It’s not unusual for me to get requests for recipes I’ve
already done before, but over the last few years, I seemed to be getting an
abnormal number of requests for romesco sauce. Knowing I had already filmed it,
I’d reply with something polite, like what don’t you understand about using
Google?
Well, I’d like to apologize to all those people I blew off,
since while it’s true I posted a video for romesco, it was actually many years
ago, on About.com, which has ceased to exist. In fairness, I’ve done over 1,800
videos, as well as lived over 54 years, so hopefully a little recipe related
forgetfulness would be forgiven.
Anyway, it was high time to update this Spanish classic,
since it’s one of the all-time great summer sauces. It’s pretty much perfect
with anything off the grill, especially vegetables and seafood, and that’s how
we usually enjoy this, but there’re so many other places where this can shine.
It makes for an unbelievable sandwich spread, as well as perfect “secret
ingredient” for your favorite potato or pasta salad dressings.
Like most sauces and condiments, this begs for personalization;
whether we’re talking the level of heat, or ratio between the ingredients, or
how smooth or course you grind it, you shouldn’t hesitate to adapt this to your
tastes. But, no matter how you tweak this, or what you serve with it, I really
do hope you make some soon, and then keep making it all summer. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 3 cups:
3 large red bell peppers, fire-roasted, seeded, and peeled
If you ever find yourself in a Spanish restaurant, and they
don’t have some version of this garlic shrimp recipe on the menu, immediately get
up from your table, and leave. This would be the equivalent of a French bistro
that doesn’t serve steak frites. What about vegetarian Spanish restaurants and
French bistros? That’s a trick question, since those aren’t a thing.
Anyway, the point here is that every Spanish restaurant serves
this, and for very good reasons. It’s fast to make, gorgeous to look at, and,
if you’re into garlic, one of the most delicious things you’ll ever eat. Just
be sure to use nice fresh, frozen shrimp. Allow me to explain.
Unless you live in a few choice locations, it’s rare to find
true fresh shrimp at the market. All they do is thaw some frozen, and put it
in the case, where it sits until you buy it, which is why it really makes a lot
more sense to purchase frozen. Of course, not all frozen shrimp is created
equal, so I encourage you to research the best sources, but the point is you
don’t want something already thawed.
Speaking of which, I thaw mine by running cold water into
the bowl of frozen shrimp, let it sit for about 10 minutes, before
draining, and repeating once more. After that it should be fully thawed, at
which point the shrimp can be drained, and prepped.
The last tip I’ll give, is to make sure you have all your
ingredients together before you head to the stove, since start to finish, this
only takes minutes to complete. This is another reason it’s so great for a
party, since you can prep everything ahead of time, and finish it whenever
you’re ready to serve. But, whether you feature this at a party, or not, I
really do hope you give this amazing Spanish garlic shrimp recipe a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 Spanish Garlic Shrimp Portions:
1 pound peeled and *deveined shrimp (look for the 21-25 per
pound size or larger)
kosher salt to taste
1 teaspoon hot, smoked paprika, optional
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves peeled garlic, slice thin
2 tablespoons dry sherry wine (or white wine and a pinch of
sugar)
Even though I only do it once every few years or so, making
salmon gravlax at home is a fun weekend project, and with very little effort,
you can produce some very impressive results. I’ve always done this with the
traditional fresh dill sprigs, but after enjoying a beet-stained version at
Plaj, I decided to try my hand. And, also stain my hand.
If you’re just doing a small tail piece like I did, these
times and measurements should get you close to what you see here, but if you're feeling adventurous, and want to do something larger, then you may have to do
some research for techniques that work better when doing a thicker piece of
fish.
Those slightly more complicated methods involve turning,
draining, and basting, to account for a longer curing time.So what I’m trying to say is, you can avoid
all that by just doing a smaller piece, which, unless you’re hosting a large
party, should be plenty. Speaking of large parties, and the litigious people
that sometime attend them, please be sure to get your salmon from a reliable
source.
I think a brick works great for a press, but anything that
weighs a few pounds would be fine, as long as it’s large, and flat enough to
distribute the weight evenly. A book with a few cans of soup on it would do the
trick. Regardless of how you press yours, once unwrapped, sliced, and served on
a toasted bagel, I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait. So, I really do
hope you give this gravlax technique a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 to 10 ounces of Gravlax:
8 to 12 ounce tail section of fresh salmon with skin on
(scaled)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup white sugar
cayenne and/or freshly ground black pepper to taste
enough grated beet and/or fresh dill springs to thickly
cover fish
- Press with something heavy, and let cure in fridge for 1 1/2 days, or until salmon is firm, and translucent when sliced. You can
carefully unwrap, and poke to test, and then rewrap, and let cure longer if
need be.
Mastering pan sauces is one the easiest things a home cook can do to raise their culinary game, since it
allows one to produce dishes most people only see in restaurants. And not just
any restaurants. The really good ones.
By the way, if you’re still looking for
a Father’s Day gift, a nice bottle of bourbon, with a little splash going to
finish a home-cooked steak, would make quite the one-two punch of manly
goodness. And, even if your dad isn’t a sitcom stereotype, who doesn’t enjoy a
well-executed pan sauce?
If you’re making this for meat that’s
coming off a grill, you can still do the sauce separately, and just keep it
warm until the main course is ready. Start with the sautéing garlic in butter
step, and finish as shown. Of course, you’ll have to add some coarsely ground
black pepper to the sauce, but that’s about the only adjustment.
Like I said in the video, this sauce’s rich,
sweet, peppery flavor profile also works wonderfully with pork chops, and
grilled chicken. You can also switch up the Bourbon for another liquor, since this
really is just a technique video. Regardless of what you use, or what you serve
it with, I really do hope you give this great pan sauce a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for two portions:
1 clove minced garlic, sautéed in 1 teaspoon
butter
1 ounce bourbon
1/2 cup chicken broth or veal stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cold butter
salt and cayenne to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
