A is For . . .

A is for . . . Autumn. I remain hopeful that when September 22 rolls around, the temperature will dip into the chilly 80s.

A is for . . . Avoidance. We are only three weeks into the semester, and already I have three stacks of research papers to grade. For some reason, just grading the first one is the hardest part. So, of course, I look for something “more important” to do before I start—organizing my shoes, going through old magazines, and cooking new recipes. Oh yeah, and then blogging about them. 

A is for. . . Asia. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian. Asian “flavor profiles” (I learned that from Top Chef) are among my favorites. Here is a rather simple menu of some dishes that are not truly authentic to any of those cuisines, but use the ingredients in a fun way.

A is for . . . the grade my students undoubtedly hope they all get on their papers. I guess I’ll have to start grading those any day now.

Coconut Shrimp

The recipe is for an appetizer, but I served it as a main dish. Instead of making the sauce, I used a jarred sweet and sour sauce. The curry powder here give these an Indian vibe.

Source: old clipping

Yield: 2 main dish servings

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh or frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 c. flaked coconut, toasted and chopped (I pulsed it in the food processor)
½ c. seasoned fine dry bread crumbs (I only had plain, so I added 1 tsp. Tony’s Chacere’s Creole Seasoning)
¾ tsp. curry powder
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
nonstick cooking spray

Sauce:

½ c. mango chutney
¼ c. orange juice
¼ tsp. ground ginger

Process:

Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan; set aside.

In a shallow bowl, combine coconut, bread crumbs, and curry powder. Place egg whites in another small shallow bowl. Dip shrimp into egg whites, then into coconut mixture, pressing it firmly onto shrimp. Place in prepared baking pan. Coat shrimp with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake about 10 minutes or until shrimp are opaque. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chutney, orange juice and ginger. Serve with shrimp.

Asian Rice Pilaf with Ginger and Almonds

Source: original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

½ c. angel hair spaghetti, broken into one-inch pieces
½ c. slivered almonds
2 T. butter
1-2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 c. rice
2 ½ c. chicken broth
2 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. chopped green onion, green parts only

Process:

In a large sauce pan, sauté the spaghetti and almonds in the butter until golden. Stir in the ginger, rice, chicken broth and soy sauce. Boil 3 minutes, then stir, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes; fluff with fork and stir in green onion.

Garlic-Sesame Spinach

In the original recipe, not all the amounts were specified which I have done here. Also, I adapted this for two servings.

Source: adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine, September 2010

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

8-20 peeled garlic cloves
2 T. vegetable oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 packages baby spinach
salt to tasted
2 T. toasted sesame seeds
sesame oil

Process:

In a large frying pan, sauté the garlic cloves in the vegetable oil until golden. (I did this very slowly, for about 15 minutes). Add the red pepper flakes and sauté for a few seconds to release the flavor. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add a splash of water and salt to taste. Top with the toasted sesame seeds (I toasted these in a non-stick skillet on the stove) and drizzle with the sesame oil. Serve immediately.

The End-of-Summer Denial

When I was growing up in Wisconsin, the end of summer seemed so promising.

With autumn only a breeze or two away, we looked forward to getting out our sweaters, attending the first high school football game of the season, beholding the color riot of changing leaves, and smelling the sweet aroma of a fire in the fireplace.

Of course, celebrating autumn was our own special form of denial since in the back of our minds was always the unavoidable truth that five or more long months of winter were on their way.

Here in Baton Rouge, the end of summer is almost, well, cruel. As I write this the air conditioning is still blasting away, we probably have at least two more months of hot and humid weather, and there are several tropical storms brewing so the chance of a hurricane before the season is over is still a possibility.

So my own special form of denial here is to pretend that a seemingly endless summer is cause for celebration, and for the occasion, I prepared a meal for my husband and dear friend Laurie that incorporates lots of summer’s bounty of produce. (But I still want to wear a sweater.)

I served both the Tomato Topping and the Black Olive Tapenade with thin slices of a baguette that I crisped in the oven. I often “cheat” when I do this by spraying the bread with olive oil cooking spray instead of brushing them with olive oil before baking.

Tomato Topping for Bruschetta

Source: original recipe

Yield: about 2 cups




Ingredients:

4-5 tomatoes, pulp and seeds removed, chopped
½ tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, pressed
Red wine (or balsamic vinegar) to taste, approximately 2 T.
10 fresh basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade
Ground pepper

Process:

Place the tomatoes in a colander, sprinkle with the salt, and let drain for about 10 minutes. Place the tomatoes in a small bowl and add the remaining ingredients. (I kept this at room temperature for a few hours before serving to let the flavors meld.)

Black Olive Tapenade

This is especially easy and tasty.

Source: Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

½ pound Kalamata olives, pitted and rinsed with cold water (I used jarred)
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed
3 T. capers, rinsed
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. water
¼ c. olive oil (I think a little less would be better.)

Process:

(I put the olives, anchovy fillets and capers in a small colander and rinsed them together.) Put everything except the olive oil into a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture should have a little texture, not be quite completely smooth. You shouldn’t need to add salt, as the ingredients are very salty.

Watermelon and Cucumber Gazpacho

I served this instead of a salad.

Source: Bon Appétit, August 2005 (Cat Cora)

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 3-pound seedless watermelon, diced (about 5 cups), divided
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium-size red bell pepper, seeded, diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium-size yellow bell pepper, seeded, diced (about 1 cup)
1 small jalapeño chile, seeded, minced
3 pale green inner celery stalks, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used a little more and some balsamic.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Process:

Puree 4 cups watermelon in blender until smooth. Transfer puree to large bowl. Add remaining 1 cup diced watermelon and next 10 ingredients; stir to combine. Cover gazpacho and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Divide gazpacho among bowls; top with dollop of crème fraîche.

Calypso Chicken

Kay Ewing teaches participation cooking classes in Baton Rouge, and although I haven’t taken one of her classes in several years, her cookbooks, especially her first, are my “go tos.”

Source: Kay Ewing’s A Second Course

Yield: 8 servings (can be halved)

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ c. orange juice
¼ c. teriyaki sauce
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp cumin

Sauce:

½ c. peach preserves
2 T. maple syrup
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. champagne vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
2 fresh peaches, peeled and chopped (I added this to the recipe)

Preheat oven to 400°. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Mix orange juice and teriyaki sauce and pour over chicken. Marinate 15 minutes, turning frequently. Mix all seasonings together. Place chicken on a greased foil-lined baking pan, discard marinade, and sprinkle both sides with all of the seasoning mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes. Make sauce by mixing all ingredients together. (I heated the ingredients on the stove until the preserves melted and it was heated through.)

The chicken breasts I had were very thick so I sliced them in half horizontally and reduced the cooking time to 15-20 minutes.

Quinoa Risotto with Mushrooms and Thyme

I might be slow getting on the quinoa "train," but, man, am I on board.  Nutty, chewy, very satisfying--no wonder it is called the "super grain."

Source: Bon Appétit, January 2010

Yield: 4 main-course or 6 side-dish servings

1 c. quinoa, rinsed
1 T. olive oil
1 ½ c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 8-oz. package sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
6 oz. fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (The recipe called for 3 divided but didn’t explain, so I just used 2)
1 c. dry white wine
Grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 2 cups salted water to boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender and water is absorbed, about 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until onion begins to brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and thyme. Sauté until mushrooms are tender, 6 minutes. Add wine; stir until wine is reduced and liquid is syrupy, 2 minutes.

Mix quinoa into mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper. Pass cheese separately.

Sautéed Vegetable Strips

Source: Kay Ewing’s Cooking School Cookbook

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 carrots, peeled
2 zucchini, scrubbed
2 yellow squash, scrubbed
2 T. butter
salt & pepper to taste

Process:

Cut carrots, zucchini, and squash in strips with a vegetable peeler (don’t include seeds). Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Sauté vegetable strips about1 minute, until vegetables are heated and slightly soft. Salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

This cake is good with any berry--blueberries or sliced strawberries.


Source: Gourmet, June 2009

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. plus 1½ T. sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 c. well-shaken buttermilk
1 c. fresh raspberries (about 5 ounces)

½ c. whipping cream, sweetened & whipped

Process:

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. (I cut a parchment paper liner for the bottom of the pan and buttered and floured that.) Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1½ tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate. (I served with whipped cream and garnished with a few reserved berries.)