Michael Kurek, Composer: FOOD !

Welcome to the food page of Michael Kurek's website! If you have come here straight from MySpace, we invite you to explore the rest of this site by clicking on the links to the left! Here you will find selected recipes from the kitchen of Michael Kurek, all tested and approved by those unfortunate (sometimes fortunate) souls who are pressed into service as his tasters. If you try out any of these and want to comment, please send Michael an e-mail at Mickeykurek@aol.com. Check back each month for a new recipe!

February's Recipe Is . . .

Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta with

White-wine-lemon-cream Sauce

 

This very simple shrimp pasta can be made with a delicious lemony white-wine cream sauce all in one large skillet.  This recipe walks you through the exact technique to use for each step.  Serve in large, shallow pasta bowls (due to fairly thin sauce) rather than on plates, with a white wine and a good bakery bread on the side to mop up the extra sauce. Serves 4.  (original recipe developed by MK)

1 cup dry white wine
1 cup clam juice
1 cup regular whipping cream
1 stick butter
1 cup good Swiss cheese, grated
1 lemon, all zest and juice
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 large (or 2 small) garlic clove(s), finely chopped
2 entire green onions (white and green), finely chopped, each kept separate
2 tbsp. flour, shaken up in about ¼ cup hot water in a small jar to dissolve
2 pounds peeled and deveined raw shrimp (21-30 count)
1 lb. angel hair pasta, or fettuccini if preferred
Salt and freshly-ground white pepper (black may be used)

Dry peeled shrimp very well with paper towels, lightly salt them, and brown about 2 min. per side on very lightly coated, very hot skillet.  (This avoids excess water that steams the shrimp and creates a grilled look on them.) Do not crowd the skillet – Two pounds of shrimp will have to be done in about 6 batches in a 12” skillet, setting each batch aside on a plate as they get done (it’s okay if they cool off, they will be reheated). Between batches you can add about 1 tbsp. of olive oil and spread it around with a spatula, and reheat the skillet almost to the smoking point before adding the next batch.

In same skillet and without adding more oil, cook mushroom slices in a single layer on high heat in two batches (8 oz. each), do not disturb them.  Resist the temptation to stir or add oil; the mushrooms will release their water after about five minutes, at which point you can stir them up to turn them over, and the first side will be slightly browned.  Set both batches aside on plate. (The shrimp and mushroom plate(s) can be kept in a warm oven, if you will be serving soon.)

In same skillet, removed from heat but still hot, place about a tbsp. of olive oil and add to it one of the chopped green onions, the zest, and the chopped garlic.  Allow them to cook on the residual heat for about a minute till you smell the garlic, but do not allow the garlic to brown.  Immediately scrape all of this onto the plate with the mushrooms.

The skillet will now probably have charred bits from the shrimp and/or mushrooms that contain much flavor.  First, off the heat but while still hot, pour in the white wine and “deglaze” the pan, scraping up the bits into the wine with a spatula.  Returning skillet to low heat, add in the “slurry” (the dissolved flour mixture) to the wine, plus all the butter (cut into several separate pieces to help it melt faster).

Using a wire whisk, continually mix this as it begins to bubble.  Then pour in the clam juice and the lemon juice and reheat till bubbling, and finally mix in the cheese while stirring with a large spoon to melt it.  Taste it and add a little salt and pepper as desired.  (White peppercorns can be bought in a small bottle with a grinder lid and are used in cream sauce to be more transparent, but black is fine if you don’t mind seeing the flecks.)

Cook the pasta as directed.  A note on angel hair – it can get very sticky if overcooked, so test it often and take out on the early side --- The pasta sauce will actually cook it the rest of the way. It is best to wait till the last minute and use a spaghetti ladle to move it directly from the pot of water into each serving bowl, letting it drip a little into the pot along the way.  If you do use a colander, you can then return the pasta to a bowl and liberally toss it with olive oil to keep it from sticking together.

 At this point, you have two options for serving.  1) The shrimp and mushrooms can be returned back into the sauce in the same skillet to reheat.  Place some pasta into each person’s bowl and spoon some sauce over it from the skillet, then some shrimp, some mushrooms, and more sauce over it.  Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of greens from the other chopped green onion.   2) Do ahead:  Cook the shrimp and mushrooms as described above and chill in a covered casserole dish.  Prepare the sauce as described above, allow to cool, then chill in a plastic container, kept separate from the shrimp and mushrooms.  When ready to eat, reheat the casserole dish in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes while boiling the water and preparing the pasta.  Reheat the sauce in a small pot on the stove top. When pasta is done, put some of it into each bowl and spoon some sauce over it, then some shrimp and mushrooms, and then some more sauce on top; garnish.  Option two will allow you to prepare everything ahead of time and clean up, and to have more time with your guests before the meal.

Celebrating over 7 YEARS of fun recipes on this site! Contact MK for any of these past recipes:

September, 2004: Hoisin Crusty Bleu Pork Chops; October, 2004: Heavenly Lime-Crab Clouds of Ecstasy; November, 2004: Pumped-Up Pumpkin Soup; December, 2004: White-Chocolate Key-Lime Pie with Gingersnap Crust; January, 2005: Fresh Salmon Cakes; February, 2005: Kurek's Bizarre and Wicked Chili; March, 2005: Shrimp and Mango Spring Rolls; April, 2005: Seafood or Chicken or Vegetarian Curry -- The Real Thing; May, 2005: Russian Kotleta; June, 2005: Cajun Brie, Spinach, and Artichoke Bread Pudding; July, 2005: Sunburn Shrimp Dip with Grilled Volcano Butter Crostini; August, 2005: Maui Zowee Pineapple Coconut Cream Carrot Cake; September, 2005: Fabulous Fish Tacos with Authentic Red Rice; October, 2005: Crawfish-Goat-Cheese Potstickers with Basil-Marsala Cream Sauce; November, 2005: Cheesy Beef Stroganoff Enchiladas; December, 2005: Shrimp Cakes with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce;

January, 2006: Chocolate Mink; February, 2006: Easy Home-made Buttermilk Chicken Pot-Pie; March, 2006: King Ranch Chicken; April 2006: Orange Shrimp on Saffron-Parmesan Grit; May 2006: Rum-Pineapple-Ginger Upside-Down Cake; June, 2006: Paella Miguel; July, 2006: Mexican Polenta Casserole; August, 2006: Scintillating Sesame Noodles; September 2006: Mongolian Fiery Coconut Orange Shrimp Stir Fry; October 2006: Coconut Chess Pie; November 2006: Extreme Mac and Cheese Makeover; December 2006: Shangri-La

January 2007: Heart Attack On A Plate; February 2007: Bonus: Cooking Tips From Michael's Kitchen; March 2007: Benedictine-Cherry Sauce on Pork Chops or Duck Medallions; April 2007: Red-Wine-Mushroom Gravy on Beef with Gorgonzola-Crispy-Onion Potatoes (Bonus: Pear Martinis); May 2007: Intensely Lemon Artichoke and Spinach Fettuccine (with Bonus Recipe: BLT's for Grown Ups); June 2007: International Surprise-Burger Cookout; July 2007: Coffee-marinated Grilled Pork Loin with Island Rice; August 2007: Frozen Strawberry-Margarita Pie (plus bonus recipe: Corn-bread-stuffed Poblanos); September 2007: Crunchy Wasabi-Crusted Giant Prawns with Vanilla Rice; October, 2007: Lime Salmon over Jalapeno-Creamed Fresh Corn; November, 2007: Shrimp and Grits with Cajun-Andouille Gravy; December, 2007: Insane Holiday Stuffing

January, 2008: Appetizer Quartet (Savory Pineapple Cheese Ball, Mini-Seafood Rolls, Prosciutto-Gruyere Pinwheel Puffs, Parmesan Cheese Twists); February, 2008: Tuna-Polenta Casserole; March, 2008: America-the-Beautiful Pizza; April, 2008: Mom's Famous Bourbon Balls and the Best Meatloaf Ever; May, 2008: An Outdoor Concert Picnic: Michael's Mega-Sandwich and A Nice Pasta Salad; June, 2008: Maui Zowee Pineapple Coconut Cream Carrot Cake (repeat from August, 2005); July, 2008: Maggie Gamboa's Mexican Cornbread and Michael's Easy Black Beans; August, 2008: Make Your Own Hummus! and tip on a better way to make rice; September 2008: Beef Short Ribs Braised in Ancho Chile – Coffee Sauce! (over Saffron Cheese Grits); October, 2008: Pork Chops Au Poivre with Potato-Apple Latkes; November, 2008: Pumped-Up Pumpkin Soup; December, 2008: She-Food Soup;

January, 2009: Insane Ginger Cookies; February 2009: Authentic Spaghetti and Meatballs; March, 2009: Coconut Cream Pie with Bonus: Homemade Butterscotch Sauce for ice cream; April, 2009: Easy Salmon Wellington and Apple (or Cherry) Turnovers; May, 2009: Welsh Rabbit and Fresh Pea Soup; June, 2009: Shrimp and Grits with Cajun-Andouille Gravy (and Fresh Strawberry Piña Coladas); July, 2009: Crab Pot Pies; August, 2009: Korean Shrimp or Seafood Pancakes; September, 2009: Wuthering Heights Bread; October, 2009: Oktoberfest Brisket Braised In Dark Beer; November, 2009: Fluffiest Blueberry Pancakes Ever; December, 2009: Osso Buco with Lamb-Shanks

January, 2010: Classic Coq au Vin; February, 2010: How Do I Luv Thee Cookies; March, 2010: Great Lasagna; April, 2010: Authentic Shepherd's Pie; May and June/July, 2010: Crunchy Wasabi Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Rice, August, 2010: Crab and Goat-cheese ravioli with Lemon Cream Sauce and Shrimp; September, 2010: Jalapeño and Goat-Cheese Hush Puppies; October, 2010: Anyone-Can-Do Rack of Lamb with Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes; November, 2010: Pumpkin Crunch; December, 2010: Grandma Mabel Ann's Orange Bread

January, 2011: Orange-braised shank osso buco with cognac peppercorn cream; February, 2011: Romanian Sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls); March: Carribean Curried Snapper with Tropical Fried Rice; April, 2011: Franco-Italian Shrimp Pasta; May, 2011: Tandoori Chicken; June, 2011: Eggplant Parmesan served over pasta; July, 2011: Fried-Green-Tomato Po' Boys; August, 2011: Citrus Shrimp with Coconut-Ginger--Rice Croquettes over Chili Lime Cream Sauce; September, 2011: Fluffiest Breakfast Casserole Ever; Oct-Nov., 2011: Pumped-Up Pumpkin Soup; December, 2011: Tomato-Celery Soup, Cheese-Pecan Wafers, and Snow Ice Cream from Shaker Village in Kentucky.

January 2012: Best Meatloaf in the Universe; Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta with White-wine-lemon-cream Sauce;