Each month we are given a list of 4 random ingredients (a protein, starch, vegetable, and fruit) and we have to create a meal utilizing all of them. Of course On Our Grills implies (i.e. explicitly states) that this is cooked with live fire, so at least the protein has to be cooked on a grill/smoker.
This month the 4 ingredients are:
Protein: Shrimp
Starch: Focaccia bread
Vegetable: Broccoli
Fruit: Pomegranate
I knew Alexis had my back on the focaccia, she's the resident bread queen, so all I had to worry about was the other three ingredients. Fortunately, I had an ace up my sleeve. A few weeks ago I won a pair of cookbooks from the seafood restaurant, McCormick and Schmick's courtesy of Greg at SippitySup. (Thanks dude!)
Fettuccini Alfredo with Herbed Goat Cheese and Grilled Shrimp
adapted from McCormick and Schmick's
3/4 lb fettuccini
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 cup vinaigrette
2 Tbsp garlic chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups cream (reduce to 1 cup by simmering for 15-20 minutes)
5 ounces herbed goat cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, fresh shredded
1 head broccoli, cut into 1" pieces, fresh rinsed, water still on
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup chicken stock
Before getting all of that started, Alexis started her focaccia bread on her grill. It was our first focaccia so she just followed this recipe from Bon Appetit. She skipped the olives and used McCormicks Mediterranean Season Salt.
Then I had to cheat. I didn't have pomegranate. But I did have Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar...
...and the recipe called for a vinaigrette, so I whisked one up
1/4 cup pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic, mince
1 dried red chili, crushed
2 Tbsp parsley finely chopped
and marinated the shrimp for 1 hour.
Alexis cooked the fettuccini and cream sauce inside because I'm not going to try to boil water on the grill. For the cream sauce, saute the garlic in butter for a minute. Add the reduced cream sauce, goat cheese, and parmesan and simmer over low heat. We used goat cheese instead of Boursin that McCormick's used because I had it and needed to use it.
Then I "stir fired" the broccoli on my grill running at about 300f direct. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil and the garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes for about 1 minute. Add the broccoli (still damp from rinsing) and stir fry another 2 minutes. Add the broth, cover and let steam for another 3-5 minutes, depending how firm you like your broccoli.
Next, I grilled the shrimp. The fire had gotten to just over 400f from being open during the stir frying so I only had to do them about 2 minutes a side.
Then it is as simple as tossing it all together.
I was expecting NOT to like the shrimp because of the pomegranate but I'll admit I was wrong. That is the beauty of this challenge because I would not have used pomegranate flavored anything if it wasn't part of the challenge. And I learned that I like it after all.
The cream sauce was okay but I expected more flavor from the herbed goat cheese. I'll try this again but use the Boursin cheese instead. Overall, I was very happy with the results and I would make this dish again.
Curious about what other people did with the 4 ingredients? Check them out:
Grill Grrrl- Adventures of a Girl on the Grill
Robyn Medlin is the "grill girl" behind grillgrrrl.com. Her focus is on healthy, simple and creative recipes on the grill. She encourages women to learn to grill as it a great way to create healthy, flavorful dishes without all the fuss and clean up in the kitchen. This "grill girl" holds quarterly "Women's Grilling Clinics" as a way to encourage women to not be intimated by the grill. As a McCormick's flavor correspondent for their "This Week in Grilling Campaign", Robyn shares fun, tropical video recipes documenting her grilling adventures from her backyard in Sunny, Hollywood, Florida.
October Challenge Recipe
Grill Adventures by Broadcast Marc (our newest blogger from the Netherlands!)
Grill Adventures by broadcastmarc was started in March of 2010. I started the BBQ thing when I was 30, before that we ate a lot outside. had fun, but when the kids came into our life we started serious cooking. Most of it is really healthy I think). The grill has a special place in my heart because we love to do things outside. Everything I make is an adventure, and sometimes we use the books. We try to grill as much as we can year round.
Marc's Ingredient Challenge Recipe
The BBQ Grail
The BBQ Grail website was created in 2007, initially to document the author’s quest to find the perfect backyard BBQ experience. Since that time The BBQ Grail has become one of the more popular BBQ blogs on the internet and is listed onAlltop.com as one of the top BBQ blogs.
Larry's October Challenge Recipe
Into the Flames
Rob launched Into The Flames in the summer of 2010 as a way to share his passion for cooking, eating, and exploring food. His October Challenge Recipe:
No Excuses BBQ
The No Excuses BBQ website was started in January of 2009 as a way to record the author’s goal of barbecuing at least once a week throughout the year and showing the results to the world. Somewhere along the way things got out of control; two years later the streak is intact and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. In the process, No Excuses BBQ has become a fairly popular BBQ location on the web and is listed as one of the top BBQ blogs on Alltop.com.
NO Excuse's October Ingredient Challenge Recipe:
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