Who would have thought that Grilled Shrimp with a Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa would be so popular?
Apparently, the hands-on cooking class I was scheduled to teach this week at Rancho La Puerta sold out soon after guests arrived on Saturday for their week-long visits. So I get to teach the class twice! (Rancho La Puerta, in Tecate, Mexico, was recently named the “World’s Best Destination Spa” by Travel & Leisure magazine.)
The seven dishes we’re preparing in the classes, which are held at the Ranch’s stunning La Cocina Que Canta cooking school, are among the best recipes I discovered during my 25-plus years as food editor and columnist at the San Diego Union-Tribune. Some came from cookbooks I reviewed, some from interviews I did with prominent chefs, others came from restaurants or cooking classes I attended. Some were winners of the “Reader-Write-In” contests we occasionally held at the UT.
I made subtle adjustments to the recipes to fit the Ranch’s menu criteria: a seasonal, vegetable-based diet that’s low in fat, sodium, refined flour and sugar, while high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. (Some seafood is allowed.)
Here at La Cocina Que Canta, each class begins with a walk through the sprawling 6-acre garden that supplies much of the food served at the Ranch. Since the watercress and endive that my recipe -- Salad of Belgian Endive, Watercress, Walnuts and pears with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnut Vinagrette -- called for were not available in Tecate, the “students” got to harvest several different types of beautiful lettuce for the salad, as well as a half-dozen types of fragrant herbs.
Salvatore, the affable genius behind the garden, introduced us all to many fruits, vetetables and flowers, including the mysterious shungiku, a leafy, slightly peppery green that’s popular in Asia. Also called edible crysanthemum, this wispy plant is prized for the flavor and textural interest it adds to a salad. In our class we paired it with the white bean puree we lathered on olive-oil-brushed crostini. (The folks at Specialty Produce in San Diego, my go-to source for produce information, suggest tossing shungiku with steamed vegetables, or using it in stir-frys and to flavor homemade pickles.)
Back in the kitchen, the enthusiastic and competent group of 16 made short work of charred pineapple salsa; marinated shrimp threaded on rosemary branches instead of bamboo skewers; a versatile lentil dish with roasted peppers, feta cheese and fresh mint; butternut squash risotto; and a golden, bubbling pear gratin.
La Cocina Que Canta Cooking School and Culinary Center at Rancho La Puerta features classes with renowned guest chefs such as Deborah Madison, Rick Bayless, John Ash and Patricia Wells. Hands-on and demo classes are open to Ranch guests, most of whom enroll in a Saturday-to-Saturday program. However, day visitors may sign up for "Saturdays at the Ranch" cooking adventures, and the cooking school is available for private parties, group retreats and other special events.
Here’s the recipe for the Grilled Shrimp with Chile-Cumin Marinade and Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa that my class made this week. It's from chef Rick Moonen's cookbook, "Fish Without a Doubt."
Grilled Shrimp with Chili-Cumin Marinade
(From “Fish Without a Doubt” by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
¼ cup minced onion
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ½ pounds extra-large (16-20 count) shrimp, shelled
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa, recipe follows
Combine the chili powder, cumin, onion, garlic, lime juice and oil in an 8-inch baking dish. Stir well. The marinade will look like a wet tapenade.
Divide the shrimp into 4 potions and double-skewer them on bamboo skewers. Season with salt and white pepper. Add the shrimp to the marinade turning them so they’re well coated. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hoiurs.
Prepare an outdoor grill or heat a cast-iron grill pan. If using a grill, when the coals are hot, set the grate on the lowest level (closest to the coats) and get it very hot, then brush the grate with vegetable oil.
Grill the shrimp for 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side; if you want to check, the thickest part of the shrimp should be slightly translucent in the center.
Serve with the salsa.
Serves 4.
Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa
3 slices fresh pineapple, each about ¼-inch thick
1 ripe mango
Grated zest and juice of 2 limes
1 small red onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, chipped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
Chili powder
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill.
When the grill is hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the fire for just 5 seconds), place the pineapple slices on the grill. Cook until they appear charred – dark in color with nice grill marks, but not blackened – on the first side. Turn them over and char the other side. Take them off the grill and let cool.
You can also heat a ridged cast-iron pan on the stovetop over high heat until very hot (about 3 minutes) and grill the pineapple as above.
Meanwhile, peel the mango and slice the flesh from the pit. Cut the slices into medium dice and drop into a medium bowl. Toss with the lime zest and juice.
When the pineapple has cooled to room temperature, cut it into medium dice and add to the bowl, along with the red onion, bell peppers, scallions, garlic and cilantro and stir well. Add the olive oil and season with salt and chili powder, to taste. Cover the plastic and refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve. This is best the day it’s made.
Makes about 3 cups.