Pie

Shrimp Scampi, Mediterranean Potato-Egg Salad and Oatmeal Lace Cookies

Shrimp Scampi

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp (raw; 20 to 25 per lb)
• 4 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled and forced through a garlic press
• 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 lb capellini (angel-hair pasta)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes, and transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add garlic to oil remaining in skillet along with red pepper flakes, wine, salt, and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add butter to skillet, stirring until melted, and stir in shrimp. Remove skillet from heat.

Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander. Toss pasta well with shrimp mixture and parsley in large bowl, adding some of reserved cooking water if necessary to keep moist.

Mediterranean Potato-Egg Salad

• 1 large potato, boiled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 tomato quartered
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon – juiced or 2 tablespoons
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Place the potato pieces, diced onion and parsley in a bowl and toss to mix. Place the quartered eggs and tomatoes on a serving dish and add the ingredients from the bowl.

Pour lemon juice into a bowl and drizzle olive oil into the juice while briskly whisking until the emulsion has thickened. Add the salt and pepper and pour over the salad to complete.

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

Preparation

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until well blended. Beat in flour, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in oats. Cover and refrigerate cookie dough 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough by tablespoonfuls between palms into balls. Place dough balls on baking sheets, spacing 3 1/2 inches apart (cookies will spread during baking). Using bottom of drinking glass as aid, flatten cookies to 1 1/2-inch rounds. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 11 minutes. Let cookies remain on sheets 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store cookies between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature.)

I often dip the cooled cookies into melted semisweet chocolate. I dip either the edges or 1/2 of the cookie, depending on presentation. They also make a fabulous “Taco” dessert. Form the not yet cooled cookie over a canola form or broomstick handle or other similarly shapped item. Use sliced fresh fruit to fill. Top with lightly sweetened crème fraiche, mascarpone cheese or whipping cream and sprinkle chopped nuts on top for a surprise ending to a Mexican meal.

Ecuadoran Potato Cakes with Peanut Sauce

Ecuadoran Potato Cakes with Peanut Sauce

• 1 1/2 lb. potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold)
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
• 6 tablespoons annatto oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 6 oz. Munster cheese, corsely grated (2 cups)

Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cover potatoes with cold water in a medium pot, then stir in 1 teaspoon salt and simmer until very tender, about 18 minutes.

While potatoes simmer, cook garlic and 1/3 cup scallions in 2 tablespoons annatto oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.

Stir in cumin and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomato and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add milk and bring to a bare simmer, then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until combined well. Keep peanut sauce warm, covered, off heat.

Darin potatoes, then mash in a bowl.

Cook remaining 1/2 cup scallions with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in 2 tablespoons annatto oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until scallions are softened, then stir into potatoes along with cheese. Form potato mixture into 8 balls and flatten each into a 3-inch patty.

Heat 1 tablespoon annatto oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heate until hot, then fry cakes in 2 batches, turning over once, until crusty about 6 minutes per batch. Add remaining tablespoon annatto oil for second batch.

Gently reheat peanut sauce, thinning to a creamy consistency with a little water if necessary. Season sauce with salt and serve with potato cakes.

Swedish Meatballs and Steamed Green Beans

Swedish Meatballs

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 1/2 oz ground beef
• 5 1/3 oz ground pork
• 1 egg
• 3 1/3 fl. oz. milk
• 2 1/8 oz. bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 3 1/3 fl oz vegetable oil

For Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons flour
• 2 tablespoons red wine
• 8 1/8 fl. oz. beef broth
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper

1. Mix the ingredients: Spoon the beef into a bowl. Follow with the pork, egg, milk, breadcrumbs, sal, white pepper, allspice and the onion. Mix it all together with a spoon until everything is fully combined.
2. Make the Meatballs: Take a spooful of the meat. Roll it around in the palm of your hand to shape it into a small ball. Give it a final mold with your fingers and place it onto a tray. Repeat until all the meat has been made into balls.
3. Cook the Meatballs: Place the frying pan on a medium to high heat and allow to get hot. Add halfof the oil and let it heat through When the oil is sufficiently hot, add some of the meatballs. You may need to fry them in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Do not let the pan cool down or you will end up braised rather than nice and crispy on the outside. Fry them for a couple of minutes. Using your tongs, turn them over to fry on the other side. When they are a crispy brown, remove them from the pan, transfer them onto a tray and fry the second batch.
4. Make the Sauce: Discard most of the oil in the pan, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Add the flour and whisk it into the oil. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to add extra flavor. Add the wine and the beef broth. Let it come to a boil while whisking continuously and season with salt and pepper. Let it boil for a few minutes, still whisking, helping the sauce to thicken. Add the sour cream and whisk it in. Place the meatballs back into the sauce.
5. Garnish and Serve: Add the chopped parsley. I like to use flat leaf parsley and just clip it with kitchen scissors into the appropriate size. Mix the balls well into the sauce to ensure that they are fully coated. Spoon them onto a serving plate. They are now ready to be served hot.

Steamed Green Beans

A nice accompaniment to Swedish Meatballs is a simple side vegetable of fresh steamed green beans. There is nothing to this one. Clean and snap the beans. Try to avoid cutting the beans with a metal knife, especially if you are prepping them well in advance of the meal. They will begin to turn brown along the cut edges. If the beans are fresh, the will snap easily. If you have a ceramic knife, cutting does work fine, but why take the fun out of snapping beans?

Place the beans in a pan with a steamer if you have one and add a couple inches of water. Do not bother salting the water. There is no benefit to doing this. Steam until just crispy-tender. At this point you should run the beans under cold water to stop the cooking process. I like to eat green beans hot or cold … it’s up to you.

Tonight I did nothing more than add a splash of lemon, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.

Buffalo Wings and Coleslaw

Coleslaw

Coleslaw

1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 oz. Plain yogurt (I used sour cream)
2 oz. Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon pickle juice (I use sour)
1 teaspoon dry mustard (I used wasabi paste)
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
Salt, as needed
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Generously salt the cabbage and drain in a colander for 3 hours. Rinse thoroughly and dry.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the cabbage and carrot. Whisk to combine evenly. Toss the cabbage and carrot with the dressing.

I did not have carrots in the house and substituted 1/4 of a beautiful sweet, red bell pepper for color.

Buffalo Wings

1 package chicken wings

Oil for frying (I add 1/2 cup olive oil)

Hot sauce

Heat the fat in a large, deep pan until smoking.

This very easy recipe requires nothing more than careful attention to the pan full of hot fat. Clean and dry the wings. Separate the “drummette” joint from the larger wing and clip off the wing tip if desired. Pat dry one more time.

To make the hot sauce I simply used a red sauce — similar to Tobasco. Many brands can now be found at the supermarekt. I used El Pito. I added green Tobasco and green picante to the sauce to give it a bit more depth. The color changed, but imperceptibly.

Place wings into hot oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. (This causes the temperature to decrease which in turn causes slower fying, more grease and less of a crisp.)

Turn wings when the first site becomes golden brown and repeat on other side. Once wings are done, quickly remove to the bowl with hot sauce to coat. Place on serving dish and serve with cut celery and carrots and fresh blue cheese dressing — serve.

Foolproof Cream Cheese Tart Crust

Pies and Tarts

I promised to post this recipe tonight. It’s easy and great for sweet or savory pies and tarts:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salat
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 stick (4 oz.) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and cream cheese. Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 8 seconds. Add the cold butter and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles small peas about 3 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead lightly, just until the dough holds together.
2. Between 2 sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll out the dough into a large round, 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. Cut out a 13-inch circle. Dust the pastry lightly with flour and fold in quarters. Place it in a 9 1/2 or 10-inch tart pan about 1 inch high with a removable bottom. Open up the pastry and fit into the pan, folding down the excess to reinforce the sides. Press the pastry against the fluted side of the pan; trim off any excess dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To maintain the best shape, freeze for at least 15 minutes before baking.
3. Preheat oven to 425°. Line the pastry with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans, making sure hey are pushed up well against the sides.
4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the dough is almos dry. Remove the foil and weights, prick well with a fork and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Seared Tuna with Aioli Mayonnaise

This is an easy main course, nothing tricky or time consuming here. Fresh tuna steaks are brushed with home made aioli mayonnaise and grilled. I used a ribbed grill pan, but an outdoor grill or broiler will work as well. The recipe consists of nothing more than brushing the tuna steaks with the mayonnaise and letting them cook on a very high heat in the pan — a squeeeze of fresh lemon at the table and voila! Dinner is served.

• 2 or 3 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (if they’ve started to sprout, do not use them for aioli)
• Large pinch coarse sea or kosher salt
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature (remember to be cautious with raw egg products!)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2/3 cup pure olive oil (not extra virgin — it’s a bit heavier and not as distinct in taste)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Place garlic and salt into a food processor fitted with a metal blade, or in a blender. Pulse for 2 seconds. Add the egg yolk and lemon juice and pulse on and off until blended. turn on and begin adding the olive oil (pure first, then extra virgin) in a thin stream. If it becomes too thick, thin it out with some room temperature water and continue adding oil until you’ve used it all. Finish with pepper and (if necessary) a bit more salt.

French Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vinegar — I like using apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• Pinch salt
• Freshly cracked pepper

1. Pour vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl
2. Slowly whisk in oil to create an emulsion — wisking this way will allow the oil to incorporate into the vinegar
3. Add mustard, salt and pepper and continue whisking until the desired consistency.

This will make dressing for one serving with a little left over. Some like their salad a bit more dressed than others — this gives you the option.

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