Summer recipes

Here's an easy, but tasty, shrimp and pasta salad.

1 pound pasta

1 pound shrimp (21-30)

3 scallions

3 ribs celery

1 carrot

1 lemon (juiced and zested)

parsley

basil

roasted peppers

ginger

halab pepper

salt & pepper

sugar

lime juice

soy sauce

rice wine vinegar

olive oil

Peel and devein shrimp. This will have the effect of curling the shrimp when they're sauteed but as they'll be in a salad, I like this. Add grated ginger, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and haleb pepper (this is a syrian pepper that is kind of sweet but adds a wee bit of heat. You can use any hot pepper that suits your fancy: red pepper flakes, jalepeno, etc), and let marinate for 15 minutes. Then sauté in olive oil. When done, set aside and let cool.

Boil pasta (I use farfale) in salted water and then set aside and let cool. Don't rinse. While cooling, occasionally break up pasta so that it doesn't stick together.

Chop scallions into quarter inch pieces. Finely chop celery. Grate carrot. Slice roasted peppers into half inch pieces. Rough chop parsley and basil. Set aside.

Combine sugar (just a teaspoon), lime juice (1 lime), a couple of dashes of soy sauce, a couple of dashes of rice wine vinegar in a small jar. Add enough oil to make an emulsion. Shake and set aside.

When shrimp and pasta have cooled, combine and then add scallions, celery, carrot, peppers, parsley and basil. Add salt & pepper as needed. Shake dressing and slowly drizzle in. Mix, taste, and add more dressing if needed.

Chicken & Mango salad

boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lemon, juiced and zested

halab pepper

oregano dried

basil dried and fresh

garlic finely minced

salad greens you can use any greens you like. I used a mix of arugula, radiccio and basil

red onion

mango

scallions

roasted peppers

calamatta olives

feta cheese

tomato slices

potato slices roasted

Marinate chicken with the juiced and zested lemon, halab pepper, oregano, salt & pepper, dried basil, olive oil and garlic. The chicken should marinate for at least 20 minutes, no more than 2 hours. After chicken has cooked (I used the grill but you could just as easily roast it), allow it to cool and rest before slicing. Figure one breast per serving.

Slice potato and rub with olive oil, salt & pepper and halab pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until done. When done, the slices should be caramelized and blistered. You should have 3 sliced potatoes per person.

All that's remaining is to assemble the ingredients. Mix the salad greens, sliced red onions with a light coating of salad dressing (I use a lemon vinaigrette). Place greens on a flat salad plate. Add chicken slices, mango slices, roasted peppers, olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, and potatoes and sprinkle with sliced scallions.