Sunday, April 25: Jumbo Shrimp

Our favorite oxymoron

We don't have any running water.  There is a water main break in our back alleyway. No running water in any of the neighbors' homes either.  But, that won't stop us from making a great meal and drinking a fun wine.

We picked up a 4 lb. package of colossal shrimp from Costco today.  The whole package was $55.  Today, we will try to replicate a dish Laura ate in Avignon in the Provence region of France some years ago.  We will start the meal with a stuffed mushroom appetizer and pair both dishes with a Pinot Noir we picked up in Sonoma last year.  It is from B.R. Cohn winery. 

We really enjoyed the tasting room experience at B.R. Cohn and picked up several wines after our tasting, including a very nice port.  We learned that the owner is the manager of the Doobie Brothers and that he started the winery very early in his career.  One of the incredible things they do each year at B.R. Cohn is to host a fund-raising concert (The Benefit Concert for Veterans).  Of course, the Doobies play every year and sometime another band is thrown in the mix, such as Journey.

B.R. Cohn winery, Sonoma Valley, CA.  Award-winning BR Cohn 2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (about $35)

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

6 large white mushrooms
ham
mushroom stems
onion
garlic
butter
white wine
parmesan cheese
bread crumbs

I'm not sure of the exact measurment of ingredients for this dish, because I've made it so many times.  These are very easy to make and it's simple to switch up ingredients in the filling. 

Pop stems out of mushrooms and reserve.  Hollow out center of each mushroom.  (I hold the mushroom firmly in the palm of my hand and use a teaspoon to scrape away a good bit of the flesh from the center.  This is much easier with larger mushrooms.)

Dice the stems, onion, garlic and ham and sautee in butter until soft.  Add some white wine and simmer for a few minutes.  Turn off the heat and stir in parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.  Stir until cheese is melted and breadcrumbs are blended in.  (It should have a sticky moist consistency. I usually add the right amount of breadcrumbs and cheese to make the filling clump into a ball when mixed.)

Put hollowed out mushrooms on a baking sheet.  Fill each with the filling.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

PROVENCAL SHRIMP

1 lb. cleaned, deveined large raw shrimp 1 cup lima beans 2 cloves chopped garlic 1 small onion, chopped 1/2 lemon 1 cup fresh chopped, de- seeded roma tomatoes 1/2 cup white wine 1 cup chicken broth 6 tbsp. olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 3 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 3 tbsp. fresh mint. chopped 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary 2 springs of fresh thyme Place 3 tablespoons olive oil in large frying pan. Add garlic and onion and saute 1 minute. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into pan. Add tomatoes, broth, and white wine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh herbs. Add the lima beans & simmer covered 15 minutes. Remove lemon. Add raw shrimp and cook just until shrimps turns pink, turning once.