Kielbasa, Peppers and Potatoes – a Fast Family Meal

March 10, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Kielbasa, Peppers, Potatoes

This is one of my favorite quick tasty dinners.  Maybe I take too many shortcuts, but this one is good.  I can do this meal in under a half an hour, which is more time than my son gives me before he asks about dinner.  Seventeen year olds who run track are always looking for food; the quicker I get it into him, the less likely he is to fill it with junk or fillers. You can parboil the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove or a bowl of water in the microwave.  I do this because it will absorb less oil since it’s partly cooked already.  The kielbasa is turkey kielbasa, and it’s a little lower fat too.  The peppers – are mine.  We grew peppers last summer and froze them.  I haven’t run out of peppers yet, so I like to find  as many meals I can to use them in and the peppers though wilty are still delicious and full of flavor. I don’t put a dressing on it because my son isn’t a big fan, and we just use our preference of mustard or ketchup.  If I had my way I would pour on a mustard vinaigrette or dressing.

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA           Ingredients:

  • Kielbasa
  • 2 peppers- seeded and sliced
  • 1 onion – sliced
  • 4 potatoes  – cut into cubes
  • Olive Oil
  • rosemary
  • pepper
  • salt
  • parsley

Directions: 

Parboil potatoes in water then drain.  Sauté peppers and onions in  olive oil.  Slice kielbasa into 1 inch thick pieces, and throw in with peppers and onions and add in potatoes.  Toss in herbs and spices. 

 

That’s it, it’s all good. 

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Steak and Roasted Corn Salsa Stew(p)

March 7, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Beef, Salsa, Soup

I found a bag of roasted corn in the grocery store that inspired this stew/soup. Salsas always make me think of summertime, sitting on the deck reading a book and snacking on salsa and chips.  Well, the deck is being used to stain wood right now, and my husband’s hands got really cold while he worked, so a warm meal was in order.  I had some chuck roast that I diced and sautéed with onions and peppers, before cooking the rest of the way in a beef broth and adding the rest of the ingredients.  This is a quick soup to make, and was on the table in about an hour. If you double the ingredients, you can freeze a batch for another meal.  I dolloped sour cream on top to mix in, which my son thought was great – and oh by the way dear daughter, we do not have any avocados in the fridge like you promised – those are limes!  I would have chopped up some avocados to place on top with the sour cream if I had some – I was assured that I did. Even without the avocados this was a fantastic stew(p). Summer and Winter all rolled up into one delicious tasting pot of good for you food.

GE DIGITAL CAMERA

Ingredients

  • 1 tbs Olive Oil
  • 1 onion – diced
  • 2 cloves garlic – diced
  • 1 1/2 lbs chuck roast – diced
  • 1 pint beef broth
  • 2 cups roasted corn (frozen)
  • hot peppers – seeded and diced
  • 1 jar salsa (use your favorite brand – I used homemade)
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 can of black bean drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • 1 lime
  • salt
  • pepper
  • sour cream

Directions:

Heat up oil, sauté onions, garlic and beef in bottom of deep pot – add in a little salt and pepper to the beef.  When the onions are soft, pour in beef broth.  Simmer until the beef is about ready, then add the other ingredients one by one.  Let the temp come up and add the next ingredient. Squeeze Lime into soup. Salt and Pepper to taste.  Add more than one pepper if you like it really spicy.  We like the slightly spicy taste, but we’re weak stomached wimps when it comes to really spicy. Dollop sour cream on top of your soup when serving.  If you have some avocado, dice it up and add it too.  We ate them with chips instead of crackers – and that’s my suggestion for you too, because it turned out so great.

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Upgrade Your Pizza

March 4, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Pizza

Pizza is a regular meal at our house for Fridays, but I don’t have time to make dough because I’m usually spending the day working.  Since you can’t throw a pizza in a crockpot and let it go, my favorite shortcut is to upgrade my pizza.  I get the fresh pizzas – not frozen, and then add ingredients to make it a little more scrumptious.  My husband likes grilled pineapple, I like onions, peppers and chicken.  I made two pizzas last Friday.  My husband and I were supposed to go out to dinner, but another snow squall and a daughter who needed to be met at a drop-off point made that impossible.  While my husband was on the road I put together two pizzas. The first I grilled chicken with peppers and onions.  Then I chopped up the chicken and spread it all out among the cheese.  The second pizza I cooked up some pancetta, grilled a little pineapple, then I caramelized onion in some pineapple juice.  That went on the second pizza.  Turns out my son likes the pineapple, and my daughter prefers the chicken with onions and peppers.  It was fun to relax around the table and enjoy each other’s company.  This week while my daughter is home on spring break we’ve been trying to make sure we sit down together every night.  I swear I won’t get empty nest when my son goes away to college next year, really I swear it won’t happen to me.

Pancetta Pineapple Pizza       Chicken, peppers & onion Pizza

 

Here’s a Wordless Wednesday picture of some scrumptious Homemade Pizza’s at Robyn’s World. Let us know in the comments – What’s your favorite way to UPGRADE your PIZZA?

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Roast Chicken

February 25, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Chicken

Life is unpredictable.  I’ve been busy and having a few health issues, which means Cookerati languished this last week, unfortunately.  I have some weird painful nerve things going on with my face, but I seem to be doing a little better on medication.  While at the same time, I snagged my brother in law, and talked him into working on my bedroom closet which meant clearing it out, and temporarily moving into my daughter’s bedroom.  She’s at college and knows that we’ve taken over.

This is a good comfort meal when you need to sit down for a family meal that anyone can prepare.  I do mean anyone.  I have a clay baker that I bake my chicken in, but you can use a roasting pan if you like.  I added some ginger and lemongrass to give it a zingy springy flavor along with garlic, cause I love garlic. I usually bake the chicken and about half way through throw the potatoes and spinach into the pan – use whatever fresh vegetables you like best.

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA           Ingredients:

  • 1 whole Chicken
  • Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 onion
  • ginger
  • lemon grass
  • thyme
  • sage
  • pepper
  • salt

Directions:

Lightly spread Olive Oil over the chicken.  Place garlic under the skin – all over.  Grate ginger and lemon grass and sprinkle that under the skin of the chicken, plus throw a little in the cavity along with some of the garlic.  Sprinkle the other herbs and spices along with salt and pepper on top.  Place the chicken into the roasting pan, or clay baker, slice an onion and place around the chicken.  Cover with foil and bake at 325. 

In a bowl, places chopped up veggies and sliced potatoes, sprinkle with some herbs, salt and pepper and toss.  Twenty minutes before the chicken is done – add the potatoes and veggies to the baker and recover.  You can uncover about ten minutes before the end if you want a crispy skin, but we don’t eat the skin, so we don’t do that part. The chicken needs to be 165 deg F, but I’ll take it up to 155, and then let it sit for about ten minutes.  It will rest and go up to about 165.  A meat thermometer is one of my best friends.  I don’t cut apart the chicken to test like my mom used to, just poke it with the meat thermometer.

 

This chicken is delicious, easy and oh so good.  My husband sits and picks the bones clean, there’s never enough left for another meal.

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Valentines Day Cocktails featuring Yazi Ginger Vodka and Pama Pomegranate Liqueur

February 14, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Cocktails, Valentines Day

I’ve never tried Yazi Ginger Vodka, but it sounds really interesting.

Yazi contains four different species of ginger, an ancient aphrodisiac, along with lemon, orange, cayenne and red pepper, giving it a distinctive (and seductive) taste.

For Valentine’s inspired cocktails to complement Valentine’s Day chocolates, Hood River Distillers suggests the following:

Warm Embrace

1 part Yazi Ginger Vodka

½ part coffee liqueur

1 part half & half

Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice, serve on the rocks and garnish with a cherry.

Cupid’s Kiss

1 part Yazi Ginger Vodka

½ part pineapple juice

½ part cranberry juice

Splash sweet & sour

Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice, serve on the rocks with a lemon garnish.

Yazi Amore

2 parts Yazi Ginger Vodka

½ part Amaretto Liqueur

Splash club soda

Mix the Yazi and amaretto in a cocktail shaker, serve up, top with a splash of club soda and garnish with a cherry.

Yazi is produced by Hood River Distillers and sells for approximately $30. For more information on Yazi and additional cocktail recipes, visit http://www.drinkyazi.com.

 

Pama Pomegranate Liqueur sent us some fun Valentines Cocktail ideas to share.  I love Pama, it’s sweet and delicious.  My husband likes to cut the sweetness with a little vodka and ice to make a great movie sipper.  Pama has great ideas for your romantic evening in front of the tube also. I think the bottle just says Valentines Day.

image DARCY’S LAW 
1 oz       Burnett’s Sweet Tea Vodka 
½ oz      PAMA Liqueur 
1 oz       Fresh Lemon Juice 
¼ oz      Simple Syrup

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a 10oz Pilsner glass filled with crushed ice. Top with chilled champagne and garnish with 7 pomegranate seeds. 
Inspiration: Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice  
An unlikely pair from the start, Elizabeth and Darcy’s love story is one that ends happily ever after. Elizabeth, a headstrong young who is more interested in nature than in dating, continually ignores her mother’s pleas to get married – she was determined to marry for true love or else be a spinster. However, in a life bound by etiquette and frivolity, she meets the proud, taciturn, and very wealthy Darcy. The two seem to disagree on just about everything, but an unlikely love blooms from their antagonism. In the end, Elizabeth yields her admiration of rocks and mountains to delight in the natural charms of Fitzwilliam Darcy.

 

image SECRET CHARM 
2
oz     Lunazul Reposado Tequila 
¾ oz    PAMA Liqueur 
1 oz     Chilled Hibiscus Tea 
½ oz    Fresh Lime Juice 
Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel studded with a pomegranate seed in the center. 
Inspiration: Noah and Allie from The Notebook 
Noah and Allie’s young love ill-fated from the very beginning.  Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun meet one evening at a carnival and instantly fell in love. However, despite their blossoming relationship, Allie’s parents disapproved of Noah’s un-wealthy family and moved Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets and gets engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. Allie, then, with her love for Noah still alive, stops by Noah’s 200-year-old home that he restored for her, "to see if he’s okay". It is evident that they still have feelings for each other, and Allie has to choose between her fiancé and her first love.

 

image WITHOUT A BREAK 
½ oz              PAMA Liqueur 
½ oz              Yellow Chartreuse 
1 ½ oz           Burnett’s Gin 
¾ oz              Fresh Lime Juice 
1 barspoon     Simple Syrup

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with 7 pomegranate seeds. 
Inspiration: Ross and Rachel from Friends 
Ross and Rachel were the ultimate TV couple. Their never on-again off-again relationship, captured their hearts and minds of the nation for nearly 10 years. From the moment Ross laid eyes on Rachel in high school, he knew she was the one for him. After endless obstacles Ross and Rachel began dating, until the infamous night, they “they were on a break.”  However, Ross and Rachel’s relationship was far from over – Ross said Rachel’s name at the alter when he was about to marry another woman, they accidentally got married in Vegas (a marriage that Ross conveniently forgot to annul), and several seasons later, Ross and Rachel had a baby together, who was conceived during a one night stand

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Fun Valentines Ideas!

February 13, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Chocolate, Valentines Day, Wine

I saw a commercial that showed a man in a grocery store picking out a Valentines card for his wife.  She passes by and asks what he’s doing, and he says – nothing.  Then they mention the store and say fast, cheap and easy.  Well, maybe fast, cheap and easy, but imaginative?  Thoughtful? Creative?  Depends on what you expect.  My husband does buy me flowers because I just love to see blooms on my kitchen table in the middle of winter.  I like to make my husband some Chocolate Covered Almonds.  They’re so delicious and he’s a lover of nuts, especially those. For my kids I make chocolate bars with fruit or nuts, or in fun shapes.  I have lots of ideas and most are quick and easy (though not as easy as running into the store to pick up a card) and they know that I do it because they’re worth the effort and that there’s love involved.

 

Host a Wine and Chocolate Tasting:

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

You can tell by my posts that I am a wine lover.  I still don’t know a lot about wine, other than I like what I like because it tastes good.  At one of our wine tastings we were getting ready to taste raspberry wine when the server gave us some dark chocolate chips and told us to take a sip and then eat the chips.  The combination was fantastic.  I have an online friend, who regularly snacks on a few chocolate chips with her wine (Andrea, you need a search for your site). Turning Leaf sent us suggestions for pairing chocolate with wine for Valentines Day.

Dark Chocolate, paired with Turning Leaf’s 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

   o  The richest of all the reds, this wine boasts notes of vanilla and brown that perfectly complement the bitterness in darker chocolates.

Milk Chocolate, paired with Turning Leaf’s 2008 Merlot

    o  The fruitier character in this Merlot brings out the natural, bright flavors in classic milk chocolate.

White Chocolate, paired with Turning Leaf’s 2008 Chardonnay

    o  A twist on the common red wine & chocolate pairing, the acidity level in drier whites, such as Chardonnay, cuts through the sweetness of white chocolate making for a more balanced bite.

I’ve tried these pairings and they’re terrific.  Instead of chips, I like to do squares, arranged on a platter or a plate.  You could place a separate glass for each person by each wine.  Then fill small plates with Chocolate squares, some nuts, maybe some fruit and pour a little wine into the glasses for the tasting.  This is great for a gathering of friends.  I really liked Turning Leaf’s 2008 Chardonnay paired with some Hazelnut Milk Chocolates. That was my favorite pairing.

Fondue:

Pairing the wine with chocolate fondue is great too.  Fondue is basically heavy cream and chocolate melted over a sterno – or it can be an electric fondue.  Add a little liqueur for flavoring.  Then use strawberries, pineapple, pound cake, apple slices, pretzels, etc for dipping.  Reserve some cream to thin the fondue as it thickens. Great with wine or for your wine tasting instead of squares. 

 

Make your own hearts:

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA           GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA           GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

I have Cookie cutters from Ann Clark.  They really are sturdy and sized nicely.  I’ve used my heart shaped cookie cutter to make iced birthday cookies for my mother in law, heart shaped pancakes for my daughter, and now heart shaped chocolates for my husband and son.  I melt the chocolate in the microwave and pour it into the heart mold on a flat pan . You can top with nuts, raisins, pieces of candy, then place it into the fridge to harden. It’s difficult to wait for it to be totally cool, but you have to do it.

 

Play a Game:

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

The most appropriate adult game (kid friendly house, no nudity involved) for Valentines Day is Wine Wars. It’s a trivia game for wine experts and lovers of wine information, but if you’re new to the wine world, or not an expert, you can still attempt the questions.  You’ll definitely learn as you go.  The game gets better with glasses of wine though, so be ready to sniff, swirl and sip (no spitting- we’re not wasting any of the good stuff).

The game comes with trivia cards, small boards to place little colored wine bottles into as you get an answer correct, a colored die and a wine map, all packed in a small box.  This is a very packable game if you are going to a cabin for the weekend or to have fun with friends.

The categories are:

Vino to Vino – Growing grapes, making wine, and world production.

Grapeosphere – Grape varieties, their wines, and their geography.

Wine Cellar – Selecting, storing and tasting wine.

Cork Culture – Wine people, business, arts and sciences, and trivia. 

 

I’m still a learner, not a geek – this is a cool way for me to do it and I’m definitely one of those sip and learn types.  We had fun guessing at the answers, and sometimes we even got it right.

 

 

In the interest of full disclosure  – I was sent some of the items for review, ie.  Wine Wars, Turning Leaf 2008 Chardonnay and Turning Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon, also the Ann Clark cookie cutters.  The chocolate, pancakes and cookie dough was all mine.  I was totally sober when writing this review  and the thoughts are all mine, though I did have to put down my wine glass in order to type with both hands.

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Crockpot Ribs in a Tomato Port Sauce

February 12, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Beef, Ribs

Snow days are a good day to haul out the Crockpot.  With all of the shoveling and running in and out of the house, starting a meal in the Crockpot makes sense. Today I couldn’t get online with my day job right away, which meant I might need to work later to make up time.  I had Beef Short Ribs that I bought the other day waiting, and a bottle of port wine too.  I wanted my ribs to be fall off the bone tender, which requires quite a while of cooking time for ribs. This sauce is barbecuey, with a little tiny bit of heat.  If you like more heat, chop up the hot peppers and throw them in. We grew these peppers over the summer and froze them for later use. I threw them into the Crockpot whole and pulled them out so that no one got a mouthful of hot pepper, that would not be good, but a little bit of heat is a nice thing. When I served the ribs, I pulled all the meat and the veggies out into a glass pan, then I used a gravy skimmer to try and get only the sauce and not the fat.  I poured the sauce over the ribs and discarded the grease before serving the ribs.  I also made barley, and we plated the ribs and sauce on the barley, so that the barley sopped up some of the really delicious sauce. Thumbs up from my husband and son – and me too, it was soooo good.

Crockpot Ribs in a Tomato Port sauce      Ingredients:

  • 3lbs short ribs
  • olive oil
  • flour
  • 1 1/2 cups port
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 onion
  • 2 hot peppers
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 7 oz diced tomatoes
  • rosemary
  • thyme
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions:

Trim the ribs of fat, if you can without the ribs falling apart, sprinkle with a little flour, salt and pepper on all sides. In a skillet, heat up olive oil and sear the ribs on each side. Place Onions, tomatoes and garlic on the bottom of the Crockpot. Put the ribs in the Crockpot.  Add Port to the skillet and reduce to about 1/2, pour in beef broth and tomato paste.  Stir together until blended and pour into crock pot.  Add hot peppers, herbs and a little more salt and pepper.  Let sit in Crockpot for 6 hours on med/high, and 8 –10 hours on low. 

When ribs are tender and falling off the bone, pull out of Crockpot and place in a serving dish.  Using a gravy separator, or gravy skimmer, remove some of the sauce  to pour over the ribs in the serving dish. 

I think next time I will keep about a fourth of the sauce set aside and use it to pour over instead of using the Crockpot sauce and dealing with separating out the grease.

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My Superbowl Pick – Steak Sandwiches and Parslied Potatoes

February 8, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Beef, Potatoes

I’ve been posting lots of superbowl recipes lately, but dinner tonight is my pick for a nice easy to eat sit in front of the tube dinner. (We never actually do that at home – just so you know.) My son was going out, so I just wanted something quick and easy that we could munch down on.  Weird little tidbit – when my son is gone, my husband and I usually fill only one plate with food and share instead of separate plates.  Hey – at least he’s not eating out of the pot, like he would if I weren’t around. I made a steak sandwich and parslied potatoes that were so filling, and delicious.  Some of the potatoes are put away for tomorrows breakfast, because it was too much food.  I added some Redwood Creek Cabernet Sauvignon to the steak bits, and some beef broth, to make a nice sauce for the beef.  I bought french bread from the grocery store that needed to be toasted and didn’t slice it open, but baked it closed, so that the soft insides would sop up any juices. The steak was round steak cut into four smaller steaks. If you have time to give it a quick roll or pound, for the tougher cuts, that would be good. We used only one for us, which was way more than enough.  If you are having people over, a few of these used to fill up a whole french bread and sliced into people sized bites would be great.  This meal came together so fast, that I was done before my husband arrived back home from dropping my son off at his friend’s house.  BTW – still plenty of time to hit the store! ;)

 

SteakGEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA           Sandwiches (with red wine sauce)

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 steak – about 1/4 lb
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1 large green pepper
  • 1 clove garlic
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Redwood Creek Cabernet Sauvignon ( or other red wine)
  • beef broth

Directions:

Heat olive oil in pan.  Slice Onion, garlic and green pepper into thin strips and place in heated oil.  Sprinkle olive oil on both sides of steak, along with some pepper and salt. Lay the steak down in the pan of oil (move the onion and peppers to the sides of the pan) and cook on both sides.  When steak is almost done, using tongs, pull the steak, peppers and onions out onto a plate.  Pour about a 1/4 of wine into the pan and scrap the tasty bits up on the bottom. Reduce the wine about a third, then pour in about a fourth of a cup of beef broth. After this is heated, I put the beef, peppers and onions back in the pan to sop up the sauce a little.  Then place it all into the toasted french bread. I didn’t think it needed any cheese, but if you have a nice cheese, go ahead and throw it on. 

Updated to add: After the beef rests, slice it thinly then add it with the peppers and onions back in the pan briefly to sop up the sauce.  Thanks Gail.

 

Parslied Potatoes

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 large Potatoes – peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
  • butter
  • parsley
  • salt
  • pepper

Place potatoes in pot of water with a little salt and boil until almost ready, but still a little firm.  In a cold pan, place 1/4 stick of cold butter – sliced. Melt butter, add parsley, salt and pepper.  Drain potatoes, put back in pot to steam out any excess water.  Toss into pan with butter.  That’s it. 

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Farfalle with Spinach and Tomatoes & a Little Pinot Grigio

February 6, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Pasta

Along with the Grilled Rosemary Shrimp last night, we had Farfalle with Spinach and Tomato.  This wasn’t spinach from my garden, but it was organic fresh spinach from the fresh vegetable section of the grocery store.  I used about 8 to 10 handfuls; it’s amazing how little you end up after it wilts down.  The tomatoes were Hunt’s petite diced tomatoes with perfectly sized pieces.  My husband doesn’t care for shrimp, so he went vegetarian and just ate this pasta dish.  I splashed on some Pinot Grigio at the end, which gave it a nice burst of flavor.  I think this is one of my best tasting efforts and so easy to make.

Farfalle with Spinach and Tomatoes        Ingredients:

8 oz. Farfalle pasta

1 shallot sliced thin

3 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

8 –10 handfuls of spinach rinsed and drained

7 oz tomatoes drained (about half the can)

Salt

Pepper

Parsley

Basil

1/2 cup Redwood Creek Pinot Grigio

Crumbled Feta

Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Cook Farfalle according to box directions, drain.  In a large skillet, heat up olive oil, then sauté shallot and garlic.  When they are almost to caramelized stage, throw in spinach and wilt.  Add tomatoes and stir.  Toss farfalle in with the spinach and tomatoes and toss, cooking out most of the liquid (a couple of minutes at most).  Throw in herbs, salt and pepper, splash with wine and toss again until warmed up.  Sprinkle with feta, toss and grate parmesan over top.  Makes about 4 servings.

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Rosemary Grilled Shrimp with Redwood Creek Pinot Grigio

February 5, 2010 by Diana  
Filed under Shrimp

A lot of Superbowl recipes involve finger food, and is consumed with beer.  Here is a recipe for a Superbowl dinner that includes wine.  This recipes is also for the grillers looking for an excuse to get out there on this cold, wet snowy weekend.  I made the Rosemary Grilled Shrimp, but I used my grill pan instead of the grill.  I also made a much smaller amount for our dinner and served it with pasta.  1 1/2 lbs of jumbo shrimp on skewers is more than enough for four people even maybe 6 to 8 people, unless that’s all you will eat.  I used some dried rosemary as well as some from the pot in my dining room, and used skewers instead of rosemary branches.  My sister in law has a lovely big rosemary plant that she could use to make grill skewers out of. I would say though, that this would make a great Valentines dinner also, and is so simple even my husband could do it – if he ate shrimp.  He went vegetarian tonight, and just had the pasta(Farfalle with Spinach and Tomatoes).  I had Redwood Creek Pinot Grigio, which was a nice white wine, a little sweet and fruity.  I used Redwood Creek’s Pinot Grigio with both the shrimp and the pasta dish.  I found that the wine gave it just the perfect finish to the flavor. 

 Redwood Creek Wine shrimp

Rosemary Grilled Shrimp with Sauvignon Blanc (courtesy of Chef Steven Raichlen) GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

Ingredients:
1 bunch rosemary (branches should be stiff)
1-1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground or cracked black peppercorns
Hot pepper flakes (optional)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup Redwood Creek Sauvignon Blanc or other white wine in a spray bottle
Grill shield or sheet of aluminum foil folded in thirds like a business letter.

Preparation:
Strip the leaves off the bottom half to two-thirds of the rosemary sprigs and finely chop.  You’ll need about 1/4 cup.   

Skewer the shrimp on the rosemary skewers (or use classic bamboo skewers) so that it passes through both the head and tail of each shrimp. Align the shrimp so all face the same way—this looks more professional.  Place the shrimp in a baking dish.

Lightly brush each shrimp kebab on each side with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes (if using), chopped garlic and chopped rosemary.  Let marinate in the refrigerator while you set up your grill and preheat to high.  Brush and oil the grill grate.

Arrange the kebabs on the grill and grill until the shrimp is handsomely browned and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side.  Spray the shrimp with wine as they grill  (Set the nozzle so the wine comes out in a mist).  If the exposed parts of the rosemary start to burn, slide the grill shield or foil under them.   

Serve immediately.  Serves 4.

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