“I’m excited to use it to impress girls when I have my own apartment.”
Jack Carlton (speaking of Be Still & Eat)
Shrimp as varied as your imagination
When I started this blog, a year ago yesterday, it was a coming together of three of my greatest interests; cooking, photography and writing. I honestly didn’t know exactly where I was going with it, all I knew for certain was that I wanted to share my love for these three art forms.
It is obvious to most of you by now that I am passionate about real food, cooked with clean and local product whenever possible, and ultimately to make sense of sometimes unnecessarily complicated and convoluted recipes. And finally to look at food with an open mind and to use imagination when cooking.
What I realized only recently as I was scrolling through the pages of Be Still & Eat was that I had also created a series of recipes and stories for my children. All of their favourite recipes are among those here, stories from their lives are in these pages, memories of mine from before they were born to one day share with their own families all in one location. A love letter if you will to those I love most.
This particular recipe developed purely by chance as often happens to me… I was looking through my fridge and freezer and wondering what I might make for a nice easy dinner… healthy is always at the top of the list, but delicious follows hot on its heels.
What was so fun about making this one was that it kept evolving as I cooked… it started as a very simple lemony shrimp with green onions. Suddenly I was chopping a few tomatoes to add, and who can say no to the gorgeous freshness a handful of spinach adds to any dish?
When I realized that I would be feeding a few more mouths than I had originally planned, some cooked brown rice pasta was the best way to stretch it… looked really pretty too I think!
Finish it off with some freshly grated lemon zest and you’ve just created a very beautiful thing. So like Be Still & Eat which began with only a few ingredients and no notion of where it was headed, after a full year I now look at it as more than just a food blog, it’s a collection of my art as a gift to my children in their future lives… and apparently a way for the boy to impress girls with his cooking skills:)
Enjoy & Namaste!
- Olive oil for pan
- ¼ small onion, finely chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, chopped
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth (veg broth or seafood broth work too!)
- 20-30 peeled, raw, jumbo shrimp ( I always have a bag of frozen on hand)
- Zest & juice from 1 lemon
- 1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts chopped
- 2 small cocktail sized tomatoes (1 medium or handful grape or cherry will also work), chopped OPTIONAL
- Large handful spinach, chopped OPTIONAL
- pinch chilli pepper flakes, OPTIONAL (but recommended)
- ½ bag brown rice pasta, cooked OPTIONAL
- S&P as desired
- Heat oil in large heavy bottomed pan (cast iron is ideal) You'll know the pan and oil are ready when the oil begins to shimmer in the pan, reduce to medium high heat.
- Toss in onion and begin to sweat.
- Add garlic, giving the pan a good shake.
- Add shrimp and toss to coat.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove shrimp from pan once almost completely cooked, (a few grey bits are fine they will cook fully in final stages)
- Add white wine, chicken broth and lemon juice, reduce to med low heat.
- This is the point at which you will decide how many of the optional steps you will be taking.
- If not using any of the options, simply add shrimp and lemon zest and season as desired. If you're adding extras, leave the shrimp out until the last minute
- When sauce has reduced by about a ⅓ and thickened slightly, add tomatoes.
- Once tomatoes have cooked down until they are soft, add spinach.
- If serving with pasta, I STRONGLY recommend adding the cooked pasta using a slotted spoon directly from its cooking water to the sauce.
- Throw shrimps in last.
- Season with chilli peppers, lemon zest as desired.
Making this on the weekend!!! Yummmmm
Fantastic, Stace! You are truly a passionate person who loves life, your family, and great food – with an open mind to all…xokaaren.
Love your blog: keep up the great energy!