Oregon Transplant: Recipe Redux: Shrimp & Artichokes Over Rice

Let's go back in time my friends-

To February, 2012. I'd been blogging for a very short time, less than a year. The hubby and I had been living in Kentucky for almost a year and a half, in our run-down rental in Ashland. The hubs had been working a new job for all of 3 months, and we'd begun to house-hunt. The hubby is required to live within 30 miles of the office, so Ashland wasn't cutting it. We'd been house-hunting for months, and finding zilch. Houses that needed to be gutted. Houses at the base of hills, that very obviously needed thousands of dollars of mold abatement. Houses on busy roads. Houses where you could reach out and touch your neighbors house. It was soul-sucking, to say the least.

Little did we know in a months time from then we would be signing papers to construct a new home. It's funny how you never know when something incredible is right around the corner. You just have to try and be patient until amazing is ready to come along.

The dish I made to share on the blog was made one day after the hubby and I had looked at 5 or 6 houses. We were feeling disappointed and bitter. One of the houses was on the perfect piece of property and looked great from the outside. The inside was one that needed to be gutted. And when I say it needed to be gutted, it needed to be gutted with a capital G. Dirty, discolored linoleum in the kitchen, with orange counters and a green fridge. The same nasty linoleum was in all the bathrooms. Dirty, once-tan carpet pulling up in areas to reveal filthy carpet pad. Wallpaper everywhere, sometimes 2 to 3 different patterns in 1 room. It was a disaster, and immediately was crossed off the list.

The next house was on a great piece of property too. A couple of acres, with a fully stocked gorgeous pond out front. The inside was another story. The upstairs was poorly divided into tiny rooms, the house was covered in carpet (even in the kitchen!), and it smelled like dog. Badly. The one positive was the newly renovated downstairs. Another money pit.

Next up, was the hilly mold house. The house was gorgeous on the outside, and inside. The only problem was the hubby and I were already having trouble breathing after being in the house for 20 minutes. I can't image having to live there.

Then a smoker's house. Then a house with teeny, tiny rooms and a moldy, water-damaged basement that was completely overpriced. Then another teeny tiny house that had been compartmentalized into a dozen tiny rooms and hadn't been updated since 1950. Honestly, sometimes I don't what people are thinking. The area was full of houses that seemed to be badly compartmentalized by the owners after the fact. It was mystifying.

At any rate, I came home to put this dish on the table. For one, it is so easy and so fast. Secondly, it's comfort food for me. Guaranteed to make me feel better after a completely wasted day. When I posted this in 2012, this is what it looked like-

Time for an update! Because this is still one of my favorite dishes EVER :-) Ready? Let's go!

I like to sear the shrimp off first. I think it tastes better, and I like the way it looks. One thing I've learned with smaller shrimp is that it cooks fast. Like, in 60 seconds fast. Ergo, the pan must be screaming hot! When I say screaming, I mean screaming. Put that pan on high heat. This was one of the hardest cooking concepts for me to grasp. I always felt that if I put the pan on high heat that my food would burn. So I would heat the pan over medium heat to try and sear the shrimp. And what happens when you do that?

All my experienced chefs out there, say it with me-

Overcooked, rubbery, disgusting shrimp.

I made pans, and pans of it. All because I was too scared to cook over high heat. Well, no more! Now, I put the pan on the highest setting it will go and I sear each side of the shrimp for 30 seconds. Seriously, they cook that fast. And yes, they are completely done after 1 minute.

Rice. Because this dish is best served over rice. I've tried pasta, but I always go back to the tried and true.

I'd say that 99% of the time, you'll be able to find canned artichokes and frozen shrimp in my pantry/stockpile. They are great items to have on hand for a quick meal.

Spices. Can't live without em' :-)

Guess what? I still have fresh parsley here! I also still have fresh oregano, thyme, lettuce, arugula, kale, spinach that is almost ready, and a few radishes. I also found a crop of mint growing wild behind one of my containers that I've been stealing minty goodness from. Needless to say, I'm loving my winter garden.

This is a great recipe to have on hand during the holiday season. It's so easy and fast that you could probably throw it together even after a long day of shopping or wrapping gifts. And another bonus- the leftovers are fantastic. I always eat this for a couple of days after I've made it.

Well, it was a crazy weekend around these parts. Just like I predicted. The baby shower on Saturday went extremely well. My mini-cheesecakes turned out great, and were devoured. The photos turned out excellent as well, even though the venue presented challenging lighting conditions. I was caught off guard when my sister-in-law told me at the shower that we were having my niece's birthday party on Sunday, the very next day! And apparently, everyone knew about it, including me. I don't know how I forget such things. Haha. At any rate, the family gathered to hang out after the baby shower to unwind. I, on the other hand, hightailed it home to bake a cake. My niece had requested Red Velvet Cheesecake, and it just so happened one of my favorite bloggers, The Country Cook, had shared a perfect recipe earlier in the week for Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake. Thank goodness for this recipe, because it so easy! I ran in the door, turned on the oven, and I kid you not, I had that cake in the oven in 10 minutes. Done and done, without taking away hardly any family time. The cake came out perfectly, and people raved over it. They loved it. I was able to snag some pictures, so trust me, recipe coming soon.

While I've edited all the photos from the baby shower and my niece's party, I still have 300 food photos to edit today. Whew! Gonna be a busy day folks!

Have a great day friends!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 tbsp canola oil (or your preferred oil that has a high smoke point)
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 (14.5) oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14.5) oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

hot cooked rice (for serving)

Directions:

1. Heat canola oil over high heat. When the pan is extremely hot, add 6-7 shrimp. Sear for 30 seconds, then flip shrimp. Cook for another 30 seconds. Remove shrimp from pan, placing on a plate covered with a paper towel. Repeat process until all shrimp are cooked. Set aside.
2. Wipe pan out with a paper towel. Add olive oil, heat over medium heat. When warm, add crushed red pepper. Sauté for 1 minute. Add garlic, sauté for 30 seconds. Add paprika, salt, tomatoes, and artichokes to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add cooked shrimp and fresh parsley. Stir to incorporate. Remove from heat.
4. Spoon mixture from pan over rice. Serve immediately!

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