Miserably hot and humid here. I finally got tired of trying to work between the little thunderstorms that kept blowing through and went home tired and frustrated to start supper.
Deb had planned the menus this week so I wasn’t sure what was on tap for tonight. I looked at the little notepad we keep our menus on and it was:
- Iceberg lettuce wedges with blue cheese, and
- Barbecued shrimp
I don’t know if Debbie was prescient on the weather, but it’s hard to imagine a more perfect menu for a hot, humid day.
for two
One half head of iceberg lettuce, cut in two pieces, i.e, two quarters.
Dressing
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (or bleu, if you’re so inclined)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup sour cream
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing together in a bowl and blend them until you get the texture as smooth or as chunky as you like.
Pour over the iceberg wedges, and top with fresh ground pepper if you like.
The barbequed shrimp is a Paul Prudhomme recipe, and if you’re thinking barbeque is a tomatoey sweet and tangy preparation, well, you’re wrong. This has nothing to do with that.
for two
Seasoning
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried rosemary
1 t garlic powder
dash oregano
Mix all the seasoning ingredients together in a bowl.
1 stick butter (yes, this is a lot of butter. If you have an issue with that, don’t try this recipe.)
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup stock (chicken, shrimp, clam juice, or even water will work)
1/4 cup beer at room temperature (drink the rest of the bottle while cooking, chef’s prerogative!)
1/2 pound of uncooked shrimp, peeled.
In a heavy skillet over medium high heat melt the 2/3’s of the butter with seasoning mix and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the shrimp and cook 2 minutes. Shake the pan back and forth while cooking, don’t stir.
Add the rest of the butter and the stock and beer, cook and shake for 2-3 more minutes. You may need to flip your shrimp, depending on the skillet size. If they’re not entirely covered by the sauce, you’ll probably need to flip them.
Divide shrimp and sauce between two bowls and serve immediately.
Excellent with French bread to sop up the sauce.
What a great hot weather meal! The icy, crunchy lettuce with creamy rich dressing. Then the fiery, peppery shrimp. A beautiful contrast of satisfying flavors, yet a small quantity to not weigh you down on a hot day.
Some days it just all comes together perfectly.
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