shrimp on fork with Asian pesto

Another kitchen -- Liz's shrimp with Asian pesto

Pretty much any food cooked in someone else's kitchen tastes good. Just the pleasure of being a guest instead of the one hustling behind the stove and secretly wondering if tonight will be the night when I forget to turn the oven on (or off) and ruin everything is enough to enhance the flavors of any meal.

And then there is the newness of what ever my hosts have done.

liz%27s-pesto on the blender

That's the joy of home cooking, no two people season the same, set the table in the same way, or toss the same kinds of salads. Anything that's not my old boring standards is great with me.

But to tell you about my first meal on a recent trip to Boston by saying that it was wonderful because I didn't have to cook it wouldn't do it justice.


shrimp ready for the broiler

No, this was a wonderful meal by any standards. The kind that is so simple the cooks can relax and chat while getting it ready. (Note to self, try that some time will you.) And yet, when it lands on the table the colors pop and the aromas dance around in the air. What happens in your mouth with the first bite of tangy, hot, minty, salty, sweet goodness is best described by one short, simple word: fun. It is a little like taking your senses to an amusement park.

The fact that I didn't have to cook it, and that I got to enjoy it in the company of two dear friends was the dessert.

Here's Tania and Liz.
liz and tania

Liz got the recipe from a Whole Foods recipe card, but the original comes from chef Ming Tsai. It was originally published in Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking.

Yeah, that's going on the wish list.

Shrimp with Asian Pesto -- Adapted from Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking by Ming Tsai

The notes are from Liz. I haven't made this in my kitchen yet.
PESTO
3/4 cup roasted peanuts
4 serrano chiles [doesn't specify seeded or not; we
tossed all of them in whole]
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
Juice of 4 limes
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves [we just used regular
basil leaves]
1 cup fresh mint leaves

Combine peanuts, chiles, garlic, ginger, lime juice,
fish sauce, oil, salt, and sugar in a food processor
and process to a smooth puree. Add basil and mint and
puree again. Do not overmix. (Excessive mixing can
heat the mixture, "cooking" the basil and turning it
dark.) Correct seasonings and set aside. [We
did it all in the blender, just coarsely chopped up
the peanuts, basil, and mint before dumping in.]

SHRIMP
(Original recipe calls for 12 large shrimp cooked as
below, w/ shrimp and pesto served on romaine cut into
ribbons. We used medium shrimp, about a pound, pound
and a half, served over whole wheat pasta)

So, I'd say...
*One to two pounds medium-sized shrimp, shelled and
deveined
*2 to 3 tablespoons canola oil
*Kosher salt and fresh pepper

Prepare an outdoor grill or preheat broiler. Toss
shrimp w/ oil and season. Grill or broil, turning
once, until the shrimp are just cooked through, about
5 minutes.

posted December 2, 2007 | link | contribute a comment

filed under: People, Recipes, Asian pesto, Blue Ginger, Boston, Ming Tsai, shrimp

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