Shrimp With Red Curry Paste, Red Peppers And Cilantro

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I had no idea what to call this dish.  On one hand it had all the components of a Thai curry, then again it had some spices prevalent in Indian cooking.  Plus it had butter and onions, two things not typical of that part of the world so I couldn't even claim a Spice Route connection.  But it worked.  Boy did it work....

This is what happens with age and experience.  After years of cooking and reading about different foods and their origins, you know instinctively what will work in spite of the fact that you may be coloring outside the lines.  With time, your taste buds develop  and you begin to feel more comfortable experimenting and coming up with new ideas.   That's what's fun about cooking.  Doing your own thing and watching it succeed.   Let's face it,  you are not cooking for the Food Channel and no one is going to report you to the Thai police,  so go with your gut.

Shrimp cooked like this is perfect for a quick midweek meal.  In less than 20 minutes you can have dinner on the table.  That is why Thai food is such a favorite of mine, especially during the week.  It is interesting, a bit out of the ordinary, yet easy and quick.  It can even impress if served for a casual dinner party of six.  Cook some white rice, preferably Jasmine, and a salad and you have got yourself a winner.  If you want to be a maverick, serve some bread to mop up the sauce.  Something lemony for dessert would be divine.  I like citrusy desserts after Thai or Indian food.  They cleanse the palate after a spicy meal and they are light in character.  Just the perfect ending.

This is the time of the year when we should be eating something exotic and different.   Anything to break the starch marathons our holidays are famous for.  There are only a few weeks between the heaviest two meals of the year, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  My stomach is bursting just thinking about it. Take it easy, relax and prepare.  Starting next week, it's all about Christmas.  In the meantime, think Thai and think light. 
 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails left on
3 TB butter
4 garlic cloves, mashed
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1/2 tsp coriander powder or more if using seeds
1.2 tsp cardamon
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 TBS chopped cilantro
1 TB red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1 TB fish sauce


1.  In a skillet melt 2 TB.  butter and add 3 garlic cloves, mashed,  and 1/2 tsp. mustard seed.  Cook at medium high for a couple of minutes.   Add the shrimp.  Sautee until the shrimp is pink.  Remove to a plate.

2.  Add a little more butter to pan and sautee onions,  red pepper, garlic, coriander,  cardamon, cinnamon, cilantro and 1 TB red curry paste. If you want it hotter, add some more.

3.  Add one can of coconut milk and cook on medium for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Add shrimp back, 1 or 2 TB fish sauce and cook for another 5 minutes for shrimp to absorb sauce. Add fresh chopped cilantro.  And you are done!


All photos Lindaraxa

The Last of The Bird...Turkey Hash

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For those scraps of leftover Thanksgiving turkey that you don't know what to do with, here is a solution.

This recipe appeared in the New York Times the week before Thanksgiving and I saved it with the best intentions of making it right after the holiday.  Unfortunately, I got sidetracked with family stuff and I ran out of turkey after making everyone's favorite turkey chili last weekend.  There is no reason you shouldn't enjoy it, so here it is. It is by Wylie Dufresne of WD 50 in Manhattan who made it for Mark Bittman. It is not really a recipe, just an idea of what to do with whatever is around.  Be creative and have fun.  Now the ball is in your court!

For starters, just use whatever is on hand. It starts with turkey, garlic, celery and onion. If you have green or red peppers throw them in.   Potatoes. bacon, squash, brussels sprouts or chestnuts would all be great additions.  Finish it with a little sherry, white wine, or Cognac.  Top off with sunny-side-up eggs or poached or scrambled eggs.

If you don't want to make it until this weekend, to give yourself and others a break, freeze the meat until ready to use.

To make the hash, place a medium sauté pan over a medium flame. Add a tablespoon of butter, some chopped onion, celery, garlic, thyme and a pinch of salt. Sweat until the vegetables are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes, adding an occasional splash of water to prevent browning. Add boiled diced potato, shredded turkey meat and another small nugget of butter. Once the potatoes take on a little color and the turkey begins to get crispy (about 5 minutes), deglaze with 1 to 2 tablespoons of sherry. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Turn heat down to low and prepare the eggs.

Place a small cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the foam subsides, crack 2 eggs into the pan and turn the heat down to low. Season the eggs with salt and white pepper. Two sunny-side-up eggs will cook in about 5 minutes. 

Serve with buttered toast and cranberry sauce.

Today we had fish, as in flounder.  I'll tell you all about it next week.  It was to die for.  

I will be back to normal posting this weekend.

Photo Evan Sung for NYT

Thanksgiving Table 2013

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Of all the chinas I have, this is the one I use the most.  I purchased it on one of my trips to France at the factory in Gien.  It is Madame Mere's favorite and it has slowly become mine.  It is not my fanciest or most expensive.  On the contrary it is quite casual but a lot of fun to plan around.  Perhaps it is because I like to entertain in the Fall and have used it not only for Thanksgiving and Halloween dinner parties but also for many lunches.  The dessert (and bread plates) have a small red pepper, shallot, onion or chili in the middle and I usually put them on top when I am serving soup or a first course.  They fill the void in the middle of the dinner plate.  This time I decided to keep it simple although I must admit I like the place setting better the other way.   The pumpkins were a steal at Michael's a couple of weeks ago.  I shouldn't tell you that considering where they sit but that is the fun of planning tables, mixing the good things with the not so good.

The children's places are marked with a couple of felt turkeys and you will notice there are no napkins on their places.  You know what kind they are getting, but only at the last minute.  Little silver spoons and forks, so they get to appreciate the good stuff from an early age.

Before anyone tells me, I know I have to hide that chord. 

The buffet table is ready for the service pieces. 

I think Coco has decided to stay

 Meanwhile, back in the kitchen

The stock was made and reduced

twice (I do what I preach)

And placed in the refrigerator

Basil in olive oil waiting to go into freezer.  When frozen, the cubes will be put in plastic bags to save room.

This last chore is not part of the Thanksgiving prep, but it's freezing here with snow expected tonight and I had to bring everything in.  Not something I needed this week!  Tomorrow is sides and pies.  Oh, and I am making the chocolate pecan pie.  There's another couple coming for dessert, just the excuse I needed.

This will be my last post until later this weekend so have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember....don't sweat the small stuff!

Your Yearly Reminder...Thanksgiving Etiquette, Y'All Behave!

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In spite of the fact that I wrote this post 3 years ago and have published  it every year since then, it's worth reading again.  And again.  Trust me, it's more important than your menu.


It's that time of the year again...The Family Dinner From Hell.

This is the time when family grudges are aired in anticipation of forgiveness and peace by the time the Christmas holidays come around. 

Here are a few tips for hostesses, family members and guests to make the holiday a pleasant one for all involved:

Guests:

Dress appropriately, watch your language, arrive on time and keep your elbows off the table!

Try a little of everything and praise everything that is laid on your plate even if its burned or raw.  Thank your lucky stars you are having a warm meal that someone else cooked for you!

Don't get mesmerized by the football game.  Socialize, talk to others outside your group or family and help your hostess by offering to fix drinks or pass the appetizers.  She will be most grateful.

Talk to the old people. They appreciate every nice gesture we throw their way.

Turn your damn i-phone off and, by all means, don't even consider bringing it to the table!  Texting is NOT an alternative.  Make this sacrifice for world peace...

Stay out of the kitchen. Your hostess is hassled enough without you going in and bombarding her with stories of your last trip to Paris with your new boyfriend.

Don't surprise your hostess with unexpected  "guests of guests".  Call beforehand, make sure it's okay and bring something edible like an extra pie or casserole AND a couple of bottles of wine.

Family Members:

Avoid confrontations, unpleasant surprises and sarcastic comments.  That's all..

Wait!... and serve your little ones before you and everyone else sits down at the table.

Hostesses:

Don't try to cook everything at the last minute.  Be calm, cool and collected by the time your first guest arrives.

Your turkey should be out of the oven at least 1/2 hour before guests arrive and kept warm by tenting it.  Everything should be done by the time the doorbell rings... that includes the dreaded gravy.  1/2 hour before serving, stick your casseroles and dressing or stuffing in the oven for warming.

Spend time with your guests and family, that's what this holiday is all about.

Keep the booze light.  Alcohol has a way of un-inhibiting the inhibited and accentuating delusions...

Don't delay the meal waiting for "halftime".  Serve when you are ready.

At this point it's up to the gods of civility.  What will happen is going to happen... you have done your bit.   Don't sweat the small stuff and have a good time!

Have A Happy Stress-Free Thanksgiving!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, The Thanksgiving Table 2013

Top image Google

Cartoons from cartoons.com

Creamed Oysters On Toasted Cornbread

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If you are of a certain age, you will remember these fondly, especially at this time of the year.  

Oysters have been an important part of a Thanksgiving menu since the Indians brought them to that first three day celebration with the Pilgrims in 1620.  They were particularly popular in New York and New England.  During the heyday of New York’s oyster production (In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the city’s waters produced around 700 million oysters a year) East Coast cookbooks unanimously and prominently featured oysters on the Thanksgiving Day. menu.

Fanny Farmer"s

The Plaza Hotel 1899

 


The trend seems to have taken a real upswing in the Gilded Age and endured — at least in the cookbooks sampled — until around WWII. What happened then? They probably became too much of a luxury, I suppose, and in the city, the local beds were long since polluted and harvested into depletion.

This particular recipe used to be a classic in the mid 1900,s but it too disappeared from everyone's radar.  Perhaps people got tired of it or oysters became prohibitively expensive to serve for a group.  Those who know about the good things in life have not forgotten them.  You can buy them shucked, in their liquid, in the Fish section of most grocery stores.  They are not that expensive and taste very fresh.  If you want to impress a group of gourmets sometime, I suggest you serve them.  I, on the other hand, am trying to singlehandedly revive them.  It's simply too good a recipe to shelve.  Aside from Thanksgiving, Creamed Oysters make for a wonderful lunch, served with a salad.  The cornbread is a new twist on the usual thin toast over which they are serve.  It is not my idea.  It is Gourmet's.

Readers know that this time next week I will be entertaining my grandchildren for Thanksgiving for the first time ever.  For this occasion, they will be the guests of honors and will be catered to in every which way a grandmother knows how to do, but to a certain extent.   Yes they will be privy to all the things Lindaraxa enjoyed as a child but they will also sit at the table and hopefully behave like their parents have trained them to.  I did not get to sit with the grown ups until after I was eight but parents these days are different so we must adapt.  Compromise, my favorite new word.

I enjoyed a small sample for lunch today after  I shot these photos.  Yep. that's my plate. I had every intention of bringing out the silver and staging a more professional shoot, but promptly gave up.  They looked too good to pass up. 

 

 

Creamed Oysters on Toasted Corn Bread

Serves 8 as a first course

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup minced shallot
• 1/2 cup minced celery plus 3 tablespoons finely chopped celery leaves
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 32 shucked oysters, reserving 1 1/4 cups of the liquor, strained
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground celery seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 8 squares of corn bread, split, toasted, and buttered

• In a large heavy saucepan cook the shallot and the minced celery in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, add the flour, and cook the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved oyster liquor, the milk, and the cream, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, and simmer it, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, the celery seeds, the cayenne, the oysters, and salt to taste, simmer the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the edges of the oysters curl, and stir in the celery leaves.
• Arrange a bottom half of a corn bread square on each of 8 heated plates, spoon the creamed oysters over the bottom halves, and top them with the remaining halves.

 
Recipe by Kemp M. Minifie
Gourmet Magazine November 1993  

Thinking Ahead...Turkey Stock And Tips

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I know you are probably disappointed in the title of this post, perhaps expecting a new twist on sweet potatoes or pumpkin pie for next week's Thanksgiving dinner; but I am probably giving you the most important recipe of the whole meal.  So, listen up and read on! 

 

Stocks are the building blocks of cuisine and essential in the success of  a dish.  They are the difference between okay and fantastic.

In the case of Thanksgiving, a good turkey stock is a fundamental component of the gravy and the stuffing as well as the flavor and moisture of the meat that comes from basting the bird while cooking  You can also freeze it and use it later in some classic leftovers like Turkey Tetrazzini or Turkey Chili, to name a few.

 

  This  recipe yields more than enough for the gravy, basting the turkey and adding some to the stuffing before and after it cooks.    You'll be happy to have the extra when it comes time to make soup.

 

Roasting the turkey and vegetables before simmering them results in a dark stock that takes you more than halfway to a rich brown gravy. On Thanksgiving Day, bring the gravy base or stock to a simmer on the stove top. Add some wine, port or Madeira,  if you wish. To thicken it, whisk in a mixture of equal parts flour and butter, known as beurre manie.When the turkey comes out of the oven, whisk pan drippings into the base to boost the flavor. Skim off the excess fat or strain and your gravy is ready to go.

 

 If you think this is too much work and can't be bothered, think again. Gravy tops the list of intimidating Thanksgiving tasks, especially since you need to make it at the last-minute. There is nothing more nerve wrecking than having to make something with everyone crowding your kitchen to watch the turkey come out of the oven and asking how they can help.  Making a gravy, THE GRAVY, at this particular moment is the last thing you want to do.   For some people this is the make or break component of the entire meal and the one on which your entire meal will be judged.  If the gravy is good, the entire meal is a success. Well, I have news for you.  This turkey stock is a great gravy base.  Not only will your gravy be more than halfway done, it will be fantastic and so will your stuffing and anything else you care to make with the leftovers.

 

 

So get cracking and make some this week.  You will be very happy you did this.  Trust me.

 

Stock Tips 

1. Always start with cold water.  Skim off the foam that comes to the top so you will end up with clear stock. 

2. Most stocks include the classic seasoning vegetables of chopped garlic, celery, onions and carrots called a "mirepoix" but use them in moderation so they don't overwhelm the flavor of the meat

3. Don't caramelize the vegetables together with the meat.  Roast separately or sautee them in a pan on top of the stove.  They give off steam and prevents the browning.  They also soak fat.

4. A good stock simmers uncovered for at least 6 hours.  The longer the better.

5. The turkey or chicken parts should be chopped in small pieces to get a complete extraction of their flavor.  

6. Purchase a heavy stock pot with at least a 12 cup capacity.  (You can boil spaghetti or steam lobsters in it also

7. If you don't have room to freeze all the stock, boil the strained batch of stock until reduced by half.  Freeze the concentrated stock in containers.  Reconstitute by adding an equal part of water to bring it back to its original volume.

   
   And here is the most important...A good meat stock is made with uncooked meat and bones, not with cooked leftover meat or bones! 

    

 

 

Turkey Stock

Makes  about 13 cups

• Active Time:20 min
• Start to Finish:4 1/2 hr to 7 hours

Ingredients:

• 6 lb turkey parts such as wings, drumsticks, and thighs
• 3 medium yellow onions, left unpeeled, trimmed and halved
• 3 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 3 carrots, quartered
• 5 qt cold water
• 6 fresh parsley stems (without leaves)
• 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• Special equipment:
  
  a 17- by 14-inch flameproof roasting pan
  
  

• If using turkey wings, halve at joints with a cleaver or large knife, then crack wing bones in several places with back of cleaver or knife. (Do not crack bones if using other parts.) Pat turkey dry.
• Put oven rack in lowest position of oven and preheat oven to 500°F. Roast turkey parts, skin sides down, in dry roasting pan, turning over once, until browned well, about 45 minutes. Transfer to an 8- to 10-quart stockpot with tongs, reserving fat in roasting pan
• Add onions (cut sides down), celery, and carrots to fat in pan and roast, stirring halfway through roasting, until golden, about 20 minutes total. Add vegetables to turkey in stockpot.  DO NOT ROAST THE VEGETABLES TOGETHER WITH THE TURKEY PARTS AS THEY WILL STEAM AND PREVENT THE MEAT FROM BROWNING.  I like to Sautee these instead in the stock pan so they will caramelize, but either method is fine.
  
  
• Straddle pan across 2 burners, then add 2 cups water and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Add deglazing liquid to turkey and vegetables in stockpot, then add parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and remaining 4 1/2 quarts cold water. Reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, at least 3 hours.  I usually simmer mine 6 hours to get a more concentrated stock which takes less room to freeze.  When needed I dilute with water.
• Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. If using immediately, let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat. If not, cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, before skimming fat (it will be easier to remove when cool or cold).

Cooks' note: Stock can be chilled in an airtight container 1 week or frozen 3 months.


Stock recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Photos Pinterest

A Grandmother's First Thanksgiving...Tips For A Kid Friendly Menu

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If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year chances are a small group of your guests will be little people, something we tend to forget as we get all wrapped up in planning a menu to impress our guests.    Children have different tastes than adults, a fact which should be taken into consideration when they are included in a family holiday like Thanksgiving and Christmas.  This is something I neglected to see as a young mother, for which I am at fault and deeply regret. But it's never too late and I will not make that mistake as the grandmother of a five and a three year old.   This year I will  tweak revamp my usual menu to make sure everyone goes home well fed and satisfied.

When my children were small and we gathered at Madame Mere's for a mid day meal straight out of Gourmet magazine, I had a hard time making them understand that what they considered (a yucky) lunch was it for the rest of the day.  My son Ted was the worst.  He did not like anything in this menu and would not budge in spite of the fact that I would remind him that this was lunch AND dinner so he'd better eat up.   All the way home he would cry, demanding his usual dinner and yelling but that was lunch, not dinner.  We still laugh about it and I am sure we will again this year when he and his family come to my house for our first Thanksgiving together. I can't wait.

Armed with experience from all those years, I have decided to pick some of the things I think the children, as well as the adults, will enjoy.  No reason to sacrifice one group for the other.    Everyone eats turkey, so the bird is safe.  And if they won't eat my Madeira Sauce, no harm done.  There is plenty more to choose from.

I have chosen to serve the French Green Bean Casserole with French fried onion rings instead of my favorite Creamed Onions.  And instead of a fancy potato or sweet potato gratin, we will have sweet potato puree with marshmallows, the big ones! I wonder if they would like them served in orange cups?  And then there's the stuffing which no kid will eat.  But I have a solution...

Stuffing Balls

Set aside some of the dressing or stuffing you are serving, enough to feed the little ones.  Mine has either apples or pears.  Avoid chestnuts and nuts and visible onions or scallions.  For some reason, kids hate onions.  Remember when it comes to this kind of stuff, they prefer plain to fancy (they are not gourmets yet) and it's easy to pick these things out from their share of the stuffing. 

Shape into small balls, the smaller the better.  Place them in a small cookie sheet, brush them with butter and cook next to the dressing at 375 degrees until browned.  Remember, they will take much less than the dressing to cook.  If you are stuffing the turkey, proceed as above and cook for about 20 minutes.  It all depends on how large they are.

You can make them even more enticing by putting a small amount of cranberry sauce on top.  Anything to make them pop these babies into their mouths!

 If that doesn't fly, this definitely will!

 

and....My French Green Bean Casserole!

How am I doing so far? 

The biggest compromise for me will be dessert.  Nothing has ever stood between me and a Pumpkin Pie and a Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie , one of the most popular recipes of the blog.  Nothing.  I always offered to bring the pies just to make sure they made their appearance, just as I liked them.  But grandchildren work in strange ways .  The Sous Chef is right, I am getting old and softie.   Since it's just the six of us and my daughter doesn't like sweets,  I want to make only one dessert.  Fortunately she loves cheesecake and has volunteered to make a pumpkin cheese cake with a ginger snap cookie crust.  It's called compromise and the older I get,  the more I like this word.  The little ones might not like this either so I will buy some of those pumpkin and turkey shaped cookies they have at Publix to be on the safe side.   Luckily they are not gourmets yet and won't know the difference between home made and store bought.  But not for long.  One day they will know the difference,  if it's the last thing I do.

Recipes by Lindaraxa

Photos 2 & 3 Google Images

Photos 1 and 4 Lindaraxa