Tuscan Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

These little shrimps have a big flavor.

Marinated in lemon, garlic, thyme, rosemary and sage, these are herb-a-licious.

The Boyfriend says the shrimps would be equally good without the prosciutto due to the super herb-y flavor from the marinade.

'I'd pay money for these,' he says. 

One shrimp I ate tasted like the pine-y rosemary, while the next had that sweet, almost citrusy thyme flavor.

Wrap them up in prosciutto and see how fast they get gobbled up.  

 Fast, easy, and prepared ahead, this is a great party appetizer, or an appetizer for an intimate dinner.  Shrimp are an aphrodisiac ;)

If it was warmer out, I would have slapped these on soaked bamboo skewers and threw them on the grill.

Tuscan Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

Serves 2

1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

5 or 6 slices thin sliced prosciutto (about 5 ounces)

4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and stem discarded

6 or 7 rosemary leaves (NOT whole sprigs!) minced

1 large sage leaf, minced

1 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for cooking

In a Tupperware or ziploc bag, combine the shrimp, olive oil, and herbs.  Let marinate for 2 hours.  

Add the lemon juice, and let marinate another 20 minutes.

Slice the prosciutto in half width-wise, and then into about 3/4 inch slices.  Wrap each shrimp with a slice or prosciutto.  

When all shrimp are wrapped heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the shrimp and let cook until shrimp is opaque and prosciutto is crispy, about 3 minutes per side. 

Serve immediately. 

Rose's Crusted Molasses Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pineapple-Papaya Salsa

   This dish is a three- day process, so be prepared.  It has a nice crusted slightly sweet, slightly spicy exterior, and a moist interior due to a pineapple based marinade.  One tenderloin will make enough for about 3, or 4 smaller servings.  

You will need:

For the pork:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds)

1 fresh pineapple (will also be used in salsa)

1/8 cup plus 2 tbsp molasses 

1/4 cup sea salt

Marinade:

1 tbsp Worcestershire

3 tbsp dry mustard
2/3 cup brown sugar

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne (or more for more heat)
1/4 tsp cumin
cajun seasoning

For the Salsa:

1 cup fresh Papaya (about 1/2), peeled, seeds removed, diced

10 Guaybos*, (outer skin peeled, seeds removed), diced

1/4 red onion, diced very small

1/2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp fresh chopped mint

2 tbsp fresh lime juice                            

1/4 cup honey

 *Guayabos are a Spanish version of a guava, small and round and yellow-light orange in color.  The rind is slightly bitter, and the flesh sweet. They can be found at some farmer's markets. Carefully scoop out seeds, as thy are hard to separate  from the flesh.  Substitute Mangos if you cannot find.

Day 1 

1 quart water

1/4 cup salt

1/8 cup molasses

In the evening, mix the 3 mix ingredients together in a tupperware that will fit the tenderloin snugly.  If you use a tupperware that is too large, the brine will not cover the pork.  Add the pork, turn to coat, and refrigerate overnight, for 10- 12 hours MAXIMUM. No longer.

Day 2

Preheat grill to med.

Cut off the pineapple's top and bottom inch.  Use a sharp knife to remove the skin.  Lying the pineapple horizontally, cut in 4 even pieces, reserving all pineapple juice as you go.  Core the pineapple using a sharp knife to remove the hard, cylindrical center.  Reserve all juices as cutting.  Slice the pineapple into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Refrigerate 1/4 of the slices.   (The pineapple can be cut in advance!)

Grease grill grates with a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil. Place 1/2 of the pineapple slices on the grill. Flip after about 5 minutes (when you see dark grill marks).  Continue grilling another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.  Refrigerate in separate container for tomorrow.

With remaining 1/4 of pineapple, dice into very small tidbits. In a bowl, add the tidbits of pineapple and all accumulated juices, the three marinade ingredients, and remaining  2 tbsp of molasses. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved and ingredients are incorporated.

Remove pork from fridge, discarding brine and rinsing pork thoroughly.  Return pork to the same container, pour over marinade, and let marinate one day.

Day 3

Begin 1 1/2  hours before you are ready to eat. 

Remove pork from fridge, discard marinade.  Season the pork with the garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and cumin.  Coat both sides of the pork with cajun seasoning (I did a little more then a tbsp and a half, coating both sides of the pork.  Rub in the seasoning.  Let meat rest while you make the salsa.

Grease grill grates with a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil.  Preheat grill to med heat, leaving one burner OFF.  

Make fruit salsa.  Remove grilled pineapple from fridge and chop into chunks.  In a large bowl, combine grilled pineapple with chopped papaya, guayabos (or mangos), and red onion. In a separate small bowl, combine the honey, lime juice, cilantro and mint.  Mix and pour over the fruit, mixing gently.  Refrigerate.

The pork tenderloin will grill for about an hour.  Add pork tenderloin over the burner that is OFF.  My grill was at about 300 degrees.  Flip pork after about a half hour.  After another 20 minutes, remove the remaining pineapple slices from fridge and add to grill, flipping after 5 minutes.  Use a meat thermometer to check the pork's temperature (pork needs to be a MINIMUM of 145 degrees).  I cooked mine to 155 degrees.  When pork is done, place a couple pineapple slices on top of the pork and let cool a little. Serve with fruit salsa and a fresh green salad.

Burger with Carmelized Onions and Gouda with Sweet Potato Wedges

Since taking the job at Restaurant Alba and not going into work until 4pm, I have started preparing my boyfriends lunches... and dinners.  Yesterday I made some simple burgers which were consumed before I could take photos.  This recipe takes about an hour to make.

Man Burger with Carmelized Onions and Gouda

with Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges

1 lb ground beef (I used 90/10)

1 yellow onion, diced

1 tbls Worcestershire

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

a few drops liquid smoke

1 sweet onion, thickly sliced

1/4 cup Brown sugar

2 Sweet potatoes, cut into wedges

2 tbsl butter, 

1 tbsp olive oil

ground pepper

sea salt

Gouda cheese

Vienna Rolls, purchased

Preheat grill, med heat.  Leave one burner off.

Mix beef, yellow onion, worcestershire, onion and garlic powder, and liquid smoke together and form into large patties.  Apply a liberal coating of freshly ground black pepper to both sides of each patty (don't be shy with the pepper!) 

In a bowl, toss the sweet potato wedges with olive oil and a generous amount of seasalt (about 1 tbsp).

Add sweet potato wedges to grill over med heat.  They will need about 45 minutes, depending on how thick the wedges are.  Flip them over after 20 minutes.

When flipping the sweet potato, it's time to add the sweet onions to the grill.  You will need a pan safe for the grill (I had a circular heat safe pan) Add the butter and onions to pan, and plan on grill over the burner that is turned off.  Wait a few minutes for the butter to melt, and stir in the brown sugar.  Let the onions caramelize, stirring fairly often.  Keep an eye on them, you don't want the butter and onion to burn.

When the potatoes are getting soft and the onions a deep tan color, add the burgers to the grill, and flip only one time.  Do NOT press down on the burger with a spatula to speed cooking, this releases the juices and makes for a drier burger.  Top with gouda cheese to melt.  

Toast the vienna rolls if you like, and when finished, top the burgers with the caramelized onion and serve with sweet potato wedges.  Enjoy!

I will be posting the recipe for 

Crusted Pork Tenderloin 

with Pineapple-Papaya Guayabo Salsa tomorrow!