This is a variation on a Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home Recipe that I made this weekend. I longed for a light, summer meal even if it is February, and this did the trick. I will tell you that I think this recipe would have been spectacular if it were Summer and I had fresh vegetables from the garden and the use of an outdoor grill-so keep this one out for your next picnic. But for a light, healthy pasta dish it really is nice even in winter using the indoor stovetop grill. Because I had to use indoor grilling techniques, I kicked up the flavor by marinating the vegetables for an hour at room temp and using more garlic and herbs. Also, I used our infused olive oil instead of plain to add a little more oomph.
Ingredients:
Marinade:
3 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup herb-infused extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
8 oz. “Baby Bella” mushrooms
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2 thick slices
3 large, ripe plum tomatoes, halved
16-20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
12 oz. of rice, rice pilaf, couscous or quinoa, or pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 tsp. chopped basil leaves as garnish
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzle
Directions:
In a bowl, mix the balsamic and seasonings for the marinade. With a whisk, add the olive oil while whisking to emulsify the marinade. Set aside.
Take 1/3 of the marinade and pour it into a Ziploc bag with the zucchini and red onion slices. Keep the onion slices as “discs” as much as you can. In another smaller bag, add another 1/3 of the marinade to the mushrooms and seal. The final third left in the bowl, add the shrimp and toss. Let the vegetables marinate at room temperature and cover the shrimp and marinate in the fridge. Let everything sit for an hour.
Heat up your stovetop grill to very hot for 10 minutes. Lower the temp and start grilling your vegetables until charred and tender. The more caramelization, the better.
As vegetables are finished cooking, divide your onions in half. Half goes in with the zucchini and mushrooms, the other half get pureed with the tomatoes.
Use the leftover marinade that’s puddles to the bottom of the marinade bowl to brush on the tomatoes as they cook. Keep flipping them over until they are charred and tender. Grill the shrimp quickly. When they are done, set them aside and keep warm. Meanwhile, cook your grain or pasta according to directions and drain. Keep it warm in a big bowl.
While the tomatoes are finishing (about 10 minutes total or so), take the grilled zucchini, mushrooms, and half the onions, and roughly chop them and toss them into the pasta.
Take the grilled tomatoes and onions and puree until a very fine sauce. Be sure to puree this VERY well. Let that food processor GO! Then strain the sauce aggressively through a fine wire mesh into a smaller bowl.
Now it is time to assemble. Divide the shrimp and grilled veggies among all the dishes and place them on top of your rice or cooked grains. Drizzle the tomato puree over the pasta (about 3-4 tbsp. each). To finish, drizzle the olive oil (about a tbsp) over each dish, and sprinkle each with extra chopped basil. And there you go! HELLO SUMMER!
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