Pasta Primavera with Grilled Shrimp

Spring is here! This time of year I like to go away from the heavy comfort food I love eating during the winter and enjoy lighter, fresher meals made with the season's best vegetables. A wonderfully light, yet flavorful pasta dish that is perfect for the springtime is pasta primavera. The highlight of this pasta is the variety of green vegetables, all of which are in season this time of year. The lemony grilled shrimp is an addition that contributes delicious protein while complementing the fresh flavors in the pasta.

Ingredients:

Pasta Primavera:
1 bunch asparagus, washed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup sugar snap peas, washed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup of shelled edamame (I used frozen; may be substituted with green peas)
1 box pasta, any shape (I used gnocchetti)
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely grated parmesan, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt and black pepper, to taste

Grilled Shrimp:
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Pasta Primavera:
Heat a large pot of water over high heat. Once the water begins to boil, add a few teaspoons of salt and your pasta. Bring back to a boil and then lower the heat to medium. Cook pasta al dente, or to your liking.

In another large pot, heat the olive oil and garlic over low heat. Doing so allows the garlic flavor to infuse the oil without burning too quickly. Once the garlic starts to brown, add the asparagus, sugar snap peas, and edamame.

Season with salt and pepper, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Stir the butter into the sauce.

Drain the cooked pasta and add the the vegetables. Add in the chopped parsley and some of the grated parmesan.

Stir pasta well, and then remove from heat. Garnish with extra grated parmesan.

Grilled Shrimp:

Mix the grilled shrimp together with all of the other ingredients in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.








Heat a grill pan over medium heat, greasing lightly with a little olive oil. When the pan is hot, add half of the shrimp.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side, and then flip each of the shrimp.




Remove the shrimp from the pan once they are pink and opaque.

Serve hot with the pasta primavera. Enjoy!

Arroz con Habichuelas (Rice with Beans)

Growing up in New York has its perks...being exposed to a wide variety of cuisines that are all around you is a foodie's dream come true. One that I miss while here in the Caribbean is Puerto Rican cuisine. Spanish food is similar to Guyanese in many ways, but the flavors can be completely different. These two things together, rice and beans, are found as side dishes in many of the Spanish restaurants in NYC. It is one of my favorite comfort foods that is easy on the budget and fast...add some fried ripe plantains (maduros)...perfect for a quick homemade exam week meal!

Arroz Blanco (White Rice)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of medium-grained white rice
1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

Add the water to a small pot, and heat over high heat. When it starts boiling, add the oil, salt, and rice, and stir once. Boil, uncovered, until the water level almost reaches the level of the rice. Once the water has reached that level, turn the heat down to very low, stir the rice, and cover. Let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Then, remove the pot from the heat, stir the rice again, cover the pot, and let it rest in a warm place for another 10 minutes. After that time has passed, fluff with a fork and serve.

Habichuelas Guisadas (Stewed Beans)

Ingredients:
1 can of red kidney or pinto beans
4 oz tomato sauce (not paste!)
1 packet Goya Sazon seasoning
1/2 packet chicken or beef bouillon powder
1 1/2 tablespoons of Goya Sofrito seasoning (optional)
1 cup boiling water
salt to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil

In a small pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the Sofrito, Sazon, and bouillon. Fry for 5-10 seconds and then add the tomato sauce. Cook the seasonings with the sauce for about a minute, and then add the cup of boiling water. Boil for about 5 minutes, and then add the can of beans with the water from the can. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, and then remove the cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly. Once the beans are soft and the sauce has the consistency of a gravy, it's all done!

Guyanese-Style Zucchini with Shrimps

This recipe is a traditional vegetable dish from Guyana. Many of the vegetables can be cooked in the same way, like spinach, eggplant, bitter melon (karela), and string beans, with addition of any meat as well potatoes. This is just one of the Guyanese recipes for zucchini; it can also be curried or deep-fried in a split pea batter. The shrimp I used were the tiny white belly shrimp from Guyana, which are eaten with the shell as they are thin and soft. However, any kind of shrimp or meat can be substituted in this recipe, or it can be made without or with tofu as a vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:
     3 zucchinis, peeled, seeds removed, and cubed
     1/2 cup of white belly shrimp
     1/2 white onion, finely chopped
     3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
     1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste
     2 fresh wiri wiri peppers, seeds removed and chopped (optional)
     1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
     Salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and fry for about a minute, and then add the shrimp. Stir fry for a few minutes until cooked, and then add the tomato paste. Add the cubed zucchini, stir and cover. The zucchini should slowly begin to release water and steam. Stir once in a while and add the salt. Cook, covered, for about 20-25 minutes, or until the zucchini is cooked through. Serve with rice or roti, and enjoy!

Peeling and cubing the zucchini

Frying the shrimp with onion and garlic

After adding the zucchini

Aloo Tikki Chaat

This dish is a recreation of one that I tasted in Newcastle while studying in England. England has a good population of Indian people, so it is very easy to find great Indian restaurants there that serve some amazing food. Aloo tikki chaat is popular street food in India (Delhi), and its components aloo tikki and channa chaat are said to have originated right around there in northern India, Uttar Pradesh. It is a hearty and flavorful vegetarian dish that is sure to satisfy any hungry tummy.

Aloo Tiki:
Ingredients:
     2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
     1/4 onion, finely chopped
     1 clove of garlic, chopped and masked into a paste
     1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger, grated
     1-2 green chillies, seeds removed and finely chopped
     1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
     handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
     1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
     1 teaspoon of garam masala
     1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
     1/2 teaspoon of fresh lime juice
     salt to taste
     oil for shallow frying

Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with room temperature water. Bring to a boil, add salt, and cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain, mash, and place in a mixing bowl.

Boiled potatoes

Mashed

In a frying pan or wok, place 1 tablespoon of oil and heat over medium flame. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies, and bell pepper. Fry for about two minutes and then add the cumin, masala, and turmeric. Fry for another minute or so and then turn off the flame. Add the fried seasoning to the bowl with the mashed potato Add the cilantro and lime juice. Mix well and taste to see if more salt is needed.

Seasoning

Potatoes mixed with sauteed seasoning

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add some oil just to coat the bottom of the pan. Take handfuls of the potato mixture, form into a ball, and then press down to create a round patty. Place on the hot pan. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

Frying the aloo tikkis

Channa Chaat:
Ingredients:
     3 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
or  1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and boiled or pressure cooked until almost done
     1 onion
     1 clove of garlic
     1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
     1 tomato
     1-2 fresh green chillies, seeds removed
     handful of cilantro
     1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste
     pinch of sugar
     1/2 teaspoon of chaat masala
     1 teaspoon of channa masala
     1 teaspoon of ground cumin
     2 teaspoons of tamarind chutney (or 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste)
     1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
     2 tablespoons of olive oil
     Boiling water

In a blender or food processor, puree the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, chillies, and cilantro. Heat the oil in a wok over medium flame and add the blended seasoning mixture. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste, sugar, chaat masala, channa masala, and cumin. Fry for another 2 minutes or so, and then add the chickpeas. If using the tamarind paste, add now. Stir and add some boiling water to the pot (about 1/2 cup if the beans are soft or 2 cups if they need to boil a while longer). Stir, bring to a simmer, and cover. Cook for a few minutes until the peas are tender and the gravy has thickened. If you are using the tamarind chutney, add that now. If the peas are still hard you can always add more water and boil longer. Once it is finished, turn off the flame, add the lime juice and stir. The dish is now ready to serve.

Boiled chickpeas

To put together the aloo tikki chaat:
Dish some of the channa chaat into a bowl. Place one or two aloo tikkis on top (depending on the size of the serving). Sprinkle some chopped onion and red bell pepper over the top and drizzle with tamarind chutney, if desired. Finish with some chopped cilantro.