The Culinary Works

The thing about fresh dill is that it is intoxicating. It’s fresh, lively and light. I have to admit to actually purchasing it and leaving it in my fridge because every time I open the doors, the smell comes wafting out and it’s just lovely. ANYWAY, dinner, lets press on.

Saute is one of the best cooking methods for you to master if you need to be able to cook dinner quickly. That’s what we are going to do today. For Saute you want your food items to be quick cooking, or cut into quick cooking size. What you don’t want is to have a brown outside and a raw inside. Items that will need more cooking time should be cut down or pan roasted. For this method, chopped veggies and shrimp are ideal candidates because they are best if cooked quickly without overcooking.

Lemon Dill CousCous

First, I made a box of CousCous according to the package directions except I used vegetable stock instead of plain water.

Mix In:

• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 chopped scallions
• 1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (To chop Dill, just shave the tender fronds off the stems and run your knife through the pile sparingly)
• Season to taste

Zucchini

• 1-2 Zucchini chopped into small quick cooking pieces (about ¼ an inch)
• Saute in olive oil over medium high heat until al dente yet tender. Season with salt.

Lemon Dill Shrimp

• Fresh, raw, shelled and deveined shrimp. For us, 2 servings is about 12 of the 20-25 size.
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Season to taste

In the same pan you did the zucchini in, which has now reheated after you removed the zucchini, add a bit of olive oil and shrimp. Saute the shrimp until they are opaque/white and start to curl (about 5 minutes). They should still be tender and have a little bit of color. Add the dill and lemon juice with a little knob of butter and season with salt. Swirl it all around to make a bit of a sauce as the butter mixes with the herbs and olive oil.

That’s it. All together, you just cooked off a lovely meal in 30 minutes. No sweat!