Arroz con camarones (Costa Rican paella)

This is a classic South American dish, called different names in different countries.

2 lbs raw shrimp, deveined
2 tsp cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs canola or sunflower oil
2 cups uncooked rice (I used valencia rice)
3 tbs butter/ oil
1 red onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, diced
3 tbs parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
½ cup of white wine
Salt and pepper

Marinate the shrimp with salt, pepper, 1 tsp of cumin, let it marinate for an hour.
Bring 3-4 cups of water to boil in a large pot, add the shrimp and boil for about 2 minutes. Do not overcook or the shrimp will be chewy. Remove the shrimp from the water and reserve the water they cooked in to prepare the rice.

Chop up 1/2 the shrimp into small pieces and leave the other 1/2 whole.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or pot, add the minced garlic, cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, parsley, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tsp of cumin. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add the white wine to the vegetable mix and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the onions and peppers are tender. At this point, add the rice to the garlic and vegetable mix, and mix well until the rice is coated with oil. Add double the cups of water as compared to the rice. Use the water that was used to boil the shrimp. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and allow rice to cook slowly, monitoring for water and adding a little as needed. When the rice is about 1/2 cooked, add the chopped shrimp to the cooking rice mix. Once done, add the remaining shrimp during the last minutes and mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.Sprinkle with chopped parsley and garnish with shrimp with tails on.

Serve with avocado slices, tomato and onion salad, lime slices.

Kale and andouille soup

V made this tasty, wholesome, winter soup with help from James Peterson and his own sense of what might work, using leftover kale and andouille sausage. Made me proud :)

Serves 4

1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed but left more or less whole
4 andouille sausages, defrosted if frozen and cut into 1/2 inch thick discs
1 medium sized bunch of curly kale leaves torn into bite sized bits
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup of partially cooked rice
4 cups of chicken stock
Juice of half a lime

1. Heat about a 2-3 tbsps of olive oil in a soup pot. Cook andouille sausages until they are lightly browned but not necessarily fully cooked. Remove and reserve.
2. Now, add onions and lightly brown them. Add garlic and cook until you can smell the garlic.
3. Add the partially cooked rice and stir it around to mix well. Season with salt, pepper and thyme.
4. Pour in stock along with Kale and sausages. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and let cook for another 10 mins until the rice and kale is completely cooked through.
5. Combine flour with a couple of tbsps of hot soup in a cup to make a paste. Add this paste back into the soup. Let simmer for a minute.
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Adjust for salt and pepper if necessary.
7. Serve with warm french bread.

Kale Rice

I love this recipe because its simple, very yummy, and I have a recipe where I know what to do with kale!!

Ingredients:
1/2 bunch kale, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped
1 cup rice, cooked and cooled
2 tomatoes, chopped
cumin seeds, 1 tsp
mustard seeds, 1/2tsp
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 curry leaves
juice of 1/2 a lime
olive oil

In a wok, heat oil and add cumin and mustard seeds. When they splutter add the curry leaves. After a minute, add the onions and fry till they become soft and golden. Add garlic mince and fry for 2-3 minutes. Next, add tomatoes, coriander and chilli powders and fry on medium heat for 5-7 minutes til the tomatoes turn soft and the masala begins to glisten. Add chopped kale, mix well with the onion mixture and cook with a closed lid for 7-8 minutes. When cooked, add the cooked rice. Mix well, add salt and lime juice.

Enjoy with yogurt!

Shrimp Fried Rice

This is a really easy recipe to make with fridge leftovers. One important tip to make perfect fried rice: use day-old rice which has been stored in the fridge.
Ingredients:
2 cups white rice (stored in the fridge for a day)
20-25 shrimp cleaned and deveined (i used frozen shrimp)
3-4 spring onions, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup peas (i used frozen peas)
2 pods of garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 tsp soy sauce
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
oil

In a bowl, combine the shrimp, salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. In a small pan, add 1tsp oil and when it is hot, add the shrimp. Let the shrimp turn golden-brown on both sides (takes about 30s each side). Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add two eggs and scramble. Set aside.

In a wok, add 2-3 tbsp oil and heat on a high flame. Add minced garlic and green onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes and then add peas and bell pepper (you can add any other vegetables, like carrots, green beans). Let these cook for 3-4 minutes. When veges looked partially cooked, add the sauteed shrimp. Add white rice and mix with the vegetables. Add the soy sauce. Stir-fry on high heat for 5 minutes. Lastly, add the scrambled eggs.

Savor the fried rice fresh off the stove!