Showing posts with label shrimp recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shrimp recipe. Show all posts

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Anna Sultana's Pull-Apart Pizza / Cheese, Egg, Vegetable, Meatless and Fish Recipes for 2


Holy Thursday!
No, I’m not cursing.
It’s crunch time and we have to plan menus for the holiday weekend and Easter.

Pork Chops in Lemon Caper Sauce and more uses for capers √
Cornish Hens recipe, with links for Chicken and Meat recipes for 2 √
Coconut Cake and Quick Fudge for a family-sized dessert √
Lemon Cranberry Muffins with links for Brunch, Dessert and Drink Recipes for 2 √


Now we need some vegetable and vegetarian recipes.
A few links for cheese, egg and fish recipes for 2 would also be helpful.

Okay… here’s a vegetarian dish that’s really easy and uses that loaf of Italian bread at the bottom of your freezer.
The goal here is to stay out of the grocery stores.
Their shelves are half empty, there are a ton of rules you have to follow once you're there - 6 feet away from anyone else - and the staff is terrified of meeting someone who doesn’t know he or she has the virus.
Please, do everyone a favour - stay home and use what you have.
You might even start a new family tradition.

Stay home and stay well!


Hints:

If you have shredded cheese instead of a block of cheese, use that.
If you want it a bit cheesier you can add a bit more cheese on top before baking.

Want a bit of meat?
Cut in half 3 slices bacon
After the pizza is assembled and the remaining margarine mixture is spread on top, arrange the bacon pieces on top.

Variation:
Use olive oil or tomato sauce instead of the margarine
Insert slices of pepperoni, or any other cold cut, with the mozzarella


                        Pull-Apart Pizza

Grease a baking sheet

In a small bowl combine
1/2 Cup margarine, softened
1/4 Cup onion, minced
1/4 Cup prepared mustard (optional)

Cut into 1 1/2-inch slices without cutting through to the bottom
1 1-pound loaf Italian bread
Place the loaf on the prepared sheet.

Slice enough to have a slice for each incision
8 ounces mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400º F

Reserving 2 Tablespoons of the margarine mixture, use the remainder to spread between the bread slices.
Insert a slice of cheese in each cut.
Press the loaf together.
Spread the remaining margarine mixture on top of the bread.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Cut through the bottom crust with a sharp knife and serve.


Cheese Recipes for 2





Egg Recipes for 2








Vegetable and Meatless Recipes for 2





















Fish Recipes for 2










Carmela Soprano's Mussels in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Garlic Bread
                     - Zuppa di Cozze






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Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Happy Chinese New Year / New Year Traditions & Fried Rice Recipes


Kung Hei Fat Choy!
On Friday the new moon with usher in the Year of the Rat, the Yang Metal Rat, to be exact.
The festivities start with the new moon and last until the full moon rises.
That’s plenty of time to party hearty!!


A New Year always means a new beginning. 
To celebrate properly one should have paid off all debts, purchased new clothes, painted the front door, and gotten a new haircut.
Maybe trying a new recipe counts, too.

There are many different food traditions observed over the New Year period:
Traditional dishes are steamed rice pudding, long noodles, and dumplings
Uncut noodles is a symbol of longevity
Fish and chicken are symbols of prosperity
Eat oranges and tangerines for luck, wealth, good health, and a long life
For happiness and wealth, eat persimmons

Two other posts that have more Chinese New Year customs:



Homes are cleaned before the beginning of the new year, so do try to give the place a quick once over.
And put away all cleaning equipment before New Year's Eve because good fortune may be swept away if you are tempted to clean on New Year's Day.
Don't use sharp knives or scissors on New Year’s Day as you may cut off good fortune.
Your behaviour on New Year’s Day sets the tone for the year.
No pressure.

Many people avoid meat on the first day to bring good luck in the New Year. 
Day seven is the birthday of human beings. Long noodles (for longevity) and raw fish (for success) are traditionally eaten on that day. 
On the 13th day, people eat rice congee and mustard greens to settle their stomachs.
The 14th day is spent getting ready for the Lantern Festival and eating leftovers. 

The first Fried Rice recipe would be perfect for Day 14, or any day when you have leftover bits of a roast, or have cooked too much rice.
Waste not, want not.

Hints:

You could also add sliced mushrooms and/or celery with the peas and carrots.

Both recipes can also be prepared with half chicken and half shrimp or all shrimp. 

About recipe #1… Have some leftover turkey, beef or pork? That would be good, too.

About recipe #2… You can prepare it with more or less garlic powder or ground ginger.
You can also use 1 cup frozen carrots, or 2 cups peas and carrots.


                        Fried Rice, using leftovers

Finely chop
1 small onion

Have on hand 
8 to 12 ounces cooked peas and carrots, or thawed  
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 Cups cooked white rice
about a pound of cooked chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces (see hints)

In a small bowl beat
3 eggs

Place in a large skillet  
2 Tablespoons oil 
Heat the oil over medium high heat. 
Add 
The beaten eggs and stir fry until cooked. 
Remove the eggs from the skillet and set them aside.

Place in the same skillet  
2 Tablespoons oil
Add
the chopped onion
the peas and carrots
the minced garlic
Stir fry until the onion is tender. 
Lower the heat to and add
the 3 Cups cooked rice
1/8 - 1/4 Cup soy sauce
The cooked chicken
Blend all together well and stir fry until thoroughly heated, about 5 minutes. 
Add the eggs back to the skillet and stir to combine.
Remove from heat.
Top with chopped green onion (optional) and serve.


                        Easy Fried Rice, without leftovers
Cut into bite-sized pieces
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about a pound

Finely chop
1 onion
You want to have 1 Cup of chopped onion.

Thinly slice
carrots
You want to have 1 Cup of sliced carrots.
Place in a large skillet  
1 Tablespoon oil 
Heat on high heat. 
Add 
the cut up chicken
Stirring constantly, cook 8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. 

Add 
1 Cup frozen peas
1 Cup finely chopped onion
1 Cup sliced carrots 
Cook and stir 3 minutes. 
Stir in 
4 Cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons soy sauce 
1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 
2 Cups white rice, uncooked 
Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, until the rice is tender.
Remove from heat, stir and serve.
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Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Anna Sultana’s East Coast Seafood Chowder

Back in December, 2010, I posted the recipe for Ma’s Fritto Misto di Pesce. Don’t bother with google translate - it’s a recipe for a mixed fix fry.
I posted it because I had written about Italian and Maltese Christmas customs.
One of these customs involves eating seven fishes on Christmas Eve.
Back in Malta and Sicily Christmas Eve, also known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes, was a night of seafood splendour.

Most of these holiday customs began when families were larger than they are today, and it wasn’t unusual to have about thirty people around the table.
So, you - and six of the other women - could each prepare one dish, each guest could scoop out one piece from each dish, and, wall-ah!, tradition was respected.

As the years went by and younger family members got busy with their own nuclear families, our parents’ generation made a few adjustments in their holiday menus.
They wanted to keep up the traditions, but there was a limit to how much they could eat, and could fit in their refrigerators.
The fried fish is a bit heavy on a senior’s stomach, so they turned to making chowders.
The leftover soup made a nice light supper for two on Christmas Day.

Ah, tradition…

Hints:

For a smokier flavour, replace the butter with 3 slices bacon, chopped, and brown before adding the vegetables.

Add 1/2 Cup chopped carrots, red bell pepper or corn kernels with onions for extra flavour, colour and nutrition.

Want it a bit spicier? Add a pinch of fish seasoning spice blend.
Want some heat? Add 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes with the seasonings.

This recipe can also be used as a base for a turkey or chicken chowder. Just replace dill with thyme and stir in 2 Cups diced cooked turkey or chicken instead of the seafood.

Curious about other traditional Christmas recipes? 
Happy Holidays!!


                                   East Coast Seafood Chowder

Place in a large pot
1 Tablespoon butter
Melt butter over low heat.
Add
1/2 Cup celery, diced
3/4 Cup onions, diced
Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until onions start to brown.
Deglaze the pan with
1/3 Cup white wine 
Scrape until liquid is reduced by half.
Stir in to form a thin paste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Stir in 
3/4 Cup heavy cream
2 Cups milk
Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
Add
1 teaspoon dried dill or dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon pepper  
3/4 Cup yellow fleshed potatoes, diced
Cook until the potatoes are almost tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, place in another large pot 
2 Tablespoons butter
Melt butter over medium heat.
Add
3 ounces salmon, cut into chunks 
3 ounces halibut, cut into chunks
Cook until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Add
3 ounces lobster
3 ounces scallops
12 shrimp
12 scrubbed mussels
12 scrubbed clams
Once the clams and mussels have opened (discard any that did not open), transfer the seafood into the chowder base.
Simmer 3 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and place dill and a dab of butter on each serving (optional).
Serve with crusty rolls or bread.
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Saturday, September 15, 2018

Yorkshire Potted Shrimps and Yorkshire Pudding


Last month we celebrated Folklorama in Winnipeg.

Inspired by the delicious food we enjoyed there, and a few of the traditional food featuring episodes we watched on the British television show Escape to the Country, we’ve been trying English recipes.

A while ago we watched a couple exploring houses in Yorkshire and, lucky for us, the hostess/real estate agent on Escape went to a food shop and sampled the classic local dish, Potted Shrimps.
The shrimps are cooked, placed in a small bowl, and then covered with melted butter.


Potted Shrimps was created when people didn’t have luxuries like refrigerators.
The reason for the butter cover is that it was used as a preservative for the shrimp, as well as for other seafood, chopped meats or cheese.
In the 1826 Housewife's Manual Meg Dods said that game "to be sent to distant places" would keep for a month if potted correctly with a layer of melted butter.

We have refrigerators now, so the preservative aspect isn’t important anymore.
But it’s an easy recipe and can be used as a 'can be done in advance' appetizer.
And it’s delicious, too.


Potted Shrimps can also be served as a Yorkshire Shrimp Tea, by serving it with hot buttered toast, fresh lemon wedges and a pot of hot tea. 


Potted Shrimps also has a bit of literary history…
It was a favourite dish of Ian Fleming, who often ordered the dish when he dined at Scott’s Restaurant on Mount Street in Mayfair, London. 
Fleming decided that his fictional hero, James Bond, would share his love of this dish.
So, if you’d like to make a theme night of it, serve the Potted Shrimps with a drink that’s been shaken, not stirred.


Hints:

Some recipes call for clarified butter, which is easy to make.
Gently melt butter in a pot for about 10 minutes, until the milk solids look like they are about to burn. Strain the liquid into a jar, and discard the milk solids.
The strained oily liquid is clarified butter and can be used for frying, since the removal of the milk solids allows it to be heated to higher temperatures without smoking.

The recipe can also be see to make Potted Crab Meat.

This recipe has been around a long time, so of course there are variations.
Some recipes called for a 1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste or 1 chopped anchovy fillet, or Gentleman's Relish, along with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice.

White pepper, which gives a more subtle flavour, or cloves or cayenne pepper have been included in other recipes.

There’s also a recipe which included a Tablespoon each of lemon juice and finely chopped shallot, in addition to a pinch of bay leaf powder and a dash of Tabasco sauce.

The procedure is the same for all recipes, while the spices are open to variations.
Suit yourself and enjoy.


Potted Shrimp is best made the day before and left in the refrigerator overnight, but it can also be made a few days in advance, which makes sense since the whole point of the melted butter is to serve as a preservative.

You can also serve Potted Shrimps on toast, with pickles on the side.


                                   Potted Shrimps

Serves 6

Cook and peel
12 ounces prawns or shrimps
Set aside.

Place in a small pot
3 1/2 ounces unsalted butter
Melt over a low heat.
Stir in
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 
Add the cooked prawns or shrimps 
Stir to warm the shrimp through.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the seafood and press them into the ramekins. 
Allow to cool, then chill for 10 to 15 minutes or until set. 
Reheat the butter and pour it over the prawns to cover. 
Place the ramekins in the refrigerator to set overnight.
Heat oven to 375º F 

Cut a ciabatta loaf into thin slices, and place slices on a pan.
Brush slices with olive oil (about 1 Tablespoon should be enough for the loaf), and toast in the oven. 
Keep an eye on the slices so they don't burn.
Once golden, arrange slices on a serving board.
Serve the bread with the potted prawns and lemon wedges 


Hope you enjoyed your shrimp with a York twist.
Here are a few more shrimp recipes:










While we’re exploring Yorkshire recipes I’ll include a recipe for Yorkshire Pudding. 
It’s an easy recipe which can add a little something extra to a roast beef dinner, especially if you’re serving leftovers.
But I don't think it would go well with the Potted Shrimps.


                                   Yorkshire Pudding

Serves 8

Preheat oven to 450° F

Place muffin pan in oven to heat. 

Combine in a medium bowl
3/4 Cup flour 
1/2 teaspoon salt 

Place in another medium bowl
2 eggs 
1 Cup milk 
1 Tablespoon butter, melted 
Whisk until blended. 
Add to flour mixture. 
Mix well.

Remove hot muffin pan from oven.
Grease 8 of the muffin cups.
Pour batter (about 1/4 cup) into each of the the prepared cups.
Bake 35 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350° F and bake another 20 minutes.
The tops should be puffed and golden brown. 
Transfer the puddings from the muffin pan to a wire rack. 
Use the tip of sharp knife to cut a slit in each pudding's top to vent the steam. 
Serve with gravy. 
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Thursday, July 2, 2015

Anna Sultana’s Jambalaya, Maltese Style

About four years ago i posted the recipe for Ma’s Ross il-Forn.
That’s baked rice, Maltese style.
Maltese comfort food.

Over the years Ma served us many platters of Ross il-Forn.
And we loved eating it.
But Ma was also open to new recipes.
Especially after she started watching the cooking shows.

Because of Emeril Ma really got curious about New Orleans and its food.
When a southern style recipe was in the newspaper, she’d clip it.

If the recipe called for things she normally had, she would follow it.
If the recipe had ingredients she didn’t have, she would improvise.
Well, to be honest, sometime she made changes just for the heck of it.

Somehow it always tasted good.


One recipe which Ma adapted and enjoyed was Jambalaya.
It seems to be a distant relative of Maltese Ross il-Forn.
Rice cooked with some really good stuff.
What could be better?

There’s a bit of confusion over how Jambalaya got its name.
One tale says that a traveller told an innkeeper: Jean, balayez!
Loosely translated: "Jean, sweep something together!"
Not very appetizing.

Another says that the Atakapa tribe originally called it Sham, pal ha! Ya!
"Be full, not skinny!  Eat Up!" 
Can’t you just picture a Mom saying that as her family sat down to dinner?
Much, much better!


Hints:

The original recipe called for 6 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced.
Ma couldn’t find Andouille sausage at the A&P in College Point.
So she crossed that out and used 4 ounces of bacon (not maple flavoured) instead.
She also made it with Italian sausages, when she had a couple to spare.
Sometimes she would scoop them out of Sunday’s tomato sauce.
A bit of extra tomato sauce and spices never hurt.

Ma didn’t have hot pepper sauce in her kitchen.
And she sure wasn’t about to buy a bottle for the 1/2 teaspoon called for in the recipe.
Instead she used 1 teaspoon paprika and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

The recipe called for medium shrimp, peeled and deveined.
Ma used what she had.
Sometimes she’d use half cooked chicken breast and half shrimp.


                        Jambalaya

In a dutch oven heat  over medium-high heat
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Add
1 Cup onion, chopped  
1 Cup red or green bell pepper, chopped (or a mix of both)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
4 ounces of bacon, chopped
Fry 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Add
1 Cup long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano, dried 
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried 
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add
1 bay leaf
2 Cups chicken broth
3/4 Cup water
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika 
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
Bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. 

Add
1/2 pound shrimp
4 Tablespoons parsley, dried
Cover and cook 5 minutes. 
Turn off heat.
Let stand 5 minutes. 
Discard bay leaf. 
Check for seasoning and that the rice is cooked thoroughly.

Serve hot, with a salad or cooked vegetable.
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Sunday, May 10, 2015

Carmela Soprano’s Shrimp Aragonate

Got an email.
Could I post the recipe for Carmela’s Shrimp Aragonate?
Ah…  Shrimp Aragonate… Great recipe… in a lousy post.

It was one of the early Carmela recipes from the Entertaining with The Sopranos cookbook that I had posted about.
About is the operative word.

When I started posting Carmela’s recipes in 2010 I wasn’t particularly big on details.
Just a chatty piece, with a quick description of the ingredients and comments about how much Paul and I enjoyed eating it.
I know, big help.

Together they made for a really great meal.
A year after that first post I got an email asking for the cake recipe.
Nobody asked for the Shrimp Aragonate recipe.
Until now.

Shrimp Aragonate can be served either as an appetizer or as a main course.
Either way, it’s quick, easy and delicious.
And Paul and I really liked it.


Hints:

In the recipe Carmela used fresh bread crumbs made from Italian or French bread, with the crusts removed.
I used store-bought unseasoned bread crumbs.
The box didn't say what country they came from.
I would guess Canadian.

She also used 1/3 Cup chopped fresh flay-leaf parsley.
I used 1/4 Cup dried.

What can I say?
Paul and I really liked it.


                        Shrimp Aragonate

Serves 6

Oil a large baking pan.

Cut into wedges
2 large lemons

In a medium bowl combine
1 Cup bread crumbs
1/3 Cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or 1/4 Cup dried)
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Stir in
1/8 to 1/4 Cup olive oil (just enough to moisten the crumbs)

Arrange on the oiled baking pan in a single layer
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Curl each shrimp into a circle.

Preheat the oven to 450º F

Spoon some of the bread crumb mixture onto each shrimp.
Bake 10 minutes - the crumbs should be browned and the shrimp should be cooked through when cut in the thickest part. 
Place the shrimp on a large serving platter.
Garnish with the lemon wedges.

Serve hot or at room temperature.
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Sunday, August 17, 2014

Anna Sultana’s Linguine All’astice - Linguine with Lobster / how to butcher a lobster


Got an email asking if I have the recipe for Linguine All’astice.
Yes, I have the recipe.
And now you do, too.

Linguine All’astice is simply Linguine with lobster in a very basic sauce.
The sauce is a cinch.
The lobster… not so much.

I’ll let you in on a secret: Ma served this with frozen jumbo prawns.
The ones that are about 22 to the pound.
Much simpler.


Live lobsters are a bit intimidating.
Remember the boiling lobster scene in Annie Hall?
And Julie had to live with the guilt of being a lobster killer in Julie & Julia.
They just had to toss the lobsters into a pot and boil them.

Linguine All’astice calls for a butchered lobster.
Not fun, but it can be done.
First thing:
Knock back a few stiff drinks to steady your nerves.
DO NOT remove the rubber bands that keep the lobster claws shut.
Wear oven mitts to protect yourself.

Okay… here we go:
Place a LIVE lobster upside down on a cutting board.
Hold the lobster by the tail and plunge the point of a heavy knife into the body,
where the tail joins the chest, and cut off the tail.
Continue hacking up the lobster at the joints into 2 inch chunks.
Crack the claws.
That's one dead lobster.
Remove the rubber bands.


Frozen jumbo shrimp are smaller and a quicker cook.
Do the frying part until they're almost pink, then remove them from the pot.
Add the other ingredients and simmer.
Add the shrimp for the last 10 minutes.

Hints:

If the sauce is dry, add a little bit of the pasta’s cooking water.  
Don’t add too much.
If the sauce is too watery the sauce will taste mild. 


                        Linguine All’astice 

Serves 4

Prepare as above
2 lobsters (about 1 1/2 pounds each) 

For the Linguine

In a large pot place
4 quarts water
salt to taste
Bring to a boil.
While the sauce is simmering, add
1 pound linguine
Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente.
The pasta will get a bit more cooked in the sauce.
Drain and set aside.


For the Lobster

While waiting for the water to boil, start the sauce.
Into a large heavy saucepan pour
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Add
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
Fry the garlic until it turns golden.
Add
the prepared lobsters 
Cook them until they turn orange, about 5 minutes. 
Add
1 Cup dry white wine
Cook another 2 minutes.  
Add
1 29 to 35 ounce can Italian tomatoes, chopped
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer  15 minutes.
Add
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Add
the drained cooked pasta.
Toss the pasta until it is coated.
Cook together for 1 - 2 minutes.
Arrange the pasta in a warm serving bowl or platter.
Sprinkle with
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Top with the lobster.
Drizzle with 
extra virgin olive oil

Serve immediately.

It has a bit more of a kick.

And, yes, it can also be made with frozen jumbo prawns.
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