01 09 10

search you little tarte

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Fake Out


My husband  has grown accustomed to eating like a king.  It's nice that he feels that way because not everything I serve is king-worthy.

The simple fact is that sometimes I'm just not into the whole cooking thing.  Unfortunately, Ted and Kate are into the whole eating thing, so I have to come up with something regardless of my enthusiasm level.  What can I say?  I've spoiled them and Chinese takeout is just not all that exciting.  I guess I could have worse problems.

Nonetheless, I find that when I'm not excited about making dinner, the best remedy is a little trip through a cookbook.  Browsing a favorite cookbook never fails to inspire me and help me get motivated.  In fact, I often find that some of my best dinners are born of desperation.

Such was the case a week or two ago when I had absolutely no ideas.  I pulled out Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite and came across this recipe for Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli.  The funny thing is that I had never noticed this recipe before and it's just the kind of quick and easy recipe that I usually love to try.

Go figure.

Anyhow, I literally whipped this recipe up in minutes, threw it in the oven, and came off looking a lot like (a much shorter) Julia Child to my husband and daughter.

They don't need to know that this yummy dinner was the result of about 10 minutes of effort, and that included setting the table.




Recipe:  Roasted Broccoli With Shrimp
Melissa Clark, In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite, and published January 9, 2009, New York Times)

Ingredients:

2 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
4 tablespoons ( 1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/4 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and chili powder. In a separate bowl, combine shrimp, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Spread broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Add shrimp to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around edges, about 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges, or squeeze lemon juice all over shrimp and broccoli just before serving.

Yield: 4 servings.


No comments:

Post a Comment