Results tagged “Food” from Getting to Know Joe
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!
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.
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).
We also had fried okra. The pork chop was excellent. The corn cakes (corn meal and buttermilk) were tasty as was the chow chow purchased at Pepper Place Farmers Market here in Birmingham. The lima beans were cooked with okra. The turnip greens were a little bitter for my taste, though I enjoyed them. Not sure what went wrong. They photographed nicely, though.
Fried Green Tomato Salad: If there's one thing better than a beautiful and ripe Alabama tomato, it has to be a tart, green Alabama tomato fried up crisp and delicious.
Pretty simple dish, really. I soaked the green tomato slices in fat-free buttermilk (They'll be fried later so they'll get plenty of fat that way!). After a little soak, the go into a mixture of bread crumbs, flour, cornmeal and a little cornstarch for good measure. Be sure to season the breading with salt and pepper. I use cayenne and garlic salt.
After a good coating, I let them rest and add panko breadcrumbs (big, flaky breadcrumbs) and canned Parmesan cheese to the remaining breading. Back in the buttermilk go the tomatoes--but only to coat and then into the breading again for another light coating. Fry in plenty of oil until golden.
For the salad I used mache, but arugula would also be great in this. Only a handful is needed for each plate. I dressed the greens with a little olive oil, sherry vinegar, dry mustard and a hint of Alabama honey. On top of the greens go the still very hot green tomatoes. Surrounded by some sliced cherry red tomatoes, they made a nice presentation. The topping is a combination of mayonnaise, malt vinegar, olive oil, a pinch of sugar and cayenne pepper and fresh Alabama goat cheese with some fresh chives from the garden. Oh, and that fried thing on the very top: a jalapeno stuffed green olive fried with the tomatoes. (This seemed like a better idea than it turned out to be. The olive was good, but would have been just as good without frying.)
It made a very tasty salad or, in smaller portion size, an even better first course.
Alabama Tomato/Goat Cheese Sandwich
Sorry, no photo--lazy, I guess. For lunch today, we had a simple and delicious tomato sandwich. Fresh, local ingredients are the key:
1 to 2 ounces local goat cheese (Belle Chevre from near Huntsville, AL was my choice)
2 teaspoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
freshly ground pepper and garlic salt
4 slices Big Sky Honey Whole Wheat bread (a local bakery in Birmingham) or other artisan-style bread
Fresh sliced Alabama tomatoes
arugula or mache greens
Mix first 5 ingredients together to form a smooth spread. Spread on sandwich bread. Top with tomatoes and greens. Yum!
Sorry, no photo--lazy, I guess. For lunch today, we had a simple and delicious tomato sandwich. Fresh, local ingredients are the key:
1 to 2 ounces local goat cheese (Belle Chevre from near Huntsville, AL was my choice)
2 teaspoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
freshly ground pepper and garlic salt
4 slices Big Sky Honey Whole Wheat bread (a local bakery in Birmingham) or other artisan-style bread
Fresh sliced Alabama tomatoes
arugula or mache greens
Mix first 5 ingredients together to form a smooth spread. Spread on sandwich bread. Top with tomatoes and greens. Yum!
Recipe to come. The Sweet Potato Hash Browns aren't mine--I pulled them from Frank Stitt's cookbook, and they are fabulous.
Last night's dinner. Not really worthy of an actual recipe due to simplicity. Simple grilled mahi-mahi sprinkled with fresh chives and a pat off butter (well, I made some garlic-chive butter, actually) served over creamed corn. The creamed corn was basically a traditional recipe (I looked it up in Frank Stitt's cookbook) with a couple of variations. I added chives and garlic to the butter and cut corn along with a splash of olive oil. Toward the end (about 20 minutes in) I needed to add a splash of water. And, in the background, fried okra. Simple meal but very tasty.
A simple Sunday night recipe of penne pasta tossed with some fresh vegetables from the farmers' market.Penne Pasta and Garden Fresh Vegetables
1 each small peeled eggplant, yellow squash, green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
2 cups cooked penne pasta
1/3 cup or so freshly grated Parmesan cheese
drizzle good quality extra virgin olive oil
Saute first 3 ingredients (veggies through shallot) in olive oil until tender. Add tomato and cook, over medium low heat, for 5 minutes. Add pasta, sprinkle with half of cheese and stir. Place in bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Nothing could be simpler.
Last night for dinner, we had something a bit different than our usual fare. I decided to use some of the remaining stone ground grits from Georgia that we had bought some weeks ago to make Shrimp and Grits. Grits (or polenta) cakes seemed a good idea.For the Grits Cake:
1 cup stone ground grits
4 cups water (or use some chicken or vegetable broth to increase flavor)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (use more if using only water/less if using canned broth)
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
kernels from 1 large ear of corn
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 large green onions, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (use more if you want more cheese flavor)
Combine first 5 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile heat remaining oil in a skillet until hot. Add corn kernels and pepper flakes. Cook until corn begins to brown slightly (about 4 minutes).
Remove grits from heat, stir in corn, green onions and Parmesan cheese. Pour into a casserole dish, cover and place in fridge to chill. Let chill for at least 1 hour--this gives time for the grits to harden. Cut into approximately 4-6 squares. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a hot cast iron skillet. Brown grits squares in butter until golden on each side (about 4 minutes per side). Remove to plate.
For the Alaskan Rock Fish (this would work with most any fish)
4 6-8 ounce fish fillets
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
juice and zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Old Bay Seasoning to taste (I also used a Spanish Fish Rub that I found at Whole Foods)
Marinade fish for approximately 20-30 minutes. Place on very hot grill and reduce heat. Cook, covered, for about 4 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
For the Tomato Topping:
Roughly chop approximately 1 1/2 cups of assorted yellow and red grape or pear shaped tomatoes.
Chopped handful of assorted herbs. I used parsley, basil and chives.
Once the grits have been removed from the cast iron skillet, add a splash of olive oil and the tomatoes. Cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat and add fresh herbs. Allow everything to get good and hot then remove to a bowl. Toss with some additional salt and a good splash of extra virgin olive oil. Plate everything and you are done! Serves 4.
Once the grits have been removed from the cast iron skillet, add a splash of olive oil and the tomatoes. Cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat and add fresh herbs. Allow everything to get good and hot then remove to a bowl. Toss with some additional salt and a good splash of extra virgin olive oil. Plate everything and you are done! Serves 4.
This was a really enjoyable meal made almost exclusively from vegetables from Grow Alabama and a simple package of salmon.
Honestly, this is more of a "throw it in the pot" kind of recipe. I didn't take extra care to right down exact amounts.
Okra, Corn and Tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, diced
about 10 pieces okra, cut into 1/3-1/2 inch pieces
2 large ears of corn, cut from the cob
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped roughly
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup white wine
Heat olive oil in skillet. Add garlic and onion. Saute over medium heat until softened. Add okra and corn. Cook for 2-4 minutes. Add tomato and seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add enough white wine (or water) to keep from sticking. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5-10 minutes more.
Salmon Patties
1 package salmon (the plastic pack with skin/bone free salmon is my favorite, but drained canned salmon would work fine, too)
1 clove chopped garlic
2 green onions, chopped
1-3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayo
1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 -1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
garlic salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix ingredients together, adding additional mayo or breadcrumbs to reach the correct consistency (one that will form a nice patty). Form into two large patties. Coat patties with an additional breadcrumbs, patting into patties. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet until hot. Add patties and cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side, until golden. Top with tarter sauce or a dollop of mayonnaise mixed with mustard and cayenne pepper.
Honestly, this is more of a "throw it in the pot" kind of recipe. I didn't take extra care to right down exact amounts.Okra, Corn and Tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, diced
about 10 pieces okra, cut into 1/3-1/2 inch pieces
2 large ears of corn, cut from the cob
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped roughly
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup white wine
Heat olive oil in skillet. Add garlic and onion. Saute over medium heat until softened. Add okra and corn. Cook for 2-4 minutes. Add tomato and seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add enough white wine (or water) to keep from sticking. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5-10 minutes more.
Salmon Patties
1 package salmon (the plastic pack with skin/bone free salmon is my favorite, but drained canned salmon would work fine, too)
1 clove chopped garlic
2 green onions, chopped
1-3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayo
1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 -1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
garlic salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix ingredients together, adding additional mayo or breadcrumbs to reach the correct consistency (one that will form a nice patty). Form into two large patties. Coat patties with an additional breadcrumbs, patting into patties. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet until hot. Add patties and cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side, until golden. Top with tarter sauce or a dollop of mayonnaise mixed with mustard and cayenne pepper.
How's that for a title? Well, that's also the name of the restaurant my friend Vance Holder and I went to for lunch today. Guess what they serve?
That's right, chicken and seafood. The restaurant actually got a "best of" from Southern Living magazine some years back for their fried chicken. They deserve it. The place is located in Centerpoint (on the Northeast side of Birmingham) across from the Serra Nissan (Ann and I found it several years ago when buying our Passat).
The chicken takes about 25 minutes, but that's because it comes to the table piping hot and fresh out of the fryer. One thing you don't need to add table side is the salt. They salt their fried chicken immediately after it comes out of the oil. My chicken (I had a wing, thigh, breast and leg) looked as if a gentle snow had fallen--but it didn't taste like too much salt at all.
Alongside the chicken was a reasonable slaw (not nearly as divine as Ezell's Catfish Place in Lavaca, Alabama), some tasty fries and three truly wonderful hush puppies. The hush puppies had a slightly crusty exterior with a soft, fluffy inside that actually had some flavor. The fries weren't anything to get excited about, but they were good.
That said, don't think anything will live up to the chicken. That's the undisputed star of the show. Golden, crispy, perfect. I'd highly suggest you take a trip out to give it a try--I wouldn't suggest doing it often, though or you just might die of a cardiac event. This was not light fare, but it is one of those places that celebrates the unique quality that restaurants strive for. They also have seafood--fried, of course, and, since Ann and I went last they've even added grilled chicken to the menu, though I can't fathom driving out to Centerpoint for a piece of their grilled chicken.
Seafood and Chicken in a Box (I love that name) is in a strip mall and from the outside looks like a dump. Once inside, it is clear that this isn't 5 star dining, but it was clean and neat. The two young men who waited on us were extremely friendly and helpful--and they even kept my tea glass full. That's a feat that doesn't happen often, and coupled with the extra salty food, I don't know how they did it. The total for the two of us: $22.00 plus tip.
That's right, chicken and seafood. The restaurant actually got a "best of" from Southern Living magazine some years back for their fried chicken. They deserve it. The place is located in Centerpoint (on the Northeast side of Birmingham) across from the Serra Nissan (Ann and I found it several years ago when buying our Passat).
The chicken takes about 25 minutes, but that's because it comes to the table piping hot and fresh out of the fryer. One thing you don't need to add table side is the salt. They salt their fried chicken immediately after it comes out of the oil. My chicken (I had a wing, thigh, breast and leg) looked as if a gentle snow had fallen--but it didn't taste like too much salt at all.
Alongside the chicken was a reasonable slaw (not nearly as divine as Ezell's Catfish Place in Lavaca, Alabama), some tasty fries and three truly wonderful hush puppies. The hush puppies had a slightly crusty exterior with a soft, fluffy inside that actually had some flavor. The fries weren't anything to get excited about, but they were good.
That said, don't think anything will live up to the chicken. That's the undisputed star of the show. Golden, crispy, perfect. I'd highly suggest you take a trip out to give it a try--I wouldn't suggest doing it often, though or you just might die of a cardiac event. This was not light fare, but it is one of those places that celebrates the unique quality that restaurants strive for. They also have seafood--fried, of course, and, since Ann and I went last they've even added grilled chicken to the menu, though I can't fathom driving out to Centerpoint for a piece of their grilled chicken.
Seafood and Chicken in a Box (I love that name) is in a strip mall and from the outside looks like a dump. Once inside, it is clear that this isn't 5 star dining, but it was clean and neat. The two young men who waited on us were extremely friendly and helpful--and they even kept my tea glass full. That's a feat that doesn't happen often, and coupled with the extra salty food, I don't know how they did it. The total for the two of us: $22.00 plus tip.
Tonight's dinnner was very tasty. Lemon juice and freshly ground pepper along with chives and a fabulous extra virgin olive oil made the shrimp. Buttermilk and sherry vinegar made the spinach salad. But the real kicker was the fried okra croutons. Perfectly golden, spicy with a Cajun kick.
For the shrimp:3/4 lb peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
juice of 1/2 lemon, zest from whole lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (I actually use my microplane grater to grate the garlic after I'm done zesting the lemon)
freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt
hearty dash of Old Bay seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon nice quality extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons fresh chives
For the buttermilk dressing:
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonaise (I use the new Kraft mayo made with
olive oil.)
1 tablespoon buttermilk
freshly ground black pepper
garlic salt to taste
1 teaspoon each stone ground mustard and honey
1 tablespoon or so extra virgin olive oil
For the okra:
a double handful of okra, sliced thick
3/4 cup buttermilk
cajun seasoning
1/2 cup each corn meal and all-purpose flour
oil for frying
For the Salad:
4 cups fresh spinach
12 grape tomatoes (I used a combination of yellow and red)
red onion slices
1. Marinade the shrimp for 30 minutes. Prepare a hot grill.
2. Mix dressing, adding oil after remaining ingredients are blended. (I confess that the amounts for the dressing are just estimates. I've never been much for measuring. Just mix it together until it is about the right consistency--a fairly thin version of bottled ranch dressing but with a creamier, olive oil infused flavor.)
3. Add okra to buttermilk. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then toss by the handful with the flour/cornmeal/spice mixture. Shake off excess and fry!
4. Grill shrimp over hot fire for 2-3 minutes per side, being careful not to overcook. Remove from grill and toss immediately with chives and olive oil.
5. Toss greens and tomatoes with dressing, top with red onion. Place shrimp on top and sprinkle liberally with okra.
