I Finally Cooked Something!

 

     It isn't all that often that my husband actually requests me to make a recipe. So, when he goes to the trouble to actually cut out a recipe and ask me to make it, how could I say no? He found the recipe in the Wall Street Journal and thought it looked good and also healthy enough to fit in with the way we eat these days (most of the time). I did have to "tweek" the recipe a bit based on what I had and what was available in small town Illinois. The actual recipe was called Grilled Shrimp with Watermelon, Basil, Corn and Burrata. Of course I had no idea what Burrata was and when I did figure it out, I knew that I wouldn't find it in my little town. I did find that a good substitute for Burrata is Fresh Mozzarella Cheese. Burrata is an Italian fresh cheese that oozes with cream in the center. Doesn't that sound good? I guess the texture on the outside is very much like fresh mozzarella, but it has a gooey, creamy center.

 

Grilled Shrimp with Watermelon, Basil, Corn and Mozzarella

 

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 1/2 T. olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling

2 tsp. minced garlic (I left out, we don't like it)

4 T. finely sliced fresh basil

salt and pepper

kernels from 4 ears of corn

1 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar (aged balsamic is worth the extra cost)

3 cups cubed watermelon

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, quartered

 

Toss the shrimp (raw) with 2 T. of the oil, the (optional) garlic,

and 1 T. of the basil along with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

 

     I didn't peel and devein my shrimp until after they were grilled, because they were frozen. Next time I would buy raw shrimp that were already peeled.

 

     The recipe did not call for the corn to be blanched, but I did mine. I didn't want it to be raw. I simply dropped it into boiling water for just a minute or so. Remove the corn, dry and cut the kernels off the ears. Let the corn cool a few minutes before mixing with other ingredients.

 

 

In a large bowl, mix the watermelon with

the remaining basil, remaining oil and vinegar.

 

 

Toss in the corn kernels.

 

Slice the cheese into 4 pieces and set aside until serving.

 

     Grill the shrimp over medium-high heat until pink (1-2 minutes per side). After making this, I decided that while the grilled shrimp does add some color and extra flavor...once the ingredients are tossed together, you can't tell as much that the shrimp was grilled. I think this would be almost as good if you simply added boiled shrimp.

 

     Add the shrimp to the watermelon and corn mixture. To serve, divide the salad onto 4 plates and place a hunk of cheese next to it. Sprinkle the cheese with salt and drizzle with olive oil.

 

Here is the picture from the Wall Street Journal.

I think mine turned out looking similar.

 

It is a delicious, fresh summer dish that I will

be making again soon!

 

I am joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for

Wow Us Wednesdays

and

I will be joining Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm for

Foodie Friday