ARTICHOKES STUFFED WITH SHRIMPS

ARTICHOKES STUFFED WITH SHRIMPS

PORTIONS: 2

INGREDIENTS

2 artichokes

6 oz. / 170g. small shrimps, cooked, peeled and deveined

8 medium size shrimps, cooked, peeled, deveined

8 olives

1/3 cup onions, diced

1/3 cup celery, diced

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper to your own taste

ARTICHOKES VINAIGRETTE DIPPING

1/2 cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ tsp. salt

1/8 ground black pepper

LEMON DRESSING

6 tbsp. olive oil

6 tbsp. lemon juice

Salt and pepper to your taste.

Blend the ingredients and serve, in individual bowls as dressing and dipping for the artichokes leaves.

METHOD

In a bowl mix the small shrimps with onions, celery, mayonnaise, cilantro, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until you need to use them.

Make the dip beating in a bowl olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Divide it in 2 individual bowls.

COOKING AND PREPARING THE ARTICHOKES

Cut off the artichoke stems. Some artichokes, the tip of the leaves are round and others end up in sharp point, in this case, cut the end of the leaves with a scissor. Pry open the center of the artichokes leaves without breaking them and rinse with cold water.

Using a large pot fill it with water, add 2 teaspoons salt and boil it. Place the artichokes in the pot and put a plate on top to sink the artichokes. Lower the flame and cook the artichokes until you are able to pull a leave and come out without difficulty. Remove the artichokes off the water and let them cool off.

Remove the center leaves and set aside. With a teaspoon remove the fuzzy choke (hairy).

Stuff the artichokes with the shrimp salad.

Prepare a salad with lettuces, tomato wedges, sliced cucumbers and olives. Season it to your own taste or lemon dressing and place the lettuces on the plate center. Place the artichoke on top and medium shrimps between the leaves and arrange around, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and the artichoke leaves that were set aside.

Serve it with artichoke vinaigrette dipping sauce at the side.

TUNA FISH SALAD WITH MUSHROOM POLENTA

TUNA FISH SALAD WITH MUSHROOM POLENTA

PORTIONS: 4

INGREDIENTS FOR TUNA SALAD

8 oz. / 227 g tuna (2 cans drained)

1/3 cup chopped red onions

¼ cup red peppers, diced

1 tbsp. thinly sliced scallions

1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

½ cup green cooked peas

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

½ tsp. salt to your taste

1/8 tsp. ground pepper

2 avocados cut in wedges

METHOD

In a bowl mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until is time to use it.

INGREDIENTS FOR MUSHROOM POLENTA

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. soft butter

¼ cup red onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup red peppers, diced

5 oz. / 140 g bottom mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp. fresh oregano leaves, chopped

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth or water with 1 chicken bouillon, without monosodium glutamate

1 tsp. salt

1 cup fine yellow corn meal. (polenta)

¼ cup grated parmesan, pecorino or romano cheese

METHOD

Heat up a pot with the oil and melt half the butter at moderate temperature.

Sauté, garlic, onions and pepper together.

Add and cook the mushrooms.

Incorporate the herbs, milk, chicken broth, salt rest of the butter and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce the heat.

Add and bit in the corn meal, making sure there is no lumps in it. Keep cooking it slowly for about 5 minutes.

Mix in the grated cheese.

Brush some olive oil in round ceramic dishes and fill it with the mix. Let it cool off.

Once the polenta is firm pull it out and grill it.

TOMATOES AND CALAMATA OLIVES

1 large plum tomato

¼ cup diced onions

1 tbsp. thinly sliced scallions

½ tbsp. chopped parsley

7 pitted calamata olives, thinly sliced

½ tbsp. balsamic vinegar

½ tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Assemble the dish placing the tuna fish salad at the center of plate and the polenta, avocado and relish around it.

MUSHROOMS STUFFED WITH CRAB CLAWS MEAT

MUSHROOMS STUFFED WITH CRAB CLAWS MEAT

PORTIONS: 3

INGREDIENTS

9 large white mushrooms

2 tbsp. lemon juice

½ lb. / 227 g crab claws meat

3 tbsp. soft butter

¾ cup onions, diced

1 garlic clove minced

¼ cup green peppers, diced

1/3 cup red peppers diced

1½ tbsp. chopped parsley

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

¾ cup milk

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. Panko bread crumbs

Olive oil spray

METHOD

Remove the mushrooms stems and save for a soup or rice.

Wash de mushrooms and dry with paper towel.

Brush with lemon juice the mushrooms caps.

At moderate flame, melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the garlic and onion until transparent. 

Add and cook peppers for 1 minute.

Stir in the flour and cook until is lightly brown.

Incorporate the milk and mix well. Let it cook and mix for about 5 minutes making sure it does not burn.

Add crab meat, parsley, pepper and salt mixing well.

Set the oven in slow broiler and heat it.

Stuff the mushrooms caps with the crab meat mix and sprinkle top with bread crumbs. Spray the caps tops with olive oil.

Place the mushrooms in baking tray and broil them for about 14 minutes. Top of the mushrooms should be lightly brown and caps soft.

BROCCOLI WITH SLIVERED ALMONDS AND GARLIC

PORTIONS: 3

INGREDIENTS

12 oz. / 338 g. broccoli florets

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

2 garlic cloves chopped

1/3 cup slivered almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Boil some water in a pot with 2 tsp. salt and cook the broccoli florets al dente. Meanwhile at moderate flame heat up a pan with the olive oil and melt butter.

Add garlic, slivered almonds and lightly brown it.

Drain the broccoli florets and mix with the browned garlic and almonds,

Season it with salt and pepper.

Serve the broccoli with the mushrooms caps.

GRILLED SIRLOIN STEAK WITH GARLIC AND PARSLEY ECUATORIAN SHRIMPS

PORTIONS: 2

INGREDIENTS

2 thick steaks

1 lb. large Ecuadorian shrimps. Shell removed and deveined

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. minced garlic.

1 tbsp. chopped parsley.

Salt and pepper to your own taste.

INSTRUCTIONS

Leave the steaks at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.

Heat up the grill or top stove griddle and clean it with a bit of oil or the steak`s fat.

Dry the steaks with paper towel. If the steaks have blood they will not roast well.

Mark and cook steaks the way you like it. Season it with salt while you turn the steaks.

In the meantime, heat up a frying pan with the olive oil and lightly cook the garlic until just start to brown. Add the butter, shrimps, salt, pepper and parsley. Cook shrimps until its color is pink. Overcooked shrimps are rubbery.

Serve the shrimps with the steaks and pour some of the sauce on the shrimps and over the steaks.

Serve with red Jazmin rice, broccoli and baby carrots.

BEER BATTER SHRIMPS AND MANGO SALAD

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS
20 Shrimps. Peeled and deveined
Beer batter
Homemade tartar sauce
Salad
Lemon dressing

HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tbsp. chopped scallions
1 tbsp. chopped capers
1 tbsp. chopped olives
Just mix all ingredients together

SALAD
4 cups Romaine lettuces cut in pieces
1 mango
½ cup sliced red onions

1 tomato diced

LEMON DRESSING
1/4 cup lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
Mix well all the ingredients
Mix salad with the lemon dressing at your taste.

BEER BATTER INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ bottle very cold beer.
¾ tsp. salt
Ground black pepper to taste.

METHOD
Make the batter just a few minutes before you fry the shrimps.
Make sure the beer is very cold. The colder, the better.
In a bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Stir in the beer making the batter.

Season the shrimps with a bit of salt. Sprinkle some flour to the shrimps and mix well. Deep in the batter and fry them until golden brown.

SERVING

Place salad in serving platter. Put in center a little bowl with tartar sauce and shrimps around it.

STUFFED ARTICHOKES WITH SHRIMPS

PORTIONS: 3

INGREDIENTS

3 artichokes

1½ cups cooked baby shrimps, peeled and deveined

¼ cup sweet Vidalia onions, diced

¼ red bell pepper, diced or cut in Julianne

3 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. olive oil

½ tsp. salt or to your taste

Ground pepper to your taste

1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

¼ iceberg lettuces cut in strips

3 hardboiled eggs cut in half

3 sliced plum tomatoes

9 black olives

METHOD

Measure, cook and cut ingredients for the recipe.

Cook artichokes in boiling water until soft. When pulling a leave, it should come out easy.

Open a bit the artichoke leaves and remove the center. With a teaspoon remove the hair at the bottom.

Blend the lemon juice with olive oil and salt. In a bowl mix the dressing with the shrimps, red pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff the center of the artichokes with the shrimp salad.

Serve the artichokes with the iceberg lettuces, sliced tomatoes, hardboiled eggs and black olives.

LEMON DRESSING

6 tbsp. lemon juice

4 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to your taste.

Blend the ingredients and serve, in an individual bowls, as dressing and dipping for the artichokes leaves.

Cook artichokes in boiling water until soft. When pulling a leave, it should come out easy.

Open a bit the artichoke leaves and remove the center. With a teaspoon remove the hair at the bottom.

Blend the lemon juice with olive oil and salt. In a bowl mix the dressing with the shrimps, red pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff the center of the artichokes with the shrimp salad.

Serve the artichokes with the iceberg lettuces, sliced tomatoes, hardboiled eggs and black olives.

LEMON DRESSING

6 tbsp. lemon juice

4 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to your taste.

Blend the ingredients and serve, in individual bowls as dressing and dipping for the artichokes leaves.