Easy dinner recipes: Beer lover’s shrimp, brittle and more

Now you can drink your beer and eat it, too! Well, sort of. I’ve pulled together some of our favorite beer-infused recipes for your weekend pleasure.
Whether you call them chickpeas or garbanzo beans, if you’re a fan, they don’t get much better than this refreshingly bright salad, one of our Top 10 Recipes from 2011. Marinate chickpeas in a blend of lemon juice, olive oil and salt, then toss them with some Spanish chorizo, tomatoes and a little garlic, green onion, parsley and bell pepper. Marinate the beans first thing in the morning, then assemble the salad in the last few minutes before you sit down to eat. It makes a colorful side, or a perfect light meal. - See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/05/dinner-tonight-chickpea-salad-with-chorizo.html#sthash.J3QhXScu.dpuf
Peel ‘n’ eat shrimp: If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty at dinner, you can’t go wrong with the peel ‘n’ eat shrimp recipe David Lentz of the Hungry Cat shared with us a few years back -- large Mexican white shrimp steamed in a spicy beer reduction. They take an hour or two to marinate, so you’ll need to plan ahead, but once you get the dish cooking it comes together in about a half hour, plenty of time for you to lay out the newspaper over the table and ready a stack of napkins!

Shishito pepper tempura: If you’re looking for something a little lighter, you can’t go wrong with shishito tempura. This fun finger food comes together with only a handful of ingredients: flour, egg yolk and Japanese beer form a simple batter to coat the peppers before frying. Ready to go, serve them with a couple of simple dipping sauces: mirin-soy (salty-sweet) and Valencia orange-plum (tangy-sweet).

QUICK & EASY: Terrific recipes in under an hour

Beer brittle: Flavor crunchy brittle with a good dark beer, such as a stout or an amber ale, for rich caramel notes. It’s a fun snack, and it comes together in less than 30 minutes.

You can find the recipes below.

And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

RECIPES: 99 easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less

Peel-’n’-eat shrimp

Total time: About 55 minutes, plus marinating time for the shrimp

Servings: About 5 servings (10 shrimp each)

Note: Adapted from chef David Lentz of the Hungry Cat. Mexican white shrimp are available at seafood markets and fine fish counters. Pabst or Tecate is recommended for the beer. The restaurant serves this dish with cocktail sauce.

2 1/2 pounds Mexican white shrimp, defrosted

4 (12-ounce cans) of beer, divided

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon Hungarian

paprika

2 tablespoons celery salt

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 head garlic

5 tablespoons best-quality olive oil, divided

1 large white onion, chopped

1 sprig rosemary

1 chile de arbol

2 lemons

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the contents of 1 can of beer. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

2. In a small bowl, combine the Old Bay, paprika, celery salt, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and ground ginger. Set aside.

3. With a sharp knife, cut the head of garlic (with the peel) in half crosswise. In a large stockpot heated over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the chopped onion, all of the garlic, the rosemary and chile de arbol and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the spice blend and the juice of 1 lemon, stirring. Add the remaining beer and reduce the liquid by three-fourths over high heat, about 20 minutes.

4. Drain the shrimp and add them to the pot. Cover the pot, and steam just until the shrimp are cooked, 4 to 5 minutes over high heat. The shrimp will be ready when they turn white; be careful not to overcook them.

5. Remove the shrimp to a large baking sheet with sides and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle over more of the spice blend to taste (we used 2 tablespoons). Sprinkle with the parsley and the juice from the remaining lemon. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 279 calories; 36 grams protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 339 mg. cholesterol; 888 mg. sodium.

- See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/07/dinner-tonight-peel-and-eat-shrimp-from-the-hungry-cat.html#sthash.McBIxgv5.dpuf

Peel-’n’-eat shrimp

Total time:

About 55 minutes, plus marinating time for the shrimp

Servings:

About 5 servings (10 shrimp each)

Note:

Adapted from chef David Lentz of the Hungry Cat. Mexican white shrimp are available at seafood markets and fine fish counters. Pabst or Tecate is recommended for the beer. The restaurant serves this dish with cocktail sauce.2 1/2 pounds Mexican white shrimp, defrosted

4 (12-ounce cans) of beer, divided

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika

2 tablespoons celery salt

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 head garlic

5 tablespoons best-quality olive oil, divided

1 large white onion, chopped

1 sprig rosemary

1 chile de arbol

2 lemons

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the contents of 1 can of beer. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

2. In a small bowl, combine the Old Bay, paprika, celery salt, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and ground ginger. Set aside.

3. With a sharp knife, cut the head of garlic (with the peel) in half crosswise. In a large stockpot heated over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the chopped onion, all of the garlic, the rosemary and chile de arbol and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the spice blend and the juice of 1 lemon, stirring. Add the remaining beer and reduce the liquid by three-fourths over high heat, about 20 minutes.

4. Drain the shrimp and add them to the pot. Cover the pot, and steam just until the shrimp are cooked, 4 to 5 minutes over high heat. The shrimp will be ready when they turn white; be careful not to overcook them.

5. Remove the shrimp to a large baking sheet with sides and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle over more of the spice blend to taste (we used 2 tablespoons). Sprinkle with the parsley and the juice from the remaining lemon. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 279 calories; 36 grams protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 339 mg. cholesterol; 888 mg. sodium.

SHISHITO PEPPER TEMPURA

Total time: 40 minutes

Servings: 8 (48 peppers)

Note: Shishito peppers are available at farmers markets and at Japanese markets.

Mirin-soy dipping sauce

3 tablespoons mirin

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced ginger

In a small bowl, stir together the mirin, lime juice, honey, soy sauce and ginger. Stir to blend. Set aside.

Valencia orange-plum sauce

1/2 cup plum jam

1/2 cup Valencia orange juice

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

In a small bowl, stir together the plum jam and orange juice until blended. Press the mixture through a strainer. Add the lime and orange zest and mix well. Set aside.

Tempura

Oil for frying

1 cup flour, plus 1/2 cup for dredging

1 egg yolk

1 cup Japanese beer, such as Sapporo, chilled

48 shishito peppers, chilled

Sea salt or kosher salt

1. In a deep saucepan, pour enough oil to measure 2 1/2 inches deep. Heat the oil to 375 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the beer batter. Measure the flour into a bowl. Place the egg yolk in a measuring cup and lightly beat. Add enough cold beer to measure 1 cup. Add the beer mixture to the flour and lightly stir with two chopsticks just to mix ingredients. The batter will be slightly lumpy and thick. Do not over mix.

3. Set the bowl of batter into a larger bowl of ice water to keep it chilled while you’re frying the peppers.

4. Roll the peppers in flour to lightly coat, then dip them in the batter, draining off the excess. Fry the peppers 3 at a time in the hot oil until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, turning the peppers to brown all sides.

5. When the peppers are brown, transfer them to a paper towel-lined baking sheet or a rack to drain. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the remaining peppers. Serve hot with the dipping sauces.

Each serving: 466 calories; 8 grams protein; 61 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 22 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 26 mg. cholesterol; 519 mg. sodium.

BEER BRITTLE

Total time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Note: Adapted from Bistro LQ.

1/2 cup of good dark beer, preferably Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout or Boont Amber Ale

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup toasted nuts, such as slivered almonds or pistachios

1. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and grease lightly with cooking spray.

2. In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the beer, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a good simmer (watch that the mixture does not boil over, stirring occasionally if needed). Cook until a candy thermometer inserted reads 310 degrees, then remove from heat.

3. Immediately stir in the salt, vanilla and nuts. Be careful, as the mixture will steam. Quickly pour the brittle over the prepared pan, spreading it thin. Cool the brittle completely, then break into pieces.

Each of 6 servings: 255 calories; 4 grams protein; 42 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 35 grams sugar; 27 mg. sodium.

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