Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

This week we received some great looking portobello mushrooms in our produce basket from Irv and Shelly's.

I wanted to use them right away before they dried out. They were huge and I realized they would make a great base for a hearty topping. We were recently out to dinner and I saw a crab stuffing on the menu and thought about crab as a great filling.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

2 large portobello mushrooms (one per person)

1/4 small onion

1 Tbs fines herbs

1 - 2 Tbs grainy mustard

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 small can crab

salt and pepper

olive oil

Start by cleaning the mushrooms. NEVER let them get wet, use a slightly damp cloth and brush off and dirt. Remove

stems and finely chop. Remove the black ribs on the bottom with a spoon. Lightly brush oil and season with salt and pepper and place on a baking tray. Pre-heat oven to 375.

Finely chop the onion and saute in the oil for a few minutes over medium heat.

Add the stem pieces and cook for about 5 minutes until fully cook through.

In a bowl mix the bread crumbs with the fines herbs and season with salt and pepper.

In a seperate bowl, combine the crab meat with the onion and mushrooms and the mustard, add about half the breadcrumbs.

Top the mushrooms with the filling and sprinkle the rest of the bread crumbs on top.

Bake in oven for about 20 minutes until the filling is hot and the top is browned. If the top needs more browning, you can place under the broiler for the last 4 or 5 minutes.

This recipe can also be made with smaller crimini mushrooms as an appetizer.

To accompany the mushrooms I made a salad using the fines herbs and mustard, arugula and beets.

Arroz Caldoso

Similar to paella, arroz caldoso is a baked spanish rice, though it is wetter. You can use almost any fish or shellfish, I had shrimp so thats what I used.

Arroz Caldoso

3 cups stock (prefereably fish, but others work too)

safron

1 lb shrimp

1 medium onion, diced

2 - 3 tomatoes, diced

2 - 3 garlic

1 cup short grain rice (arborio works)

salt and pepper

Place the stock and saffron in a pot and simmer. Pre-heat oven to 350.

Saute the shrimp in oil for a few minutes on a side until slightly browned on each side.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat a touch more oil and saute the onions for about 5 minutes over medium high.

Add the garlic and saute one minute more.

Add the tomato and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the rice and cook for a minute to coat.

Add the broth, and cook over medium heat.

Once the rice is no longer soupy, place in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the shrimp. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until the rice is almost done. Then remove from the heat, cover for about 5 minutes.

Serve the rice with a side of aioli.

Aioli

2 -3 garlic cloves

salt

1 tsp fresh lemon juice or vinegar

1 egg yolk

about 1/2 EVOO

Crush the garlic with the salt in a mortar and pestle.

Add the egg and lemon and stir.

Slowly drip the oil into the garlic while constantly stirring until the mixture becomes thick.

Tomato Shrimp Soup

I made this soup the other night when I had some left over tomatoes and plenty of shrimp shells. When I buy shrimp I keep the shells in the freezer, then when I want an easy shrimp stock. This lends much of the flavor to this simple soup.

Tomato Shrimp Soup

1 large onion, sliced

1 - 2 carrots, diced

2 - 3 stalks celery, diced

2 - 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 - 4 fresh sprigs tyme

2 - 3 bay leaves

salt and pepper

about 1 lb shrimp shells, or other crustacean shells, uncooked

1/2 cup white wine or beer (its a little weird but i didn't have any white wine at home)

1 large can tomatoes, pureed

1 - 2 tbs cumin

saffron

about 1/2 lb shrimp

Start the stock by sauteing half the onion in a touch of oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat until they begin to soften.

Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until they are soft. If they stick to the pan add just enough water to prevent them from burning. Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook until the shrimp shells are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Cover with water and cook for about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

To start the soup, saute the rest of the onion in oil until softened.

Add the tomato, and cook for a minute until heated through.

Strain the stock into the tomatoes. Then add the saffron and a touch of cumin.

I cook this over medium low for a long time (may 90 minutes) to let the flavors develop and bring out some of the sweetness in the tomatoes.

Just before serving, add the shrimp. They should only take about 5 minutes to cook.

Shell on Shrimp

Shrimp are great, but with the shell on they really take on a great flavor. The shells are full of flavor and should be saved if not used. They can be used to make a simple shrimp stock, which is great in soups or rice dishes.

By leaving the shell on the shrimp also stay nice and moist, trapping some of the moisture inside the meat.

Toss shrimp with a little oil and salt and pepper.
They can be grilled or tossed in a hot pan.
Let rest a few minutes to brown a bit. One nice part about the shell-on shrimp is that you can let them burn a bit and it does not ruin the inside.


After they have cooked several minutes a side and are nicely cooked through you can toss with sauce.

I used a jerk inspired one with cilanto, cumin, chili powder, garlic, mango chili vinegar, salt and pepper and EVOO.



I served with some rice and topped with the mango salsa.