Shrimp Pasta Primavera

This simple shrimp pasta primavera uses a mix of spring vegetables including asparagus, sugar snap peas, garden peas and spring onions. It’s a celebration of the season!

When we lived in Southeast Asia, the only asparagus we got in our local grocery stores was quite thin but they won my asparagus hating husband over. Turns out he had only ever been offered canned asparagus as a child and thought they were nasty. 

Fresh asparagus are completely different! In the States and in Jersey, Channel Islands, the asparagus are typically thick. The husband was unsure again but I’ve gradually won him over, especially when I cook them simply with a little butter and lemon. Or in a pasta dish like this Shrimp Pasta Primavera. 

Shrimp Pasta Primavera

If using fresh pasta instead of dried, cook 12 oz or 340g to serve four people. Regarding the peas: I prefer the frozen peas called petit pois because they are young and more tender, if you can find them. Do not, for love of all that is holy, use canned peas. This recipe is adapted from one on New York Times Cooking. 

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus plenty extra for the pasta boiling water

Freshly ground black pepper, more as needed

5 1/3 oz or 150g sugar snap peas

8 oz or 226g asparagus, ends snapped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup or 23g thinly sliced green onion, white part only

10 oz or 285g peeled, cleaned shrimp

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

9 oz or 255g fettuccine or tagliatelle

2/3 cup or 60g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, at room temperature

1/2 cup or 123g crème fraîche or sub whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature

1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

3/4 cup or 113g frozen young peas, thawed

(To thaw the peas and cook them just enough at the same time, pour boiling water over them. When cool, drain the water and repeat. Drain again when cool and the peas are ready to add in at the end of the recipe.)

Optional garnish: tender pea sprouts

Method

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.

While the water is coming to a boil, string and slice snap peas diagonally.

Trim the asparagus tips off, leaving them whole. Slice the asparagus stems into ¼-inch-thick lengths, also on the diagonal. 

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add snap peas, asparagus and green onions. 

Cook until the vegetables just start to soften, then add the shrimp. 

Cook for 3-4 minutes until the shrimp are pink throughout. 

Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. 

Season with the salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper; set aside.

Drop the pasta into boiling water and cook until al dente (1 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta, according to the manufacturer’s instructions for dried pasta.)

Drain well and transfer pasta to a large bowl. Immediately toss the pasta with the shrimp and vegetables. Mix well. 

Add in the Parmigiano-Reggiano, crème fraiche, tarragon and peas and stir well. 

Season generously with more salt and pepper, if needed.

Return to your warm pasta pot, garnish with pea sprouts, if using, and serve immediately.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and since spring has sprung, we are sharing recipes with asparagus and I am hosting! Check out all the links below. 

• Asparagus Farro from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Asparagus Three Ways from Our Good Life
• Macaroni and Cheese with Asparagus and Prosciutto from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Shrimp Pasta Primavera from Food Lust People Love
• Spring Risotto Topped with Shaved Asparagus from Culinary Cam
• Stir Fried Chickpeas and Asparagus from Amy's Cooking Adventures

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Banana Peanut Butter Cookies

Simple to make, chewy and delicious, these banana peanut butter cookies are perfect with a glass of cold milk or a cup of hot tea. They'd be great for breakfast too! 

I give the actual recipe I used for the cookies in my photos but I have made these many times. What I discovered is that no banana is exactly the same weight you need. 

Based on the original ingredients for one batch of 16, here are the instructions to personalize the recipe according to the weight of your bananas. You need a kitchen scale. 

Simply peel your very ripe bananas and weigh them in grams. Divide the number of grams by 75. Now times that result by 160. That is how many grams of peanut butter you need for your weight of bananas. Times that banana number by 31 to figure out how much flour you need. Easy! 

Banana Peanut Butter Cookies

I tried this recipe with natural peanut butter without sugar and even with a very ripe banana, the cookies just weren’t sweet enough. Use your favorite peanut butter that does have sugar added. I like Jif.

Ingredients for 16 cookies

1/3 cup or 75g very ripe banana

1/2 cup, rounded, or 160g smooth peanut butter (with sugar)

1/4 cup or 31g flour

Powdered sugar for pressing with fork

Sugar for sprinkling, if desired.

Method

Preheat your oven to 350° or 180°C and line a baking pan with a silicone liner or baking parchment. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk the ripe banana until smooth. 

Add in the peanut butter and flour and mix thoroughly. 

Use tablespoon to apportion into cookies. 

Roll into balls.

Dip the tines of your fork into powdered sugar and press down in a cross pattern. 

Sprinkle with more sugar for decoration, if desired.

Bake in your preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Remove the cookies from the oven and leave to cool. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating National Tea Day. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam who encouraged us to share our favorite recipes that use tea as an ingredient or anything you would serve at a tea party. Check out the links below. 

• Banana Peanut Butter Cookies by Food Lust People Love
• Caramel Apple Tea Rub for Pork by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chamomile Spring Veggie Chowder by Culinary Cam
• Veggie Mini Vol-au-Vents by Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Baked Salmon Potato Croquettes

Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, these tasty baked salmon potato croquettes are served with tangy lemon garlic mayo. Great as a main or appetizer.

Whenever I have leftover mashed potatoes, I like to make some form of croquette. Sometimes I add a protein like chopped ham or fish and sometimes, I just add a little cheese and egg to make potatoes patties. 

Leftover mashed potatoes are so versatile and go with just about anything. I’ve even been known to add them to quiche filling! These salmon potato croquettes are probably my favorite.

Baked Salmon Potato Croquettes

These can be made with any cooked fish, even canned tuna, preferably albacore tuna in water. Just drain it well! 

Ingredients for about 30 croquettes

For the salmon potato croquettes:

1 fresh salmon fillet, 10 oz or 284g

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

2 red chili peppers

6 green onion tops

1 1/2 lbs or 700g leftover mashed potatoes

2 eggs

Zest 1 lemon

1 - 1 1/2 cups or 70-105g panko 

For the lemon garlic mayo:

3/4 cup or 160g mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne, optional

Method

Use a sharp knife to remove the skin from the salmon fillet. Season the fillet well with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Add a drizzle of olive oil to your skillet and pan-fry the salmon for about two minutes each side over a high heat. 

Cover the pan, turn the stove off and leave the salmon to finish cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Ideally, your fish should reach 140°F or 60°C internally, on an instant read thermometer. 

Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. 

Meanwhile, mince the red chili peppers and green onion tops.

Use two forks to flake the salmon. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix the leftover mashed potatoes, eggs, flaked salmon, minced chili peppers and green onion tops, along with the zest of 1 lemon.

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and prepare your baking pan by greasing it with a little olive oil and/or lining it with a silicone liner. 

To make the lemon garlic mayo, mix together the mayonnaise, garlic and lemon. Stir well to combine. 

Add the cayenne and stir again. 

Set aside while you make the croquettes. 

Put 1 cup or 70g of the panko in a large mixing bowl. Use a small scoop or a soup spoon to scoop out small golf ball sized portions of the potato croquette mixture into the panko. 

Coat the pieces with panko and use your hands to form round balls. 

Remove the croquettes to your prepared baking pan. 

Continue the process with the rest of the mixture, until all of the croquettes are ready to bake, adding more panko to your bowl, if necessary. 

Since it was only two of us at home that day, I baked just nine to eat for dinner, with a garden salad. I baked the rest the next day to take them up to my mother-in-law’s. Cover any you aren’t baking right away with cling film and refrigerate until ready to bake. Ditto with the lemon garlic mayo.

Bake the croquettes for 15-17 minutes in your preheated oven, or until golden on the outside and hot in the middle. You can turn on broil the last couple of minutes for more color, if desired. 

Serve with the lemon garlic mayo.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today my blogger friends are sharing recipes made with seafood. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. Check out the links below. 

• Baked Salmon Potato Croquettes from Food Lust People Love
• Fried Prawn Masala from Sneha’s Recipe
• Pissaladière from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Shrimp Dip from A Day in the Life on the Farm 

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Corned Beef and Gruyère Toasties

These corned beef and Gruyere toasties are made with thinly sliced corned beef and rich, melty Gruyere in an electric toastie machine which seals the flavor in! 

Here’s a tiny bit of history for you. The very first toasted sandwich machine was patented in the United States way back in 1925 so this year we celebrate its centennial birthday. Truth be told though, it didn’t really take off in popularity until 1974 when Breville introduced their Snack'n'Sandwich Toaster in Australia. 

I grew up eating regular grilled cheese sandwiches, made on a griddle at home but we also had a pie iron aka sandwich press for use over a campfire that made something very similar to modern electric toastie makers. It wasn’t until I was fully a grown up with children(!) when I saw my first electric toastie machine. 

When our younger daughter was still at home, before her university days, ours got regular use. Nowadays, not so much. That’s why when I heard that the theme for today’s Sunday FunDay was going to be grilled cheese sandwiches, I decided it was time to dust it off and see if it still worked. 

I had to hunt for it in the back of the pantry! When I did find it, I discovered that it didn’t have the toastie plates in – it has three sets of interchangeable plates: panini press, waffle iron and toastie – so then I had go looking for the spare plates. I’m pleased to tell you that now all are together in a safe place. 

Corned Beef and Gruyère Toasties

Could you just use a regular griddle or frying pan and make these sandwiches on the stovetop? Of course! The edges won’t be sealed up nicely but they will still taste just as good. For this recipe, I use a brisket roast that I home cured and cooked. You can substitute store-bought corned beef but, please, from the deli counter, not the tinned stuff. 

Ingredients for two toasties

4 slices whole wheat sandwich bread

2-3 tablespoons butter, softened

2 1/2 oz or 70g corn beef roast, thinly sliced

1 1/4 oz or 36g Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced

1 – 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

Optional for serving:

pickles (I like pickled okra)

potato chips

Method

Thickly butter one side of the slices of bread. 

Lay them butter side down on a piece of cling film and spread the mustard on the other side.  (I actually put the buttered sides together at first but then realized I'd have to turn it all over to spread mustard on the other side, so do as I say, not as I did.)

Layer your corned beef and Gruyère slices so that they overlap and alternate on two of the slices. Make a second layer. 

Close the sandwiches by putting the other two slices mustard side down on the beef and cheese. 

Heat your toastie maker, following the instructions in your manual. Mine has a green light when it’s ready to make a toastie. 

Place your sandwiches in the toastie maker.

Close the lid firmly and lock the clasp.

My toastie maker light turns red at this point and will turn green again when the toastie is ready. 

Remove the toasties from the machine and cut them in half at the pressed line. 

Serve with pickles and potatoes chips, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, today is Sunday FunDay and our theme is a celebration of National Grill Cheese Month. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out all the grilled cheese sandwich links below. 

• Baked Beans Bruschetta by Sneha's Recipe
• Corned Beef and Gruyère Toasties by Food Lust People Love
• DIY Grilled Cheese Bar by Culinary Cam
• Grilled Cheese and Avocado by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Provolone with Turkey, Prosciutto, Spinach, and Jalapeños by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese by Amy's Cooking Adventures

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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