I was happy to make zucchini, but I wasn't sure how to prepare it at this time of year. My favorite preparations for zucchini are the simple, no-fuss recipes that showcase its flavor, but those are really only appropriate at the height of the summer. The zucchini in stores right now is not that good - if it comes from too far away, it doesn't have that perfectly fresh flavor. And if it comes from too close, it has no flavor at all. But, Whole Foods had some really tasty Mexican zucchini on special last week, and to my surprise, the flavor was good enough to showcase with just a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Ditto for the first heirloom tomatoes of the season (!!!) from the same source.
I decided on a simple shaved zucchini salad. Or rather, I should actually say that I intended to make a shaved zucchini salad, but lost patience with my vegetable peeler (shocker) and just ended up cutting the zucchini into three long strips instead. I struggled on choosing a main course - seeing as it was a Friday of Lent, our protein options were limited; Brittany does not like fish, but she does like shrimp and is beginning to foray into mussels. She's also a big fan of quinoa. I eventually decided on a garlicky shrimp served over quinoa.
The shrimp idea came from an hors d'oeurve I made for a "Friendsmas" holiday party. The idea for that dish came from my favorite Spanish tapa - gambas al ajillo. Gambas al ajillo are shrimp cooked in copious (and I do mean copious) amounts of olive oil and garlic, with a few dried red chiles thrown in there for kicks. (See what I did there?) But, because nobody wants to eat "garlic shrimp" at a party where they are going to be mingling with other partygoers and hoping to get caught under the mistletoe with an attractive stranger (no? was that just me?), I nicknamed the appetizer "holiday shrimp". I'm a sneaky one. I dialed back on the garlic and olive oil a tad and omitted the potent red chiles, opting instead for festive red & green accents via crushed red pepper* and chopped flat-leafed parsley. It was a hit - everyone wanted the recipe and nobody seemed to care that there were disgusting amounts of garlic in there. (That would explain why many of us are single.) I remember Brittany and Patti both being fond of the appetizer, so it was a natural choice for our main course for the evening.
I wanted to serve the shrimp over a grain, since there's a nice liquidy broth to be soaked up, and crusty bread is not an option. If you haven't noticed, I am also kinda sorta obsessed with quinoa. I like quinoa with a fried egg on top, quinoa with tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, and avocado, and quinoa as a side dish. I see you rolling your eyes. Yeah, you and every other semi-aware, kinda-health-conscious, Yelp generation yuppie who has ever stepped foot into a grocery store. But wait! I liked quinoa before it was cool to like quinoa. (#shithipsterssay) When I was growing up, the grain of choice in our family was rice. In Ecuador, they eat rice every day (no wonder I'm a rice person), so my mom thought it was normal to make us rice every day. (My dad, on the other hand, does not think this is normal.) But, every once in a while, we would have quinoa, which was a huge treat. Before America's new love affair with quinoa began, it was very difficult to find the Andean grain in the US. My mom's friends and family would bring it from Ecuador, or she would find it in Latino food stores. My grandmother makes an awesome quinoa soup that I still need to learn how to make.
I made this quinoa Ecuadorian-style because frankly, Americans make food unnecessarily complicated, and this is no exception. People make a big fuss over whether or not you need to soak the quinoa or at least rinse it or maybe even wash it with mild soap. (Okay, so I'm kidding about that last part - but sometimes I read these recipes and wonder why people adulterate their quinoa so. It's really not a big deal.) I also think that Americans add too much water. A general rule of thumb for most grains is 2 parts liquid: 1 part grain, but quinoa requires a little less. Too much water and the quinoa cooks too much, becoming too chewy. Some people worry that you won't get a fluffy quinoa if you use less than two parts liquid, but that is why you turn off the heat and let it continue to cook, covered, and fluff it with a fork. Of course, nothing is wrong with making quinoa with a 2:1 ratio - it's easy to remember and easy to measure. But my way is better - just trust me.
All in all, it was a fabulous dinner with good friends, good food, and good conversation. The recipes below probably serve four, but we were three very hungry girls, and we did have some leftovers.
*You may notice that the shrimp picture below shows no indication of crushed red pepper. That is because because they have sprouted legs and walked away, just like my cumin seeds. If you have them, bring them back.
Garlic shrimp
A caramelized memoirs original
Serves 2-4
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large shallot (or two smaller ones), finely sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced and zested
crushed red pepper flakes
1. Heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. When foamy, add garlic and shallot(s), cooking 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir frequently and do not allow to brown.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add shrimp and salt, cooking about five minutes. You want the shrimp to be just barely pink. Be careful - shrimp is easy to overcook.
3. Transfer to serving dish and squeeze both halves of a lemon on top. Zest the lemon over the shrimp for added flavor. Toss to coat.
4. Top with a handful of chopped parsley and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste.
Ecuadorian-style quinoa
Makes 3-4 cups
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 yellow onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup chopped mint
1. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Over medium-high heat, saute the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil until fragrant and transluscent, or about 3-5 minutes. Of course, if you prefer, you can use one tablespoon of olive oil and omit the butter, but everything is better with a bit of butter.
3. Add the dried quinoa and mix together with the cooked onions, stirring constantly, for a minute. This is called "toasting" the quinoa. It is an optional step, but it really makes it taste better, I promise.
4. Add the water or broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Once water is absorbed, turn off heat and leave covered for five minutes. Fluff with a fork.
5. Transfer to serving bowl and stir in chopped mint.
Zucchini salad
A caramelized memoirs original
Serves 4
3 green zucchini squash, sliced into ribbons
olive oil cooking spray
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 cups spinach
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup pistachios
olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as dressing, to taste
1. Spray grill pan with cooking spray; heat over high heat.
2. Lay zucchini in one layer over grill pan. Place a weighted press (or a plate or another pan) on top to weigh down the zucchini, squeezing out excess water and allowing the zucchini to get nice brown grill marks.
3. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of your ribbons. I only got three ribbons width-wise out of mine because I sliced them a little thicker, so mine took about five minutes on each side. If you cut them thinly with a vegetable peeler or mandoline, it will be only a couple of minutes.
4. Arrange spinach on serving platter; top with zucchini strips. Arrange wedges of tomato around the perimeter of platter. Top with feta cheese and pistachios. Pin It Now!
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