Spring has just begun but there is still a slight chill in the air. Perfect weather for a healthy shrimp creole. I researched recipes to see what was out there and they all seemed a little heavy to me. I wanted a light shrimp creole but full of flavor and a twist with more variety of veggies in it. Most of the time spent on making it was the prep or mise en place of the veggies and building flavor in the roux before adding the shrimp at the end.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup of diced carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 15 oz diced tomato
• 2 cups shrimp stock or water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Steamed brown rice for garnish
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions: Bake the flour on a cookie sheet at 350 until nut brown. Combine onion, celery, green pepper, carrots and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes and their juice, shrimp stock and bay leaves, and add the baked flour. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Season to taste with salt and cayenne. To serve, ladle over steamed rice and garnish with parsley.

Taberna Alabadero is raked at the top of the list in the US when it comes to Spanish cuisine. The executive chef is from Madrid Spain and in class he took us on a journey in making the national dish of Spain- Paella.

He started with the stocks- Fish Stock, Chicken Stock, and Vegetable Stock. He stressed the importance of making your own stocks vs store bought stocks.

Next was the bases which was tomato sauce with veggies for the vegetable paella, calamari and cuddle fish for the seafood paella, and chicken thighs and breast for the meat paella.

We made different paellas and a risotto. Seafood Paella, Vegetarian Paella, Chicken and chorizo Paella, Squid ink paella with shrimp and scallops, and a mushroom risotto.

I noticed that the chef was liberal with the salt in each step of making the paella so that the flavors are layered. The Paellas were delicious. That even I returned to Taberna Alabadero and had the Lobster Paella which was good but it lacked seasoning. I am not sure if it was because the stocks and bases are cooked in a larger quantity for dinner service or if one of the chefs not season the paella like I witnessed being seasoned in the class.

The experience was great and I am now very ready to make a proper Paella. The last time I made a paella was when I lived in Rota Spain. It came out really good but I know I did not make it the Spanish way.                  

This recipe is by the Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa. It is a quick and easy week night meal that is full of flavor and very light.
Ingredients
4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All Rights Reserved

Pics from my last few dinners I have prepared.

A delicious light meal using the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe 

Details on the paella class I am about go into today. 

To make a tasty Gumbo, you do not always need to make a rouix first which is oil and flour cooked until it gets dark. There are a few others ways that will still be delicious and satisfying. One of my methods is by baking the flour and the following recipe uses no flour at all.

Ingredients

1 -1½  pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2-inch cubes

1 (10-ounce) package frozen okra

2 links andouille sausage, diced

1 sweet (vadalia) onion diced

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 peblano pepper, seeded and diced

5 springs of thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon adobo seasoning

1 teaspoon dry jerk seasoning

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 tablespoon creole seasoning

1 teaspoon gumbo file powder

2 bay leaves

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 cups reduced-sodium tomato juice

2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

In a slow-cooker, combine the chicken and all remaining ingredients except the rice. Mix well to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Halfway through the cooking time stir. Serve over rice. 



During the week there is not much time to cook an intricate meal after a long day. This meal is light and satisfying.

This recipe creates a decadent Shepherd’s Pie you will want to add to your comfort food list.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning

1 tablespoon  + 1 teaspoon dry jerk seasoning

1 teaspoon creole seasoning

1 tablespoon all purpose flour (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 15oz can of diced tomatoes

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound lean ground beef

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup beef stock

1/2 bag of frozen small sweet peas

Robuchon style potatoes, recipe follows

whipped Potatoes

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, quartered

2 pounds Red Bliss potatoes, quartered

1/2lb (2 sticks) butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cup grated sharp white Cheddar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Potato Directions

Fill a large saucepan with cold water and some salt. Add potatoes to the water and bring to a boil. Let potatoes cook until soft about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are at a desired density, drain the potatoes and place them back into a bowl for whipping. Add butter and cream and with a hand mixer begin to whip potatoes into a semi smooth consistency. Once at desired texture add cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Meat Directions

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.

Add oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic until tender for about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon of adobo, 1 teaspoon of dry jerk, salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have softened and start to brown a little add the diced tomato and mix evenly. Remove from pan into a bowl and set aside. Add the ground beef, with 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning, 1 tablespoon dry jerk and cook until beef is no longer pink about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock, and the diced tomato, onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix in frozen peas. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potato on top of ground beef mixture and spread out evenly. Once the top surface has been covered you can pipe the potato on for a decorative look. Place the dish into the preheated oven and cook until browned about 20-30 minutes. Spoon out the shepherd’s pie and serve.

Agua 301 is a nice restaurant located on Water Street by Navy Yard. The jumbo lump crab guacamole would have been good if the crab was fresh but it wasn’t. The Camarones en crema de chipotle- pan seared shrimp in a chipotle cream sauce over spinach was tasty. The shrimp perfectly cooked and it had a nice spicy kick. The Short rib mole chichilo- braised short ribs, chichilo mole, sweet mash with dulce de panela, sautéed spinach was a nice dish. The beef was very tender and braised well. The mole was a little too salty. Churros – they were ok Mexican French toast- needs work, the chef should use brioche or challah bread The service is good at times and but they need to be consistent . The ambiance is nice. I have eaten here many times for lunch and I recommend any of the tacos. This place is worth checking out if you are going the Nationals Stadium or in the neighborhood. Is it the best Mexican? Absolutely not, but it’s overall good.

About once a week I go to Pimento Grill to grab lunch. I have eaten at many Jamaican spots in DC like Sweet Mango Grill, Turn Tables, Caribbean Cafe, Jerk @ nite, and Taste of Jamaica. Out of all of those Pimento Grill by far is the best. The food is made fresh, they use high quality ingredients, and you can feel the pride put into the food. Today I had the jerk shrimp, cabbage, and rice & peas, and chicken soup to take home. The shrimp was grilled nicely with a dry jerk rub. The jerk sauce is spicy and very flavorful. This place is a takeout that is located in SE DC in the hood but so well worth going to.