Dead Sea Spaghetti (Squid Ink Spaghetti with Shrimp)

I realize it's now November, but I'm still working on finishing up a few Halloween blogs as I got a really late start to Halloween this year. I'm still selecting photos and writing for two more Halloween blogs...better late, than never...right?  I made this recipe weeks before Halloween, but I wasn't happy with how the photos came out so I had to make it again. Most times, when I make dishes more than once, I usually do it within the same week or even the same day. But as my husband will attest when I make a large dish of pasta, there is only so much leftover pasta he can eat. So I had to give him time to be willing to eat days of leftover pasta and that day was yesterday. 

I made this delicious Squid Ink Spaghetti with Shrimp and an easy homemade roasted red pepper and leek pasta sauce. It's super simple to prepare just throw the veggies in a skillet with wine and broth, heat until leeks are soft and then blend. Sauce done.✔Cook the pasta and saute the shrimp. ✔✔ Toss together and Tada! Halloween dinner is served. 🎃

Here's a photo with out the basil garnish, I really liked pure black and orange look of this photo for Halloween. 

Dead Sea Spaghetti (Squid Ink Spaghetti with Shrimp)

Serves 4 


Easy Roasted Pepper Leek Sauce
2 T canola oil
2 leeks, white/light green parts chopped 
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup roasted red peppers
1-14 oz. can tomatoes, diced
1-14 oz can chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine]
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 T honey
1 T balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Pasta and Shrimp
1 lb. squid ink pasta
1 lb 71-90 shrimp, peeled and tail off
salt and cayenne pepper
2 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
Roasted red bell peppers, strips
fresh basil (garnish)

In a large skillet, add oil, leeks, garlic, red peppers, tomatoes, chicken broth, wine, basil, hone, and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until leeks and garlic are soft. 

Let cool a little and then blend until smooth in a blender. 

Transfer blended sauce to a medium saucepan. Salt and pepper to taste and keep warm on low. 
Prepare squid ink pasta according to package directions. Keep warm and coat with olive oil or canola oil while you prepare the shrimp. 
Salt and pepper the shrimp. Heat butter and garlic in a hot skillet and add shrimp and roasted red bell pepper strips and saute until pink about 8 minutes. Toss butter garlic shrimp with pasta. 
In a large warm serving bowl put the red pepper leek sauce in the bottom of the serving bowl and then top with the pasta and shrimp. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Other Halloween pasta recipes to try:

Nightcrawlers Con Funghi

Grubs Au Gratin

Love at First Bite Linguini

Shrimp and Andouille Sausage with Cheesy Grits

There's so much discord in our nation, that I am at a loss of what to write about today. Do I happily write about food and ignore the monster in my room that scares me so much. Do I write about how I'm feeling and open myself up to criticism and personal attacks that seem to be so commonplace when you exercise free speech. I wonder where our manners have gone and our ability to 'agree to disagree'. Civility, decency and wisdom seem to have disappeared from our social discourse. Being unapologetically rude, mean, and ill-informed have become acceptable norms, and based on the results of our last election...celebrated. Social media has made it easy to voice our opinions but even easier to forget decorum; I can say what ever I want and not be responsible if it is taken the wrong way. Hop on the soapbox, spew venomous and personal attacks when someone has a different opinion or view and then disappears into anonymity. Free speech is our right, but I really believe speaking with dignity and respect toward others will get you heard. It's not only what you say, but how you say it. We've forgotten that I think.

What will happen to our moral fabric now that we have a leader who tweets ignorant and divisive rhetoric daily? He fills airspace with deflections, fabrications, and red herrings which are then fact checked and debunked by media outlets. But why isn't he held to account, for real? IS there no real consequence to not being truthful? Why does he still have credibility? What message does it send to our children about honesty? 
Yeah, yeah, I know that's an old fashion notion...that pesky honesty thing. But just like kindness, in my world, it still matters!  But really, what does that do to our collective humanity if the leader of the free world spreads propaganda that we know and can prove is false? I fear it will affect our humanity. Will the lies be tolerated and accepted as we become desensitized to the barrage of injustices and inconsistencies of words to actions? Will we lose our sense of right and wrong? Will we care? I do.

That being said, my fear of the new president is not partisan. I am neither a Democrat or Republican, so please spare me the politics. Obviously, his lack of political experience and knowledge of the Constitution is a legitimate reason to fear him as President. He's been called a misogynist, racist, xenophobe, etc, but those are just symptoms of the real problem with him...his lack of humanity and integrity. This is most troubling because his integrity, or lack of, is what will guide his decisions no matter what job he holds or what affiliations he aligns himself with. Integrity is consistency of character and ultimately how we measure trust in a person. I trust someone when their actions and words match and they are transparent. He is not transparent and speaks with malice to incite fear and hatred, to confuse, to intimidate, to divide, to threaten, to discredit, and to degrade Americans. He is the most un-American President to have ever hold office. He doesn't care about America or Americans and he proves it every time he speaks and pits us against each other. He doesn't want to unify America. He wants us to be fighting each other and blaming each other so we don't notice as he takes our democracy and our freedoms from us. He is dividing us and tearing at the very fabric of what makes America great...its people!  
We must hold him to account for the things he says, for the damage his words inflict and the actions he takes. We must end the partisan arguing and judge him only on the content of his character. Like it or not, he works for us and he needs to answer to us. 

I'm stepping off my soapbox now...I need comfort food.
 

Shrimp and Grits 

Serves 4 (adapted recipe from Teri Appleton Villanueva)

Prepare Grits
1 1/2 cups hot chicken stock, divided
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup cream
1 garlic clove
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper
3/4 cup stone ground grits (I used yellow cornmeal)
1/4 cup sharp cheddar, grated

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add 1 cup chicken stock, milk, cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in grits and when the grits begin to bubble, turn the heat down to low and simmer, stirring frequently. Cook for 10-15 minutes until smooth and thick. Cover and set aside. 

When shrimp and sauce is done, reheat over medium heat and add some of the remaining 1/2 cup of the hot chicken stock to thin if necessary and then stir in the cheddar cheese and heat until almost melted.

Andouille Sausage Gravy
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 pound Andouille sausage, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 T tomato paste
1 pound 16/20 shrimp, peeled, deveined
~3 T parsley, chopped
1/8 t. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Franks Red Hot Sauce (to taste)

Place oil in a large skillet and saute the onion and celery over medium heat until softened. Add sausage and cook until browned. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
Stir in 1 T flour until incorporated with other ingredients. Whisk in chicken stock and tomato paste and when it begins to simmer, lower heat and add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are firm and pink. Season with cayenne pepper and parsley. Spoon grits into hot bowls and ladle the shrimp and andouille gravy over grits. Serve with Franks Red Hot Sauce to taste.

 Other recipes to try:

Easy Crab Cakes with Remoulade

Shrimp with Chili Garlic Cream Sauce

Blackened Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Fiendish Fingers (Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Diabo Sauce)

School's out and we're about five days into summer vacation and I must admit I'm so excited! I'm super happy as I think about long warm days in shorts and flip flops, salads, BBQ, fresh fruit, beaches, bike rides and swimming pools. You're probably thinking, I thought Fall was your favorite season so what's up with all the love toward summer? Fall is my favorite season for sure!  I love fall but I also love summer with its warm, kick-back days hanging out with my boys, light delicious salads, fresh fruit and cooking everything outside. My native California soul embraces the warm days ahead knowing that with every day of summer heat and bright, clear skies, the long easy days will ultimately shorten into glorious autumn and give way to my favorite holiday, Halloween. Until then, I have a handful of Halloween dishes to share that can easily be made on a hot summer day on the grill and this is one of those dishes. A delicious and elegant recipe I like to call, Fiendish Fingers! These bacon wrapped shrimp are smothered with a spicy diablo sauce that can be served over rice for a delicious main dish or with diablo sauce for dipping as an elegant appetizer.


The inspiration for this dish came from two sources, originally the idea came a pin my best friend Julie sent me thinking I might be able to Halloween-ify this dish. And as I experimented with the idea of shrimp, I was inspired by the dinner scene in the movie Beetlejuice, when the shrimp cocktail comes to life and grabs the dinner guests' faces. These bacon wrapped shrimp won't grab your face but they will grab your taste buds. Enjoy!

Fiendish Fingers (Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Diablo Sauce)

Serves 2

10 Large Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
5 slices of thin bacon, cut in half lengthwise
1 T cilantro leaves, chopped (garnish)

Diablo Sauce

1 cup onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T canola oil
1 small can V8 Spicy Vegetable Juice
1 t chili powder
1 T garlic chili sauce
salt and pepper (to taste)

Add onions and garlic to canola oil and saute until translucent about 6 minutes. Add additional ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes until thickened. Set aside to cool slightly. Add to a food processor and blend until smooth.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel shrimp leaving only the feathers of the tail in place, removing the flattened tail shell. Pierce shrimp with small skewer at the head end through the tail to ensure the shrimp doesn't curl up when cooking. Dry shrimp with paper towels and then wrap shrimp tightly with thin sliced bacon using the toothpick to anchor the bacon at one end. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 

Cook 25-30 minutes, turning shrimp over once half way through. Remove from oven and baste shrimp with Diablo sauce and serve with additional sauce for dipping. 
Depending on your preference, Keep the toothpicks in as an easy handle for an appetizer course. Albeit, you will eat the shrimp in reverse. To eat, hold toothpick and gently pull off the tail feathers and eat. Or if you prefer, place a fork against the head of the shrimp, tug and rotate the toothpick until the shrimp slides free. Place shrimp on platter with rice and serve as a main course.

Other Halloween inspired food click here.

Blackened Shrimp Poboy Lettuce Wraps

If you've been following Castellon's Kitchen on Facebook, you'll know that I'm growing pumpkins this year in my backyard and I'm really excited about them. I check their progress everyday and post any milestones. Yesterday, I posted that I finally saw two female pumpkin flowers. Pumpkins have male and female flowers on the same plant and Bees/insects are needed to transfer the pollen from the male to the female to make baby pumpkins. Very exciting stuff because there was a ton of male flowers, and up until yesterday, I had no female flowers. Finding my first two females was a proud 'Gardener mom' moment for me. However, I'm worrying too much. 
Last night, I had a dream that I woke up this morning and all the leaves were eaten by these fat, green caterpillars. I was so disappointed. And now as I type away this morning and look out my kitchen window, I'm watching two squirrels chase each other along the top of the property wall...My second thought after, "How cute.", was, "those cute furry things are going to eat my pumpkins when the fruit sets." 
I definitely need to chill out and let nature take it's course and not worry about those pumpkins so much. They will come in when they will, some will be eaten or won't ripen. If I get one pumpkin, I will be happy, but if I don't, I can always go to the pumpkin patch...

Here's a great recipe that came about from our Cajun themed Dinner Club this summer. I love Shrimp Poboy sandwiches and decided to do a version sans the roll. For those purists out there, you can always take the lettuce wrap and throw it on a roll with some spicy mayonnaise. But for those who like all the flavors of a Blackened Shrimp and the creamy spiciness of a crunchy coleslaw wrapped in a cool lettuce leaf, minus the carbohydrates from the bread, this is for you. Try them as a light, satisfying main dish or bring these to a party as an appetizer and wait for the compliments. They are super easy to prepare. The most difficult part is peeling the shrimp which is not hard really, just time consuming. It's a perfect dish for summer.

Blackened Shrimp Poboy Lettuce Wraps
Serves 8-10

1 lb medium shrimp, shelled
2-3 T Cajun Blackened seasoning
olive oil
1 head of Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
Spicy Coleslaw, prepared
green onions, chopped

Spicy Coleslaw
5-6 cups shredded cabbage or 1 pkg coleslaw cabbage
1 cup Cajun Aioli Sauce, recipe below

Cajun Aioli Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
zest and juice of one lemon
1 T Dijon Mustard
4 cloves garlic
1 T Creole Seasoning
1 T Blackened Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peeled shrimp in a medium bowl and combine with oil and blackened seasoning. Toss to coat. Arrange shrimp on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turning shrimp about half way through cooking time. Set aside to cool. 

Prepare Cajun Aioli Sauce. Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl. Add shredded cabbage to Aioli sauce and combine. Refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavors meld and for cabbage to soften a little. 

Spoon out some of the shrimp and place on lettuce leaves and top with spicy coleslaw and green onions. Serve. 


Another Shrimp recipe to try: Shrimp with Garlic Chili Cream Sauce

Shrimp with Chili Garlic Cream Sauce

Shrimp is a rarity in our house since I've been home with the kids. Normally, it's just too expensive, but you will see a few shrimp recipes from me in the coming months because it was on sale and I bought 4 pounds of it. Yay!
Here's an awesome shrimp dish that came about after trying to mimic the Walnut Shrimp from PF Chang's. This dish is nowhere near the same in flavor, but rather I wanted to mimic the texture of a lightly fried shrimp in a cream sauce. For the shrimp I lightly coated it with cornstarch and garlic powder and fried it in canola oil. The cornstarch/garlic powder adds a delicate coating and doesn't smother the shrimp with a heavy fried batter. The cream sauce was adapted from a Sriracha Cream Sauce I found on Pinterest from a blog called Damn Delicious. Instead of using Sriracha, I used Chili Garlic Sauce, which is basically the same but with garlic. I like the intense garlic flavors from this sauce along with the heat and thought it would taste better with the shrimp than just sriracha. 
The finished dish came out absolutely delicious. Sweet and spicy and with the lightly fried shrimp you get the crunchy too, just yummy! You can adjust the heat with the amount of chili sauce you add, I added 3 teaspoons and it was spicy but not burning. My husband wanted it hotter so next time, I'll probably add 4 teaspoons or just hand him the bottle. :)  Enjoy!

Shrimp with Chili Garlic Cream Sauce
(Serves 2)

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3-4 Tbsp. cornstarch (enough to coat shrimp)
1 T garlic powder
oil for frying
green onions, chopped
toasted sesame seeds

Chili Garlic Cream Sauce: (adapted from damndelicious)
2-3 tsp. Chili Garlic Sauce (to taste)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. soy sauce

In a medium bowl, add shrimp, cornstarch and garlic powder and toss to coat well.
 

 

In a medium bowl, add all the chili garlic sauce ingredients and mix well and set aside. 

Heat about an inch of oil (I used canola) and add shrimp in small batches so they are not touching or crowding. Fry for about 5-8 minutes turning to ensure even frying and remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.

Add the fried shrimp to the bowl with prepared Chile Garlic Cream Sauce and stir to coat shrimp. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

Complete the meal with a Nappa Cabbage Salad or with a Spicy Asian Meatball Soup as a starter.