Cherry Vanilla Overnight Oats

Overnight oats have been very popular on internet sites for a couple of years and I've always meant to try them but hadn't gotten around to it.  I was inspired by some beautiful Rainier cherries I found at the store to make overnight oats using the cherries, but I didn't want to pile everything into a mason jar overnight the way most recipes do.  I guess the theory is that your breakfast is ready to grab and go the next morning, but it seems to me that it would get all mixed together overnight into a pile of mush.  So instead I did the overnight thing with the milk and oats (which is necessary to soften the oats) but then layered everything together in a pretty glass the next morning.  That way the oats, yogurt, and cherries all retained their own taste and texture, and I was able to add a sprinkle of chopped nuts on top for a nice crunch without the nuts getting soft overnight.

I can never resist Rainier cherries because they're so pretty, but regular fresh cherries would work equally well and are usually less expensive than Rainiers.  If it's not fresh cherry season, use frozen cherries - more on that below.

I really liked the fresh cherry texture with the softer yogurt and oats.  I think softer fresh fruits like raspberries wouldn't be quite as nice but you could always use frozen berries that have been partially thawed so they retain a little more chew.  Partially frozen cherries or berries have the added benefit of making your breakfast nice and cold which is great for a hot summer day.  In fact, I think of this as the summer (cold) version of oatmeal, with all the nutrition and goodness that comes along with it.

You could always do the mason jar version of this recipe, but it only takes a minute or two to assemble in the morning and I think it's worth it.

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Cherry Vanilla Overnight Oats

Makes 1 serving

Per Serving:

½ cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup milk (nonfat, soy milk, nut milk, whatever)

¼ cup plain unsweetened yogurt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

5 fresh cherries, pitted and halved

1 tablespoon chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, optional

Mint sprigs for garnish, optional

Combine oats, milk and ¼ teaspoon vanilla in a container and mix.  Seal the container and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, combine the remaining ¼ teaspoon vanilla with the yogurt.  Layer the ingredients in a decorative glass in the following order:  oat mixture, half the yogurt, half the cherries, the other half of yogurt, the other half of cherries.   Garnish with chopped nuts and mint sprigs and serve.

Note: partially thawed frozen pitted sweet cherries would be a great substitute for fresh cherries, especially on a hot day.

Grilled Spiced Salmon with Corn Relish

Last Year's Post: Mexican Chicken Pasta
Two Years Ago:   Roasted Tomato Californian

It's corn season, and this is a fun and different way to use fresh corn.  Almost nothing says "summer" more than grilling so celebrate the end of summer and the fleeting corn season with a healthy and delicious salmon and corn dinner.

I made fairly drastic changes to a recipe I found in the New York Times that featured halibut, but I'm sure the halibut would be equally good.  Their recipe called for pre-cooked corn which made no sense if you're going to be grilling anyway, does it?  If it's not corn season, just use frozen thawed corn - Trade Joes even has a bag of frozen roasted corn with nice char marks already on it that would be perfect.

Note that the recipe says to marinate the fish with spices for up to 3 hours, although I'm not sure why.  I think you could skip that step and go directly from rubbing on the spice mix to the grill, letting the fish sit and marinate on the side while you grill the corn.

Regarding the spices, they're fairly potent so use your discretion regarding how much to add to the salmon and how much to add to the corn relish.  I preferred a light hand with the spices so I could taste them more as a background note to the fresh salmon and corn. If you really like the spices in Indian food, by all means increase the amount.  Just remember you can always add more later but you can't take some out.

The yogurt might seem like an unusual addition but the neutral creaminess goes really well with the spices and the rich salmon.  If you skip (or shorten) the marinating step, this is a really easy weeknight dinner.  Start the grill, rub the spices on the salmon, then start some rice.  Grill the corn, then put the salmon on the grill while you (or a helpful friend) make the corn relish.  Start to finish, I would say this shouldn't take any longer than about 45 minutes.

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Grilled Spiced Salmon with Corn Relish

Serves 4

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 salmon fillets, 5-6 ounces each

2 lemons (1 juiced and 1 quartered)

1 large or 1 small ears fresh corn, shucked (about 2 cups of kernels)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves plus more for garnish

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

Hot cooked rice

Combine cumin, coriander, fennel, ½ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon salt.  Rub salmon fillets with juice of ½ lemon, then sprinkle on some of the spice mix (light to medium as preferred), leaving at least 2 teaspoons spice mix for the corn relish.  Rub the spice mix in, then refrigerate the salmon for up to 3 hours.

Preheat a grill to medium-high.  Brush the ears of corn with the vegetable oil, then grill for 2 minutes per each of 4 sides until grill-marked and tender.  Remove and let cool.

Place the salmon fillets on the grill skin side down for about 5 minutes, then carefully flip with a spatula (the skin should come right off).  Grill another 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 140d.  Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the salmon is grilling, prepare the corn relish:  stand the ears of corn upright and cut the kernels off the cobs.  Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet, then add the chopped onion and sauté until tender.  Stir in 1-2 teaspoons spice mix (depending on preference) and sauté, stirring, until you can smell the spices.  Add corn kernels and the juice of ½ lemon.  Cook briefly to heat through, then add the cilantro and stir to combine.

To serve, place some rice on each plate.  Top with a salmon fillet and corn relish.  Add a dollop of yogurt or sour cream on the side and garnish with a lemon wedge and cilantro sprig.

Persian Grilled Chicken with Saffron

Last Year's Post:  Toasted Couscous Salad
Two Years Ago:   Flax Seed Crackers

This is hands-down my all-time favorite grilled chicken recipe.  It's slightly adapted from Steve Raichlen, the BBQ Guru, and he states "this will be one of the quickest, easiest and most delectable recipes you will ever prepare".  He's not kidding, either.  The yogurt helps the chicken stay moist while the lemon, onion and saffron give it the most heavenly flavor.  Just be aware that the chicken needs to marinate overnight, so plan ahead.  After that it's really fast so it would make a good weeknight meal.

Because of the yogurt, the marinade is unusually thick but that's a good thing.  In addition to wonderful flavor, the saffron gives the chicken a beautiful yellow color.

If you haven't purchased saffron before you need to know that it's expensive, but you don't need much.  And it's SO worth it.  Do give this recipe a try - you won't be disappointed.  One last thought - I want to try this recipe for chicken as the base for an exotic chicken salad sandwich with toasted almonds, currants, and a light lemon dressing in pitas.  I bet it would be a knockout, so make some extra chicken and give it a try.  (I wasn't smart enough this time.)

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Persian Grilled Chicken with Saffron

Serves 6-8

Note that the chicken marinates overnight so be sure to plan ahead.

½ teaspoon saffron

1 ½ cups plain yogurt

½ cup fresh lemon juice

1 onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1½“cubes

For the basting mixture:

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon saffron

3 tablespoons butter

Lemon wedges, for serving, optional

For the chicken:  place the saffron in a mortar and pestle and pulverize to a powder.  Transfer the saffron to a gallon zip-top plastic bag and add one tablespoon of warm water.  Massage the water and saffron together, then let stand for 5 minutes.  Add the yogurt, lemon juice, onion, salt, and pepper and massage the bag again to mix everything together.  Add the chicken cubes and seal the bag, then massage again to coat the chicken evenly.  Place in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat a grill to medium-high. 

Prepare the basting mixture: pulverize the saffron as described above.  Gently warm the lemon juice in a small saucepan, add the saffron and let stand off the heat for five minutes.  Add the butter and gently warm the mixture until the butter melts.

Grill the chicken about 4-5 minutes, basting with the butter mixture, then turn over and grill for 2-3 minutes more while basting until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with optional lemon wedges.

Labneh

Last Year's Post: Lentil Salad with Bacon and Walnuts
Two Years Ago:  Asian Roast Pork with Broccoli Slaw and Pasta

I have to thank my friend Rita as the inspiration for this particular post.  She brought some appetizers to our house a while back that used Greek yogurt cream cheese, which I hadn't heard of previously.  It was very good and I liked the idea of the product (healthier than cream cheese) so I looked for it in the store.  There are at least two different brands out there and both seem to be a blend of Greek yogurt with cream cheese.  They have the texture of cream cheese but not quite the richness, plus an added tang from the yogurt.

OK, fast forward a few weeks when I stumbled across an article on ways to use yogurt, including making labneh.  Labneh?  Labneh is a cheese made from straining the liquid out of yogurt, popular in the Middle East and Central Asia.  It sounded like the yogurt cream cheese except even better because it doesn't contain cream cheese, so of course I had to try it.

We all know how healthy yogurt is, but what I didn't know is that strained yogurt has a higher protein content and lower sugar/carbohydrate content than regular yogurt. In addition to Labneh, Greek yogurt is also a strained yogurt  unless the label reads "Greek-style" in which case it may be thickened with thickening agents rather than by straining.

The process for making Labneh couldn't be simpler - combine yogurt with a tiny bit of salt, enclose in cheesecloth, and suspend over a bowl in the refrigerator for 24 hours to allow the liquid to drip out and the cheese to thicken.  How thick you want it is entirely up to you - the longer it sits, the thicker it gets.  (If you have a fine mesh strain that hooks over a bowl, you could line it with cheesecloth and use it instead of the wooden spoon trick to suspend the yogurt.)

The result is wonderful - a cream cheese substitute that's actually good for you and delicious at the same time - a total win/win in my book. If you put it in cute little glass jars it makes a great hostess gift.  Here are some ideas for how to use Labneh that you could print on a card to go with the jar:

• Open-faced sandwich with thin toasted bread, labneh, sliced radishes, sea salt.
• Add a bit of brown sugar and some chopped walnuts to labneh, and use to fill pitted dates.
• Stuff peppadews or hollowed-out cherry tomatoes with labneh, garnish with small basil leaf. 
• Place labneh in a shallow bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with za’atar seasoning, serve with toasted pita wedges.
• Serve a dollop on top of quiche or frittata.
• Bagels!
• Slice of rye toast, layer of labneh, layer of fig jam.
• Spoon a dollop on stew, chili or lentil soup.
• Breakfast granola bowl with labneh, granola, fruit, a drizzle of honey.

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Labneh

Makes about 2 cups

Note:  Full-fat yogurt really is better to give the cheese richness.  Don’t substitute low-fat or non-fat.

  

32 ounces plain full-fat yogurt

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

 Line a deep bowl with a triple layer of cheesecloth.  Stir the salt into the yogurt and spoon into the cheesecloth.  Gather the top of the cloth together and tie with a string.  Tie the neck of the bundle to a wooden spoon that’s long enough to set across the top of the bowl. Use the spoon to hang the bundle over the bowl making sure the bottom of the cheesecloth is suspended a couple of inches above the bottom of the bowl.  Cover the whole thing with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Check to see if you like the consistency of the cheese – if you want it even thicker you can refrigerate it longer,  it’s all a matter of preference.

Remove the cheese from the cloth and store in glass or plastic containers in the refrigerator.

Couscous with Turkey or Chicken

Last Year's Post: Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Two Years Ago:  Rum Cake

This is an interesting take on leftover turkey, chicken or duck with a Middle Eastern feel.  The couscous, pomegranate seeds, mint and pistachios make it a little exotic while keeping it very healthy.  The original recipe called for pomegranate molasses in keeping with the Middle Eastern theme, which most people will not have on hand although I did for some reason (don't ask) so I tried it both ways - with the molasses and then with balsamic vinegar - and actually like the vinegar better because it balance the sweetness of the dried fruits and pomegranate seeds.

You could substitute any dried fruit for the cranberries and golden raisins - dried apricots would be particularly good - and could substitute other nuts for the pistachios and pumpkin seeds.  What I really liked about this recipe besides the great taste is that it's so fast and easy after all the holiday cooking and baking.  The couscous takes just ten minutes and everything else is just thrown in the bowl.  Make sure you keep your turkey or chicken in big, juicy pieces.  And by the way, this recipe works really well with smoked chicken or turkey as well.

Regarding pomegranates: you can sometimes buy just the seeds in your produce aisle, or they're easy to seed yourself.  Cut the pomegranate in half, spread each half slightly, turn over, and whack it with a wooden spoon over a bowl of water.  The seeds will come out along with a little bit of the white stuff, but the white stuff floats and is easy to remove from the water.  Drain the seeds and you're ready to go.  They add a jewel tone and sweet pop that's like no other.

Don't skip the yogurt because it adds an interesting dimension of creaminess and tang. Greek or regular plain yogurt will both work.  I couldn't find a small container of regular plain yogurt, so I used plain Greek yogurt and thinned it slightly with a little milk because it was really thick.  It was a very delicious, quick and healthy way to use up leftover roast poultry.

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Couscous with Turkey or Chicken

Serves 4

Note:  You can also use leftover cooked duck instead of turkey or chicken.

1 cup of couscous

1.25 pounds cooked turkey or chicken, shredded into large pieces

The seeds of one pomegranate

3 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds

3 tablespoons dried cranberries or cherries

3 tablespoons golden raisins

3 tablespoons shelled pistachios

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, plus more small leaves for garnish

Salt and pepper

4 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar

Cook the couscous according to package directions, then fluff with a fork.  Add the turkey or chicken, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, raisins, pistachios, and chopped mint.  Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Serve, topping each serving with a heaping tablespoon of yogurt, a drizzle of pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar, and additional mint leaves.

Edamame Spread

Last Year's Post: Sausage Sliders with Broccoli Rabe Pesto
Two Years Ago:  Scandinavian Muesli

In my favorite la-la land where nothing has fat or calories, I would eat chips and queso all the time.  Unfortunately even though Reality isn't the most fun place, we all have to live there at least some of the time.  Along the way I discovered that pita chips and hummus are also very good and fit well into a Mediterranean diet.  I was even happier to discover this particular spread because it's a nice change from hummus and even better for you with all the goodness of edamame, yogurt, and olive oil.  It's always a joy to me to discover something that's not only delicious, it's actually very good for you.  It feels like there really is some good karma floating around out there somewhere.  This is an easy way to make a substitution for your family's favorite dip that will significantly improve the nutrition factor without them even knowing.

This spread is not only delicious, it's also easy to make and very versatile - it makes a great sandwich filling as well as a dip for crackers, chips, vegetables or pita bread.  I can even see it spread on a toasted English muffin as my friend Terry likes to do with hummus. The taste is surprisingly light and airy, probably due to the lemon and yogurt.  The garlic is also a light flavor because it's briefly cooked along with the edamame prior to blending, which eliminates the harshness.  Try it for your next gathering and let people guess what the primary ingredient is just for fun.

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Edamame Spread

Makes about 2 cups

Note:  this spread is excellent served with crackers, chips, fresh vegetables, or pita bread.  It may also be used as a filling for sandwiches.

2 cups frozen shelled edamame

2 garlic cloves, peeled

½ cup packed fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon grated lemon rind (plus more for garnish if desired)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine edamame and garlic in a saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above edamame.  Bring to a boil; cook 2-3 minutes or until edamame is tender.  Drain well and let cool somewhat.

Combine edamame, garlic, basil, pine nuts, and yogurt in a food processor; pulse 10 times until coarsely ground.  Add ¼ water and remaining ingredients; process until almost smooth.  Add a small amount of additional water, lemon juice or olive oil if necessary to achieve the right consistency.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve with optional garnishes of freshly cracked pepper, lemon zest, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

Chicken Curry

Last Year's Post: Farm Stand Salad

Indian food has not been one of my favorites, so I have absolutely no idea why I decided to try this recipe in the first place ten years ago.  The reason why I remember how long it's been is because The Lawyer and I were in the process of a corporate move to Louisville, KY.  He had gone ahead to begin work and I stayed for a period of months in a small apartment in Minneapolis which didn't really give me much creative outlet for my cooking obsession.  I spent my spare time dreaming about all the great new recipes we would prepare when I finally arrived in Louisville.  Unfortunately, I decided that we needed to make a brand-new recipe the very day I arrived.  I also decided for some reason that all the boxes need to be unpacked in one weekend.  The two decisions collided, and not in a good way.

By the end of the first day of unpacking boxes we were both exhausted, but I had reached that point where you're so tired that you become unreasonably stubborn.  (Or at least I do.  Well, some would say I'm always unreasonably stubborn and that it's just a matter of degree.)  The Lawyer tried to talk me into going to a restaurant or at least ordering a pizza, but NO - I was going to make this recipe come hell or high water.  It's not hard, but a brand-new recipe is not a great idea for one of those nights. I don't recall most of the actual preparation but even through a haze of exhaustion I clearly remember how great it tasted. 

I always thought of Indian food as being heavy and fiery hot, but this dish is very light and fresh-tasting and has warmth from the spices rather than heat.   If you're new to Indian food this is a good introduction.  And it's fun to make because you can see and smell all the individual spices that go into making the overall complex flavor and can adjust them up or down to your taste the next time.  It's much more interesting and instructive than just buying a jar of curry powder and dumping it in.  My guess is that it was the homemade spice mix that attracted me in the first place.

The one fact you do need to come to grips with is that you need quite a number of spices.  Hopefully you already have many of them in your cupboard.  For the rest, I always recommend Penzeys (your local store or online www.penzeys.com) for the widest variety of fresh and inexpensive spices.  And remember, even after buying several spices this meal will still be cheaper than if you went to a restaurant.

The preparation is really pretty straight forward - coat chicken cubes in your homemade spice mix and brown, then remove.

Add onions, ginger and garlic to the pan and cook, then add some more spices - cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon. I wrap them in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string so they're easier to fish out later (you can find cheesecloth in some grocery stores and most kitchen supply stores).

Add tomatoes and the chicken pieces and simmer, then add a little yogurt, raisins and some cilantro.

Garnish with toasted sliced almonds and serve with basmati rice.  Don't skip the almonds - they're an important component for both flavor and crunch.

Not at all hard, but I do recommend trying it some day when you're not feeling unreasonably stubborn.

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Chicken Curry

Serves 4-6

2 ½ teaspoons whole coriander seeds

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 “cubes

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 large or two medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 whole cinnamon sticks, about 3” long

1 bay leaf

3 green cardamom pods

4 cups whole canned tomatoes with juices

1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup plain yogurt

¾ cup golden raisins, roughly chopped

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

Hot cooked basmati rice

Special equipment needed: 

spice grinder

cheesecloth and kitchen string, for tying spice bundle

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer to spice grinder, add crushed red pepper flakes, and grind to a powder.  Place in a large zip top bag, and add turmeric, ginger, cloves, salt and black pepper.  Add chicken and toss to coat.

Heat peanut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, cooking until browned, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove chicken and set aside.

Reduce heat and add ginger, garlic and onions.  Cook until softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, place cinnamon sticks, bay leaf and cardamom pods in a square of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string.  When the onions are brown add the spice bundle and cook for an additional 10 minutes, making sure the spice bundle is covered with onions.  Add the tomatoes and roughly crush with a potato masher or snip with a kitchen scissors.  Add the chicken stock and browned chicken and raise the heat to medium high.  Cook until the liquid is somewhat reduced, about 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and stir in yogurt and raisins.  Cook until warmed through, then add cilantro.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Serve with basmati rice and garnish with toasted almonds.

Grilled Shrimp with Cucumber Horseradish Dipping Sauce

Last Year's Post: Pesto Pasta with Edamame, Spinach and Almonds

This is a twist on the classic shrimp cocktail, using grilled shrimp instead of poached and substituting a cucumber horseradish sauce for the usual cocktail sauce.  Grilled shrimp are a great summer food (think 4th of July or Father's Day) that you can choose to make spicy or not by adding a seasoning blend prior to grilling or just keeping it simple with olive oil, salt and pepper.  You can make the cucumber sauce milder or hotter by varying the amount of horseradish to balance and complement the spice level you choose for the shrimp.  We grilled the shrimp with just oil, salt and pepper so I added a considerable amount of horseradish to the sauce, but I think it would be just as good to add a spicy seasoning blend to the shrimp and let the cool cucumber sauce be the counterpoint without any horseradish at all.  You can puree the sauce or leave it slightly chunky as I did here.  It would also be fun to serve the shrimp with both the cucumber sauce and regular cocktail sauce and let people choose their favorite.  Best of all, grilled shrimp are really low in calories.

Served in a mound like this, people just devour shrimp.  As part of my career I've attended quite a few hosted trade show parties and the shrimp are always the first to disappear.  I've found the U16-20 sized shrimp are perfect - they're big enough to be impressive but not so big that they require two bites, which might tempt people to double dip.  If you've ever wondered, "U counts" refer to the number of shrimp in a pound, which translates to their size.  "U16-20" means there will be 16 to 20 shrimp per pound.  I've seen shrimp as large as U5-7 and as small as U30-50.  Larger shrimp are always more expensive.  Here's a tip - for this recipe I compared the price of U16-20 shrimp in a bag in the freezer department to the same size in the glass-front seafood case and found the frozen shrimp to cost a dollar or two less.  Since shrimp thaw in a few minutes under running water, they're a better value frozen.  If you don't need a full bag you can always save the rest for another meal. 

You can also save a little more if you buy shrimp in the shells and peel and devein them yourself.  Pulling little veins out of shrimp is not my favorite activity so I buy them peeled and deveined.  Some people think shrimp have more flavor if they're grilled in the shell and then peeled, but I've tried them both ways and don't think there's much difference in the taste.  Plus, I like the way they look and taste when they come in direct contact with the grate and they're much easier to season or marinate in advance when peeled.  When grilling shrimp, use two skewers instead of one for each row of shrimp.  (I wish I had thought of photographing this step, but it's such second nature to me that I forgot.)  It helps you flip the shrimp over without them spinning around. 

One last thought - horseradish comes in two different styles, creamy and what might be labeled just simply "horseradish" or "extra hot".  The creamy version has already been blended with a mayonnaise-type base so it's good for sandwiches but not right for this type of recipe where you're going to add it to a sauce.  Use regular horseradish instead, which is slightly darker in color and the texture looks like it was grated from horseradish root.  It's stronger than the creamy variety as you would expect, so add it a little at a time and taste as you go.  We found we used the entire 3 tablespoons and it wasn't all that hot, I guess because the heat was tempered by the other cooling ingredients.  Or as I mentioned, leave it out entirely and really crank up the spiciness of the shrimp.  Your choice.

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Grilled Shrimp with Cucumber Horseradish Sauce

Serves 4-6

For the sauce:

1 cup shredded unpeeled English cucumber

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain yogurt (not Greek)

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (not creamy style)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

For the shrimp:

1 lb large (U16-20) raw peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed if frozen

Olive oil, for brushing

Salt and pepper

Seasoning blend (optional)

Metal or wooden skewers

If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30-60 minutes in advance.

To make the sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl to blend, adding the horseradish one tablespoon at a time and tasting to adjust the heat to your preference.  Season with salt and pepper.  If you prefer, puree in a food processor for a smoother sauce.  May be made ahead; cover and refrigerate.

Pat the thawed shrimp dry and skewer using double skewers per row of shrimp.  Do not crowd the shrimp on the skewers.  Brush each side of the shrimp lightly with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Optionally, season with your favorite seasoning blend.

Preheat a grill to high, then lower the heat to medium.  Grill the shrimp for 2 minutes per side, flipping once.  Remove from the skewers and serve with the dipping sauce.