Jalapeno-Mango Shrimp

So I'm flipping through my latest issue of Rachael Ray Everyday, and I see this cool summer shrimp meal. Sounds tasty! Must try.

Unfortunately, I have to say this is the first and only time Rachael has failed me. We were not fans of this one. But here's the recipe and I have some comments at the end!

INGREDIENTS:

-1 jalapeno chile, finely seeded and chopped

-2 tablespoons EVOO

-2 teaspoons ground cumin

-Salt

-1 1/2 lbs extra large shrimp, shelled and deveined

-2 tbsp brown sugar

-Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)

-2 mangoes, cut into cubes

-1 1/2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes

-6 radishes, halved and thinly sliced

-2 scallions, sliced

-1/4 cup chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the jalapeno, olive oil, cumin, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add the shrimp and turn to coat.

Grill the shrimp until just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side; let cool. Halve the shrimp lengthwise.

In a large bowl, dissolve the brown sugar in the lime juice. Add the mangoes, cucumbers, radishes, scallions, and cilantro; toss and season with salt. Add the shrimp and toss.

COMMENTS:

Okay, the big mistake in this meal is the CUMIN. There is nothing light and summery about it. It was way too powerful and gave everything else a yucky flavor. The mango and cucumber were quite yummy though and might be good with different seasoning. Craig was not a fan of the radishes though...I thought they were "eh".

Also, I will say I attempted this meal at a rather unfortunate time, as jalapenos and cilantro are being investigated for salmonella contamination. I ended up using a poblano pepper instead of jalapeno (Bill told me later this may not have been a great substitution), and I said "what the hey" with the cilantro and used it anyway. (The FDA cleared it later anyway...not that risky right?) We did throw the cilantro in with the shrimp for a minute though, because I felt safer with it semi-cooked. And we're all still standing...

So the moral here is...Rachael had a good concept, but it just didn't come together correctly. Not our top choice.

Grilled Pizza with Hot Sausage, Grilled Peppers and Onions and Oregano Ricotta

I wanted to use up some of the ricotta from my last dish, and I needed some ideas. Thankfully the ladies on the CT Tribe message board helped me out! This was recommended to me by Jess, via the Food Network.

I do have to say, this is a dish originally done by Bobby Flay. And I hate Bobby Flay. I mean I really hate Bobby Flay. If there was a chef I would not want to be like, it would be Bobby Flay.

But this is good anyway, so let's forget it was made by him, 'kay?

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound Italian hot sausage

1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

2 large yellow pepper, cored, seeded and quartered

2 large red pepper, cored, seeded and quartered

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 recipe favorite pizza dough, rolled into 4 (6-inch) rounds

1/2 pound grated fontina cheese

1 cup sheep's milk ricotta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Basil Vinaigrette

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat a grill.

Grill the sausage on both sides until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side. Brush onions and peppers with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions and peppers until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the sausage from the grill and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Remove the onions, separate into rings, and roughly chop. Remove the peppers and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices.

Heat grill to high. Brush dough with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the grill and place on a flat surface.

Divide the fontina cheese among the 4 pizza rounds. Divide the sausage, onions and peppers over the cheese. Place the pizza on the grill, close the cover and grill until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. To finish in the oven, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pizza on sheet pans and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Mix together the ricotta, extra-virgin olive oil, and oregano in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the pizzas from the oven and drizzle with Basil Vinaigrette. Top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

COMMENTS:

We made a lot of edits to this one. First, as you all know, we do not have a grill. So we had to do everything with the stove/oven, but that really didn't take that much variation.

Secondly, we didn't do the 4 individual pizzas--we just did one big one. We found out early on that we could have done with way fewer red/yellow peppers as a result (as you can probably tell by the picture...). But we loaded 'em on anyway.

As usual, we skipped the onions. And I have no idea what fontina cheese is, so I bought Price Chopper Pizza Blend shredded cheese. Easy enough! And tasty. I also used a Boboli instead of making my own pizza dough.

Bobby Blah has his own recipe for basil vinagrette that he used...me, I bought the "Basil Vinagrette" salad dressing pack, mixed with oil and vinegar...beautiful and easy.

All in all, this was really good. Craig was skeptical at first because there was no pizza sauce on his pizza. But the sausage plus all the cheeses makes a really good mix, and the vinagrette isn't overpowering at all. YUM!

Fettucine Tomato Rustica

I wanted to try a little variaton on our usual pasta dish, so I got some ideas on allrecipes, bought some fun new ingredients, and got to work!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 (16 ounce) package dry fettuccini noodles
1 cup olive oil, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons basil pesto
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink, and juices run clear. Set aside to cool, then slice into bite-size pieces. In a medium bowl, combine remaining olive oil, pesto, basil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, feta and ricotta. Mix until smooth.

In the large skillet, toss fettuccini with sauce and chicken. Cook on low heat 5 minutes, or until heated through.

COMMENTS:

For once, I did everything the directions suggested. :) While this was a quick and tasty dish, Craig and I agreed it wasn't everything the recipe made it out to be. It sounds very fancy-schmancy with all the cheeses and tomatoes and such, but it really just tastes like a basic thick, creamy fettucine dish.

Still a good one to try, and the sun dried tomatoes give good flavor--but maybe not worth all the money you'll drop on ricotta and feta!