Sunday, June 26, 2011

Shrimp Jambalaya

This is a quick tasty dinner that's even better warmed up the next day. If you're counting carbs, use quinoa. We prefer brown rice, but have been known to scarf this up without any grains to sop up the broth.

Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients
  • 4 celery stalks, sliced
  • 6 tomatoes, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 ear corn, shucked
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/4-1/2 t. Creole file (optional)
  • 1/2 bunch parsley
  • 1 jalapeno, diced
  • 1 ham steak, diced
  • 4 hot sausages (andoille or Italian), sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 T thyme
  • 1 lb. shrimp, peeled
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper
  • 2 cans low-sodium crushed or diced tomatoes with juice
  • scallions for garnish
Directions
  1. Saute carrots, onion, garlic, jalapeno, red pepper and celery for 5 minutes.
  2. Add ham, tomatoes and sausage, and cook on low heat, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes or until sausages are cooked.
  3. Add corn, herbs & spices, and canned tomatoes. Cover and let simmer until veggies are al dente.
  4. Add shrimp, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Do not overcook the shrimp.
  5. Dish servings and top with scallions. Serve with hot sauce for those who prefer a spicier concoction.

Planning Ahead: Frittata Muffins, Pork Roast, Gravlax, Tea-Smoked Steelhead

I tend to eat healthier during the workweek if I plan ahead and even do a little cooking on Sunday. Here's what I accomplished today:

Frittata "muffins"
These are easy to make. Using regular-sized muffin tins, fill each cup about 3/4 full with chopped veggies, fresh herbs and cheese. Sometimes I add Canadian bacon or sundried tomatoes. Scramble about 7 eggs with a tad of  milk, and put 1/4 c. of the egg mixture in each cup. Bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes. Voila.

For this batch, I used jalapeno, tomato, parsley, cilantro and garlic. So convenient to grab two of these on the way out the door on a workday.
Marinated pork sirloin tip roasts
Let these marinate at least 4 hours, overnight or even a day or two. When you're ready to cook, remove the roast from the marinate, bake in covered dish at 375 degrees for about an hour or until the internal temp of the roast registers 160 degrees. We use the roast for variety of things during the week, depending on the flavors of the marinate includings enchiladas, sandwiches, salads, curry, shepherd's pie. . . I like to try different combos, sometimes with an Asian, Latin or Mediterranean twist. Instead of vinegar, I may use lemon juice with thyme. Sometimes I add honey and Moroccan spices, other times chipotles and maple syrup. Today:
    • roast #1: rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, garlic, parsley
    • roast #2: rice wine vinegar, madeira, light olive oil, garlic, crushed coriander and fennel seeds, cilantro, ginger root
Gravlax
I got steelhead instead of salmon this week, hence the substitution on the next two recipes.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lb. fish
  • 3 T. kosher salt
  • 2 T Splenda (most folks use sugar, but we're on Phase 1 of South Beach)
  • 1 T. each crushed fennel, coriander seeds, black peppercorns
  • 2 T. Cointreau
Directions
  1. Rinse and pat the fish dry.
  2. Remove any bones.
  3. Put skinside down in a dish or ziplog bag.
  4. Top with the ingredients, cover and refrigerate.
  5. I understand this can be eaten in 15 hours, or left to cure for 24-48 hours. I'll let you know how this turns out. I've never made this before.
Tea-smoked steelhead
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds fish: brine w/ sliced ginger for 20 minutes
  • in foil packet:
  • 1 c. rice
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. salt
  • Earl Grey/Irish breakfast tea: 6 bags worth
  • Citrus chamomile tea: 1/4 c. loose tea
  • 3 star anise
Directions:
  1. Remove any bones and brine the fish.
  2. Combine the tea and other ingredients, then make a foil pack.
  3. Gently pierce the top of the packet with a few small holes.
    Put the packet on the bottom of a stock pot.
  4. I place a steamer on top of the packet to hold the fish.
  5. Rinse the fish and pat dry. Situate on the steamer.
  6. Cover the stock pot with a good fitting lid and a wet towel.
  7. Smoke for about 20 minutes. After that time, take the pot outside to open it and check the fish for doneness. If you need to, rinse and repeat.
  8. This is fabulous on top of salad or toast or even as a snack

Sunday, June 05, 2011

Baby Shower Buffet

The baby shower was a blast. Thank you to co-hosts Toni for planning the party games and prizes, and Keiko for the bevy of scrumptious desserts. The mom-to-be was radiant and our dear son-in-law joined the festivities so they could open gifts together. 
I also enjoyed feeding folks. A month ago, Emily and I looked at several potential recipes and decided this was perfect for center stage. The nice thing about this menu is that most of the prep can be done in advance. (I cheated a little -- the pesto,  hummus, and turkey wraps were storebought.) I did the shopping on Thursday and prepped the salad components on Friday. Saturday morning, I made the fruit skewers/salad, brined the cukes and radishes, and made the dump cake.
My son helped plate the savory part of the menu. I love sharing a kitchen with him.
Thanks for Keiko, Toni and Emily, the dessert bar overflowed with delights: the shortcake cupcakes you see below, as well as brownies, coffee cake, cake pops, cookies, chocolate candies, and toffee popcorn.
And Emily made baby rattle cake pops for the wedding favors. Seriously addicting.

The Menu
Skewered Fruit / Fruit Salad - info below
Chicken and Veggie Salad Platters - details below
Turkey Wraps
Hummus and Pita Chips
Giardiniera
Apple Dump Cake - use spice cake mix instead of yellow cake

Fruit Skewers
I googled fruit skewers and found this idea online. Use part of the melon as the base for the centerpiece. If you put the flatside on the platter, you'll have more surface area to work with, but you'll need to score the rind where you want to stick the skewers in. Time was running out for me, so I chose to slice the end off the melon and stick the skewers in the flesh. Extra fruit including bits which were too ripe to stay on the skewer were combined in a simple fruit salad.

Chicken and Veggie Salad Platters
  • Mustard Viniagrette: Whisk 3/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup vinegar (I like rice/basalmic), 2 T lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of Dijon. Optional: fresh herbs; for this, chives and roasted garlic.
  • Green Beans: Blanch the beans, toss with the vinaigrette, top with sliced almonds.
  • Grilled Chicken and Mushrooms: Toss with pesto and let marinate overnight
  • Pickled Cucumber and Radishes: Pickle in light brine and peppercorns (how long? how much time do you have? 10 minutes is okay; overnight works, too.) Rinse to remove excess salt, toss with chopped parsley and chives.
  • Garbanzo Bean Salad: Toss with chopped parsley (about half a bunch), minced red onion and vinaigrette. Marinate overnight.
  • Campari Tomato Caprese: Halve ripe tomatoes, toss with marinated boccocini and basil.
  • Roasted Red Peppers: Oven-roast until they start to soften.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Giardiniera

I'm prepping for my daughter's baby shower. I'm in charge of the food, of course. I'll post the full menu and pics in the next couple of days. Today, I'm making giardiniera, Italian pickled vegetables. The star is cauliflower, accompanied by carrots, celery, peppers, and herbs. I had a lot of celery and several aging carrots, so my recipe includes generous amounts of both. I filled two quart jars, one for the party and one for my son, as I expect he'll want to take some home.

Giardiniera
Ingredients
1/2 head of cauliflower
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
5 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
1 c. pepperoncini
2 bay leaves
3 smashed cloves garlic
1 t. peppercorns
1/2 t. ea. of fennel and mustard seeds
a few sprigs of fresh oregano
4 c. water
2 c. vinegar
2T - 1/4 c. salt (I prefer less salt)

Directions
  1. In a stock pot, add spices, water, vinegar and salt. Heat to nearly a boil, then turn to low simmer.
  2. Separate the cauliflower florets.
  3. Slice the other veggies.
  4. Add celery, carrots, onion, cauliflower and bay leaves to the stock pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
  5. Take off the heat. Remove bay leaves.
  6. Add herbs, pepperoncini and garlic.
  7. When cool, store in sterilized jar or other suitable container. Refrigerate.
  8. Edible the next day or within the next week.