Mediterranean Grilled Vegetables

 

I am trying to cut back a little on the calories, so went with a Mediterranean meal tonight. Heavy on vegetables and a little roasted fish. The veggies turned out really well. I would normally grill them on the Weber, but we had a cold and snowy day, so I put the griddle on the top of the gas range and went from there. Here is what I did.

Ingredients:

For vegetables:

1 Zucchini, sliced end to end into 1/4" slices

1 Summer Squash, sliced end to end into 1/4" slices

4-5 Baby Bella Mushrooms, cut in half top to bottom

4-5 Mini Bell Peppers, cut in half length wise and seeded

1 Fennel Bulb, thinly sliced

1 Leek or 2-3 Scallions, sliced in half lengthwise.

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

For dressing:

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 TBSP Good Balsamic Vinegar

5 Sage Leaves - finely chopped

Leaves from 1 Small Stem Rosemary - finely chopped

Leaves from 1 Small Stem Tarragon - finely chopped

1 Small Shallot - Finely Chopped

1 Clove Garlic - finely chopped

Preparation:

Clean all vegetables and slice as described above. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until tender or crispier if you like them that way. Arrange on a serving platter. While veggies are grilling prepare the dressing. Mix the Oil and Vinegar until emulsified. Sauté the shallot in a little olive oil until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds to one minute, until fragrant. Add Sautéed shallot and garlic and chopped herbs to the dressing and whisk. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over the grilled vegetables. This is a great side dish with fish or shrimp and makes a beautiful presentation as you can see in the photo above.

 

Butterflied and Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp

 

Last night I made some butterflied and stuffed shrimp. I think they turned out really well, so here is what I did:

Ingredients:

4 TBSP Butter Divided

1/4 of a Red Bell Pepper - Finely Chopped

1/4 of a Small Onion - Finely Chopped

1 Stalk Celery - finely Chopped

1 LB. Jumbo Shrimp (10-15 Count Per Pound) Peeled and deveined but leave the tails on.

2 Eggs - Beaten

2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1 TBSP Stone Ground Mustard

2 TBSP Fresh Parsley - Finely Chopped and Divided

1 LB Jumbo and Lump Crab Meat

1/4 to 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

Bread Crumbs or Crushed Saltine Crackers

1/2 Cup Coarse Bread Crumbs

Preparation:

Melt 1 TBSP of butter and sauté the bell pepper, onion and celery until crisp tender and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Using another TBSP of the butter, grease a baking dish. Butterfly 8 of the shrimp and arrange in the baking dish with the tails curled up. Remove tails from any remaining shrimp and chop the shrimp into bite sized pieces and set aside. 

In a large bowl mix the sauted vegetables, eggs, Old Bay, mustard and 1 TBSP chopped parsley. Fold the crab and the chopped shrimp into the mixture in the bowl. Add enough of the mayo to begin to bind the mixture together. Start adding bread crumbs or crushed crackers about 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is dry enough to be able to form into cakes. The mix should hold together but still be pretty damp. Form 8 balls of the crab mixture and place one on each of the butterflied shrimp in the baking dish. Flatten out a little to cover the shrimp leaving the tail uncovered and pointing to the ceiling. You will not use all of the crab mixture. You can use what is left over the next day to make small crab cake appetizers. Melt the last 2 TBSP butter in a small skillet. Add the Coarse bread crumbs to the skillet and sauté until the butter is absorbed and the crumbs are golden. Mix in the last TBSP of chopped parsley and top the stuffed shrimp with the coarse bread crumb mixture. Bake in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes and serve directly out of the oven.  Serve with a baked potato and green vegetable or a nice salad. Enjoy !!

Kalamata Olive Fish Breading

 Here is a unique recipe that I got years ago from my friend and Italian cooking teacher Mario Carrate. This is a breading for fish or shrimp that can be used for baking or frying. For a unique taste give it a try.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Bread Crumbs

1 TBSP Capers-Coarsely Chopped

1 TBSP Finely Chopped Kalamata Olives

2 Cloves Garlic-Finely Chopped

1/2 tsp Oregano-Finely Chopped

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Olive Oil

Preparation:

Combine bread crumbs, capers, olives, garlic and oregano and stir until well mixed. Season with salt and prepper. To use with fish, brush fish fillets with olive oil and press fillets into breading mix. Sauté or alternately lay in a shallow baking dish, cover with a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes and bake at 400 degrees until golden and tender. For use with shrimp, brush shrimp with oil and coat with the breading. Again either sauté or drizzle with a little melted butter and bake.