Shrimp Stew-Camarones Guisados

Besides Shrimp scampi, this is one of our favorite ways to eat shrimp. My dad always prepared this with white rice or crispy tostones on the side and it was delicious every single time! I hope you enjoy it as much as we all have.

This recipe is from: www.gardeningchicinthecity.com

Ingredients

36 Jumbo Deveined Uncooked Shrimps (21/25 per lb. count)
3 oz. (half of a small can) of tomato paste or a small can of tomato sauce, whichever your preference is
2 Garlic Cloves- Crushed
One Medium Onion (any kind of onion you prefer)- sliced thinly
One Large Red Bell Pepper- sliced thinly
2-3 tbsp of Stuffed Olives
1/4 of a cup of good olive oil
2-3 tbsp of chopped cilantro
1/2 cup of water or seafood stock (seafood stock adds depth to the flavor but water does just fine)
Salt (add to your taste)
Pepper (add to your taste)
** You can also add any kind of Adobo you like for extra flavor. If you do, just be careful that you do not over salt the dish

Preparation

Peel, rinse and pat dry all of your shrimp

Slice the onion and the pepper, set aside. In a sauté pan, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil, over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the onion, pepper and the olives to the pan until they start to become slightly tender about 5-7 minutes

After the vegetables are tender, you can then add the tomato paste and also begin to add your water or stock to begin dissolving the paste. Add the water in parts as you might not need the whole 1/2 cup. At this point you can turn the heat up a little to bring the mixture to a medium simmer, if its not already simmering. Simmer for about 6 minutes
The last thing you will add is the shrimps. Once all of your ingredients come together, you want to stir in the shrimps and cover the pan for about 5-8 minutes and then test the shrimps to see if they are done. They should be pink and slightly firm to the touch but not tough

There is nothing worse than putting the shrimps in the pan when you first start to put the ingredients together at the beginning of the dish. When shrimps cook for a long period of time they become very tough and rubbery. So make sure they are added in the end and you are sure to have the most tender and tasteful Camarones Guisados!



Happy Cooking! The Gardening Chic

Garlic & Pepper Infused Chicken- Pollo con ajo y pimienta al horno

There's nothing like a nice roasted chicken for a Sunday dinner. This recipe is one of those recipes that gets compliments every time someone tries it. It's really simple to make and it goes great with

Steamed Herbed Potatoes or Roasted Vegetables. Anything that you pair this chicken up with, is sure to taste fantastic!

This recipe is from: www.GardeningChicinthecity.com

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 Whole Chicken or 1 Chicken cut up (2-3 lbs)

To Make the Marinade:
4 Garlic Cloves
1/3 cup of Cilantro, or small portion of a bunch
1 tablespoons of Peppercorns (you can put less peppercorns if you don't prefer as much)
1/3 cup of GOOD Extra Virgin Olive Oil- the flavor the oil is important, so get a good one
2-3 Tbsp of white wine vinegar (you can add less if you do not prefer the taste of vinegar, you can even substitute with lemon or lime and it is also delicious)
Salt (to desired taste)
Adobo- any combination or brand of adobo that you prefer is fine (to desired taste)

Preparation

Combine all of the ingredients into a small processor. If you don't have a processor, you can also use a Pilon. If using a Pilon (Pestal & Mortar), first smash the garlic and the peppercorns together, then add the cilantro. Once all blended together add the olive oil and white wine vinegar. The marinade is not thick it has a loose consistency.

Once all the ingredients are ground together, add the salt to your preference. Taste and make sure to adjust the salt for flavor.
Marinade

After the marinade is the right salt content, its time to rub it on the chicken!

The most important part of putting the marinade on the chicken is, to make sure that you get your finger in between the skin and the meat and incorporate the marinade in those parts. The only way to make the chicken truly flavorful is to marinade between the skin and the meat! Delicately slip your fingers between the two and make sure to get all that good flavor in there. That makes for one juicy chicken!

Once all is marinated. put in a ziplock bag and leave it overnight. This makes the chicken taste so delicious!
Chicken, once marinated

Make sure that once you ready to cook the chicken you preheat the oven to 350. Also, please make sure that you take the chicken out of the refrigerator at least 45 minutes before baking and bring it to room temperature. You NEVER want to put a cold chicken to bake in the oven, it becomes tough before it becomes tender. Once at room temperature just lightly sprinkle the top of the chicken with adobo for a final touch. And into the oven it goes!

I leave my chicken in for about 3 hours uncovered, it seems long but the chicken is juicy and down right delicious once it comes out of the oven.
Dinner time!

Happy Cooking! The Gardening Chic