Creole Shrimp and Mussels

I have to admit it.... I'm an addict and I'm addicted to steamed mussels.

No matter what restaurant I go to, I always seem to order it. As this dish is typically served with french bread, for this reason, it becomes even more addicting. As bread is the perfect ingredient to soak up the delicious creole sauce. As a matter of fact, the sauce is probably the star of this dish. Everyone that knows me, knows that I've been struggling to master the art of bread making. Well, I think I finally found the right formula to make french bread. If you have the time you might want to try it out, but I'm going to warn you now, it takes a lot of patience.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh or frozen mussels
1 pound shrimp
1/2 can Cento Whole San Marzano Tomatoes (14 oz)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Several sprigs of cilantro or parsley for garnish (roughly chopped)
5-6 garlic cloves (minced)
1 large shallot (diced)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

In a deep pan or pot on medium-high heat toast the dried basil, oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper for about 4-5 minutes. This will cause it to smoke a little bit but, this is okay, continue stirring but do not let it burn. Add the oil to the toasted herbs and continue stirring. Add the shallots and garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. With a wooden spoon or whatever utensil your prefer, begin crushing the tomatoes and let this cook for an additional 2 minutes before adding the chicken stock. Once the chicken stock has been added, while stirring consistently, begin adding the heavy cream and butter. Allow this simmer for at least 15 minutes. As you will want to serve this dish hot and fresh, add the shrimp and mussels to the sauce 5 minutes before serving so you don't over cook it. Cover with a lid to allow the steam to cook the mussels and shrimp. Check after 5 minutes. Shrimp are ready when they have a pink color while the mussels shell will be opened. Garnish with cilantro or parsley before serving.

French Bread:

1 cup cake flour
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (for the bowl)
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 packet active yeast
1 large egg
1 small egg (for the egg wash to brush on the bread)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions:

Add yeast to 1/2 cup warm water and let the yeast activate for about 5 minutes or until it begins to foam. In a mixing bowl add both types of flour, sea salt, and sugar and mix well. Add the oil and continue kneading the dough. Next add the egg into the flour mixture and continue kneading. Add the 1/2 cup of water containing the yeast to the dough and continue kneading. Slowly add the last 1 cup of water to the dough mixture while kneading at the same time. By the time all ingredients have been added, the dough will be elastic that's on the slightly sticky side. However, if the dough is too sticky dust it with flour and continue kneading or if it's to dry the add a little more water.

Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest and rise for approximately 4 hours. After the 4 hours, divide the dough in half and begin shaping your bread. Place the dough on to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover again with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise again for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap from the sheet pans and brush the bread with the egg wash. Bake for approximately 25 minutes and brush again with egg wash. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes. Remove the bread and place on a cooling rack.

Caramelized Pork Belly and Quail Eggs

Recently, pork bellies have been all the rave. Iron Chef Michael Simon lives and dies by them during his battles in Kitchen Stadium and David Chang's braised pork belly on steamed buns is stuff of legends. But before they were so popular on food shows and trendy restaurants, this cut of meat was always cooked at home by people such as my mom and maybe your mom.

The Vietnamese use this cut in their Thit Kho and we Laotians use it in our Tom Khem, which is best described as pork belly stew (the two are almost the exact same thing by the way). Looking back to my younger years, I think my mom was onto something when she used to make this pork belly dish called "Moo Vahn" which literally translates to sweet pork. Who would've known that the dish she used to prepare for me as a child could one day be classified as fine dining material. That makes me wonder what the next new culinary fad will be, I better ask my mom, I think she has a little bit of insight.

Ingredients:

1 pound pork belly (cut into 2-3 inch pieces)

4 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1-2 inch piece of ginger (julienne cut)

3-4 garlic cloves (minced)

1 medium shallot (thinly sliced)

1 can quail eggs

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions:

Heat a wok or a deep pan on high heat. Add the oil, shallots and garlic. Cook this for about a minute, don't let the garlic burn as it will cause it to become bitter. Add the pork belly and continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes as this will add a sear to the meat. Add the oyster sauce and sugar and reduce the heat down to medium-low. Cover the pan or pot and cook for 15 minutes to infuse the flavors. After the 15 minutes, add water and stir the meat and cover the pan or pot again and cook for 45 minutes - as this is to tenderize the meat. Lastly, add the ginger and quail eggs and cover and cook for another 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, with a spoon begin removing the excess oil and discard. Turn the heat back on to high and stir the pork belly and eggs for about 2-3 minutes or until the proteins look like they have a thick brown coating on them. Removing the cover will let release the moisture and all the sauce to reduce at a faster pace. This last part will caramelize the proteins and will create great flavor. Finally, remove the pork belly and eggs and serve with rice.

Baked Shumai Stuffed Mushrooms in Tomato Sauce

As you can probably tell by the title, this dish has a Chinese and Italian inspiration. Shumai is one of my favorite dim sum dishes and how can you ever go wrong with Italian style tomato sauce. The mushrooms are a perfect vessel to bridge the two dishes together. This shumai is made of ground pork and shrimp and the tomato sauce has a hint of cream to help balance out the natural acidic flavor of the tomatoes.

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

1 can San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz)
4 garlic gloves (minced)
1 large shallot (minced)
5 sprigs fresh basil (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon dry crushed chili peppers
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces mozzarella cheese (thinly sliced or grated to spread on top of dish)

Preheat a stock pot with olive oil on medium high heat for 1-2 minutes. Then add the garlic and shallots, cook until shallots are translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the tomatoes with the sauce from the can and begin crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon in the pot. Add the basil, thyme, oregano, chili peppers, salt, black pepper and bay leaves. Bring the heat down to a simmer and cover the pot. Let this continue cooking while creating the shumai stuffed mushrooms and stir every 5 minutes. Stir in the cream in the last 5 minutes before adding to the mushrooms.

Shumai Ingredients:

9-10 large button mushrooms (stem removed and saved for stuffing)
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound shrimp (finely chopped)
2 scallions (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Accompaniments:

Pasta (Spaghetti or Angel Hair is perfect for this)
Garlic bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Finely chopped the stems of the mushrooms and add to a mixing bowl. Then add the pork, shrimp, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, salt, and black pepper. Gently mix all the ingredients in the bowl. Take the mixture and stuff the hollow area of the mushrooms, I like to over stuff mine and have quite a bit of the stuffing stick out from the mushrooms.

Place the mushrooms in a cast iron skillet (I like using a cast iron skillet because it retains heat and keeps the food nice and hot while serving) or casserole dish with the stuffing side up. Add the tomato sauce and cover entire contents. Bake for 30 minutes and then add the mozzarella cheese on top of each of the mushrooms. Continue baking for another 20 minutes to allow the cheese to melt into the dish. Carefully remove the dish with oven mits and serve with pasta and garlic bread.

Steamed Artichoke with Spicy Aioli Dip

Most of you are probably tired of seeing aioli postings however; But I'm not done showing how versatile and easy this dip is. By now, you get the idea that you can make endless combination of flavors with aioli. This dish is semi-inspired by the restaurant formerly known as  Houston's in Dallas. While they drizzle olive oil and grill their artichoke, steaming it is simpler and allows you to taste the artichoke for what it is. This aioli is spiced with cayenne pepper and paprika and is a perfect pairing with the sweet and earthy taste of the artichoke.

Ingredients:

1 large artichoke
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups water
1 large egg
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Trim about 2-3 inches off the top of the artichoke to reveal all the layering. This is an important step, because as you steam the artichoke this will allow the artichoke to cook evenly and consistently. In a steamer, add water and sea salt and bring to a boil. Next place the artichoke top down so the steam can infuse into each layer. Steam for approximately 20 minutes or until the stem is tender. Remove from the water and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before peeling the leaves. When peeling the leaves you'll want to discard the first one or two outer layers and also the inner core that sits on top of the artichoke heart itself. In the picture above you'll notice the artichoke heart is filled with the aioli. I like to do it this way as you'll want to save the best for last.

For the aioli, you can choose to take the shortcut route and use mayonnaise (not miracle whip) and disregard the egg and oil but you'll want to use all the other ingredients listed. If you're making it from scratch, separate the whites and yolk from the egg (do not throw anything away, except the shell). Add the egg whites to a food processor and turn it to the lowest setting. Slowly drizzle half the oil until the mixture emulsifies. Next add kosher salt and the egg yolk, continue processing on lowest setting. While the food processor is still on add: garlic, lemon juice from half a lemon, cayenne pepper and paprika (these are the same ingredients you'll want to add to your store bought mayonnaise if you're taking the shortcut route).

As I stated earlier, I used the artichoke heart as a bowl to hold the aioli. To eat simply dip the artichoke leaves in the aioli and with your teeth you'll want to scrap the inside of the leaves. I was told last night that this can be very addicting. Hope you all enjoy!

Snow Pea Casserole

It's fall and getting closer to Thanksgiving! This past weekend I was in Dallas discussing Thanksgiving plans with friends and family and hopefully our not so traditional holiday dinner will come to fruition. In the meantime, I've got some practicing to do since I came back home with 5 pounds of chili peppers and about a pound of snow peas and thought if you can make a casserole with green beans why not snow peas. The result came out a lot better than I thought; it was quite delicious!

Ingredients:

1 pound snow peas
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 chicken thighs (deboned)
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Several cups canola oil for frying the onions
1 tablespoon olive oil to sauté the chicken

Directions:

Prep the snow peas by cutting the tips off both ends and discard. In a pot of boiling water add the coarse sea salt and blanch the snow peas for about a minute. Remove the snow peas with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

Prep the onions by slicing half the onions into thin rings and dice the remainder.

In a saucepan, add half a stick of butter on medium high heat when the butter has melted add the diced onions and garlic. Let the onions sweat for about 3-5 minutes or until it's translucent, then add 1/4 cup of the flour. Stir into a paste and slowly add the chicken broth, then add the cream while slowly stirring. Next, add  the kosher salt, Parmesan cheese, the remaining butter, and black pepper. Keep the saucepan on simmer while you prep the other ingredients.

You can keep it semi-vegetarian by leaving out the chicken but I think it adds the much needed protein to this dish, especially when it's the main course - like it is tonight. If you choose to use chicken, then simply cube the chicken and sauté in olive oil on medium high heat.

Most people would buy fried onions in a can, but that is unlike me to go the easy shortcut route; but feel free to do so if you choose. If you want to make fried onions from scratch it's an easy process. Add 1/4 cup of all purpose flour and the fine sea salt to a bowl for dredging. Separate the onions that you previously diced into rings and toss in the flour mixture. In a deep fryer set at 350 degrees add 1/4 of the battered onions and fry for about 3 minutes or GBD (golden brown & delicious). Remove and set on paper towel to drain the excess oil and continue this process until all of the onions have been fried.

To make the casserole: Add the snow peas and the chicken to the sauce and mix well. Place the mixture in a casserole dish or iron cast skillet and top it off with the fried onions. Place the dish in a preheated 350 degrees oven and cook for 20 or until it starts to boil.

If you're looking for an alternative to a green bean casserole this dish would make a great one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa (Jeow Mak Len)

I've been asked by several of my friends to cook and post this, so here it is. Normally, this would be part of an ordinary lunch for Laotians. All you need see some sin lot/sin savanh (beef jerky) and some sticky rice to go doing with it. I've also paired this sauce with tamales to give it an extra kick. With the right equipment this can be made very easily.

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
4 Thai chili peppers
10 sprigs cilantro (roughly chopped)
2 scallions (thinly sliced)
Juice of half a lime
3-4 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Fold a piece of foil that's about a foot long at the edges about 2 inches on each side to create a box. Place the tomatoes, chili peppers, and garlic on three foil. Set you oven to broil with the rack on the second highest level from the top. Place the foil containing the ingredients on the rack and let it roast for about 4-5 minutes or until the contents begin to char. Remove the chili peppers and garlic and rotate the tomatoes to where the charred side is now in the bottom. Roast for another 4-5 minutes and remove from oven. Fold and enclose contents in foil and let it steam for another 5 minutes. If you have a torch, open the foil and begin torching the tomatoes for extra charredness.

In a mortar and pestle, add the toasted chili peppers and garlic along with the salt and begin mashing into a paste. Add tomatoes along with any juice that is remaining in the foil. Begin mashing into a paste. Now add the lime juice and fish sauce. You may want to add a little bit of each at a time and taste, adjust your tartness by adding more lime juice and saltiness with more fish sauce. Once you get the taste that pleases your palette, add cilantro and scallions.

This salsa is very versatile and here are few suggestions of how to use it.

-Dip with sticky rice
-On top of steamed jasmin rice
-As a sauce with tamales
-Toasted bruschetta
-Tortilla chips

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2