By: Raph Rashid

Abc Life 

(photo by:) Hold the bacon and the croutons and make this simple and jalapeño  version of caesar salad instead.(ABC Life: Raph Rashid/Juliette Steen)

ure, the fancy oak or butter lettuces look great on the ‘gram, but they just can’t compete when it comes to crunch.
Nothing beats a roast chicken sandwich with shredded iceberg lettuce or even just a whole iceberg wedge with a simple vinaigrette.
But at the end of the day, cos lettuce wins out and its victory comes down to the Caesar salad.
Make your dressing to the right consistency and it will coat your cos leaves perfectly, giving a crunchy, creamy, zingy salad that goes great with pan-fried chicken schnitzel or crumbed eggplant.

Ingredients

1/2 tsp garlic, minced (about 1 small clove)

1 egg yolk

1 lemon, juiced

4 anchovies, finely chopped

1/2 to 1 cup of olive oil

1 1/2 cup pecorino cheese, finely grated (or Parmesan to substitute) tsp flaky sea salt

1/2 tsp Tabasco

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Salad:

1 cos lettuce, halved

1 fresh jalapeño, sliced

Optional: 1 radish, chopped in half, to serve

Method

1. To make the dressing, place the garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, anchovies, salt, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together and, while whisking, slowly drizzle in half a cup of olive oil. Once it’s fully combined or emulsified, check the consistency. If the dressing is still really runny then add more oil. If it’s too thick you can add a teaspoon of white vinegar. Once you’re happy with the texture, add in a good crack of black pepper and 1/4 cup of pecorino cheese. Try it and adjust any seasonings to your taste.
2. Prepare your lettuce by filling a deep mixing bowl with water, before adding the 2 halves of your head of lettuce. Gently wash the entire lettuce by prying apart the leaves. Once washed, remove lettuce from water and leave to dry in the fridge.
3. To serve, spoon the Caesar dressing onto the lettuce, filling the leaves with the dressing. You may have some dressing left over that you can store in the fridge. Top with sliced jalapeños and some more pecorino. Slice the cos into sections and gently lift onto a serving dish. Serve with radish and dip it into any extra dressing!

 

 

 

 

 

By: Chef Gerard Schultz

North Country Outlook

Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp with Jalapeño and Cilantro

Photo By: Chef Gerard Schultz

 

I chose to share this recipe because the combination of pork and shellfish are one of the perfect pairings that chefs love to use. This is an easy and elegant appetizer, which combines both shrimp and prosciutto that can be made in a small amount of time. It can also be served on top of a salad or in a small bun as a slider. I like the salty flavor of the prosciutto, the earthy taste of shrimp with the sweet smokey sauce and the spicy jalapeño.

 

Making the orange chipotle sauce
Yield: approx.  ¾ cup

 

Ingredients
½  cup & 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1  whole orange
½  tablespoon shallots, diced
½  tablespoon garlic, diced
1  tablespoon parsley, chopped
3  teaspoons Mao Ploy Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
2 ¼  teaspoons chipotle, ground to a paste

Note: Chipotle paste can be purchased at your local grocery store. If not, take whole chipotles, which are smoked jalapeño peppers. Puree them by using a food processor, blender or by dicing and crushing the peppers with the side of a chef’s knife until a smooth consistency is reached.
Method
Wash the orange.

 

Take a zester or microplane and carefully remove the zest from the orange. The zest is the darker orange skin on the outside, so avoid going deep into the white bitter pith.
Finely dice the zest.
Cut the orange in half.

Juice the orange and strain to remove seeds.
Place a sauté pan on low heat and add orange juice, garlic and shallots, reducing until almost dry. Let cool.
Combine the remaining ingredients with the juice mixture and puree using a food processor, stick mixer or blender.

Making the wrapped shrimp

Ingredients
8  frozen shrimp, 26/30 or 16/20 size, peeled with the tail removed (thaw overnight) – see note
1  tablespoon olive oil
1  teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped
½  teaspoon black pepper
4  slices prosciutto, thinly sliced and cut in half lengthwise (It is easiest to buy already sliced or have the butcher pre slice the prosciutto paper thin for you)
1  jalapeño, washed and thinly round slices with seeds and all
1-2  ounces cilantro leaves
½  cup chipotle orange sauce (see recipe)
Note: The shrimp numbers denote the size by telling how many you can receive per pound. You can purchase shrimp peeled and deveined (P&D) with the tail on or off. I recommend buying them P&D. I recommend buying them P&D tail off for this recipe.

 

Prepping the shrimp

 

Toss shrimp in olive oil, garlic and pepper. Marinate for a few hours or overnight.
Cooking the shrimp
The shrimp can be cooked on a hot grill or by using a sauté pan. Cook the shrimp halfway, which should take a few minutes and let cool.
Making the prosciutto wrapped shrimp
Remove cilantro leaves from stems and reserve.
Slice washed jalapeño pepper into thinly round pieces with the seeds.
Cut prosciutto in half lengthwise.
Lay the 8 slices of prosciutto vertically on a clean counter or cutting board. Place ¼ teaspoon of chipotle sauce about 1 inch from the closest end of the prosciutto. Add 1 slice jalapeño, 1 cilantro leaf on top of the sauce followed by one partially cooked shrimp and repeat with chipotle sauce, jalapeño and cilantro leaf on top of the shrimp. Repeat for the remaining 7 slices.

 

Carefully roll the shrimp side over with the prosciutto slice tucked inside until fully wrapped. These steps can all be completed 1 day in advance.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Take a sheet pan and coat with butter or pan spray. Place the wrapped shrimp on the sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes.

 

Plating the shrimp

 

Remove from the oven and immediately place on a serving plate and top each piece with a little chipotle mayonnaise and a cilantro leaf.
Enjoy!