Cook This: Dinner Tonight

Inspiration for tonight's dinner, made in under an hour (grocery list and instruction manual included).

We've neatly condensed both recipes below, but to read the fully fleshed-out versions (and save and print them) just click on the recipe links or photos. Dinner is served!

The Menu:

Shrimp a la Bittman by amanda

Couscous with Roasted Fennel and Toasted Almonds by Jennifer Ann

The Grocery List (for 4):

• 2 pounds medium or large shrimp (shelled and cleaned)
  2 small lemons
  1 lime
• 1 orange
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 large shallot (or 2 small)
• a bottle of wine -- we'd like something white, cold and crisp, like Italian Vermentino di Sardegna or Spanish Albarino

(you probably already have olive oil, salt, couscous, raisins, almonds, sherry or some other vinegar, and chicken stock, right?)

The Plan:

1. Turn the oven to 350. Juice your orange into a bowl filled with 1/3 cup raisins so they can soak up the juice.

2. Slice your fennel bulb into slim wedges, toss them in one tablespoon of oil and spread them on a sheet pan to roast for about 12-15 minutes.

3. While they're roasting (and then cooling), mince your shallots, toast 1/4 cup of almonds, chop your fennel fronds, get 1 1/4 cups of chicken stock heating on the stove.

4. Once the fennel is crisp/tender, transfer them to a bowl (so you can reuse the pan for the shrimp!). Crank the oven up to 450. Chicken stock at a boil yet? Stir in 1 cup of couscous, turn off the flame, cover and let it steam.

5. Zest your lemon and lime, toss the shrimp in 1/4 cup olive oil, the zests, a squeeze of lemon juice & salt and roast for 8-10 minutes (go ahead and use that sheet pan you used for the fennel, which are now chilling out in a bowl somewhere). Finish your shallot dressing (2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar), toss with the couscous and sprinkle the accoutrements (roasted fennel, fragrant fennel fronds, raisins, almonds) on top.

6. Uncork your bottle. Pour yourself (and your of-age dining companions) a glass.

7. Voila! Eat.