Potted Shrimp #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

Each Tuesday for the next year a group of bloggers, spearheaded by Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, will be posting recipes inspired or taken from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Matrix.

You can learn all about the program, find our schedule for the month of January and get information on how to join in the fun at Cam's introduction post.

The very first project chosen is from the category, Party Dips, where Bittman shares three different dip recipes including the one I am featuring today.

This potted shrimp came together very quickly. I put it together in the morning and then let is set up in the refrigerator before adding it to my Charcuterie Board that I set up for a cocktail party we hosted to get to know our new neighbors. 

Yes, we have lived here for a year now but we haven't really had a chance to sit and visit with the neighbors. Our encounters have mostly been waving at each other and an occasional short conversation when out doing yard work.  We thought it was high time to get to know each other.

I used salad shrimp for this dish since it was going to be pulsed in a food processor anyway and it was much less expensive than the small or medium shrimp listed in the recipe.

The entire premise of this cookbook is that recipes are merely a guide and not set in stone. That is my kind of thinking.  I adapt nearly every recipe I try to fit our tastes, budget and supplies on hand.  Bittman believes, and I concur, that once you learn the basics of a certain technique, your possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

I am looking very forward to joining the others in this year long adventure.  Here are the bloggers you will find participating in this project.

• Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Nichole of Cookaholic Wife
• Me (Wendy) of A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Anne of Simple and Savory
• Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories

You will find linkups for each week in the posts of those bloggers participating for that theme.  There are no requirements to participate each and every week but I have a feeling that most of us will since Cam is setting up the menus so that each month can be served at one meal.

Potted Shrimp

adapted from Kitchen Matrix by Mark Bittman

3 T. good olive oil

1 T. garlic paste

12 oz. salad shrimp

1 T. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 t. lemon zest

2 T. lemon juice

Heat the garlic and oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the shrimp and paprika.  Cook and stir until heated through (or until shrimp are cooked if starting with raw).  Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat to cool for about 10 minutes.

Place shrimp into a food processor with the butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pulse until combined but not pureed.  Turn into a serving dish and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving with bread or crackers. Print Recipe

Party Dip Recipes

An InLinkz Link-up