I guess by late February we’re pretty sick of traditional winter comfort food, because we are on quite the Asian kick right now. Zippy, spicy, garlicky, gingery, cilantro-y ““ all good!
This cover recipe from Food & Wine instantly appealed to me, and one day last week, I thought it might be fun and easy to make with the cute little baby shrimp that gets sent gratis when we order our giant Toros from Texas Longhorn Shrimp. They’re too small to grill, so I threw them in for a quick sautè and they were fine, but we made it again last night with the real deal and it was even better with those grilled babies!
I couldn’t find agave syrup at my local supermarket, and didn’t feel like going to Whole Foods, so I substituted honey, and I actually increased the amount, since I’m guessing it’s not quite as sweet as agave. The dish is exceedingly tasty and simple ““ unless you’re making it for the Mighty Reiser Boys. Then, the peeling, slicing and chopping literally becomes a part-time job. Ever peel and chop 18 cloves of garlic? Followed by thinly slicing 6 shallots and separating them into rings? Ai-ai-ai!
It was well worth it, though, and happily, there’s even some left for lunch. If you decide to give this a whirl, just make sure you squeeze a little lime juice over the dish at the end ““ the tangy hit adds a hint of brightness and reminded me that spring is around the corner (I hope!).
Source: Food & Wine, March 2010
Chefs: Andrea, David and Zack
Active time: 1 hr Inactive time: n/a Potchke factor: 1.5