Thursday, June 27, 2013

Shrimp and Arugula Pesto Grilled Pizza

Perfect Pairing:  Grill gadgets
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This meal was something I made on a random Wednesday night.  I really didn’t intend on photographing or writing about it because it seemed a little odd and maybe a bit disjointed in my head.  I had no idea how it would turn out but I was on a happy cooking mission. 

I combined lots of things that don’t seem to make sense like, grilled scallions (fell in love with them in Mexico and they changed my life), my favorite marinade for shrimp (Italian dressing and honey), cheese (everyone says you are not supposed to combine cheese and fish), arugula pesto (contains curry paste, coconut milk, and honey roasted peanuts).  Weird, right?
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WELL, it tasted awesome and looked super pretty, so I decided I needed to share this wacky creation with the world.  It might seem like a lot of ingredients and steps but I had the whole thing done in about 40 minutes and that includes clean up.  You’ll end up with some extra pesto but I think it would be pretty fantastic on a number of other things like toast, chips, crackers, and pasta.  It won’t go to waste.
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I enjoy my share of cooking gadgets.  This is the perfect time to drag out those grilling devices like a basket for the shrimp and peppers, tongs for the scallions, and a grill safe pan for the pizza.
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Shrimp and Arugula Pesto Grilled Pizza

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing, inspired by Bev Cooks

 
Ingredients:

·         ½ cup Italian dressing

·         ¼ cup honey

·         ¾ lb raw shrimp (16/20)

·         1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

·         1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

·         2 bunches of green onions

·         1 Tb olive oil

·         Salt and pepper

·         5 oz arugula

·         3 cloves garlic

·         1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

·         2 Tb green curry paste

·         ½ cup honey roasted peanuts

·         2 Tb honey

·         1 tsp sriracha

·         ¾ cup coconut milk

·         1 pizza crust (like Boboli)

·         1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the Italian dressing and honey, whisk to combine.  Add the raw shrimp and pepper strips.  Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Preheat the grill to medium heat.  Grease a grill basket with cooking spray and place on the preheated grill.  Using a slotted spoon to remove most of the marinade, add the shrimp and peppers to the basket.  Grill for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is cooked through and everything chars a little.  Add spoonfuls of the leftover marinade when you stir.  After the shrimp is cooked and removed from the grill, reduce the heat to medium low.

Cut off the ends of the green onions and the top few inches of the green section.  Coat the scallions with the tablespoon of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.  Add the scallions to the grill and cook until lightly charred, flipping at least once.  This should only take a few minutes.  Chop the grilled onions and set aside.

To prepare the pesto add the arugula, garlic, ginger, curry paste, and peanuts to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add the honey, sriracha, and coconut milk and pulse until it forms a pesto consistency, scraping down the sides often.  Spread a thick layer of the pesto over the pizza crust.  You will have about 1/3 leftover which can be added to pasta or used as a dip.  Top with the grilled green onions, shrimp, and peppers.  Top with shredded cheese.  Grill the pizza until the bottom is crispy and the cheese is melted.

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