Bring summer to your table now! ~ Recipe: Cedar wrapped lemon shrimp

Ok, I’m itching for some summer-touched food. I’m probably not alone in my sentiments; most of the country has been blanketed by either record amounts of the white stuff , frigid temps or a combination of the dreaded both. But maybe you’re just not ready to step out onto the patio deck for some full out grilling? Why not bring the smoky taste of the BBQ inside?

I love to plank cook, but planks are really best for the actual outdoor grill. The next best thing are cooking with Cedar Wraps. Giving your food a nice undertone of aromatic wood flavor, cooking in Cedar Wraps ensures moist flavorful food in one neat little package. If you have ever cooked in parchment paper, then you know sealing food within a case makes for light healthful food. The difference here is with Cedar Wraps you add a dose of summer sunshine.

Simply add your seafood, fruits or vegetables to the wrap, tie with butcher’s twine and place the bundle into your oven. And when you can brave the outdoors again, add the wraps onto the grill using indirect (closed cover) cooking.

So treat yourself to warm weather cooking; I think you and the whole country deserves a little break just right about now.

Nature’s Cuisine Cedar Cooking Wraps are available at specialty cookware shops including Sur La Table http://www.surlatable.com/

CEDAR WRAPPED LEMON SHRIMP

8 Nature’s Cuisine Cedar Wraps
8 10″ butcher’s twine
1 1/2 pounds large peeled and deveined shrimp
3 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbsp minced red onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
grated zest of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cedar wraps and the butchers twine in a bowl of hot water and soak for 10 minutes.

2. Remove the cedar wraps and twine from the water. Combine the shrimp, tomatoes red onion, olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture evenly among all cedar wraps placing the mixture on one half. Carefully roll the cedar wrap around the shrimp and secure with twine.

3. Place the rolls on a baking sheet and bake for about 7-9 minutes until shrimp is cooked through. Serve 2 rolls per person.

All photographs courtesy of Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato