Baked Garlic Prawns With Roasted Peppers Gremolata Toasts Recipes

BAKED GARLIC PRAWNS WITH ROASTED PEPPERS & GREMOLATA TOASTS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the peppers, cut-side up, in a roasting tin. Scatter the sliced garlic into the peppers. Drizzle over half the oil and add a splash of the wine. Season. Cover with foil and bake for 40 mins. Leave to cool for 10 mins. If making ahead, leave at room temperature for up to a few hours until ready to use.
• Meanwhile, prepare the prawns. Remove the heads, peel, and leave the tails intact, if you like. Or, for more flavour, leave them unpeeled. Use a sharp knife to cut down the back of each prawn from the head to just before the tail (this is harder to do if unpeeled, but still worth it). You'll find a black line along some prawns. Remove this with the knife. Keep chilled, following pack instructions, until ready to cook.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Rub the baguette slices with the garlic clove, then drizzle with 2 tbsp oil. Bake for 10 mins. Leave to cool. Can be made a few hours ahead. For the gremolata, combine the parsley, garlic, oil and lemon zest with a pinch of salt (no more than 1 hr before serving). Cut the lemon in half and set aside.
• Uncover the peppers, then peel and discard the skins. Slice or tear the peppers into strips. Turn the oven up to 240C/220C fan/gas 8.
• Put the prawns and peppers into a 25cm round baking dish. Toss with the rest of the wine, paprika and remaining oil. Season. Lay the prawns in a single layer with the lemon halves, cut-side up. Roast for 10 mins, tossing halfway. The prawns will turn pink when ready. 6 Meanwhile, spread the gremolata over the toasts. Squeeze the lemon halves over the prawns, and serve with the toasts on the side.

ROASTED PEPPERS WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Quarter bell peppers lengthwise and discard stems, seeds, and ribs. Arrange peppers, skin sides up, on rack of a broiler pan and broil about 2 inches from heat until skins are blistered, 8 to 12 minutes. (Alternatively, lay whole peppers on their sides on racks of burners of a gas stove and turn flames on high. Char peppers, turning them with tongs, until skins are blackened, 5 to 8 minutes.)
• Transfer roasted peppers to a bowl and let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle. Peel peppers and cut each quarter lengthwise into 2 or 3 strips. Thinly slice garlic and in a bowl toss with peppers, oil, and salt to taste. Marinate peppers, covered and chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.

BAKED SHRIMP TOASTS

Steps:

• Cook garlic and ginger in oil in an 8- to 9-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mirin, soy sauce, and salt (omit salt if making ahead; see cooks' note, below) and simmer, stirring, 15 seconds. Transfer marinade to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
• Add shrimp and cilantro, tossing to coat, and marinate, covered and chilled, 1 hour.
• Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Turn bread loaf on its side and evenly cut crust from bottom of loaf using a long serrated knife, discarding crust, then cut a 3/8-inch-thick slice from bottom and trim crust from sides of slice. Put slice on a baking sheet (reserve rest of loaf for another use) and bake, turning over once, until dry but not colored, 8 minutes total. Remove bread from oven but leave on baking sheet.
• Immediately increase oven temperature to 475°F.
• Spread top of hot toast with all of shrimp mixture, packing it down into a thick even layer and covering surface entirely. Make sure oven temperature has reached 475°F, then bake shrimp toast until topping is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer with a large flat spatula to a rack to cool 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board.
• Halve shrimp toast crosswise with a very sharp knife, then cut each half lengthwise into fourths, making 8 strips total. Cut each strip into 4 pieces. Serve toasts warm or at room temperature.
• *Available at Asian markets and some supermarkets.

BAKED SHRIMP TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Place bread on baking sheet and brush with oil.
• Bake 5 minutes (oil side up).
• Set tray aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl beat the garlic chili pepper sauce and egg.
• Add shrimp, scallions, garlic and cilantro.
• Mix well.
• Flip bread over and spoon shrimp mixture on top, spreading evenly to edges.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and using a pastry brush, dab shrimp with oil.
• Bake 10 minutes.
• Cut each bread slice into 4 triangle or square shaped pieces and serve.
• *For ease of entertaining; the filling can be prepared the day before and refrigerated, as well as the first baking of bread. Store cooled bread on its tray or in a plastic bag.