Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Cooking Class And Dinner.

Mr. Hawthorne, Glowria, and I had another cooking class yesterday afternoon at the North Carolina Aquarium. Mr. Hawthorne wishes he had eaten before attending class.
Had Mr. Hawthorne known what the featured seafood was going to be, I believe he would have opted out of this class.

Upon entering class, we were treated with this disturbing visual:

I mentioned to Mr. Hawthorne and Glowria that it looked like a penis; however,
Mr. Hawthorne insisted it looked like no penis he'd ever seen.

Well, guess what's for lunch today, kids.
It's SQUID and more SQUID!

Also known to us Southerners as bait.

Chef Andy Montero of Montero's Restaurant, Bar, and Catering
in Elizabeth City, N.C., conducted the very informative and interesting class.
I now know the different body parts of the squid and how to clean one, although I probably won't have the opportunity to use this new skill since Mr. H. don't like squid, no way, no how.
He conveniently forgets the time I cooked squid disguised with some pasta in a Marinara sauce years ago. He proclaimed the meal delicious until I told him there was squid in it, then he turned green. Whenever I mention that meal, he says he must have been
drinking heavily to have actually eaten squid.

First, Chef Montero prepared Stuffed Squid.
When preparing squid, he recommends soaking the squid overnight in milk or buttermilk to tenderize.
He had already cooked the rice by sauteeing minced carrots, onions, diced tomatoes, then adding the saute mixture, fresh basil and broth to the rice, which he baked in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.
To the rice, he added chorizo sausage, diced shrimp, diced tomatoes, 2 eggs, and salt and pepper.
He stuffed the squid with the rice mixture, laid the plump little squid pockets in a baking dish and added a braising liquid consisting of minced garlic and onions, white wine and diced petite tomatoes. He cooked the Stuffed Squid at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes and served it with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

While the Stuffed Squid was baking, Chef Montero prepared Squid Fritters. He used both the round slices from the mantle (body of the squid)
and also the testicles - uhmm no - I meant tentacles.
He tossed the rings and tentacles in a mixture of seasoned flour then fried
them to a crispy light brown.
As Chef Montero was plating the dishes and his assistants bringing them to our tables, Mr. Hawthorne took the opportunity to excuse himself to go to the bathroom, thinking he wouldn't get a plate if he weren't there. This ruse clearly did not work as his plate was waiting for him when he came back.

Here's our lunch:

At the top right is the stuffed squid. The fritters are in the middle.
And we had lovely sauces to complement the squid.


Mr. Hawthorne wouldn't eat his, so I did.

The verdict:
The fritters weren't bad.
I won't be trying the stuffed squid at home.
I couldn't chew the squid. It was kind of rubbery. I noticed Glowria left her squid on her plate too. We just ate the stuffing part.

Now, the sauces were quite good.
The red sauce at the bottom right is a Marinara Sauce.

Here's the chef's recipe for Marinara Sauce.
(Yield: 1 gallon.)

1 cup yellow onions, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup garlic, chopped
2 oz. tomato paste
5 small cans diced tomatoes
4 small cans tomato sauce
1 TB dried basil
1 TB dried thyme
1/2 TB dried oregano
1/4 TB black pepper
Kosher salt to taste

In a large pot, saute the dried herbs (Use dried herbs so they release their oils.) and vegetables until tender in a vegetable/olive oil blend. Add the tomato paste and caramelize by stirring constantly and allowing it to brown a bit. Caramelizing activates the natural sugars and the brown stuff on the bottom of the pan is coagulated protein and fats, known as "fond."Deglaze with water or wine.
Once the paste is cooked, add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Puree.
The chef also suggested adding in minced carrots in your tomato sauce as a natural sweetener, instead of sugar.

The orange sauce at the bottom is a Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette.
(Yield: 1 quart.)

1 cup Roasted Red Peppers
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup shallot, chopped
1/4 cup garlic, chopped
1/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except the oil and blend until smooth.
Slowly add the oil to the mixer on low speed.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and allow to sit for at least 4 hours before using.

I'll definitely be making this sauce. It was quite good.

The tan sauce on the left above the vinaigrette is his Caesar Dressing.
I'll give you the chef's recipe but I'll be brutally honest with you:
Nobody makes a Caesar dressing better than Mr. Hawthorne and I do. Period.

Here's the chef's recipe for Caesar Dressing:

2 oz. anchovies
1/8 cup garlic
6 each green onion bottoms
1/8 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

In a food processor, puree all ingredients, except the two oils, until smooth.
Slowly add the oils and continue to puree until the dressing emulsifies.

Now, it's hard to see the fourth dressing, but it's white and is at the top of the plate.
It was a Tarragon Aioli and was the best of the four.

Here's the chef's recipe for Tarragon Aioli:

2 cups mayo
1 TB tarragon, dried
3 TB half and half
1/8 cup garlic, finely chopped
lemon juice
apple cider vinegar
kosher salt
ground pepper

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

I liked this aioli so much I made it for our dinner last night.

And what, you ask, did the Hawthornes have for dinner last night?


Soft shell crabs, with Tarragon Aioli and Tartar Sauce.

Here are the ingredients for my Tartar Sauce:

mayo
sweet pickle relish
dill pickles
apple cider vinegar
sugar
red onion

The candle is not, I repeat, NOT, an ingredient.
It is purely for ambience.



Here's my little soft shell, with Tartar Sauce at top right, and Tarragon Aioli at the bottom.
For my Aioli, I used fresh tarragon. I couldn't taste any tarragon at all in the Aioli we had for lunch, so I used fresh. Whenever you substitute fresh for dried herbs, you need to double or triple the amounts.

Delicious dinner.

Mr. Hawthorne digs in while I'm still taking pictures.
After all, he was very hungry after his "lunch" yesterday.
Poor baby.

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