Cooking Method: poach

Coconut Braised Salmon with Bok Choy, Ginger & Shallots by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

Makes 4 servings.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes (includes cooking the rice as well)

Toasted Almond and 3-Citrus Shrimp Toast by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

An outstanding bread maker, and an even more outstanding friend, bestowed a loaf of his wonderful sourdough bread upon me…right place, right time! I made a lot of toast: toast with butter, toast with eggs, toast with soup, and then this very yummy toast with a citrusy, crunchy shrimp salad. I used raw shrimp. I purchased peeled and deveined medium/large shrimp and cooked them in a simple, easy broth. (Recipe below.) You could certainly use cooked shrimp, though the flavor will be superior if you cook the shrimp yourself. Calculate 2-2 ½ ounces of raw shrimp per ‘toast’.

Poached JUMBO Shrimp with a trio of sauces by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

As 2021 has faded away, it’s time to celebrate both the end of the old and the beginning of the new. And big jumbo shrimp say ‘CELEBRATION’ to me. I used already peeled & deveined super-jumbo shrimp; sized 8 to 12 pieces per pound. Big and ‘meaty’. I made a quick poaching broth, both aromatic and a touch acidic with the use of a mild white wine vinegar. I’m serving these poached shrimp with three sauces: a classic cocktail sauce and two other sauces that are a ‘riff’ on the famous Argentinian ‘chimichurri’ sauce. Here’s to happy cooking & eating in 2022!

Fideos: Spanish-style Toasted Noodles with Poached Shrimp & Romesco Sauce By Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

 

‘Fideos’ is both a dish from Spain and a short, spaghetti-like noodle that is usually toasted.  Toasting gives the noodles a warm golden color and a deep rich flavor.  And it is very easy to accomplish in your home kitchen.

 

The recipe includes a simple and quick-cooking shrimp stock.  Both the toasted noodles and the peeled shrimp are cooked in this broth which builds in a supporting layer of flavors to the finished dish.

 

A traditional Catalan sweet red pepper sauce, Romesco*, adds body and a bright punch of flavor to the finished dish.