You’re Shrimply The Best

Fall is just the best time of year! Leaves, bonfires, warm apple cider … I could go on and on. It’s also this time of year that our friend Jacob has his annual Shrimp Boil.

You remember Jacob (see Cioppino in the Garden) – wine connoisseur, foodie, dog dad to Libby, and works part time at our favorite place. He’s also a great host and loves to entertain. We are so lucky to know him!

For this shindig, Jacob served pulled pork, homemade vegetable soup, and of course the shrimp boil (with sausage, potatoes, and corn).

This pulled pork – OMG! It was so good! I had a little, and when I turned around it was gone! Here is Jacob’s recipe for Pulled Pork:

I used Salt/Pepper, Black Magic from Spiceology, and Garlic Powder as the rub, let that sit for 60 minutes. I mixed 1/3 cup of berry jam, 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2-3 tablespoons of water, and two tablespoons honey mustard as a glaze.

Put into an oven preheated to 275 for about 40 to 45 minutes per pound. Internal temp of the pork shoulder should be 185. Let it rest for 15 minutes at room temp then start shredding the pork.

So good!

Here is Jacob’s go-to recipe for shrimp boils – great for a crowd!

The vegetable soup was amazing as usual, and Jacob shared his recipe with me:

Jacob’s Veggie Soup

6 cups of chopped veggies (cut to about an inch)
Caramelize 2 medium Onions
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups red wine
2 cans of crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of chopped fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup of lentils or quinoa (I used French lentils)
1 cup of chopped corn (I used one bag of frozen corn)
8 cups of vegetable stock

Caramelize the onions then add the garlic.

Chop the vegetables, toss them in oil, salt/pepper, herbs d’province, and roast them on 375 for 30-45 minutes.

Put the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar in the onions and stir to incorporate. Add the vegetable stock and wine to the onions/garlic and cook the lentils till almost finished. Then add the tomatoes, frozen corn, and roasted veggies.

I used 1 tablespoon of the Oh, Canada seasoning from Robert’s Seafood (Spiceology) and 1 tablespoon of Braggs Aminos.

Simmer for 20 minutes…then ready to serve.

Guests brought side dishes and appetizers … and I kind of messed up. I have a lot of phyllo dough left over from Cookbook Club (see Movin’ to the Country, Gonna Eat a Lot of Peaches) and my plan was to make some Spanakopita Bites. Two problems – I thought I had a mini-muffin pan and I don’t, and secondly, I forgot to get the phyllo dough out of the freezer in time to make these. So …. on to Plan B since I didn’t want to go empty handed to the party.

I found a recipe (Spinach Feta Dip with Lemon and Oregano) on Pinterest that pretty much used all of the ingredients I had purchased for the Spanakopita Bites, minus the phyllo dough. I will admit, it wasn’t too bad! I served it with pita chips, but I think you could even warm this up and serve it over pasta.