Sunday Recipe. . .
Hello class.
A short dissertation on shrimp stock.
Shrimp stock is a very simple, quick and flavorful addition to your kitchen repertoire and can be used in a wide variety of preparations like soups, bisques, ragouts, and sauces. Shrimp stock is by far one of the easiest to prepare and generally speaking, should yield a flavorful result in about an hour.
Simply take the shrimp shells, heads also if you have them, place them in a pot with mirepoix, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns and a litle white wine. Cover with water and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, skim occasionally. Cook for 30 minutes, then strain out the shells, reduce further if necessary until the stock develops nice body and flavor. Viola! You're done.
There are other methods of using shrimp shells to create a flavorful base for soups. For instance, you might want to saute the shells in olive oil and caramelize the mirepoix with the shells adding some tomato paste to create a rich favorful base as is done when making bisque. Or you can place the shells and a couple of cups of white wine in a pot, cover and "steam" the shells to release the shrimp essence, then proceed with the shrimp stock recipe. The techniques are variable and with some experimentation you'll be creating luscious and divine culinary delights in no time.
Shrimp and Swiss Chard Soup
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 strips of bacon, sliced thinly
6 cups swiss chard, roughly chopped
1 large onion, medium dice
1 green bell pepper, medium dice
2 ribs celery, medium dice
2 carrots, bias slice
2 leeks, sliced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 Tbsp. red curry
1 Tbsp. hungarian paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Jamaican allspice
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground oregano
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. tarragon and thyme, minced
olive oil, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste
Below are all of the ingredients prepared ahead of time. This is called "mise en place", which is French for "everything in place". In restaurant terms, this is what a cook does before service, all the slicing, dicing, cutting and chopping, fabricating, peeling, blanching and simmering. In other words, when the proverbial tuna fish is hitting the fan at 7:30 you don't want to be peeling carrots, now do you? So, be happy and get your "mice in place."
Begin by sauteing the bacon until it is crispy brown and has rendered off most of the fat. Remove the bacon and reserve for nibbling. Saute over medium heat the onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper and leeks in the bacon fat. Add olive oil as needed. After 6 to 8 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Then add the chard.
Once the chard has lost it's bulk, as it will quickly, add the spices, herbs, white wine and tomato. Let this cook for a few minutes for the alcohol to cook away and then add the shrimp stock. This mixture should cook for about 15 minutes to give the chard a head start before we add the shrimp.
After the 15 minutes, add the shrimp and bacon (if there is any left) and cook for 15 to 20 more minutes. Skimming as you see below to remove that beautiful funk which is coagulated proteins. Sounds yummy!
Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper and serve over brown rice for a delicious and healthy meal.
I apologize for not having a photograph of the plated soup, but you see that bottle of Pinot Grigio up there? Well, what can I say. I'm a sucker for Italian stuff. I'll try to make a presentation photo when I get home this evening.
Some other notes about this soup:
I actually used twice the amount of red curry powder listed in the recipe and would have used more if this soup wasn't going to be eaten by people who frown upon heat. Also, had I any coconut milk and ginger we could have taken this soup in a completely different direction. Cilantro too would have been a nice touch with a splash of soy sauce.
Tell me what you think in the comment section below. I'd like to hear your ideas too!
