Chili Balsamic & Brown Sugar Shrimp

With Roasted Yellow Squash, Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
And a Mint Parsley Pesto (with cucumber salad)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, patted dry
2 medium yellow zucchini
¼ small white onion in thin slices
1 ½ C packed, rough chopped curly leaf parsley
6 to 7 large mint leaves
2 large garlic cloves
3/4 C grated parmesan cheese, divided
¼ C heavy cream
1 T butter
¼ C chili balsamic (I use Olive Crate brand)
2 packed T light brown sugar
Grapeseed oil and salt and pepper: Quantities shown in method below.

Method:

• Pesto – In a small food processor, add the parsley, mint, rough chopped garlic cloves, 2 heaping T grated parmesan cheese, ½ t salt, ¼ T pepper, and about 2 T oil. Pulse till chopped. Stir. Add another T of oil, and pulse for about 30 seconds. Add more oil if needed to create a pesto consistency.
• Potatoes – Slice about 8 small new potatoes into ¾” cubes, with skin on. Should be about 3 C worth of diced potatoes. Add to boiling water, cook about 10 minutes or until soft. Drain water and add cream, butter, 3 heaping T parmesan cheese, 1 t salt and ½ T cracked pepper. Rough mash with large fork, mashing down into pan to start and then mixing in round strokes. If it fight mixing, add a little more cream until desired consistency. Always taste to make sure there’s enough salt.
• Shrimp – Prepare shrimp and dry thoroughly. Make brown sugar chili balsamic vinaigrette by adding ¼ C chili balsamic to a bowl with ¼ C oil, generous ½ t salt and scant 1/8 t cracked pepper, and brown sugar. Whisk well with a fork. Add about ¾ of it to the shrimp mixture, toss, and set aside. – To cook, start by putting squash in 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Then remove and sprinkle shrimp on top and drizzle with balsamic sugar mixture. Put back in oven for another 15 minutes. Shrimp should be pink but not shriveled. Don’t overcook.
• Squash – Slice squash into 3/8 to 1/4 inch slices. Slice onion. Place in small baking dish, about 8” by 12”. Toss with about 1 T oil, and add ½ t salt and ¼ t black cracked pepper. To make alone, simply roast in 400 degree F oven for about 25 minutes. – For this recipe you will cook it for 15 minutes, remove and add shrimp on top as mentioned above and finish cooking shrimp with zucchini for another 15 minutes.
• Cucumber salad – Peel and de-seed cucumber. Cut into long strips. Add the remaining balsamic mixture and toss to cover, and set aside to quick pickle for about an hour.