Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times - Mark Bittman [30]
2. Remove the hard outer layers from the remaining lemongrass stalk and mince the tender core; you won’t get much more than a teaspoon or two. Combine this with the chile, coconut milk, sugar, and saffron in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a uniform yellow. Remove the chile and chill. Cut the remaining lime into wedges.
3. Taste the sauce and add a little salt if necessary. Serve the cold shrimp topped with the cold sauce and accompanied by lime wedges.
COCONUT MILK
ALTHOUGH CANNED COCONUT milk is perfectly convenient, making coconut milk at home is easy and will contain no preservatives: Combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups dried unsweetened shredded or grated coconut in a blender. Use a towel to hold the lid on tightly and turn the switch on and off a few times quickly to get the mixture going. Then blend for about 30 seconds. Let rest for 10 minutes. Pour the milk through a strainer. This will be fairly thick. If you need more milk, just pour additional water through the coconut, up to another cup or two. Press the coconut to extract as much liquid as possible. Use immediately or freeze indefinitely
SHRIMP OR SCALLOP SEVICHE
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 30 MINUTES
IN SEVICHE, the scallops are “cooked” by the acidity of the citrus.
½ pound perfectly fresh sea scallops, cut into ¼-inch dice
1½ tablespoons peeled and minced bell pepper, preferably a combination of red, yellow, and green
½ teaspoon minced lemon zest
1½ teaspoons fresh orange juice
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
Cayenne to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro (optional)
1. Toss together all the ingredients, except the cilantro, and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve, garnished with the cilantro if you like.
SHRIMP COOKED IN LIME JUICE
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 20 TO 30 MINUTES
THIS IS A Southeast Asian-style preparation, mildly sweet and mouth-puckeringly sour. It’s also ridiculously fast; if you start some rice before tackling the shrimp, they will both be done at about the same time, twenty minutes later. (This assumes your shrimp are already peeled, a task that will take you about ten minutes and one that should be undertaken before cooking the rice.)
For best flavor, see if you can find head-on shrimp; they make for a more impressive presentation, and it’s fun to suck the juices out of the heads themselves (which, I realize, is not something that everyone enjoys). But none of these assets is worth making head-on shrimp a sticking point. Note that this technique will work with scallops or cut-up squid; each will take slightly less time to cook than the shrimp.
About ½ cup lime juice (3 or 4 limes)
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce) or salt to taste
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1½ pounds shrimp, peeled and, if you like, deveined, or 3 pounds head-on shrimp, unpeeled
Minced fresh cilantro for garnish
1. Combine the lime juice, sugar, and nam pla. Put the oil in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over high heat. A minute later, add the garlic and hot pepper and cook just until the garlic begins to brown. Immediately add the lime juice mixture all at once and cook until it reduces by half, or even more, 3 to 5 minutes; there should be only about ¼ cup of liquid in the skillet, and it should be syrupy.
2. Add the shrimp and cook, still over high heat. The shrimp will give off liquid of their own and begin to turn pink almost immediately. After about 2 minutes of cooking, stir. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until all the shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes later. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish with cilantro.
STIR-FRIED LEEKS WITH GINGER AND SHRIMP
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 30 MINUTES
LEEKS, ONE OF the first legitimate spring vegetables,