So my pal Mandy shared my first blog written yesterday on her social media. One of her friends said that the quarantine was getting to her, and that she was passing some of the time watching reality TV because, “…it’s just brainless entertainment for me.”
I do the same, but with Candy Crush. However, I’ve also found myself feeling in a bit of a funk as I lose my final life on the latest Nightmarishly Hard Level… not because it’s over, but because I feel like I haven’t so much passed time, but wasted it.
I’m not saying that mindless entertainment isn’t important, but I think that it’s easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing by doing something that is for all intents and purposes… useless.
So with that… and I’m specifically targeting people who are nervous in the kitchen… I’m going to share a recipe with you. It purposely takes a little while, but it’s also super easy and can be done in steps. You can whip it together in thirty minutes, or you can laze about and chat and drink a glass of vino and take two hours or more with it. You can make it for two, or for ten (the COVID limit), with no extra steps.
And I promise it will be one of the tastiest things you’ve ever eaten. Just a week ago, my friend Amy asked for the recipe. Pauline, one of my favorite humans ever, once called it her “death-row appetizer.”
It’s a bastardization of my friend Chef Matty Birkenmeier’s recipe, which he makes with lobster and bigger bread. I use shrimp, and I call them Shrimp Bruschetta Bites.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1. 1 loaf of high quality sourdough (While yummy, Wonder ain’t gonna cut it). Have the grocery store or Panera slice it for you if not pre-sliced.
2. 1 large or 2 small shallots.
3. 20 Cherub Cherry Tomatoes (the yellow container in the produce section).
4. 1 small pack of fresh basil, found in the produce section.
5. Balsamic Glaze (found in bottles in the vinegar aisle).
6. 1.5 pounds of medium-sized shrimp, either raw or cooked, thawed.
7. Olive Oil.
8. Salt (preferably kosher) and pepper.
9. Grated parmesan cheese (preferably from the cheese section, not processed).
Step 1: Take a large shot glass (about a two-inch diameter) and carve out discs on each slice of bread. They don’t have to be absolutely perfect circles, so you should be able to get at least three discs from each slice. Put the open end of the glass on top of the bread slice, and turn while pushing the glass down to carve them out.
Step 2: Once you have your bread rounds cut, heat about a half-inch of olive oil in a pan to to medium heat. Once pre-heated, put rounds in the oil and cook for 1 minute on each side, flipping them with tongs or a spoon if you don’t have tongs. The color you’re looking for should be light orangey-brown. When finished, put on a single layer of a cookie sheet that is coated in aluminum foil, with napkins on top to soak up excess oil.
NOTE: once your first ones are done, re-fill your pan with about a half-inch of oil, as the bread is going to soak it up. Keep doing this until you’re all out of bread.
Step 3: Now that your bread is cooling, it’s time to make your shrimp. You can prepare them a number of ways. If already cooked, they just need to be heated. Depending on your preference, you can do this in pan using melted butter and olive oil (I always use both together), or using a beer. Budweiser works really well for this. You can also use water, but the flavor won’t be as robust.
For already cooked shrimp… on medium heat, cook them between 60 and 90 seconds on each side, sprinkling kosher salt on them while cooking. Leave the tails on while cooking, but remove them before the assembly step below.
For raw, bump up the pan’s temperature to medium-high. Cook your peeled and deveined shrimp for about 2.5 minutes on each side until they’re pink and cooked through. Sprinkle with salt while cooking. When cooked, spoon them into a bowl and set aside.
Step 4: Now it’s time for the toppings. Finely dice the shallot(s), cherry tomatoes, and basil. Then mix them well in a bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and two tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Step 5: Assembly: do all of this on the cookie sheet with your bread. Take a toasted disc, and place about a teaspoon worth of the tomato/shallot/basil mixture onto the disk, and flatten out to cover the bread. Then, place a shrimp on top. Once this is done, lightly sprinkle more parmesan on top. To finish, take the bottle of balsamic glaze, and drizzle over the top of all of the shrimp.
I’m purposely not sharing a picture of this, because I don’t want you to have to compare and think that it’s somehow some sort of Pinterest fail if it’s not exact. However, if you decide to try this, I would absolutely positively love to see your finished work.
And I’d love to hear about the conversations all of you have while making it. Some of the best talks that Steph and I have ever had have been over lazily cooking.
Hope you enjoy, and more soon. Stay safe, stay at home, and stay fed y’all.
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Stay tuned for more blogs shortly, and if anyone has any requests for blogs or recipes, please let me know!
