Chapter 20 : Ireland
Chapter 19 : Russia
Chapter 14 : Chile
Chapter 5 : Egypt
Fava Bean Hummus
Chapter 4 : The Indiana State Fair
Deep Fried Cheese
Chapter ? : Mexico
Chapter ? : Bangledeshi
Chapter ? : Jamaica
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Table of Contents : Ireland
Chapter 20 : IrelandChapter 19 : RussiaChapter 14 : Chile
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Clam Chowder
I'm not the biggest fan of clams and oysters. Truth be told, every time I eat them my first thought is that they taste like snot. And my second thought is that that's because they really are covered in snot.This recipe, however, is so delicious I can't turn it away, despite my better judgment.
Clam Chowder
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 lb canned clams (weight including liquid), reserve the liquid, and chopping the clams
1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 oz bacon, diced
Reserved clam liquid mixed with water to equal 3 cups
1 cup milk
1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
sea salt to taste
2 tbsp chopped parsley
In a heavy pot, add bacon and cook, stirring, until slightly browned. Add onion, and cook until translucent. Add clam juice and water to equal 3 cups and increase to high heat. Add potatoes and simmer until just soft. Mashed some on the side of the pot to thicken the chowder (this should be your primary source of thickening).
Add milk and cream and chopped clams and heat thoroughly.
Let cool. (at this stage it can be stored for serving later, if you should so choose). Reheat gently (do not let it boil), and garnish with parsley and serve with oyster crackers.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Shrimp with Fennel
This recipe is easy and delicious. Ouzo could be replaced by another anise-flavored liquor, although Ouzo is the cheapest one I'd recommend. Shrimp with Fennel (based on this recipe)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
1 small fennel bulb, diced
1 small onion, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
12 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp Ouzo
3/4 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 oz feta cheese, coarsely crumbed
1 tbsp fresh parsley, mined
grated zest from 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil
orzo pasta (7 oz)
Cooking:
Cook the orzo according to the directions on its package.
Heat a little olive oil in a skillet. Add the onions, and saute 2 minutes. Add the fennel, red pepper flakes, and salt, and saute another 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes.
Add wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer 3 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half.
Add tomatoes, oregano, an Ouzo. Simmer another 3 minutes.
Turn the heat to medium-high, add the shrimp, and fry until pink. Remove from heat, add the lemon zest and parsley and toss to combine.
Sprinkle with feta, and serve with orzo.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Lobster Bisque
Now, I've had a couple of lobster recipes on here, and I note each time the added benefit of making bisque from the waste shells. Bisque is reasonably easy, in the world of soups. It takes little meat to make a bisque- you can set some aside when making other recipes, because the flavors primarily come from those shells.Lobster Bisque
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
2 lobster shells
spare lobster meat (this can be substituted by prawn meat if need be)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, de-stringed and chopped
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp brandy
4 cups water
1/2 cup white wine
2 oz long grain rice
2 small tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cream
Break the Shells:
Wrap the lobster shells in a plastic bag, paper towel, towel, or other instrument to prevent pieces from flying, and then beat them, vigorously, with a rolling pin, meat mallet, or any other blunt instrument until they are in small pieces.
Prepare the Stock:
Add oil to the pan, and soften onion, carrots, and celery. Once the onions are translucent, add the lobster shells and water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer for thirty minutes.
Strain the stock carefully, using a sieve or cheesecloth.
Cooking:
Use 1 cup stock to cook the rice in.
While the rice is cooking, put the rest of the stock in another pot. Pour the brandy into a ladle and hold it over a burner (or lighter) until it ignites, and pour it into the pot. Add the wine, and simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.
Take the cooked rice and tomatoes, run them through a food processor and blender, and pour it into the pot.
Add chopped lobster meat. Salt and pepper to taste, and mix in the cream.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Lobster Tail Sandwich
There was a day, long ago, when lobster was cheap, considered a poor man's food. Lobster Tail Sandwiches are still sold in shacks along the Maine coast, a lobster salad of mayonnaise and tail chunks.You can make this by steaming fresh lobster (this has the advantage of reusing the claw meat and shells for lobster bisque) or buying canned lobster (if available in your area).
I could not find New England-style hot dog buns in Indianapolis. You might not be able to either, and you can use regular hot dog buns (as pictured) but it is less authentic (and less preferable).
Lobster Tail Sandwich (based on this recipe)
Prep Time: 30 minutes (not including dissasembling of whole lobster)
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1/2 lb lobster meat chunks (or the tail meat from 2 1/2 lbs worth of live lobster), cut into 1/2" chunks
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp fresh tarragon
2 small scallions, finely sliced
sea salt
finely ground pepper, to taste
New England-style hot dog bun (you can substitute traditional hot dog bun if you cannot find these)
2 tbsp butter
pickles and potato chips, a sides
Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine lobster, cucumber, mayonnaise, tarragon, scallions, sea salt, and pepper and mix thoroughly.
In a skillet, melt the butter, and brown outsides of the hot dog buns (unless you're using normal hot dog buns, then brown the inside).
Serve the lobster salad into the buns, then serve with pickles and potato chips.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Chapter 22 : New England
New England might not seem that different for those living in the lower 48, but out of any region the foods are rich with unique ingredients and flavors, be it lobster bisque or moxie cola.
Tomalley is the, er... hepatopancreas? It's a sorta liver-pancreas combination used by lobsters to digest
I'll start off with a couple of odd-lobster related delicacies, in case you feel like steaming a couple.
Lobster Tomalley
Tomalley is the, er... hepatopancreas? It's a sorta liver-pancreas combination used by lobsters to digest food. When you steam a lobster, it turns into a greenish-grey goo that tastes fantastic spread on toast and salted.
Now, they say you shouldn't eat Tomalley every day, since like livers in animals, the epatopancreas absorbs many toxins and heavy metals from the environment, but if you can afford to eat lobster that often you need to diversify your diet into more truffles and foie gras.
Lobster Roe
If you happen to get a female lobster, and she happens to be "expecting" you may get another delicacy if the form of lobster roe.
Now, I won't lie. Much as I love lobster, lobster roe is, like caviar, something less impressive than you might imagine. Sure, it's orange and not bad tasting, but not as good as the more plentiful tomalley.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Pla Sam Rot - Fish with Three Flavors
Fish can be a tricky subject. I admit that I made this recipe with red snapper, which was not only expensive, but at the time I was unaware of how badly overfished red snapper is.
And other snapper varieties will do for this recipe, or better yet Halibut.
Plat Sam Rot - Fish with Three Flavors (based on this recipe)
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 filets fish (snapper or halibut)
sea salt
1 cup oil for frying (peanut, rice bran, or canola)
3 kaffir lime leaves (finely sliced)
Handful of cilantro leaves
thai basil, finely chopped
thai chillies, minced
deep fried shallots (you can buy these in asian grocery stores, or mince up shallots and pan fry them until crunchy)
Sauce:
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 thai chillies, seeded and minced
4 coriander/cilantro roots, chopped
3 tbsp palm sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp oil (canola, peanut, or rice bran)
1 tsp tamarind concentrate mixed with 2 tbsp water
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp water
Substitutions:
coriander/cilantro roots - parsley root
palm sugar - brown sugar
kaffir lime - basil soaked in lime juice
fish sauce - worcestershire sauce
Preparation:
In a food processor, finely chop garlic, chillies, cilantro roots, and salt.
Make the sauce:
In a small saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil, and add palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind concentrate mixed with water and water. Simmer mixture for five minutes and set aside.
Cut three slashes in the filet.
Heat 1 cup oil in a wok until hot enough to pan fry.
Carefully slide the fish into the oil, and cook for a couple minutes each side or until golden brown. (You may need to cook 1 -2 at a time).
Place onto a plate with a paper towel on it to absorb excess oil.
Plate up with sauce, cilantro, minced chillies, and fried shallots.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Khanom Jin Nomya
I think this recipe was intended to be mroe colorful, but I did use green Thai cillies instead ofdried chile de arbol, a decision I pass along for flavor, although red thai chillies might help the color out.
Don't be fooled, this neither tastes like a typical white sauce pasta, nor does it have the heaviness you may associate with alfredo.
Khanom Jin Nomya
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Coking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs catfish chunks (deboned)
1 anchovy, rinsed of oil
1 stalk lemongrass, with the outer layers removed and sliced into thirds
1/2 cup fingerroot, chopped
2 tsp galangal, grated
8 thai chillies, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup shallots, peeled
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 bundles somen noodles
4 sprigs thai basil
Substitutions:
fingerroot - ginger (will be somewhat less fragrant)
galangal - ginger (will be somewhat less fragrant)
shallots - small onions
fish sauce - worcestershire sauce
somen noodles - angel hair pasta
thai basil - sweet basil
lemongrass - lemon zest or lemon balm
Cooking:
Place catfish in a pan with 3 cups boiling water. Cook around 15 minutes, or until the fish is done. Remove the fish, but keep the liquid. Add the anchovy, lemongrass, and chilli peppers and boil for ten minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and boil for another five minutes.
Remove all ingredients from the liquid (reserving the liquid) and place them all, along with the catfish, in a fod processor and grind into a paste, adding just enough reserved cooking liquid to make the consistency right.
Prepare the noodles according tot he directions on their package.
In a smal pot, heat the paste to warm, and add the coconut milk and fish sauce.
Mix the noodles and paste, and serve garnish with the Thai basil sprigs.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thai Seafood and Squash Curry
This simple curry is absolutely delicious and colorful. Thai Seafood and Squash Curry (based on this recipe)
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 14 oz can coconut milk
2 tbsp thai yellow curry paste
1 1/2 cups fish stock or water
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp curry
3 lemongrass stalks, cut into thirds and bruised
3 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 1/4 lbs butternut squash, cut into cunks
1 lb fish, cut into chunks
1 lbs peeled, de-veined raw shrimp
1 bunch bok choy, shredded
1 lime, juiced
cilantro, chopped
Substitutions:
kaffir lime - basil with a splash of lime juice
bok choy - kale
fish sauce - worcestershire sauce
Cooking:
Skim the coconut cream off of the coconut milk, and mix it in a pan with the curry paste.Bring it to a sizzle, then whisk in the coconut milk, fish stock or water, fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and turmeric.
Bring to a boil, add the pumpkin, and then simmer for 15 minutes (or until squash is tender). Add the fish and shrimp, and simmer for five minutes.
Add the greens,and boil another three minutes. Squeeze in lime juice. Remove from heat, and sprinkle cilantro over the dish.
Serve with Thai or basmati rice.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Chapter 21 : Thailand
Thai cuisine has gained plenty of attention in recent years. Certainly it has been influenced by its proximity to China and India, but it is entirely distinct from them. Even Thai "curry" is quite different from the curries of India.
Galangal
Galangal is an aromatic root fromt he giner family (ginger, turmeric). It has a distinctly citrusy soapy aroma that is difficult to replace or emulate.
Galangal is sometimes available in specialty groceries, fresh or powdered. It often doesn't last long, but like ginger it can be peeled, frozen, and then grated as needed.
Fingerroot
Fingerroot is a ginger relative commonly found in Thai and Indonesian cooking. It is similar to ginger, but not entirely the same. Fingerroot can be found most frequently frozen.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Roscommon Rhubarb Pie
Calling this Rhubarb pie might not be accurate. Rhubarb cobbler, perhaps?
Either way, it's delicious.
Roscommon Rhubarb Pie (based on this recipe)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
2 lbs rhubarb, cleaned and chopped
1 1/2 cup sugar
Topping:
2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
one pinch salt
4 tbsp butter
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp milk, beaten)
granulated sugar
Cooking:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
In a large pan, place the rhubarb and sprinkle the sugar over it. Heat the pan (do not oil it) and let rhubarb wilt on very low heat while ytou mix the topping.
In a bowl, mix flour, 2 tbsp sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, egg, and 3/4 cup milk.
Transfer the rhubarb mixture to a pie pan (or, if you used an ovensafe pan, you can just leave it where it is) and top it with the topping mixture. Brush the eggwash over it, and then sprinkle it with sugar.
Bale at 425 F for ten minutes and then lower to 325 F, and bake for 30 minutes.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Colcannon Mash
Now, when we did Scottish you might remember Rumbledethumps and Clapshot. Well, the Irish have plenty of variants on mashed potatoes as well of course. The key to the color in this recipe is boiling the cabbage separately. Once boiling, cabbage has a very specific cooking time of ~4 minutes. Too much and the color dims and a sour smell emerges, and in this recipe the color is key.
Colcannon Mash (based on this recipe)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 head green cabbage, cored and shredded
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking:
In a large pot boil bring water to a boil, lightly salting it. Boil the potatoes until tender. n a seperate pot, bring water to a boil, drop the cabbage into the boiling water and when it returns to a boil set a timer for 4 minutes. When it's done, immediately remove from heat.
Strain the potatoes and mash them with the potatoes and butter, and mix in the shredded cabbage.
Adjust seasoning and serve.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Dublin Lawyer
Lobster isn't cheap, but it's worth it. I'm not sure if this dish is named because it's what lawyers eat in Dublin, or because it's what they'd like to do to lawyers in Dublin.You occasionally hear that it is necessary to stab the lobster through the brain to kill them ahead of time. The truth is that a lobsters brain is not centralized enough to instantly kill it when you stab its brain, and that it will still feel pain when you put it in the water, so it's probably best to just steam it.
Dublin Lawyer
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Dissasembling Lobster to remove meat: 4 years (or maybe 30 minutes)
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb lobster
3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp whiskey
5 fl oz cream
salt and pepper
Cooking:
Steam the lobsters first, as directed when you buy them (if not roughly 15-20 minutes for 2 1/2 lbs of lobster) and left them cool. Cut them directly in half with scissors, and remove the claws and legs. Remove every little scrap of meat from the lobsters, and set aside the body and tail shells for later (you can save any spare shell parts for bisque at a later date).
Melt the butter ina pan and warm the lobster meat (you don't want to cook it more, or it will become rubbery), and place it in the shells set aside.
Put the whiskey in a ladel and set it on fire, and then pour it over thr lobster meat.
Heat cream in the same pan you used to warm the meat, an then pour the cream over the lobster meat/shells.
Serve immediately.
Alternate Method:
Cut the lobters in half and remove the meat raw. Melt the butter in the pan and just barely cook it... God luck with the still moving lobsters which will keep moving as you try to cut them in half.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Corned Beef and Cabbage
I'm going to be honest on this one: this famous Irish dish... is probably a product of Irish Americans and not actually Ireland. Ireland is not a major producer of beef, and the Irish diet tends to use ham more, and likely Irish immigrants to the US found they could replace ham with corned beef. This recipe is entirely my own, and I have made it every St. Patrick's Day for at least six years running. The key is timing: you need to make sure everything is added at the right time so your meat, and various vegetables are cooked perfectly.
The other secret is Guiness. You only need one can, but it adds a wonderful flavor to the dish.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 1/2 hours
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
1 package corned beef brisket, with spice packet (if lacking this, add some freshly ground allspiceand black pepper)
1 head cabbage, cored of the tough flesh and cut into thin strips
2 onions, sliced
6 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 turnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 can guiness
Substituions:
Guiness - any beer, preferably darker
Cooking:
Place corned beef brisket in a large stock pot and cover with water. Add Guiness and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, skim foam off top of broth and simmer for 3-4 hours (or as the directions on the meat instruct you to.
Add the potatoes and turnips next, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
Add the onions, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
Add the cabbage, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
Salt to taste. Serve.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Scallop Pie
This recipe is absolutely fantastic, and may win over even people who don't care for scallops.Scallop Pie
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
12 oz scallops
10 oz milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
8 oz mushrooms
4 tbsp white wine
1 lb mashed potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Clean the scallops, remove the tough muscle from the center of the scallop if it is still intact. Cut them in falh, and simmer in the milk for fifteen minutes. Remove from heat, set aside the scallops and reserve the cooking liquid.
Make a white roux:
Melt the butter in a pan over very low heat, and mix in the flour. Cook very slowly, stirring constantly. There's an art to this, and it takes patience. If you burn it, throw it out and try again. Cook for one minute, and mix into the reserved cooking liquid from the scallops.
Cooking:
Season wit salt and pepper to taste, add the sliced mushrooms, and simmer for ten minutes.Add the wine and scallops, heat, and then transfer to an overproof dish and top with the mashed potatoes, being sure they cover the scallops completely. Dot with remaining 1 tbsp butter and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Chapter 20 : Ireland
As we came to Irish cuisine, it was also nearly Ash Wednesday, so we will be stickin primarily to fish for the next few chapters. This was perfectly easy when doin an island-nation like Ireland.
Irish Soda Bread
There is a saying that "all Irishmen are king's sons." And while the Irish had little but poor wheat, potatoes, cabbage, and just enough technique to boil them, they learned to feed themselves as the son's of kings.
Irish Soda Bread is well known as a Saint Patrick's Day treat. This traditional Irish loaf is the result of Ireland's tendency to grow lower gluten wheat, so don't be afraid to cut in some whole wheat flour. And don't mix it too much. In fact, this recipe should be easier than pie.
Irish Soda Bread
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 tbsp butter, softened, or melted if you're feeling lazy
1 egg, beaten
2 1/4 cup buttermilk
Optional:
1 cup currants or raisins
Substitutions:
buttermilk - 2 1/4 cups milk, and 2 1/4 tbsp vinegar, mixed and left to sit at room temperature for ten minutes
Cooking:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together. Add butter, egg, and buttermilk and mix, though be careful not to work it too much.
Place onto a cookie sheet, molding it into a round shape. Bake at 425 for ten minutes, or until top is lightly golden, then cut a cross into it, and lower to 350 for another 30 minutes or until a fork can be inserted and removed while still clean.
Serve hot with butter.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Tables of Contents : Jamaican
Chapter 14 : ChileChapter 5 : Egypt
Fava Bean Hummus
Chapter 4 : The Indiana State Fair
Deep Fried Cheese
Chapter ? : Mexico
Chapter ? : Bangledeshi
Chapter ? : Jamaica
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