Surf Sans Turf

Lemony Shrimp Linguini With Poblano Cream Sauce
Weeknight entertaining can be fast, easy, and classy! I love having people over for dinner- sharing a meal, some wine, and stories with friends is a great way to unwind after a long day at work. Entertaining does not have to be stressful with a little planning and the right recipes. I served this elegant pasta dish with a side a roasted vegetables and a loaf of delicious bakery bread. Some Orange Pecan Cake for dessert and the evening was a hit. Try this one out then next time you have company- or just for a great weeknight meal.

Ingredients
- 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 1 lb. linguini
- 2 Tbsp. butter, divided
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced 
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 2 poblano chili peppers
- juice from one lemon
- 1/2 c. dry white wine
- 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes and their juices
- 1/4 c. crème fraîche
- 1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 1/2 c. heavy cream
- salt and pepper

Start by roasting the poblano chili peppers to remove the skin and seeds. Heat the broiler on the oven and line a baking sheet with foil. Place peppers on the baking sheet and broil in oven, turning ever 3-5 minutes so that all sides of the chili are bubbled and blackening. When the skin is all bubbly, place the softened peppers in a resealable container with the lid on and allow to cool before handling. When the peppers have cooled remove the stem and seeds. Then carefully peel the bubbly outer skin from the pepper and discard. Slice pepper into small bite-sized pieces and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil over medium. Add half the garlic and cook for about 1 minute so that it becomes soft and fragrant. Add white wine, tomatoes, and poblano chili peppers. Bring to a boil and season with a tsp. of salt, a sprinkle of black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and tomatoes have softened. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguini and cook to just before al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving some of the pasta cooking liquid.

While the sauce simmers, heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, lemon juice, and shrimp. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until shrimp begin to turn pink. Add shrimp and their cooking liquid to the tomato sauce and cook over law heat. Add crème fraîche, whipping cream, and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine all ingredients. Toss cooked linguini noodles into the sauce and combine thoroughly with tongs. Add a little of the pasta cooking liquid to loosen the sauce, season with additional salt and pepper and sprinkle with Italian parsley. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and good company!

One Chicken Three Dinners (Day Three)

Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup
One Chicken Three Dinners comes to an end with this deliciously warm and brothy soup. When I was growing up, I watched my mom make soup from scratch (broth included) and thought she was some sort of wizard. Perhaps there is a kind of magic to drawing savory flavor from the bones and bits of chicken we don't usually eat, but trust me, it's not difficult magic. This soup recipe makes good use of the leftover bones, skin, neck, and other chicken pieces reserved from the Buttery Roast Chicken recipe. I ended up with about 12 cups of broth, plenty for this wonton soup recipe and more! I used half of the broth for this recipe and froze the other half for a future soup recipe. And with Fall in full-swing, there will definitely be more soup recipes to come!

Ingredients
- 1 leftover chicken carcass, leftover skin, even the pan juices, broken into pieces
- 2 yellow onions, quartered
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled
- salt and pepper
- 2 small handfuls of assorted fresh herbs, whatever you have on hand will work (this time around I threw in a few whole sprigs of thyme, rosemary, Italian parsley, and marjoram)
- 1 package square wonton wrappers
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1/2 lb. ground pork
- 6 prawns, peeled, deveined, and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 6 green onions, 3 minced and the remaining three sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce, divided
- 1 tsp. cornstarch

HOMEMADE BROTH
Place leftover chicken parts in a large stockpot with quartered onions and handfuls of fresh herbs. Cover with water (about 12 cups) and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer the soup for about 90 minutes. Season broth generously with salt and pepper to flavor it. It will probably take about 1-2 Tablespoons of salt to flavor it enough. Remove from heat and strain broth through a heavy-colander to remove solids. Discard solids. Return about half of the broth (about 6 cups) to the stockpot and reserve the rest. (Allow the reserved broth to cool completely before storing in a heavy-duty bag and freezing for later use.) Bring the broth in the stockpot to a boil.

WONTON SOUP
While the broth is coming to a boil, prepare the wontons. In a medium bowl combine pork, shrimp, sesame oil, minced green onions, egg, grated garlic, grated ginger, and 1 tsp. of soy sauce. Using clean hands, mix the ingredients until they are thoroughly combined. Lay out a piece of waxed paper to assemble wontons and mix together cornstarch with a few tablespoons of warm water in a small ramekin for sealing the wontons. Using one wrapper at a time, drop about 1 tsp. of pork and shrimp mixture into the center. Dip a finger in the cornstarch mixture and run it along 2 edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half to make a triangle, pressing down a dry edge against a dampened edge. Moisten one corner of the wonton triangle and bring a moist corner to a dry corner. Press together to create a little "Bishop's Hat" shape. Fill and fold remaining wontons until all the wrappers and filling have been used. Be careful not to overfill the wontons.

Place the assembled wontons into the boiling broth along with the remaining sliced green onions and 2 Tbsp. of soy sauce. Boil for about 10 minutes until the filling is cooked completely and the wontons float to the surface. Remove from heat and serve hot. Season broth with extra soy sauce if desired.

(If you don't have the time or leftovers to make homemade broth, just use about 6 c. of store-bought chicken broth and this makes for a very quick soup.)

A Time to Grill

Thai Marinated Shrimp Fajitas
Summer is in full swing and it's time to enjoy the long hours of light with a cold beer in one hand and something fresh off the grill in the other. I could make burgers a thousand different ways, but the other night was in the mood for something a little different that my pescatarian roomie could enjoy. Shrimp sounded like the perfect protein to pack into a tortilla, I decided on a Thai-style marinade to add a little twist on the classic fajita recipe. The spicy, citrusy marinade is great with the sweet tender shrimp . . . topped with grilled vegetables and creamy guacamole, this is a great meal for a July evening.

Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh or frozen shrimp, defrosted, deveined, and rinsed
- 1 package fajita sized flour tortillas
- juice from one lime
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1-2 Tbsp. Sriracha hot sauce
- 3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
- salt and pepper
- 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing on vegetables
- 2 medium-sized yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 lb. cherry tomatoes, rinsed
- 1 red and 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2" pieces
- fresh guacamole
- sour cream

THAI CHILI MARINADE
In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, Sriracha, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, and olive oil. Season with a little salt and fresh ground pepper. Arrange uncooked shrimp in a single layer in a shallow dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour marinade over shrimp and cover dish with plastic wrap. Marinate in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

GRILLED SHRIMP FAJITAS
Line a large baking sheet with foil. Arrange vegetables and marinated shrimp on bamboo or metal skewers alternating between vegetables and meat. (If you use bamboo skewers soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before using to prevent burning on the grill.) Brush vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper.

 Place prepared skewers on a hot grill and cook until shrimp turn bright pink and vegetables begin to soften, turning once in the process to cook both sides. Shrimp cook quickly, it won't take longer than 4-5 minutes per side. Keep an eye on the shrimp, if they are overcooked they will become tough and rubbery. Remove from heat and serve with warmed tortillas. Top with sour cream, guacamole, or your favorite fajita topping!

Stirrin' It Up

Spicy Ginger-Soy Shrimp Stir Fry With Soba Noodles

I come by my foodie ways honestly. My parents are foodies. My mother is the most amazing cook ever . . . I get that everyone says that about his or her own mother, but in my case it's really true. Growing up she always exposed my brother and me to different sorts of foods- Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Russian, whatever. And it was always delicious. While we never lacked for variety at the table, there were certain recipes that would pop up more often than others and a stir-fry was among these frequent dinner time guest stars. Usually chicken, pork, or beef with some kind of vibrant green vegetable, water chestnuts, bok choy, and a heaping scoop of steamed white rice. I loved it. I have many memories of sitting around the table making feeble attempts to use chopsticks while my dad coached me: "No, Liz. Hold it like you hold a pencil."

It wasn't until several years ago when my dad outfitted my brother and me with our own stir fry gear for Christmas that I attempted it on my own. Flipping through the simple cookbook accompanying the wok, chop sticks, wooden paddle, and other related accessories I realized the elegant simplicity of stir fry. Protein, vegetables, starch, and some sort of sauce. Poof! That's it. Fast, cheap, and easy. It's magic.

For my first attempts I stuck with the cookbook and the recipes that sounded familiar. Beef With Broccoli. Pork and Snow Peas. Then strolling up and down the Asian foods section of the supermarket, I realized what a tasty adventure stir fry could be. Elegant jars of duck sauce, bottles of rice wine, new varieties of noodles and rice inspired me to go off-book. I threw this together the other day after picking up a bottle of Sriracha sauce (the bottle with the picture of the rooster). I hope you like it!

Incidentally, if you don't have a wok . . . any large non-stick skillet will do!

Ingredients
- 1 lb. medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb. broccoli florets
- 1 Tbsp. minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbsp. plum sauce
- l bunch of scallions, trimmed and chopped
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 8 oz. whole wheat soba noodles

In a medium bowl, whisk together ginger, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, and Sriracha. Add shrimp to bowl and toss to cover with sauce. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together plum sauce and rice vinegar in a separate bowl. Set aside. Chop scallions and garlic. Bring large pot of water to a boil for soba noodles.

After shrimp have marinated. Heat vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over high, swirl around to distribute oil. Add shrimp and stir fry 2-3 minutes until shrimp are pink and nearly cooked through. Remove shrimp from wok, add 3 Tbsp. water and broccoli. Cover and steam 2-3 minutes until broccoli is tender and bright green. Meanwhile, add soba noodles to boiling water and cook 6-8 minutes (see package directions).

When broccoli is cooked, turn off heat. Add garlic, scallions, and cooked and drained soba noodles. Toss to combine. Add plum sauce and rice wine mixture and shrimp. Toss until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Eat with chopsticks! Serve with extra Sriracha sauce if you like things spicy!