Over the last year, I’ve started cooking Indian Food. Got a great cookbook from a D.C. restaurant and have really enjoyed making about 8 different items, some probably a dozen times.
food
Waffles!
Several years ago, Ann bought a waffle maker for me for Christmas. I love it! We had buttermilk waffles with fresh Chilton County peaches (thanks Madeline) in a maple syrup sauce. The waffle recipe comes from Cooks Illustrated–my favorite food magazine. The liquid is club soda; the buttermilk comes from buttermilk powder. The club soda keeps the waffles lighter and crispy. Delicious! (photo is from my Ipad, so not very good…)
Frank Stitt’s Chilled Tomato Soup
Made this soup several weeks ago. It is sort of like a gazpacho soup, but all the chopped vegetables are floated on a toasted slice of bread. Regardless, it was an absolutely delicious bowl of soup! Perfect for summer and great with those excellent Alabama tomatoes.
Steelhead Trout with Potato Crisps and Spinach
Dinner Saturday night:
Potatoes sliced thin and crisped in the oven, panko breaded okra, cucumbers soaked in rice wine vinegar and spinach sauteed with garlic and shallots. And the steelhead trout, brushed with Alabama honey, soy sauce and ground peppers.
Pan Seared Black Snapper with Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Have been getting some great fish from Snapper Grabbers lately. Last night’s black snapper was amazingly fresh and delicious. Simple preparation.
I learned a great trick from Cooks Illustrated–I should have thought of it myself, but oh well: sprinkle about 1/8th to 1/4 of a teaspoon on each filet of fish along with any spices to help it brown better in a skillet. The small amount of sugar caramelizes on the fish and adds a nice little crispness. This fish has a sprinkling of sugar and a bit of Cajun spice blend and was seared in a cast iron skillet with just a splash of olive oil and a bit of butter. Served over mashed sweet potatoes with simple steamed asparagus over that. Simple and tasty.
January 2010
How has half of this month already slipped by? Seems as though I’ve been working constantly, but not getting enough accomplished. We’ve certainly been eating well, though.
One of my new favorite dishes (that I have yet to snap a photo of) is coconut shrimp with spicy basil. We’ve been avoiding salt pretty religiously for the past month, so I’ve been trying to change my cooking style. I have made this at least twice:
Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Basil Leaves
1 tablespoon canola oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
red pepper flakes to taste
1 15 ounce can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon oil
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper (I didn’t use salt)
1 fresh lime, juiced and zest from half the lime
handful fresh basil leaves (cilantro also works)
handful fresh green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Heat oil. Add garlic, onion, peppers. Cook over medium heat until onion is tender (about 5-8 minutes). Add coconut milk (you may not want to add the whole can–I used about 1/2 to 2/3). Reduce heat and simmer.
Heat remaining oil in a cast iron skillet. Toss shrimp with salt and pepper and additional red pepper flakes. Add shrimp to skillet, a few at a time. Sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Add half the lime juice and stir. Remove to plate.
Add basil, green onions and remaining lime juice to coconut mixture. Increase heat, add cornstarch and shrimp. Stir and remove from heat. Serve over rice.