Cuisine Eric

This is a delicious way to prepare shrimp flavored with a rich smokey cajun dry rub. The deep shrimp flavor is coupled with the smoothness of creamy orzo, featuring a flavor infusion from sun-dried tomatoes, balanced with fresh spinach. I've prepared this many times and it always gets rave reviews. If your crowd likes shrimp, they should love this dish. 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells retained 1 Tbsp smoked paprika 1 Tbsp favorite cajun seasoning For the shells: 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup dry white wine For the orzo: 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup orzo 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped 4-5 oz fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped For the shrimp: 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp butter 1 shallot, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced Toss the shrimp well with the paprika and cajun seasoning in a bowl. Tip the shells into a small pot along with the olive oil. Fry the shells over medium-high heat, stirring very often. Cook for about 5 minutes, ...

This is a delicious home-made tomato soup I made quite a while ago at my sister's house (scanning the archives) that is simple to make and so rewarding! Tomato soup is comfort food - especially if accompanied by a grilled cheese sandwich, for example! We should all make this more often. 2 pints grape tomatoes 2 medium onions, peeled and diced 6 whole cloves garlic, peeled 1 tsp dried herbes de Provence (or Italian herbs) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp kosher salt A good dash black pepper, to taste 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste Preheat oven to 400F.   Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread evenly.  Roast for about 30 minutes, or until tomatoes have wrinkled and onions are cooked through. You can stir half way through.   Extend cooking time as necessary. Slightly blackening the tomatoes will only give greater depth and flavor to the soup! Meanwhile, bring the sherry to a boil in a small pot on the stove.   C...

This is a simple yet suculent way to roast fish. Here I use haddock, but you could use most any fish including cod or tilapia, or as I did on the west coast, wild-caught Rockfish (delicious). The tomatoes offer a fresh flavor complement to the fish slathered with a rich aioli topping. This is a quick, easy way to prepare fish on a busy weeknight. 1-1/2 lb haddock fillet (Captain’s cut preferred - thicker), patted dry Aioli: 1/4 cup good real mayonnaise 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp favorite hot sauce 1 pint grape tomatoes 1/2 tsp dried dill weed Fresh parsley, minced, for garnish Lemon wedges for garnish Preheat oven to 375F. Oil a medium baking dish (about 7x10-inch). Lay haddock fillet in dish. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, cover the fillet evenly with the aioli sauce. Toss the tomatoes with a dash of olive oil and scatter them over the fish. Season with dill and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bake fish for about 20 mi...

These are crunchy and jammy delights. A dash of coarse cornmeal gives them crackle, nuts give them flavor and jam gives them comfort. They are especially easy to prepare last minute, because the butter should be refrigerator-cold (no waiting for butter to get to room temperature!), so they are a go-to recipe for last minute cookie needs! 1/3 cup mixed nuts (or nuts of choice) 1/3 cup sugar 1-1/4 cup flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup coarse cornmeal (polenta) 1 stick cold butter, cut into 20-24 cubes 1 egg, well beaten 1 Tsp vanilla ~1 Tbsp ice water, or as needed 1/3 cup raspberry (or favorite) jam Confectioner’s sugar for garnish Preheat oven to 350F. Carefully pulse the mixed nuts in a food processor about a dozen times or so, until coarse chunks (size good for cookies), but not a floury meal. Remove to a bowl. Add the next group of ingredients to the food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add the cold butter and pulse 12-15 times, just to incorporate the butter - you should still hav...