Grilled Shrimp and Sausage with Red Rice

JBug's kitchen antics have included a lot of combinations of shrimp and sausage. We've had sausage and grits, shrimp and grits, gumbo with both shrimp and sausage, as well as red beans and rice but we'd yet to try red rice with either shrimp or sausage until last night. 

     

Another recipe from Williams Sonoma, this dish may look like it goes together in a flash but unfortunately there's a fair bit of prep to it, most of which can or must be done in advance so don't be thinking it is something you can throw together on a whim. I guess the important issue is whether or not the effort is worth it though, huh. 

1. First gorgeous red peppers are roasted, relieved of their seeds, skinned, chopped and sauteed after green onions as well as garlic and shallots in my case and nice smokey hot chipotle chile powder. The whole shebang is then pureed into a nice rich flavorful sauce. By the way, that would be the red.
2. Then the marinade for the shrimp is concocted. Apricot preserves, oil, lemon juice and Dijon mustard are combined and boiled then cooled and coat some huge wild shrimp after their shelled and deveined. The shrimp hit the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours so they can soak up all the yummy flavors before being skewered and grilled. 
3. The next step is all about steaming the rice. 
4. As the rice is cooking, sweet Italian sausage get a little start in some white wine in a covered saute pan before they're finished on the grill. 
5. The rice is combined with the warmed red pepper sauce and joined by the sliced sausage and grilled shrimp with a garnish of chopped fresh basil and parsley; in fact, the recipe called for mixing the whole thing together kinda' like a deconstructed jambalaya...well sort of.

Is it worth the time and effort?

Oh, the rice is darn tasty - enough so that I'd likely make it again as a side dish for almost any meat, fish or poultry. Of course the sweet Italian sausage are only as good as the butcher who made 'em and in our case Sprouts does a bang up job...but the shrimp - ah the shrimp are amazing. Sweet from the apricot preserves and subtly flavored of Dijon mustard with a caramelized finish, they are absolutely without question the true hit of the dish.  

As for the number of pots, dishes and utensils needed to put this dinner together ....uh not so great. The kitchen looked like a bomb hit it and the cook was done for. The good news is the lovely man on KP duty did not utter one word of complaint during the clean up process. That's a true indication he enjoyed dinner enormously; therefore, the whole song and dance must be worth it. Right?   

Grilled Shrimp and Sausage with Red Rice (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Williams- Sonoma.com)

Pepper Sauce:

2 large red sweet bell peppers

2 tablespoons butter

4 green onions, white part only, chopped

2 small shallots, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons Chipotle chile powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup low sodium chicken stock

Roast red peppers slowly until charred on all sides (I do it directly over a gas flame). Place into a tightly covered container and allow to steam for 15 minutes, then remove skin and seeds and coarsely chop flesh. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter over medium low heat and add green onions, shallots, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables have softened. Add chopped roasted red peppers, chile powder, salt and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook until peppers are softened. Puree with an immersion blender or transfer into a food processor and pulse until mixture is relatively smooth. Set aside.

Marinade:

1/2 cup apricot preserves

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Combine mixture and place over medium high heat. Bring to a boil while whisking ingredients together. Remove from heat. Cool and set aside.

Shrimp:

1 pound large shrimp

Peel and devein shrimp. In a zip top bag, combine shrimp and cooled marinade. Seal and refrigerate for a minimum 3 hours. Twenty minutes prior to grilling, remove shrimp from bag and place onto skewers. Grill over medium hot fire, turning once, until cooked through – approximately 3 or 4 minutes.

Rice:

1-1/3 cups long grain white rice

2-2/3 cups water

Combine rice and water in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.

Sausage:

3 sweet Italian sausage links (1 pound)

1/2 cup white wine

In a sauté pan just large enough to hold the sausage, bring wine to a boil over medium high heat. Prick sausage in several places with a fork then add to pan. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, turning once.

To finish – grill sausage over medium hot coals for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Combine rice with warmed red pepper sauce. Slice sausage and serve with rice and grilled shrimp. Garnish with fresh parsley and chopped basil. Makes 4 servings. 

 A year ago - Pumpkin Cake with Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

Two year's ago - Brats with Onions, Apples & Sauerkraut

 

 

Comments

[Lea]

Yuuuuummmmmm - that looks so good! I especially like the take on the red rice - sans the tomatoes - and plus the addition of the chipotle! And as far as the shrimp goes - you had me at Apricot! And Pork goes with Everything! Love it!

[June]

Lea - right you are! Red and no tomatoes. It's really yummy and I'm with ya' on the pork.

[Lorraine]

Sounds like a true labor of love for both of you. Will think about this one. Don't know if I have the will to get it done.

[June]

Lorraine - if in doubt, just try the shrimp. They're really wonderful.