Pumpkin-Peanut Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Seared Scallops and Shrimp

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 pound spaghetti
* Salt
* 5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
* 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated
* 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
* 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
* 2 rounded tablespoonfuls mild or hot curry paste (recommended:
Patak's) found on international foods aisle
* 3 tablespoons five-spice powder
* 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 12 diver scallops, trimmed and patted dry
* 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, then thinly sliced
lengthwise into matchsticks

Directions

Heat a large pot of water for noodles. When water boils, salt it and
add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.

While pasta cooks, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2
tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil. Add garlic, ginger, red bell
pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of
minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it. Whisk soy into peanut
butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry paste. The sauce will be very
thick. Turn down the heat to low. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking
water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat. Adjust salt, to
taste.

Heat a small to medium skillet over high heat. Pour the five-spice
powder onto a plate with some salt. Press both sides of the shrimp and
scallops into the powder. Add 3 tablespoons of remaining oil to hot
skillet. Place the shrimp in the pan and cook 1 minute, flip and sear
the other side until just opaque. Remove shrimp to a plate and set
aside. Add another 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat back
up to smoking. Add the scallops and sear on both sides until opaque.
Remove scallops and add to the plate of shrimp.

Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Add the curry-pumpkin sauce
and toss thoroughly. Serve noodles on 4 plated and top with scallions
and seafood.

Thai Shrimp Curry with Chopped Lettuce and Basil-Lime Couscous

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons vegetable or other light oil, eyeball it
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed
6 ounces, about 1/3 pound, shitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1-inch ginger root, peeled and grated or finely chopped
4 scallions, chopped into 1-inch pieces, whites and greens
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons mild or hot red curry paste
2 roasted red peppers, sliced
1 cup "light" or unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce, 1/2 small head
1/2 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

Heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. Add
shrimp and toss 2 minutes then add the mushrooms, garlic, ginger,
scallions, salt and pepper and cook 3 to 4 minutes more tossing
constantly. Stir in curry paste, roasted red pepper and coconut milk
and reduce heat to low. Simmer a few minutes then stir in peas to heat
through.

In a sauce pot bring chicken stock, butter and the lime zest to a
boil. Add couscous and stir. Turn off heat, cover pot and let stand.
Add basil and the lime juice to the pot and fluff with a fork.

Serve couscous topped with a layer of chopped lettuce then a few
ladles of red curry shrimp. Garnish with chopped peanuts.

Grilled Shrimp and Chorizo Skewers with Piquillo Gazpacho

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

16 extra large, 6 to 8 count, peeled and deveined shrimp
Coarse salt
1 lemon, zested and 1/2 lemon, juiced
Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling
1 package (3/4-pound) chorizo cut into 16 thick slices on an angle
(recommended: Gaspar's)
1 generous handful flat-leaf parsley
1 generous handful cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, cracked from skin
1 jar piquillo, Spanish roasted peppers - available in most markets,
roasted red peppers may be substituted, about 1 cup packed, drained
1 can (28-ounces) fire-roasted tomatoes, diced or crushed
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled, chopped
2 ribs celery from heart, chopped
2 thick slices crusty bread, chopped
1 tablespoons hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) for medium to spicy
heat level, adjust to your own taste

Preheat grill or grill pan over medium high heat.

Place shrimp in shallow dish and season with salt, lemon juice and a
liberal drizzle on extra-virgin olive oil, just enough to coat the
shrimp. Skewer 4 shrimp alternating with 4 slices of chorizo on each
skewer.

Place 2 tablespoons, a palm full, of parsley on the cutting board with
the lemon zest. Add 1/2 palm full of cilantro leaves to the pile as
well as 1 clove of garlic. Finely chop this mixture and reserve for
sprinkling over shrimp and gazpacho.

Place remaining herbs and garlic in the food processor or a large
blender with peppers, tomatoes, chopped vegetables, bread and hot
sauce and process until smooth.

Grill shrimp and chorizo 3 to 4 minutes on each side until shrimp is
firm and opaque. Serve small bowls of gazpacho with shrimp skewers
resting across the top of the bowls for dipping and dunking. Garnish
with reserved parsley, cilantro and garlic mixture.

Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 inches ginger root, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks or grated
1/2 pound shitake mushroom caps, sliced, a couple of cups
1 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces, then cut sticks
lengthwise
Salt and pepper
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup seafood stock, available on soup aisle or, 1 cup clam juice
1 1/2 pounds medium peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 pound vermicelli (thin spaghetti)
4 scallions, cut into 3 inch pieces, then shredded lengthwise into thin sticks

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, 3
turns of the pan, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger,
mushrooms, and bok choy, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken
broth and seafood stock or clam juice. Put a lid on the pot and bring
soup to a boil.

Add shrimp and noodles and cook 3 minutes. Add in scallions and cook 2
minutes, then turn off soup and let it sit 2 to 3 minutes more. Adjust
salt and serve.

Cioppino: A Fine Kettle of Fish

1/4 cup (3 turns around the pan in a slow stream) extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 to 3 flat fillets of anchovies, drained
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup good quality dry white wine
1 (14-ounce) container chicken stock
1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed (about 1 tablespoon)
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 pounds cod, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
8 large shrimp, ask for deveined easy-peel or peel and devein
8 sea scallops
16 to 20 raw mussels, scrubbed
A loaf of fresh, crusty bread, for mopping

In a large pot over moderate heat combine oil, crushed pepper,
anchovies, garlic, and bay. Let anchovies melt into oil. The anchovies
act as a natural salt, the pepper flakes will infuse the oil,
providing heat.

Chop celery and onion near stove and add to the pot as you work. Saute
vegetables for a few minutes to begin to soften and add wine to the
pot. Reduce wine a minute, then add chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme,
and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to medium low.

Season fish chunks with salt and pepper. Add fish and simmer 5
minutes, giving the pot a shake now and then. Do not stir your soup
with a spoon after the addition of fish or you will break it up. Add
shrimp, scallops, and mussels and cover pot. Cook 10 minutes, giving
the pot a good shake now and again.

Remove the lid and discard any mussels that do not open. Carefully
ladle stew into shallow bowls and pass bread at the table.