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Christmastime in Australia & Shrimp on the Barbie! What's Your Favorite Kind of Seafood?

by on ‎12-09-2013 07:08 PM

Hello, foodies…

I had a cookie-baking marathon on Saturday. I made chocolate chip, Dark Chocolate Coconut Macaroons, and Raisin-Filled Cookies! My house still smells delicious and I’ve somehow run out of milk. I’ll head to the store in a minute for that and some shrimp! We’re celebrating Christmas in Australia this Wednesday on In the Kitchen with David and we’re making Shrimp on the Barbie!

Shrimp on the Barbie

Shrimp on the Barbie

Makes 4–6 servings

This recipe is prepared using the Cook's Essentials® ColorSmart Nonstick 10-Piece Aluminum Cookware Set (K39180).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:

Shrimp:



  • 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 4 Tbsp lemon juice

  • 2 Tbsp green onion, chopped

  • 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/4 tsp pepper



Rice:



  • 4 slices thick-cut bacon, coarsely diced

  • 1/2 cup medium red onion, diced

  • 1/2 cup medium red pepper, diced

  • 2 cups long grain white rice

  • 4 cups water

  • 1/2 cup frozen peas

  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce

  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped



Directions:



  1. To prepare the shrimp, combine the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, green onion, parsley, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Place the shrimp in the fridge, and let them marinate for at least a 1/2 hour, but do not exceed 3 hours.

  2. Meanwhile, prepare the rice by sautéing the bacon until it begins to brown in a medium-size sauce pot. Add the onions and the red pepper to the pot and continue to sauté until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and add 4 cups of water. Bring the pot to a simmer and cover. Simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15–20 minutes.

  3. To cook the shrimp, place the marinated shrimp onto skewers and preheat your grill to medium heat. When it's reached temperature, place the shrimp skewers onto the grill and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

  4. When the water for the rice has completely absorbed, fluff lightly, then stir in the peas, soy sauce, and cilantro. Serve with the shrimp.



It’s Christmastime—let’s throw another shrimp on the barbie! Isn’t that a fun saying, foodies? For years I thought it was as Australian as Vegemite. But, believe it or not, it was a phrase actually popularized by Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan in a 1980s commercial sponsored by the Australian Tourist Commission (ATC). In the original script, Paul said, “prawns on the barbie,” because a “prawn” is the Australian term for shrimp. But, American travel agencies quickly encouraged the ATC to change “prawn” to “shrimp.” And, to date, the ATME (Association of Travel Marketing Executives) says that commercial remains the most successful campaign ever launched by a foreign country in the USA. Isn't that interesting?

I just love learning about little things like that. And, I love learning about new cultures—especially when it comes to Christmastime! To lend a little insight about Australia’s traditions, we asked Chef Jason Roberts to answer a few questions. Many thanks to Mary QVC for interviewing him!

Chef Jason Roberts

Mary QVC: Where did you grow up, Chef Jason?
Jason: I was born in the South Island of New Zealand in a small little town called Oamaru. At the age of 3 my mum and I uprooted and moved to Queensland, Australia where we spent the next 10 years on a dairy farm. Growing up on a farm lends itself the ability to learn logic through living off the land, hence my pull towards wanting to cook and having a trade behind me! At the age of 13 my mum, brother and sister.. Jumped the ditch back to New Zealand, where I finished out my years of school, before leaving back for Australia at the age of 18 to sink my teeth into what would be the rest of my life: traveling the world as a cook!

Mary QVC: What were some of your Christmas traditions?
Jason: In my younger years, my family would travel back to New Zealand every other year to visit my grandparents over Christmas, where my mother’s side of the family would get together! I loved this Christmas, as I got see all my cousins who were around the same age as me. Christmas lunch was something special: a very inviting, fun, family scene. It’s something I have really grown to miss, as my grandparents have passed and our family members spread out. As a family, we still celebrate when possible. Our most famous family tradition is my Grandmother’s Risolia, an eastern European (Estonian) salad, consisting of beets, potatoes, apples, onions, herrings, ham, boiled egg, parsley, onions, and sour cream. Nana would keep it in an old ice cream container and we (my cousins and I) took turns getting scolded for opening the fridge door another 50 times Christmas Day!


Chef Jason Roberts with his Family

Mary QVC: What kind of foods did you eat at Christmas?
Jason: Nana Goodman (in the photo above) really was the matriarch of our family. Her Christmas dinner became the highlight of a trip back to New Zealand and it may be one of the biggest reasons I miss her so much now that she has passed. The Christmas table was long and filled with eastern European specialties, Brawn, Risolia, as well as roasted chickens, roasted leg of lamb, glazed ham, steamed potatoes boiled with mint, lashings of butter, pastries, cakes, jellies, trifle…and there was always a bevy of biscuits (cookies) iced vovo's, Gollywogs, gingersnaps, and Anzac biscuits.

Nana also had an amazing recipe for trifle and she made the custard, the jelly and the sponge all from scratch! It was the perfect dessert, with amazing flavor and texture. I guess I equate a good family meal with love, interaction and fellowship. I'm pretty sure I got that from my Nana, which is why our connection was, and still is, so close....

Mary QVC: Is Christmas Eve just as important as Christmas Day? Is there another day in December when you prepare or celebrate?
Jason: Well in Australia, for maybe the last 20 years I have lived coastal, so, I'm the sort of person who will surf as long as I can on the 24th and then do all my prep the night before. And, seeing that it's summer in Australia, our Christmas lunch has a tendency to be a lot lighter consisting of more seafood than heavy roasted dishes. Our ham is served cold, with mustard. We often have bowls of fresh oysters and freshly peeled prawns. The BBQ will get its workout with lamb cutlets and snags (sausages), maybe a few mussels will get thrown on the 'barbie' as well…and our Christmas celebration dessert is generally a Pavlova loaded with cream and fresh fruit. But all in all, the 25th is a day of eating, family, family feuds, and passing out around 4pm. Two hours later we wake back up and ravage the fridge in search of leftovers!

Mary QVC Does Santa exist? What are children taught about him?
Jason: Absolutely Santa exists!!, Are you trying to tell me something??????? I think for the most part, children grow up believing Christmas is a day for getting presents, and as we get older it’s a day of giving, receiving, family, community and who the White-Bearded man really is on a spiritual level. That reminds me, I need to post my letter to Santa…I’m hoping he brings me a David Venable cookbook!

Chef Jason, of COURSE Santa exists. If you’re a good boy, I’m sure you’ll find a cookbook under your tree! Foodies, here's the recipe for his nana's Risolia:


Ingredients:



  • 4 green apples

  • 6 large potatoes, skin-on

  • 2 tsp salt

  • 2 tsp sugar

  • 2 tsp mustard powder

  • 1 large & 1 small container of sour cream

  • 6 hard-boiled eggs

  • 2 tins canned salmon

  • 2 cans beets

  • 2 red onions

  • 1-1/2 large cucumbers

  • 4 pieces ham steak



Directions:



  1. Boil the potatoes with plenty of salt. Meanwhile, peel and core the apples.

  2. When potatoes are soft, remove them from the pot to cool. Then, scrape away their skins.

  3. Combine the salt, sugar, and mustard powder with sour cream in a large bowl and then add the remaining chopped ingredients.

  4. Allow the salad to sit for a good hour before serving, overnight is best!



Foodies, your blog question for today is what’s your favorite kind of seafood? Do you like shrimp? Lobster? Salmon? Bass? Chef Fabio Viviani told us about Italy’s Feast of the Seven fishes in an earlier blog and I’m sure many of you also enjoy your favorite seafood on Christmas Eve! Tell me about it! I’ll see you this Wednesday at 8pm ET.

Keep it flavorful!
—David