Every year at the holidays we go into an area kitchen and talk about food. Simple food. If you recall, last year we did linguini and clams at The Mansion on Forsyth Park, and a few other nibbles. This year we visited with my friend Darin Sehnert at Chef Darins Kitchen Table. We were going to make a ton of food. Frankly, more food than we had time for on television, but I decided against that. I opted to keep it simple this year to give us time to talk a little bit about what we were doing. We still ran heavy on time. That’s life in TV I suppose. Maybe next year we will keep the jokes to a minimum. Then again, maybe not. Here are the two recipes we prepared beginning with my Gambas al Ajillo. (Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp)
- 20 cloves garlic (yeah, it’s a lot)
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, shells reserved (I used 31-40 on TV. That worked fine, don’t be afraid to go a little bigger).
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leave
Finely mince 8 garlic cloves and place in large bowl. Smash 4 cloves under the flat side of a knife and place in a large skillet. Thinly slice remaining fgarlic cloves and set aside.
Add shrimp to bowl with minced garlic. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and baking soda. Toss to combine thoroughly and set aside at room temperature. You can do this an hour or so in advance.
Add shrimp shells to skillet with smashed garlic and add remaining olive oil and pepper flakes. Set over medium-low to low heat and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until shells are deep ruby red, garlic is pale golden brown, and oil is intensely aromatic, about 10 minutes. Oil should be gently bubbling the whole time. When ready, strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, tossing and pressing the shrimp shells to extract as much oil as possible. Discard shells and garlic
Return flavored oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. This is where I’d say go with HIGH heat and cook them quickly, but I’d only recommend it if you are experienced with heat on your stove. You don’t want the garlic to burn. You certainly don’t want your shrimp to overcook. If you go with high, don’t multi-task. Pay attention to this pan. Add sliced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until pale golden brown, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook, tossing and stirring constantly until shrimp are barely cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add sherry vinegar and parsley and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt. Serve
Chef Darin’s Red Rice Stuffed Mushrooms
24 large mushrooms, stems removed
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 cups prepared Savannah red rice, cooled
Grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the mushroom caps in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat with oil and seasonings. Place mushrooms stem-side up on a parchment-lined baking pan. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes to cook out excess moisture. Remove from oven and turn over to drain off excess juices. Cool until ready to stuff. Reserve the baking sheet for re-use.
Beat the eggs in a 2 or 3 quart mixing bowl. Add the cooled Savannah red rice and mix well. Pack the rice into the stem cavities of the mushrooms and return to the parchment-lined pan. Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan cheese. Bake mushrooms for about 8-10 minutes, or until heated through.
Savannah Red Rice
Yield: 8-10 servings
¼ lb. pork breakfast sausage
1 medium onion, diced ¼”
1 medium green bell pepper, diced ¼”
1 stalk celery, diced 1/4”
1 teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon, dried thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups long grain rice
¼ cup tomato paste
1 ½ cups chicken or beef broth
1 ½ cups V-8 Juice
1 bay leaf
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 convection).
Preheat a 3 quart saucepan or braising pan over medium-high heat. When the heat can be felt radiating from the bottom of the pan when your hand is held about 6-inches above, the pan is ready to use. Crumble the pork sausage into the pre-heated pan and cook until the sausage is cooked through and crumbled. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a dish on the side, reserving the grease in the pan. If there isn’t enough fat to lightly cover the bottom of the pan, add a little olive or vegetable oil. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, celery, celery salt, kosher salt, black pepper, and thyme to the pan. Stir to coat the vegetables with the oil and distribute evenly across the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring periodically until the onions start to become slightly translucent, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove cooked on bits.
When the vegetables are softened, add the minced garlic and the rice. Cook, stirring periodically until the rice begins to turn opaque. Add the tomato paste and mash into the rice and vegetable mixture. Add the chicken or beef broth, scraping any cooked on bits off the bottom of the pan as it is added. Add the V-8 Juice, bay leaf, and reserved cooked sausage. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. When rice mixture comes to a simmer, place the covered pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and fluff up with a fork before serving.
