Back at it Tuesday. Hope you had a great three day weekend. The tri-tip, baked beans and grilled corn on the cob was great last night. Of course, I made tacos with my tri-tip. So tonight, we’re all in with shrimp.
Baked Shrimp Scampi
2 lbs. Medium 16/20 frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
One and a half sticks of butter
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, minced
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes, or to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped (about ¼ cup)
Your favorite pasta, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving
Pre-heat oven to 375.
Place shrimp, butter, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and chopped parsley in a roasting or casserole dish.
Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until shrimp are fully cooked and no longer translucent.
Mix the shrimp halfway through cooking to make sure it fully cooks.
Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy on it’s own, with a good steak, or over a bowl of your favorite pasta.
Happy Friday! I was going to post Mama Areola’s legendary lasagna, but it’s gonna be too damned hot this weekend to turn on the oven. So, take the cookin’ outside.
Jack Daniel’s Grilled Steak with Garlic-Pepper Shrimp & Italian Salad
4 boneless New York Strip Steaks
1/2- cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
1/2- cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup light brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1. Place the steaks in a pan that is large enough to hold all 4. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the whiskey, soy sauce, olive oil, mustard, brown sugar, garlic, and steak seasoning; whisk until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour the marinade over the steaks, turning the steaks once or twice to coat evenly with the marinade.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning it a couple of times while in the fridge.
5. Remove steaks from fridge 30 minutes before you are ready to grill.
6. Prepare your charcoal or gas grill. For steaks, you want the heat as high as possible.
7. Right before you are ready to cook, pour cooking oil on a paper towel and oil the grate using long-handled tongs.
8. Drain the marinade off the steak and discard the marinade.
9. Season the steaks with a liberal amount of steak seasoning.
10. Place the steak on the hot grate and grill until cooked to your liking.
11. After the steak is properly seared, if it’s not finished cooking, move it to the warm side of the grill, close the lid and continue to cook the steak until it’s at your desired temperature.
12. To test for doneness using a digital instant read thermometer.
13. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let them rest for about 5 minutes before cutting.
Garlic-Pepper Grilled Shrimp
1 fresh red Chile (such as Fresno), seeds removed, finely grated
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for grill
1-pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on
Lime wedges and chili powder, for serving
Special Equipment:
Four 8-inch-long metal skewers or bamboo skewers soaked 30 minutes in water
1.Whisk Chile, garlic, pepper, lime juice, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat; season with steak seasoning. 2.Thread shrimp onto sets of 2 skewers.
3.Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; clean grates well, then oil.
4.Grill shrimp, turning once, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 5 minutes total. Serve with lime wedges dipped in chili powder.
Italian Salad
½ cup olive oil
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
1 small head of iceberg lettuce
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
4 ounces provolone cheese, thinly sliced
2 cups drained small mozzarella balls, torn
10 pepperoncini peppers
Whisk oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar, oregano, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut lettuce in half through stem end. Tear apart into large pieces. Arrange on a platter and scatter onion, provolone, mozzarella, and pepperoncini over the lettuce. Drizzle with dressing to coat to your liking (you’ll probably have some extra) and top with more black pepper.
2 Tablespoons Old Bay, Lemon-Pepper or Creole/Cajun seasonings
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Brush both sides of the cod fillets with butter and season with your favorite seasonings.
Let the cod marinate and absorb spices for a few minutes. In the meantime, preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Then, grease the air fryer basket cooking spray.
Place the cod fillets in the air fryer basket and cook for 8-10 minutes. Flip the fillets halfway through the cooking time so they cook evenly on both sides. Use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the fish has reached 145°F. Garnish with parsley.
Tartar Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup dill pickles, finely chopped
1 Tbsp capers, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh dill
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp fresh-ground pepper
2 Tbsp grated white onion
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
1-pound dry pasta (spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter
12 cloves garlic, sliced
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup white wine
2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons red Chile flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, give it a stir and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the oil, butter, garlic and salt. Sweat the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook while stirring, about 1 minute. Add the wine, lemon juice and Chile flakes and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
Reserve some of the pasta water, then drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti and a little of the reserved pasta water to the pan with the shrimp and toss to combine. Toss in the parsley and serve.
Back to school means a good sandwich. This one calls for sauerkraut. Salt and Savour sauerkraut, made in Dunsmuir, is available at R&R Quality Meats & Seafood in Redding. It’s damn fine kraut!
Reuben Sandwich with Ruthie’s 1000 Island Dressing
Butter, at room temperature
8 slices of your favorite rye bread (I like the marbled)
16 slices Swiss cheese
2 pounds corned beef, sliced
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
Bread & Butter pickles, for serving
Build the sandwiches. Spread one side of each of the slices of bread with butter. On the other side of the bread, spread the dressing on each slice. Top each slice with Swiss cheese, top one of the slices of each sandwich with sauerkraut, and corned beef. Top with the other slice of bread.
Set a large skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Place the sandwiches on the pan and weigh down with another skillet (you might need to do this in batches). Cook for a few minutes a side until the cheese has melted and the bread is nicely toasted. Using my Blackstone, I like to grill the corned beef a bit and build the sandwich on the Blackstone. Serve ‘em up with a big pile of bread & butter pickles.
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup ketchup
¼ cup sweet pickle relish
Juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon prepared horseradish
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Place mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, lemon juice, cider vinegar, paprika, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, green onion, and parsley in a bowl. Whisk together until ingredients are well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours
Happy Taco Tuesday! Oil up your Blackstone and get busy! I love cooking on my Blackstone. Easy cleanup and no mess in the kitchen. Plus, I get to choke down a couple of cigs while cooking! Just like the good ole days when I was a line cook at Denny’s!
Steak Fajitas on the Blackstone
2 pounds skirt steak or steak of your choice
Olive oil, for marinating
Vegetable oil, for cooking
1 green, yellow and red bell pepper, sliced
2 yellow onions, peeled, halved and sliced into half-moons
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh cilantro, for serving
Sour cream or crema, for serving
Juice from two limes, plus wedges, for serving
Cotija or queso fresco cheese, for serving
Flour tortillas
Fajita Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Mix fajita seasonings in small bowl and set aside.
Slice steak against the grain into small slices. Place into bowl or gallon sized zip-loc bag and add olive oil, toss to coat. Then add half of the fajita seasoning to meat and toss to coat. Add a squeeze of lime. Marinate the meat for 30 minutes.
In another bowl or gallon sized zip-loc bag, add vegetables and olive oil. Toss to coat then add in remaining fajita seasoning and mix until coated. Marinate the vegetables for a few minutes.
Preheat the Blackstone for about over high heat. Pour vegetable oil on the preheated griddle and spread out.
Put the steak and vegetables on the griddle. Discard the marinade. Cook for 8-10 minutes, tossing the steak and vegetables a few times. You want these to be slightly charred and cooked through. During the last few minutes add garlic and a squeeze of lime.
Place tortillas on the griddle to warm.
Remove the steak, vegetables and tortillas from griddle and serve with your toppings.
Back on the air today after taking care of some Asphalt Cowboys duties. BTW…I have tickets for sale for our 71st annual Community BBQ. PM me and I’ll hook you up.
Pan-Seared Garlic Butter Steak with Mushroom Cream Sauce
4 6-ounce steaks (sirloin, rib-eye, NY strip)
Garlic salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Season the steaks with garlic salt on both sides.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the steaks to the skillet and sear for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until they reach desired doneness. Remove from the skillet and let rest.
In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and add butter. Once melted, add minced garlic and sliced mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are golden brown.
Pour in the heavy cream and add Dijon mustard, stirring to combine. Cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
Serve the steaks topped with the mushroom cream sauce and garnish with chopped parsley.
I missed National Oyster Day yesterday. No matter. As a God fearing, tax paying, law abiding, Constitution loving, flag waving, red blooded American man, I can eat oysters any damn day I choose.
Grilled Oysters with Romano and Creole Sauce
1 stick unsalted butter
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, washed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
2 dozen freshly shucked oysters, on the half shell with their liquor (juice)
2 cups fresh grated Romano cheese
Lemon wedges, for squeezing
Melt butter over medium-low heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until just tender. Add garlic and Creole seasoning and cook an additional minute.
Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, wine, thyme and pepper flakes to pan. Simmer gently until wine is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and put a lid on the pan.
Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Carefully place oysters on grill and keep as much oyster liquor in shell as possible. When the oyster liquor starts to bubble, sprinkle Romano over each oyster. Let cheese melt. When oysters begin to slightly brown at the edges, remove. Spoon sauce over each oyster and serve.
Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
Add sliced onions and cook slowly for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and soft.
Add a small splash of water or balsamic vinegar to deglaze if needed. Set aside.
2. Assemble the Sandwiches:
Butter one side of each slice of bread.
On the unbuttered side, layer: cheese slice, brisket, caramelized onions, BBQ sauce, and another slice of cheese.
Top with the second piece of bread, buttered side facing out.
3. Grill:
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Grill sandwiches until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted — about 3–4 minutes per side. Press down slightly with a spatula for that crispy crust.
4. Stack & Serve:
Slice in half and stack them up for that epic look.
Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side for dipping.
Santa Maria/Mexican Tri-Tip Tacos with Guacamole and Pico
4 lbs. Tri-Tip
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt, to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon. cayenne pepper
Roasted yellow onions
Sliced radish
Cotija cheese, for tacos
Pickled jalapeno, for tacos
Chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce
Cilantro for guacamole, pico and tacos
Corn or flour tortillas
Lime wedges, for squeezing
1. Combine ingredients, rub over meat, and allow to rest at least 30 minutes at room temperature or as long as 24 hours in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic.
2. Grill on a medium-hot grill until the internal temperature is about 140 degrees. Allow to rest at least 10 minutes. Slice the tri-tip in half, then dice or slice into strips against the grain.
3. Meanwhile, roast a couple of onions in the oven or on a closed grill at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Guacamole:
2 large ripe avocados, mashed
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
Fresh lime juice, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Combine ingredients, adjust seasoning.
Pico:
2 large tomatoes, diced
½ medium red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced
cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Fresh lime juice, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season. Allow to rest 30 minutes before serving.
Serve tri-tip on charred corn or flour tortillas with guacamole, pico, sliced radish, roasted onions, pickled jalapeno, cilantro leaves, cotija cheese and chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce. Serve with lime wedges.
