Local crops featured in festival recipes

Bob Ahuero's Citrus Shrimp with Stir-Fried Vegetables won the Homegrown Cooking Contest at the recent sixth annual Yuma Lettuce Days.

Entries had to include a minimum of five ingredients from crops grown in the Yuma area. Four finalists were selected to compete in a cookoff during the festival.

Other winners were Tami Newby's Hobo Casserole ('a good way to clean out the refrigerator'), second place; Luke Muthart's Minced Squab, third; and Will Begin's Yuma Veggie Taco Soup, fourth.

Two of the recipes - the Citrus Shrimp and the Hobo Casserole - take advantage of the barbecue grill, saving on kitchen heat during our warm Yuma months. And Minced Squab was the one winner that used the festival's namesake lettuce.

CITRUS SHRIMP WITH STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES

by Bob Ahuero

1 pound fresh shrimp peeled and cleaned

MARINADE:

2 cups fresh squeezed tangelos (or any other citrus fruit if preferred). Using zester or sharp knife remove 1 tablespoon of tangelo skin finely chopped for garnish.

1 can chicken broth

4 garlic cloves crushed or passed through garlic press

2-3 tablespoons butter

2 stems fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped fine

Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

STIR FRIED VEGETABLES:

1 cup snow peas roughly chopped

1 stalk broccoli, flowers chopped off stem and stem skinned and sliced diagonally.

1 cup red cabbage

1 carrot sliced in half lengthwise then sliced diagonally

1/2 yellow bell pepper roughly sliced

1/2 cup green onions sliced diagonally

3 garlic cloves minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Bunch of cilantro leaves and reserved tangelo skin for flavor and garnish

Start mesquite charcoal on grill.

Soak 12-inch wooden skewers in warm water or use thin metal skewers

In medium saucepan with heavy bottom, pour fresh squeezed tangelos and can of chicken broth. Bring to boil on high heat, reduce heat immediately and simmer at medium heat until reduced to 3/4 cup of liquid, approximately 30 minutes.

Add pressed garlic, butter and rosemary to reduced liquid and mix to combine.

Combine shrimp and citrus marinade. Allow to marinate 30 mintues to 1 hour.

While shrimp marinades, prepare vegetable as noted above.

Skewer 4 to 5 shrimp on wood skewers and rebaste with marinade. Cook over very hot coals for 2 to 3 minutes per side until crispy on edges. Season to taste. Do not overcook. While shrimp grills, return marinade to stove top and reduce further to thicken sauce, using as needed to baste shrimp. Save unused sauce for garnish.

Immediately while shrimp is grilling, place a large skillet or wok on high flame with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add minced garlic to skillet/wok, stir for a few seconds then add carrots, cabbage, and bell peppers. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add snow peas, broccoli, green onions, and stir fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Season to taste.

To assemble: On large platter place stir fried vegetable and lace with reduced marinade. Place shrimp on skewers over vegetables, drizzle with more reduced marinade. Garnish with cilantro, tangelo skin and dust with ground pepper.

Option: Can be served with steamed rice for hardier dish. After cooking rice, stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons of reduced marinade.

HOBO CASSEROLE

by Tami Newby

1 pound hamburger meat

4 (10 3/4-ounce) Campbell's cream of mushroom soup

4 green cabbage leaves

2 large lemons

4 large potatoes

1 large onion

4 large zucchini

4 large carrots

4 (4-ounce) cans of green chiles

4 (4-ounce) cans of mushrooms

4 large tomatoes

Garlic pepper, lemon pepper, salt, garlic salt to taste

13x9" aluminum pan

Sheet of aluminum foil

Pat hamburger meat into 4 good palm-size patties. Sprinkle both sides of patties with garlic pepper, lemon pepper, salt and garlic salt to taste.

Slice all vegetables into bite-size pieces. Layer bottom of pan with cabbage leaves, place hamburger patties on each cabbage leaf. This will keep your hamburger patties from burning and sticking.

Place the ingredients in the following order, spreading evenly over your hamburger patties: potatoes, carrots, onion, zucchini, cans of green chiles, cans of mushrooms, tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, and finally squeeze the juice of two lemons on top.

Cover with aluminum foil. Light barbecue grill. Heat on high for 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and put pan on top shelf for 1 hour. After 1 hour, check vegetables for tenderness and hamburger meat for doneness.

Best if served on paper plates with ice-cold lemonade.

MINCED SQUAB

by Luke Muthart

SQUAB:

1 pound meat deboned (squab is pigeon, but I substituted it with local dove; you may also use chicken or beef when dove is not in season).

2 black mushrooms

10 large lettuce leafs

10 tomato wedges

Prepare the squab by mincing in to fine pieces, soak the mushrooms in warm water until soft, then chop fine as well.

MARINADE:

1/2 tablespoon rice wine or sake

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Prepare the marinade by mixing the ingredients, then add the squab to the marinade for about 15-60 minutes (longer is better).

STIR-FRY:

2 cups oil

1 ounce of dry rice noodles

1 small chopped onion

8 water chestnuts, chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup celery finely chopped

Heat oil in pan over high heat, about 350 degrees. Deep-fry rice noodles for 3 seconds or until well puffed. Remove to platter and crush with fork.

Pour out all but 3 tablespoons of oil from pan. Reheat oil pan over medium heat, stir in squab and celery for about 2 minutes, then remove to bowl. In same pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, sugar, salt, sesame oil, cornstarch, black pepper and water, stirring quickly until blended.

Place squab on lettuce mixture on large leaves. Sprinkle with rice noodles and arrange tomato wedges.

YUMA VEGGIE TACO SOUP

by Will Begin

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

6 to 8 green onions

4 garlic cloves

2 quarts of water

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 cup celery (with leaves okay)

1 medium size zucchini

1 stalk broccoli

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or one finely chopped chile pepper

1/2 teaspoon tandoori (optional)

Salt to taste (optional)

Garnish: scrunched tortilla chips; shredded Parmesan or cheddar cheese

Heat olive oil and butter in an 8-quart or larger saucepan. Saut finely chopped green onion and garlic until clear (do not brown). Add water and tomato paste and bring to boil.

Finely chop celery, zucchini, broccoli and cilantro by hand or in food processor and add into saucepan.

Add spices and cover saucepan on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Let stand covered for 10 minutes and serve.

Top soup with a handful of scrunched tortilla chips and 2 to 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese and enjoy.