Moroccan Shrimp with Spices

I love the food of Morocco. I’d quite happily take a noshing tour of Morocco. In addition to finding the time and money to travel, however, I have a big problem. I seem to have a great knack for attracting trouble at airports outside of my home country. Considering fourteen rolls of film nearly got me shot or arrested once, and I got my own armed escort once because of a letter opener I’d pretty much forgotten I even had, I think that I’ll just have to avoid much travel. Or perhaps I’ll be okay as long as I stay away from Rome. Both of my run-ins took place at the Da Vinci airport there. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have a submachine gun pointed at you, I’m here to tell you that it’s one very effective way to be suddenly very awake after not sleeping for 52 hours!

Meantime, I guess I’ll have to settle for cooking my own Moroccan meals, like this shrimp dish. It’s very simple to cook, possibly the simplest main course in my repertoire.  It works well with a simple couscous as an accompaniment.

Moroccan Shrimp with Spices

1 pound raw large shrimp
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
the juice of 1 lemon
the leaves from a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
lemon wedges to serve

Remove the shells, legs, heads, and tails from the shrimp. Cut along the back with the point of a sharp knife and remove the dark thread.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the garlic, and cook until it becomes aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the cumin, ginger, paprika, and cayenne pepper, heat for about 30 seconds, then add the shrimp and lemon juice. Fry quickly, stirring, until the shrimp turns pink. Stir in the cilantro, heat for about 30 seconds, then serve the shrimp with the cooking juices spooned over and accompanied by lemon wedges.

Asian Fusion Soup with Chinese Medicinal Herbs

Originally inspired by an episode of Iron Chef, this soup has proved itself as an excellent soup for winter. Warming and filling, it made our entire household feel better any time I’ve made it. A friend in Singapore saw the first recipe I came up with, and decided to send me a small selection of Chinese medicinal herbs to add. The four herbs are meant to improve blood flow. In addition, the wolfberries are believed in Chinese medicine to help improve eyesight. I can’t vouch for their effectiveness, but they certainly add excellent flavor to the soup, and the sweet-tart taste of the wolfberries even makes them good for snacking.

Once I had the herbs, I completely reworked the soup to better use the Chinese herbs. The original soup was strongly Chinese, but the final version owes something to other Asian cuisines as well. Here is the final result, which far outshone the original recipe.

Asian Fusion Soup with Chinese Medicinal Herbs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 recipe infused broth
1 small handful ginseng whiskers
1 small handful woody angelica
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 large carrot, sliced diagonally into coins
2 large scallions, white and pale green parts minced, dark green part sliced into rings
1 large handful lily buds, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and drained
juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons red miso
1 small handful dried Chinese red dates
1 small handful wolfberries
1/2 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 Napa cabbage, sliced into bands
2 tablespoons black sesame oil
9 pork potstickers, boiled until done

In a heavy, non-aluminum stockpot with a large capacity, heat the oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the sherry all at once. This is called “exploding” the wine, and greatly intensifies the flavor. Boil the sherry, stirring, until it is reduced by half.

Add the infused broth, soy sauce, ginseng, and angelica to the reduced sherry. Heat over moderately high heat until the broth reaches a boil. Boil the mixture for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the ginseng and angelica. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and add the carrot coins. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the minced white and pale green scallion and the lily buds, and simmer for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and red miso and then simmer for 1 minute. Next, add the dried Chinese red dates and the wolfberries, and then simmer for 1 additional minute.

Turn off the heat, add the shrimp and stir, letting the the residual heat of the broth cook the shrimp. This should not take long, about 2 to 4 minutes for shrimp just cooked through but not overcooked. When the shrimp are pink, add the Napa cabbage and the scallion rings, and then stir until the cabbage is wilted. Stir in the cooked potstickers and the sesame oil. Serve immediately.