Grilled Romaine

Tom found this delicious way to add romaine to his grilling repertoire.  Easy and a nice addition.  
You can vary the herbs, but we were very happy with the fresh chive and fresh oregano combo.  
---Barbara

Grilled Romaine
(from SimplyRecipes.com)

Serves 3

3 heads of romaine lettuce
1 T.  red wine vinegar
3 T.  extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs; e.g., chives and oregano

Wash and dry, then trim top and bottom of romaine lettuce about an inch or so.

Make vinaigrette of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and fresh herbs.  Mix together well.  Can be done in advance.

Preheat grill and oil the grill.

With a basting brush, generously brush mixture onto the romaine (there will be extra leftover), then grill on medium high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes until they start to wilt and start to see some grill marks on the romaine, flip, and then grill the other side

Remove from the grill, and spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the hot romaine.

Serve warm.

You can either serve whole, as we did, or slice and toss as a side salad.

Either way it will be delicious!

B

Strawberry Shortcake

Now that I gained some confidence in making baking powder biscuits, I thought it would be fun to try making a sweetened version for Memorial Day. 

What I liked about this British recipe was the simplicity of forming the dough into a roll and cutting it into slices before baking.  I also liked the coulis (pureed sauce) that is used to coat the strawberries, instead of just tossing them in sugar. 

The strawberries can be prepared in advance and the biscuits come together very quickly.  15 minutes later you have a real treat!  The biscuits are very light and fluffy. 

 
---Barbara

Strawberry Shortcake
(adapted from Carole Clements Cooks Companion)

Serves 6

For the berries:
1 lb fresh strawberries (1 quart)
3 T. powdered sugar
a tiny pinch of salt
grated lemon or lime zest (optional)

For the shortcake:
225 grams (8 ounces) all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups)
6 T. , divided 4 T. + 2 T.  caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
250 ml (1 cup) heavy whipping cream

For serving:
Whipped cream, 1 cup whipped to soft peaks, or canned

This takes a hot oven, 400 degrees F.  Remember to preheat the oven before baking the biscuits.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Earlier in the day, at least one hour before serving, prep the strawberries.

Rinse them well, remove the hulls,  and let them air dry.

Take one quarter of the strawberries --- that was 10 of my 40 --- and make a coulis, by processing them and the 3 T. of powdered sugar.

Slice the remaining strawberries, place them in a bowl, add the pinch of salt and grated zest, if using.

Add the coulis of processed strawberries, and mix to coat evenly.

Set aside until time to serve.  They can be left at room temperature or refrigerated.

For the shortcake, add the flour to a bowl, 4 T. (55 g) of the caster sugar, 1/2 t. salt, and 1 T. baking powder.

  

Whisk it together with a whisk or a fork until well combined and fluffed.

Gradually add the cream, tossing lightly with a fork until the mixture forms clumps.

Gather the clumps together, but do not knead the dough.

Shape into a log, about 6 inches long.

Cut into 6 slices and place them evenly on the prepared pan.  Reshape them into rounds, if needed.

Sprinkle the remaining 2 T. (30 g) of caster sugar on the tops.

Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack.

Whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form, or use canned whipping cream.

To serve, you can either slice the cakes in half with a serrated knife or use the whole cake.

Place a bottom in a dessert bowl or deep plate.  Top with whipped cream and lots of strawberries which will by now have developed into a nice sauce.

Add your top if you sliced it in two, and add more whipped cream on top.

B

Thai Green Curry with Shrimp by Tom

Barbara had this cookbook entitled Simply Shrimp by James Peterson.  Paging through it I found quite a few really good recipes to try.  If this first one is any indication of how the rest of them will be, then I found a winner.

What first caught my eye was the picture and the title Thai Shrimp Curry.  It did not look like a green curry.  But then when you see the ingredients, poblano chilies, jalapeno chilies, lemongrass, cilantro, basil, and kaffir lime leaves, how could it be anything but a green curry.
  

The recipe explains that the difference between Indian curries, which are a powder, and Thai curries is that you work everything together into a paste.  Usually green curries are hotter than red curries.  But this recipe strays from traditional versions by using poblano peppers that provide a lot of flavor without overwhelming the dish with heat.

--Tom

Thai Green Curry with Shrimp 
(adapted from Simply Shrimp)

Serves 4

3 poblano peppers, charred and peeled and chopped (or 6 ounces frozen chopped, charred and peeled poblano peppers which worked just fine)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, chopped
1 large stalk lemongrass about 6" of white soft part
3 shallots, chopped roughly
3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
1 medium bunch of cilantro, chopped, leaves and stems
8 kaffir lime leaves
one 1" piece of galangal sliced thinly (optional)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups fish stock or chicken broth
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1.5 limes)
30 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
steamed jasmine or basmati rice (for serving)

The first step is to make the curry paste.

In a food processor, combine the poblano and jalapeno peppers, the lemongrass, the shallots, garlic, cilantro bunch, 2 kaffir lime leaves (save the others to put in later), the galangal, the coriander, cumin, white pepper, and 1 cup of the fish stock. Puree for at least one minute until smooth. If the mixture gets too stiff, just add a bit more fish stock.

Transfer to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Simmer gently for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat, and work the mixture through a strainer into a clean pot large enough to hold the finished shrimp curry.  Save the solids from extracts from the curry paste for future use in another recipe.**

Add the remaining ingredients (fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, basil, unsweetened coconut milk, lime juice, remaining fish stock).  Simmer for about 7 minutes so that it thickens just a little bit.

Add the shrimp and continue to simmer for another 3 minutes or so until the shrimp turn pink.  That is when you will know they are cooked.

If the curry needs salt, add more fish sauce which will provide the salt and more flavor.  Serve with plenty of steamed jasmine or basmati rice that you have prepared using the packages instructions.


    ---Tom


** Barbara creatively added this green curry paste to scrambled eggs.  She served it over a flour tortilla, which we folded into a wrap.  It was delicious.

Cider-Braised Pork Loin with Creamy Shallots, Celery and Peas

I adapted this Irish dish but left the basic components in place.  This isn't a pork roast nor is it a stew or soup.  Something in between.  The Irish cookbook called it Pot-roast Pork.  It is cooked in one pot, all on the stovetop.  

Hard cider which is made from fermented apple goes perfectly with the braised pork.  The long braise in chicken stock with lots of celery and shallots makes the pork super tender.  

Juniper berries -- which are also used to make gin -- add an interesting piney flavor.  The peas and cream are added at the end, and make it into a delicious dish.  

The smell of it cooking made us think of Thanksgiving, probably due to copious amount of celery.  

Look for the hard cider in the beer section.  I used an English brand called Samuel Smith's.  An American brand would be Angry Orchard.  A popular Irish brand would be Bulmer's.  

---Barbara

Cider-braised Pork Loin with Creamy Shallots, Celery and Peas

(adapted from Irish Pub Cooking)

Serves 6

1 boneless pork loin, approximately 2.5-3 pounds
1 T. olive oil
4 T. butter, divided into 2 T. and 2 T.
salt and pepper
3 - 4 shallots, roughtly chopped (about 1 cup)
8 juniper berries
1 heaping tablespoon dried thyme
2/3 cup hard cider
2/3 cup chicken stock
8 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 T. Wondra flour
2/3 to 1 cup heavy cream
1 package frozen peas (12 ounces)


Pat the pork loin dry, and place it on a plate in the refrigerator, uncovered for a couple of hours to let it air dry.

In a large heavy pot with tight fitting lid, heat to medium high, and add 1 T. of olive oil and 2 T. butter.

Season the pork loin on all sides with salt and pepper.  Add to the pot and brown well, about 5 - 10 minutes in total.

Remove from the pot on to a plate. 

Add the chopped shallots to the pot, and stir frequently for about 5 minutes until softened.

Add the juniper berries, and the dried thyme, and return the pork to the pot, along with any pan juices that have collected on the plate.

Pour in the cider and the stock, season if needed.  It will foam.

then cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Turn the pork over and add the celery.  Re-cover the pan, and cook for an addition 45 minutes to 1 hour on very low heat.

Meanwhile, make a buerre manié by mashing the remaining 2 T. of butter with the Wondra flour in a small bowl.  Soft butter works best.   And I use my fingers to combine.

Transfer the pork to a deep platter or bowl, and use a slotted spoon to remove the celery and shallots to the same dish with the pork.  Pick out the juniper berries, and discard.  Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm and let the meat rest.

Add the frozen peas and bring the liquid back to a simmer, but not a hard boil.

Whisk in the buerre manié, stirring the whole time, for 2 minutes.  The sauce will start to thicken.

Stir in the cream, and bring up to high heat to bring the flavors together.

Slice the pork.

Add a few slices to a deep bowl or plate,

add a generous amount of celery and shallots, then spoon lots of the sauce with the peas over the top, so that the meat is enveloped with the creamy goodness.

B

Cashew Chicken (The Pioneer Woman) by Tom

Gumbo

We've had a cold wet Spring here.  We even had snowflakes in the air this morning.  So a hearty, spicy meal like gumbo would hit the spot.

So I asked our neighbor, Annie, for her recipe for gumbo because we really enjoyed it when she served it to us a few years ago. I was surprised to see it was a Paula Deen recipe.  Paula is Southern, but she's not Cajun.

Nevertheless I decided to go with it. It called for chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp and frozen okra.

Shopping during the pandemic can be challenging, as we all know.

I grabbed the andouille sausage when I spotted the D'Artagnan brand in the meat department.  It is really good, and much better than any other brand I have tried before. 

Had to buy chicken thighs because the breasts were all gone.   The shrimp we had in the freezer.

But frozen okra? Hunted through all of the frozen vegetables shelves looking for the elusive frozen okra.  Finally, I found an empty slot with a label for it.  Every week when I'd shop I'd look for it but it must not be an essential veggie, or someone is hoarding it.

I was ready to give up on gumbo, when I happened to see fresh okra in the produce department.

Now I could finally make it!  So, time to do some research.

I have made jambalaya and other Cajun inspired dishes over the years, but never gumbo.

So, I looked for my Emeril Lagasse cookbook, but I must have given it away when I edited out the Food TV chefs like him and and other marketeers.  Sorry Emeril,  I was once a fan.

Luckily, I have a Cajun friend, Wal'Dean, who was born in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, and her family goes way, way back to the Acadian French who emigrated there from Canada, so I texted her to ask her how she makes hers.

The main thing she said was that the roux should be the color of a Hershey chocolate bar, which was very helpful advice.  That's what I was most concerned about --- how dark should the roux be --- I have seen a range from lighter blonde versions and to almost black versions that look burnt.

Also, she reassured me that there isn't only one way to make gumbo.  It is up to the cook.

Wal'Dean says that she makes hers with chicken and shrimp, the trinity (onion, pepper, celery) and stewed tomatoes.  Only adds andouille when her sons visit because they like it.  And doesn't use okra very often due to the seeds bothering her stomach.  She said okra is often used with just shrimp in a lighter roux for Lent. 

I also asked if I should use the Tony Chachere's seasoning I had purchased in Texas when I last visited her.  (She had made me Crawfish Etoufee, and Tony Chachere's is what she uses in her cooking.)

So, I decided to go ahead with the Paula Deen recipe as my starting point  --- but adapt it.   The first change would be the beef stock.  That did not make sense to me.  I used chicken stock instead.

I kept the Worcestershire sauce in which probably isn't traditional either, but I have to say it made a very interesting background flavoring to the sauce,  along with my Hershey-colored roux.

Had to watch an Okra 101 youtube video from Clean & Delicious to learn about fresh okra and to see how to prep it.  (The host of this channel, Dani Spies, does a very good job.  And has good recipes.)

Now is when I have to admit that I hated okra as a child.  And have avoided it as an adult. My mother would make it with stewed tomatoes because she loved it but I thought it was slimy and disgusting.  

I did some research about how to avoid this texture, and learned that the longer okra cooks, the more the gelatinous seeds will break down and thicken the gumbo.  I decided to put my okra in at the beginning, and let it cook for the full 1 hour 45 minutes, unlike many recipes that add it just at the end with the shrimp.

This isn't hard to make, but it takes a long time, and you have to be at the stove, stirring the roux, so it isn't a "dump and run" dish.  But the flavors you will get will be worth it.

When I texted Wal'Dean some photos, she said looked it looked great:   "I usually make if for a crowd and send it home with my kids.  Try freezing. I don't put everything you did in mine but it should freeze well.  Proud of you."

And thanks to Annie for her recipe.  Annie says cornbread also goes well with this gumbo.

---Barbara


Gumbo
(adapted from a Paula Deen recipe)

Serves 8

2 T. olive oil
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, patted dry
12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced 1/4" crosswise
6 T. butter, cut into 4 T. and 2 T. pieces
1/2 cup Wondra flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, orange or red, chopped
3 stalks of celery, cut into crescents
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes
4 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
1/4 cup fresh chopped chervil (or parsley) plus 1 T. dried
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. cajun seasoning
2 cups fresh okra, tops trimmed, cut into wheels
16 large raw shrimp, defrosted, cleaned and tails removed
salt and pepper
grated lemon rind, for garnish
hot sauce to serve at the table

In a large pot with a tight fitting lid, heat the oil to medium-high, add the chicken and brown on both sides, and remove.  Add the sliced andouille sausage, brown, and remove with a slotted spoon.

Lower the heat, melt 4 T. of the butter, then sprinkle the flour over the foaming butter and start stirring....for 10 minutes...until the roux is the color of a Hershey chocolate bar.

Turn off the heat and let the roux cool.

Preparing the Trinity

Get everything ready:  Chop the onions, peppers and celery.  Smash the garlic.  Measure out 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce.

Open the can of stewed tomatoes, measure out 4 cups of chicken stock, have the chervil chopped and the dry ready to go, plus the bay leaf.  Chop the okra.

Turn the heat on medium to low, melt the remaining 2 T. of butter, then add the garlic, onion, pepper, celery and a pinch of salt.  Stir and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables soften.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes to coat all the veggies.

Using a whisk, start stirring and adding the chicken stock in a stream, to create a smooth sauce.  Scrape up as much of the brown bits as you can from the bottom of the pot as you whisk.

Add chicken thighs, sausage and bring to a boil.

Then turn down the heat to a simmer, add the okra,

 and stewed tomatoes.

Add the spices and bay leaf.

Cook, covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes on low heat, just a simmer.

5 minutes before serving, add the shrimp and cook until it turns pink.

Serve over basmati rice in a deep bowl or plate.

Grate lemon rind over the top.  (My addition. It is cuts the heaviness of the dish.)

Offer hot sauce at the table.

B

Make Salmon Cakes and Help Alaska

Last September when we were in Alaska, there was lots and lots of concern about the Trans-Alaska pipeline being built through their pristine environment.

When we asked, what could we do to help the people of Alaska fend off the threat of development spoiling their wilderness? 

The answer was buy a can of salmon from Alaska.  

Really? Why?

Because if the people who live there are prosperous then there won't be pressure to use the land.

Alaska used to have hundreds of canneries.  Now in southeast Alaska there are 4.  

In our little town of Petersburg where our boat launched, it is the core industry, employing people seasonally.

Make sure it is wild caught and made in the USA, preferably Alaska. I bought my first can at Aldi.  And the second can at Wegman's.  The one from Aldi was heads and shoulders better than the the one from Wegman's.  $3.99 is a lot cheaper than fresh salmon, and has all of the same health benefits, like omega-3s.  

As for the salmon cakes, you can use whatever flavors appeal to you.  The common denominator is egg and bread crumbs (or potato) for binding the fish together with the seasonings.  It is a little like working with a can of tuna fish, i.e., not as good as fresh, of course, but it can be used effectively if you accept the texture and add fresh herbs and lemon to cut the fishiness.  

Other ideas for using a can of salmon? I saw a recipe for Kale and Salmon Caesar Salad which I might try this summer.  And these cakes could also be made thinner and served as burgers on the grill, if you cook them on a grill grate.  

--Barbara  

Salmon Cakes on a Bed of Salad Greens

Makes 5 - 6 cakes

1 can salmon, wild caught Alaskan
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 cups oyster crackers, when crushed will be about 1 1/4 cups
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
2 - 3 T. tarragon, more if you are using fresh, less if dried
2 T. heavy cream
2 T. butter for frying
For the salad:  your choice of salad greens, salt and pepper, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar
Sweet pickle as an accompaniment
Wedge of lemon

Drain the can of salmon and empty into a mixing bowl.  Pick through it with a fork, and remove any skin, and look for any bones. 

Grate the lemon rind into the bowl.

Put the oyster crackers in a plastic bag, seal it, then crush them with a rolling pin (or a wine bottle) until you have the consistency of dried bread crumbs.  Keep crushing them if you have any doubts.

Add them to the mixing bowl.

Sprinkle the tarragon over the top.

Add salt and pepper.

Use two forks and shred the mixture until uniform in texture.

Beat the two eggs together, then add them to the bowl.

Add the 2 T. of heavy cream.

Mix together well.

Form into cakes, and place them on a dish or a small tray.

Place in the refrigerator, and chill at least 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the butter.  Medium heat. Watch to be sure the butter doesn't burn.  Turn down the heat if necessary.

Add the crab cakes, and fry on one side for 4- 5 minutes, then turn over carefully using a spatula and fry for another 4 - 5 minutes.

Place a bed of salad on a plate, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  Add the salmon cakes on top.

Drizzle some aged balsamic vinegar on top of salmon cakes, if desired.

Serve with a sweet pickle garnish.  And a slice of lemon.

B