Sugar Cane Shrimp with Spiced Rum Glaze
- 12 jumbo shrimp (2 pounds), peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- A generous splash (1/4 to 1/2 cup) rum, preferably Mount Gay brand
- 3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard or Caribbean-style hot sauce, such as Matouk’s
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
- 1 pinch coarse salt (kosher or sea) or more to taste
- Grilled lime halves, for serving
- Trim the ends of the sugarcane and cut it into skewers, It’s easier than you think and there are lots of videos online about how to cut out these skewers. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water and then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Skewer the shrimp on the sugarcane by making two “leader” holes in the shrimp, one near the head end, one toward the tail. Insert the sugarcane skewers through these holes.
- Place the brown sugar, butter, rum, hot sauce or mustard, lime juice, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and salt in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture is syrupy, 5 to 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary. The recipe can be prepared up to 1 hour ahead to this stage; keep the shrimp in the refrigerator, covered. The glaze can be kept at room temperature.
- Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the shrimp skewers on the hot grate and grill until cooked, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Generously baste each with glaze once before turning and once before removing from the grill. The shrimp will be firm and white when cooked through. Serve any remaining glaze as a sauce on the side. Serve with lime wedges.
Roasted Red Beets with Navels
- 1 bunch of medium red beets
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 large navel orange
- Sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
- Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
- Handful of watercress leaves, or arugula or microgreens
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Flaky sea salt, optional
- other extra (optional) topping ideas:
- Goat or feta cheese
- Chopped walnuts or pistachios
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Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Place each beet on a piece of foil and drizzle generously with olive oil and pinches of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap the beets in the foil and roast on a baking sheet for 35 to 60 minutes, or until soft and fork-tender. The time will depend on the size and freshness of the beets. Remove the beets from the oven, remove the foil, and set aside to cool. When they are cool to the touch, peel the skins. I like to hold them under running water and slide the skins off with my hands.
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Use a citrus peeler to peel long strips around the orange, avoiding the white pith. Grated zest would work here also. Slice ¾ of the orange into segments and reserve the remaining ¼ wedge for squeezing.
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Slice the beets into 1” wedges or chunks and place them in a bowl. If you’re using red and yellow beets, place each color into separate bowls so the red beets don’t stain the yellow beets.
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Drizzle with olive oil and sherry vinegar, then add the lemon juice, orange juice squeezed from the remaining wedge, and a few pinches of salt and pepper and toss. Chill until ready to serve.
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Taste before serving and season with more salt (flaky sea salt, if using) and pepper or more vinegar (for more tang), orange, or lemon juice, as desired.
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Serve on a platter with the orange segments, watercress, and citrus curls.
Broccoli and Red Kale Stir Fry with Sliced Almonds
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, peeled and sliced
- 1 1/4 broccoli crowns, stems peeled and heads cut into quarters
- 1/2 bunch of red kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
- Zest of 1 medium lemon
- Juice of 1/2 medium lemon, about 1 tablespoon
- 2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, about 1/2 cup
- 1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
- Kosher or sea salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil then add the sliced shallots. Cook shallots until soft and lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the kale, and continue cooking until the broccoli is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, and almonds. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.