Pink Shrimp with Bacons & Onions

Being a member of Foodbuzz means that I occasionally get sent goodies to test out. This time I got a jar of Four Cheese Rosa Sauce from Bertolli along with a few recipes on how to use it. I decided to go with Pink Shrimp with Bacons & Onions. All the ingredients sound fabulous, don't they?

It was a tasty dish overall, however I was a surprised to find that it could have used a bit of salt. Usually jarred sauces are way too salty. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this recipe.

I'm also submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, a fun event created by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast. Check out her blog on Friday to see the other submissions.

Recipe:
4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 large onion, sliced into thin wedges
1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Sauce
8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained (reserve 1/2 cup pasta water)

Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon; reserve drippings. Cook onion in reserved drippings over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until onion is golden. Add shrimp and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes of until shrimp turn pink. Stir in Sauce and reserved pasta water; heat through. Toss with hot fettuccine and garnish , if desired, with shredded fontina cheese and parsley.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Whenever I go to Vietnamese restaurants, I always have an internal struggle between ordering the fried eggrolls and the fresh spring rolls. Usually, the fried ones win, but since the weather is warming up, this seems more fitting.

And since this month's Side Dish Showdown has a theme of Spring, this seems fitting. Check out Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice and the end of the month to see some other Spring inspired side dishes.

Ingredients:
(Rolls)
- Rice paper
- Rice noodles
- Shrimp
- Thinly sliced meat (I used eye of round that was pre-sliced for hot pot purposes)
- Lettuce
(Sauce)
- Peanut butter
- Hoisin
- Water
- Fish sauce
- Crushed peanuts
- Chili sauce (optional)

Directions:
(Rolls)
- Boil the rice noodles until fully cooked, then rinse it with cold water and set aside.
- Slice the lettuce into quarter inch strips and set aside.
- Cook the shrimp, then cool it, slice them in half if desired and set aside.
- Cook the meat, cool it, and set aside.
- Fill a pan large enough to fit the rice paper with water.
- For each roll, quickly dip two sheets of rice paper in the water (on both sides) and stack them on top of each other, flat on a cutting board. On my first roll, I let the paper soak in the water until it was fully soft. That was too soft and the rice paper fell apart. On my second, I just dipped it quickly, but found that it was still not enough because it'd rip when I tried rolling the spring rolls. Then I tried to dip two quickly and found that was perfect. You can experience yourself too, to see what works best for you.
- Lay a line of shrimp (pretty side down if you sliced them in half) on the softened rice paper.
- Lay a line of the meat on top of the shrimp.
- Lay a line of noodles on top of the meat.
- Lay a line of lettuce on top of the noodles.
- Fold in the edges and wrap up the filling into the spring roll.
- Repeat for each roll.
(Sauce)
- Scoop some peanut butter into a bowl and add a bit of water.
- Pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to help melt the peanut butter.
- Stir the peanut butter/water mixture until smooth.
- Add hoisin sauce and just a dash of fish sauce to taste (a little goes a looong way, so don't add too much).
- Add some chili sauce if desired.
- Stir everything together until it achieves the taste and consistency you desire.
- Top with crushed peanuts and dip spring rolls in the sauce.

Shrimp Bisque

Our friend, Stephanie, had crab night at her house a while ago and it was a huge hit. She boiled half of the crabs in an broth seasoned with old bay and the other half in cajun seasonings. Then she let the liquid boil down and sent a batch of delicious crab broth home with me! Yay!

Sticking with the seafood theme, I decided to make a shrimp bisque out of it. I can't give you an exact recipe since I have no idea how much of what spices she put into the broth. But then again, I rarely give measurements on this blog anyway since I tend not to measure things, so I guess it's not that different from usual. My typical method of cooking is to spin my spice rack around, grabbing whatever catches my eye, and tossing it in. I give it a taste and adjust accordingly. This usually results in something decent :)

Ingredients:
- Leftover crab broth
- Onions
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Rice
- Butter
- Flour
- Shrimp
- Soy milk (or cream)
- Water
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parsley

Directions:
- Melt some butter in a heavy pot and add the onions. Sweat them until they're soft.
- Melt more butter if necessary. Add flour and mix, cooking it down to get rid of the raw flour taste and make a roux.
- Toss in the chopped carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, rice, crab stock, water if necessary.
- Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer until the vegetables are soft.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Using a stick blender, blend the soup until everything is smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the cream (I used soy milk) and add the shrimp. Stir until the shrimp is cooked.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

When you first think about this combination, it sounds kinda gross. Shrimp in a sweet mayonnaise sauce? If I saw that on a menu, I'd probably pass on it. Luckily, they've come up with a much more appealing name for it - Honey Walnut Shrimp. That sounds much tastier, doesn't it? And it really is tasty, no matter what you call it.

A few things I'd like to point out when making this dish. Use decent sized shrimp if possible. A big part of the beauty of this dish is biting into a juicy, succulent shrimp with crispy breading. If the shrimp is too small, you won't get that same satisfaction from the "popping" of the shrimp when biting into it. Plus, you run the risk of the breading being so thick and heavy that the shrimp just disappears.

Another thing that I recommend you do is to add the nuts in AFTER you've mixed the shrimp with the mayo sauce. I tossed them in first without thinking, and the nuts got all covered in goop and didn't make for a very pretty presentation. Sprinkle the nuts on afterwards as an edible garnish. It'll look much more appetizing.

Ingredients:
- Shrimp
- Cornstarch
- Oil
- Honey
- Mayo
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Walnuts (sugar or honey glazed is best, but plain is fine too)

Directions:
- Peel and devein the shrimp.
- Coat the shrimp lightly in the cornstarch. You can definitely use your favorite breading technique instead, but I use cornstarch because I just like a little bit of crispness without it being too heavy.
- Heat some oil in a pan or wok. Throw in the shrimp and toss it around for a few minutes until it's cooked through and crispy. If you're using a heavier batter, deep frying is probably a better way to go.
- Mix equal portions of mayo and condensed milk and a squeeze of honey until smooth and combined.
- Fold the shrimp into the sauce and sprinkle the walnuts on top as a garnish.

Shrimp, mango and avocado soft tacos

Hmm...the jury is still out on this one. The mango that I used was overripe and so it made it too mushy. I see the potential though. I truly think this could've been good with a better mango. Anyway, here's how I made it...

Ingredients:
- Shrimp
- Mango
- Avocado
- Tomato
- Black beans
- Cilantro
- Salt
- Lemon or lime juice
- Garlic
- Tortillas
- Jalapeno (optional)
- Onion (optional)

Method:
- Peel and clean the shrimp. Toss it with a bit of salt and minced garlic and saute or grill until cooked.
- Dice the mango, avocado, and tomato. Chop the cilantro. Dice the optional jalapeno and onion.
- Mix everything together and put it into a warm tortilla

Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

Mmmm...creamy risotto. It's surprisingly (at least my version) not too bad for you. It's also a lot easier to make than you would think. You can put almost anything in it after you make the base. Today, I decided to make shrimp and asparagus.

This recipe makes a lot - maybe 4 servings worth? I just made this much because that's how much rice I had left in the box. Feel free to adjust it accordingly.
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups arborio rice
- 1 cup of white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- additional water as needed
- 2 tbsp of butter or olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 bundle of asparagus
- 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- Juice of half a lemon (optional - gives it a "fresh" taste)
- 2 tsp parsley (optional - makes it look prettier)
- 2 tbsp white pepper (optional - gives a little kick)

Directions:
- Prep the asparagus by snapping off the tough ends, drizzling with oil and placing it under the broiler for ~10 minutes or until tender. Then cut the asparagus into bite-size pieces. You can also steam, microwave, grill, etc. Just cook it somehow because it will be added to the risotto at the very end and won't have time to cook in the risotto.
- Prep the liquid by bringing the chicken broth and wine to a boil and keep it on a low simmer for the duration of cooking to keep warm. - Melt the butter in a large pan and soften the onions.
- Add the garlic.
- Add the rice and toast it until the edges are translucent but the middles are still white.
- Add two cups of the liquid and deglaze the pan. Stir the rice and liquid until you can drag your spatula across the bottom of the pan and the rice is slow to fill in the gap.
- Add another cup of liquid and stir until it reaches the same slow-to-fill-the-gap consistency again.
- Keep adding the liquid a cup at a time and stirring to reach the same thick consistency. If you're out of liquid but the rice is still not cooked enough (it should be al dente, but it's really up to your own personal tastes and preferences), keep adding warm water or chicken stock if you have enough.
- When the risotto is almost at the level of done-ness you want it at, add the shrimp (no need to precook, they cook quickly in the risotto), asparagus, lemon juice, white pepper, parsley and any other herbs you like.
- Add the cheese and stir to mix everything.
- Add some salt if necessary (or more cheese if you'd like)
- Enjoy!

i heart bacon

Who doesn't love bacon? You can wrap almost anything in bacon and it'll be good. This time, I chose shrimp.

This is a super simple, super delicious appetizer.

Ingredients:
- 4 strips of bacon
- 12 Shrimp, peeled and deveined

Instructions:
- Lay out the bacon on a paper towel and cover it with another paper towel
- Put the bacon and paper towel in the microwave for 1 minute (this will soften the bacon and soak up some of the grease)
- Cut the bacon into thirds
- Wrap each shrimp with one-third of the bacon and place on a baking sheet, seem-side down
- Put it under the broiler for ~5 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked and the bacon is crispy. Be sure to keep an eye on it, it doesn't take long at all and can burn really quickly.