Recipes

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Grilled Shrimp and Pasta Salad
Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill, Chicago

Makes 6-8 servings
1 bottle Hidden Valley Organic Ranch dressing (16 ounces)
1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from skin
1 bunch cilantro, tough stems removed, divided use
1 medium poblano chile
1 medium white onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 ears corn, husked, silks removed
1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
Oil for grilling (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup diced j?cama (about 1/4-inch pieces)
1 pint small cherry or grape tomatoes, preferably a mix of red and yellow
1/2 pound corkscrew or penne pasta, cooked al dente according to package directions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In blender or food processor, combine Hidden Valley Organic Ranch dressing, avocado and 2 tablespoons cold water. Roughly chop cilantro, reserving 1/4 cup in small bowl for garnish. Add remainder to blender or processor. Run processor or blender until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate dressing, tightly covered, until ready to use.

Light charcoal fire and let burn until charcoal is covered with gray ash but still very hot. Or, if using gas grill or grill pan, set on medium-high heat. When grill grates or grill pan are quite hot, brush corn, poblano and onion slices with oil; sprinkle corn and onion with salt and pepper. Thread shrimp onto skewers, brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill vegetables and shrimp, turning regularly to ensure even cooking: 10 to 15 minutes for poblano (sear over hottest part of fire, until evenly blackened and blistered all over), 10 minutes for onions, 5 minutes for corn and about 4 minutes for shrimp (all times approximate).

Cover poblano with towel to rest. When cool enough to handle, wipe off charred skin and remove seed pod and seeds. Rinse briefly, chop into small pieces and place in large bowl. When corn is cool enough to handle, cut kernels off cob and add to bowl with poblano.

Chop onion into small pieces and add to bowl, along with whole grilled shrimp, j'cama, tomatoes, cooked pasta, 1 to 1 1/2 cups of prepared dressing and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Salad is best if covered and refrigerated for an hour or so.

Taste and add additional dressing and salt, if desired. Serve sprinkled with reserved 1/4 cup cilantro.

 

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