Shrimp in Light Dill Sauce

This was inspired by my Father’s recipe. It brings back so many warm and loving memories. Sunday lunch was always served around 2pm, when we lived in Jamaica, in the 1970’s. One of the lunches that always come to mind is with my Mum, Dad, Grandma and my sister. My Dad would prepare a large bowl of his “Shrimp in Dill Sauce” which was served in my Mother’s large green and white Rosenthal China bowl. His dill sauce was thick and creamy, more along the texture and consistency of a béchamel sauce. Huge succulent pieces of shrimp were added to finish the dish. Hmmm…Sunday lunches were my absolute favorite. This is a lighter version of my childhood favorite.

Photography by Heaven On Hearth

You need:
Printable Recipe

1 pound shrimp

¼ medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

2 dill stalks, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)

⅓ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons canola oil

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

For the simple shrimp stock:

shrimp shells (approximately 3 ounces)

pinch of salt

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup water

Start by dicing ¼ medium onion and roughly chop 1 clove of garlic.

Shrimp Shells, Onions and Garlic

Using 2 bowls, de-shell and de-vein 1 pound of shrimp. Place the shells in one bowl and the shrimp in another. The shrimp shells will be used to make the stock. Cover the bowl with the shrimp and keep in the fridge until ready.

Shrimp Stock Simmering

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add 1 tablespoon canola oil then toss in the shells, a pinch of salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sauté the shells for 5 minutes before adding 1 cup of water and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Once the liquid has reduced, strain the stock through a sieve and discard the shells. This will yield ¼ cup of stock.

Shrimp Stock

Using the same skillet, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons canola oil. Toss in shrimp and sauté for 2½ minutes, or until the shrimp are slightly pink on each side. While the shrimp are getting pink, chop 2 stalks of dill, or enough for 2 tablespoons. Then, add the diced onions, garlic and 2 tablespoons chopped dill and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Shrimp with Onions, Garlic and Dill

Add shrimp stock, ⅓ cup heavy cream and ¼ teaspoon salt and simmer for 2 minutes. Just before taking off the heat, add 3 tablespoons cold butter to thicken the sauce.

Shrimp in Light Dill Sauce

This serves 4. Voilà. Serve with fluffy white rice, vegetables and a tossed salad. It makes for a perfect dinner. A chilled glass of Grüner Veltliner would certainly compliment this dish.

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Melted Leeks with Cream

Leeks have a delicate onion flavor and smell a bit like scallion. With a hint of nutmeg and a small splash of cream added to the delicate taste, this simple side dish becomes a complex delight that will compliment fish, poultry or beef.

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

 You will need:

4 stalks leeks, yields 5 cups sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Remove the course outer stalk of the leek as well as cutting off the very dark green leaves at the top, as they don’t have a lot of flavor and are quite woody and chewy.

We will be using the white onion base and the light green stalks. Slice leeks in ¼ - ½ in slices. Then they need to be washed a few times as leeks tend to hold a bit of sand in between the layers. Rinse under running water, ensuring all the sand has been removed. I tend to rinse them at least 3 times. To check that they are free of sand, fill a bowl with water; place the sliced leeks in the water. Remove the leeks with a slotted spoon and if the bottom of the bowl is clear of sand, you can drain and dry on paper towels. If not, continue to rinse them until clean.

Heat a deep skillet, over medium high heat, and then add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. 

Once the butter has melted, toss in the washed, drained and dried leeks, sauté for 3 minutes before adding 2 more tablespoons butter. 

Sauté for another 2 minutes, then add ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Allow the leeks to melt for another 5 minutes before adding 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Remove from heat.

This serves 4. Voilà. This is a wonderful side dish for meats, poultry or fish. This is also a beautiful compliment to Salmon with Garam Masala Baked in Parchment

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Baked Eggs, Sunday Style Just for One

Why not treat yourself to a Sunday morning breakfast during the week? Go for it, you are worth it.
This breakfast dish makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside with the very first bite. It has so many heartwarming elements. You get the creaminess from the egg, the buttery taste of the cream, the smoked hickory, sugar cured bacon gives it a smoky sweet flavor, the mushrooms lend an earthy yet meaty flavor and texture, the slowly caramelized onions offer a sweetness and then the lemony thyme bits, the mild yet fresh onion flavor of the scallions and the garlicky flavor of the chives, all in one bite.

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

Here are all the ingredients you will need:
2 eggs
2 oz. bacon, or 1 rasher, sliced in ¼ inch thick slices
2 oz. onions, about ¼ medium size onion, sliced then cut in half
2 oz. mushrooms (1 oz. cremini mushrooms, 1 oz. white mushrooms) finely sliced. You can use all white mushrooms if you prefer or just use what you have on hand. Please don’t use canned or bottled mushrooms because the dish will get very watery and will also have a rubbery texture, which you really don’t want.
½ ounce scallion (1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon) chopped
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon and ½ teaspoon chives
1 ½ tablespoons on heavy cream
pinch of pepper

Preparing all the ingredients beforehand makes it so much easier to put together but don’t sweat it if you don’t, it’s actually quite easy and can be done pretty quickly in between the stages.

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

Use a non-stick skillet for this. Just turn the burner to a medium low heat. This will also depend on your burner of course, but lower is better for this dish. Heat the skillet until the bottom of the pan is toasty warm. You can check it by just placing your palm about 1 ½ inches above the bottom of the skillet. Just don’t touch it…or else! Once you feel that warmth on your palm, you know the pan is heating and it’s time for you to throw in the bacon. Keep your spatula at hand since you will want to move it around in the skillet every now and then. Sauté the bacon for about 2 minutes, not much longer. You will notice that the bacon is not getting crispy, but don’t worry, we really don’t want it to start getting crispy at this point.

Bacon, Onion and Mushroom Mixture

While the bacon is gently sizzling away, slice the onions in the mean time. Add the onions and sauté with the bacon for another 3 minutes. The bacon is now getting a nice color, the fat is melting nicely and the onions are becoming translucent.
Start slicing the mushrooms, while the bacon and onions are being sautéed. If you have already bought sliced mushrooms, just run your knife through them again so that they are a bit finer and smaller in size. If using whole mushrooms, cut in half then slice finely.
Now, add the mushrooms and mix evenly through the skillet for a further 3 ½ - 4 minutes. Once that is done, you will realize that the bacon is nice and crispy, the onions have started to caramelize and the mushrooms have absorbed all the yummy oils and flavor of the bacon and onions. Do not add any salt. The bacon is already a bit salty, but if you add salt to the mushrooms, it will bring out the water and we are not looking for a saucy consistency with this dish. It is however okay to add some pepper if you wish. Sometimes, if I am feeling fiery, I will add a pinch of dried pepper flakes to give it a nice kick. Chop the herbs and set aside until needed. So, now with this mixture done, I turn the oven on to low broil while putting the final dish together, so that the oven is nicely heated before putting in the ramekin. Make sure that the tray is about 5 inches below the heat of the broiler.

Just before going into the oven

Put the mixture in an 8 ounce ramekin. There will be no need to butter the ramekin, because there is enough fat in the mixture, so it wont stick on the dish when finished. Make sure all sides are covered with the mixture, sort of cupping on to the ramekin.
Crack two eggs in bowl, just to make sure that they are good, then gently pour into the ramekin. If a yolk breaks, no need to worry, it will still be good. Sprinkle the herbs on top of the eggs and then finally add the cream. Put the ramekin on top of a baking dish, just so that it doesn’t tip over in the oven, in between the spaces of the rack. That could get pretty messy. Once placed in the oven, broil on low for about 6 – 7 minutes. You should get a nice firm egg white and soft yolks underneath. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.

Baked Eggs, Sunday Style Just for One

Voilà! If you are going to have this dish first thing in the morning, serve with toast, but if you are making it more around lunchtime, add a tossed green salad and some Italian bread and butter. Enjoy.

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