All posts tagged Garlic

Garlic, Ginger, and Scallion Shrimp

I bet you saw the picture of this recipe and you were like, what? This is a baking blog! Well, today I’m taking a bit of a departure from my usual brownies, cookies and bars. I decided to join a recipe swap (my first one!) and the theme was your favorite celebrity chef recipe. I got a Rachael Ray recipe for garlic, ginger and scallion shrimp from Jaida’s blog Sweet Beginnings. I was very excited when I saw this recipe for a few reasons. I love shrimp, especially when it is dressed with Asian flavors. And, since it’s a Rachael recipe, I knew it would be quick and easy. Finally, knowing my crazy picky family, this would be a special treat just for me. No sharing. True, I am a baker at heart. It’s what I am good at. But, one cannot live on desserts alone, as much as I wish I could. The problem is, I am not the best cook, but that’s mostly because of lack of opportunity. I was so up for this challenge!

I went to Whole Foods to pick up the shrimp and I don’t know what I was thinking, but I got shell on shrimp that even still had legs. Of course, I should have gotten cleaned shrimp, but I’m sure I was distracted by one of my two children at the time. Most likely both. When I got them home, I was thinking “Hmmm…I have never cleaned shrimp before”. This could be interesting. Hopefully all my Food Network watching would lead me through this. I pulled off the legs and the shells came off pretty easily. I then cleaned the underside of half of the shrimp and then I noticed a dark discoloration along the back of the big shrimp I had in hand. Oh, this is the part I’m supposed to be removing. So, I went back and correctly cleaned the shrimp I had thought I had already completed.

Another ingredient I have never worked with is real ginger root. I’ve only used the powder in baking. I thought I remembered seeing someone peel the root with a spoon, so that’s what I did and it worked pretty well. I had a microplane out that I used earlier to zest some lemons for lemon pie bars (recipe soon to come) and I decided to use it to grate the garlic and ginger. I don’t know if that is the right thing to do, but I’ve never been one for liking to bite into a chunk of garlic and I figured I would feel the same about ginger. It worked great for me. I went on to cut the scallions and finally my mise en place was set and I was ready to pan fry. The shrimp cook very quickly and will be rubbery if overcooked, so make sure you have all your ingredients ready to go and within reach. The result was delicious and if it wasn’t for the shrimp snafu, it was really a 30 minute meal. A perfect weeknight dinner.

I was so glad to participate in this swap. This recipe made me step outside my usual chicken finger making comfort zone and I tried some new techniques that I have only seen on television or read about in books. I found a great new recipe and I got to share one of my favorite recipes, chocolate sugar cookies, with someone who loves food just as much as me. And, that’s what blogging is all about. I’m already looking forward to the next swap!

Garlic, Ginger, and Scallion Shrimp

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 pounds large (26 to 30 count) shrimp, shelled and deveined

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons) I grated it

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, scraped and finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon) I grated it

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional and adjust by taste)

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

3 scallions, halved lengthwise, cut into 1-inch-pieces, dark green parts set aside

Steamed rice I used boil in a bag because I cannot make good rice to save my life!

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white with the cornstarch, sugar, salt and pepper until a paste forms. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Set the shrimp aside to marinate for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes; set aside.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat for 3 minutes. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the shrimp and the white and light green scallion pieces and stir to coat with the oil. Cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet, until the shrimp are almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic mixture and the dark green scallion pieces and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the shrimp to a large platter and serve with steamed rice.

Source: Sweet Beginnings (also seen on A Taste of Home Cooking , originally from Rachael Ray)

11 Comments

by Just Baked on April 20, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in seafood

Tagged Asian, Garlic, ginger, Rachael Ray, rice, scallions, seafood, shrimp, swap

Posted by Just Baked on April 20, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/garlic-ginger-and-scallion-shrimp/

Almost Famous Breadsticks

Olive Garden often gets a bum rap, probably because people don’t find their food to be authentic Italian. While this may be true, there are a few things that Olive Garden makes really well. Topping my list would be their pasta e fagioli soup, alfredo sauce, lemon cream cake and their breadsticks. Oh, the breadsticks. I can’t tell you how much I love them dipped in alfredo sauce. I could just have breadsticks and sauce for lunch and be totally happy. But, since that would be frowned upon, I usually get soup and salad to better round out my meal. They are just so soft (unless you get a basket of overly brown ones- hate that!) with just the right amount of greasiness from the butter and a salty garlic topping. I must say, they are craveable! With three children, it is often difficult and expensive to go out to dinner. So, when the craving hits, I can just make their breadsticks at home. It’s really is easy, only taking about 2 hours, start to finish, and only 30 minutes of that is active time- making the dough, kneading, shaping, and basting with butter. The recipe makes a large batch, 16 breadsticks. But, they are so good, you really won’t have trouble getting rid of them.

Almost-Famous Breadsticks

Yield: 16 breadsticks

Dough:

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water to bloom the yeast (110°-115°F)

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon fine salt

1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water

Topping:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (adjust by taste)

Pinch of dried oregano (I omitted)

To make the dough: Place 1/4 cup warm water into mixer bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water, mixing with the paddle until a slightly sticky dough forms, 5 minutes.

Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until smooth and soft, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot-long log; cut into 16 1.5 inch long pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7-inch-long breadstick; arrange them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and let them rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

To make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the melted butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. While they bake, combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder and oregano . Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with the flavored salt. I serve them with alfredo sauce for dipping (from Annie’s Eats). Enjoy!

Source: Food Network

Helpful Hints:

For the topping: Be sure to use garlic powder (not garlic salt) or your breadsticks will be too salty. And Kosher salt, not fine salt, for the same reason.
I like to use more butter than the recipe states, but feel free to adjust to your taste.
I like my breadsticks barely brown because I like them super soft. But, if you like your breadsticks more golden and crispy, you can just cook them longer than the 15 minutes. You might need to baste them with more butter to get them to brown to your liking.
I use a thermometer to double check the water temperature before pouring it into the yeast. There is nothing worse than having water so hot that it kills your yeast and ruins the recipe. The back of the yeast packet will state preferred water temperatures if you bloom the yeast (let the yeast and water mingle until it foams) or if you add it directly into the dry ingredients.

3 Comments

by Just Baked on November 18, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Bread

Tagged bread, Breadsticks, Garlic

Posted by Just Baked on November 18, 2011

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/almost-famous-breadsticks/