Either way, English or Metric, that is a tall - and potentially hazardous - pile of cooking magazines to keep on one's bedside stand. And that is what I had... until today.
I get Saveur, La Cucina Italiana, Bon Appétit, and Cooks Illustrated each month. (Did I tell you that my niece, Brittany, works for Cooks? Love of food runs in our family!)
We recently stopped our subscription to Food & Wine, and we used to get Fine Cooking, Cooking Light (who was I kidding?) and, of course, Gourmet until its demise.
Addicted to food and food magazines? That's me. Is there a twelve step program (better yet, a twelve step recipe!) out there for people like me?
Most of the recipes from these magazines are available online, but it isn't the same as paging through the magazines monthly, looking at the photos, seeing recipes as part of a menu, reading about their origins... I need that tactile and visual experience; need, I tell you.
But there comes a time to bid them adieu (some of them, anyway). Today was that day. I took them from the bedside, and decided what to keep and what to toss. I save all the Saveur, Cooks, and La Cucina Italiana issues, no questions asked.
With Bon Appétit, when tearing out recipes, I turn right to the R.S.V.P. (Readers' Favorite Restaurant Recipes) section to see what is there, because most often these recipes are not online. I understand that. They are proprietary and worthy of protecting.
Today, before sending them to the recycling bin, I checked R.S.V.P. in each old issue to see which recipes I wanted to save. And that, my friends, brings us to today's recipe: shrimp saganaki - a traditional Greek dish.
Why this particular recipe today? When starting this monumental sorting task, I had just returned from the farmers market with a lovely block of fresh feta cheese from Chiva Risa Ranch, and it inspired me to make the saganaki for lunch today. The original recipe was in the November 2012 issue.
The cheeses from my friends at Chiva Risa are wonderful - fresh and bright, their many varieties are sure to please. I always love their herbes de Provence-coated goat cheese, but recently have been using their feta more.
I recently used their feta along with ricotta in an Otttolenghi recipe called A Very Full Tart which almost overflows with myriad roasted vegetables. Good cheese always makes a difference but, with a dish like today’s saganaki, it really makes the dish. Saganaki is a simple skillet dish with spicy tomato sauce and cheese.
The recipe is adapted from a version made at the Lord Byron Restaurant on the island of Ios. I learned from my friend Magda, at My Little Expat Kitchen that this particular saganaki is called Garides Saganaki, for its shrimp. This is one of those dishes that leaves you wanting more, sopping up every last bit with your crust of bread.
It is the perfect meal for a Sunday afternoon in the garden, surrounded by the multicolored spring wildflowers, the fragrance of citrus blossoms, and the sweet serenades of the goldfinches.
~ David
Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, preferably Greek, of course
6 scallions, white part only, minced
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup broth - shrimp, vegetable or chicken
2 tablespoons ouzo or Pastis
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Greek oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
10-12 extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
a 4-ounce slice of artisanal feta cheese
crusty bread for serving
Heat oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium head. Sauté scallions for a couple of minutes until soft. Add drained tomatoes and cook down for 5 minutes. Add wine, broth, ouzo and herbs. (If you are cooking on a gas stove, remove the skillet from the flame before adding the alcohol.) Season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-hit heat for about 5 minutes, or until liquid has mostly evaporated.
Reduce heat to medium. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to the skillet, arranging in a circle around the edges. Place slice of feta in the middle of the shrimp ring. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 6 minutes until shrimp are done and feta is warm and soft.
Remove skillet from the heat and set in the center of the table, with some crusty bread at hand for mopping the savory juices.
Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a first course/appetizer.
Labels: chiva risa feta, chiva risa goat cheese, chiva risa ranch, feta cheese, garides saganaki, Saganaki, shrimp, shrimp saganaki, tomatoes
