VODKA CREAM DIABLO SHRIMP ON PASTA

VODKA CREAM DIABLO SHRIMP ON PASTA (semi homemade short cut)

Add a piece of bread an sprinkle with scallions

What an end to my week. Super great news all around for me. 

        So I  wanted to make a nice special dinner at home.  Quick stop at the market and decided to make this Shrimp pasta dish. 

I did use some short cuts, but I promise the taste is lovely.  Makes for an elegant dish and easy one to make.

3/4 lb.  Pasta of choice; Mine is almost always Spaghetti

1 lbs. large raw shrimp, deveined and shells removed

3 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup onion minced well

3 garlic cloves, minced well

1 teaspoon jalapeño optional but it makes it “diablo”

1 jar of Vodka tomato sauce (ready-made)

½ can V-8 juice

1/3 cup light cream

1/4 cup vodka

Salt, pepper

Garnish: fresh basil and scallion chopped if you like.

First place olive oil in large deep dish sauté pan and bring to hot temperature. Place shrimp in and cook not stirring for 2 minutes.  The one side will get browned but they will not be cooked thru.  Remove the shrimp and set aside.  Add the diced garlic, onion, parsley, and peppers.

Cook on medium heat until just cooked thru.

Add the sauce, V-8 juice and cream. Lower heat a simmer10 mins to meld flavor.  Add Vodka and simmer another five minutes.

Start to cook the pasta and after half way cooked, add the shrimp to the sauce and keep cooking until the pasta is finished. Drain the pasta (keeping 1 cup of the water as reserve) and plate the pasta.  If the sauce is too thick, use some of the pasta water to thin down. Note some people add the pasta directly into the sauce in the pan and adjust the consistency then.  I like adding sauce to “top” pasta in bowls.

 Bread:  French bread sliced lengthwise.  One side smeared with butter and sprinkled with herbs de Provence and garlic powder and the other drizzled with olive oil.

 Close and wrap in tin foil and bake 425 for about 4 minutes—I always burn my bread so watch carefully.

 

TIPS:

• ·        You may add basil to the sauce while cooking.

• ·        I am not a purist and DO add Parmesan cheese on my pasta with fish! Who knew? Solely up to your tastes, but beware if sitting at a table with true Italians you may be committing a mortal sin!

• ·        Add a salad and crusty piece of bread and even a first course to round out one easy elegant and celebration worthy meal!

·                        Here is the cake I made, All celebrations need a CAKE.. Happy one year to me! 

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have             on hand!

SCALLIONS GROWN IN WATER

SCALLIONS GROWN IN WATER

My dear Chase- best friend of my eldest daughter and honorary member of our family, emailed me this idea.  She mentioned something about all DUMP COOKS need to know this…well I did NOT know this.  I was so excited as scallions are very expensive most of the year.  This is the trick to your never ending scallion reserve and the good thing IT GROWS ALL YEAR AROUND.

Scallions are super used fresh in topping salads and almost all dishes. They present a light mild onion flavor. 

I took Chase at her word and went and bought 3 bunches of scallions.

Trim the tops so they are nice and neat and all old tips clipped off.  Rinse all so you will be ready to cut the tops as needed.

Set the scallions into a jar and fill the jar with water until the white bulb and base of the scallions are submerged.   Leave some space around the scallions, and do not stuff the jar with them.

               If you have a sunny window sill to place them on, I am sure they will fare well.  But I don’t and I have them on a Counter top that opens to a basically sunny den and they are growing fabulously.

                Pour out the water in the jar every other day and replace it with fresh water. Cut away freshly regrown scallions as needed.  Trim even if not needed every two days.

Always leave a few inches of the green stalk above the bulb.!

I have been seeing if this works for about three weeks and it is such a cool tip.

THANKS CHASE

SALMON BAKED IN A MAPLE AND BOURBON SAUCE TOPPED WITH PISTACHIOS

SALMON BAKED IN A MAPLE AND BOURBON SAUCE TOPPED WITH PISTACHIOS

Served with roasted red potatoes and bok choy with radish

4 salmon fillets

1/4 c bourbon whiskey

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 c maple syrup

1/2 c pistachio nuts, chopped, dry roasted

Directions

Mix the maple syrup, butter and bourbon in a small pan and simmer until the sauce reduces by almost half.  It will thicken as it cooks.  Marinate salmon in 2/3 rds. of the sauce in a zip lock bag and keep 1/3^rd on the side to baste the fish as it cooks.  

Marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hrs is possible.

Place salmon (skin side down) on a cookie sheet or baking pan sprayed with non-stick spray then lightly baste with the some of the remaining whiskey sauce.

Meanwhile take the chopped pistachios and put them in warm fry pan and toast to bring out the nutty flavors.  Be careful not to burn the nuts as it takes only about 3 minutes.

 

Bake for 20 minutes, basting twice during the baking.  Time may vary by the size of your fish.  I like the salmon a bit pink in the middle.

Baste one last time with fresh reserve whiskey sauce. Sprinkle the fillets with the roasted pistachios.

TIPS:

Some recipes will add brown sugar to the sauce. I think the syrup makes it sweet enough.

The sauce would be good on chicken as well.

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand!