Cajun Mustard Shrimp & Slowly Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Brrrr.

All of this cold wind inspired me to create a warm, saucy, spicy dinner.  I transformed a humble sack of plum tomatoes into a delicate and sweetly roasted side dish to accompany snappy shrimp swimming in a tangy mustard gravy.


Oven-Roasted Plum Tomatoes
This recipe from Saveur is based upon a recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (Workman, 2007).

Ingredients
Plum tomatoes, de-seeded and halved
Extra virgin olive oil
Sugar or honey
Sea Salt
Herbs such as parsley, basil, or mint

Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Cover a sheet tray with foil and smear with olive oil.

Place the tomato halves on the sheet tray with the cut side facing up.

Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with sugar (lightly drizzle with honey), and sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper.

Bake for two-three hours.  The recipe recommends three hours, but my tomatoes were done after two.  They are supposed to be wrinkly yet remain juicy.  Garnish with sea salt and your choice of herbs.

The slow roasting yielded tender skins and a concentrated, sweet tomato flavor.

Cajun Mustard Shrimp
I babysit a toddler who eats like a king.  One week, I enviously fed him plump shrimp and have been craving the crustaceans ever since.  I finally bought my own bag at the co-op and recreated this simple Cajun Mustard Shrimp recipe posted by AGM_Cape_Cod on a Chowhound post.  I prefer to leave my shrimp shells and tails intact.  Peeling is half the fun.  Unless you are Jake, who banished the shrimp to the side of his plate until I peeled them for him.

I shouldn’t laugh, though.  When I was younger, I once made my friend Michelle peel my shrimp at a long-defunct Chinese buffet that used to be located at the Burnsville Center.  I am now able to peel off the tiny, little sea legs that once terrified me.

Ingredients
1 pound of large, raw shrimp, de-veined.
1 drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 pat of butter
1-3 cloves of garlic, minced
A dash of crushed red pepper
1/3 cup of dry white wine or vermouth
3 Tablespoons of jalapeno jelly (I found four Tablespoons to add excessive sweetness).
2 Tablespoons of whole grain mustard (I like Maille)
2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard
Several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Fresh cracked black pepper
Sea salt

According to the poster, this recipe serves three people.  This recipe could serve three, not too hungry individuals with no hope for leftovers.  Rather, it comfortably serves two.

Instructions
Preheat a skillet over medium high.

Make sure your shrimp are thawed if using frozen (thaw frozen shrimp by running under cold water. Drain and dry with towels).

Briefly saute the shrimp in olive oil until they just turn pink.  Remove and set aside before they are completely cooked through.

To the same pan, add the knob of butter.  Saute the garlic until fragrant but not brown.  Add the crushed red pepper.

Then, add the wine or vermouth and scrape the pan.  Incorporate the jalapeno jelly, whole grain and Dijon mustards, and Worcestershire.

Place the shrimp back into the pan and mix into the sauce until warmed through.  Add the chopped parsley.  Let the sauce reduce a bit and taste, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

I served the shrimp with a mixture of lentils and brown rice and crusty sourdough bread to soak up the extra sauce.


Brown Rice and Lentils
Rinse the rice and lentils. Toast in a saucepan until fragrant.  Add as much liquid as rice and lentils. I flavored with a bouillon cube but you could flavor with garlic, stock, demi glace, etc.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stir, and cover.  Reduce the heat to low and let simmer until tender.  You can add more liquid if the grains seem to dry out before tender.