Spanish Tapas-style Shrimp

Tapas is one of my favorite type of meals in a restaurant or bar — I can order a few different plates, a glass of a lovely wine or an interesting  cocktail, and graze the afternoon away. Ah, memories of past European trips flooding my mind right now…

This dish (from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything) is a spin on Spanish tapas-style shrimp, but served over linguini, it’s a perfect weeknight dinner. I always have frozen wild-caught shrimp on hand for those nights when I can’t figure out what to have for dinner, because they defrost quickly, cook quickly, and easily pair with pasta, rice, or wrapped in a taco. 

When I made this last week, I knew it would be good because I usually love Bittman’s recipes, but I never expected to want to “lick the plate!” The juices that you get with the spices in this recipe (cumin, hot paprika), combined with fruity olive oil, garlic, and the parsley garnish, were so incredible I was desperately wishing I had a hunk of crusty bread to sop them up (sadly, I didn’t). This is an OMG dish. Make it, you won’t be sorry.

Spanish Tapas-style Shrimp (Mark Bittman)

Ingredients: 

1/3 C extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

3 or 4 big cloves garlic, cut into slivers

About 1-1/2 lb shrimp, 20-30/pound, peeled, rinsed, and dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 t ground cumin

1-1/2 t hot paprika (I used smoked paprika)

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Warm the olive oil in a large, broad ovenproof skillet or heatproof baking pan over low heat. There should be enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan; don’t skimp. Add the garlic and cook until it turns golden, a few minutes.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp, some salt and pepper, the cumin, and the paprika. Stir to blend and continue to cook, shaking the pan once or twice and turning the shrimp once or twice, until they are pink all over and the mixture is bubbly, 5-10 minutes*. Garnish and serve immediately.

*Be careful not to overcook the shrimp - mine only took about 2-3 minutes per side.

Recipe-in-a-Flash: Dijon-Maple Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

I have made this terrific dinner three times now for two reasons: one, because it is SO good and SO easy; and two, because I wanted to be sure it was blog-worthy. Oh, it is.

The recipe calls for a mix of drumsticks and bone-in chicken thighs, but you can of course, customize it if you are not a fan of say, drumsticks, etc. 

From the Pure Wow food editors, this one-tray meal comes together very quickly. The full recipe is below, but read on for just how simple it is: 

Prepped and ready to go (and pretty, too)!

Start with a mixture of soy sauce, Dijon, and maple syrup, and brush over chicken pieces (which you’ve seasoned with S and P and arranged on a parchment or foil-lined sheet pan). Toss cubed butternut squash, trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts in a bowl with olive oil, S and P, and fresh thyme. Spread the veggies in a single layer around the chicken, and bake for about 40 minutes. Add another 5 minutes after you brush more maple syrup and mustard on the chicken, and voila, dinner!

PS: I've installed a new "print" widget at the bottom of the post - please let me know if it works for you. Thanks!

Just out of the oven, beautifully crisped and caramelized.

Dijon-Maple Chicken with Brussels sprouts and Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

Olive oil spray (I used regular non-stick spray)

2 TB reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce)

4 TB Dijon mustard - divided

3 TB pure maple syrup - divided

4 large bone-in chicken thighs (6-1/2 oz each), skin removed and fat trimmed

4 skinless chicken drumsticks (3-1/2 oz each)

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

12 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

12 oz butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4” cubes (I used organic, pre-cubed squash from Costco)

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1-1/2 TB olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line an 18x13” large rimmed sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Spray with olive oil.
2. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, 3 TB of the mustard and 2 TB of the maple syrup.
3. Season chicken all over with S and P, then arrange on prepared pan.
4. In a large bowl, combine Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, thyme, and olive oil. Season with S and P. Arrange vegetables on prepared baking sheet in a single layer around the chicken. Pour the Dijon-maple sauce over the chicken, turning to coat completely, and pour any remaining sauce over the vegetables.
5. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the remaining 1 TB each mustard and maple syrup.
6. Brush the mustard-maple mixture over the chicken. Bake 5 minutes more until browned. Serve right away.