The Charmed Kitchen

Smoky Bacon, Corn and Shrimp Chowder

I love the combination of shrimp and bacon. When I was looking for a quick dinner the other night I knew I would be using them together. It was a really cold night so I decided to go with a chowder. I rooted around my fridge and pantry for the rest of the ingredients and ended up with a very satisfying dinner. Even better because a friend was able to come over and share it with me.

Smoky Bacon, Corn and Shrimp Chowder

6 thick slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1½ c. chicken stock
1 can cream corn*
½ c. corn- fresh or frozen
1½ c. half and half
½ c. chopped fresh parsley
12 oz. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce

In soup pot, cook bacon until almost done. Add onion and continue cooking until onion is cooked. Spoon out most of the bacon fat. Add the carrots, potatoes and stock and simmer, covered, until the veggies are tender. Add cream corn, corn and half and half and bring up to a simmer. Add parsley and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook another 5 minutes or until shrimp is just cooked. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 3-4.

*I decided to use a can of cream corn as the base. When I was a kid my Mother would make me something she called cream corn soup. She rarely used prepackaged foods and made wonderful homemade soups all the time. I think it was on one of those days when she was just really busy. To make her cream corn soup she would empty the can of corn into a saucepan. Then she filled the can with milk and added that, too. A little salt and pepper and the soup was done. Just before serving she’d put a small pat of butter in the soup. As a kid I just loved it. I must admit I don’t eat cream corn soup anymore, but as a base the cream corn can really make a nice chowder.

Warm Shrimp and Soba Noodle Salad

Whenever I make soba noodles, I wonder why I don’t eat them more often. I have made my own, but these I picked up at a recent visit to the Asian market. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour. They have a wonderful, almost nutty flavor. I have enjoyed them in cold salads, hot soups and stir fries. This time, I decided to use them in a salad that fell somewhere between hot and cold. It made a great meal for a chilly evening.

Warm Shrimp and Soba Noodle Salad

12 oz. soba (buckwheat) noodles
1 lb. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 T. oil
2 cloves minced garlic
½ c. chopped sweet peppers
½ c. chopped green onions
Dressing:
¼ c. oil
2 T. Rice wine vinegar
1 t. sesame oil
1 t. soy sauce, or more to taste
1 t. hot sauce, or more to taste
1 t. ginger

In pot of boiling, salted water, cook noodles according to package directions. They only take a few minutes. Be careful not to overcook them. Drain and set aside. Heat a skillet and add the oil. Add the shrimp and garlic and stir fry until shrimp are just cooked through. Time will vary based on the size of the shrimp you are cooking. Place soba noodles in a bowl. Add the cooked shrimp and veggies. Make dressing by placing all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake until mixed well. Pour dressing over the noodle mixture and toss to coat evenly. Serve while still warm. Serves 4-5.

Curry Coconut Shrimp

Eating shrimp always feels like a splurge or a special occasion. I think that started in my childhood. We didn’t eat shrimp often when I was a kid. Only a few times a year, always a special occasion. New Year’s Eve, for sure. My mom would make the classic shrimp cocktail, cold shrimp, served with cocktail sauce, served in pretty stemmed glasses. As an adult I have learned to enjoy shrimp a lot of different ways. I eat it more often now, but it still feels special.

Curry coconut shrimp is a favorite of mine, and pretty easy to make.  Cleaned, raw shrimp are dredged in flour, egg wash and a Panko bread crumb-coconut mix and then fried.  I add some homemade curry powder to the eggs for a little extra flavor. Here is how I make mine. You don’t need a special occasion to make it.

Curry Coconut Shrimp

2 cups oil – I like peanut oil
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1-2 t. curry powder, or to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. In a large bowl, combine Panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut; set aside. Combine eggs with curry powder, set aside. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste. Working one at a time, dredge shrimp in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the coconut mixture, pressing to coat. Working in batches, add shrimp to the Dutch oven and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce, if desired. Serves 4.

Festival Shrimp with Veggies

Sometimes the best meals are created when you don’t really plan them out ahead. I worked a festival all weekend and didn’t have much time to cook dinner. Funny, since I spent the whole weekend cooking at the festival. When I was there, I picked up some beautiful rainbow carrots from a local farmer. By the time I got home and unpacked, I was pretty tired. I wanted to cook at least some of the carrots that night. I didn’t want a big mess to clean up, so I ended up making this one pot meal from what I had on hand. I had a nice bag of fresh spinach, so I used it. I needed a quick cooking protein. Since I had a package of shrimp in the freezer, I used them. I placed the shrimp in a bowl of cold water while I started the rest of the meal. They were thawed by the time I was ready to use them. I knew the onions and carrots needed some time to get tender and the rice would take about 20 minutes to cook. I started with them, then added the shorter cooking ingredients near the end. Decided to go a little Asian in the seasonings and ended up with a meal I would certainly make again. So here is the recipe.

Festival Shrimp with Veggies

2 T. oil
1 T. butter
1 small onion, minced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
3 c. stock- I used chicken
1 c. Jasmine rice
12 oz. fresh spinach, rinsed and drained
12 oz. raw shrimp- peeled and deveined
2 T. hoisin sauce
2 T. fresh chopped basil
1 t. hot sauce- or more to taste
1 t. grated ginger
½ c. cashews
Sesame oil

Heat oil and butter in saucepan and add the onions and carrots. Cook over medium heat until onions are tender. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add stock and bring up to a boil. Add rice, turn heat down to a simmer, cover and cook 10 minutes. Remove cover, add spinach, replace lid and cook 5 more minutes. Remove lid, stir the spinach into the rice mixture. Rice should almost be done at this point. Add shrimp and seasonings (not the sesame oil) and stir the shrimp into the rice mixture. Cover and cook 5-8 minutes longer, until shrimp is just cooked and rice is tender. Stir in the cashews. Spoon onto serving dish and drizzle with sesame oil and extra hot sauce, if desired.

Rainbow carrots and other veggies I got at the festival

Shrimp with Bacon and Spinach

I had intended to make a salad with some fresh spinach, but something told me to go in another direction. Since I already had bacon and shrimp, I decided to just put them all together. With just a few extra ingredients tossed in I ended up with a really good dinner. The shrimp and bacon would have been fine, but the spinach really made the dish better. I didn’t have a lot of time so the fact that it was ready in about 15 minutes was nice, too. I put the pasta on to cook when I started cooking the bacon to save even more time.

Shrimp with Bacon and Spinach

3-4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 shallots- or 1 small onion- chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. fresh spinach
8 oz. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ c. sherry
¼ c. chopped parsley
½ t. grated ginger
½ t. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cooked pasta

Cook bacon in skillet until almost cooked. Add the shallots and cook until shallots are just turning brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is wilted down. Add shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are just barely cooked. Add sherry and seasonings and cook 2 minutes more. Toss with hot pasta and serve. Serves 2.
Note: You can add some fresh Parmesan cheese when serving, if you like.

Couscous Salad with Shrimp and Dill

Couscous is one of those foods that is as much fun to say as it is to eat. Couscous is just very tiny pasta. To cook it, you just pour boiling water over it- and give the couscous  a few minutes to absorb the water. So easy, and nice on a hot day, when you don’t want to do a lot of cooking. For this salad I combined the couscous with shrimp, some fresh dill and a light dressing. I had some sunflower sprouts, so I added them to the top- just for fun. I also served my salad on a bed of fresh salad greens.

Couscous Salad with Shrimp and Dill

½ c. olive oil
¼ c. fresh lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
1 t. celery seed
2 c. couscous, about 10 oz.
2 ¼ c. boiling water or vegetable broth
1 lb. peeled cooked shrimp                                                                              1 c. diced sweet red pepper
½ c. chopped green onions
2 T. fresh dill weed or 2 t. dried
Whisk first 4 ingredients together for dressing. Place couscous in heat proof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Let stand until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add remaining ingredients, stirring to mix well. Pour over dressing and toss to coat. Chill at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. 6 Servings.

Shrimp with Spinach and Bacon

I had intended to make a salad with some fresh spinach, but something told me to go in another direction. Since I already had bacon and shrimp, I decided to just put them all together. With just a few extra ingredients tossed in I ended up with a really good dinner. The shrimp and bacon would have been fine, but the spinach really made the dish better. I didn’t have a lot of time so the fact that it was ready in about 15 minutes was nice, too. I put the pasta on to cook when I started cooking the bacon to save even more time.

Shrimp with Bacon and Spinach

3-4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 shallots- or 1 small onion- chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. fresh spinach
8 oz. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ c. sherry
¼ c. chopped parsley
½ t. grated ginger
½ t. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cooked pasta

Cook bacon in skillet until almost cooked. Add the shallots and cook until shallots are just turning brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is wilted down. Add shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are just barely cooked. Add sherry and seasonings and cook 2 minutes more. Toss with hot pasta and serve. Serves 2.
Note: You can add some fresh Parmesan cheese when serving, if you like.

Shrimp and Bacon Chowder

I love the combination of shrimp and bacon. When I was looking for a quick dinner the other night I knew I would be using them together. It was a really cold night so I decided to go with a chowder. I rooted around my fridge and pantry for the rest of the ingredients and ended up with a very satisfying dinner. Even better because a friend was able to come over and share it with me.

Shrimp and Bacon Corn Chowder

6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1½ c. chicken stock
1 can cream corn*
½ c. corn- fresh or frozen
1½ c. half and half
½ c. chopped fresh parsley
12 oz. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce

In soup pot, cook bacon until almost done. Add onion and continue cooking until onion is cooked. Spoon out most of the bacon fat. Add the carrots, potatoes and stock and simmer, covered, until the veggies are tender. Add cream corn, corn and half and half and bring up to a simmer. Add parsley and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook another 5 minutes or until shrimp is just cooked. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 3-4.

*I decided to use a can of cream corn as the base. When I was a kid my Mother would make me something she called cream corn soup. She rarely used prepackaged foods and made wonderful homemade soups all the time. I think it was on one of those days when she was just really busy. To make her cream corn soup she would empty the can of corn into a saucepan. Then she filled the can with milk and added that, too. A little salt and pepper and the soup was done. Just before serving she’d put a small pat of butter in the soup. As a kid I just loved it. I must admit I don’t eat cream corn soup anymore, but as a base the cream corn can really make a nice chowder.