For the Love of Food

This is the dish I served as entrée for the luxurious Iraqi dinner party that I held this weekend.

I used my favorite bulgur salad recipe and found this delicious shrimp recipe on Taste Buddies. The shrimp were out of this world. The harissa really gave it a nice spicy flavor without leaving my mouth burning. And, the cooling flavors in the salad help to off set the spiciness of the shrimp. This is definitely a dish worth making again.

My guests were all thrilled about the bulgur salad. They all thought this was such a complicated dish to make, but I reassured them that there was nothing more than a bit of chopping.

The servings in this dish are meant as a side dish. To serve as a main course double the amount of shrimp – 2 large shrimp per person, and double the salad recipe.

Sumac Shrimp
Ingredients:
6 large raw Shrimp, de-veined, shelled, tail on
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Harissa
1 teaspoon Sumac
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 pinch ground Pepper
1 pinch All Spice
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:
Rise off the shrimp in cold tap water and pat dry – this will ensure that the marinade sticks.

In a tuperware large enough to fit your shrimp, mix together the olive oil, paprika, harissa, sumac, salt, pepper, and all spice.

Place one shrimp at a time in the marinade and make sure that shrimp is equally coated in every nook and cranny. Repeat this with each shrimp and then leave to marinate in the refrigerator over night. I marinated them for 2 days.

When ready to cook:
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a griddle over medium-high heat. Place each shrimp on the griddle and cook for 1.5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and let cool. Once the shrimp are cool add a decorative skewer if you wish. Place one atop each salad when ready to serve. Keep the shrimp at room temperature for serving.

Bulgur Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Instant Bulgar
3/4 Cup Boiling Water
Zest of 1/2 a Lemon
1.5 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1.5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoons minced Garlic
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 Cup diced fresh Parsley
1 Green Onion, sliced
1.5 Cups quartered Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 English Cucumber, peeled, diced
1/2 Cup cooked Chick Peas (no liquid)
1/2 Tablespoon Pomegranate Syrup

Directions:
Place the bulgar into a really large bowl, pour the boiling water over it, and let sit until the water has been fully absorbed (about 3 minutes). Fluff the bulgar with a fork.

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the bulgar and mix well.

Add the parsley, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and chick peas and mix well until everything is evenly distributed. Drizzle the pomegranate syrup over the top and mix very well.

Adjust salt amount at this point and serve with extra pomegranate syrup and/or lemon if desired (let everyone adjust to their own liking after serving).

Top each serving with a piece of shrimp.

Makes 6 side dish servings.

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