What to do at the last minute.

I played golf today and got home kind of late.  Jan volunteers at the Children's Mercy hospital on Friday afternoons, so she wasn't planning anything for dinner.  I knew I had a pound of fresh, wild caught shrimp in the fridge, so I thought I would do something with those, but I wasn't sure what.  I love to look in the fridge and around the counters and see what we have on hand and then go from there.  We had about half of a baguette left from yesterday, that was starting to get a little hard. We had some fresh herbs that needed to be used and I saw a few Campari tomatoes in the bowl on the counter that needed to be used in the next day or so.  What I created from the items on hand was thin spaghetti, with a garlic-butter sauce, topped with shrimp, tomatoes, and herbed croutons.  It tasted delicious and looked like this:

 

 

Here is what I did.

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 of a day old baguette, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/4 Lb. butter

Extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1 Lb. thin spaghetti ( I like DeCecco )

1 Lb. wild caught jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

3-4 tsps. chopped garlic

1 tsps. chopped fresh tarragon

1 tsps. chopped fresh oregano

1 tsps. chopped fresh basil

6-8 Campari tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 1/2" dice

 

Preparation:

 

Toss the bread cubes in a couple TBSP of olive oil.  Salt and pepper and stir well.  Melt, 3 TBSP butter and a TBSP of olive oil in a skillet, over medium heat.  Add the bread cubes to the skillet and toast them, stirring frequently, until they are crisp and browned.  Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and let them rest on a paper towel.  Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil.  Add a TBSP of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the water and cook the pasta according to the package directions.  While the pasta is cooking, use the same skillet you used to make the croutons, and melt the remaining 5 TBSP of butter.  Add a couple of TBSP of olive oil and the 3-4 tsps. garlic.  Sauté the garlic until it is tender but not brown.  Add all of the herbs.  Stir well and add the shrimp.  Salt and pepper the shrimp and turn them when they have a lovely pink color.  Salt and pepper the other side.  When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot.  Drizzle the pasta with olive oil and set it back on the warm burner, to hold.  About one or two minutes prior to serving, add the chopped tomatoes and the croutons to the garlic sauce and the shrimp in the skillet.  Stir well so that the tomatoes and croutons absorb some of the butter sauce and herbs.  Place a serving of pasta in a pasta bowl and top with the butter and shrimp sauce from the skillet.  I enjoyed this dish with a nice oaky California chardonnay. 

 

As an aside, notice I used wild caught shrimp.  Generally I only buy wild caught shrimp.  We lived in shrimp country for a number of years, and believe me there is a difference between farm raised and wild caught.  Most farm raised shrimp come from Viet Nam, and are raised in very unclean conditions. Growth is stimulated with growth hormones.  Do some research if you don't believe me.  Wild caught US shrimp, are just what they say they are.  They are caught in US waters by shrimpers and contain no hormones or additives.  Most shrimpers struggle to get by.  Especially when fuel costs are high.  I like to support them and use a clean natural product.  If I am forced into buying some frozen packaged shrimp, due to lack of availability of wild caught, I go to Costco.  I read an article, which tested a number of different brands of frozen shrimp and Costco came out on top, when it came to taste and purity.  I never buy precooked shrimp.  It is generally overcooked and rubbery.  It only take a few minutes to cook it yourself and believe me, it will be better. 

 

 

 

Sea Scallops on a Bed of Israeli Couscous and Arugula/ Fennel Salad

This is a nice light summer meal, that contains, protein, starch and green vegetable all served in one dish. Served with a glass of sauvignon blanc and a baguette it makes a beautiful presentation and a tasty treat. 

Israeli couscous is not couscous at all, but a form of toasted pasta that was created in Israel in the 1950's as a substitute for rice.  It is marketed in Israel as Ben-Gurion rice, but known as Israeli couscous in the west. Couscous, on the other hand, is a north African dish made from processed Durham wheat that is hand rolled into pellets.  It is very good but also very different from Israeli couscous.

The recipe also calls for dry sea scallops.  In the seafood industry, scallops and other fish are often soaked in phosphates.  The phosphates cause the scallops to absorb water and increase their weight.  This kind of scallop will appear very white in color and will not caramelize when you try to sear them.  The moisture content is too high. Dry scallops are natural.  They have not been soaked in phosphates and water.  They will have a more tan or vanilla color and they will sear up nicely with a great caramelized crust on the outside.  Make sure to ask your seafood market for dry scallops and if they don't know what you are talking about go somewhere else. 

Ingredients:(Serves 4)

1- Ruby red grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
Extra virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Cayenne Pepper
5 Oz. box of fresh arugula
1 Fennel bulb - slice thinly
1/2 Cup sliced black olives
Israeli couscous - Enough to serve 4, per package directions
16 Large Dry Sea Scallops
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Preparation:

To prepare dressing, peel the grapefruit and cut it into sections.  Squeeze all of the juice out of the sections and collect in glass measuring vessel. Add  Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the juice so that you have a total volume of three times the amount of juice. Said another way, use twice the amount of oil as you have juice.  Season to taste with sea salt and cayenne pepper.  Stir well and set aside.  Put enough of the arugula, sliced fennel and olives into a salad bowl to serve four.  Toss with the dressing. 

Prepare Israeli couscous per package directions and hold.

Using about 1 TBSP of olive oil, coat a skillet and heat it to high heat.  Add a sprig of rosemary to the skillet.  Sear scallops on each side.  Do not overcook.  This should only take a minute or two per side. When scallops are done, put about a cup of Israeli couscous on each of four plates.  Spread the couscous out so that you can set the other ingredients on top of it.  I like to use rectangular plates for this dish.  Top the Israeli couscous with the dressed arugula and fennel salad and then place four seared scallops on top of the salad.  This makes a beautiful presentation and the taste is fabulous. The citrus flavor of a good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc blends very nicely with the dressing on the arugula salad.  Enjoy !! 

Grilled Quinoa-Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

One of my sons became a vegetarian a few years back and that has caused me to find a whole new group of recipes.  This recipe was in the Kansas City Star about three years ago and we have made it several times.  It makes a great main course for a vegetarian or a really pretty and tasty side dish when served with grilled meats.  The recipe makes four servings. 

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup quinoa
2 TBSP canola or vegetable oil - divided
4 large Portobello mushrooms
1/2 Cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Cup fresh, trimmed baby spinach leaves - chopped
1 tsps. dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 Cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 TBSP shredded Parmesan cheese
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 TBSP fresh minced basil leaves

Preparation:

Cook Quinoa according to package directions.  It will make about one cup cooked.  Preheat grill to medium, indirect heat.  Trim the stem from each mushroom and wipe mushrooms clean with a paper towel.  Using 1 TBSP of the oil, brush the outside top of each mushroom and set them aside, stem side up.  Heat the remaining TBSP of oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 3 or 4 minutes or until onion is tender.  Stir in spinach, dried basil and salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in quinoa and mozzarella.  Spoon 1/4 of the quinoa mixture into each mushroom cap. Place mushroom caps directly on the grill with the stuffing side up.  Cook covered for about 15 minutes or until tender.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cook for another minute or two, until cheese is melted.  While mushrooms are cooking, stir together tomatoes, and fresh basil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon about 1/3 cup tomato basil mixture on top of each mushroom.  If you like more stuffing , double the recipe for the stuffing ingredients and use as much as you like for each mushroom.  If you don't like to grill you could also do these in the broiler. 

Make Ahead Beef Brisket

Sometimes in the summer, I like to serve a simple buffet meal for guests.  A typical menu might be beef brisket sandwiches on hard rolls, shrimp rolls (recipe previously on Grandpa Cooks), fresh tomato salad, sweet corn, and apple pie with ice cream.  This beef brisket recipe calls for most of the cooking the day prior to serving, so on the day you are having guests, all you have to do is warm it up.  The shrimp salad for the shrimp rolls can be made a day ahead too, so on the day of your party all you have to do is make a tomato salad and boil up some sweet corn, assuming you have a household baker for the pie, like I do.  Costco apple pie isn't bad either, but it's not as good as Jan's. This makes for simple entertaining and you can devote your time to your guests instead of being in the kitchen.  Here is the brisket recipe:

Ingredients:(serves about 8)

5 LB beef brisket flat
merlot wine
liquid smoke
celery salt
garlic salt
onion salt
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Two days prior to serving, begin to marinade the brisket, by lightly coating a broiler pan with pam.  Place the brisket fat side up in the broiler pan.  Pour 1/2 cup of merlot over the brisket, and then top it with a small ribbon of liquid smoke.  Sprinkle with celery salt, garlic salt and onion salt.  Cover the pan with foil and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. 

The next day(one day prior to serving), preheat oven to 275 degrees. Remove brisket from the frig. and pour another 1/2 cup of merlot over the brisket.  Top it with a ribbon of Worcestershire sauce and then some salt and pepper.  Cover with foil and bake covered for 4-5 hours.  I generally let it go the full five hours, but check it after four.  The meat should be fork tender and tear apart when you twist the fork.  When the meat is done, let it cool on the counter.  Once the meat has cooled use an electric knife and slice the layer of fat off of the top of the brisket.  Next slice the meat into the thinnest slices that you can.  Return the sliced meat to the juices in the pan that you roasted the meat in.  Cover with foil and refrigerate. 

On the day you want to serve the brisket, take it out of the refrigerator three hours prior to serving.  Uncover and let the meat warm to room temperature.  This will take a couple of hours. One hour prior to serving, reheat the uncovered brisket, in it's juices, in a three hundred degree oven for about an hour.  I like to serve as sandwiches on hard rolls with the cooking juices as a side gravy.  Or you can serve the brisket as a main course with some good mashed potatoes and a green salad. 

Wes Roeder's Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

When I was a kid, the fourth of July often meant that we would have some sort of family picnic.  Usually it was with my Mom's side of the family.  Her brothers would man the grill.  There would be a couple of galvanized tubs that were filled with ice and water.  One had cold drinks in it and the other a watermelon.  The watermelon floating in the icy water would get so cold and crisp that when we cut it open it would pop and crack.  There was always a big crock of iced tea too.  I loved all of it, but the best part of any family picnic was that my Dad always made homemade ice cream.  When I was very young, we had the sort of ice cream freezer that you had to hand crank.  We would take turns and work for hours to turn out that delicious stuff.  Later, when I was a teenager we moved up to an electric ice cream freezer.  It wasn't as much work, but still produced a really great ice cream. 

In the old machines, there was an outer wooden bucket.  A metal container sat in the middle of the wooden bucket.  A Paddle fit into the center of the metal container.  The metal container was pre-cooled in the refrigerator.  It was then filled with the ice cream mixture and inserted into the wooden bucket.  The paddle was inserted into the metal container and the top sealed with a lid. The space between the wooden bucket and the metal container was filled with ice and rock salt. Through heat transfer, the ice melted and cooled the ice cream mixture. The crank, or the motor on newer machines, turned the metal bucket.  The paddle remained stationary.  This kept the hardening ice cream off of the outer walls of the metal container.  The turning motion aerated the ice cream and kept it from getting ice crystals in the mixture.  The first ice cream maker was patented in the United States in 1843, and the principles haven't changed much since.  In some modern machines, the hollow space between the ice cream container and the outer walls are filled with a liquid which is pre-frozen by putting the machine in the freezer.  This eliminates the need for the ice and salt, but the process is still very similar to the old fashioned method. 

I still have my Dad's recipe for ice cream and it seems to me to be the best I have ever had. Try the vanilla first and if you like it, don't be afraid to add some cut up fruit like peaches or raspberries on your next try. 

Ingredients:

4 Eggs
21/4 Cups Sugar
5 Cups Whole Milk
4 Cups Heavy Cream
41/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Salt

Preparation:

Beat eggs well and add sugar slowly, while continuing to beat the mixture.  Add the rest of the ingredients and pour into the cooled inner portion of your ice cream maker.  Proceed with the directions that come with your machine and enjoy when done.  (This recipe contains raw eggs, which can cause salmonella, but I never knew a single person who got sick from ice cream.)

Shrimp Rolls

If you want a nice light meal for a summer evening, here is a good alternative.  This is a Martha Stewart recipe, but if you have ever traveled the Maine Coast, you know that every few miles you will see a roadside restaurant called a lobster pound.  These places sell whole Maine lobsters, and lobster rolls.  A lobster roll is a sandwich on a hard roll with chopped lobster in a mayo based dressing.  They are really delicious.  This recipe substitutes shrimp for the lobster and is equally delicious.  I like to serve it with a crisp Chenin Blanc, Viognier blend, preferably Pine Ridge. This couldn't be easier to make.  The recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 Lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined and boiled.  Cooled and chopped into 
          a  1/2 inch dice. 
1 TBSP Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. Dried Tarragon
2-4 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice
Coarse Ground Salt and Pepper
4 Hard Rolls or Bakery Hot Dog Rolls
4 Large, washed romaine leaves

Preparation:

Peel and devein the shrimp.  Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.  Add the Old Bay Seasoning to the water.  Once the water is at the rolling boil add the shrimp and watch the pot. As soon as the water returns to a boil, boil the shrimp for two minutes.  Dump shrimp into a strainer and cool them immediately with cold running water.  This will stop the shrimp from continuing to cook.  The most common mistake with shrimp is overcooking.
Dry the shrimp on paper towels and put in a covered container in the fridge for an hour or so.  When shrimp is cool, chop into pieces about 1/2 inch long. In a bowl mix shrimp with mayonnaise and tarragon.  Season to taste with the lemon juice and salt and pepper.  Line each roll with a lettuce leaf and fill each roll with 1/4 of the shrimp salad.  Some fresh sweet corn and one of these shrimp rolls and you have a very tasty summer treat. 

Beef Wellington

If you want something a little fancy for the holiday weekend, here is a good recipe for beef wellington.  This recipe uses fillets and wraps them in individual pieces of puff pastry.  It is a little easier to deal with than the traditional version where you wrap the whole tenderloin in pastry.  I have had this recipe for over 30 years.  It originally came from a gourmet group that we belonged to in New Fairfield, Connecticut.  Have this with a big California Cabernet or an Australian Shiraz and you are in for a treat.

Ingredients:

8   5OZ. fillets of beef, well trimmed
vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper
12 Oz. Fresh Mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 TBSP butter - melted
1 1/4 Cup soft bread crumbs
1 1/2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 1/2 TBSP parsley - chopped
1/2 tsp. thyme
8 frozen puff pastry shells or 4 full sheets
2 egg whites slightly beaten

Preparation:

Put fillets in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill them.  Remove from freezer and brush them well with the vegetable oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sear in skillet for about 5 minutes on each side.  Chill seared steaks in refrigerator.  Process mushrooms in a food processor until they have a pate consistency.  Sauté onion in butter until soft and translucent.  Add mushrooms, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and the thyme to the onions.  Remove from heat and divide into 8 portions.  Roll out each pastry shell to about 9 x 5 inches and 1/8 inch thick.  If using puff pastry sheets, each sheet should do two steaks.  Place one portion of mushroom mixture in the center of each pastry rectangle.  Top with a chilled fillet.  Fold in the sides and end of the pastry, encasing the fillet.  Place the fillets in a shallow baking dish, with the seamed side down.  At this point you can hold in the refrigerator for up to several hours.  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.   Brush each pastry shell with the egg white.  Bake 10 minutes for rare, 12 minutes for medium rare, or 15 minutes for medium.  I like to serve with twice baked potatoes and a green vegetable.  It makes a pretty plate and is delicious.