Which screams 80's more? Mixtapes or Shrimp and Curry Butter?

I'm starting to realize that James Beard and Craig Claiborne are to my Dad's cookbooks as Jamie Oliver and Ina Garten are to mine. This is another 1981 classic from my Dad's collection.

There were so many recipes to choose from, none with pictures, so for my archeological dig into 80's cuisine, I'm flying blind. This shrimp is touted as a quick, easy, 80's party dish...so of course it makes sense to make for the two (and a half) of us during semi-shelter in place since that's the equivalent for sure!

---

Ingredients:

Shrimp:

2lbs large shelled raw shrimp

1/2 lb lean bacon

Curry Butter:

2 shallots or 1 very small onion, finely chopped

2 TB butter

2-3 tsp "good" curry powder

1 TB chopped chutney

1/4 lb softened butter

Rice Pilaf:

4 TB butter or olive oil, or a mix

1/4 c. onion, finely chopped

1 c. long grain rice [I used Basmati]

2 c. boiling stock or water

2 TB melted butter

1 TB chopped parsley

I prepped the skewers and curry butter ahead of time...

I bought the largest shrimp Whole Foods had which meant cleaning them myself [ugh]...peel the shell and legs off, cut a shallow slit down the shrimp's back, removing the "poop chute". I pull the tails off because it's so much easier to eat [Note: Juliet pet peeve #205 - restaurants that serve shrimp with the tails in soup/sauce]. Weave the bacon and shrimp onto skewers.

Finely chop the shallots and saute in 2 TB butter until soft. Add curry powder and cook an additional 2 minutes. Mix in the chopped chutney. Let the mixture cool. [I didn't let it cool enough and the butter melted into it] Mix into the 1/4 lb butter, set aside.

Now, for the rice...Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat the butter/oil in a heavy 1.5 qt casserole. Add the onion and cook, stirring until soft and translucent. Add the rice and cook over low heat, stirring, until the grains are lightly coated with butter/oil and have lost their raw color, about 3 minutes. Add stock/water, and season to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, and bake in a 350F oven until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes, or cook on top of the stove over very low heat. Remove from the heat, fluff the rice with 2 forks, mix in the melted butter, and sprinkle with parsley.

Preheat the broiler. Put the skewers of shrimp/bacon underneath and broil for 5-7 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp are cooked through and the bacon is slightly crisp. Serve over rice and put a ball of curry butter on each shrimp.

To summarize in two words or less our reactions:

Him - Nope

Me - Nah

Toddler - Bagel, please

These are two recipes firmly rooted in the 80's (1980's for those who were born in this century) - and there they should stay! The curry butter had a really good flavor with the shallots, curry powder, and chutney, but I can't think of a use for it that would surpass actually making curry. This is what this meal made me do...