I love shrimp. It's true. And my very favorite way to enjoy them is prepared simply with some cocktail sauce. So in preparation for the Tony awards this past Sunday, that's exactly what I did (with a little twist, of course)!
This was my favorite part of the night. She's a national treasure, truly. And her Billie Holiday performance is spot on.
Don't buy cocktail sauce, for real. It's SUPER easy to make. You can add more flavors (like hot sauce or garlic) if you'd like, but this tastes very clean.
What you'll need:
1/4 cup ketchup
1 T horseradish (or more if you like the spice)
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T lemon juice
Mix all the ingredients together in a dish and let it sit for awhile for the flavors to marry. That's it!
On Sunday night, I actually decided to broil my shrimp in the oven, rather than boiling them. I mostly didn't want to wash my big stock pot, so I lightly covered the (defrosted) shrimp with olive oil and a little Old Bay seasoning (obviously). These shrimp still had their shells on, but I seasoned them up, shells and all and threw them in a preheated oven with the broiler on high.
After about 2 minutes, I flipped the shrimp, and then about a minute or two later I took them out of the oven and put them in a bowl of ice to stop the cooking process. It's really easy to overcook shrimp, and that's when they get rubbery and gross.
After they had cooled, I threw them in a bowl surrounding the cocktail sauce and brought an extra bowl for the shells (I used those later, so stay tuned).
I pulled out a bottle of prosecco and my fancy champagne flutes and I was ready for an awards show!
If you're feeling fancy, add about 1 oz. of Chambord to your champagne to make a beautiful (and delicious) Kir Royale. It makes a girl feel downright glamorous!
Now that you have a freezer full of stock,you'll have it on hand for quick weeknight dinners.
Believe it or not, I often come home and really only have the energy to dump things into a pot or put together a quick salad. When you come home to an empty house after a 12 hour work day, it's tempting to have cereal for dinner, but trust me, this is much better (and will hopefully last a couple of nights).
I used Tuscan kale, sometimes called Lacinato kale for this recipe, but you can use any old leafy green you'd like!
I also tried out this smoked andouille sausage for the first time. It's delicious, but be warned, it packs a bit of a punch.
What you'll need:
A stock pot
1 onion diced
2 cups canned pinto beans (I used frozen leftover Chipotle Beans. Yep, still working through my stockpile)
2 links smoked andouille sausage sliced into rounds (Open Nature is gluten-free)
1 bunch kale (about 4 cups) chopped.
4 cups homemade stock (or store bought or even water in a pinch)
Salt and Pepper to taste (the sausage really flavored the broth, I didn't need much)
Honestly, I defrosted the stock in the microwave for a few minutes and then just dumped everything into the pot and simmered it until the onions were cooked through and the kale wasn't too tough, about 30-45 minutes. If you want to get fancy, you could saute the onion and sausage in a bit of oil first, get some of that browning action going on, but I really just couldn't be bothered. Don't fret, it was still delicious! It reminded me of extra delicious bean with bacon soup, which was my favorite when I was a kid!
