Fresh Approach Cooking

Hot damn, do I love summertime. The heat is part of my very being. Finally, I can breath a sigh of relief because the sun has penetrated this chilly corner of the world, wrapping us in its warm embrace. (For today at least. Sigh) The outdoors are calling. The charm of this little cottage is that the kitchen looks out on the yard, and the garden beckons…I can hear it now “Pour a cocktail, make some sandwiches and come sit outside! Bask in the glow, drink in the sunshine!” What kind of girl would I be to deny that sort of plea? Not a very smart one, I say.

Ok, enough of that. I just wanted to get the mood established for next entry into my ongoing cocktail extravaganza. I thought it was time to bring things to the next level with the one, the only, Shrimp Cocktail (or as the Brits would call it, prawn cocktail). A simple concoction you can alter in a million ways. It was snappy and sophisticated, spicy and cooling (All at once. Imagine that). We loved it. It just screamed Zing baby Zing! Try this version and have your own early evening dip into the sunny side of life.

¼ cup tomato juice
¼ cup tomato ketchup
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
large pinch of cayenne pepper
a few dashes of tobasco sauce
large pinch of black pepper
1 small jalepeno, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ yellow onion, minced
1 small carrot, grated
2 cups medium shrimp, cooked and cooled (shells removed)
Garnish:
1 green onion, chopped
1 avocado, cubed

Combine the tomato juice, ketchup, tomatoes, cayenne, tobasco, pepper, jalepeno, garlic, onion and carrot. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let chill for 10 minutes to let flavors combine. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Garnish with onion and avocado and serve.

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Cocktail: 1. A beverage that combines an alcohol with a mixer 2. This term also applies to an appetizer served before a meal such as a "seafood" or "fruit" cocktail, which would be a dish of mixed seafood or mixed fruit respectively.

Today in 1953 John H. Kraft received a patent for the manufacture of soft surface cured cheese.

During the sixteenth century, explorers brought tomatoes to Europe from the New World. the first tomatoes were yellow, which is how they became known as "pomodoro," which means golden apple.

Labels: Appetizer, Luncheon, Seafood