Shrimp Roll, Refreshing & Spicy

With warmer weather, I was looking for something lighter, and bursting with flavor.   Hmmm, saw that the grocery store had lobster on sale, but still too pricey.  I had shrimp, though, and had recently made a nice fresh slaw...so how about a shrimp roll?  ok, how do I make that?  Quick, to the internet!

How I made them:
Ingredients:
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
the green tops of 3 green onions, sliced thin
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sriracha
Old Bay seasoning
Salt to taste
4 good quality hot dog buns (Pepperidge Farm's New England style if you can find them!)

Method:
- Mix the celery, onion, green onion tops, mayo, lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt together in a bowl, stirring to carefully incorporate.  Refrigerate for at least a 1/2 hour.
- Once the mixture is chilled prepare the shrimp as follows below.
- Lightly toast the hot dog buns until the sides are nicely browned. 
- In a large pot, boil a couple of inches of water.  Add couple of teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning to the water
- Stir the raw shrimp into boiling water, remove from heat and let stand for just a couple of minutes to just cook through.
- Remove the shrimp from the water and place into the chilled mixture.
- Divide the shrimp mixture among the rolls. Garnish with a light sprinkle Old Bay and serve immediately.

This is the recipe I based mine on, not too much different, but just a bit!
http://cookthis.menshealth.com/recipes/cook-shrimp-roll

Enjoy!
Lorence

Stuffed Pepper Soup

We've made Classic Stuffed Peppers the Betty Crocker way for years, so I was a bit leery of this new thing going around - Stuffed Pepper Soup.  One of my co-workers brought me some that his SO had made (she's a great cook!), and it was pretty darn good, so I set out to make my own.  I used the basic recipe and ingredients from our standard stuffed pepper recipe and the end result was really tasty!

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
3 green peppers, quartered, seeded, cored, ribs trimmed
3 cloves garlic, minced
one medium yellow onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 can tomato soup
1 lb ground round
1/3 cup minute rice

Method:
Boil the peppers in a large pot of water for about 5 minutes.
**Save 2 cups of the water, discard the rest of the water. 
Remove the peppers, cool, slice and chop coarsely (1" x 1/2" chunks).
Put the pot back on the burner and brown the beef in it, breaking up the beef as you cook it. When the beef is about half way done, add the onion and garlic. Finish browning the beef and if there's a lot of grease, drain some off.
Add the basil, oregano, rice, tomato sauce and soup. Add the reserved water and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce and slowly simmer ~20 minutes uncovered, stirring often (don't let anything stick to the bottom!).
Served topped with shredded mozzarella and with some crusty bread.
Yummy!  Thanks, Renee!

Enjoy!
Lorence

Jalapeno cheddar chicken sausage in spicy cilantro alfredo with penne

On my most recent weekly shopping excursion to Kroger, I bought some jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage thinking I could make some sort of pasta dish with it.  Tonight I did just that, and I have to admit, it turned out amazingly good - jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage in a spicy cilantro Alfredo.

I based the sauce on this recipe with more than a few twists: jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-alfredo-sauce/

Remember, save any liquid that remains in the pan after cooking the sausage, you'll need it for the sauce!

Ingredients I used:

Pan dripping/cilantro/garlic/chili pepper mixture

¼ cup butter

3 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup half & half

1 ounce heavy cream

3 ounces 2% milk

3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

3 ounces Mexican cheese mixture (http://www.sargento.com/products/5/sargento-fancy-shredded-4-cheese-mexican-cheese/)

1/8 teaspoon fresh coarsely ground black pepper

½ pound penne pasta

1 can (4 ounce) green chilies

2 cloves garlic

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro + 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish

4 links jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage (about a pound)

What I did:

           - In a large pan over medium low heat, brown the sausage on all sides. 

           -  Add ½ cup of water to the pan and cover, lower the heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes. 

3         -  Remove the sausage to a plate and cover to keep warm. 

        RESERVE ANY LIQUID STILL IN THE PAN!!!

           -  Scrape fond from the bottom of the pan and put all of the pan drippings into a food processor 

           -  Add to the food processor bowl: green chilies, ¼ cup cilantro, cayenne, garlic cloves

          - Start the penne, cook per package directions. 

          While the water comes to a boil…

          - Run the processor  until the ingredients are  blended smooth.

          - Pour the mixture back into the pan with the heat on medium-low.

          - Add the butter to the pan and whisk until melted

         -  Add the cream cheese, whisk until melted and blended

         -  Add the garlic powder, whisk until blended.

         -  Add the black pepper and whisk…

         -  Slowly Add all of the dairy while whisking  and blending it together

         -  Add the cheeses, whisk to melt and blend.  Keep whisking and stirring.  Do not let it get too hot, as it could break.  As you stir, it will thicken up, too.

         - Slice the sausage, about ½ inch thick.

         - When the penne is al dente, drain it off and place it into the pan with he sauce, add the sausage and stir it all together.

         - Serve, garnished with cilantro and with a sourdough bread side.

          I have one photo of the dish, not a very good one.  It tasted way better than the photo lets on!  The family devoured it.  It was very rich, thick, creamy and spicy- delicious!

Jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage in a spicy cilantro Alfredo with penne

 

        Enjoy,

        Lorence

Grilled Asian Burgers

A paper with this recipe was laying around on the kitchen counter of one of the offices where I work. I thought it sounded interesting so I gave it a try - twice! Once with a mixture of beef and veal, once with a mixture of beef and pork. Not bad either time, and 'll be trying it with just beef (I'm not a big fan of ground turkey, though I'm sure it would work well with that, too).

• 1 1/2 lbs ground meats
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, finely chopped (both green and white parts)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix all of the ingredients together, but don't overwork it. Spit into ~4-5 ounce portions. Either pan fry in a bit of sesame oil on high heat or cook over a very hot grill. Should get a nice char on the outside

• For the mayo, blend together:
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha

Serve with:
• Sriracha mayo
• Bibb lettuce
• Tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• Hamburger buns



Enjoy!
Lorence

Potato Onion Skillet, another for the colder weather

(Updated 2/29/12, now with yummilicious pictures!)

I'm not really sure where I got this recipe, though I think it may be another from Jeff Smith's "Frugal Gourmet" show. This is a fantastic tasting and easy winter time recipe that always leaves us with a warm and full belly. The basic recipe has only 6 simple ingredients and uses only one pot, so both prep and cleanup are a breeze.

Although I've called this a skillet dish, it works even better when made in a deep pot, such as a soup or stock pot because you can make more layers of potato, onion and cabbage and fit more sausage on top. Warm up with this dish once when you are feeling chilled. It is sure to become a cold weather regular for you, too.

Potato Onion Skillet

Ingredients:
3 medium onions, sliced thin and separated into individual rings
3 or 4 Large potatoes, sliced thin
Use Yukon Gold potatoes, if possible.
They really add to the flavor and texture to this dish.
3 cups shredded cabbage
½ pound (or more!) Polish or smoked sausage, sliced thin
1 cup chicken broth
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper



Instructions:
1. Cover the bottom of the pot with a layer of potato.
2. Cover the potato layer with a layer of the onion rings.
3. Add a generous grind of pepper.
4. Make another layer of potato, another layer of onion and pepper, then a third layer of potato.
5. Add another generous grind of pepper.
6. Make a layer of cabbage.
7. Layer the sliced sausage over the cabbage
8. Turn the heat on to high until you hear the potato start to sizzle on the bottom. This should take just a minute or two.
9. Pour in the chicken broth, turn the heat down to low simmer and cover tightly.
10. Cook covered for about 20 minutes.
11. Turn off the heat. Top with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and put cover back on.
12. Let stand 5 minutes so that the cheese melts slightly and serve.

We like to serve this with a nice Sourdough bread. And this is another "even better the day after" dishes.

The first layer. Don't forget the pepper!

Three layers of potato, starting to top with the cabbage.

Topped with sausage slices. The more you can fit, the better!

Simmered for 20 minutes, then topped with the Parmigiano-Reggiano

Yum. Don't forget the bread!

Enjoy,
Lorence

(Originally posted 09/30/2006)

Barely's Smokehouse dinner tonight

We went to Barley's Smokehouse tonight, used the Prestige Dining Card and got one meal for free.
The boy and I shared a plate of ribs called "The Great Debate", a half rack of baby backs with Texas Smokedip sauce and a half rack of St. Louis Spareribs with the sweeter Kansas City BBQ sauce. Karen had the Smokehouse Half chicken (w/KC sauce). Most of both were demolished! Accompanying the meal was an amazingly smooth creamy and malty St Joan's Revenge Nitro Imperial Stout - Not CO2'd, but nitrogened instead (thus the intense creamy feel and flavor). It matched with the Texas sauce perfectly.

Good food, good beer, lots of wet naps on the table and EXCELLENT service. It was a good dinner.

If you live in or near Columbus or Dayton and you haven't gotten a Prestige Dining card yet, go to this link to see what I've said about it previously, then buy one! I think they are about $40 each and well worth it - BOGO at >100 restaurants! There are lots of Indian restaruants in this years as well as many of our other favorites (both Barley's, Vino Vino, Cuco's, Carfagna's Kitchen...). Buy one get one free - who doesn't like that?

Enjoy,
Lorence

Skillet Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli

This week’s “Kid meal” (no, not that kind, the meal was MADE by the kid!) was a tasty selection from his DSi game “Let’s Get Cooking” from America’s Test Kitchen. This is a great little application with 300 recipes and easy to follow instructions, hints, tips, tricks, and even basic instruction, like how to chop an onion. He’s made several dishes from it before and all have been very good. Last night’s Skillet Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli was no exception. Though it has several ingredients, it only uses one pot and had a good depth of flavor.

The recipe can be found here.

He did a great job and was justifiably proud of his creation:
Give the DSi game a try and try this dish, too!

Enjoy,
Lorence

Baked Egg Cups

I saw a couple of interesting posts while perusing Printerst a couple of nights ago and tried my hand this morning - Roasted Egg cups with ham.
Here are the two posts that I saw:
Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups
Baked Egg Cups

I didn't have any bacon in the house (I know, for shame...), but I did have some deli ham (Kroger Private Select Smokehouse ham) that I had just bought, so off I went.
First, I spray greased the muffin pan and the cups with some bread I had rolled flat.
Then I placed a slice of ham in the cup, a little bit of cheese, and then cracked an egg into it.
I topped each with a little salt & pepper and a couple of strips of prosciutto.
Then into the oven (375º) for 20 minutes, and voila, breakfast!












Give it a try!

Enjoy,
Lorence

Pho Asian Noodles

An unassuming ex-Taco Bell at the end of the strip of stores on Lane Avenue might seem an odd place for a great dinner, but oh, my, can looks be deceiving...

Tonight we finally took the plunge at went to Pho Asian Noodles House and Grill for dinner. I've read many reviews and we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to try, but the extensive menu still made the decision a little tough. We finally decided on the Vietnamese Salad Rolls, Chicken Pad Thai, Roasted Duck Noodle Soup and, of course, Pho Dac Biet. I ordered at the counter and at at our table to wait for the food to be delivered.

First came the Vietnamese Salad Rolls which were very good, served with a plum sauce that was covered with crushed peanuts. The rolls have a rice paper wrapper around lettuce, rice noodles, some Thai basil, shredded chicken and 3 shrimp:

They were fresh and light, had great flavor (especially with the plum sauce) and a very good bargain at $4. We each demolished one.

Next came our entrees:
Karen's Chicken Pad Thai, which she described as the freshest and best she'd had. All of the flavors burst forth and it had just the right level of spice and heat, all in an amazingly huge portion:
The Boog's Roasted Duck Noodle Soup:
H loves duck and this soup was packed with chunks of it, mostly on the bone (not the easiest to eat!) along with a huge heap of noodles and oriental lettuce (like bok choy) and a broth that he described as rich and mildly sweet:
He was very happy at his bowl full of bounty!

My pho dac biet, another huge bowl of soup, laden with incredibly tender beef slices, beef tendon meatballs, a ton of rice noodles and a plate full of accompanying add-ins, cilantro, bean sprouts, jalapenos and Thai basil:

I tossed a bunch of each of the add-ins as well as a healthy squirt sriracha, and dug in. After about a half hour of chowing down we all decided that we'd eaten our fill and wrapped up the remaining pad Thai and duck soup ( I pretty much killed off the pho!). We left satisfied bellies full of flavor and delicious food and all for about $30, including drinks (Karen & Boog both loved the Thai iced tea).

Here's a scan of the menu as of 11/16/11:

The place was packed at dinner time (6:30 pm) and was mostly filled with Asian people of all walks. It was interesting to hear all of the accents and dialects being spoken. And it's always a good sign, when you go to an ethnic restaurant and the people that are of that ethnicity are patrons.

Go to Pho. Have the Pho! Have anything - after tonight, I can't imagine anything they serve not being totally tasty. And if you're just driving by, stop anyway, they have a drive-thru!

Pho Asian Noodle House and Grill

1288 West Lane Avenue, Col, O 43221

Enjoy,

Lorence

Lorence's Goat Cheese Empanadas

A coworker recently made a "hummus" of sorts, an interesting concoction of chickpeas, oil-packed sun dried tomotoes, garlic and goat cheese. I was heating up my lunch in the work kitchen's microwave and flipping through a copy of "Real Simple" magazine when she offered me a taste. I really enjoyed the intense flavor and creamy texture and immediately flipped back a couple of pages inthe magazine to a recipe I had just seen, Goat Cheese Empanadas (can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/3snfv7w). I knew what I had to do...

So tonight I combined the two recipes and made a third to accompany my creation, a roasted corn salsa.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic

4 oz oil packed sun dried tomatoes

1 can chickpeas (drained/rinsed)

4 oz goat cheese

olive oil

refrigerated pie crust, 2 crusts (make your own if you have the time)

Method:

In a food processor, process the garlic, tomatoes, chickpeas and goat cheese and add the olive oil until it reaches a smooth hummus like consistency.

Roll out the pie crusts.

Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles from the 2 refrigerated crusts.

Put about a teaspoon of the hummus in the center of each round.

(I rolled out the scraps of dough and made more rounds to stuff!)

Lightly dot the edges of the dough with water, fold in half, and press with a fork to seal.

Bake on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet at 375ºF until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with fresh made Roasted Corm Salsa, found on Taste of Home.

The roasted corn, fresh off of the grill:

Enjoy!

Lorence

Bari Pizzaria in Galloway, off to a good start

We had a craving for pizza last night feuled by an ad we had seen in the weekly community paper (Westside Messenger) for a new local business, Bari Pizzaria. The ad had a $5 coupon and a link to their website, http://baripizzaria.com/. We really wanted to eat out, so I called and asked if they had any eat-in tables. I was told that, yes, they do, but they have no public restrooms.

O.K., why not...

Upon arrival, we found a small front section to what is essentially a carry-out business, but there were two small 3 seat tables. We looked over the menu a bit more and ordered a 14" pizza with pepperoni, onions and mushrooms. We also ordered a side of breaded fried cheese ravioli ($4.50) and 3 cans of soda (Grape Crush, A&W Root Beer,Diet Pepsi). With our $5 coupon, our total was $17.50. We sat down to wait and the owner showed us that the two arcade game machines were free to play while we waited (my 10 yr old son loved that!). One machine was the "Multicade" machine, which has 60 different classic video games... The wait passed quickly.

When our pizza and ravioli arrived, we were NOT disappointed. The first thing we noticed- the pizza was cut PROPERLY! Not in those stupid little squares that Columbus pizza is 'famous' for, but cut into slices, 8 nice triangular slices, like a pizza should be. Next, we noticed that the mushrooms were fresh, not those rubbery canned mushrooms most places use; and then we noticed that the onions are a mix of both white and red onion, another very nice a tasty touch.

So far, it looks great. But how does it taste? Quite good, actually. The hand tossed crust is nearly perfect; it has the correct consistency and the right flavor, the pizza crust flavor that I remember from my youth in Jersey. The only thing that would have given it a perfect rating would be if it was a bit more crisp in the center, as can only be achieved in a genuine high temp flat bottom traditional pizza oven (Bari uses the modern moving track pizza oven). The sauce was very good, somewhat mild, possibly could use a bit more oregano and garlic, but still very tasty. The cheese was plentiful, had a very nice melt to it, and a genuine and fresh taste. The pepperoni was mild and not too greasy, perhaps a bit too mild, but the mushrooms had great fresh taste as did the onions, which were not burnt or even crisp, they were probably put on late in the baking process so they didn't lose their flavor. As I mentioned above the onions were a mix of both white and red onion. And I could actually pick up a piece and fold it like a good slice should be folded!

All in all, it was a very good pizza. I'm an East coast boy, a native New Yorker, raised in central Jersey, and Columbus has just been hell when it comes to decent pizza. Bari gives me hope.

I didn't get a shot of the pizza at the shop (forgot the camera!), but this is what we had leftover:

We'll definitely be back for more.

One more test that all pizza must pass - the morning after test - how does it taste right out of the fridge for breakfast? This pizza was THE best cold breakfast pizza I've had so far in my 24 years in Columbus! Outstanding - worth ordering a larger size just to have extra to put in the fridge for later!

Bari's menu lists both Chicago style deep dish and stuffed pizza and we're big fans of Chicago style pizza, especially Giordano's , so we'll be giving Bari's Chicago style a try, too.

Oh yeah, the Breaded ravioli...Not bad, not great. they were stuffed fat, had a very nice crispy golden crust and were served with the Bari pizza sauce. Not bad, not great, but interesting. Glad we had the $5 coupon, though.

If you live anywhere near Galloway, please give Bari's Pizzeria a shot. It's worth the drive to pick it up. They've got a good product, a clean shop, a good attitude towards using fresh ingredients and the owner is a real friendly guy.

Bari Pizzaria
946 Galloway Rd
Columbus, OH 43119

Enjoy,
Lorence
614-878-7700