Up until recently, I envisioned rabbit as something that would be served during the Autumn or Winter months.  However, with the crazy weather we have been having here in Minnesota, where one day it’s 80 degrees and the next day it’s 40, it seems that May is a good time to cook and serve rabbit as well; at least this year.

I am also very fortunate that the same friends that provide Bret’s Table with copious numbers of fresh, organic, free-range eggs are slso the ones that raise delicious rabbits. And no, we are not talking about Fluffy or Bugs though occasionally, some people say that I laugh like Elmer Fudd.  Anyway, enough with the innuendos, get your hands on my rabbit and enjoy this Provençal inspired recipe.

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Notes for greater success:

Although rabbit is frequently compared to chicken in terms of cooking methods and times, be careful not to overcook it. Unlike chicken, perfectly cooked rabbit meat should still be slightly pink near the bone.

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Dijon mustard
2 cups bread crumbs from day old French baguette
2 (2 ½  to 3-pound) fryer rabbits, cut into 8 serving pieces each, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups French Chablis or other dry white wine, more as needed
2 cups pearl onions (frozen)
One bouquet garni (fresh thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and parsley with stems tied together with butcher’s string)
3 pounds new or fingerling potatoes
½ cup Niçoise olives (optional)
1/3 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, (optional)

Over a medium fire, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large enameled cast iron French Cocotte until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, season rabbit pieces with salt and pepper. Sauté pieces on both sides until brown.  This can be completed in batches so as not to crowd the pot.  After browning, remove rabbit pieces to a platter.  Coat one side of each piece with mustard and top with the bread crumbs, dividing evenly.  I actually used brioche bread crumbs that I had in the freezer.

After all the rabbit has been seared off, reduce heat to medium and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the Cocotte.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add ½ cup wine to pot and scrape up any browned bits.  Return rabbit pieces to the same pot, along with the bouquet garni, olives, and potatoes.  Pour in remaining wine, being careful not to pour it directly on the rabbit.  Drizzle remaining olive oil over rabbit pieces.

Cover and cook in a 350ºF oven, until rabbit is just tender, about 20 – 25 minutes.  Remove rabbit to a warm platter.  Discard bouquet garni.  Reduce liquid to desired consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in crème fraîche and parsley.  Serve rabbit and potatoes with sauce along side it.

Photograph by David Schmit

APPLE STRUDEL
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

There are so many activities that can occupy one’s time on a cold, winter day here in Minnesota, so Kevin, Jen and I chose to spend the day making strudel.  We decided to make the same dough recipe but roll it around three different delectable fillings; a Pear, Roquefort and Pecan, the Apple (recipe below) and a Chocolate.

The only time that I have ever seen strudel dough made and stretched by hand was by Mr. Rick Rodgers himself. (For a second, I was just going to just say by Mr. Rodgers, but that name conjures up a gentleman in a sweater asking if he would be your neighbor.)

Anyway, since we realized earlier in the week that making a traditional cassoulet, which was our original plan, would take upwards of three days to prepare, we settled on making this Austrian pastry.  It’s quite easy to make actually, especially if a second pair of hands are there to assist in stretching the dough.

Strudel Dough
1 1/3 cups (6 ½ ounces) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry; add a little more water if necessary.

Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.

Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inchround table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches. Cover your working area with tablecloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.

Jen and Kevin stretching the dough

Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

Letting gravity help stretch the dough

The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it’s about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Apple Filling
2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

Heat 3 tablespoons (1 ½ ounces) of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Remove breadcrumbs to a shallow bowl and let it cool completely.

Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, or you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands).

Bread crumbs and walnuts on strudel dough

Sprinkle the buttered dough with the breadcrumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.l  Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling.

Jen rolling up her chocolate strudel

Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself.

Ready for the oven

Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

Now out of the oven

Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Pear and Roquefort Strudel served with a salad

]]> http://www.bretstable.com/recipes/strudel-an-austrian-pastry/feed/ 4 http://www.bretstable.com/recipes/moutarde-like-no-other/ http://www.bretstable.com/recipes/moutarde-like-no-other/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:40:16 +0000 BRETM http://www.bretstable.com/?p=2134

If you lick the spoon that has been dipped in a mustard jar, and then you go back and do it again, you know that it is the taste of something truly wonderful.  Whether for a vinaigrette or to slather on a ham that has been studded with garlic slices and rosemary sprigs, I’ve been making every excuse to go back to the jar for another taste.

This is not your typical French’s mustard in the yellow squirt bottle, mind you, but from a jar of Moutarde de Dijon that is made by the company of Edmond Fallot. It’s a blend of black and brown mustard seeds.  Most of the seeds are now grown in North America; there’s a long story on their website about the decline of the mustard seed crop in France and its hopeful resurgence.

This silky smooth, golden hue of creamy goodness has notes of tart and tangyiness and just the slightest bit of sweetness.  During our short stay I managed to snag a tour at what I understood to be the last traditional mustard mill in Dijon; that being Moutarde du Fallot.  I finally popped open the can that we lugged back from Beaune and opened the jar containing a delicious 15.8 ounces of heaven.

The Fallot Mustard Mill has been an independent, family-owned Burgundian company that has been around since 1840. This is the last artisan mustard maker where mustard seeds are still stone ground.  This preserves all the flavor of the mustard paste.   M. Marc Désarménien, grandson of Edmond Fallot, is now at the head of the company and about twenty employees ensure the quality of the production.

My recently-opened jar reminded me of our few days in Beaune in the heart of Burgundy.  Visiting this bit of paradise is always good for the soul, especially when one has the opportunity to stay with Mme. Helene and her family at their home Château de Melin, built in 1550.

It didn’t hurt either that we ate some of the best food in France, not to mention enjoying some of the famed wines of Burgundy.

With recommendations from Mme. Helene, we enjoyed two delightful meals; one at Le Conty in Beaune and the other at Le Relais de la Diligence in Meursault.  I’d have to say that dinner at Le Relais was far and away better than Le Conty.  That’s not to say that Le Conty was bad, just that Le Relais was exceptional.  Of course, being in Burgundy, I had to try two of the classics:  escargot and oeufs en meurette.  I’d been fortunate enough to experiment with both these recipes at home and I wanted to compare mine against those from the epicenter of Burgundian cuisine.  According to those that have tasted these dishes on both sides of the pond, I did alright in my attempts.

Here’s my recipe for the Oeufs on Meurette. Enjoy it as a first course, brunch, or lunch and, of course, with a glass of red from Burgundy.

Oeufs en Meurette
8 servings as a starter

8 large farm fresh eggs (the fresher the better)
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 thick slices of sourdough
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
salt

For the Sauce:
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
2 small onions, diced
2 small carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
5 black peppercorns
2 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
5 cups red wine
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Garnish:
4 thick slices of bacon, chopped into lardons
2 tablespoon (1 ounce) unsalted butter
24 button mushrooms, quartered
24 pearl onions or small shallots, peeled
3-4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade)

Melt half the butter in a deep frying pan and add the onion, carrot and celery, sautéing for about 10  minutes or until the vegetables start to color.  Add the garlic and continue to cook about 1 minute.

Add all other sauce ingredients (except the flour and remaining butter) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and leave on a gentle simmer for 40 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into another pan, pressing the vegetables to extract all the flavor. Reserve the sauce and discard the vegetables.

While the sauce is simmering, in a separate pan fry the bacon on a medium heat with half the butter until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and fry until tender seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from pan, and set aside and keep warm.

In same pan, heat the remaining butter for the garnish over a medium-high flame. Add the pearl onions or shallots and sugar, cooking until golden. Add the stock, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes, until tender.

Lift off the lid and turn up the heat slightly to reduce the liquid, leaving the shallots nicely glazed. Set aside and keep warm.

When ready to serve, bring a large shallow pan of water (about 5cm/2 inches deep) to the boil. Reduce the boiling water to a simmer and add the vinegar and ½ teaspoon of salt. Give the water a quick stir then carefully break an egg into the center of the swirling water. Leave to poach gently for 3 minute then lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels. Repeat with the remaining 7 eggs.

At the same time, bring the sauce back to a simmer. Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and flour together with a spoon then add the mixture to the sauce.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken and cook out the flour. In a frying pan, fry your slices of sourdough with a little olive oil for a couple of minutes each side (alternatively, you can just toast them).

To serve, place a piece of toasted sourdough on a plate and top with an egg. Scatter over the shallots, mushrooms and bacon then spoon over 3-4 spoonfuls of sauce.  Enjoy while it’s hot.

Yield: Makes 15 – 30 ravioli, serving 6 generously

This recipe if perfect for using the abundance of squashes available at the market this time of year. If you cannot find buttercup squash, use butternut. Also, if making your own pasta dough, you will either need to cut this recipe in half or double the pasta dough recipe. Use wonton wrappers or make your own dough from the recipe that I posted for pasta dough.

For filling
1 ¼ pound buttercup squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
4 – 5 medium shallots, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 ounces chèvre, room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pasta dough or 60 wonton wrappers
½ cup chicken stock or water
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
½ cup hazelnuts, sliced or slivered almonds
½ cup dried cherries or craisins
Flour or cornmeal for dusting sheet pans
Fried Sage Leaves for garnish
Aged Balsamic vinegar for garnish

Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a baking sheet or line baking sheet with a Silpat.

Make filling:
Put squash halves, flesh sides down, on a baking sheet and roast in middle of oven for about 45 minutes, or until flesh is tender when pierced with the point of a paring knife. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin and seeds. Mash squash with a fork or potato masher until smooth. (Can be done one day ahead and refrigerated.)

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook shallots and chopped sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring about 5 minutes, or until shallots are translucent. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring an additional minute.

Cool shallot mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and stir to combine well. Do not wash pan it will be deglazed later and used for the sauce.

Put 1 won ton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, keeping remaining wrappers in plastic wrap, and mound about a 1 tablespoon filling in center. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with water and put a second wrapper over first, pressing down around filling to force out air and seal edges well. If desired, trim excess dough with a round cutter or sharp knife.

Transfer ravioli to a sheet pan dusted with flour or corn meal. Make more ravioli with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner, transferring as formed to dusted sheet pan. In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a gentle boil for ravioli.

Deglaze pan used to sauté the shallot garlic mixture with water and add the cherries to rehydrate. After all the water has evaporated add the butter and hazelnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat (nuts will continue to cook). Season hazelnut butter with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.

Cook ravioli in 3 batches in gently boiling eater 6 minutes, or until they rise to surface and are tender (do not let water boil vigorously once ravioli have been added). Carefully transfer ravioli as they are cooked with a slotted spoon to a large shallow bowl and toss with a little of the browned butter to keep ravioli from sticking to each other.

Transfer ravioli with a spoon to 6 soup plates and top with cherry hazelnut brown-butter sauce. Drizzle with an aged balsamic vinegar and serve.

Adapted from Thomas Keller’s “The French Laundry”
One times the recipe makes about 15 – 2 ½ inch Ravioli

1 ¾ cups (8 oz) all-purpose flour
6 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon milk

Mound the flour on a board or other hard surface such as a granite or marble counter-top.  Create a well in the center, pushing the flour to all sides, making a ring with sides about 1 inch wide. Make sure that the well is wide enough to hold all the eggs, milk and olive oil without spilling over the sides.

Pour the egg yolks, egg, salt, oil and milk into the well. Use your fingers to break up the eggs.  Still using your fingers begin turning the eggs in a circular motion, keeping them within the well. This circular motion allows the eggs to gradually pull in flour from the sides of the well; it is important that the flour not be incorporated too rapidly, or your dough will be lumpy. Keep moving the eggs while slowly incorporating the flour.  Using a pastry scraper, occasionally push the flour towards the eggs; the flour should be moved only enough to maintain the gradual incorporation of the flour, and the eggs should continue to be contained within the well. The mixture will thicken and eventually get to tight to keep turning with your fingers.

When the dough begins thickening and starts lifting itself from the board, begin incorporating the remaining flour with the pastry scraper by lifting the flour up and over the dough that’s beginning to form and cutting it into the dough. When the remaining flour from the sides of the well has been cut into the dough, the dough will still look shaggy. Bring the dough together with the palms of your hands and form it into a ball. It will look flaky but will hold together.  Note:  if the time of year is very dry all of the flour may not be incorporated.

Knead the dough by pressing it, bit by bit, in a forward motion with the heels of your hands rather than folding it over on itself as you would with bread dough. Re-form the dough into a ball and repeat the process several times. The dough should feel moist but not sticky. Let the dough rest for a few minutes while you clean the work surface with the pastry scraper.

Dust the clean work surface with a little flour. Knead the dough by pushing against it in a forward motion with the heels of your hands. Form the dough into a ball again and knead it again.  Keep kneading in this forward motion until the dough becomes silky-smooth.  The dough is ready when you can pull your finger through it and the dough wants to snap back into place. The kneading process can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. Even if you think you are finished kneading, knead it for an extra 10 minutes, you cannot overknead this dough. It is important to work the dough long enough to pass the pull test; otherwise, when it rests, it will collapse.

Double-wrap the dough in plastic wrap to ensure that it does not dry out. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before rolling it through a pasta machine. The dough can be made a day ahead, wrapped and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Roll pasta and make ravioli:
Cut pasta dough into 4 pieces, then flatten each piece into a rough rectangle and cover rectangles with an inverted large bowl. Set rollers of pasta machine on widest setting.

Lightly dust 1 rectangle with flour and feed through rollers. (Keep remaining rectangles under bowl.)

Fold rectangle in half and feed it, folded end first, through rollers 7 or 8 more times, folding it in half each time and feeding folded end through. Dust with flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Turn dial to next (narrower) setting and feed dough through rollers without folding. Continue to feed dough through rollers once at each setting, without folding, until you reach one dial prior to the narrowest setting. Dough will be a smooth sheet (about 24 inches long and 4 inches wide).

Put sheet of dough on a floured work surface and drop  5 to 6 (1 ½ teaspoon) mounds of filling 1 ½ inches apart in a row down center of one half of sheet. Brush egg wash around each mound, and then fold other half of sheet over filling. Press down firmly around each mound, forcing out air. (Air pockets increase the chance that ravioli will break during cooking.)  Cut pasta (between mounds) with a cookie cutter into 2 ½ -inch rounds or cut squares using a pasta cutter or sharp knife.

Dust a large shallow baking pan with flour or cornmeal, arranging ravioli in 1 layer in it. Make more ravioli with remaining pasta dough, 1 sheet at a time, and remaining filling, transferring ravioli to flour dusted pan.

There’s still Swiss chard and leeks in the garden, so I bet they can be found at the farmer’s market and your local grocery.  With a nip in the air, it’s a perfect time for some comfort food so check out my recipe for Mac and Cheese with Swiss Chard and Leeks.  It was posted on the PastureLand website a while back.

It’s only March 21, and this evening was already the second time that we have pulled out the Weber Grill. For a tasty but simple dinner we decided it would be lamb burgers and grilled potatoes. The burgers were from our friend Suvir Saran’s recipe that Allen Brothers carries on their website. Absolutely nothing is needed to enhance the flavor the lamb burgers. They are perfectly delicious right from the package.

For the potatoes, I microwaved 2 large russet baking potatoes until they were just soft when I gave them a pinch. I let them cool a bit, then peeled and cut them into ½ inch thick slices.  I drizzled each slice with some olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and some Garam Masala from Sameh Wadi’s Spice Collection. He is the chef owner of Saffron Restaurant and Bar.

After the coals were glowing red, the grate was laid over them. Using tongs, the potatoes were placed directly over the fire and turned often to prevent them from burning.  A little more olive oil was brushed on those that seemed a little dry. Once they were cooked, all were stacked up off the direct heat, while the burgers were cooking.  A couple of minutes before they were grilled to perfection, buttered sesame buns were placed on the grates to toast.  Everything was then pulled off the grill and enjoyed with a Sam Adams Maibok.

I take the train to and from work so I’m generally reading the latest issue of Food & Wine or Bon Appetit during those 40 minutes each day. I discovered the following recipe by Michael Symon from the March 2010 issue of F&W. Of course, I adapted it immediately as I didn’t have a Delicata Squash. I also wanted to give it a little zing, so I minced a dried red chili and added that as well.

Quinoa is definitely a superfood:  a grain-like seed, it’s a “complete” protein containing all eight essential amino acids.  Another plus is that  it cooks much more quickly than most grains.

Instead of stuffing the salad into the squash, I diced the squash, roasted it and tossed it in with the other ingredients.

1 Butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and cut into ¾ inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 Pink Lady apple, finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
¼ red bell pepper, roasted and cut into ½ inch dice
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 ounces arugula (2 cups)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss squash with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring 2 cups of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the raisins and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let cool.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and honey with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the dressing to the quinoa along with the apple, carrot, bell pepper, shallot, garlic, ginger, mint, and parsley and toss well. Add the arugula and toss gently. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

The quinoa can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature and add the arugula just before serving.

Last spring, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go morel hunting. I didn’t find any, but friends of mine did and they gladly shared their treasure with me. I dried most of the mushrooms using a dehydrator and luckily, I still had a few left in the pantry.

I reconstituted a ½ ounce of the dried morels and added them to some button mushrooms and other goodies to create a delicious vegetarian frittata. It’s on the PastureLand website. Here’s the link.

Minneapolis’s own Sameh Wadi, co-owner and chef of Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, competed last summer in Iron Chef America. He was up against Morimoto (his choice) and the secret ingredient was Mackerel.  The show aired Sunday, January 24. To celebrate, Sameh and his brother Saed hosted a party at the Hotel Minneapolis to watch the competition. I believe everyone who was there that night would agree:  he was robbed! Regardless, it was a great night to congratulate a very talented, rising star and enjoy the cuisine inspired by their restaurant.

Chef Wadi has created a line of spice blends from his restaurant kitchen, including mixes influenced by North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisines.  Don’t get me wrong and don’t think I’ve gone soft, as I still fully embrace cooking from scratch. However, when one needs to prepare a quick dinner and doesn’t have time to toast, grind, and mix spices, these are a great alternative.

Not long ago, I was in that very predicament. I had a couple of chicken breasts in the fridge that needed to be cooked. By the time it took my indoor grill pan from Le Creuset to heat, I had rubbed the chicken with a little olive oil, salt, and some Ras El Hanout blend. While the chicken was cooking low and slow, I quickly prepared some couscous and sautéed some vegetables. Within half an hour, a delicious weeknight dinner was on the table and deserving of a glass of Riesling to enjoy with it.

I was in the same boat yet again not too long ago and knew that I had a couple dozen large shrimp in the freezer. Here’s the recipe.

24 Shrimp, 13-15 count
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons Dry Harissa blend
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat a grill pan over medium flame. Using a paper towel, pat the shrimp dry. Toss them in a bowl with the oil, spices, and salt.  Cook the shrimp about 3 minutes per side or just until no longer pink.

A green salad with grapes and avocado shared the plate with the shrimp, as did a small bowl of spicy cocktail sauce. Having a bottle of Hou Hou Shou sake in the refrigerator, I thought, “Hey, I wonder how sake would pair with the shrimp?”  It was quite nice, actually, with its clean, sparkling character against the spices of the Dry Harissa.

If you don’t have time to make your own spice blend, be sure to check out the wonderful combinations from Iron Chef Contestant and restaurateur Sameh Wadi.