Curry-Spiced Corn & Zucchini Shrimp Alfredo
I made this dish a few weeks ago out of a necessity to use up all my quickly deteriorating vegetables, zucchini in particular. I have to admit — I had no clue just how good this meal was going to turn out before I started on my venture. In fact, I was a bit hesitant – shrimp, corn and zucchini with cumin and curry? Yes. Do it.
The curry-cumin mixture is a must – the flavors blend together with the vegetables nicely. And since corn and zucchini are in season now, it’s a perfect way to cook using fresh ingredients. Also, I would definitely grill everything, if at all possible. If you don’t have access to a grill, you can sauté the shrimp and zucchini over the stove but add some cumin-curry to the pasta itself (to sub for the loss of spice from having to boil the corn).
GRILLED CUMIN-CURRY SHRIMP PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND CORN
INGREDIENTS
1 pound of pasta penne
26-32 large shrimp, peeled/deveined
2-3 large zucchini, cubed
3 ears of corn, husked
3/4 c cream
1 T cornstarch
1 c milk
1 c havarti cheese, shredded
1 1/2 T butter
3 T olive oil
Pepper (i.e. Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning)
26-32 large shrimp, peeled/deveined
2-3 large zucchini, cubed
3 ears of corn, husked
3/4 c cream
1 T cornstarch
1 c milk
1 c havarti cheese, shredded
1 1/2 T butter
3 T olive oil
Pepper (i.e. Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning)
Cumin-Curry Mixture
1 tsp cumin
4 tsp curry
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
DIRECTIONS
While grill is heating, combine cumin-curry mixture in a small bowl. Place cube zucchini in a separate bowl and add to it 2 tsp of cumin-curry mixture and 2 T of olive oil. Stir well, coating all zucchini pieces. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, add shrimp and 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 T of olive oil and 2 tsp of cumin-curry mixture. Stir well and set aside.
Using hands, smear 1/2 T of butter on each ear of corn and coat well. Spread remaining (~ 2 1/2 tsp) cumin-curry mixture evenly on all three ears, coating each part of the corn.
Place shrimp and zucchini on two separate grill baskets (or ones made from foil) and corn directly on the grates. Grill until zucchini is tender, corn is nicely charred on each side and shrimp is white.
While food is grilling, prepare alfredo. Boil pasta in a saucepan until al dente. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 c cream with 1 T cornstarch. Place remaining 1/2 c cream and 1 c milk in a saucepan. Turn heat to med-low. Add cream/cornstarch mixture to cream and milk and thicken. Once thick, add in cheese. Once cheese melts, pour alfredo sauce into drained pasta and stir carefully.
Place pasta in a large bowl and add in cooked zucchini and shrimp. Slice corn kernels off of the cob and in to the pasta. Stir carefully.
