Shrimp Beurre Monte

Butter-poached shrimp.  Obnoxious.  Delicious.

Ingredients

12 large or jumbo shrimp or prawns

5 cups court bouillon 

1/2 pound of butter, or 2 sticks (yes you heard me), cut into chunks

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. 1.Peel and devein shrimp and add shells to court bouillon.   I’ve talked about court bouillon before.  If you don’t remember click here for a refresher.  Basically simmer water with onion, parsley stems, peppercorns, carrot and lemon or vinegar.  Like a stock, but not really.  Helpful?
2. 2.After that has simmered at least 20 minutes kill the heat.  Strain.  Immediately add the shrimp and cook until just barely cooked (2 minutes or so).  Remove shrimp and set aside.
3. 3.Move 1/2 cup of the strained court bouillon to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer.  Once it simmers kill the heat and start adding the butter chunks and whisking.  Almost like a beurre blanc.  It should emulsify.  Salt and white pepper to taste and add the shrimp back in, coating them with the sauce and letting them sit in the sauce for a minute or two to warm up.
4. 4.Plate and serve with a sprinkle of parsley.

**Technically the shrimp were not poached in butter.  But it tastes good this way.

Barley with Porcini and Ham

Barley was the first domesticated grain in the near east.  It was used to make beer and that beer was used as currency.  Facts.

Don’t discount barley because of a confusing Sting song.  Its good.

This will make 10 portions.

Ingredients

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms

4 fl oz water, hot

1 fl oz oil

4 oz onions, small dice

4 oz celery, small dice

10 oz barley

2 1/4 cups beef stock (or chicken stock, or veggie stock if that’s your thing)

4 oz cooked ham, small dice

salt

Method

1. 1.Soak mushrooms in hot water until rehydrated and soft.  Drain mushrooms and squeeze moisture out, but reserve the soaking liquid (strain if grainy or chunky).  Finely chop mushrooms.
2. 2.Heat oil in a medium to large saucepan. Saute onion and celery until soft.
3. 3.Add barley and saute (as if you were pearling rice for pilaf or risotto)
4. 4.Add the stock and the mushroom liquid.  Bring to a boil and stir in the chopped mushrooms and ham.  
5. 5.Salt to taste.
6. 6.Cover tightly and either cook on top of the stove over low heat or in the oven at 325 degrees until barley is tender and liquid has been absorbed.  About 35 minutes.
7. 7.Fluff before service.  Salt if necessary.
   
   

Vegetable Egg Rolls

Is there any great reason to eat a vegetarian egg roll?  I guess your being a vegetarian or having a gun to your head are decent reasons.

This is similar to a recipe that I was supposed to make in class this morning.  I doctored it, which is a questionable move in class; the chef wants to know you can follow directions but I’m guessing also wants to taste something worth eating.  I have a huge reputation to live up to; my mom is the most famous egg roll maker in the northeast!

Elevate this recipe by adding some ground meat (pork!) or shrimp.  Even crab.  Yum.

Some egg roll recipes will have you frying with raw filling, while these have a filling that is fully cooked before they go into the fryer.  It’s nice because you can taste the filling and adjust the seasonings before they are cooked (and it’s too late to adjust).

Ingredients

1 oz oil

**6 oz cooked meat, either ground of shredded is fine optional

**1 1/2 oz raw shrimp, peeled and deveined and chopped optional

6 oz chinese cabbage, shredded

3 scallions, chopped fine

6 oz bean sprouts

5 dried black mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped fine

2 oz bamboo, fine julienne cut

3 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sherry or shaoxing wine

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp oyster sauce

3 oz chicken stock

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 T water, cold

16 square skins/wrappers

1 egg, beaten

Method

1. 1.Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat
2. 2.Stir-fry cabbage, scallion, sprouts, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (and meat/shrimp if using).  Add water as needed if your pan becomes very dry, this will help “steam” the veggies and wilt them faster
3. 3.Combine soy sauce, sherry (or shaoxing), garlic powder, pepper flakes, oyster sauce and half of the stock and then add to the stir-fry mixture.  Stir and cook another 2-3 minutes.  If it becomes at all dry add the rest of the stock (this is a variable - you want the filling moist but not wet).
4. 4.Combine cornstarch with water (slurry) and add to the pan.  Stir and cook until thickened and reduced.
5. 5.Remove from the heat and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Cool.
6. 6.Lay skin down in front of you like a diamond and add about 1 1/2 oz of filling to the lower area, stretching across.  Make sure it is centered and not too close to the edges.
7. 7.Fold the bottom point up over the filling and tuck it in tight.
8. 8.Brush around the remaining three corners with the beaten egg.  This is going to seal your egg roll so it doesn’t explode in the fryer.
9. 9.Fold in the left and right corners and roll upwards, making sure the roll is tight and sealed completely.
10. 10. Finish all rolls.
11. 11. Deep fry at 350 until crisp and brown.  Remove onto paper towels to drain oil and serve immediately with nuac cham or duck sauce.

Or as my chef would say “these are seasoned so well they don’t need a sauce”.

Quinoa Salad

This is a test from my first blog to see if my recipes transfer over well.  The process of getting them all over here is going to take forever.

If I were a vegetarian, which would mean that hell had frozen over, I would eat this every day.

Quinoa is native to South America but has become wildly popular worldwide, especially with health nuts and vegetarians, because it has about 9x the protein, and far less carbohydrates, than other grains.  The grain is small and round, and when cooked the germ unwinds and looks like a “tail”.  This tail remains slightly al dente, which gives quinoa a bit of a bite.  Still, don’t overcook it or it will eventually turn to mush.

This dish is easy, light and fresh.

Ingredients

asparagus, three spears blanched, shocked and drained

quinoa, cooked, drained and cooled

red bell pepper, small dice

green bell pepper, small dice

scallion, sliced very fine on the bias

cucumber, peeled, small dice

dried apricots, chopped fine or fine julienne to add visual interest

italian dressing or vinaigrette of your choice ** recipe below if you’re at a loss

Quick Italian Dressing

3:1 oil to vinegar (for this dish, olive oil and white wine vinegar or lemon works well)

minced garlic

minced shallot

chopped parsley

salt and white pepper to taste 

Method

1. 1.Coat asparagus in dressing and set aside (they will go on top)
2. 2.Put cooled quinoa and all vegetable ingredients in a large bowl.  
3. 3.Add vinaigrette (not too much, you can always add more but you cant take it out)
4. 4.Mix until just blended thoroughly.  There should not be a pool of dressing in the bottom.
5. 5.Taste it.  If it needs some bite squeeze lemon juice and stir gently.
6. 6.Plate and add asparagus.