Low Country Boil

The best one pot dinner I know. Low Country Boil, also called Frogmore stew for the little town where it was created (in the 1960's I believe) is a Southern style clam bake famous and highly revered throughout Georgia and South Carolina. As much an activity as a meal -- potatoes and smoked sausage and set to boil in water flavored with plenty of Old Bay Seasoning (that's what I like, some folks use shrimp boil). After about 15 minutes you add in halved ears of corn and boil another 10 minutes or so. When crabs are in season you might find blue crab or even crawfish (the dish has spread West to Louisiana and beyond) but LCB always features shrimp and plenty of it. The shrimp go in the boiling water last and after just a couple minutes when they turn pink the pot is drained and spread across the table -- traditionally on sheets of newspaper -- for everyone to dig in.

Peel And Eat

Created in the 50's at New Orleans' Pascal's Manale restaurant, barbecued shrimp quickly became a Southern staple. Despite the name these shrimp never come near a grill, but instead are cooked in a garlicky buttery sauce perfect for dipping crusty French bread.
Recipes varie but I generally melt a stick of butter in a heavy iron pan and toss in several sliced cloves of garlic, chopped rosemary, a good splash of hot sauce, chili flakes, two lemons sliced and juiced, S&P, and 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce. The shrimp cook until just pink through and ready to peel and eat.

Steamed Seafood Supper

Some things you never lose. I grew up in Maryland and honestly some days I think Old Bay Seasoning flows in my veins. I don't use it much anymore but when I taste that familiar mixture I feel the warm sun, lapping waves and the excitement of steamed crabs on a hot summer's day. It tastes like home.
This steamed combo of shrimp, clams and potatoes is a little more low country than it is "charm city". I've been struggling to get my diet back on track and I figured a steamed all in one pot dinner would keep James satisfied and the calories low -- besides, we had leftover beer in the fridge.
I started a pot (with a steamed insert) with a bit of butter, chopped garlic, shallot, bay leaf and a bottle of beer and brought the liquid to a boil. I tossed in the potatoes and let them steam for about 10 minutes. Next, because the clams were small and he shrimp were large, I let the clams steam for just a minute before adding the shrimp -- peels on -- heavily dusted with Old Bay. After about 5 minutes the shrimp were pink and tender and everything was flavored with the delicious mix of beer and "bay".

Shrimp For Supper

These shrimp never see a grill or even a smoker but for some reason in New Orleans and across the south this dish is dubbed, barbecued shrimp. Really it's shrimp in a buttery, garlicky,  ready for crusty bread sauce. I start by melting, until foamy,  a stick of butter in an iron skillet, then I toss in chopped garlic and rosemary. A 1/3 cup of lemon juice (and slices of the juiced lemon too when I have them) and 1/3 cup of worcestershire sauce. I stir that together and add in the peeled shrimp. They only need about 3 minutes to turn pink and be ready to serve. A tasty quick supper that still feels special.

Quick Sauté

Shrimp are fast, delicious, and easy to cook. I'm not sure why I don't make them more often . . . Tonight I started heating a pan and added in butter and olive oil. After the butter had finished foaming I tossed in chopped shallot, oregano, crushed red peppers, hot sauce, and plenty of garlic (seem like my usual recipe for seafood). Next the peeled deveined shrimp went in and started to pink up. When I turned the shrimp I poured in a splash of Guinness left over from our christmas cake and I let the mixture bubble until the shrimp were cooked through. I finished the sauce with an extra pat of butter for good measure. Perfect with bread or rice or even on a toothpick. Dinner in seven minutes or less.

Something For Starters

Stay tuned tomorrow for the dinner that followed, but we started a spicy dinner with this platter of cantaloupe and cucumbers sprinkled with lime and chili powder and my secret super easy Mexican style shrimp cocktail. Based on a recipe from Rick Bayless (so it has to be good), I mix 1 pound of bay shrimp with 1/2 cup of ketchup (yes ketchup and shrimp), 2 TB of hot sauce, 2 TB of olive oil, chopped cilantro, 1/2 small onions finely chopped, 1 cup diced cucumber, 1 avocado cut into small cubes and the juice of 1/2 a lime. Tossed together and served with chips it's an appetizer people just can't stop eating. Just the kind I like to serve.

Another Southern Specialty

I figured I'd follow up last night's low country treat with another Southern specialty, shrimp cakes. It's the kind of cozy, casual, hearty dish that just feels right on a lazy Sunday and I happened to have a fridge full of just the right ingredients left over from last night's dinner with friends.

I'm not sure why more of the country doesn't eat shrimp cakes on a regular basis. It's not like people aren't lining up at Red Lobster for shrimp in all forms, but these quickly pan fried burgers have seemed to stay local. Around Georgia and the Carolinas (and probably Louisiana too) -- almost anywhere with a tradition of shrimping boats gathering a wild harvest you'll find these tasty cakes on menus and in home kitchens. Not too different from crab cakes I make my shrimp burgers with chopped cooked shrimp (1 lb), breadcrumbs (1 cup -- I used last night's leftover cornbread -- cornbread adds a lot of flavor -- and biscuits as my crumbs), chopped scallion (3), minced bell pepper (2 TB), chopped parsley (3 TB), lemon zest (about 1 tsp), tabasco (a good shot), mayonnaise (just enough to hold the mixture together -- about 3 TB), 1 egg, and a good sprinkle of old bay seasoning. I had one ear of corn left in the fridge so I added in about half the fresh corn kernels and formed my shrimp mixture into patties that I let chill in the fridge for a couple hours before sautéing a pan with a shimmer of canola oil. I love the crispy edges doused with spicy cocktail sauce.

On the side a quick salad of steamed green beans, arugula, tomatoes and radishes dressed in a sherry vinegar mustard vinaigrette.

A little down home goodness for a late summer weekend.

Low Country Boil

In the Southeast they know a thing or two about hot summers and entertaining friends. Folks in the Carolinas (South to be exact) make a delicious combination of potatoes, corn, smoked sausage, and shrimp once called Frogmore Stew or, more commonly these days, Low Country Boil. It's a one pot feast, the best kind of summer BBQ, great for a crowd and easy on the cook. I start by bringing a big pot of water (enough to cover all the ingredients) and a bottle of beer to a boil with a good sized scoop of Old Bay seasoning (you could use a Carolina crab boil but I love Old Bay). Then I add in small red potatoes and a peeled onion cut into quarters and let them bubble away for about 10 minutes. Next I add in links of smoked sausage cut n to 2 inch lengths (even though it's not traditional I use a Cajun style andouille for a bit of spicy flavor) and let the covered pot bubble on for 10 minutes more. Ears of corn broken in 3 or 4 rounds go into the pot for another 10 minutes and finally big handfuls of shrimp in the shell steam right on top for just 3 minutes until they are pink and tender.

We bring our boil to the table covered in newspaper alongside a pan of cornbread, melted butter, and -- because we like it not because it's traditional -- cocktail sauce. Part of the fun is reaching in with your hands and sharing the mess with friends like K & D.
I'm not sure what to call this cake. I made up this recipe from the memory of what my grandmother's chocolate cake tasted like. It's almost Devil's Food, it's almost chocolate but has a hint of coffee. One thing I know my grandmother didn't do was use brown sugar in her cake but I love that molasses flavor and combine 1 cup of white and 1 cup of brown sugar when I cream the stick of butter. When the butter is creamed I add in 2 eggs (one at a time), 2 tsp vanilla (tonight I ran out and used scotch instead and really liked the results) 3 TB and 1 tsp vegetable oil and 1/2 cup of hot coffee and beat well.

In a separate bowl I mixed together 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2/3 cup cocoa, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp baking soda ( I usually use 2 tsp of cinnamon but I forgot and didn't even miss it). I beat in half the flour mixture followed by 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Then the rest of the flour followed again by 1/2 cup of buttermilk. The batter is smooth and a rich brown color. I baked two 9" layers for 25 minutes at 350º.

I usually top this cake with a coffee buttercream frosting but since I started out tonight to make a red velvet (generally a house specialty) and failed twice with a recipe I have used for at least 10 years ( yes I am embarrassed to admit it) I had a batch of smooth, tangy, delicious, cream cheese frosting at the ready. It turned out to be the perfect foil for the deeply flavored cake.

A Southern style dinner with friends. Lots of leftovers (we missed you Denny) and a great summer night's fun.

Crabcakes and Steamed Shrimp

A dinner I called, "things to eat with cocktail sauce."

At some point in the summer, though it was now many years ago, I start to miss the summer foods of my youth. For much of the country that might be burgers and hot dogs grilled to a char, for me, and probably many of the kids who grew up near the bay on the Atlantic side of the country summer means crabs -- Crabcakes, steamed crabs, crab imperial, crab fluff. Well, I suppose we thought about crabs all year but in summer the little blue "bugs" that part of the world stakes it's pride on come into season and what spends all year as a mild crab fever becomes an all out frenzy in Maryland. Through the years gazing out on the Pacific side I've become quite the fan of Dungeness crab (the winter crab treat), but when the weather gets warm, sooner or later, it's gotta be blue crab, beautiful swimmers as their Latin name aptly describes.

Tonight I satisfied a little hometown fever with plump crab cakes (blue crab, mayo, egg, cracker crumbs, tabasco, worcestershire, old bay, mustard) and tangy, horseradishy cocktail sauce. Not quite a down home tradition, but just the way James likes it.

A Visit To The Lowcountry

It's not quite jambalaya, it's certainly not risotto, it might be a distant relative of pilaf. Shrimp Pilau (pronounced "perloo" in its native Southern States) is a hearty combination of a roasted vegetable -- heavy on the onions -- stock, peppers, rice, bacon, and gently finished shrimp.

I thought my shrimp didn't have shells so I skipped the homemade stock in favor of a combination of wine and chicken broth. First I cooked four strips of bacon letting as much fat render out as possible. I set the bacon aside and cooked up a chopped onion and a chopped red pepper (I know in Charleston they would only use green but I just prefer the sweeter red) in the same pot for about ten minutes until nice and soft. Then I added in 1 1/2 cups of rice and let it cook over medium heat for about five minutes until translucent and ever so slightly toasted. Next I added in three chopped (mostly peeled) tomatoes, 1/4 cup of chopped parsley, 2 1/2 cups of my broth/wine combo, and plenty of black pepper. Because the stock wasn't homemade I tossed in one peeled carrot and a bay leaf for extra flavor. I brought the rice up to a boil and then covered the pot, turned down the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes until cooked through and the liquid was just about evaporated. I added in the shrimp, covered and cooked for another 7 minutes or so, stirred in the bacon, added salt to taste and was ready to serve.

Lowcountry in the West.

Grilled Shrimp

When I spied these more than jumbo shrimp at whole food I decided to grill them with a little spice and serve them with a cool, light salad.

I marinated the shrimp (in the shell) in a mixture of garlic, cayenne, paprika, olive oil and lemon juice for about half and hour and grilled them on each side until just pink and cooked through. The salad was a hurry up mix of cooked bulgur wheat, chopped cucumbers, diced red onions, parsley and mint (just a little bit) dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

A light dinner to remind us summer is on the way.

It All Started With Sausage

Over the weekend I picked up a package of Basque sausage. Having no idea what I would use it for, I was nonetheless filled with fond memories of happy evenings in Nevada's homey Basque dinner houses.

There's aways pasta, or a sauté with broccoli rabe but those just didn't seem to pay enough tribute to my little treasure. I wandered around the internet when suddenly it hit me, a basque style paella. Contrary to my usual food form nothing style I dashed down to the store for a few crowning touches ad came home to invent my baked -- just too much work to stand at the stove or grill -- paella. First I browned seasoned chicken thighs and legs in plenty of olive oil and removed them from the pan. Next I browned the sausages, cut them into one inch pieces and set them aside. I wiped out the pan added more olive oil and sautéed chopped onion, red pepper, garlic, and a good dose of pimenton dulce until the onion was transparent and soft. I added in 2 cups of arborio rice (well it's Italian but a close substitute) and let the rice toast in the oil. Next went in a few slices of Jamon Serrano, chopped, a handful of green olives, some grilled artichoke hearts, chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup of wine I had dissolved a good sized pinch of saffron threads in and 1 1/4 cup of chicken broth. I nestled the browned chicken and sausages down in the rice along with mussels, clams, and jumbo shrimp. I brought the liquid up to a boil and popped the whole dish in the oven for about 35 minutes at 450º.

"Wow," James said. "I don't think anyone else is getting a dinner like this."

Baked in Butter

I constantly hear people say that in Italy diners never have cheese with fish or seafood. Spaghetti with clam sauce in authentic restaurants is more likely to be topped with toasted breadcrumbs. To some extent it's true. In some traditionally poorer regions (Sicily and Puglia for example) cheese was just too expensive and less available than fish. But on the small island of Sardinia where sheep are nearly as plentiful as treats from the ocean (and preferred among the locals), traditional dishes -- like the one that inspired James' dinner tonight -- combine the fruits of the sea with the rustic products of the rugged terrain, wild herbs, butter, and tangy, strong, almost funky pecorino cheese.

In a buttered baking dish I lay filets of sole, each one folded over a nice big pink shrimp. I scattered a few extra shrimp around the dish and covered everything with slices of butter (about 3 TB all together), leaves of thyme (about 2 tsp), 1 TB chopped parsley, S&P, and drizzled it all with about 2 TB of olive oil. I baked the dish for 10 minutes at 350º until the fish was just cooked through, scattered the top with about 1/3 cup of shredded pecorino cheese (I had pecorino Romano instead of pecorino Sardo as this dish would authentically used have but the end result is just as delicious) and placed it under the broiler for 2 minutes until the cheese was just toasted. The success of a dish this simple relies solely on quality of ingredients used, use good oil, good cheese, nice sweet butter.

"This is really good, just perfect," James muttered between bites. It's the first time I've ever heard that for a fish dinner -- it must be the cheese.

Shrimp With Chorizo And Garbanzo Beans

Simple and delicious this a classic Spanish flavor combination. I went ahead and followed a recipe I saw on Food and Wine's web site except that I used fresh chorizo -- that's what we had, instead of the dry cured Spanish style so I added a good pinch of Pimentón (Spanish roasted paprika) while I sautéed the bits if sausage (1 link removed from the casing) in olive oil over medium high heat. Next I tossed in 2 chopped scallions, 1 chopped clove of garlic, 1 cup of cooked chick peas, about 1/2 pound shelled shrimp, and 2 tsp of tomato paste. I gave that all a good stir for about 1 minute and then poured in 1/2 cup of white wine and cooked over low heat until the shrimp were just cooked through. I finished the dish with a pat of butter melted into the sauce and served with crusty bread and rice to soak up the sauce.

All James said was, "Mmmmmmmm."

Labor Day Lunch

The end of summer.

A chance to get together with friends we don't see often enough.

Time to grill.

We're not exactly a hot dog house. We opted instead for a festive lunch on the back porch.

The grill did get busy with thin slices of patty pan squash doused in a piquant feta cheese and basil sauce. Sharing the grill were shrimp and chorizo kebabs. I wrapped peeled shrimp around 1/2" slices of dry chorizo (I took that chance in spite of our Spanish guest -- but she seemed to approve) and threaded three to a bamboo skewer. I made a marinade/ paste of caraway seeds, chili powder, olive oil and garlic and brushed it over the meat just before grilling, a couple minutes on each side. Our friend Paul was kind enough to man the grill, including heating the tortillas, while I got a few things ready inside.

When I was trying to get an idea of what to serve today I was staring at the packages of Hearst Ranch beef in our freezer. They package a bag of chuck and round trims they call fajita strips. I don't think I've ever made fajitas for James and as I was puzzling over what use I could make of these pre-cut slices I saw a recipe for Mexican Beef Stew on the Saveur Magazine website. It is a long cooking dish of meat, tomatoes, onions, plantains, apples, pineapple and plenty of chili. Perfect for wrapping in warm tortillas. From there the theme for lunch took off. I whipped up guacamole and a batch of queso fundido (basically a warm dip of chiles, onions, tomatoes, beer and lots of melted cheese -- Mexican fondue) as appetizers with thick deep fried tortilla chips. I made a tangy radish salsa that gave a little crunch to the warm beef stew. The skewers just came along naturally followed by a fresh salad with garlic cream dressing, skillet cornbread which proved to be perfect match for the nearly sweet beef dish and, of course, corn on the cob. It is Labor Day after all.
For dessert I couldn't decide which fruit to use so I made double tarts from Mark Bittman's reliable free-form tart recipe. Basically a giant cookie with fruit topping, this recipe is so fool-proof there's no reason to ever fear making dessert again. James called the pear tart "French Fry Pie". The plum was a bit prettier but both were plenty tasty with fresh whipped cream and ice cream.

A great way to spend a day off.

Happy Labor Day one and all!

Southern-Style Summer Sunday

Yesterday we got a new refrigerator -- a replacement for a faulty model we bought just two months ago, supplied by the manufacturer -- believe it or not.

As I was transferring food from freezer to freezer I came across a bag of head on shrimp I had nearly forgotten about and decided to whip them up for dinner tonight. Following a recipe by Bobby Flay of all people I tossed the shrimp in a spice mixture of pimentón dulce, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic. I sautéed them quickly in hot oil and coated the BBQ spiced shrimp with butter and scallions.

Since I was on a somewhat Southern bent I decided to add some hot skillet cornbread -- it was perfect for sopping up the sauce on the shrimp. And to finish? A cool summery peach tart.
Perfect for an end of summer Sunday.

Summer Soup

Something a little different for us. Coconut shrimp soup. A little easy Thai flavor.

First I took out a good quantity of thin rice noodles and covered them with boiling water for about 10 minutes.

I fried about 1 1/2 TB of grated ginger, 1 minced jalapeno, 1/2 tsp of red chili flakes, and about 1/2 TB of minced garlic to some oil in a pan over medium heat and stirred it around. I added in about 2 cups of carrots (bright yellow carrots from our garden) sliced into thin -- almost matchstick strips and gave it all a good stir for about a minute. Next went in 1 can of low fat coconut milk, 1 can of Thai style chicken broth (I could have used any broth or even water), and 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 TB cornstarch. I brought the liquid up to a boil and let it simmer for about 4 minutes to cook the carrots through. Then I added in several handfuls of sliced oyster mushrooms and let them simmer for about 2 minutes. Next -- with the liquid still at a simmer -- went peeled deveined shrimp, the drained rice noodles, and about 1/2 cup frozen peas. When the shrimp were just opaque and cooked through I stirred in a few quartered small tomatoes along with about 1/4 cup of fish sauce (wish I'd had some limes instead) and served up our noodle soup topped with just a few fresh cilantro leaves.

Super quick summery soup.

Grilled Shrimp

Honestly I hardly did a thing here. I had beautiful jumbo shrimp and a hot grill. I rubbed the shells with some olive oil and seasoned salt and popped these babies on the fire for about 8 minutes while I mixed up some homemade cocktail sauce -- much better than store bought -- try it, 1/2 cup each of ketchup and chili sauce, 1/4 cup of horseradish, juice of half a lemon, a dash of hot sauce and 1/2 tsp of worcestershire. Peel and eat. Done.

Simply Delicious

There is nothing easier.

A shrimp boil for dinner.

I had a couple pounds of "gulf" pink shrimp and some small potatoes from our yard and beer no one was drinking in the fridge (I guess that's why you don't hear people exclaim "I love Italian beer" all that often -- it was on sale).

I poured 3 bottles of beer and 3 TBs of old bay seasoning into a pot and dropped in about 10 small potatoes. I brought the pot up to a boil and allowed the potatoes to bubble along for about 8 minutes until almost tender. In went the shrimp. I brought the beer back to a boil and cooked the shrimp for about 5 minutes until just tender and pink opaque throughout. Drained the pot and filled a platter for the table.

I hear down in Key West they serve these tasty peel and eat shrimp with a lime dijon mayonnaise dip.

James abhors mayonnaise and the whole creamy white food family of related products (sour cream for one -- and I love him anyway) so for us it's a spicy horseradish heavy cocktail sauce (ketchup, hot sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire, lemon juice and chili sauce if we have it).

Dinner With Shelly

I just didn't want to do anything too elaborate -- after all it was just a holiday weekend dinner with a close friend . . . and I had plans during the day. First off a springtime version of our house favorite appetizer: rosemary crackers, fresh ricotta, prosciutto, and cherries (we usually do fresh figs but have to wait a bit for those to be in season) sprinkled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, coarse salt and fresh chopped mint. Good but not great -- I think I will try it with the dark red deeper flavored cherries next time, or maybe roasted apricots.
A home variation of a Chez Panisse favorite. Marinated rounds of goat cheese (I left them to soak in olive oil sprinkled with fresh thyme and rosemary), rolled in fresh bread toasted crumbs and baked for 6 minutes at 400º until the cheese was just warm and soft. I placed the warm cheese on a bed fo lettuce fresh from our garden dressed with red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar (1 TB each) and walnut oil (1/4 cup).
Whole grilled shrimp. I rolled the shell on shrimp in butter melted with chopped shallot, basil and parsley and tossed them whole on the hot grill until they were just a bit browned and cooked through.
This one is staying on the make-ahead salad list. Blanched asparagus covered by a cucumber salad with wilted green onions (you soak them in the water from cooking the asparagus for 30 minutes) chervil, mint, tarragon, and chives dressed in a light red wine vinegar vinaigrette flavored with dijon mustard. Easy, beautiful, and summer fresh tasting.
For dessert an old standard. I call it California upside down cake. Really it's fridge fruit cake -- whatever is left in the fruit bowl at the end of the week -- today it was white peaches, nectarines, and apricots. I was wishing I had a handful of slivered almonds to sprinkle in with the fruit. First I melt a stick of butter in an oven proof pan and add in 3/4 cup of brown sugar and leave over medium low heat until it just starts to bubble. Then I arrange the sliced fruit on top and cover with a light cake batter, an adaptation of another Chez Panisse recipe.

For the batter. Cream 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar with 4 TBs of butter. Add in two egg yolks 1 at a time. Mix together 1 3/4 cup (less 1 TB) cake flour (or 1 1/2 cup regular flour), 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp of either nutmeg of cinnamon, to your taste, and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl. Alternate mixing in the flour mixture in 3 additions with 1/2 cup of milk mixed with 1 tsp vanilla extract. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites to firm peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the already mixed batter and spread the lightened batter over the fruit and sugar in the baking pan. Bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes (check after an hour) at 350º.

It's really good for breakfast too.