Each year, for Christmas, Zach's brother Scott creates a culinary present for everyone. Last year, for example, Scott made beautifully decorated jars of garlic jam, which was absolutely transcendental as a glaze for roasted pork tenderloin, baked tempeh, or roasted veggies. I'm always eager to discover Scott's annual creation, and this year he presented us with two beautiful bottles of chili oil! Even more fabulous, the night before New Years he treated us to a demonstration on how to fix his favorite tapas dish with the chili oil, and in the process cooked us an amazing supper - chili garlic shrimp, perfectly paired with a loaf of crusty, rustic whole wheat bread and some steamed broccoli. As much as I love shrimp, I'm quite convinced that this dish will be equally heavenly with cubed firm tofu, or slices of eggplant, both of which are perfectly poised to absorb the explosive flavors of the chili oil and sauteed garlic...
Chili Garlic Shrimp or Tofu
1/2 cup chili oil (the chili oil Scott made is a Spanish-style chili oil, with smoked paprika)
1 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined OR 1 lb firm tofu, cut into 1" cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from half a lemon
Crusty whole grain bread, for dipping
~ In a large skillet, heat the chili oil, then add the shrimp or tofu and the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp is cooked through or the tofu is heated through.
~ Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
~ Serve warm, in a bowl, with plenty of crusty bread to soak up the gloriously spicy sauce!
I think this meal looks fantastic. I actually really love shrimp. It's only my list of top 20 favorite foods :) The slice of bread was probably perfect for soaking up the flavorful goodness!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of stuffed green peppers, and I wrote it down to do for my cookbook (the Gina way, of course, which means maybe 3-4 ingredients!).
Aloha, I love flavored oils especially when they are home made gifts..it just seems a bit more chic..garlic shrimp is huge in my neck of the woods, gets me thinking about gifts I can create from Hawaiian flavors...hmmmm?
ReplyDeletevery inspiring ...Mahalo
Brandi
That looks so good. It was super nice of him to show you how the oil can be used. I am guessing tofu would be good too. I love both tofu and shrimp so I would totally eat it either way.
ReplyDeleteDid he give you any tips on how he made the chili oil? I have a friend who is really into making stuff like this--he makes everything from his own jalapeno sauce to infused vodka--and I'm sure he would appreicate the recipe.
ReplyDeleteYum! I can almost taste it, my mouth is watering!
ReplyDeleteça ne peut être que délicieux
ReplyDeletebonne journée et à bientôt
I like your recipe. It looks so good.
ReplyDeleteGreetings.
Both the chili oil and the chili garlic shrimp look amazing, Astra. I love the tradition of the homemade culinary gift - how awesome! I'll bet you look forward to it every year.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and yours! :)
I'm almost jealous of how you're surrounded with all these other great cooks. First Zach's friend, and now his brother. Geez you are spoiled :)
ReplyDeleteWith the snow maybe coming this way, I could go for some shrimp chili island-ness going right now :)