The Gorsuch Gang

Shrimp Chopped Salad

// April 1st, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Grub

I got a new batch of groceries yesterday and in my continuing effort to eat better (sometimes accomplished, sometimes not), I bought several goodies to make a few salads with.  First up is this Shrimp Chopped Salad which, I admit I was inspired to create this after watching one of Giada’s recent recipes.  I have never really been a big fan of salads at home because I’ve always thought they were boring.  I love salads from restaurants though, so it donned on me to search out some favorite restaurant menus for salad ideas as well.  This little idea may pay off as our wallets get tighter!

I thought for a long time about the dressing for this salad and in the end I decided to go with a very traditional or rather lazy route and make an Italian dressing from a mix.  Despite this unoriginal idea, the salad was amazing.  Feel free to try it with your favorite dressing though I’ll recommend you stick to an olive oil based one.  I did however break a sweat and make my own croutons. Using two ciabatta rolls, I cut the bread into bite size pieces and tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.  I then baked the croutons at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes and then let them cool before adding to the salad.

Shrimp Chopped Salad

1/2 head of raddicho, chopped

1 bunch of romaine hearts, chopped

1/2 a pound of small to medium size shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove of chopped garlic

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (usually half a lemon)

2 tablespoons of cooking sherry

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 cup of sundried tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon of salted and roasted sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon of capers

1 tablespoon of grated Parmesean cheese

1/2 cup of dressing of your choice

Croutons of your choice

In a large bowl add together the radiccho, romaine lettuce and sundried tomatoes.  Pour on the dressing and toss to coat.  Set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sautee the garlic for a few seconds.  Add in the shrimp, lemon juice, sherry, and salt and pepper.  Cook the shrimp until done and set aside.

To plate the salads, prepare each dinner plate with a good portion of the lettuce mixture and top with half of the shrimp.  Sprinkle the sunflower seeds, capers, Parmesean cheese, and croutons as you like.

KALI SPERA

// March 15th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // Grub

Kali spera means “good evening” in Greek, which is exactly what we had tonight. (Yes, I’m sure I’m not using the appropriate connotation, but thanks to Google – this is what I got.)

We are completely stuffed with fine Greek food from Agnanti, a small, but lively Greek restaurant with locations in Brooklyn and Queens. We’ve only been a couple of times now, but after each trip we are completely amazed with the food. They have a varied menu that is heavy on small plates or appetizers and gigantic entrees. We’ve never been able to actually finish our entrees, which is why tonight we decided to order a bunch of the little plates. Everything was delivered, as it was prepared so we were surprised each time the waiter came to the table.

First we enjoyed Dolmades Yialantzi, or grape leaves stuffed with herb rice and served with a tart yogurt sauce. Now I’d had stuffed grape leaves before, but these were by far the best I’ve tasted. Oh and what divine olive oil they had drizzled over the top!

Next up was the Pastroumali, thinly sliced dried beef and cheese in phyllo dough. These were more like quesadillas, of course with better cheese. They were warm and toasty and just down right gooey with a slight salty flavor.

After the pastroumali, we got the Mushroom Kalitsounia from Crete, which, were these wonderful little pastries filled with a mushroom and herb mixture and served with a spicy cream sauce. These little babies were almost the highlight of the night for me. I absolutely love mushrooms in any form I can get them. But what really made this great was the sauce. It was such a nice compliment to the pastries.

Finally they delivered our last two plates. We tried Shrimps Giouvetsi which, featured shrimp, tomatoes, peppers, feta and basil baked together. Michael described it best as almost a Mediterranean gumbo. It was a little soupy, as the feta didn’t really hold any of the mixture together. I’m not so sure I’d order this a second time. The Stuffed Calamari took the cake for me though. These were whole baby squids stuffed with more feta, tomatoes and basil. They were a little tricky to cut into, but well worth the potential gush of stuffing.

All of this and we still got the free desert at the end of the meal. Oh yes, this place ensures you will leave with a bulging belly by offering a plate of cinnamon cake and tart yogurt with cherries at the end of every meal. Ah…I can go to bed a happy woman tonight!

(P.S. – Sorry for not including any pictures, but I’ve yet to muster up the courage to bring my camera to restaurants as a lot of bloggers do. Perhaps, I’ll get over that soon!)

Tequila Lime Shrimp Quesadillas

// February 18th, 2008 // No Comments » // Grub

½ lb of shrimp, diced
½ half a bell pepper, diced
½ cup black olives, sliced
¼ cup tequila
1 cup smoked mozzarella, diced
¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Juice of one lime
½ tsp garlic powder
4 regular tortillas
1 tbsp olive oil
Dash of Salt & Pepper to taste

Sautee the peppers in the olive oil for about three minutes. Add in the shrimp, tequila, garlic powder, limejuice, and salt & pepper. Cook the mixture until the shrimp is pink and most of the tequila has cooked away. (This will happen quickly so pay attention.) Remove the shrimp mixture from the heat and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan with a light coating of cooking spray. Add one tortilla to the pan and heat on one side. Flip the tortilla and begin filling one half with a fourth of the shrimp mixture, the two cheeses and olives. Fold the tortilla over and heat thoroughly on each side. When the tortilla becomes toasted on both sides and the cheese is oozing out, you’re good. Start in on the next one.

Makes four quesadillas.