We keep quite a few different kinds of hot sauce in our pantry, and one of my favorites is Cholula, that familiar bottle you see on the table in restaurants all over the country. We usually have a couple bottles on hand, my favorites being the Chipotle and the Chili Garlic, and we use them in all sorts of dishes. We shake it over eggs, chili, soups, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, burgers, add it to marinades and sauces, you name it.

In this crab dip, which is great Super Bowl party food, I combined four teaspoons of Cholula with a minced jalapeño for some spicy goodness with the cream cheese and the crab. Michael thought it tasted great, the crab flavor came through, and the heat was safe for party fare. But if you really like it hot, you could go for more heat and douse on the Cholula and add another jalapeño.

When it’s all hot, bubbly, and good, bring it out of the oven and have a basket of your favorite tortilla chips on the buffet table for dipping.

HOT AND SPICY CRAB DIP

Serves 12 to 16.

Equipment

medium mixing bowl
hand mixer
9×9 baking dish, lightly coated with cooking spray

Ingredients

2 (8-ounce/226 g) packages light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (114 g) light sour cream (I suggest Daisy brand.)
1/4 cup (60 g) mayonnaise
1 medium yellow onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
4 teaspoons Cholula Hot Sauce, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 (6-ounce/170 g) cans crab meat, drained and separated
1/2 (57 g) cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350° F/175° C.

2. Using the hand mixer, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in the mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and Cholula, and continue mixing until combined. Stir in the crab meat.

3. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish, then sprinkle the grated cheese around the top. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and lightly browned and the crab mixture is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 5 to 10 minutes, then serve.

More Party Dips

More Hot Dip Recipes From Around the Blogs

Pinch My Salt – Baked White Bean Dip with Rosemary and Parmesan

Gluten-Free Goddess – Hot Artichoke Dip, Gluten-Free + Vegan

My Baking Addiction – Pizza Dip

Savour Fare – French Onion Dip, Homemade in the Crockpot

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Back in May I had the chance to attend a culinary event at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington D.C. It’s one of those events that I kind of stumbled across online and immediately signed up for the next demonstration because it looked so interesting. All of the events in the Mexican Table series are led by their chef, Pati Jinich, who is absolutely delightful and has her first book coming out in 2012. That night the theme was Festive Mexico with dishes for special occasions, and the special guest was Fany Gerson, the very talented pastry chef whose books on Mexican desserts (My Sweet Mexico, Paletas) are a worthy addition to any collection, including mine.

The demonstration table was set up in an open, airy space with gorgeous tiled walls, which renewed my wish to put in a Mexican tile backsplash in our kitchen, and maybe get a table with Mexican tile top. I can dream big, can’t I?

And Pati and Fany were wonderful. They are so warm and inviting it’s easy to be swept up in their excitement. The round guest tables seated six each, and everyone at our table to seemed to feel the excitement and enjoyed the food and meeting one another.

The food was so delicious. Pati and Fany started us off with a refreshing agua de limón con chía (limeade with chia seeds), both sweet and a little filling. L.A. Cetto provided the wines for the evening, which were paired with gorditas de frijol refrito (corn dough patties, reminded me of arepas), pipián verde (a tomatillo and pumpkin seed sauce, with chicken), pipián rojo con camarones (a tomato, chile, and pumpkin seed sauce with shrimp), arroz verde (green rice made with poblano chiles), ensalada tricolor con queso fresco (red, white, and green salad), Opereta Mexicana (Mexican Opera cake), paletas (Mexican popsicles) and pistachio marzipan. I went home that night and couldn’t go to sleep until I had told Michael all about it. In fact my eyes kind of rolled back in my head as I just typed all of that.

So if it was all so fantastic, why didn’t I write about the experience earlier? Because I’ve been waiting, not always patiently, but waiting nonetheless for our tomatillo plants to bear fruit so that I could make that wonderful pipián verde. And my patience has been rewarded.

I can’t describe how much I adore those little lantern-like shapes that hang from our tomatillo plants. As always, we have both green and purple tomatillos in the garden, and like every year, the plants take all summer to grow, then they finally start bearing fruit around the end of August. It’s so hard to wait, but so worth it in the end.

The sauce is fantastic. Michael raved about it and the boys all went back for seconds. I served it with a garlic sautéed shrimp and the arroz verde. When you purchase your pumpkin seeds, you may find them raw or roasted still in the shell, raw shelled, or shelled and toasted. I happened to find them raw shelled at Wegman’s in their bulk foods section, which was easy, and I used two full cups of them. To toast the seeds, you can dry toast them in a skillet on the stove or toast them in the oven, your choice. The chiles are meant to add just a little heat, mostly flavor, but if you want a spicier version, just leave some of the seeds in the sauce.

And for goodness sake, if you live in the DC area, treat yourself to one of these culinary events at the Mexican Cultural Institute. You won’t regret it.

TOMATILLO AND PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE WITH SHRIMP (PIPIÁN VERDE CON CAMARONES)

Adapted from Patricia Jinich.

Makes about 2 quarts.

Equipment

large skillet or baking sheet
4-quart saucepan with a lid
food processor or blender

Ingredients

SAUCE
2 cups (5 ounces/142 g) raw pumpkin seeds (the meaty part, minus the shells)
1-1/2 pounds (681 g) green tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
4 cloves garlic
1-2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, stems and seeds removed
1/3 cup chopped white onion (about 1/2 a medium onion)
2 cups cilantro leaves, loosely packed
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 quart (1 l) chicken broth, homemade or purchased low-sodium

SHRIMP
2 pounds (908 g) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 41-50 per pound)
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Preparation

1. SAUCE: Toast the pumpkin seeds in the large skillet over medium heat (or in the oven on the baking sheet at 350° F/175° C), stirring and tossing, until they being to smell fragrant. Remove from heat and cool.

2. In the 4-quart saucepan, add the whole tomatillos, garlic, and chiles and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the tomatillos are cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. In the food processor, grind the pumpkin seeds until you have a coarse powder. Add the cooked tomatillos along with the garlic, chiles, and cooking liquid. Add the onion, cilantro, and salt, and puree until smooth.

4. In the saucepan, warm the canola oil over medium heat, then pour in the tomatillo puree and add the chicken broth. Stir well and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Let the sauce simmer until it has thickened and changed color, about 35 minutes.

5. SHRIMP: About 5 minutes before the sauce finishes, warm the remaining canola oil in the large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté just until it releases its fragrance, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook while stirring, until the shrimp turns pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Don’t let them go much longer or they’ll be tough. Transfer to a serving bowl and squeeze some lime over it. Serve with the pipián verde.

More Recipes with Tomatillos

More Recipes with Tomatillos From Around the Blogs

Sass & Veracity – Chocolate Chipotle Cakes with Tomatillo Sauce and Cream

Food Blogga – Healthy Baked Halibut Tacos with Pineapple-Tomatillo Salsa

We Are Never Full – Shredded Chicken Sopes with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

Homesick Texan – Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

The week before I went to the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) in New Orleans, I had some serious cravings for Cajun and Creole food. I had gumbo, jambalaya, and pralines on the brain and needed to take care of that situation. Since the kitchen counters were overrun with ripe tomatoes and more were hanging out in the garden waiting to be picked, it had to be a recipe that called for lots of tomatoes, and this shrimp creole was it. The flavors are so good that even my pickiest eaters all had second helpings. It went fast.

The ingredients are all widely available and in terms of cooking techniques, it’s pretty simple. If you’ve never made a roux, this is a good recipe to learn with because it calls for a golden roux, which doesn’t take as long as a dark roux, and it’s not a huge batch, so if something goes wrong and the roux burns, you won’t lose a bunch of ingredients. If you’re out of fresh tomatoes, you can substitute a 28-ounce can plus a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes.

The recipe is adapted from Recipes from a Kitchen Garden, one of two cookbooks from Renee Shepherd, the immensely talented and knowledgeable owner of Renee’s Garden. I bought both of her cookbooks because they have so many great recipes for homegrown produce, and all the recipes are organized by the main vegetable or herb. If you have a vegetable and herb garden, I highly recommend Shepherd’s books.

And in the meantime, enjoy a little taste of New Orleans.

SHRIMP CREOLE

Adapted from Recipes From A Kitchen Garden, by Renee Shepherd & Fran Ruboff.

Serves 4.

Equipment

6-quart Dutch oven or stock pot with lid

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup (30 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-1/2 pounds (1.135 k) fresh tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 (8-ounce/227 g) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 small bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1-1/2 cups (360 ml) chicken stock
salt, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
2 pounds (908 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined

SERVE WITH
brown rice
chopped parsley, for garnish

Preparation

1. In the Dutch oven, melt the butter with 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the flour turns golden brown and has a nutty taste, about 10 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl and set aside.

2. Heat the remaining canola oil in the Dutch oven and add the onions, celery, peppers, and garlic. Sauté until they are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Return the flour mixture to the pot.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, brown sugar, and chicken stock. Stir and bring it all to a boil. Reduce heat and cook covered at a simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste, then remove the bay leaf.

4. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately in bowls over rice, and garnish with the chopped parsley.

More New Orleans Style Food

More Good New Orleans Food From Around the Blogs

Nola Cuisine – Andouille Sausage

Hedonia – Jambalaya

What We’re Eating – Ooey Gooey Warm King Cake

The Perfect Pantry – Gumbo Ya Ya

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Being the sole lover of sushi in my family is a bit lonely at times. Michael isn’t into it and when I’ve brought home little boxes of vegetarian California rolls and shared them with the boys, they are more likely to leave it than take it. So I pass by the sushi restaurants and just occasionally pick up a box of sushi at Wegman’s when my cravings come on, or I cheat and make some faux sushi like these little crackers at home, though once I take a bite it doesn’t feel like cheating at all. I whip up a cream cheese and sour cream dip with tamari soy sauce and grated ginger, then layer it on whole grain crackers with thin sliced avocado, English cucumbers, and smoked salmon, then top it off with fresh chives from the garden.

This recipe is party sized, but I keep the dip in the refrigerator and indulge my cravings with just a cracker or two or even as a vegetable dip. It’s good either way.

SUSHI ON A CRACKER WITH TAMARI GINGER DIP

Makes 24 crackers.

Equipment

medium bowl
hand mixer
medium storage container with lid

Ingredients

8 ounces (227 g) sour cream
4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened
3 teaspoons tamari soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 green onions, thinly sliced (green part only)
24 whole grain crackers
24 (1-inch) long avocado slices
24 thin slices English cucumber
24 (1-inch) squares smoked salmon
48 (2-inch) chive pieces

Preparation

1. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the sour cream and cream cheese until blended. Add the tamari, ginger, and green onion and stir until thoroughly combined.

2. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until the flavors have married and the dip is completely chilled, at least 2 hours.

3. On each cracker, place an avocado slice, 1 teaspoon of tamari dip, a slice of cucumber, and a square of salmon. Top with 2 chive pieces, laying crosswise.

More Easy Appetizer Recipes

More Appetizer Recipes From Around the Blogs

Gluten-Free Goddess – Raw Cashew Hummus

Inspired Taste – Baked Wonton Cups

Brown Eyed Baker – Hot Reuben Dip

Two Peas & Their Pod – Strawberry Mango Salsa

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Good Bite added another segment to their Real Fast Food series, and this time it’s my Spicy Shrimp Salad, one of my favorite super fast meals.

We just toss the shrimp in chili powder and sauté it, put it in a bowl with lettuce and avocado, drizzle a little of the chili oil from the pan over it all and give it a squeeze of lime. A good fast meal in nothing flat. If you can’t do shellfish, you can substitute a firm white fish that has been cut into bite size chunks.

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

A few weeks ago our Lifetime Fitness location hosted a Culinary Night that was sponsored by Toyota, and Michael and I thought it would be fun to see the cooking demonstration, which featured dishes from the LifeCafe. There were plenty of samples to go around and everyone received a handout with recipes, so of course we decided to try some at home.

Of all the things we sampled, our favorite was the popular Asian tuna, which the cafe serves on ciabatta rolls or as a green salad topping.

The tuna gets a little kick from Sambal Oelek, an Indonesian condiment made from very hot chiles, vinegar, and salt. Sambals vary between countries and regions, and use a variety of chiles, spices, and many other ingredients, so depending on what you have a taste for and what your local Asian grocery store stocks, you can spice up sandwiches and other dishes in dozens of different ways. Just be prepared because this is spicy stuff.

Other samples we tried included the Santa Fe Salad, Southwest Wrap, Turkey Avocado Sandwich, and the Chicken Pesto Pizza, so it’s a good thing we skipped dinner that night.

Recipe Notes

The recipe as distributed at the demonstration yielded a tuna that was much wetter than the version served in the cafe, plus it was much, much spicier, so we adjusted the ingredients amounts to hopefully come closer to the tuna we sampled. The flavor is very good and it makes a delicious stuffing for lettuce wraps, tortillas, tomatoes, on top of cucumber slices for an appetizer, as well as a salad topping. We’ve been stuffing our homegrown heirloom tomatoes with it, and the combination is terrific. Can you guess what kind of tomato is in the photo? It’s Michael’s favorite and we try to grow them every year. Because these tomatoes are sweet, we omit the honey in the tuna and really don’t miss it.

The tuna salad will keep for a day or so, but it tastes best on the day prepared.

[Disclosure: We are paying members of Lifetime Fitness, and the event was free and open to all members. This post is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Lifetime Fitness.]

ASIAN TUNA SALAD

Adapted from LifeCafe.

Serves 6.

Equipment

3-quart mixing bowl

Ingredients

1/2 cup (120 ml) mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), or more to taste
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
4 (6 ounce/170 g) cans tuna, drained and chopped (LifeCafe uses white tuna, we opted for light.)
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preparation

1. In the large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sambal oelek, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, ginger, kosher salt, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.

2. Add the tuna, carrots, green onions, cilantro, and dried cranberries, then toss to mix well. Use as a stuffing for lettuce wraps, tortilla wraps, tomatoes, on top of thick sliced cucumbers, or on top of green salads.

More Easy Healthy Seafood Recipes

More Healthy Tuna Recipes From Around the Blogs

Simply Recipes – Seared Ahi Tuna with Avocado

Steamy Kitchen – Sesame Seared Tuna with Lime Ginger Vinaigrette

Farmgirl Fare – Swiss Chard Tuna Salad

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Tuna Stuffed Avocado Salad with Tomatoes, Cilantro, and Lime

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Our spice cabinet is chock full, and although some spices see more use more than others our quick taco seasoning mix goes into a variety of dishes and makes it easy to whip up these fish tacos in a jiffy. Even on a busy weeknight, we can literally have dinner on the table in about 15 minutes which almost makes up for not having a good taco truck anywhere nearby.

We keep a jar of taco seasoning mixed up and ready to go, all we have to do is toss some mahi mahi or other firm white fish chunks in it, sauté, and it’s ready to serve. Try our mix or come up with your own using your favorite Mexican flavors. Start with chili powder, cumin, garlic, and chipotle pepper powder (or dried chipotle peppers if you find them in a store), and then play around with amounts and other ingredients until you have a flavor profile you like.

(Print this recipe)

FAST FISH TACOS WITH SPICY CHIPOTLE SEASONING

Serves 4.

Equipment

shaker jar with lid
glass pie plate or other container for marinating
large nonstick skillet

Ingredients

4 filets mahi mahi or other firm white fish, cut into bite size chunks
taco seasoning (recipe below or use your own)
2 tablespoons canola oil

SPICY CHIPOTLE TACO SEASONING MIX (small batch)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

ACCOMPANIMENTS
sliced avocados
lime wedges
cilantro
corn or whole grain tortillas
sliced onions
salsas

Preparation

1. Mix up the taco seasoning and keep it in a shaker jar with a tight lid.

2. Sprinkle the seasoning over the fish, tossing to coat.

3. Warm the oil in the skillet and add the seasoned fish. Sauté, stirring occasionally until the fish is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Transfer cooked fish to a warm bowl and serve with the suggested accompaniments.

More Good Mexican Food

And of course…

Ideas for a Cinco de Mayo Party Or When You Just Want Some Mexican Food

More Fish Taco Recipes From Around the Blogs

The Paupered Chef – Baja Fish Tacos

Use Real Butter – Fish Tacos

Simply Recipes – Fish Tacos

Chili Cheese Fries – Fish Tacos with Chipotle Mango Slaw

Click the  button to save this recipe to your Springpad.

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

When I saw this month’s Daring Cooks challenge announcement, my pulse quickened and I envisioned a moist, colorful, flavorful Spanish rice. The sofregit seemed perfect for the season, with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and garlic, and this was a perfect opportunity to test out the paella pan (paellera) Michael gave me for Christmas. That I still had not used. Time to get cracking.

We used our homegrown tomatoes and garlic in the dish, loving the fresh flavor of the tomatoes and the intensity of our garlic. As I studied the instructions, I realized the recipe only used a small amount of the sofregit, but we enjoyed the flavor so much we added more along with a dollop of the allioli to each serving of rice. Each taste was like a game of roulette, not knowing when we would find the sharp bite of the allioli.

This delicious dish comes from an episode of Made in Spain, a public television show starring José Andrés, the internationally known Spanish chef with several restaurants in the DC Metro area. You can find a video of Chef Andrés preparing this dish at the Made in Spain website.

I opted to use shrimp instead of cuttlefish since I have a family of boys who aren’t big into seafood, and the recipe below reflects those changes, including making shrimp broth. You can find the full original recipe at Olga of Olga’s Recipes, who hosted this truly delicious challenge. Thanks to Olga for hosting this month and for choosing a challenge that will certainly get a repeat performance in our house.

To see all of the Spanish rice dishes, visit The Daring Kitchen Blogroll and the Daring Bakers Gallery at Foodgawker.

CREAMY RICE WITH MUSHROOMS, ARTICHOKES AND SHRIMP (ARROZ CON SETAS, ALCACHOFAS, Y CAMARON)

Heavily adapted from José Andrés.

Serves 4.

Equipment

large frying pan
2 quart sauce pan
paella pan (I used a 15-inch/38 cm paella pan, but you may also use a regular pan that size.)
mortar and pestle

Ingredients

SOFREGIT
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 big red ripe tomatoes (about 3.5 to 4 pounds/1.6 to 1.8 k), chopped
2 small onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup of chopped Portobello mushrooms
1 Bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch ground cumin
pinch dried oregano

RICE
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 artichokes, cleaned and cut into eighths (You can use jarred or frozen if fresh are not available.)
12 Portobello or button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 bay leaves
1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
Sofregit (see recipe below)
2 cups (300 g) short grain rice (Recommend Valencia, Calasparra or Montsant, though arborio rice will also work.)
6 cups (1.4 liters) shrimp broth or water (Put the shrimp peels in a small sauce pan, add water, bring to boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Strain. Voile, you have shrimp broth.)
pinch of saffron threads (You may substitute turmeric or yellow coloring powder.)
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined (The recipe calls for cuttlefish or squid.)
Allioli (see recipe below)

TRADITIONAL ALLIOLI
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
pinch of salt
few drops fresh lemon juice
extra-virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred but not essential.)

Sofregit Preparation

1. Put all the ingredients together in a large frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.

2. Taste and add salt if needed.

Rice Preparation

1. Add the olive oil to the paella/frying pan and warm over medium heat. Add the artichokes, mushrooms, and bay leaf. Sauté until the artichokes turn golden.

2. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Add two or three tablespoons of the prepared sofregit and stir.

3. Add all of the shrimp broth or water and bring to a hard boil. Add all the rice, pouring it around the pan to evenly distribute it. Bring back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Do not stir.

4. Add a hearty pinch of saffron threads and stir to distribute. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 more minutes. Do not stir.

5. About 5 minutes before the rice is finished, lay the shrimp around the pan, pushing them down into the liquid so they will cook.

6. Remove pan from heat and let stand a few minutes.

7. Serve with allioli and sofregit on the side.

Allioli Preparation

1. Add the salt to the bottom of the mortar and then add the garlic cloves. Using the pestle, mash the garlic cloves to a smooth paste.

2. Add the lemon juice and continue to mash.

3. Add the olive oil slowly, drop by drop, while you continue to mash the garlic. Keep turning the pestle in a slow, circular motion. Make sure the paste soaks up the oil.

4. Keep adding until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. This will take about 20 minutes.

References

Wikipedia – José Andrés

Made in Spain

Previous Daring Challenges

You can see all of my previous Daring Challenges in the the Daring Challenges tag list.

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

While doing the South Beach Diet, I’m working very hard to make things that we all can enjoy and are healthy. This miso salmon is one of my favorite recipes I’ve tried recently, and it’s easy and fast to boot, so it makes an great weeknight dish. The fish is marinated in miso, mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and scallions, and quickly grilled. You can make this with either skinless or skin-on salmon steaks. Serve the salmon as whole steaks or sliced on top of a bed of greens, either way you’ll have a quick, tasty, and healthy meal.

We enjoy grilling year round, but some days it really is too cold to cook outdoors, and for those times we use a grill pan on the cooktop. I recently tested a Scanpan Professional Grill Pan, and in fact made this salmon dish on the Scanpan. You can read my review of the Scanpan Professional Grill Pan.

For this final week of celebrating the third anniversary of Andrea’s Recipes, I have one fabulous grill pan (right) just like the one in my review to give away, courtesy of Scanpan. To enter the contest, just leave a comment telling us about your favorite grilled food. Please make sure your email address is correct so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner. Apologies to my international readers, but the pan can only be shipped within the continental U.S. The contest closes at 9 pm EST on Thursday January 29, and Random.org will select the winner. Look for the announcement of the winner in this post soon after.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Cristina, comment #28, the winner of the Scanpan grill pan! Thanks to everyone who entered.

MISO MARINATED GRILLED SALMON

Adapted from Epicurious.

Makes about 4 servings.

Equipment

grill or grill pan
plastic bag or baking dish

Ingredients

1/4 cup (60 ml) white miso (shiromiso, fermented soybean paste)
1/4 cup (60 ml) mirin (rice wine)
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
4 (8-ounce/) salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper
yuzu juice, for drizzling (optional or substitute orange juice)

Preparation

1. MARINADE: Whisk together the miso, mirin, vinegar, soy sauce, green onions, ginger, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Place the salmon in a baking dish or plastic bag, pour the marinade over, and turn to coat. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

2. GRILL: Heat grill pan to medium-high. Remove the fish from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon, skin side down, until it is golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the salmon over and continue grilling for 3 to 4 minutes for medium doneness. Drizzle with a little yuzu or orange juice and serve.

Variations

On a grill: Grill the salmon, skin side down, with the cover closed, until it is golden brown and a crust has formed, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the salmon over and continue grilling for 3 to 4 minutes for medium doneness.

More Easy Grilling Recipes

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

I don’t have any Creole or Cajun relatives (that I know of), so for authentic recipes I turn to some of my favorite cookbooks. Emeril calls this particular recipe his “Clean Out the Ice Box and Freezer” Jambalaya, my kind of food, particularly now because after the holidays and fall harvest we have a freezer stuffed full of…stuff. After going through it a week ago we renewed our commitment to using up some of the stash and cleaning it out over the next month, which will of course make room for more stuff. The cycle never ends.

The recipe is pretty straight forward, but I made a few modifications as a I went. First of all, I couldn’t believe it had no celery and I added some anyway. The recipe calls for a mix of dark and white meat, but since Michael doesn’t care for dark meat I used only white meat. I also used brown rice instead of white rice and reduced the oil to 1/3 cup. Not much of a difference in the amount of oil, I know, but I think the recipe turned out just fine. And because this was dinner for all of us, I cut back on the cayenne so the boys could enjoy it too. Michael made up for the lack of heat by pouring some hot sauce onto his servings.

This is an easy dish to prepare, and it’s practically a meal in a pot. Add a green salad or other green vegetable and you are set.

Like many recipes calling for meat, this one has weight measurements, which are more precise than measuring by cups (i.e. 3 cups of sliced sausage).  We buy frozen shrimp in two pounds bags then just weight out what we need each time. A kitchen scale is a handy piece of gear for weighing all kinds of ingredients for cooking and baking. I use mine all the time for weighing meat, vegetables, fruits, flour, nuts, just about anything.

For this week’s celebration of the third anniversary of Andrea’s Recipes, I’m giving away a kitchen scale courtesy of Eat Smart. The scale has a digital display and weighs in both grams/kilos and ounces/pounds and allows you to change them on the fly. It has a simple tare function so you can put a bowl on the scale then turn it on, and the scale will register zero, giving you accurate measurement for the ingredients you add to the bowl. It’s small enough that it won’t take up much space in your kitchen, but sturdy enough to handle up to 11 pounds.

To enter the contest just leave a comment telling us about your favorite meal that helps you clean out your freezer or refrigerator. Please make sure your email address is correct so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner. The scale can be shipped to United States addresses. The contest closes at midnight EST on Wednesday January 22, 2009, and Random.org will select the winner. Look for the announcement of the winner in this post soon after.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Nicole, comment #6, the winner of the kitchen scale!

JAMBALAYA WITH SHRIMP, CHICKEN, ANDOUILLE, AND HAM

Makes about 10 to 12 servings.

Equipment

large cast iron Dutch oven

Ingredients

1/2 cup (120 ml) canola oil (I used 1/3 cup and it came out fine.)
1 pound (~1/2 k) andouille sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
3 medium to large yellow onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (~55 g) chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup (~55 g) chopped red bell peppers
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (Recipe follows or you can use a purchased blend.)
1 teaspoon cayenne, divided
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1-1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless chicken meat, cut into 1-inch cubes (You can use white or dark meat or a mix of white and dark meat.)
1/2 pound (227 g) ham, cubed
3 bay leaves
3 cups medium-grain white rice (I use brown rice.)
6 cups (1.420 liters) water
1/2 pound (227 g) shelled shrimp, thawed if from frozen
5 green onions, chopped, green tops only
1/4 cup (10 g) chopped fresh parsley

EMERIL’S CREOLE SEASONING
2-1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until it start to render the fat. Add the onions, bell peppers, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the Creole seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon of the cayenne. Stirring often, brown the vegetables and sausage until they are caramelized, about 15 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any browned particles (fond). Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

2. Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. Add the chicken, ham, and the bay leaves to the pot. Brown the chicken for 8 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits.

3. Add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to coat evenly. Add the water, stir to combine, and cover. Cook over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes, without stirring, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

4. Lay the shrimp on top of the cooked rice during the last 5 minutes of cooking and steam until just pink. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the green onions and parsley, and serve.

More Easy Meals

More Jambalaya Recipes From Around the Blogs

NOLA Cuisine – Crawfish and Tasso Jambalaya

FatFree Vegan Kitchen – Tofu Jambalaya

The Perfect Pantry – Arlo’s Saskatchewan Chicken Jambalaya

Hedonia – Jambalaya

References

Wikipedia – Jambalaya

Wikipedia – Cajun Cuisine

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Source: adapted from New New Orleans Cooking, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch

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