Lemon Shrimp On Rice

By Paul Briand

One way or the other, I planned to do a shrimp recipe for this week.

And I had two in mind: This Lemon Shrimp On Rice, which came as part of a coupon book from the supermarket where I food shop; and a Puff Pastry-Wrapped Jumbo Shrimp recipe that I found cruising the web.

My wife Jane preferred the pastry-wrapped shrimp -- with its garlic and herb spread and bacon and buttery puff pastry.

I decided on the lemon shrimp for the simple reason of getting on on the scale Monday morning and not liking what I saw.

This is pretty simple and low fat, and I adapted it here from the original.

I’m sure I’ll get to the puff pastry shrimp recipe soon.

Ingredients

1 cup of your favorite rice (enough to make for four servings)

1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth

1 ¼ cup water

1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)

2 cloves minced garlic

Red pepper flakes to taste (1/8 to ¼ teaspoon)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 pound prepared cooked shrimp (the larger the better)

1 lemon, sliced

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Make sure the prepared shrimp is fully thawed, at room temperature and dry;

2. Cook the rice according to normal instructions, but bringing the cup of broth and the cup and a quarter of water to a boil;

3. Add the butter, garlic, red pepper and lemon zest, stir;

4. Add the rice, stir, cover and turn the heat to low;

5. Simmer rice the normal cooking time until done;

6. Stir in the shrimp and lemon slices;

7. Cover, remove from heat and let sit for three minutes;

8. Top mixture with cilantro and serve.

Click here for recipe card.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Rice & Sausage Stuffing

By Paul Briand

Here's a good recipe for autumn that captures some of the texture, color and flavor of the season.

I like that the squash becomes not only part of the meal but part of the presentation too.

Ingredients

2 acorn squash, each cut crosswise in half and seeded

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces of sweet (or hot) Italian sausage (casings removed if buying links)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt, parsley and cayenne pepper to taste

2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions

1. Spray a large microwave-safe plate with a non-stick cooking spray and place squash halves -- cut side down -- on plate. Microwave on high until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool enough to work with;

2. In large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and add sausage, stirring to break up and cooking until no longer pink. Remove sausage and set aside in large bowl;

3. Add onions, red pepper, garlic salt and pepper to skillet, cook until tender, about 8 minutes;

4. Remove from heat and add mixture to the bowl with the sausage;

5. Scoop out the squash, leaving about a quarter inch thick shell, and add the squash meat to the bowl;

6. Add rice and parsley to the bowl and mix until everything is well combined;

7. Evenly divide the mixture among the four squash shells. Serve warm.

Skillet Shrimp and Rice

I'm constantly on the prowl for recipes to try at home, and I'll draw inspiration from just about anywhere.

There was the Chicken Pepperoni from a Goldie Hawn movie from 1980. And, in an upcoming post, I'll write what I learned about cooking from Spenser, the detective of the Robert Parker series of books.

This one hit me the minute I walked through the doors of the Shaw's market where I often shop. Shaw's doesn't have the cooking show in a box meals offered by Hannaford's and reviewed here not too long age. Shaw's instead has a rack of 30 minute or less recipes; I pocketed a couple and experimented this week with the Skillet Shrimp and Rice.

A word about shrimp. Maybe it's me but when I cook with shrimp -- or more specifically when I eat a shrimp dish -- I hate to wrestle with the tails. I know you can just snip the tails off with a flick of your knife, but I don't like leaving that little morsel of meat behind. So in addition to making sure the shrimp is deveined and peeled I'll make sure it's peeled right down to the tail.

Now a word about the choice between the chorizo or kielbasa that's called for in this recipe. Chorizo packs a little bit of heat. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but for this recipe and bowing to wife Jane's preference for the road less spicy I opted for kielbasa, which is a Polish sausage usually made of pork. I opted for the leaner, weight friendly turkey.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper
4 ounces chorizo or kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 onion chopped fine
6 garlic cloves sliced thin
1 1/2 cups medium-grain rice
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups water
1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice
1 cup frozen peas

Directions
Please note: This recipe calls for the use of a large ovenproof skillet.
Part I
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees
2) Toss shrimp with 1 teaspoon of oil, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a bowl
3) Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large overproof skillet over medium-high heat until smoking
4) Add half of shrimp and cook until lightly browned all over
5) Transfer shrimp to clean bowl and repeat with remaining shrimp. Cover bowl

Part II
1) Reduce heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of oil, kielbasa (or chorizo), onion and garlic
2) Cook until sausage begins to brown, 5 to 6 minutes
3) Add rice and cook 1 minute
4) Stir in tomatoes, water, clam juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt
5) Bring to boil over high heat, cover, and transfer skillet to oven
6) Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes
7) Remove skillet from oven, stir in peas, and scatter shrimp over top
8) Cover and set aside until shrimp and peas are heated through, about 5 minutes
9) Season with salt and pepper and serve directly from the skillet
Serves 4 to 6.