The Chew: Katherine Jenkins This Is Christmas & Batali Shrimp Spiedini

The Chew: Katherine Jenkins This is Christmas 

Classical crossover artist Katherine Jenkins stopped by The Chew to talk about her first Christmas album, This is Christmas, and learn how to make shrimp spiedini with Mario Batali.

Jenkins said that Christmas is very special in Wales, where she’s from. Her family always goes to midnight mass and then plays board games on Christmas morning. They also eat cockles and laverbread. She said laverbread is like a stewed seaweed and cockles are clam. She also cleared up what Welsh Rarebit is – just cheese on toast. Mario was disappointed that that’s all it was.

The Chew: Mario Batali Shrimp Spiedini

Jenkins and Batali got to work on the chickpea aioli for the shrimp spiedini. Batali said that cici beans, garbanzo beans and chickpeas are all the same thing. Jenkins zested some lemon while Batali mixed potatoes with pesto. Batali said the chickpeas would make the aioli thick but also give it a velvety texture.

Jenkins and Batali slid shrimp onto skewers and then placed them on a hot grill. He said you could also cook them in the oven. When they were done, Batali placed the skewers on the pesto potatoes and drizzled the aioli on the shrimp.

Jenkins said the worst present she ever got was a dead stuffed cat. She is an animal lover and her friends thought she would like it She might need some new friends. She said she used to go Christmas caroling with her church choir and the songs on her Christmas album are very traditional because of this. Everyone in the audience got to take home a copy of This is Christmas.

Mario Batali’s Shrimp Spiedini 

Ingredients: 

For the Shrimp:

• 20 tiny skin on new potatoes, boiled until tender, drained and cooled
• 1 pesto sauce (recipe below)
• 28 peeled jumbo shrimp with heads and tails on
• 1/2 cup chickpea aioli (recipe below)

For the Chickpea Aioli:

• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup olive oil

For the Pesto:

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 cups basil leaves
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• generous pinch of Kosher Salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Directions: 

Preheat your grill or broiler and soak four bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes in water. Cut your potatoes in quarters and mix with half of the pesto. Place the potatoes in the middle of four serving plates.

Put your shrimp on the bamboo skewers and grill them for three minutes per side. Place the skewers on the plates and spoon the rest of the pesto onto the shrimp. Drizzle them with the aioli.

Pesto:

Drop the garlic into a food processor to chop it, then add basil, pine nuts and salt. Pulse until finely chopped and then drizzle in the oil with the motor running. Place the mixture in a small bowel and stir in the cheese.

Chickpea Aioli:

Combine the chickpeas, mint, lemon zest and juice, egg, garlic,and 1/2 cup of olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. To make a creamy sauce, slowly add the rest of the oil.