Aug 31 2012

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

Posted by cookincanuck in Step-by-Step Recipes

When it comes to grilling, I follow pretty closely the motto of the U.S. Postal Service: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…” Well, okay, I actually draw the line at snow, but strap a headlamp on my head (yeah, it’s a really good look) or hold an umbrella over me as the rain pelts down, and I’ll happily grill up a juicy burger or a quick appetizer like these sweet and spicy shrimp. The summer may be coming to a close, but I will grill on until I see that first piece of white stuff falling from the sky.

This savory and sweet recipe from Tasty Kitchen member soufflebombay couldn’t be any easier. Simply whisk together the sauce ingredients, give them a quick turn in the microwave, baste and skewer the shrimp and toss them on the grill for a few minutes. Serve the shrimp as an appetizer, along with the dipping sauce, or pile them on top of a plate of steaming rice with a side of stir-fried vegetables for an easy weeknight meal.

Now, let’s get cooking.

Here’s everything you’re going to need for this recipe: shrimp, orange marmalade, molasses, fresh lime juice, honey, garlic and cayenne pepper. Even though the recipe didn’t call for it, I added a dash of salt for a little more “savory.”

If you’re using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes before threading on the shrimp. Otherwise, those babies will go up in flames once them hit the grill.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the molasses, orange marmalade …

Fresh lime juice, minced garlic (oh yeah, that’s always a good thing) …

And cayenne pepper. Colleen suggests you start with 1 teaspoon cayenne, taste the sauce, then add more cayenne if you’re into heat.

I also added a pinch of salt.

Whisk it all together until well combined. Heat the sauce in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Divide the sauce into two bowls, one for basting the shrimp and one for dipping the shrimp in later. That’s it for the sauce!

Pull the skewers out of the water and thread the shrimp onto the skewers. Sometimes, those little suckers will just twirl around the skewers, making it difficult to flip them on the grill. To combat this problem, use two skewers instead of one.

The recipe calls for pulling off the tails, but I left them so I could use the tail for picking up the shrimp when I was dipping them into the leftover sauce.

Use half of the sauce to baste the shrimp on both sides.

Place the shrimp on the grill and sear until just cooked through. The recipe calls for 2-3 minutes for side, but my grill was feeling pretty fiery, so it only took 1-2 minutes per side. Just watch them closely so they don’t overcook.

Heat the second half of the sauce in the microwave and serve it with the shrimp skewers.

Oh, so good!

Thanks so much to Colleen for this recipe. Be sure to check out Colleen’s blog, Souffle Bombay. It’s full of recipes family-friendly sweet and savory recipes. The zucchini parmesan cakes and banana cupcakes with vanilla frosting caught my eye and have been on my mind ever since!

Printable Recipe

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

by soufflebombay on June 30, 2010 in Appetizers

See post on soufflebombay’s site!

4.80 Mitt(s) 5 Rating(s) 5 votes, average: 4.80 out of 5

Description

An easy summer crowd pleaser that hits the spot!

Ingredients

6 Tablespoons Molasses
6 Tablespoons Orange Marmalade
6 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Tablespoon Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon Red Pepper Or Cayenne Pepper (start With 1 Teaspoon And Work Your Way Up According To Your Taste)
2 pounds Large Or Extra Large Raw Shrimp, Shell And Tails Removed

Preparation Instructions

Note: If you are big into dipping shrimp in sauce, make extra sauce—increase the recipe by 50% and dip away!

Combine all ingredients except the shrimp in a microwave safe bowl, stir until fully incorporated. Cover with a plate and heat for 40 seconds or up to a minute, depending on your microwave. Stir well, taste and adjust spiciness to your liking.

Split the sauce into 2 small bowls. One for the grill and one for dipping (you may want to reheat the dipping sauce when serving).

Skewer the shrimp, brush with some of the sauce, then grill over medium-high heat, continuing to baste the shrimp with the sauce until cooked. Depending on the size of shrimp you use, you’ll cook for about 2-3 minutes per side. Watch for flare ups—the honey and molasses will excite your grill!

Serve with the remaining sauce. You can serve as an appetizer or over white rice for an entree.

Enjoy!

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Dara Michalski is a doll and a sweetheart who clearly knows her way around the kitchen. She blogs at Cookin’ Canuck, where she shares her flavor-packed recipes and fun, engaging writing. The photography’s pretty incredible, too.

Aug 29 2012

Roasted Red Pepper Pizza Sauce

Posted by Laurie - Simply Scratch in Step-by-Step Recipes

It all started when I went off searching for a pizza sauce. I wanted, no needed a sauce with flavor, flair … and with roasted red peppers. So I typed in the words “roasted red pepper pizza sauce” into the Google search bar on my desktop, and wouldn’t you know it, up popped the link to Leanne’s recipe in Tasty Kitchen. Call it luck or call it fate, I’ll call it all that AND I’ll call it the best pizza sauce I’ve ever had. Period.

You know as well as I do that homemade pizza sauce is always a key factor when making a great pizza. But homemade pizza sauce that calls for roasted red peppers is not only brilliant but amazing and it’s so easy to make too! Just throw it all in a food processor and you’ll have a thick and flavorful sauce for your pizza in seconds.

The ingredients are simple enough: an onion, a jar of roasted red peppers, tomato paste, a garlic clove, oregano, basil and the ever important salt and black pepper. You could make this 100% from scratch by roasting and peeling your own red bell peppers (I’d say you would need about 2 large or 3 small) but who wouldn’t like a little help in the kitchen every now and again?

Start by smashing and peeling one garlic clove.

Toss the garlic into a food processor. If you have a mini one then that will be just the perfect size for this recipe.

The original recipe calls for white onion, and since all I had on hand was the Spanish variety, I made a slight alteration. Also, since the Spanish onion was the size of a softball on steroids, I only used a third of that big guy.

Next just give the onion a rough chop. Nothing perfect or pretty, it just helps the food processor out a tad.

Add in the diced onion and secure the lid. Give it a quick pulse to mince up both the garlic and onion.

I only had a 12-ounce jar of peppers in my pantry, so I used what looked like 6 ounces to me and added it into the food processor.

Whether you end up adding 6 or 8 ounces of peppers, it shouldn’t matter. You really can’t screw this up.

(P. S. Charred bits make me happy.)

All that’s left to do is add in the 6 ounces of tomato paste.

Then the black pepper, a dash of salt and a teaspoon of both dried basil and dried oregano.

Secure the lid one last time and give it a go on high speed until completely blended.

It should still be thick and a little on the chunky side, where you can still see flecks of the spices and a little bits of onion. And if you wanted to add a little heat, just throw in a pinch or two or three of red pepper flakes and your mouth will be happy.

Pour the pizza sauce into a container that has a snug fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to use. This recipe makes a little over a cup of pizza sauce.

I, of course, had to make pizza right away. After a finger-swipe tasting of the sauce, I simply could not wait.

And as I smeared the tasty sauce on the un-baked pizza dough, I admired its color and texture. It really is a thing of beauty!

Now, since you’ve seen this scrumptious sauce, I’m guessing you’re craving pizza. So don’t wait another minute! Make it for lunch, make it for dinner! I just know it’ll be a huge hit in your home as it was in mine.

A big “thank you” goes out to Leanne for sharing this recipe with us. I know I’ll be making this pizza sauce for years to come; in fact, I’m sure I’ll never go back to making regular pizza sauce ever again. It’s hands down one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of making (and eating)!

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