Shrimp Etouffee

I adapted this for shrimp.  I cut the ingredients in half and reduced cooking times for the sauce and shrimp.

Crawfish Etouffee

This recipe for crawfish etouffee, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, is sure to satisfy any seafood lover. Serve with his Asparagus Salad for a wonderful meal.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8.

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups chopped onions

• 1/2 cup chopped celery

• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 1/2 cups Shrimp Stock

• 1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon coarse salt

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• Hot sauce, such as Tabasco, as desired

• 2 pounds crawfish tails, with the fat

• 2 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 cup chopped scallions

• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Hot cooked white rice, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to combine. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until flour mixture is the color of peanut butter.

2. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, salt, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco; bring to a boil. Skim surface, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, toss together crawfish tails (and any crawfish fat) and the Essence, and add to the simmering sauce along with the lemon juice, scallions, and parsley. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter; stir to combine. Serve over rice.

First published March 2009

Pork Chops, potato pancake, sugar snap peas and a salad

Recipe

Lemon Sage Pork Chops

makes 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

1 medium lemon, zested

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (or 1 tablespoon dried sage)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

4 boneless pork chops

Instructions

1. In a small bowl whisk together the mustard and mayonnaise. Set aside. In a shallow bowl mix together the bread crumbs, lemon zest, sage, salt, and pepper.

2. Pound the pork chops between two sheets of wax paper until just tenderized, but not too thin.

3. Working with each chop individually, dip the chop in the mustard mixture so that it is well coated. Then place it in the Panko mixture and turn it once or twice to make sure it is completely coated. Set side. Repeat with remaining three pork chops so they all are evenly breaded.

4. In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Swirl so that it all coats the bottom of the pan. Then, place the pork chops in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes per side. Drizzle in a touch more olive oil if the bottom of the pan gets dry. Check doneness by cutting into one of the chops. Serve!

MINTED SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed

• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter or unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced or 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

• 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint

• 3-4 Tablespoons water

INSTRUCTIONS

1 In a medium saucepan, add all the ingredients. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender.

2 Remove garlic if that’s what you used. Season to taste for salt. That's all there is to it. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Potato pancakes  Beth? I added an egg and used Idaho potato. 

4 gold potatoes, shredded and soaked in a bowl of salty water or frozen store-bought hash browns

2 finechopped green onions or your favorite herbs

fresh grated nutmeg 

salt and pepper to taste.  remember the water was salted

1 C. plain bread crumbs

Drain shredded potatoes, squeeze with paper towels if necessary

Combine all the ingredients

heat nonstick skillet with 1/2 inch oil

carefully spoon potato batter in the pan

cook about 5 minutes or until ti turns brown, flip over, cook another 5 minutes.

Chicken Scallopini

Using up the rest of the whole chicken I got yesterday.  I forgot to add parmesan cheese at the end. 

Chicken Scallopini with Lemon Butter Pasta

  

Prep time10 mins  Cook time30 mins  Total time 40 mins

Author: Namiko Chen    Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breast tenders

• Salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 2-3 servings spaghetti

• ½ large onion

• 3 cloves garlic

• 6 apple wood bacon slices

• 5 strings fresh thymes

• 6 mushrooms

• 10 cherry tomatoes

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 Tbsp. butter

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

 

1 Pound the chicken tenders with meat pounder to flatten them. Season them with salt and pepper. Diced onion and bacon into small pieces and slice garlic.

2 Start boiling water to cook pasta in a large pot. When the pasta is cooked, drain water but please remember to keep ½ cup of the water that was used to cook the pasta. Set aside if the pasta sauce is not cooked yet.

3 Meanwhile in a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Fry the chicken on both sides until slightly browned. Transfer onto a plate and set aside.

 

4 In the same frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes.

 

5 Add the bacon and cook until onions become translucent.

6 Add the thyme and mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms become soft.

 

7 Add the tomatoes, cream, butter, and lemon juice. Bring it to a simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you add bacon, it’s already salty so be careful not to make it too salty (keep in mind the pasta will make the sauce more bland). Remove from heat.

8 By this time pasta is cooked already, so add the pasta in the pan and toss it in the creamy sauce. Slowly stir in the pasta water to loosen up and thin out the sauce.

9 Add the chicken to the pan and toss lightly so that chicken will warm up. Serve the pasta on the serving plates, top with the chicken and sauce. Garnish with arugula and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Adapted from To Food With Love.s

Chicken in duck sauce with sausage stuffed mushrooms

I can't go into an Asian store without getting something new. Last time I was there I got a jar of 'Instant Duck Flavored Sauce'. The directions said to mix 2 spoons with three cups of water and simmer duck, chicken or pork in it until done.  Charlie said it was really good and it didn't taste like a jarred sauce.  

I simmered dark chicken meat on the bone, covered, turning every 15 minutes until done, about 40 minutes.  After it was done, I let it cool in the sauce, then took off the bones and kept it warm until Charlie got home, about another hour. It was served over rice and with a couple of large stuffed mushrooms.  I took the following recipe and changed it so there would be enough stuffing for just two mushrooms.  I used Mirin cooking wine, part of a white onion instead of scallions, cream cheese instead of mascarpone, shredded cheddar instead of parm.,  breakfast sausage instead of Italian, and less of everything. 

Stuffed Mushrooms

yield: 16 MUSHROOMS

16 extra-large white mushrooms

5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided

2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry

3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings

6 scallions, white and green parts, minced

2 garlic cloves minced

2/3 cup panko crumbs

5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.

3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it’s completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.

4. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer.

5. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

chicken and andoullle paella

Salmon Florentine, stuffed mushrooms, Indigo potatoes and a tossed salad.

Daeji Kalbi and fresh kimchi

I got 3 pork loin chops yesterday and was looking online for a good looking recipe when my son got out our new KoreaTown cookbook and opened it to a Kalbi recipe and offered it for me to consider. He said the recipe is for ribs but loin chops come from the same area.  It took a day to make them then cook on the grill. I also made some quick kimchi with baby bok choy and bean sprouts.  Recipes are from KoreaTown cookbook but kimchi recipes are abbreviated. 

Daeji Kalbi  - Spicy Pork Spare Ribs

1/2 Asian pear, peeled, cored and diced

1 Gala or Fuji apple, peeled, cored an diced

1/2 white onion, roughly chopped

1 Cup gochujang

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons mirin

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Korean rice syrup (can use Corn syrup)

4 cloves garlic

1/4 finely ground gochugaru (red pepper flakes)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 full racks baby back ribs ( 5 to 7 pounds) silver skin removed

Sesame seeds for garnish

Combine all ingredients except ribs and sesame seeds and process until smooth.  It is best to do this a day ahead in order for flavors to blend.

Slice through ribs to separate and add to marinade for at least 4 hours to overnight.

Grill 15 to 2 minutes, turning  frequently.

Or you can roast in oven @ 350º for 45 minutes

Remove from grill, let rest 5 minutes and garnish with sesame seeds.

Quick Kimchi

Marinade

1/2 C. peeled, cored and chopped Asian pear

1/2 C. gochugaru

1/4 C. fish sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. sugar

2 tsp. minced ginger

Cure mix

3 T. kosher salt

3 T. sugar.

Process, sprinkle cure on vegetables to be kimchi-ed and let cure about 15 minutes.  Drain and add enough marinade to coat vegetables.  Refrigerate for a couple hours. keeps for a couple weeks

vegetables

Persian cucumbers, 1 lb. sliced 1/4-inch thick. 1 Tbsp cure 15 min., drain, use 1 cup 

 marinade

Daikon radish, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes.  Use 4 Tbsp cure, drain add 1 cup marinade. refrigerate  2 hours. Keeps 2 weeks

Chive or spring onion, 1 lb. chives or spring onions, cut into 2-inch batons.  No cure needed. 1 cup marinade, refrigerate 1 day. Keeps up to 2 weeks

Bok Choy (baby bok choy) 1 lb, washed thoroughly, trimmed and cut in half.   2 Tablespoons cure, 15 min. drain. 1 C. marinade.  Refrigerate 2 days. keeps 1 week

Pineapple, 1 large, peeled, trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes. No cure needed.

Add 1 cup marinate, stir to coat.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours, keeps up to 1 week, but honestly, it won’t last that long.

Korean style chicken thighs

Got a new cookbook called KoreaTown and tried this recipe from the chapter Respect: Guest Recipes.  They are non Koreans who use Korean flavors.  We had it with some traditional kimchi (banchan)

Coca-Cola and Gochujang-marinated Chicken Thighs  by Jamie Bissonnette

From KoreaTown, Hong & Rodbard

Marinade

2 liters coca-cola

1 cup gochujang

1/2 C. Thai green curry paste

2-inch knob of ginger, minced

3 cloves Garlic, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 lbs. boneless skin on chicken thighs

Kosher salt and black pepper

Cola and Gochujanf Barbecue sauce, warmed (recipe follows

1. Marinate chicken and marinade ingredients in sealable bag 4 hours or overnight. Extra marinade keeps in the fridge for one week
2. Remove chicken from marinade and pat very dry with paper towels.  Salt and pepper
3. Preheat broiler on the lower setting if available or move the rack 8 inches from the broiler.  (I used the grill)  Place chicken on baking sheet, skin side down and broil until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and broil skin side up until cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Watch the chicken as it cooks and place the pan further away from the broiler if it starts to brown too quickly. Serve with warmed BBQ sauce

Cola and Gochuhang Barbecue Sauce

1/2 C. dried fermented Chinese black beans

1 liter Coca-Cola

1/2 cup spicy gochujang

1/4 cup Thai green curry paste

1-inch know of ginger, minced

1 1/2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1. Soak the beans in water for 1 hour and rinse well.
2. Add all the ingredients to a med. saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly to prevent scorching
3. Reduce the heat to low and very gently simmer the sauce of 30 minutes to 45 minutes, until thick, stirring occasionally. It should taste tangy, spicy and sour.  Also really good.  Remove from the heat and let cool.  This sauce can be served hot, warm or cold, and keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Steak and cake and no party.

This time of year we usually have a cake and a party but there was no reason to party so we just had the cake without any reason to celebrate. It was a white cake with cheese cream icing and lemon curd in the middle.  We had sugared peaches on the side.

Main course was rib eye steak, broccoli salad, bulgur salad left over from another meal and blooming potato. It's a potato cut so it pulls apart like a blooming onion after it is baked. 

Salmon in the smoker

I put half a salmon in the smoker for a couple hours at between 170º and 200º 

We had it with baked potato, carrots cooked with mushrooms and onion and bulgur salad.

I have not been to the Swedish Crown restaurant in Lindsborg Ks. in many years but when I was there last, it was under a different owner with a different menu. I missed the old one.

This is from the original restaurant recipe book and it's pretty good IMHO.

Bulgur Salad from Swedish Crown

2 C. hot water

2 C. Bulgur

Mix, do not boil

add, mix then chill

1 1/3 C. vinegar

1 C. sugar

1/4 C. onion

1/4 C. green bell pepper

2/3 Tablespoon salt

Pickle juice (optional)


BLOOMING Potato

cut the top off a potato and cut concurrent circles around the top that go to near the bottom.
Turn potato over and cut slits down the side all around, leaving the center bottom intact.

Put a tablespoon of oil over top of cut potato and some salt.  Bake in foil lined pan for 30 minutes @ 425º

Top with cheese and bake another 30 minutes @ 425%. 

Remove from oven and top with crisp cooked chopped bacon.  Serve. 

Note. I added another Tbsp of oil before adding the cheese and baked it a little longer than an hour total.  The top of the potato was crispy. I cut it in half and divided it between the two of us.   Charlie liked it.

Carrots were cut and boiled in water for about 10 minutes then added to mushrooms and onions that were sautéd with butter, and salt, the a little sugar was added and they were all cooked together a little longer.