Sauteed Shrimp Chesapeake. Downer.
Not every recipe is a keeper.
This one, i could take it or leave it, and when it comes right down to it – as written – I’ll leave it.
A week or so ago, I was presented with the opportunity to test out a recipe from a culinary school. I had such high hopes, and quite honestly, a small fear that I wouldn’t be up to the task. I’m not formally trained…I am blog trained. I have honed what skills I have over the past two years by learning from inspiring bloggers. I did NOT go to culinary school. And yet, people come to ME now for advice and inspiration. I think that’s some kind of wonderful.
But this recipe? Like I said – I was timid. The name sounded scrumptious, and after a quick perusal of the ingredients, I thought it sounded like a winner. It wasn’t until I was preparing to make it that I noticed how off it looked.
In a recipe developed (and supposedly tested) for 4 people, the recipe called for 12 shrimp. Yes, large shrimp, but 3 shrimp per person in any entree is pretty skimpy. It got worse though. 1/4 cup of broccoli. Get out your measuring cup. How many pieces of broccoli can you even FIT in there? 2? 3?? It was pathetic, and so I tweeted about it. Could that possibly be right? The same measurement, 1/4 cup, was recommended for cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Other than those ingredients, the rest is seasoning. So, in essence, this recipe has an entree of 3 shrimp, a piece of broccoli, 2 slices of mushroom, and a cherry tomato per person, served over rice. I hope they were serving lots and lots of rice.
Instead of making the recipe as written, i was told to run with it, and make the recipe my own, but to stick with the same ingredients. By this point, I was already defeated. Not in myself, but in the sad fact that this recipe was from a CULINARY SCHOOL, and I wouldn’t serve it to anyone I knew. I can’t imagine a true chef finding this acceptable…anywhere. I have pics, and they are fine, but not worth uploading. That should ell you something. The shrimp scampi at Cap’n D’s is substantially more flavorful, and you don’t have to cook it yourself. Just my opinion.
What I did was increase most everything. I used 20 shrimp. I tripled the amount of garlic. Instead of 1/4 cup of broccoli, I used 4 full cups. I used 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, and 2 cups of mushrooms, which were the one saving grace of this entire dish. I more than doubled or tripled every spice. And in the end? I still had an unsavory dish. It was edible, but nothing special. There was no redeeming quality, other than it didn’t taste BAD. It was just…blah.
Here is a link to the original recipe, developed by the culinary school of Baltimore International College.
I told you in my “About” Section that it wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows here…I think this should prove that it isn’t. For what it’s worth, I received a stipend to purchase the ingredients needed to make this dinner. It covered the ingredients, almost. I wish I had them back!
Until Monday kids, have a great weekend…and cook something yummy! I’ll see you then with my latest (and greatest?) Jim Beam Tailgating Recipe – 3 Bean Beam & Sweet Potato Chili…it’s divine!!
