Shrimp, tomato and spinach pasta

I've made some changes to the recipe from the original source. I couldn't find any fresh basil from the supermarket, and so, I used baby spinach as substitue. I also used 3 more extra cloves of garlic coz the husband likes a stronger garlic flavour in his pasta dishes. And I think the overall flavour was just nice for us.

Shrimp, tomato and spinach pasta (recipe adapted from : here)

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 pound(s) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
- Coarse salt
- Ground pepper
- 6 teaspoon(s) olive oil
- 2 clove(s) garlic, minced 
- 1 can(s) (14 1/2-ounce) diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 pint(s) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 pound(s) linguine
- 1 1/2 cup(s) lightly packed fresh basil leaves (I substituted with baby spinach leaves)

Directions:

1) Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

2) Make sauce: To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes.

3) Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add tomato sauce, shrimp, and basil; season with salt and pepper, and toss. Serve immediately, garnished with basil leaves, if desired. 

Orange Shortbread

I have a strange relationship with oranges. I like the colour orange, and almost anything with oranges in them. Orange chocolate, orange cake, orange cookies, orange ice cream, etc. But I don't really like eating orange as a fruit or drink it as a juice. 

So with 5 large oranges left in my fridge after making these shortbread, be prepared that my favourite "fruit" will make its appearance in the next few blog entries. ;p


Orange Shortbread (recipe from : here)

Ingredients :

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• zest of  2 large oranges
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar mixed with the zest of one additional orange for rolling

Directions :

1) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and zest of 2 oranges. 

2) In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together (it will be very crumbly.  

3) Dump onto a surface dusted lightly with flour and roll the dough into two logs, about 2 inches in diameter. 

4) On a large plate, combine the 1/2 cup of sugar with the additional orange zest.  Roll each log in the sugar mixture and then wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

5) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Slice each log into 1/4 inch slices.  

6) Bake on parchment lined baking pans for 12-15 minutes, until the edges just start to brown.  Cool on wire racks.  Store, tightly covered, at room temperature.

Easy Buttermilk Biscuits

I had never thought to try making biscuits. But my youngest sister had so enthusiastically showed me a blueberry biscuits recipe she found online and was determined to give it a try. Though the instructions were quite long but didn't look too difficult after reading it a few times.

Sad to say, that didn't work out. At all. 

Though the outside was cooked to golden brown, the insides were all mushy and not cooked at all. We didn't know what was wrong as we followed the recipe very thoroughly.

Anyway, since we were already on making biscuits, I decided to find another simpler biscuits recipe to try again to see if we could find out what went wrong. And the second attempt was slightly (just slightly) better coz they were edible and cooked on the inside. Though these were quite tasteless, on the bright side, they went quite well with strawberry jam. :)

Easy Buttermilk Biscuits (recipe from : here)
makes 8 large biscuits

Ingredients :

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk, chilled, plus additional for brushing

Directions :

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together in a ball.

3) On a lightly floured surface, gather the dough into a bowl and knead gently 6 times. Pat dough into a 10 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into three inch rounds with a lightly floured cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Brush with buttermilk.

4) Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.