Category Archives: recipes

Shrimp With Thai Basil from Chinatown Kitchen: From Noodles to Nuoc Cham.

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  • 112 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Pinch ground white pepper
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large green or red chili pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut crosswise into thick rings
  • 1 small white onion, cut into thin half-moons
  • 1/2 cup packed sugar snap peas or snow peas, cut in half
  • 10 peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
  • 2 small ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
  • Small handful Thai basil leaves (see headnote; may substitute a hefty handful of Genovese basil)
  • Juice from 1/2 lime, for serving

Whisk together the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper and 1 tablespoon of the water in a liquid measuring cup.

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, swirl to coat, then add the garlic. Stir-fry gently for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the chili pepper and stir to combine. Stir in the onion; increase the heat to high and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the peppers have softened a bit, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add the sugar snap peas or snow peas and the remaining 3 tablespoons of water; stir-fry until the water has evaporated. Add the shrimp; stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the fish sauce mixture, the tomatoes and basil; stir-fry, shaking the wok once or twice, just until the shrimp have become opaque and the tomatoes have barely wilted.

Remove from the heat; add the lime juice.  Serve right away. 2 servings

 

Smacked Cucumber Salad from Chinatown Kitchen: From Noodles to Nuoc Cham.

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10

  • 1 large cucumber, preferably organic (unwaxed)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons plain rice vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons palm sugar (jaggery) or packed light brown sugar (see headnote)
  • 2 teaspoons chili oil
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (see headnote)

Lay the cucumber on a cutting board. Smack it lightly with a cleaver or a rolling pin, breaking it into chunks. Chop coarsely and transfer to a colander, sprinkling it with the salt. Let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the vinegar, garlic, palm or brown sugar, chili oil, toasted sesame oil and light soy sauce in a bowl. Add the cucumber to the mixture and let stand to soak up the flavors for 10 minutes before serving.   2 servings

 

 

 

Charred Tomato Vinaigrette from the bittenword.com

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6a00e55015ee52883301b7c7c0f901970b-650wi1/2 pound tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, cilantro or basil
Kosher salt
Pepper

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan to medium-high. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Grill, turning, until blistered and lightly charred, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool slightly.

In a food processor, combine the grilled tomatoes with the vinegar, lemon juice and mustard and pulse to blend. With the machine on, slowly drizzle in the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil. Transfer the vinaigrette to a medium bowl, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Makes 1 1/4 cups

 

Nana’s pie crust

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1 cup 2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. ice water

put flour in a bowl, add salt mix lightly, pour in oil and mix with a fork about 30 stirs do not over mix.  Add ice water mix lightly, maybe 20 turns.  shape into a ball. roll between 2 pieces of wax paper dough sticks to wax paper * use parchment

This is our family’s favorite pie crust recipe! It can be used to make both sweet and savory recipes and is an absolute cinch to prepare! Let us know if you make it!

this is probably for a 9” pie, my pan is 10” and this is way short.  Next time double the recipe and use what is needed.  I used this for a tomato pie and it stood up very well the crust did not get soggy

1 1/2 times the recipe for a single crust

1 1/2 c. + 3 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp salt
7 1/2 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp ice water

Curried Snowball from Stop and Smell the Rosemary-Houston Junior League

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3c133-dscn02988 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
4 – 6 ounces mango chutney
1 cup minced green onion
1 cup finely chopped peanuts
1 cup grated coconut

Combine cheeses, sherry, Worcestershire, curry powder, garlic powder, white pepper and cayenne in a small bowl; blend well.

  • Line a 2 cup bowl with plastic wrap, leaving a 4-inch overhang.
  • Press cheese mixture into bowl.
  • Fold plastic overhang over top and cover with another piece of plastic wrap.
  • Refrigerate at least 4 hours (better if chilled a day or two) or freeze.
  • Before serving, unfold plastic wrap and invert on serving plate.
  • (If frozen, defrost before adding topping).
  • Spoon chutney over top.
  • Sprinkle with green onions, peanuts and coconut.
  • Serve chilled with crackers.

 

Coconut Cream Pie from Janet Morrissey

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download1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and flour in medium bowl.
Bring milk and coconut to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat.
Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly.
Return to same saucepan; cook until pastry cream thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes.
Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and coconut extracts.
Transfer pastry cream to medium bowl.
Press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent formation of skin.
Chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Transfer filling to crust. Cover; chill overnight.

Toast coconut in heavy small skillet over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Cool completely.

Beat cream, sugar, and coconut extract in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream all over top of filling. Sprinkle evenly with toasted coconut. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve cold.

Stuart Brioza’s Mushrooms in Pickle-Brine Butter from food52.com

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Maybe nobody told you that tossing pickle brine is just like tipping a perfectly good bottle of vinegar or fish sauce or Worcestershire down the drain. Maybe you never heard that you could cook with brine, not just use it as a bracing, salty slap to chase your sorrows. Or maybe you assumed that brine would always take over, setting its vinegar and salt and spice on top of everything else. You might even have slipped some pickle juice into potato salad or Bloody Marys, where blandness signals a crushing defeat.

  • 17873027151_cd67b1b768_b1stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3medium shallots, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
  • 3pounds mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, oyster, and stemmed shiitake, thickly sliced or quartered
  • 3/4cup brine, strained from a jar of dill pickles
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  1. In a very large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderately high heat, swirling, until the butter is golden, about 2 minutes. Add 1/3 of the shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add 1/3 of the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1/3 of the pickle brine and cook until absorbed, about 1 minute. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving bowl and keep warm.
  2. Repeat the process 2 more times with the remaining butter, olive oil, mushrooms and pickle brine. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
  3. Serves 6 to 8, but scales down well

 

Pie crust from Vicki

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It REALLY is  worth the trouble to make your own. I’ve employed several tricks to make it easier. One is to use a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour to roll out the pastry on. Another (and I’m almost embarrassed to tell it) is to use the recipe for a two crust pie, even though you need only one crust. The extra dough will give you plenty of overhand to make a pinched edge  and I found that even though I left the pastry a bit thicker, it was delicious and amazingly flaky.
 
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening (e.g. Crisco)
A scant 1/3 cup vodka with an ice cube to cool it (trust me, this works SO much better than water to keep the pastry tender
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
Add the salt to the flour and cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two  knives. When the mixture looks like coarse meal, sprinkle on the cold vodka, a tablespoon at a time and blend in with a fork. Continue till the mixture begins to hold together and you can form it into a ball. You may need to add a bit more liquid, at this point cold water is fine.
Roll out the pastry and line your 9 or 10 inch pie pan. (You may have more than you need – bake the scraps with a little sugar sprinkled on them for a sweet treat.)  Prick the crust all over the bottom with a fork and bake (unfilled) for about ten minutes. This pre-baking keeps the rust from getting soggy on the bottom.

 

Best Tomato Soup Ever from Ree Drumond

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WU0508H_best-tomato-soup-ever-recipe_s4x3.jpg.rend.snigalleryslide.landscape1 medium white or yellow onion
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
Two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
One 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
3 to 6 tablespoons sugar
1 or 2 tablespoons veggie base
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sherry, optional
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

To begin, dice the onion. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven. Throw in the onion and cook until translucent.

Now dump in the diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the tomato juice.

Next – and this is important – in order to combat the acidity of the tomatoes add 3 to 6 tablespoons of sugar. Now, you’ll want to start on the low side, then taste and add more as needed. Some tomatoes and juice have more of an acidic bite than others. (For what it’s worth, and I realize it’s not worth much, I use 6 tablespoons of sugar.)

Next, add 1 or 2 tablespoons chicken base to the pot. I added 3, and it wound up being a little too much.

Now you can add lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine, then heat almost to a boil. Then turn off the heat.

Add in the sherry if desired. Stir in the cream. Add the basil and parsley and stir.

Serve the soup warm!

Penne Alla Betsy from Ree Drumond

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WU0506H_penne-alla-betsy-recipe_s4x3.jpg.rend.sni12col.landscapeSalt
1 pound penne pasta
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine, optional
Two 14.5-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 leaves fresh basil, cut in chiffonade
Milk, for thinning
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, for serving

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until al dente (firm yet tender). Drain and set aside.

Begin by peeling and deveining the shrimp and rinsing them under cold water.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the shrimp. Stir and cook on both sides until just starting to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the garlic and onion. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

Pour the wine into the pan if using. Stir and allow it to evaporate, about 45 seconds. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the cream. Mmmm. Stir well to combine; reduce the heat to simmer.

And now for the fun part: remove the tails from the shrimp, chop the shrimp into medium-size pieces and add them to the sauce. Stir gently to combine.

Next, dump in the parsley and basil and stir. Add the cooked, drained pasta. Stir gently to coat. If the sauce is too thick, splash in a little milk to get it to the right consistency. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sure to taste the seasonings at the end, adjusting if necessary.

Serve directly out of the skillet, or pour the contents of the skillet into a pretty serving bowl. Serve with crusty French bread – and more wine.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/penne-alla-betsy-recipe.html?oc=linkback