Creamy Shrimp with Corn and Bacon, followed by Chipotle Shrimp and Salad

I'm not sure who cooks up the recipes that appear in Real Simple magazine, but here's more of the tried and true favorites from there.


Cook 1 cup dry Jasmine rice according to whatever recipe/directions yields your best rice. I put 1 cup of rinsed Jasmine/Basmati rice in 2 cups of water with a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. I let it sit 20 minutes, then turn the heat on High until it boils, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer until the water is gone.

While that's in the works, cook a package of bacon by whatever method yields your best bacon. I pan fry, slowly. You'll need 8 slices for this recipe. Put the remainder in the refrigerator for other recipes. What's the sense of cooking half a package of bacon, ever? Set the eight pieces of bacon for this recipe aside for now.

With a little of the bacon fat left in the pan, saute 1 large, chopped white onion. Cook it until it's translucent and soft, about 4 - 6 minutes. Add 1 cup of dry white wine and cook until it's reduced by half - about 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and bring to a boil.

Stir in 2 pounds of large shrimp, peeled and deveined, and 1 pound of frozen corn. I like to use PictSweet Frozen Baby White Corn in this recipe. It's sweet and tender, and is flavored perfectly for this dish. Simmer all together for about 4 - 6 minutes. Ladle the soup over bowls of warm rice, and garnish with crumbled bacon.

Serve with garlic bread made with thick slabs of Italian bread slathered with butter, pureed garlic and a liberal sprinkling of Cotija cheese.



Here's my OTHER favorite Shrimp dish from Real Simple.

Chipotle Shrimp with Radish and Jicama Salad (except I don't use Jicama)

The recipe calls for one small jicama (about a pound) that is peeled and cut into 2 inch matchsticks. I substituted Granny Smith apples when I couldn't get jicama at my local grocery store, and it is every bit as delicious. You can also mix the apple with julienned celery, although I wasn't quite as impressed with that as using just the apples.
8 radishes sliced into thin half-moons
1/2 of a bermuda (red) onion, sliced thin
A bunch (about 1/2 cup) of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup of golden raisins
Mix together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 cup lime juice (fresh is best) and salt and pepper.

Cook 2 pounds of large peeled and deveined shrimp in Old Bay according to the Old Bay package directions (only takes about 4 minutes.) Drain the liquid, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the shrimp in the pan, and sprinkle liberally with chili powder, and toss in pan until fully coated. Do not cook more than 1 minute. Serve with the salad.

I serve this one with Saffron rice, and Vera Cruz corn, chips and guacamole for an all out feast.

The Vera Cruz corn is corn, either cooked on the cob or off (again, I defer back to that PictSweet Baby White Corn...PictSweet vegetables are fabulous time savers in so many of these recipes, and they are excellent quality.) If you use corn on the cob, coat the cob with a liberal portion of mayonnaise. Yep, I said mayo. Roll the cob in Cotija cheese that has been finely grated. Sprinkle with Cayenne pepper and serve with fresh wedges of lime. If you use the frozen bagged corn, stir in a few tablespoons each of mayo and Cotija cheese. Sprinkle with Cayenne and lime juice.

My Guac, as made by Caliente Cab Company in NYC...an avocado, mashed. A small onion, chopped. A tomato, chopped. Juice of 1 fresh lime. Half a bunch of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped. Salt and pepper to taste. Lots of blue corn chips for color and taste.

Dos Equis, or Corona on the side, Pearl if you are lucky enough to find it.

Best savored with your best bitch girlfriends.