Deviled Shrimp Ragu

Greetings!  Sorry it's been so long, but being here alone and with this intensely long, hot summer, well...there's just not been a lot of cooking going on here.

And another pretty bad photo (see the link below for a much better shot!)  Had this recipe not been so good, I never would have posted it.  But it is so good!!!

I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com.  It's my #1 go-to site for recipes because you can plug in whatever ingredients you're wanting to use.  I happened to be wanting a shrimp recipe, plus I thought I'd like to use some smoked paprika.  When I first saw that this recipe called for using ketchup (?!!!) I hesitated.  But "Chef John" on allrecipes has always come through with some outstanding recipes.  This one has to be at the top of my list.

He notes that he uses the shrimp alone as an entrée or could be served over rice or noodles.  I used rice.  Doesn't really matter.  This shrimp is a standout.

DEVILED SHRIMP RAGU (2 servings)

1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined shells reserved

1 bay leaf

1 pinch smoked paprika

1 cup water

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground dried chipotle pepper, optional

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp minced garlic

salt to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

1 Tbsp minced fresh chives

Cooked rice or noodles, optional

Place shrimp shells into a saucepan with bay leaf and 1 pinch of smoked paprika over medium-low heat; cook and stir shells until they turn pink, about 5 minutes.  Pour in water, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer shrimp stock for 20-25 minutes.

Mix lemon juice, ketchup, brown sugar, ground chipotle pepper (if using), 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, garlic, 1 pinch of salt, and cayenne pepper in a bowl.

Strain shrimp stock into a bowl; discard shells and bay leaf.  Whisk shrimp stock into ketchup mixture and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat until small wisps of smoke rise from the skillet.  Cook shrimp in the hot oil until bottom sides of shrimp are seared and browned, about 3 minutes.  Stir in shrimp stock mixture and cook until shrimp are opaque, about 3 minutes.  Transfer shrimp to a bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving sauce in skillet.

Bring sauce to a boil and cook until sauce has reduced and thickened, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in cold butter, turn off heat, and let residual heat of pan melt butter.  Stir until butter has incorporated into sauce and sauce is slightly thickened.

Stir shrimp into sauce and toss with chives.  Serve shrimp with sauce.

Recipe Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/235360/chef-johns-deviled-shrimp-ragu/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%202

Shrimp and Asparagus

I had some shrimp and mushrooms on hand and did a search on Allrecipes to find a recipe using these ingredients.  I found this recipe and after reading some of the comments, made some adjustments.

First and foremost, the original recipe had way to much fat in the way of butter and olive oil.  I used just enough to cook the mushrooms and shrimp.

I made this last week so my recipe is loosely based on my memory.  If you'd like, compare mine to the original and make adjustments to fit your taste.

SHRIMP and ASPARAGUS (2 servings)

1/2 lb fresh asparagus, cut into about 1" pieces

4 oz angel hair pasta

1-2 tsp minced garlic

EVOO

butter

1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 lb uncooked peeled and deveined shrimp

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

Parmesan cheese

S&P to taste

Steam asparagus.  Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, set aside.

Saute mushrooms in a mixture of EVOO and butter.  Saute until mushrooms are limp.

Place butter and lemon juice in a saucepan.  Heat until the butter has melted.  Place the shrimp in the saucepan and cook until the shrimp turns pink.  Add the mushrooms and shrimp.

Toss the shrimp and vegetables with the cooked pasta.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  S&P to taste.

Recipe Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/18149/shrimp-and-asparagus/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%2018

Mustard Potato Salad

This recipe is kind of a note to myself.  I don't think I've ever made potato salad the same way.....it's always off-the-cuff and sometimes it's pretty good and sometimes is only so-so.  This batch came off quite good and, if nothing else, is a great basic recipe to start with and alter it to your tastes.

A few notes.  Generally I prefer red-skinned potatoes, but I have a bag of russets that need to be used.  Also, sometimes I do like a Miracle Whip-based dressing, but I usually stick with mayo.  Also, the recipe I worked from (I think it was in allrecipes.com, but can't find it right now) called for dill pickles).  I only had hamburger chips, so that's what I used.  The mustard I used was dill mustard, a yellow-mustard with dried dill weed (the brand is Silver Springs.  A plain yellow mustard would just fine.  I generally boil the potatoes, but this time I had the oven on and so I just baked the potatoes.

One last thing, I don't like too much dressing.  This amount was a bit more than I used.  So if you're like me, you won't need this much (I ended up making up another batch of potatoes, eggs, onions, and celery to use it up).

Again for me, this is a great basic recipe to start with.  Fine tune it to your tastes and/or what you have on hand.

POTATO SALAD  (3-4 servings)

6 small potatoes (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds), cooked and cubed

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 large stalk of celery, finely chopped

sweet onion, chopped

DRESSING

1/2 cup mayo (I use 1/2 regular, 1/2 reduced-fat)

3 + Tbsp yellow mustard

2 Tbsp pickle juice

6 hamburger pickle chips, chopped (or 1/4 cup dill relish in lieu of juice and chips)

S&P to taste

celery seed to taste

Cajun seasoning to taste (I use Nunu's)

Whisk dressing ingredients.  Check seasonings.

Stir dressing into potato mixture until coated as you like.  (If I'm going to have the salad around for a few days, I mix the dressing into the salad at time of serving.)