Wednesday Dinner

Dinner tonight was Citrus Shrimp with rice, and Sesame Broccoli. The family licked their plates clean and complained that there wasn't enough food for third helpings, so I'll take that as a sign that everyone liked it.

It's restaurant quality - seriously, it's THAT good.

Citrus Shrimp

1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 t. minced garlic (or about 2 cloves, minced)
1 T. butter
salt & pepper

Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Juice and zest of 1 orange
Additional 2 cups orange juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 t. chili powder
hot sauce
1 T. butter

Saute shrimp and garlic in butter over high heat just until shrimp turns pink and opaque. Season with salt & pepper. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Using the smallest holes on a grater, grate the zest from 1 lemon and 1 orange. (Colored part only, not the white part.) Squeeze juice from lemon and orange, add additional orange juice. In same pan you cooked the shrimp in, combine orange juice mixture, zest, brown sugar, chili powder and a few dashes of hot sauce. Heat until boiling and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has reduced by 1/2 and is thick and glossy. Remove from heat, stir in 1 Tablespoon butter until melted. Add shrimp and toss to coat in sauce. Serve over hot cooked rice. Serves 4 - 5

Hint: The flavors will concentrate as the sauce reduces, so be careful with the hot sauce. You can always add more at the end of cooking if needed. You want just a little bite to the sauce - you don't want it hot.

Hint: It doesn't take long to grate through the flavorful rind and get down into the bitter white pith. In general, I make no more than 2 "scrubs" across the grater before I turn the fruit to a new spot.

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For Sesame Broccoli, cook 1 package steam-in-bag broccoli florets as directed. Drain out liquid and toss in 2 T. soy sauce, a drizzle of sesame oil, and about 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds. You may never make broccoli another way.

Hint: Sesame Oil and other fancy nut and seed oils may seem expensive, but they last forever because you only need a few drops to flavor a dish. Always store in fridge because they'll go rancid at room temperature very quickly.

Hint: To toast sesame seeds, put desired amount into a small skillet or fry pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown with a nutty fragrance. Sesame seeds go from toasted to burnt very quickly, so don't leave them unattended! If you have to leave the kitchen - even for a minute - take the pan off the heat. The whole toasting process will take less than 5 minutes - possibly much less. Like the oil, store sesame seeds in the fridge.

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Totals:

$3 - shrimp (I used only 1 lb. for the 3 of us)
$1.25 - orange and lemon
$1.25 - broccoli
.50 - additional ingredients

$6 for dinner for 3