I love shrimp. I love cheesy spinach. I love meals that come together [...]]]> What’s that line from that old movie? “I coulda been a contenda” or something like that… that’s how I felt about this dish.  It had all the making for deliciousness but I had to go and screw it up.

I love shrimp. I love cheesy spinach. I love meals that come together quickly.  It was natural that I would love this… had I followed directions.  Sure, I substituted Parmesan for Romano, but that’s not where things went wrong.  It all went awry with the last ingredient… Pernod.

Pernod is an anise-flavoured liquer.  At the LCBO it costs $26.  Every recipe I have that requires Pernod (which has been about 2) only requires a few tablespoons.  I’ve been reluctant to “invest” in a bottle of the stuff.  The last time Pernod was an issue I bought anise extract and all was good.  This time around not so much.  I used about 2 tablespoons and the dish was OVERPOWERED by the stuff.  I’m sure if I used Pernod life would have been much better.

I’ll definitely be trying this one again since I love the idea of my vegetable being ready right alongside my protein but I will NOT use anise/fennel extract and will likely  not use Pernod either.

Scampi Rockefeller
1/2 pound large uncooked shrimp, shelled, deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 10-ounce package ready-to use fresh spinach leaves, stemmed if desired
1 bunch basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon (or more) white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur

Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly oil 9-inch glass pie plate. Arrange shrimp in prepared plate. Season shrimp lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and green onions and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Add spinach to skillet. Cover and cook until spinach is tender and wilted, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Mix in basil, cheese, hot pepper sauce and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; mix in Pernod. Spoon spinach mixture evenly over shrimp.

Bake until shrimp are just cooked through, approximately 8 minutes.

Bon Appétit
September 1998

I know I ALWAYS say this but this recipe is my new favourite! A great choice for a dinner party…. not that I have those these days given that I’m living Chez La Mere but a girl can dream.

This recipe was in Bon Appetit this month. Here [...]]]>

I know I ALWAYS say this but this recipe is my new favourite! A great choice for a dinner party…. not that I have those these days given that I’m living Chez La Mere but a girl can dream.

This recipe was in Bon Appetit this month. Here is the link to the page on Epicurious.

The ingredients for the most part are pretty simple.  If you weren’t up for using shallots you could easily substitute part onion and part garlic for the amount.  I used shallots.  What I didn’t buy was the Pernod which is an anise-flavoured liquer.  I went to the LCBO to investigate but didn’t want to spend $26 on a bottle of Pernod.  I checked on the internet for other anise-flavoured liquors and came up with Pastis, Sambuca, Anisette, Ouzo etc but the cheapest bottle and the liquor store was about $14.  Considering I only needed 2 tablespoons and that I have few uses for Pernod or anything of the sort I opted out.  INSTEAD I used anise extract which you can pretty much get at any decent supermarket (it’s in the aisle where you’ll find vanilla extract, spices etc).

I was going to serve this with Orzo but I’m cutting down on my pasta/potato/carb intake so instead I mashed steamed carrots and parsnips and garlic.  DELICIOUS and highly recommended.

If you enjoy the fennel, which I definitely do, try this recipe and be wowed  It’s simple and delicious.

SALMON WITH FENNEL AND PERNOD
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 large fennel bulb with fronds; bulb quartered, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; 2 tablespoons fronds chopped, divided

2 6- to 7-ounce salmon fillets
2 tablespoons Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
Stir fennel seeds in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer seeds to small bowl; cool. Mix in butter, shallots, and 1 tablespoon fennel fronds; season butter mixture with salt and pepper.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter mixture in same large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced fennel bulb and 1/4 cup water to skillet; cover and cook until fennel is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Uncover skillet and sauté until fennel begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer fennel to plate.

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon butter mixture to same skillet and melt over medium heat. Add salmon; cover and cook 5 minutes. Turn salmon over; add 1/4 cup water to skillet. Cover and continue cooking until salmon is just opaque in center, about 5 minutes longer. Slide salmon to 1 side of skillet; return fennel to skillet. Add Pernod, 2 teaspoons butter mixture, and remaining 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds; stir to heat through.

Divide fennel mixture between 2 plates. Top with salmon; spoon remaining butter mixture over salmon.
Bon Appétit
December 2007
The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen