Coincidence

Timshel wrote this a couple of days ago--looks like Good Friday will be good for the Prados.

Without really thinking of the religious season, I found myself at the grocery store thinking, o.k., shrimp or chicken? I chose the former, even though it was imported. Damn, I need to start hitting Tony's Seafood, in spite fo the fact that it's way the hell out on Plank Road.

So, with apologies to the local industry, I'm in good graces with the Catholic Church, AND get to eat my favorite seafood today. If you don't mind me going off topic, here's the recipe.

Shrimp Curry

ingredients:

2 pounds shrimp
1 large onion (chopped)
Fresh chopped parsley
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 14 oz. cans of chickpeas

Spices:

1 TBSP Cumin Seeds
1 TBSP Brown Mustard Seeds
1 Dried Red Pepper (crushed)
1 Tsp Tumeric
1 Tsp Ginger
2 Bay Leaves
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tsp Cardamom
1 TBSP Hot Curry Powder
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Olive oil

First, you peel the shrimp, which is child's play compared to peeling crawfish. Heat the oil in a large skillet (I used an electric skillet), then fry the cumin, mustard, and red pepper briefly. Add the chopped onion, tumeric, ginger, cardamom, bay leaves, and garlic--keep the heat up until the onion is somewhere between clear and carmelized. Then add the can of tomatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the two cans of chickpeas. Let this sit for a few minutes.

I'll usually add about a quarter cup of water here, to give the sauce a consistency that I like.

Then add the shrimp. Spice this to taste with the curry powder, salt, and pepper. They'll cook really fast, so keep an eye out. After no more than about ten minutes, it should be done--add the chopped parsley and stir a bit. It'll taste even better the next day, once the spice has soaked in.

Serve over rice.