Dish of the Week: Garlic Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers

This weeks dish, Garlic Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers, is from the Better Homes and Gardens Grilling Magazine. I got this magazine at the supermarket one day, shortly after we purchased our grill.

Ingredients:
24 fresh or frozen large shrimp
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3oz guava paste, cut up
4 tsp water
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut up into chunks (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions:
1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein (if necessary) shrimp. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Place shrimp in a large resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, cilantro, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over shrimp; seal bag and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.

2. In a food processor or blender, combine guava paste, water, chipotle, and red onion. Cover and process or blend until almost smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to bowl containing guava mixture; discard marinade. Add pineapple to guava mixture. Toss gently to coat pineapple and shrimp with guava mixture. (Do not allow pineapple to stay in mixture for more than 5 minutes or shrimp will become mushy). Alternately thread shrimp and pineapple on skewers (if using wooden skewers; soak in water for at least 30 minutes before hand). Reserve remaining guava mixture.

4. For charcoal grill, place skewers on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium grill heat; grill for 6 to 10 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and pineapple begins to char, turning skewers and brushing them with reserved guava mixture once halfway through grilling. (For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place skewers on a greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above. Serve immediately with coconut rice* (recipe below).

*Coconut rice: In a medium saucepan, cook and stir 1 cup basmati rice in 1 tablespoon hot butter over medium high heat until rice begins to brown. Add 1 cup chicken stock; 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup frozen peas. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

The Verdict: I made four new dishes this week and this was the winner. I wasn't sure how the guava paste would go over but it was pretty mild and gave the shrimp really nice flavor. The Doc opted out of eating the pineapple but I was really impressed with how it came out on the grill. It was my first experience with grilling fruit. Shaun loved the pineapple too!

The coconut rice worked really well with the skewers. It was milder in flavor than I thought it would be. In fact, the Doc didn't even notice the coconut flavor. This dish was a lot more work than most of the dishes I make, so I am not sure if it will be something I make a lot, but I would definitely make this again. Perhaps making skewers is something that gets easier the more you make them!