The Traveling Epicurean

Worchestershire

Bloody Mary Shrimp & Mango-Curry Shrimp At Nancy’s

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Bloody Mary Shrimp & Mango-Curry Shrimp At Nancy’s

Bloody Mary Shrimp & Mango-Curry Shrimp in Wonton Cups

These two homemade shrimp appetizer’s are fun and delicious! Bloody Mary Shrimp and Mango-Curry Shrimp in wonton cups will soon be on your go to list for summer appetizers! My good friend Nancy passed these wonderful recipes on to me which she found at epicurious.com. They certainly have a an enormous assortment of recipes there to choose from and sometimes it can be overwhelming finding the ones you like so I feel fortunate to have a fellow foodie pass these on.

These two shrimp appetizer’s just might be the easiest and most delicious recipes you’ll have this summer. The Bloody Mary shrimp is so flavorful with all the same condiments that make up “the” cocktail including the vodka but in little nibble sizes.  Serving up this appetizer on a spoon makes for a lovely presentation too. You can find these spoons at party stores and sometimes even at Stop & Shop.

The Mango-Curry Shrimp in wonton cups is another winner with a variety of fresh flavors from the green curry sauce to the mango chutney which both come prepared from the specialty section of the grocery store totally saving you time in the prep department …Hallelujah! You know me with the mayo thing … as much as I love my Hellman’s Mayo I do like to cut the mayo with some plain Greek yogurt to give it a little tang and a wonderful fresh texture so I give you that option in the list of ingredients for this appetizer.

It was an enjoyable day shooting this show and having my good friend Nancy share with us a couple of her favorite appetizer’s that she frequently entertains with. We will definitely be back cooking with Nancy this summer and visiting her garden to pick heirloom tomatoes for that scrumptious homemade Tomato Tartan! Hope you enjoy the show and let me know how you like the Bloody Mary Shrimp & Mango-Curry Shrimp appetizer’s.

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Ingredients For THE BLOODY MARY SHRIMP:

  • 1 pound medium shrimp in shell, peeled and de-veined
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery (2 -3 ribs)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 6)

Directions For THE BLOODY MARY SHRIMP:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 2 quarts water) to a boil.
  2. Add shrimp, then remove from heat and let stand in water until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  3. Drain in a colander and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
  4. Cut shrimp into thirds and transfer to a large bowl with celery and scallions.

Ingredients For THE SAUCE:

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup vodka (preferably Absolut Peppar)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons bottled horseradish (not drained), or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Tabasco OR Siracha (also found where the tabasco is shelved at the store)
  • S&P to taste

Directions For THE SAUCE:

  1. Whisk together all sauce ingredients
  2. Just before serving, stir sauce into shrimp mixture.
  3. Spoon 2 shrimp pieces with vegetables and sauce into each soup spoon and arrange spoons on a platter.

NOTE: Shrimp can be cooked and tossed with vegetables 4 hours ahead, then chilled in a sealed bag. Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Mix the sauce and shrimp right before serving.

Ingredients For THE MANGO-CURRY SHRIMP:

  • 12 wonton wrappers (from one 12-ounce package), each cut into squares
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise OR split the 1/3 cup mayo in half with Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 5 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons mango chutney
  • 1 teaspoon Thai green curry paste (Thai green curry paste is available at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets)
  • 12 ounces peeled cooked medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup Fresh cilantro leaves coarsely chopped

Directions For THE MANGO-CURRY SHRIMP IN WONTON CUPS  – Pre-Heat oven to 325º:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Place wonton squares on work surface and brush lightly with oil
  3. Press each into miniature muffin cup, oiled side down
  4. Bake until wonton cups are golden brown, about 10 minutes
  5. Cool completely in tins -Can be made 3 days ahead
  6. Remove cups from tins and store airtight at room temperature
  7. Whisk mayonnaise, chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice, chutney, and curry paste in medium bowl to blend
  8. Stir in shrimp. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. (Salad can be prepared up to 1 day ahead – Cover and refrigerate
  9. Place wonton cups on serving platter
  10. Spoon 1 tbsp shrimp salad into each cup
  11. Garnish with cilantro leaves

 

Caesar Salad

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Caesar Salad

Caesar salads are probably my favorite of all time. So many wonderful flavors and textures in this combination from crunchy and garlicky with the Italian garlic croutons, to a sharpness from the shaved Reggiano Parmesano sprinkled on the top of the romaine and a creaminess with the grated Parmesan in the actual dressing itself. Then there is a tang from the lemon and Dijon, and an extra savory flavor in the undertones that you just can’t put your finger on but tastes delicious from the anchovie paste and Worcestershire sauce!

Wow, you will really like the simplicity of this recipe and you can make the croutons a day or more ahead of time and make the dressing the morning of your lunch or dinner. It makes for such a nice presentation if you can use a large shallow dish like the one in the photos.  When I have friends over for dinner I often serve the Caesar salad in that large shallow bowl and then add slices of grilled or sautéed chicken breasts, or grilled salmon pieces going all around the outer edges and everyone loves it. Have fun with this and enjoy!

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CAESAR SALAD DRESSING RECIPE:

  • 1 large/2 medium cloves of garlic put thru garlic press
  • 1 egg yolk farm fresh or organic brown eggs ONLY – EGG YOLK OPTIONAL
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon – Grey Poupon or Maille
  • 1 Tsp anchovie paste
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp fine blk pepper
  • 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar “seasoned” (this comes original or seasoned …I prefer seasoned)
  • between 1/3 – 1/2 cup good olive oil
  • 1/4-1/3 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
  • 2 good dashes of your favorite hot sauce (I use Siracha in this recipe)

DIRECTIONS for the CAESAR DRESSING:

  1. In a medium bowl add garlic thru press, anchovie paste, salt, pepper and Dijon
  2. Mash these items together with  the back of a spoon to combine and form a paste in a wooden bowl
  3. Transfer paste to a large glass bowl
  4. Add in 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce, dash of Siracha and rice wine vinegar/ lemon juice mixture
  5. Separate egg yolk from white and add to glass bowl and whisk immediately
  6. Then very slowly whisk in olive oil so it emulsifies JUST DRIZZLE IN DROPS AT A TIME or IT WILL NOT EMULSIFY and you will have to start over
  7. Lastly, whisk in 1/3 grated Reggiano Parmesan
  8. Put the dressing into a canning jar for ease and pop it into the frig til you are ready to use
  9. Be sure to take out 30 minutes before you use the dressing so it can come to room temperature
  10. Will be good for a few days in the frig

Directions for Caesar Salad:

  1. Cut ends off of romaine hearts then cut them in half length wise
  2. Wash and spin leaves
  3. Lay the leaves down on paper towels to catch any additional moisture
  4. Put 3 or 4 pieces at a time layered on top of one another and slice into 1/2″ strips
  5. Here you can put the cut romaine pieces into large freezer Ziploc baggies and into the frig til you are ready to assemble the Caesar salad OR
  6. Put into a large shallow bowl, add dressing, and toss
  7. Top with shredded Parmesan and Italian garlic croutons and mangia!