Roasted Sea Salt Shrimp and Toasted Israeli Couscous with Feta and Mint

I started out my enjoyment of cheese in a very limited fashion - all Cracker Barrel Cheddar, all the time.  While there are still some cheeses that I'm not rushing out to try, I have expanded my tastes greatly over time.  For my new love of feta, I credit my husband.  A friend showed me that feta really isn't all that strong and really is good, but his insistence on Greek salads for much of the last year at a local pizza joint made me actually start craving feta on my own. 

This salad came about because of one of those cravings.  I have had a box of Trader Joe's Israeli couscous on my shelf for awhile and wanted to use it.  I also have relatively unfettered access to mint from our herb garden (I've been instructed to let the other herbs have a chance to grow before I dive in).  With these three ingredients, I found myself with an interesting couscous salad and a new way to make shrimp.  By combining these two recipes, a regular dish in our household was born. 

I served this with an interesting value wine that I picked up on the $12 and under table at Brooklyn Wine Exchange.  I've found myself looking for white wines as the weather turns bright, but I'm over a lot of the oaky buttery chardonnays that I used to enjoy.  Enter the 2008 Ermita de Nieve Verdejo, a Spanish white with a lot of floral perfume and some pineapple notes that made it crisp enough and bold enough to be very enjoyable with food.  It is touted as a great alternative to sauvignon blanc.  I recommend checking it out if the weather ever heats up again!

Roasted Sea Salt Shrimp (adapted from The Barefoot Contessa, see above)

• 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• olive oil
• sea salt
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1. Preheat oven to 400F. (If you have a convection or toaster oven, think about that since it heats up the kitchen way less!)
2. Toss shrimp with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper to taste.  Spread evenly in foil-covered baking dish. 
3. Roast for 5-6 minutes.  (Watch closely.  It's easy to go just a touch over the edge and end up with dry shrimp). 

Toasted Israeli Couscous with Feta and Mint (adapted from Fine Cooking, see above)

Serves 4

• 1 1/3 cup Israeli couscous (one Trader Joe's package)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint (spearmint, peppermint or pineapple mint work well)
• 1/2 English cucumber or regular cucumber, peeled, seeded (if necessary) and diced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in halves or thirds depending on size
• pickled red onions or sliced red onions
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp pickling liquid from onions or red vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup finely diced or crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tsp. lemon zest, optional

1. Add two tablespoons olive oil to heavy saucepan (or large skillet if you want to dirty two pans).  Add couscous and saute gently until golden brown. 
2. Add water or broth as directed by couscous package, roughly 10 minutes. (See original recipe for suggestions if needed.)  Drain and rinse under cool water.  Add couscous to large bowl and toss with cucumber, tomato, onions and mint. 
3. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and black pepper.  (Add zest if using.)  Add feta to dressing.  Toss dressing with couscous. 
4. Add roasted shrimp or another protein.  Consider grilled chicken, seasoned tofu, pine nuts or other options as well. 
5. NOTE: We ate two servings on the first night and the leftovers one day later.  The dish still tasted fresh and maybe even a bit better as the flavors melded. 

Meatless Monday: Red Wine Risotto with Peas

I love red wine risotto.  My husband does not.  So, when he ran off for the weekend with the boys, I settled in to indulge myself.  I have a few versions of this recipe that I like to make, one being Giada De Laurentiis' version and another being a variation with chorizo.  In a quest to make it a bit lighter and a good meatless option (not to mention my lack of chorizo on a cold evening), I used another favorite Giada risotto recipe as a base, her Champagne risotto, and came up with a nice and easy version that gave me a dinner and a lunch for my weekend home with the pup.

Note on cooking with red wine: the maxim is true - recipes taste best with a wine you would drink rather than some cheap cooking wine.  However, in a pinch, I keep the remains of a drinking bottle of wine vacuum sealed in the fridge to use in recipes.  It is not ideal, but I find it works for me since I use splashes of wine in my cooking often enough to keep the bottle relatively fresh (a little red wine makes even a jar of marinara sparkle).

Red Wine Risotto with Peas (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

• 3 cups mushroom broth or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring chicken stock to a simmer on the back of the stove.
2. Melt butter in saucepan.  Add garlic and shallot and cook until fragrant.
3. Add Arborio rice and toss to completely coat the rice in butter mixture.
4. Add red wine and stir constantly until wine has reduced almost completely.
5. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and stir constantly until reduced almost completely.  Continue with remaining broth in 1/2 cup portions.
6. When rice is soft with just a touch of chewy texture, add peas, cheese and seasoning.  Garnish with additional cheese if desired (I pretty much always desire).  Serve and try not to eat both servings all by yourself!

OLS Week 8: Pan-fried Bluefish with fresh salsa and local green salad

This week brought me a lovely set of local bluefish fillets from FreshDirect.  Borrowing from the Baked Fish Nicosia from Moosewood's Sunday Night Suppers, I dredged the fillets in cornmeal mixed with a hint of cumin, coriander and cayenne.  I pan-fried these lightly in oil and served with a fresh tomato salsa of local tomatoes, basil, and garlic, all tossed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

To complement this, I made yet another kitchen-clean-up salad with Satur Farms butterhead lettuce, radishes, scallions and cucumbers along with a medley of homegrown herbs (parsley, Italian basil, Greek basil, mint and sage). 

I also enjoyed a bottle of the Benmarl Slate Hill white which is a slightly sweet blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling and Traminette.  The wine was a rich golden color with hints of citrus and soft floral notes.  This is a great summer sipping wine, either with seafood or tart fruits and cheeses to help balance the sweet and crisp flavors. 

Pictures of all to follow.

FreshDirect: bluefish fillets, Satur Farms lettuce

Farmers' Market: radishes, scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic

Homegrown: Italian basil, Greek basil, parsley, sage, mint