Citrus Shrimp with Pasta

A printable version of this recipe and lots more are at www.susanmallery.com/recipes.php!

My next book, BAREFOOT SEASON, will be out on March 27. Barefoot Season is the first book of my Blackberry Island series. On every island, seafood is a staple because it’s so readily available. Even on the mainland, shrimp is a great weeknight dinner. First of all, it’s delicious. And second, it goes from raw to cooked in five minutes. (From raw to over-cooked in six… oops!) This recipe takes about twice that long because of prep time… a little longer than that, when you factor in the time it takes to boil the water for the pasta. From start to finish, less than 20 minutes, and it’s impressive enough for company.

Next time, I’m going to make the sauce as a marinade for the shrimp, then cook the shrimp on skewers. I’m going to serve it as an appetizer, without all the carbs from the pasta. I bet it would be delicious cold in a salad, too. Maybe spinach with actual chunks of citrus. See, the shrimp was so delicious that I’m already thinking about making it again!

Recipe: Citrus Shrimp with Pasta

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and de-veined.

½ C olive oil
¼ C parmesan cheese
¼ C pine nuts + 2 T, divided
½ C fresh parsley, loosely packed
Juice of one orange
Juice of one lemon
Zest of half the orange
Zest of the lemon
1 dried red pepper, or ½ t red pepper flakes
½ t salt
¼ t black pepper
1 lb dried pasta (I used spaghetti)

Leave the shrimp in the refrigerator until just before you put it in the pan.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While it’s cooking, combine the olive oil, cheese, ¼ C of pine nuts, and the parsley through pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times, until combined. Heat a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add the citrus sauce. Once it’s simmering, add the shrimp and simmer until it’s no longer translucent, about five minutes.

Drain the noodles. Toss with shrimp, sauce, and remaining pine nuts.

Breaded Squash Sauté

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If you’re like me, you have a standard set of vegetables you turn to when it’s dinnertime. Green beans in a steam-fresh bag, a can of corn, a side salad… I’ve been stuck in a vegetable rut! The other day, I was at the grocery store, and my gaze landed on the zucchini and yellow squash. They beckoned to me. They’re just so colorful and pretty.

Usually when I buy zucchini and squash, I sauté them with onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Delicious but, you know, rut. I wanted to do something different this time, something I hadn’t tried before.

Here’s what I came up with… probably not the healthiest vegetable option, since I sautéed them in peanut oil, but wow, they were delicious! And what the heck, I’ll go right back to my steam-fresh rut, so this breaded squash sauté can be a rare treat.

Recipe: Breaded Squash Sauté

2 zucchinis, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 yellow squash, cut into ¼-inch slices
½ C bread crumbs
¼ C Parmesan cheese
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 egg, beaten
Peanut oil (a couple tablespoons at a time)

Mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper. Heat some peanut oil in a large sauté pan. Dip the squash slices in the egg, then coat with bread crumbs. Sauté in the pan until browned on both sides, adding peanut oil as needed. Set aside and keep warm until all the slices are done.

Delish!

Make-Ahead Berry French Toast Casserole

2012 is going to be a big year for me. In addition to putting out four brand new Fool’s Gold books plus one Fool’s Gold novella, I’m launching a new series set on fictional Blackberry Island, Washington. The first Blackberry Island novel will be BAREFOOT SEASON, which will be released on March 27. BAREFOOT SEASON is available for pre-order now. Here are a couple of places where you can pre-order it: Barefoot Season from Amazon | Barefoot Season from Barnes & Noble.

As we speak, my webmaster is hard at work on www.blackberryisland.com. The website will have a free excerpt of the book, the bookclub discussion guide, a map of the island, pictures, a little history of the island, and lots of delicious, original blackberry recipes. (You don’t want to miss my Blackberry Chipotle Sauce, which is shockingly delicious.)

I decided to use Christmas as an excuse to come up with one more delicious blackberry recipe, though this time I mixed it up a bit with other berries, as well. I prepared the casserole on Christmas Eve and put it in the fridge. On Christmas morning, I popped it in the oven, and it cooked while we had a relaxing cup of coffee and opened presents. I thought about waiting to share it but then realized that you might like to have the recipe for a late brunch on New Year’s Day.

You'll find a printable version of this recipe at SusanMallery.com/recipes.php.

Recipe: Make-Ahead Berry French Toast Casserole

1 loaf of French bread
8 eggs
1 C buttermilk
½ t cinnamon
1 T sugar
¼ t salt
1 3-oz package of cream cheese
1 16-oz bag of mixed berries, divided
½ C corn syrup

Cut the French bread into 1-inch chunks and place in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs through salt. Pour over the French bread and toss to coat thoroughly. Spray a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Add half of the bread. Dot with half of the cream cheese and a quarter-cup of berries. Add the remaining bread and dot with the remaining cream cheese and a quarter-cup of berries. Refrigerate overnight.

Put the remaining berries and juices in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan with the corn syrup. Heat to a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue to simmer until the mixture is thickened. I did this the night before as well, so it only had to be warmed up in the morning.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the casserole for about 30 minutes, until browned on the top and firm in the center. Serve with syrup.

Mushroom Gravy over Slow Cooked Roast Beast... er, Beef

Download a free, printable version of this and many other recipes at www.susanmallery.com/recipes.php!

I’ve made roast beef in the slow cooker before (Slow Cooked Beef with Garlic and Red Wine, Slow Cooker Cheesy Beef, and Slow Cooker Java Roast, but this time, I decided to put the focus on the gravy. Could I come up with a delicious, hearty gravy using juices from the slow cooker? The answer is yes! And best of all, there are lots of chopped mushrooms in the gravy, which means you don’t have to worry about lumps. It’s supposed to be lumpy!

I decided to skip my usual step of searing the beef in a cast iron pan before putting it in the slow cooker. I wanted to see if it really made a difference. Honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference at all. Certainly not enough to warrant the extra dish washing. So there was no fussing at all in the pre-cooking stage, but because of the gravy, there was a slight amount of fussing afterward. I’d say it took 30 minutes from the time I removed the beef from the slow cooker until we were eating it – although that was partly because I needed to take a picture. And what a festive picture it is! You can see my Christmas tree in the background.

Mushroom Gravy over Slow Cooked Roast Beef

1 4-pound roast beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 t Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, sliced thick
8 oz whole mushrooms
Black pepper to taste
2 T vegetable oil
2 T flour

Place the onion slices on the bottom of the slow cooker, and put the roast on top of them. Mix together the soup, soup mix, and Worcestershire sauce. Spread over the beef. Toss the mushrooms and garlic on top of everything. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for about 8 hours.

Remove the roast from the slow cooker and set aside. Remove the mushrooms to a cutting board and mince. Pour the liquid through a strainer. You’ll need 2 to 2 ½ cups of liquid. If you don’t have enough, supplement with water or beef broth.

In a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, heat the oil. Toss in the flour and stir to coat. In small increments, add 2 cups of beefy liquid, stirring well to break up the flour. Heat to a simmer, stirring frequently. Once the gravy is thickened, add the minced mushrooms. If the gravy is too thick, add more beefy liquid in small increments until the consistency is what you like. Serve with mashed potatoes.