Sunday, August 23, 2020

Rosie Loves Her Fried Shrimp.



The Hawthornes always have shrimp in their freezers.
We start buying up shrimp in mid to late summer
and continue up to whatever hurricane comes our way
and washes the rest of the shrimp out to sea.

Also, I have found is I want good fried shrimp,
I must make it myself.
Today, I had a hankerin' for fried shrimp
with a sweet and sour sauce.
And here's how I made it.

I fixed the sweet and sour sauce first.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Mix all together in a small saucepan:
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped yellow and orange peppers
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

I  happened to have a fresh pineapple,
so that's what I used.
You could use canned if that's what you have.

Heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved,
and mixture starts to simmer.
Pour in a cornstarch slurry - 
one TB cornstarch  dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water.
Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.


I'm going with a wet batter today.

Rosie's Shrimp Batter
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Togarashi seasoning
about 1 cup buttermilk

Mix all dry ingredients
then whisk in buttermilk until smooth.

In case you're unfamiliar with Togarashi seasoning,
it's simply a blend of seasonings -
red chile peppers, black and white sesame seeds,
poppy seeds, orange and lemon zests.
If you don't have the Togarashi,
you could substitute cayenne or red pepper flakes
and add in some lemon or orange zest,
or just use a seasoned pepper, like Lawry's (my old stand-by). 

Dip the shrimp in the batter mixture
and shake off any excess batter.

For frying:
 I use peanut oil in a heavy fry pan.
About 3 inches of oil.
Heat oil to around 380°.
Most importantly,
do NOT crowd the pan when you're frying.
You want to maintain that hot temperature.
So I gently drop one shrimp at a time into the hot oil
and fry no more than 4 or 5 at a time.


 Depending on the size of the shrimp,
and these were fairly large shrimp,
fry time should be 60-90 seconds.


You want a nice golden color.
Remove from hot oil, let drain.

I served these over a bed of Jasmine rice
with the sweet and sour sauce.

If you wanted to throw some toasted peanuts
or toasted sesame seeds in there,
go right ahead.
I wouldn't stop you.

Enjoy!

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Rosie Makes A Fennel Salad.



I'm always on the lookout for something different -
different flavors, different textures, 
and different foods - particularly under-utilized vegetables.
And I've got something unique for you today.
It's a fennel dish.
It can be used as a side dish to complement your meal
or as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
Either way, you're going to enjoy this.

Fennel,  in case you're unfamiliar with it,
is a member of the carrot family, 
although it's not a root vegetable.
It grows above ground and the edible parts
are the bulb, the stalks, and the feathery leaves.
(I'll be using all three in this dish.)
It has a mild anise flavor, which I like,
even though I'm not a fan of licorice.

Fennel Salad
2-3 stalks fennel, with bulb, sliced
1 cup dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1/2 cup dried quinoa
zest of one lemon
1 small red onion, chopped
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped
1 TB chopped fennel fronds
2 TB chopped parsley
1 TB chopped oregano (I used fresh. 1 tsp if using dried)
1 TB chopped mint
1/3 cup diced feta cheese
1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
Vinaigrette, recipe follows

For the salad:
In medium saucepan, cook garbanzo beans in salted water to cover, over medium heat, until al dente.  No need to soak the beans overnight.  I never bother with soaking.  If you want them to cook quicker, add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water.  The change in pH breaks (more alkaline) breaks down the pectin, causing the beans to soften more rapidly.  By the way, the baking soda trick will work with all types of dried beans.  When the beans have reached the texture you like, drain and rinse them.  As a rule, 1 part dried beans will equal 2 parts cooked beans.

For the quinoa, cook in salted water.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until quinoa is tender and a white "tail" appears - about 15 minutes.  Drain off any excess water and fluff with a fork.   1 part dried quinoa equals about 2 parts cooked.  Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), by the way, is a grain crop grown for its edible seeds and has been cultivated by the Incans for thousands of years.  It has a slightly nutty flavor and is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.

 Sauté the fennel in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes.  Add in the chopped red onion and cook for another minute.  Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

After the garbanzo beans, quinoa, fennel, and onion have cooled, combine all together.  Add remaining ingredients, then pour vinaigrette over mixture and toss to combine.

Vinaigrette 
1 garlic clove, minced
2 TB Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Slowly whisk olive oil into vinegar and garlic until you have a nice smooth emulsion.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Always use a good quality vinegar and olive oil.  Taste test if possible before buying, which is why I buy my vinegars at either Outer Banks Olive Oil Company at MP 6 or Ella's Olive Oil in Duck.  For this vinaigrette, I used OB Olive Oil's traditional balsamic vinegar and Corto extra virgin olive oil which I get from Amazon.

Toss salad with vinaigrette to coat evenly.
Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors meld.

Fennel
Onion
Lemon
Tomato
Garbanzo beans and quinoa
Feta cheese
Kalamata olives
Parsley, mint, oregano, fennel fronds

Sauté the fennel in olive oil for about 2 minutes.
Medium heat.


Add in onion and sauté for another minute.

 
Let cool.

Cooked and cooled garbanzo beans and quinoa.

Add in lemon zest.


Add fennel and onion.


Tomato in.
Peel your tomato, then slice in half.
Stick fingers in pockets and squeeze to juice and seed.
Then chop.


Fresh herbs:
Parsley, mint, oregano, fennel frond.


Add in herbs.

Toss.


Diced feta and slice Kalamata olives.


Add in feta and olives.

Toss to combine.

Drizzle in vinaigrette.
Mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.





This is one of those dishes with so many flavors and textures
that I want everything in my mouth at one time.
I can be piggish that way.

Excellent as a side dish.
And works admirably as an appetizer.
Try scooping with tortilla chips.


Enjoy!

Monday, August 10, 2020

Mr. Hawthorne Makes A Simple Corn Salad.






In the heat of the summer,
I like light vegetable dishes,
particularly with fresh green herbal accents
and garden tomatoes.
And that corn!
Nothing like fresh, sweet corn.
Oh yeah, there is.
A warm, garden tomato, just picked.
Full of juice, flavor, and ... sun.
I've waited all year for those tomatoes!


Here's Mr. Hawthorne's Garden Salad.
To prepare the corn,
we leave the husks on and slice off the ends.
Place in microwave, with large end facing out.
Nuke one ear for two minutes.
Two-three ears for three minutes.
Let cool at bit, then de-husk, de-silk,
and slice off kernels.

Corn Salad Ingredients
 2-3 ears of corn, prepared as above
green, yellow, orange, and red mini sweet peppers, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 TB chopped fresh basil
Combine all ingredients.

For the dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 TB lime juice
1 tsp grated lime zest
1 tsp Texas Pete or Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Whisk ingredients in a small bowl.
Pour dressing over corn mixture and toss to coat.



And there you have ...  summer in a bowl.