Shrimp and Vegetables with Dal Bukhara

Finally!!! I'm back in the kitchen and happy to be here. It feels like it's been a long time since I've rattled any pots and pans. It's something I definitely miss. At noon I was able to take a bit of time between phone calls and work on a project and make a bit of chili soup. It's getting to be that time again when we soup fanatics look lovingly upon our soup recipes. However, this evening it was the warmth of some mild curry that was attracting my attention.

As usual, I headed first to the freezer to see what meat/fish/fowl I had available. Some raw shrimp caught my eye. I threw it into a bowl with some warm water and let it defrost while I attended to the vegetables. I did a small dice of a couple of carrots, a green bell pepper, an onion, some mushrooms, and a couple of potatoes. I threw all these into a large skillet along with a bit of salt and some good olive oil. As they were softening a bit, I sliced a fresh cucumber to garnish the plate. Tom mixed a wonderful dry martini to help with the cooking process...he's very good at that!

Once the vegetables softened somewhat, I added the raw shrimp along with a package of Dal Bukhara (black gram lentils curry). The seasoning was mild and just right to blend and accentuate the other flavors. I let this all cook down a bit to gather more flavor and then served it up with the fresh and crisp cucumber slices for garnish. A very simple dish, but very satisfying on a cool night that hints at fall.