Monday, August 30, 2010

Equal Parts Shrimp and Spinach (read on! really!)

The latest contestant in the Quickest, Healthiest, Easiest Dinner is this:

Shrimp Saag

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
1 pound frozen spinach
1/2 cup milk or cream
1 pound shell-on frozen shrimp
salt to taste
1 tablespoon butter (optional)

First, start the rice cooker. Then, dump the frozen shrimp in a big bowl of cold water to thaw. In a medium lidded saucepan, saute the garlic, ginger, and onion in olive oil until golden and fragrant. Add the curry powder and let it toast for a few seconds, then dump in the whole bag of frozen spinach and the milk or cream and put the lid on. Bring to a simmer. While that's heating, drain and peel the shrimp and set them aside. Puree the hot spinach mixture (an immersion blender works great here), and add the peeled shrimp. Cook until they're pink and curled, and then taste. Add more curry or some salt if you like, and if it tastes a little meager, stir in some butter.

The shrimp can, of course, be substituted for at will: leftover meat, canned chickpeas, paneer (where do you get paneer, anyway?), etc.