Recently in food Category
How has half of this month already slipped by? Seems as though I've been working constantly, but not getting enough accomplished. We've certainly been eating well, though.
One of my new favorite dishes (that I have yet to snap a photo of) is coconut shrimp with spicy basil. We've been avoiding salt pretty religiously for the past month, so I've been trying to change my cooking style. I have made this at least twice:
Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Basil Leaves
1 tablespoon canola oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
red pepper flakes to taste
1 15 ounce can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon oil
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper (I didn't use salt)
1 fresh lime, juiced and zest from half the lime
handful fresh basil leaves (cilantro also works)
handful fresh green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Heat oil. Add garlic, onion, peppers. Cook over medium heat until onion is tender (about 5-8 minutes). Add coconut milk (you may not want to add the whole can--I used about 1/2 to 2/3). Reduce heat and simmer.
Heat remaining oil in a cast iron skillet. Toss shrimp with salt and pepper and additional red pepper flakes. Add shrimp to skillet, a few at a time. Sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Add half the lime juice and stir. Remove to plate.
Add basil, green onions and remaining lime juice to coconut mixture. Increase heat, add cornstarch and shrimp. Stir and remove from heat. Serve over rice.
One of my new favorite dishes (that I have yet to snap a photo of) is coconut shrimp with spicy basil. We've been avoiding salt pretty religiously for the past month, so I've been trying to change my cooking style. I have made this at least twice:
Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Basil Leaves
1 tablespoon canola oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
red pepper flakes to taste
1 15 ounce can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon oil
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper (I didn't use salt)
1 fresh lime, juiced and zest from half the lime
handful fresh basil leaves (cilantro also works)
handful fresh green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Heat oil. Add garlic, onion, peppers. Cook over medium heat until onion is tender (about 5-8 minutes). Add coconut milk (you may not want to add the whole can--I used about 1/2 to 2/3). Reduce heat and simmer.
Heat remaining oil in a cast iron skillet. Toss shrimp with salt and pepper and additional red pepper flakes. Add shrimp to skillet, a few at a time. Sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Add half the lime juice and stir. Remove to plate.
Add basil, green onions and remaining lime juice to coconut mixture. Increase heat, add cornstarch and shrimp. Stir and remove from heat. Serve over rice.
Made a surprisingly quick and tasty dinner last night. Had a green tomato that I soaked in buttermilk before coating with a combination of Italian breadcrumbs, cornmeal and flour. I then re-dipped in buttermilk lightly and added a crust of panko breadcrumbs.
I chopped and seeded a fresh tomato (really beautiful one, at that) and combined it with a handful of chopped fresh basil, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt. (I let this sit for about an hour to develop flavor)
I added a handful of fresh arugula to a plate and drizzled it with sherry vinegar and the extraordinary Italian olive oil that our Parisian friends shared with us on our recent trip. I sliced some fresh mozzarella and added one slice to the top of the arugula.
Heated about an inch of canola oil (olive oil would be great, but didn't have any) to high and added the green tomato slices. Cooked until nice and brown, about 8 minutes or so (turning a time or two).
Pulled out, drained briefly and immediately placed on top of the cheese. Another slice of cheese and then a final tomato slice. Topped with the chopped fresh tomatoes and basil. Very, very good!
So very good. More photos to follow later!
We had a tasty dinner Saturday night as a bit of a reward for cleaning up the house much of the day. I seared a tuna steak and grilled Ann a piece of Copper River Salmon. A bit of arugula tossed with a rice wine vinegar based citrus dressing, and a few panko crusted fried green tomatoes and the first of season fried okra were, to my mind, perfect!
Had a great workshop at Camp McDowell earlier this week. Your Town Alabama's 10th year of workshops. Met some great folks and reconnected with lots more.
Not much to say, but did make several tasty dishes last weekend. Here are two (Shrimp and Grits with Fried Green Tomatoes and Copper River Salmon with Fried Corn Salsa)
Not much to say, but did make several tasty dishes last weekend. Here are two (Shrimp and Grits with Fried Green Tomatoes and Copper River Salmon with Fried Corn Salsa)
Went to our local fish market (Snapper Grabbers) yesterday to discover a fish I've never had before: Steelhead trout. It looked to be a cross between salmon and rainbow trout, so I got enough for two (along with some shrimp to make shrimp and grits tonight).
Got some purple potatoes and asparagus at the grocery store, had a portabella mushroom leftover from earlier that seemed as though they would go nicely. Roasted the potatoes and grilled the asparagus and the mushroom along with the fish over a nice hickory smoke. It was excellent--and simple.
Got some purple potatoes and asparagus at the grocery store, had a portabella mushroom leftover from earlier that seemed as though they would go nicely. Roasted the potatoes and grilled the asparagus and the mushroom along with the fish over a nice hickory smoke. It was excellent--and simple.
Sadly, this isn't tonight's dinner. I cooked it several weeks ago and just now got around to pulling it off the camera. It was very tasty, though. A very light dusting of flour on some thinner than normal grouper filets. Served with some nice mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.
Sunday night was chilly here in Birmingham. Decided to warm things up with something simple--that, and the cabinets didn't really hold loads of food as I have been avoiding the grocery store. Settled on a variation of garlic soup.
Roasted Garlic Soup
1 head garlic
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
several sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup white wine, optional
3 VERY small potatoes, diced (no bigger around than a 1/2 dollar--hopefully smaller)
1 can vegetable or chicken broth
freshly ground pepper
1 cup milk (I used 2%, but half and half would give it an extremely rich flavor)
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Rub the head of garlic until the outer layers of skin come off (leave the part that is directly on the individual cloves). Place in a small container, drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until very tender. Remove and let cool.
Heat a skillet (I like my stainless chef's pan for this) over medium heat until hot. Add remaining olive oil and onions. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook another 2 minutes. *You may need to turn the heat to low for part of the cooking time. The idea is to caramelize the onions and brown them only slightly.
Squeeze roasted garlic cloves gently. The clove should pop out of of the skin with ease.
Add white wine, if using. Add potatoes, roasted garlic and broth. Season with pepper. Cook over low heat for about 10-12 minutes, or until potatoes are very tender.
Transfer to a bowl and blend in batches until smooth. Return to pan, add milk and heat thoroughly. Spoon into bowls and top with cheese. Makes two servings. Use a little more milk and another couple of potatoes and this would easily stretch to feed three.
Roasted Garlic Soup
1 head garlic
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
several sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup white wine, optional
3 VERY small potatoes, diced (no bigger around than a 1/2 dollar--hopefully smaller)
1 can vegetable or chicken broth
freshly ground pepper
1 cup milk (I used 2%, but half and half would give it an extremely rich flavor)
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Rub the head of garlic until the outer layers of skin come off (leave the part that is directly on the individual cloves). Place in a small container, drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until very tender. Remove and let cool.
Heat a skillet (I like my stainless chef's pan for this) over medium heat until hot. Add remaining olive oil and onions. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook another 2 minutes. *You may need to turn the heat to low for part of the cooking time. The idea is to caramelize the onions and brown them only slightly.
Squeeze roasted garlic cloves gently. The clove should pop out of of the skin with ease.
Add white wine, if using. Add potatoes, roasted garlic and broth. Season with pepper. Cook over low heat for about 10-12 minutes, or until potatoes are very tender.
Transfer to a bowl and blend in batches until smooth. Return to pan, add milk and heat thoroughly. Spoon into bowls and top with cheese. Makes two servings. Use a little more milk and another couple of potatoes and this would easily stretch to feed three.
Not much to say here. Here's what we had for lunch today. Apple pie from Whole Foods was dessert--and I'm warming that up now.
Well, I haven't really been doing a lot of cooking the last week (made several homemade sourdough pizzas, but those just all look the same in photos). Here's a sandwich I made for Ann's birthday last week. Fresh Big Sky Bakery bread (a Birmingham bakery), fresh veggies and blue corn chips. It is pretty similar to a sandwich that we got frequently at Ketabies--sp?? (later the Highland Market and now Rojo).
The sandwich is pretty simple: fresh sprouts, tomatoes, shredded carrot, walnut pieces, Swiss cheese, raisins and Ranch dressing between two slices of good wheat bread. Simple and delicious.
Cooked some wonderful trout last night. Pretty simple, really. (recipe below) Served with fresh spinach sauted in a little olive oil with chopped garlic and new potatoes roasted with garlic, fresh rosemary and a splash of olive oil.
Seared Rainbow Trout
2 10-ounce trout filets
salt and pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
canola oil (or olive oil, but I was out of everything but extra-virgin--not good for frying)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons capers, drained
juice of 1 lemon
1 shallot, chopped (optional)
chopped fresh herbs (I used about a tablespoon each fresh flat-leaf parsley and fresh chives)
Place trout, skin side down, in a shallow dish. Season trout with salt and pepper. Sprinkle lightly with flour (you'll shake much of the flour off before cooking).
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add approximately 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and place fish into skillet, skin side up.
Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients (butter through fresh herbs) in a small bowl.
Cook trout for approximately 4 minutes on medium to medium high. Turn, placing skin side down. Top of trout should be a golden brown. Add butter sauce to skillet, pouring some over trout and some around. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Seared Rainbow Trout
2 10-ounce trout filets
salt and pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
canola oil (or olive oil, but I was out of everything but extra-virgin--not good for frying)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons capers, drained
juice of 1 lemon
1 shallot, chopped (optional)
chopped fresh herbs (I used about a tablespoon each fresh flat-leaf parsley and fresh chives)
Place trout, skin side down, in a shallow dish. Season trout with salt and pepper. Sprinkle lightly with flour (you'll shake much of the flour off before cooking).
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add approximately 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and place fish into skillet, skin side up.
Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients (butter through fresh herbs) in a small bowl.
Cook trout for approximately 4 minutes on medium to medium high. Turn, placing skin side down. Top of trout should be a golden brown. Add butter sauce to skillet, pouring some over trout and some around. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
A quick, toss-together meal last night of sauteed eggplant, garlic, red bell pepper and yellow onion along with some fresh herbs (basil, oregano, and parsley) tossed with penne pasta and finished with a little white wine and fat-free half and half--yes, I know, not the best thing in the world, but it seems to work pretty well in small quantities. Topped with a bit of quality Parmesan cheese. Would have been better to have used bacon drippings instead of the olive oil and finished with a healthy toss of chopped crispy bacon, but I'm trying to be a little healthier.
Wow. Looking back on some old CD backups from the late 1990's, I found about a dozen letters I sent to family (mainly Mama and Papa but also Aunt Gladys and others). Interesting stuff. I also found some old recipes I developed when I worked at Weight Watchers. This Bread Pudding recipe actually got a perfect score in the Test Kitchen--I don't think it ever managed to get printed, though. It was for a section of the magazine that was, I believe, abandoned. If it ever ran, it did so after I had moved on to work at Scenic Alabama. The recipe was a good one, though, so thought I would share it here.
Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce
3 cups milk
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
9 (1-ounce) slices French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Cooking spray
Whiskey Sauce
Preheat oven to 350`.
Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add bread cubes; toss gently. Let mixture stand 30 minutes.
Spoon mixture into a 13-x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350` for 45 minutes or until pudding is set. Serve warm with Whiskey Sauce. Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1/10 of pudding and about 3 tablespoons sauce).
Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce
3 cups milk
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
9 (1-ounce) slices French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Cooking spray
Whiskey Sauce
Preheat oven to 350`.
Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add bread cubes; toss gently. Let mixture stand 30 minutes.
Spoon mixture into a 13-x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350` for 45 minutes or until pudding is set. Serve warm with Whiskey Sauce. Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1/10 of pudding and about 3 tablespoons sauce).
Continue reading Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce.
Another pizza. I've decided that cooking mushrooms first (as I did here) really adds another layer of flavor to the pizza. Although wild mushrooms would have made this even better, plain button mushrooms did the trick here. Cooked with garlic and red bell peppers in a little olive oil and finished with a splash of white wine and chopped fresh thyme, parsley and oregano, these added a nice texture to the pizza that also had fresh mozzarella, feta and, on Ann's half, pine nuts. The dough is basically the same as my traditional recipe. I've been tinkering with it a little--adding several tablespoons of cornmeal, adding a splash of olive oil and changing the ratio of types of flour, but overall, I think the original recipe is still the best. The wetter the dough, the better it seems to rise and create the kind of crust I want, but the harder it is to work with (particularly getting it from the pizza peel to the pizza stone for the initial baking).
