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!

Mini Blueberry Crumb Pies

Today is National Pi Day (3/14), so I decided to make some pies! I was looking for something different than the usual apple pie, so I opted for blueberry. This is my first time making a blueberry dessert, and it turned out delicious! I decided to make them mini pies, as I figured they'd be easier to serve; the blueberry filling tends to leak out the sides of the regular larger pie slices.

Ingredients:

Pie crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice cold water

Blueberry filling:
5 cups blueberries, washed
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Crumb topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Prepare the pie crust:



In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the butter pieces and shortening, and use two knives or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Continue to do this until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.




Next, add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix in with a fork until the dough just comes together. (If the dough is still too dry, add a little more water. Be careful not to add too much, as the dough may become too sticky).

Wrap the pie crust dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You may keep the dough in the refrigerator up to 2 days, if necessary.

2. Prepare the crumb topping:


In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, light brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Mix to combine.





Next,  add the cold butter pieces. Using your hands, work the butter pieces into the flour mixture until large clumps begin to appear. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You may also freeze some of the crumb topping at this stage if you will not be using all of it.

3. Prepare the blueberry filling:

In a mixing bowl, combine the white sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Mix well.







Next, add in the blueberries and lemon juice. Set aside for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.







4. Assemble the mini pies:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Take the pie dough out of the refrigerator and divide the dough into two. I only made 4 mini pies, so I used only half of the dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut smaller circles out of the dough (larger than the circumference of your mini pie plates), and transfer each to a pie dish. Gently press the dough to fill in each dish. You can cut off any dough that is hanging over the edge of the pie dish or use it to create a decorative edge.

Pierce the bottoms of the crusts in a few places to allow steam to be released when baking. Place a piece of parhcment paper or aluminum foil over the dough in each dish. Fill the paper or foil with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. This will help weigh down the crust while it is pre-baking, allowing it to stay nice and flat.

Bake the pie crusts for about 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and remove the paper or foil and weights from inside each. Place them on a rack to cool.

Once the crusts have cooled for a while, add the prepared blueberry filling.

Top each of the pies with about 2 tablespoons of the crumb topping, and then bake the mini pies for about 40 minutes, or until the blueberry filling just begins to bubble. If you notice the crumb topping and/or edges browning too quickly, you can cover the pies with some aluminum foil and then resume baking. Once they are cooked, allow the pies to cool completely within the pie dishes. Once they have cooled, they should be easy to lift out of the pie dishes and onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature.

Mini Strawberry Shortcakes

I had a bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer, and was trying to decide what to do with them. I usually like my strawberries fresh, but I thought that I might be able to incorporate them into a dessert. I decided to make a version of strawberry shortcake from scratch. This is also an easy dessert to put together if you are in a hurry, as you can also buy some of the ingredients pre-made and just assemble them yourself. Shhhh, nobody has to know! I made a pound cake for this recipe, as I like the richness of the buttery pound cake with the light freshness of the fruit. You may also use actual shortcake for the recipe, if you prefer.

Ingredients:
8 - 3/4 inch slices of homemade pound cake (you may use store-bought, if you prefer)
(I will post a separate recipe for this a little later)
15-20 strawberries, halved (if frozen, defrost them first)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup whipped cream (see below for recipe, or you may use store-bought)
mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

To macerate the strawberries, add them to a medium sized bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cover and set aside.

...with sugar just added

...after about 30 minutes

You can cut the pound cake slices into whichever shapes you like, or leave them as is. I cut a few into rectangles by removing the edges and a few into circles using a large cookie cutter.








Whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons white sugar

To prepare the whipped cream, add the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream on high until it forms soft peaks. (You may also do this by hand using a whisk, but that requires some serious elbow grease!) It is important to refrigerate this if you won't be using it right away, or it may deflate.

To assemble the cakes, place on pound cake slice on a plate. Add a few strawberries with their liquid on top, and then a dollop of the fresh whipped cream. Place another cake slice on top, and another dollop of whipped cream. Finally, add some more strawberry pieces and top with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

I had lunch recently at my favorite Thai place in NYC, Obao. It is actually a Thai/Vietnamese fusion restaurant, and they are known for recreating delicious Asian street food. While I was there the last time, I ordered their Salt and Pepper Shrimp appetizer, which was deliciously light and crispy, with a delicate balance of flavor. I did some research online and found that dredging the shrimp with cornstarch is what gives the shrimp the characteristic crunch. I had a lot of fun creating the recipe, and the best part was, it was finished in a flash!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb large shrimp (unpeeled)
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 eggs (whites only)
1 jalapeño, sliced, seeds removed
2 scallion stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 red onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
oil for frying

To prepare the shrimp, take a sharp knife or kitchen shears and cut the back of the shell open, without actually removing the shell. Slice into the shrimp a little along the way 'til it reaches where the vein is. Devein the shrimp by removing the black part from inside. Here is a video to illustrate the process better.

Once the shrimp are prepared, wash them with a bit of lime juice and water, and drain them completely. Add the egg whites to a bowl and whisk them a little to incorporate some air and make it a little lighter. Add the cornstarch to another bowl. Heat the oil (I used a vegetable oil/canola oil combination) over medium heat. Once it is hot, you can start the dredging process.

Dip the prepared shrimp (shells still on!) into the egg whites, shake off the excess, and then into the cornstarch.

Shake off the excess cornstarch and drop the shrimp into the hot oil. Remember that shrimp cook very quickly, so the oil should be nice and hot when you drop them in. They should begin to sizzle right away. Repeat with the remaining shrimp, but fry in small batches of 4-5 shrimp. Fry the shrimp for about 1 minute, then flip them over and fry for an additional 30 seconds or until they begin to slightly turn golden.

Remove from oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Once all the shrimp have been fried, set them aside.

In another pot, add about 2 tablespoons of the oil that you fried the shrimp in. Heat it over high heat, and add the jalapeño slices, onion slices, and scallions. 

Fry until they begin to brown slightly, and then sprinkle in the dry spices (black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, salt, and sugar) and add the soy sauce. 

Stir to quickly combine and then add the fried shrimp. Toss quickly and remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Mojito Mocktail

If you're like me and don't drink much alcohol, this is a delicious and refreshing drink for a warm summer day. It's not summer yet here in NYC, but the sunshine has me in a summer mood! I love the flavors of a mojito, and the recipe can be easily adapted to incorporate almost any type of fruitor fruit juice. Berries are my favorite, because they are easily muddled with the mint and lime.

Ingredients:
10 strawberries, halved
2 limes, quartered
handful of mint leaves
1 quart seltzer water or sparkling water
1 cup simple syrup (see recipe at bottom of post)

In a large pitcher, add the strawberry halves and mint leaves. Squeeze the lime slices and drop them in as well. Use the back end of a wooden spoon to muddle (mash together) the mint, lime and strawberries. This helps the flavors and juices to come out of them. Add the simple syrup and stir to combine. Finally, pour in the seltzer water. To serve, pour over a glass with a few ice cubes. Enjoy!

Simple syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan. Heat over a medium flame and stir continually until it begins to boil and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. You may refrigerate it if you will be adding it to cold drinks.

Fudgy Brownies

Brownies are always delicious; whether they are dense and fudgy, moist and chewy, or light and cakey. I'm a chocolate lover, so my favorite brownies are the fudgy-gooey chocolatey kind. I've finally perfected my recipe for a fudgy brownie, and my secret lies in using chocolate instead of cocoa. I find that starting the recipe with a rich chocolate ganache helps to create that moist texture that I am looking for, and makes the brownies extra delicious. I then take it the extra step by glazing the brownies with a rich chocolate ganache...this is definitely a decadent chocolate dessert!

Ingredients:

Brownies:
1 cup (8 oz.) dark chocolate*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Ganache Glaze:
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate*
1/2 cup unsalted butter

*Ghirardelli and Godiva are my favorite brands for baking. You may use either chocolate chips or chocolate bars for this recipe, it really doesn't make much of a difference. If using bars, be sure to chop the chocolate, as it will melt easier.

Directions:

Brownies:
Preheat your oven to 350F. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease with butter.








In a saucepan, gently heat the chocolate, butter, and light brown sugar over very low heat. Stir constantly until the butter and chocolate have melted, then remove from heat.







Pour the chocolate mixture into a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Add the white sugar and stir.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing vigorously to combine. Then stir in the vanilla extract and the salt.

Sprinkle in the flour, half at a time, and stir gently to combine. Mix batter for about 20 seconds by hand.

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted about two inches from one corner of the pan comes out clean.

Cool brownies completely before glazing.
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Chocolate Ganache Glaze:
Heat the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly.

Once melted, remove from heat and stir vigorously for about 15-20 seconds, or until the chocolate ganache is shiny.





Allow the ganache to cool for approximately 5 minutes, then pour it over the cooled brownies in the pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set.

Once set, slice the brownies into squares, and use the parchment paper to lift it out of the pan. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!