The Whole Shebang!

Tonight I fully intended to write about ice cream, but instead I'm going with squid and fried oysters.  That's what I cooked for dinner tonight, along with a summery little tomato salad, and it was all fabulous.  Squid has been on my to-cook list for quite some time.  I've enjoyed it prepared a number of ways in restaurants, but I was a little intimidated when it came to cooking it myself. Now I wonder why.  It's so simple!  The most difficult part of the entire process was acquiring the squid.

After work I decided to drop by Whole Foods, pick up the squid and other needed ingredients, then go home and cook dinner.  This sounds simple enough, but I ran into trouble when the fish monger at Whole Foods informed me that they don't carry squid. (What?! I still think he's wrong.)  Whole Foods was also out of tonic water (disappointing!) so I left in a huff, muttering a few ugly words under my breath.  I headed to my trusty Publix but was delayed by a fire truck and some serious traffic.  Finally, I made it to Publix only to discover that, much to the surprise of the very helpful fish monger there, the calamari was frozen in a block of ice.  I meandered around the store and read labels while it thawed, then picked it up, and headed home.  Finally.  I left work at 5:00 and walked through my front door at 7:00.  Ugh.  

It was all shortly made okay because dinner was such fun to prepare and so tasty!  Also, Charlie is so wonderfully enthusiastic about food experiments.  I love that about him.  

This whole dinner was planned on a whim.  I found the winning recipe for the calamari on Epicurious after sorting through a few dozen others.  I really wanted something to showcase the calamari, which means no tomato-based sauces to muddy up the flavors.  A simple Italian preparation featuring linguini, anchovies, garlic, and basil won -- so fresh and summery.  It allows the calamari to really shine and focuses on fresh ingredients with crisp, clean flavors.  It proved to be the perfect choice for tonight as it was also quick to prepare.  While wandering around Publix with time to kill I decided to add fried oysters to the menu and a mixed tomato salad (after finding beautiful yellow tomatoes).  The salty, fried goodness of the oysters and the cool bite of the salad gently complimented the calamari dish.  I would serve these dishes together again in a second.  If you decide to try any of these dishes at home I strongly suggest trying all three.  None are difficult, and it makes for an impressive spread.

I made a few modifications to this recipe.   Calamari should be cooked gently, much like a scallop or shrimp.  The rubbery texture that is sometimes encountered is generally the result of overcooking.  The original recipe suggested cooking the sliced squid for a total of 6 minutes which I believed to be too long.  In order to avoid the rubber band texture I switched the order in which several ingredients are cooked.  Let me pause to say that I am a sushi eater -- the raw stuff -- and a  believer in erring on the side of undercooked when it comes to seafood.  It was easy for me to risk undercooking the calamari because I don't really care if it's fully cooked and would rather risk that than an unpleasant texture.  Just the same, it turned out well -- neither rubbery nor too raw.  If you are made uneasy by the possibility of undercooked seafood, then by all means cook it a little longer, but expect it to be chewy.

Linguini with Calamari and Garlic

serves 2

ingredients:

1/2 lb linguini (look for a brand that is imported from Italy and lists only durum semolina flour and water as ingredients)

4 rolled anchovies with capers, from a 2-oz tin; anchovies crushed, oil reserved

1/2 lb cleaned calamari (squid), thinly sliced crosswise)

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Check out the calamari before I sliced it. Cool, huh?

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water (it should be as salty as the ocean) until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.  Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat reserved oil from anchovies in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and crushed anchovies with capers and stir 1 minute.  Add calamari and toss until just opaque, about 1 minute.  

Add white wine; boil until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.  Mix in basil.

Add pasta to mixture in skillet.  Toss until heated through and sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by Tablespoonfuls if pasta seems dry, about 2 minutes.  Divide pasta and calamari between two plates and serve.

If I were to make this again I would double the anchovies and add 2 - 3 Tablespoons capers.  Just the same, it's delightful as is.

On to the oysters!  This was my first go at frying oysters, and it was a success!  They were so delicious and will most certainly make an appearance at an upcoming dinner party.  The batter is fluffy, crisp, and light.  Anything heavier would be too much with the richness of the oysters.  Charlie and I marveled at how delectable they are and discussed making an aoili to accompany them next time just for kicks.  Tonight they were flavored with a simple squeeze of lemon, and that truly was enough.  Anything else might just be showing off.

We only fried 6 oysters (1/2 lb), but I'm including the party-sized recipe.  If you want to make fewer nothing really changes -- just make less batter.

Fried Oysters

Batter:

1 1/2 cups bread flour (or other high-gluten flour)

1 1/4 cups cold water

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp baking powder

2 Tbsp peanut oil

salt, for seasoning

lemon

5 cups peanut oil

20 medium-sized fresh oysters (removed from shells, patted dry, and dusted with flour)

The oysters were quite shocking before I cooked them.  Wowzer!

And here they are dusted with flour

Combine all batter ingredients in a bowl.  Heat oil in a wok or stock pot over high heat until it reaches 375 degrees F.   Dip each oyster into the batter until well coated.  Carefully lower the oysters into oil.  Deep fry 5 at a time until light brown, about 3 minutes.  Remove oysters from the oil and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt and spritz with lemon juice.  Serve immediately.

Here's an inside shot.

Don't forget the tomato salad...so pretty with the lacy lettuce and the bright colors.  Only make this during the summer when tomatoes are at their peak.  Otherwise you're just teasing yourself.

Simple Tomato Salad 

serves 2

Ingredients:

8 fresh cherry tomatoes

1/2 large yellow tomato

2 handfuls lacy spring mix lettuce

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

Quarter the cherry tomatoes and thinly slice the yellow tomato.  Divide and place into two shallow bowls.  Top each with a handful of spring mix and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Serve immediately.

Altogether this was one of my favorite meals of the summer.  It was lovely in the sun room with ice cold vodka tonics and The Heartless Bastards playing in the background.  A lovely meal for a lovely night!

1080, Take One: Salmon Medallions Cooked in Egg and Bread Crumbs

Recipe modification. We all do it, and there's no shame in that. However, it is important to remember that it isn't the recipe's fault when a modified version flops. In this case it didn't flop, not even a little bit. It was actually very good. It just lost a piece of its soul. Rather than following the recipe to the letter and deep-frying the salmon like it said I made the healthier choice.

Boy, if I have a pet peeve about cooking it's when someone modifies a recipe then complains that the food isn't any good because the recipe was bad. I know one person in particular who regularly substitutes skim milk for heavy cream, omits butter, uses fat-free versions of anything she can get her hands on, and leaves out any ingredients that she hasn't heard of. Needless to say, her food isn't very good, and I often bite my tongue when she blames the recipe for the failure. Don't worry, I'm not going to do that. Like I said, it wasn't bad, just lacking in depth.

Here's the deal. Last night I chose a recipe from 1080 Recipes (this month's Cookbook Club pick!) and prepared it for dinner. After some consideration I chose Salmon Medallions Cooked in Egg and Bread Crumbs. Charlie very sweetly offered to run by the grocery store on his way home from work (an offer I took him up on) and brought home a lovely piece of salmon along with the other needed ingredients. Then I read the recipe. Hmm...what's wrong with this story? If this story was drawn out in steps, printed on cards, then placed before a child for sequencing, a smart child would put "Read the recipe" before "Send husband to the store for ingredients". In this story the smart child outsmarts the lady.

After reading the recipe I learned that the salmon medallions should be deep-fried, and I wasn't up for that. I didn't want to smell up the kitchen, and I didn't want to eat deep fried food, so I modified. I pan-fried, and I (probably) killed the thing that makes this dish special. Like I said, it was still very good. Charlie really enjoyed the sauce (creamy and tart -- very nice), and I found the pan-fried salmon paired nicely with the mushrooms. I'd really never considered breading and frying salmon in any way, and it was tasty.

Salmon Medallions Cooked in Egg and Bread Crumbs

*modified from a recipe in 1080 Recipes

ingredients:

8 oz mushrooms (I used baby bella)

2 Tbsp butter

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 egg

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup bread crumbs

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lb salmon fillets, skinned

3/4 cup light cream

salt

*NOTE: The original recipe serves six. In addition to changing the preparation of the salmon, I also modified the recipe to serve 2.

Put the mushrooms, butter, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt into a pan and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, for 6 minutes.

Remove from the heat and keep warm. Beat the egg in a shallow dish, pour the flour into another shallow dish, and pour the bread crumbs into a third. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and a cube of day-old bread browns in 30 seconds. (At this point you may choose to heat 4 cups of sunflower oil in place of the olive oil in order to deep-fry the salmon.)

Cut the salmon fillets into medallions and season with salt.

Coat first in the flour, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the bread crumbs.

Add the fish to the hot oil, in batches, and cook until golden brown.

Remove from oil and keep warm in a serving dish while you cook the remaining fish. Return the pan of mushrooms to low heat, gradually stir in the cream, and heat gently but do not let boil.

Pour the mushroom sauce over the salmon and serve immediately.

It was better served over soft basmati rice. The rice absorbed the sauce and tamed its acidic qualities. Steamed broccoli also made a nice accompaniment.

Don't get me wrong! It was good! It's just that I think I removed a tiny piece of its midnight-dinner-before-the-club, deep-fried, tapas-loving soul. So, I have this to say. Make this dish. Make it any way you like. But, if you want it to speak to you, deep fry the damn fish.

Baja Fish Tacos

My friend Stacey made the most delicious fish tacos last night so I decided to try them at home. Charlie jumped on board the Baja Project, and soon we had tilapia frying, mayonnaise coming together, and tortillas browning on the stove.  Fun!

If you wish to make these yourself you'll need a handful of recipes which, when put together, add up to a very tasty taco with a little kick.

First up is something that's delicious with a gazillion other things as well.  It's delicious on sandwiches, as a dipping sauce for fries, and used in chicken salad.  If you've never made mayonnaise you are in for a real treat.  Actually, you're in for a real treat either way.  :)  

Wasabi Aioli with Lime

ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon water

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 - 1 teaspoon wasabi powder (to taste)

Whisk together the salt, water, lime juice, and egg yolk. Starting with one drop and whisking vigorously, slowly add the vegetable oil. Continue whisking as you very slowly add more oil. It is important to add the oil slowly. If it is added too quickly the mayonnaise will break. Once you have added about half the oil and the aioli has begun to thicken, add the wasabi powder. Continue adding oil until it has all been incorporated and is thick and creamy. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

If you prefer, you can use store-bought mayonnaise. Simply mix the desired amount of wasabi powder and a few squirts of lime juice and mix. Also, Trader Joe's sells a wonderful pre-made wasabi mayonnaise. Homemade is fresher, tastes better, and contains no preservatives, but store-bought will do the trick.  But seriously, don't be afraid of this recipe!  Just be vigilant when whisking.

Now that you've got that down you're ready for beer-battered tilapia!  This too is delicious on it's own and very simple to make.  The beer batter can also be used to make onion rings.  Change the seasonings for a little variety.

Beer-Battered Tilapia (with Baja flair)

ingredients:

1/2 - 1 qt peanut oil (depending on size of stock pot or frier)

1 lb fresh tilapia

1 cup bread flour (all-purpose can be used also)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus extra for seasoning cooked fish)

1 cup beer 

Heat oil in a large stock pot (or deep frier if you have one) on medium-high heat until the surface begins to move rapidly or it reaches 325 degrees F.  You only need approximately 2 inches of oil to fry the fish in so adjust the amount depending on the size of your pot.  

Cut the tilapia into 2-inch strips taking care to cut against the grain.  (Cutting against the grain allows the fish to break apart easily when you're eating it thus guarding against a stringy bite.)

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt.  Add the beer.  (You can use any beer you like.  I chose Dos Equis Amber because I like the flavor, and I knew I would drink the remaining bottles of beer.)  The beer will fizz when first added.  Stir until smooth and thoroughly combined.

The beer batter can rest for up to an hour before use.  Put several pieces of fish in the batter and turn to coat completely.  Once oil reaches the desired temperature drop in one piece of batter-covered fish to test.  If should immediately sizzle, float to the top, and turn golden brown within 1 minute.  Once you have determined that the oil is the correct temperature place 6 - 7 pieces of fish in the oil.  Do not crowd the pot.  Allow the fish to cook for approximately 2 minutes.  Remove from hot oil with tongs and allow to drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt.

Allow the oil to return to desired temperature and repeat the process with remaining pieces of fish.

Doesn't that look tasty?  Believe me.  It was. 

To make the tacos we had you'll also need homemade tortillas (which I have, conveniently, already blogged about).  Again, you can use store-bought tortillas, but where's the fun in that?

So, put it all together and here's what you get!

Baja Fish Tacos

ingredients:

8 - 10 homemade tortillas

1 batch beer-battered tilapia (with Baja flair)

wasabi aioli with lime

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

2 serrano chilis, chopped

lime wedges

Place a tortilla on a flat surface and fill with fish, tomatoes, cilantro, and chilis in desired amounts.  Drizzle with wasabi aioli and a squeeze of fresh lime.  Roll up and enjoy!

Charlie, rightly, suggested that these would also be tasty with a little chopped cabbage.  Maybe turned into a coleslaw with the wasabi aioli?  I may have to try this.

The photos aren't great but, seriously, this is yummy summertime food.  The tacos are especially good served with grilled corn on the cob, guacamole, and margaritas!  

Mussels and Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Broth

What a bad blogger I've been!  It's not that I haven't been cooking, I just haven't been photographing my creations, and I don't want to post without at least a few pictures.  I recently made a lovely meal consisting of Mussels and Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Broth, Arugula and Edamame Pesto on Crostini, Caprese Salad, and Stuffed Mushrooms.  I also tried out Vodka Rosemary Fizzes which were beautiful (and it's a real shame I didn't snap a couple photos of those).  So, here we go.  Over the next few posts I'll dive into the dishes listed above.

For starters, the Mussels and Shrimp were just fantastic.  I used plenty of white wine and garlic for the broth, then added a fair amount of heat with crushed red pepper flakes.  Next time I'll toss the whole thing with linguini, but even as it is this recipe's a keeper.

Mussels and Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Broth

adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurentis

ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

7 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 - 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 cup white wine (I like a slightly sweet white wine with the seafood)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

1 1/2 lbs mussels, debearded and scrubbed

1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

In a large, wide pot, heat the oil over a medium flame.  Add garlic, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes, and saute until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute.  Add the wine and bring to a boil.  Add tomatoes and their juices and simmer, stirring often, until the tomatoes begin to break down and the flavors blend, 8 - 10 minutes.  Stir in the mussels, then cover and cook until they open, about 5 minutes.*

Using tongs, transfer the opened shellfish to serving bowls.  Add the shrimp to the simmering tomato broth, and simmer until they are just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Do not overcook!  Stir in the basil, and remove the bay leaves.  Divide the shrimp and tomato broth among bowls and serve with crusty bread.  OR toss with linguini and sprinkle with additional chopped basil.

*When cooking mussels, always discard any that do not open after cooking!

I wish I had a better photo of the finished dish because it was just beautiful.  Mussels always make for a dramatic presentation, and the bright red of the tomatoes really makes them pop.  This is a quick, simple dish perfect for a weeknight meal and inexpensive to boot.

A very tasty curry

I recently purchased a cookbook called Curry Cuisine: Fragrant dishes from India, Thailand, Vietmnam, and Indonesia. It's a collection of curries from a number of contributors, and I've been itching to try a few of them. I started with Green Shrimp Curry with Fresh Dill (Gang Keo Goung), but I modified it considerably. The results were terrific, and I changed it up enough that I feel I can call it my own.

This is a wonderful spring dish, and the curry tastes surprisingly complex considering how simple it is. If you try it out yourself, please let me know what you think!

Shrimp Curry with Fresh Dill

ingredients:
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
5 Tbsp red Thai curry paste
1 Tbsp sugar
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 - 2 Tbsps fish sauce, or to taste
2 large yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 lb raw tiger shrimp, peeled
1 bunch dill
basmati rice, as an accompaniment

Heat the oil in a pan over moderately high heat and stir-fry the curry paste for about 2 minutes or until just golden and fragrant. Add the sugar and stir fry for 1 minutes or until fragrant. Reduce the heat and add the coconut milk, chicken stock, lime zest, and fish sauce. Add the potatoes, cover the pot, and cook for 20 minutes.



Add the shrimp and stir well, then cover again and cook for about 5 minutes or until they turn pink. Serve hot, garnished with fresh dill.
This is best served over basmati rice.



If you've never tried a curry, this is a good place to start. It's simple, and the results are very satisfying. I can hardly wait to try out a few other recipes from the cookbook. I may have a lot of curry dishes ahead of me this spring!

Reinventing leftovers

I combined last night's orzo, grilled veggies, and shrimp to make a cold pasta salad. The results:



Tasty and simple.

Mixed Grill

Last night I broke out the aforementioned grill pan and set to work. I cut up a yellow onion, one red bell pepper and one green bell pepper, then sliced a small zucchini. I arranged all of my veggies in prep bowls (from Williams-Sonoma -- love them!), grabbed a lemon and a bunch of cilantro, and my mise en place was ready!


Next, I poured some olive oil into a bowl and seasoned it with kosher salt, black pepper, and Hungarian paprika. I used a pastry brush to coat the vegetables with the seasoned oil, then tossed them on the hot grill pan.





While the veggies cooked I took a pound of peeled raw shrimp and put them in a bowl with a generous glug of olive oil, the juice from half a lemon, and a large handful of chopped cilantro. I seasoned the shrimp with kosher salt, black pepper, and two pinches of cayenne pepper then allowed it to marinate for about 8 minutes. Shrimp and some other types of seafood will begin to slowly change to a pinkish color and firm up when left in an acidic marinade. In particular, lemon juice quickly changes shrimp to a seemingly-cooked state. The shellfish isn't technically cooking, as no heat is used, but citrus fruit is used in a number of types of cooking to firm up shrimp and make it suitable for consumption. Lemon and lime are most often used for this no-cook cooking because they have a higher acid content than other types of citrus. Ceviche is the obvious example and a fabulous way to prepare seafood!




After marinating the shrimp, add it to the vegetables and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning as necessary. Undercooking the shrimp a tiny bit will help it keep a nice texture. Don't worry, after being removed from the grill it will retain some of the heat and continue to cook. Undercooking it slightly just ensures that it doesn't become too rubbery.

As the veggies and shrimp grilled, I boiled a pot of water and cooked a pound of orzo. The DaVinci brand has a nice shape and is made of durham wheat, so I went with that. After the orzo finished cooking I tossed it with extra virgin olive oil and squeezed half of a lemon into it. Chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley was added as well as kosher salt and a pinch of black pepper. I find this combination to be really simple, fresh, and a good accompaniment to grilled veggies and meats.

That's all it took to grill up a tasty springtime dinner. I served it with rosemary bread and a fruity white wine then sat in the sun room and enjoyed. Tonight I'm going to put the leftover orzo, vegetables, and shrimp in a bowl and mix them together to make a chilled pasta salad. I like leftovers but find them more interesting if they're changed up, at least a little. I'll be sure to post a photo or two!