New England Baked Shrimp Scampi

For years I have been trying to find the perfect recipe for Baked Shrimp Scampi, but none that I found lived up to the New England version I was accustomed to. I don’t mean to sound like Paula Deen, but in New England, seafood is drenched in butter, or is accompanied by a side of melted butter for dipping. Shrimp scampi is all about the butter and all about the garlic, so much garlic that your breath would ward off vampires for days. So, I decided to get a little creative this past weekend and reinvent a recipe near and dear to my heart. I combined ingredients from a pasta with scampi sauce recipe I have been making for decades with a buttered breadcrumb topping, then I baked it. The result was an exact replica of the flavor blend I recall. You would have laughed watching me do a happy dance all around the kitchen after taste-tasting this wonderfully buttery, garlicky crustacean. Shrimp first marinated, then baked, in a perfect fusion of white wine, butter, lemon, herbs & spices, then blanketed with a layer of buttered bread crumbs. Can anything be more delectably beautiful than that? 

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Clean, peel & devein shrimp. Butterfly shrimp by cutting down the back with sharp knife, without cutting all the way through. Fortunately, this has become an easier task for us lately, as shrimp can be purchased as easy-to-peel, and already deveined. Utilizing the slit already in the shrimp from deveining, just cut slightly deeper to butterfly.

In large bowl, combine all ingredients for marinade/scampi sauce. Stir well to combine. Add shrimp to marinade mixture and stir well to thoroughly coat shrimp with mixture. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In 14-inch oval gratin dish (4-quart size), reserving marinade, arrange the shrimp in a single layer, cut side down, with tails curling up. Pour, or spoon, reserved marinade over all. The cold shrimp may have solidified the butter a little, don’t worry, it will melt and incorporate when it is baked.

Prepare breadcrumb topping. In large measuring cup, melt 6 Tablespoons butter in microwave. Remove from microwave. Add 3/4 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs. Stir with fork to combine. Breadcrumb mixture should still be moist, not dry.

Evenly sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over tops of shrimp. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Bake at 400° F. about 20 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and scampi sauce is bubbling. If necessary, brown breadcrumb topping under broiler for a minute or so. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Didn’t I say that this was a thing of beauty? I literally lingered after each bite to savor the full flavor. Amazing!

NEW ENGLAND BAKED SHRIMP SCAMPI
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds shrimp, peeled & deveined, leaving tail on

Shrimp Marinade/Scampi Sauce:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 8 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup white wine (zinfandel recommended)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2-1/2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel            
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 Tablespoons parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Bread Crumb Topping:

• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• Paprika
• Parsley

         
DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400° F.
2.  Clean, peel & devein shrimp. Butterfly shrimp by cutting down back with sharp knife, without cutting
     all the way through.
3.  In large bowl, combine all ingredients for Marinade/Scampi Sauce. Stir well to combine. Add shrimp
     to mixture. Stir to thoroughly coat shrimp. Marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4.  In 14-inch oval gratin dish (4 quart size), reserving marinade, arrange the shrimp in a single layer, cut
     side down with tails curling up. Pour reserved marinade over all.
5. Prepare breadcrumb topping: In large measuring cup, melt 6 Tablespoons butter in the microwave.
    Remove from microwave. Add 3/4 cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Stir with fork to combine.
    Breadcrumb mixture should still be moist, not dry.
6. Evenly sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs over tops of shrimp. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.
7. Bake at 400° F. about 20 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and scampi sauce is bubbling.
8. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

 

Country Fried Steaks w/ White Gravy

It’s time to get a little bit country, and whip up a little taste of the south. In Texas, this would be called CFS, a.k.a. chicken fried steak, and is usually made with round steak. CFS is so popular in Texas, in 2011 Texas Legislature voted to officially recognize October 26 as Chicken Fried Steak Day. Just as popular in other areas of the south, it is more commonly referred to as country fried steak, and is often made with an already tenderized cut of round steak, cube steak. Because I am using cube steak in this recipe, I will appropriately call it Country Fried Steak. This is just a tried-and-true southern classic that screams comfort food. Cube steaks are dredged in a mixture of cornmeal, flour and seasonings, pan fried, then topped off with an herb-seasoned white gravy. The steaks are finger-lickin’ good, but the gravy is the unsung hero of this whole dish.

Self-rising flour works best for this recipe. If you don’t have self-rising flour: to 1 cup flour, add 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well. (Self-rising cornmeal is also preferred, but it won’t matter to the overall results of the recipe, especially if you are already using self-rising flour; so don’t fret about the cornmeal. As you can see from photo below, I didn't use self-rising cornmeal.)

In large, zippered plastic bag, combine half of the flour, cornmeal, garlic salt and black pepper. Shake to combine and set aside.

Prepare breading station. Put remaining flour in pie plate (or breading station dish).  In another dish, whisk together egg whites and water.

Transfer cornmeal mixture to a third dish, for dredging.

Coat cube steaks with flour (dish #1), then dip in beaten egg whites (dish #2), then thoroughly dredge in cornmeal mixture (dish #3). For best results – double dip! Dip again in egg whites, then again cornmeal mixture. You’re less likely to lose patches of the breading when pan frying by double dipping.

In large skillet, over medium high heat, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Add cube steaks, a few at a time, and cook until browned and crisp on both sides. Try to resist the temptation to turn the steaks too much, as you will lose some of the coating that way. Cook until browned on one side, then flip and cook until browned on the other side. Remove to platter and cook additional steaks in remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil. When browned, transfer additional steaks to platter. Keep warm. At this point, if the steaks are cooked to your liking, you only need to keep them warm while you prepare the gravy. Mike prefers his steaks “well done.” So, I usually coat a baking dish with cooking spray and bake the cube steaks at 350° F. until juices run clear.

Meanwhile prepare gravy. Although, traditionally the gravy is made by using the scraped-up pan drippings, I prefer not to use that method, as it “browns” the gravy. This is a “white” gravy, so I prepare it in a separate saucepan.

In medium size saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in the flour (or cornstarch, if you prefer a thicker gravy). Gradually add milk. Bring just to the boiling point and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium low. Stir in beef bouillon granules, marjoram, thyme and black pepper. Stirring constantly, cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. 

Spoon some gravy over the steaks before serving. Serve additional gravy on the side.

I had to take this photo before Mike literally bathed the steak in gravy. He likes a little steak with his gravy, especially this gravy!

COUNTRY FRIED STEAKS W/ WHITE GRAVY
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:

Fried Steaks:

• 1 cup self-rising* flour, divided (if you don't have self-rising flour, see tip below)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (self-rising if you have it, but not necessary)
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 to 6 each cube steaks, preferably chuck
• 4 each egg whites
• 4 teaspoons water
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

White Gravy:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 4 Tablespoons flour (or cornstarch for a thicker gravy)
• 3 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (equivalent to 2 packets)
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper           

DIRECTIONS:

1. In plastic zip bag, combine 1/2 cup flour, cornmeal, garlic salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Prepare breading station. Put remaining 1/2 cup flour in pie plate (or breading station dish). Whisk
    together egg whites and water in another pie plate (or breading station dish). Pour cornmeal mixture
    in a third pie plate (or breading station dish).
3. Coat cube steaks with flour, then dip in egg whites, then thoroughly coat with cornmeal mixture. For
    best results, dip again in egg whites and cornmeal.
4. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add cube steaks, a few at a time.
    Cook until lightly browned (and crisp) on both sides. Remove to platter and cook additional steaks in
    remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Transfer steaks to platter/baking dish and keep warm. If not cooked
    well enough for you, transfer browned steaks to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish, coated with cooking spray
    and bake at 350° F. until steaks are cooked to your preference.
5. Meanwhile prepare gravy. In medium size saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour. Gradually add milk.
    Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-
    low. Add bouillon granules, marjoram, thyme and pepper. Stirring constantly, cook for additional 4 to
    5 minutes. Serve over steak.