crusty bread for sopping.

Spicy Shrimp Curry with Coconut Sauce

I recently wrote about a spice mix typical to Bengali cooking, panch phoron, and the dish I made using that spice mix.   I served that really excellent vegetable dish along with a shrimp curry, and that curry is the topic of today's post.

I designed this recipe to make a somewhat spicier curry, yet at the same time I wanted it to taste of more than the spicy gravy.  Thus, I decided to let the shrimp marinate with some spices and a bit of lemon juice before frying it.   I then fried some onions along with ample amounts of fresh chili peppers, ginger and more spices before adding tomatoes and coconut milk to make a gravy.   I added curry leaves - a distinctly Indian seasoning ingredient - to this gravy to give it another layer of distinctly Indian flavors.

The result was a fragrant, spicy dish with a complex mix of flavors.  The coconut milk didn't so much mellow the spiciness in this one as it served to balance it out.    Still, this one has a fair bit of bite, and the curry leaves provide an exotic flavor that will probably be unfamiliar - though not unpleasant - to those not well-versed in Indian curries. 

Curry leaves can be hard to find, and I really don't know of anything else that might take their place.  Juli's sister wrote us a comment awhile back about encountering a curry plant at a plant market sometime back, but I've never found curry leaves outside Indian (or extremely well-stocked Asian) groceries.   They're worth seeking out, though, as there really isn't anything else with the same flavor.   I buy batches of leaves a couple times a year and freeze most of them for later use.  Curry leaves lose only a tiny bit of flavor when frozen, but frozen ones still do the trick just fine. 

Spicy Shrimp Curry with Coconut Sauce

yield = 4 servings

1 1/2            pounds raw large shrimp, peeled
                      and deveined
1                  teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1                  teaspoon ground cumin
1                  teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2               teaspoon table salt
1/2               teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
3                  tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1                  small white onion, finely chopped
3                  serrano chlis, seeded and minced
2                  tablespoons fresh, peeled and grated ginger
2                  teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2            teaspoon cumin seed
1                  can (14-15 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1                  can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
5                  curry leaves

Add the shrimp, lemon juice, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Mix thoroughly and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is just starting to smoke, add the shrimp.  Fry the shrimp for 2 minutes, then turn the shrimp and cook another 2 minutes.  Transfer the cooked shrimp to a clean bowl and set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil until shimmering.  Add the chopped onion and minced chilis and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown (about 7 minutes). 

Add the ginger, garlic and cumin seed and cook about 1 minute, then stir in the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have softened (about 5 minutes).  If the mixture in the skillet starts to burn, add a tablespoon or so of water. 

When the tomatoes have softened, add and stir in the coconut milk and curry leaves.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the gravy thickens (about 5 minutes).  Stir in the shrimp, cook to heat through, then transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve. 

Sesame Shrimp with Asparagus and Basil

Today's recipe is one I came up with by deciding to toss together several of my favorite foods and flavors - shrimp, asparagus, pasta, basil, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice and rice wine - in one dish.  It isn't really an Asian dish, despite the presence of a variety of typically Asian seasonings and ingredients.  It isn't even representative enough of any specific cuisines to really qualify as a fusion dish.  It really is just a hodge-podge.   It's still darn good, though.

Technique-wise, this recipe is pretty basic.   Cook some pasta, heat up some oil, fry the asparagus and shrimp in the oil, add some aromatic seasonings, stir in some liquid ingredients to make a sauce, stir the pasta and some basil in after the sauce thickens, then add a garnish and serve.  It comes together quickly - everything else can be prepared and made in the time it takes to get the water boiling and cook the pasta - and the whole dish requires only two pans, so clean-up is also easy. 

So, if you are looking for a quick, easy recipe that delivers tender-crisp asparagus, perfectly-cooked shrimp and noodles, all brought together with a savory sauce, this one might be just what you're looking for.  Give it a try.

Sesame Shrimp with Asparagus and Basil

yield = 4 servings

12            ounces thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
3/4           cup low-sodium chicken broth
2              tablespoons soy sauce
2              tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
1              tablespoon mirin (rice wine)
1              tablespoon soy sauce
3              teaspoons sesame oil
1              tablespoon peanut oil
1 1/2        pounds asparagus spears, trimmed and cut
                  into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2        pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1              tablespoon fresh, peeled and grated ginger
2              teaspoons minced garlic
1/4           teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4           cup fresh basil, thinly-sliced
1              tablespoon black (or ordinary) sesame seeds

Add four quarts water and 1 teaspoon table salt to a large pot.  Bring to a boil, add pasta, cook per package directions then drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, add chicken broth, soy sauce, lime juice, mirin, corn starch and 1 teaspoon sesame oil to a small bowl.  Stir together to combine, then set aside.

Add the peanut oil and two teaspoons sesame oil to a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the asparagus pieces and stir-fry, stirring often, 3-4 minutes. 

Add the shrimp, cook on one side for about 2 minutes, then turn the shrimp and cook another minute. 

Clear a spot in the middle of the skillet and add the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. 

Cook about 45 seconds, then stir in the chicken broth mixture and cook until the sauce thickens (about 1 minute).  Stir in the cooked pasta.   Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the basil and sesame seeds.   Serve.

Note:
When I made this recipe, I didn't have any Thai basil handy, but if you have some, using Thai basil in place of ordinary, sweet basil would give the dish a more distinctly Asian flavor. 

Shrimp Ramen Skillet with Asian Vegetables

Recently I made a Beef Ramen Skillet.  I liked it quite a bit, but Juli was less fond of it.  I took that as a challenge to come up with something similar which we'd both enjoy, and this time I achieved that goal.

Juli said her biggest problem with the earlier dish was the bitterness, probably reflecting the combination of the spinach and Chinese black vinegar.  I figured the first place to start on this new dish was with a different mix of flavors, one not including much bitterness.  I'd initially thought about making another beef dish, as the tender, flavorful slices of beef were Juli's favorite part of the earlier dish, but as I considered options for vegetables and seasonings, I decided to go with shrimp instead.

I'd already decided I wanted to use some baby bok choy in this dish, as I hadn't had any bok choy in awhile and was in the mood for something different.  I knew bok choy can sometimes be a bit bitter, though, and while this is rare with the baby variety, I didn't want to take any chances of a repeat of the previous dish's reviews.   Balancing things out with snow peas seemed like a good solution, but as I considered seasonings, I also decided to use a bit of oyster sauce to help mellow the bite of the black vinegar.

This one turned out quite nicely:  Perfectly cooked, lightly-seasoned shrimp with tender-crisp (or simply tender, in the case of the shitakes) vegetables and noodles made flavorful by cooking them in chicken broth and seasonings, all of it combined by a flavorful, salty-sweet and slightly spicy sauce.  Best of all, Juli liked this one just as much as I did.  Served up with a side of egg rolls (from a supermarket deli, warmed up at home), this made for a great meal.

Shrimp Ramen Skillet with Asian Vegetables

yield = 4-6 servings

1 1/2          pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
2                tablespoons tamari sauce
1                teaspoon white pepper
1/2             teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4             cup rice wine
1                tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
1                tablespoon oyster sauce
2                teaspoons cornstarch
2                teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
2                tablespoons peanut oil
12              ounces baby bok choy, stalks and leaves separated
                  and sliced
12              ounces snow peas, trimmed
4                ounces shitake mushrooms, woody stems removed,
                  caps sliced
2                tablespoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
1                tablespoon minced garlic
3 1/2          cups low-sodium chicken broth
4                packages (3 ounce) ramen noodles, seasoning
                  packets discarded

Add shrimp to a medium-sized bowl.  Top with tamari, white pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.  Mix thoroughly to evenly coat the shrimp in the seasonings, then set aside.

Add rice wine, black vinegar, oyster sauce, cornstarch and sesame oil to a small bowl.  Whisk together to combine, then set aside.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp, pouring any leftover marinade into the bowl with the rice wine mixture.  Cook on one side for about one minute, then flip the shrimp over and cook for another 40 seconds or so.   Transfer the shrimp to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the snow peas and slices of bok choy stalk to the skillet.  Stir-fry 4 minutes, then add the shitake mushrooms and stir-fry another 2 minutes.   Clear a spot in the middle of the skillet and add the ginger and garlic.  Cook about 30 seconds, then add the sliced bok choy leaves and cook another 30 seconds.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.  Break the ramen bricks into smaller chunks, stir them into the mixture in the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Return the shrimp to the skillet.  Whisk the rice wine mixture, then pour it into the skillet and stir until it thickens.   Serve.