#49: Fragrant-and-Hot Tiger Prawns

Another great meal I owe to my project to taste all the foods on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 list. #49 Hot Hunan Shrimp references the Revolutionary Chinese Cooking cookbook.

British cookbook author Fuchsia Dunlop was the first foreigner—and one of only four women in her class—to study full-time at China’s leading culinary school, the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine. In February, she’ll publish her second book, Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, about Hunan culture and cuisine. This stir-fried shrimp, like most of her recipes, is remarkably doable—and bracingly spicy.

The only problem I have with this book being on the list as it specifies Hot Hunan Shrimp as #49 and there are only 3 shrimp recipes in the entire book: Fisherman's Shrimp with Chinese Chives, Fragrant-and-Hot Tiger Prawns, and Noodles with Fresh Shrimp and Baby Greens. I decided to try the Fragrant-and-Hot Tiger Prawns because it seems to be the "hottest" of the three. And it was delicious!

One thing to note is that the cooking is SUPER-FAST. I had to read the recipe a few times so I could remember everything I was supposed to do before I started. I still had to glance back at the book now and then, but the recipe is pretty simple and it kind of cooked itself.

I really want to dive into this book alot more. But I have some family coming into town and we are going to be out and about for an entire week. I probably won't even cook at all. So I'm using this as my bed-time reading. It's really interesting to learn all about the Hunan way of cooking.

Fragrant-and-Hot Tiger Prawns xiang la xia 1 lb. tiger prawns or jumbo shrimp, thawed if frozen 1/2 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger 1 tsp. finely chopped garlic 1 tsp. chili bean paste 1 tsp. chopped salted chiles 3 Tbsp. water 1/4 tsp. dark soy sauce 2 scallions, green parts only, finely sliced 1 Tbsp. finely chopped red bell pepper 1 tsp. sesame oil 1 cup peanut oil for cooking

Cut the heads off the prawns or shrimp, and remove the legs. Remove as much of their dark veins as possible.

Heat the oil in a wok over a high flame until it reaches 350 degrees. Shake the prawns dry. Tip them into the wok and deep-fry for less than 30 seconds, until they have turned pink and are partially cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the oil, and return the wok to a medium flame. Add the ginger, garlic, chili bean paste, and chopped salted chiles and stir-fry until the oil is wonderfully fragrant and stained a deep red by the chiles. Add the water and dark soy sauce and bring to a boil.

Add the prawns and then cook over a high flame to reduce the sauce, stirring constantly. When the water in the sauce has evaporated, add the scallions and bell pepper to give them a lick of heat. You should smell the fragrance of the onions after a few seconds, at which point remove the wok from the heat, stir in the sesame oil and serve.

Soy-Marinated Roast Chicken Legs

Chicken legs are my favorite part of the chicken. I was excited when I found this recipe for Soy-Marinated Roast Chicken Legs in the Japanese Light cookbook. I made a double batch and used the extra chicken for leftover tacos and in a salad.

It may be a simple concept, but the process patting the chicken dry after marinating and then brushing with oil makes them extra crispy. It was perfect and I learned something new!

Soy-Marinated Roast Chicken Legs 4 chicken legs 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil for the marinade: 1/3 cup soy sauce 3 tablespoons sake 3 tablespoons mirin 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 2 tablespoons sugar

Make 3-4 incisions on each chicken leg across the muscle tendon to help the marinade penetrate. Put the chicken in a bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients, and pour over the chicken. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take the chicken legs out of the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the vegetable and sesame oils, brush the legs with them and roast for 25-30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the chicken inside until you are ready to serve. This way the chicken legs will be juicy and succulent.

Seared Tuna Steak with Daikon Dressing

I almost cried when I had my first bite of this Seared Tuna Steak with Daikon Dressing from the Japanese Light cookbook by Kimiko Barber. I used sushi-grade tuna and I think that was key because I love my tuna rare. The marinade is so simple and really compliments the natural flavors of the tuna. I'm definitely going to have to make this for my mother the next time she comes down to Florida to visit me because I know she will love it too.

I made a few changes to the recipe in the book: I used sesame oil instead of vegetable oil and I omitted the arugula because I could not find any at the grocery store. The daikon called for in the recipe I found at an Asian grocer and I didn't even look at my local store so I am not sure if it is widely available or not.

Seared Tuna Steak with Daikon Dressing 4 tuna steaks, each weighing about 4 ounces and cut 1 1/4-inches thick 1 tablespoon vegetable oil handful of arugula leaves 8 chives, finely chopped for the marinade 1/3 cup soy sauce 3 tablespoons sake 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 garlic clove, minced for the daikon dressing 1/4 cup grated daikon (Japanese white radish) 1/4 cup soy sauce 4 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together for the marinade. Add the tuna steaks and let sit for at least thirty minutes. Turn tuna steaks once or twice.

While the tuna is marinading, mix all of the ingredients together for the daikon dressing in a small bowl.

Remove the tuna from the marinade the pat dry with paper towels. Brush one side of the tuna with half of the oil.

Heat a griddle pan or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure pan gets very hot before adding the tuna. Cook tuna for two minutes and brush the raw side of the tuna with the other half of the oil while cooking. After two minutes turn over and cook for another two minutes. (Tuna will be rare. If you like it more well done you can cook the second side up to five minutes.)

Transfer steaks to a cutting board and slice. Arrange slices on serving plates. Spoon dressing over tuna slices and top of a few arugula leaves. Garnish with chopped chives.

Numbing and Hot Chicken

I'm in love! In love with another cookbook. Thankfully my current favorite, On Top of Spaghetti, won't get too jealous. I can cook one dinner from each of them each week. The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province by Fuchsia Dunlap is really sucking me in. I spent a few nights before bed this past week actually reading this cookbook. I read the forward, the intro and about the Hunanese pantry and have learned alot.

While flipping through the recipes, Numbing-and-Hot Chicken was one of the first that caught my eye. Maybe it was the photo or maybe it was because the word "numbing" is in the title. The numbing attribute is intriguing to me. It ends up that this dish calls for sichuan pepper which I happen to have since sichuan peppercorns are #72 on Food & Wine's Top Tastes to Try in 2007. In fact, I heard about this book from the F&W 100 list. Hot Hunan Shrimp is #49 and the blurb recommended this cookbook by Fuchsia Dunlap.

Tonight is Chinese New Year's so I decided try this out tonight and make an event out of it. I had so much fun going to the Asian grocery store to stock up on ingredients. After I got home, I took a deep breath and went at it. I cranked up the music and went to chopping up my chicken and veggies but it didn't take nearly as long as I thought. My wok has been very under-used so it was very happy tonight double-frying the chicken and then stir-frying it all together.

I only got confused at one part in this recipe. "3 scallions, white parts only" are called for. But the instructions say to "cut them into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch pieces". Anyone who knows scallions know that is about as long as the white part is in total, let alone cutting in into pieces. And the picture had some green in it so I cut the greens into the 1 1/4-inch pieces and diced the whites into smaller pieces.

Numbing-and-Hot Chicken ma la zi ji Ingredients: 12 oz. bones chicken thigh or breast half, if you prefer, with skin 1 small red bell pepper, thin-skinned if possible 1 fresh red chili, or 1 tsp. dried chili flakes 3 scallions, white parts only 1 tsp. whole sichuan pepper 1 tsp. sesame oil 1 1/4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying For the marinade: 1 Tbsp. Saoxing wine 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce 1/4 tsp. dark soy sauce 1 Tbsp. potato flour mixed with 1 Tbsp. cold water For the sauce: 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce 1 Tbsp. clear rice vinegar 1/2 tsp. potato flour 3 Tbsp. chicken stock or water

Instructions:
Cut the chicken as evenly as possible into bite-size cubes. Place the chicken cubes in a bowl, add the marinate ingredients and mix well; set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Discard the stem and seeds of the pepper, and cut into small squares to complement the chicken. If using a fresh chili, slice it thinly, discarding the stem and seeds as far as possible. It the scallions are slender, cut them into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch pieces, otherwise slice them on a steep angle. Crush the Sichuan pepper using a mortar and pestle. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat the oil for deep-frying in the wok over a high flame to 300-400 degrees F. Add the chicken and stir briskly for about 30 seconds, until the pieces have separated and have become pale; remove from the oil with a slotted spoon. Allow the oil to return to 350-400 degrees F, then fry the chicken again until golden; remove and set aside. Drain off all but 3 tablespoons of the oil.

Return the wok to the heat and, working quickly over a high flame, tip in the red bell pepper, fresh or dried chiles, scallions, and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until they are wonderfully fragrant.

Stir in the chicken. Give the sauce a stir and tip it in to the wok. Stir briskly as the sauce thickens. Finally, off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and serve.

Valentine's Dinner for One

I love to celebrate holidays. Not a celebration in a party or anything like that. But with the food! So this Valentine's Day I decided to take some suggestions from the February/March 2007 issue of Fine Cooking magazine. Apparently this magazine has been around for about five years but I have never seen it before. I'm glad I saw it this time because I really like it. There are TONS of interesting tips and of course plenty of recipes.

There is a special section in this issue dedicated to making the perfect rice pilaf. I am a big Rice-A-Roni girl because it is so easy and tastes to good. But actually making my own . . . very intriguing! There are four pilaf recipes but I decided to go with Rice Pilaf with Sage, Parmigiano & Prosciutto. It was perfect because I had some sage leftover from the sauteed chicken I made last week. I think sage is becoming my favorite herb because each time I use it I find another combo of flavors it goes with. It tasted good but it smelled great! I want to buy a candle to burn in my house with the smell of the sage, butter, garlic and shallots.

While I enjoyed the rice pilaf and could have made a meal out of it, the main treat for my dinner was the lamb chops. Lamb Chops with Lemon, Thyme & Mustard Butter was the simplest way to make lamb chops elegant that I have ever prepared. Simply make a fancy butter the put some on top of broiled lamb chops! It was super flavorful. I am not a big lemon fan and this sauce had just the perfect lemon flavor without it being overpowering.

Rice Pilaf with Sage, Parmigiano & Prosciutto Serves 6 to 8 Ingredients: 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 lb. very thinly sliced prosciutto     (about 5 slices), cut crosswise     into 1-inch-wide strips 4 Tbs. unsalted butter 3 Tbs. chopped fresh sage 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice 1 tsp. kosher salt; more as needed 1 cup dry white wine 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth 2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano, coarsely     grated on the large holes of     box grater (about 2/3 cup)

Instructions:
In a 3-qt. heavy-based saucepan with a tight lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cool half the prosciutto in the hot oil, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the prosciutto to a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining prosciutto.

Add 2 Tbs. of the butter to the pan and reduce the heat to low. When the butter had melted, add 2 Tbs. of the sage and cook for a few seconds, and then add the garlic and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and salt and stir well to coat each grain with oil. Toast for a full 5 minutes, stirring regularly to keep the grains separated and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan (the rice may turn opaque before 5 minutes is up, but keep going).

Add the wine, stir well, and cook over medium heat until the wine is mostly reduced, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, stir once, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit, still covered, for 5 minutes.

Once the pilaf has rested, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Cut the remaining 2 Tbs. butter into several pieces and, using the fork, gently fold it into the rice with the remaining 1 Tbs. sage, the Parmigiano, and the cooked prosciutto. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Hot Sour Soup and Cucumber Salad

I'm reviewing some recipes from Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking for Paper Palate at The Well Fed Network. They sent three recipes and tonight I tried out the Hot and Sour Soup and Chilled Cucumber Salad. They were both really good, even though I didn't have all the ingredients for the Hot and Sour Soup. It calls for "black cloud ear fungus". I'm not sure that I want to add that even if I can find it at an Asian grocer. I will probably get some since I have to go there to get something for the third recipe.

Update: My review has been published.


This soup was really good and very easy to make so I'll make it again with this extra ingredient to check the difference. Also, the cucumber salad called for 5 small cucumbers and I got those tiny cucumbers. I think it just meant regular cucumbers that are small in size. I had way too much dressing! I'm timing my article to be published in time for Chinese New Year next week. I really like her style in explaining things in the recipes. The book just came out February 1, 2007.

A Midas Feast

I just couldn't help myself. This recipe has such as great name I had to make it. According to Lynn Alley, author of The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World, The Midas Feast is one of the earliest recorded one-pot meals. And since I'm a history buff, that held some appeal to me to. How many other people had made a "Midas Feast" before? It's sexier than asking how many people have made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

It might not look to pretty, but boy is this good. If you like lamb chops, you will probably like this. The taste of the meat reminds me more of lamb chops than a leg of lamb - I can tell a distinct difference in the flavor between the two. The little bit of honey added into the red-wine sauce add a sweetness that surprises you as you are eating. It is a really interesting combination.

I love that this recipe cooks in the slow cooker. But notice that there is a bit of work before getting all the ingredients into the slow cooker. I think it was about 40 minutes of prep and stove-top cooking before going into the crock pot. The end results were way worth it!

The Midas Feast Serves 4 to 6 Ingredients: 1 cup brown lentils 2 teaspoons aniseed or fennel seed 2 teaspoons cumin seed 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 1/2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 cups dry red win or Midas Touch ale 1 cup chicken stock or water 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons salt 4 cups cooked barley (optional)

Instructions:
Rinse the lentils thoroughly and place them in the slow cooker.

Combine the aniseed and cumin in a mortar or coffee grinder and grind to a coarse powder.

Heat a large saute pan over the medium-high heat and add the oil. In batches if necessary, add the lamb and cook, turning occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, until thoroughly browned. Using tongs, transfer the lamb to the slow cooker, arranging it on to of the lentils.

Add the onion to the pan and saute, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned. Add the spice mixture to the onion and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine to the saute pan and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the wine is reduced by one-third. Add the stock and honey and stir well. Pour over the lamb and lentils in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the meat is very tender. Add the salt and serve the stew over the barley.

Spaghetti with Fresh Spinach and Gorgonzola

I love pasta. Love it, love it, love it! I had pasta at least once a week while growing up. Probably even twice a week. Each Sunday my mom would make a big pot of gravy with homemade meatballs and sausage. And she'd also make 6 loaves of homemade bread. You can imagine the wonderful smells I got to grow up with. . .

Consequently, I am very picky about pasta. I do not make the same gravy that my mother makes. I keep that in my heart as coming from her and I like to eat it at her house in her kitchen and bring back all my happy memories of childhood. I play with the more gourmet aspect of pasta. My standards are Pasta Puttanesca, Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce and Spaghetti con Pomodoro e Tonno (Pasta with Tuna). I make those three very well and usually make one of these when I need my pasta fix. Besides those, I lean towards using Asian and Thai seasonings when working with noodles.

I feel that most Italian cookbooks are quite pretentious about their pasta recipes. The importance of fresh pasta is always discussed. And I'd love to make fresh pasta, but that will be a special occasion for when I have alot of time. My normal life calls for dried pasta. And I finally found a book that acknowledges the ease of use and even celebrates dried pasta. On Top of Spaghetti is written by Johanne Killeen and George German, owners of the famous Al Forno restaurant in Rhode Island. These are two chefs who work in the kitchen making high quality gourmet food all day. But at night, they come home, often late and tired, and throw together quick pasta dishes for themselves. They call it "Midnight Spaghetti". The two of them started challenging each other to come up with the most unique pasta dishes created from items they already had around the house. Night after night as each took their turn, they would try to think up something new. And with this book they introduce us to many of those great creations.

The first 200 pages are dedicated to dried pasta ideas. That is a lot of different pasta recipes for dried pasta! And you won't find any "classic" Italian recipes in this book. Pasta is featured with so many different things that you may not normally think of adding to it. The chapters are separated into making pasta with vegetables, legumes, and herbs; tomato sauces; seafood, poultry, meat, and rabbit; and eggs and cheeses. Another 50 pages are dedicated to fresh pasta recipes including ravioli and lasagne. So there is something for every kind of pasta lover (and preparer) in this book.

The name is cutesy, but don't let that turn you away from the quality in this book. I am in love with this book and it has sparked my creativity for all things spaghetti (including macaroni, linguine, penne, and pasta of every kind). I haven't gotten very far . . . I only got to the 6th recipe before I had to stop reading and start cooking. I can't wait to turn the page and see what I'm going to try next!

I did change it up a tiny bit. I halved the recipe since there was no way I wanted to make an entire pound of pasta just for myself. And after I had a few bits I decided to try crushing up some Peperoni Cruschi imported from Italy to sprinkle on top.

Spaghetti with Fresh Spinach and Gorgonzola (serves 6 or 8) Ingredients: 4 ounces Gorgonzola, at room temperature 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 8 cups firmly packed trimmed young, fresh spinach 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 pound dried spaghetti or spaghettini 10 to 12 large fresh basil leaves (optional>

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

In a small bowl, mush together the Gorgonzola and butter until you have a smooth paste. Set aside but do not refrigerate.

Wash the spinach in plenty of cold water. Drain in a colander, leaving the water clinging to the leaves.

Heat the olive oil in a large straight-sided skillet over moderately high heat. Add the spinach and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Toss the spinach with tongs until it has wilted. Taste it to add more salt if necessary. Turn off the heat, but keep the spinach warm on the side of the stove.

Generously salt the pasta water and drop in the spaghetti. Cook at a rolling boil, stirring until al dents. Drain the pasta, reserving about up of the cooking water. Transfer the spaghetti to the skillet and toss with the spinach. Add the Gorgonzola-butter mixture and toss to coat each strand of spaghetti. If the pasta seems dry, add a bit of cooking water and toss again. Add as much of the cooking water as you need to make a creamy consistency. If you have fresh basil, tear the leaves and toss into the spaghetti. Serve right away.

Georgia Peanut Soup

Think of the words creamy, spicy, warm, and peanut butter. Do they evoke positive emotions? If so you may want to try Georgia Peanut Soup because it is all of those things. I was intrigued by the title of this recipe and the fact that it is a soup made with peanut butter. I am so glad that I decided to try it. I am one who does not repeat recipes very often. However I know I will be making this one again because I want all of my friends and family to try it. It is so unique and will be really impressive to serve to others. So as each of them come to visit me, I'll be whipping up a batch. It is fine to make ahead and reheat as well. It doesn't separate or get greasy or anything that happens to some other soups.

I found this recipe in the 75th Anniversary Edition of Joy of Cooking which I received for Christmas. I am using this recipe as my entry for this month's Weekend Cookbook Challenge. The current theme is to cook a recipe from a newly acquired cookbook. I haven't made it very far through this book. It contains 4500 recipes! I enjoy reading all of the tips in the beginning of each chapter. I'm trying to use this book as a way of learning some basic core recipes since up until now I always seem to be cooking some type of fancy ethnic food. I have only made it up to the soup chapter (#10 out of 38) and I seem to be stuck there because there are so many interesting soups that I want to try. The first recipe I cooked out of this book was Roasted Garlic Soup and that is really good too. I'm not crazy about the recipe format Joy of Cooking uses. Instead of first listing out all the ingredients and then specifying the directions, they merge it all together. I notice that it is easier to miss steps this way.

This recipe for Georgia Peanut Soup makes enough for several large bowls full. It goes great with a nice side salad or some roasted chicken you can pick up at the supermarket. When following recipes I don't always include the suggested garnishments, but in this case the chopped peanuts add some crunch and the scallions add an amazing freshness and balance so I highly suggest you add them both.

Georgia Peanut Soup (Makes about 6 cups) Melt into a soup pot over medium heat:     2 tablespoons of butter Add and cook, stirring until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes:     2 medium celery ribs, minced     1 medium onion, minced     1 garlic clove, minced Stir in:     2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Whisk in:     4 cups hot Poultry Stock or Chicken Stock Simmer, stirring often, until the soup begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in:     1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter     1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half     1 1/2 teaspoons salt     1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper     1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce Heat through, but do not boil. Stir in:     2 teaspoons lime juice Serve garnished with:     3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts     1/4 cup chopped scallions

CRAFT's Interview with Amy Sedaris

Yesterday, CRAFT blog posted an interview Amy Sedaris, author of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. I received this book for Christmas and I read the entire book on my plane ride back home. While many of you may be attracted the to book from a cooking perspective because she has some good recipes, this interview focuses on the crafty side of things. Amy's hysterical in a strange way. I love her stories about her rabbits.

So far I have made three recipes from this book: Tula's Country-Style Greek Salad, Crosscut Stump Stew, and Tiddlywinks Toadstool Pie. Do any of you have this book? Has anyone tried any of her recipes?

What is it about Gyros?

I was at this really neat store called Land & Sea Market here in Tampa this weekend to get the red snapper for my Red Snapper Alicante. While waiting by the fish case I was checking things out. They had these really fresh looking gyros meat slices along with real, gyros-type pita breads and fresh sauce. So I picked up all the fixing and decided to make them tonight. I have been waiting since Saturday to finally eat them. They looked so good in the package and I had so much hope. Disappointed again. In the past I have tried the mass produced Gyros kit from the grocery store and I wasn't happy with those either. Nothing is ever good enough as which I can get at a fast food restaurant.

So what is about Gyros that is so hard to create at home. Has anyone ever been able to make good gyros themselves?

Moroccan Stew: Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives

I decided to go Moroccan for the inaugural Waiter, There's Something in my . . . Stew hosted by Spittoon Extra. This is a fun new blogging event with a different foodie theme for each month. For my entry, I chose Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives from the January, 2007 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. A tagine, the food, is a rich Moroccan stew. Many tagines are vegetarian, but I also like ones with meat. The cooking method yields some wonder flavors making something really special out of vegetables.

A tajine (tah-zheen) is a Moroccan dish as well as a special pot for preparing this dish. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts; a bottom which is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome shaped cover that rests inside of the bottom during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensate to the bottom. With the cover removed, the bottom is open and shallow for easy serving at the table.

Tajine dishes are slow cooked at low temperatures, resulting in tender, falling-off-the-bone meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. The cover has a knob-like formation at its top to facilitate removing it. While simmering, the cover can be lifted off without the aid of a mitten, enabling the cook to inspect the main ingredients, add vegetables, move things around, or add additional braising liquid, if needed.

While a ceramic tagine is on my wish-list, I currently don't own one. I made this dish in deep pan on the stove. I have only prepared a tagine one other time in my life and it came out so flavorful and tender that I immediately fell in love with them. The smells in the house are so amazing while it is cooking and it is perfect for a comforting Sunday evening meal. The taste with the Moroccan flavors is always so different from my average meals that I feel all proud because it tastes as good as anything you would eat at a restaurant.

And, it was perfect meal for tonight because THE CHICAGO BEARS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!! They are my home team. I was in grade school the last time they went and watching the game tonight made me totally homesick . . . except for the fact that my house was all warm and yummy smelling like it used to be when I'd have friends over to watch the Bears games on Sunday afternoons in Chicago. It was always freezing cold and we'd all cuddle up on the couch and then we'd eat a good meal. Even though it's hot down here in Florida, watching it snow on TV and smelling a cold-weather stew made it perfect.

The recipe is good as it stands, but the only thing I suggest is to use olives from an "olive bar" that are found in a lot of supermarkets. The olives really make this dish and the ones out of the jar won't be as fresh. If you have to use jarred olives, make sure you buy large ones.

Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives Serves 6 (serving size: 2 chicken thighs and 1/3 cup sauce) Ingredients 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium) 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 1/4 cup pitted green olives, halved (about 12) 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions
Combine juice and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge in flour; sprinkle with salt, black pepper, turmeric, and red pepper. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet with high sides over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken; cook for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.

Add onion, ginger, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to pan. Add broth, olives, rind, and cinnamon stick; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Discard the cinnamon stick; stir in cilantro.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 240(34% from fat); FAT 9.1g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.4g,poly 2g); PROTEIN 28.6g; CHOLESTEROL 115mg; CALCIUM 27mg; SODIUM 612mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.9g

Tampa's Cuban Food: Red Snapper "Alicante"

Columbia Restaurant's signature dish.
Anna over at Anna's Cool Finds came up with a really neat idea: food bloggers from around the world should each blog about a terroir. Except while the term is normally applied to wine or coffee, we shall apply it to food. Read Anna's A Taste of Terroir post for a wonderful definition of the term and how it can be applied to food. Basically, we are encouraged to describe a food or recipe local to the part of the world in which we live. Her inspiration came from the foods from around the world which were listed on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007.

I live in Tampa, Florida USA. I have lived her just under two years so some things are very new to me. Grouper is the most popular fish here because it is caught in the Gulf of Mexico. A grouper sandwich can be found on the menu at almost every restaurant. It is as common as hamburgers in the rest of the United States. We have "seasons" for lots of foods like crab and strawberries. And when people think of THE food from Tampa, it is a Cuban sandwich. That surprised me because I always thought of Cubans in Florida being in Miami. But Tampa has a rich and important Cuban history.

In 1886 Vicente Martinez Ybor established a cigar factory in Tampa. From the steps of Ybor's factory, José Marti, sometimes called the George Washington of Cuba, exhorted the cigar workers to take up arms against Spain in the late 1800's. Hispanic culture enlivens Ybor City, which covers about 2 square miles between Nebraska Avenue, 22nd Street, Columbus Drive and East Broadway.

I did not choose the Cuban sandwich to represent a terroir of Tampa. Without fresh Cuban bread and a sandwich press you can not recreate the authentic version. Instead I went with something deeper. It is a recipe for Red Snapper "Alicante" which is the signature dish of the famous Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Ybor City is the historic Cuban district in town. Cuban cigar makers brought their leaves from Cuba to this part of Florida and assembled their "Cuban cigars" for the United States in their cigar factories located in Ybor City. The factories are now long gone and the area reminds me of a toned down version of the French Quarter in New Orleans. There are lots of old buildings where many bars and restaurants have opened up. And Columbia Restaurant is the cornerstone of Ybor City.


One of the first things you will notice about Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City are the hand-painted Spanish tiles that decorate the outside of the building. Some are even laid in the sidewalk. Once you step inside you will immediately feel that you have entered a place that has captured a snapshot in time. There are several different connected dining rooms each expressing a slightly different feeling. In the middle of them all is a two-story atrium featuring a large Spanish fountain. Each night there are two Flamenco shows in the main dining room. There is also cigar bar in the cafe and a shop where you can buy several Spanish items and Columbia Restaurant souvenirs.


The day I signed the papers for my new home down here, I asked where we should to to celebrate. Everyone I talked to recommended Columbia Restaurant as the place to go for a special dinner. We got a great spot so that we could see the Flamenco dancers and enjoyed all the courses. The Ybor City location is the original Columbia Restaurant but they have opened other restaurants around the Tampa Bay area. I have also been to the Columbia Restaurant in St. Armand's Circle on Longboat Key off of Sarasota, Florida. That one has the same traditional design, but it has a much more casual feel because it is all open air and near the beach. The food is the same and you still can get all the yummy classic Spanish dishes.

The seafood at Columbia is amazing. And if you order the Caesar Salad they mix it all together for you table-side. They do the same with their amazing mojitos and sangria. Those are really nice touches. It is really fun to get your pitcher of drinks made right there. You can get tapas at Columbia as well but I usually find them very rich due to their heavy use of Spanish olive oil.

Tonight I made the Red Snapper "Alicante" for myself and two friends. The recipe was very simple to make. All you need to do is slice some onions and peppers and into the oven it goes. For some reason the cooking time included in the recipe did not get my fish cooked thoroughly. Maybe it was because the red snapper filets I had were thick, but I cooked it for an additional 15 minutes. Breaded fried eggplant is a garnish that I suggest you take the extra time to make. The crispy eggplant was a wonderful compliment to the snapper and was actually our favorite part.

Columbia Restaurant's Red Snapper "Alicante"
(Serves 4)

Ingredients
2 to 3 large Spanish onions, sliced into rings
2 pounds Red Snapper fillets
4 green peppers, sliced into rings
1/2 cup Spanish olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup brown beef stock gravy
1 cup white Spanish wine
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
Garnish recipe below (optional)

Instructions
Place onion rings in bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch casserole; place fish on top of onions. Place pepper rings on top of fish. In a bowl mix together remaining ingredients; pour over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.

Garnish
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
8 large shrimp, cooked and cleaned
9 pieces eggplant, breaded and fried
fresh parsley sprigs

Two Samples of Decorative Cutting

#9: Corn Bread, Some Good Grub

This Corn Bread with Scallions recipe is probably one of the easiest recipes every published in Food & Wine Magazine. It was featured as an example of #9 Updated Chuckwagon Recipes on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try. This recipe was created by Paula Disbrowe and will be published in her Cowgirl Cuisine cookbook due out in March, 2007.

The ingredients are simple so the only special thing I needed to get for this recipe was the green onions. I did not have any corn oil so I bought a small bottle of organic corn oil as well. The only problem was that I do not own a cast-iron skillet. Instead of trying to improvise, I decided to call in the help of a friend.


My friend Julie invited me over and we made this recipe together. It is a perfect thing to make as a team not because it is complicated, but because it is so easy we didn't mess anything up with our gabbing. Julie picked up a roast chicken from the grocery store and she also made sweet potatoes which her husband mashed for us. It was a perfect meal. Before we ate we finished up the bottle of 2003 Tandem Porter-Bass Vineyards Chardonnay which I had brought over.

I am kind of picky when it comes to cornbread. I like it sweet and can't stand it when it turns out bland. There is only a little bit of honey in this recipe so I was a bit concerned. It did not turn out to be sweet corn bread, but it did turn out to be good corn bread. I was surprised how well the green onions added amazing flavor. They were not over powering but they contributed a homey quality and we all liked it. I had some the next day for breakfast and it did not dry out.

Corn Bread with Scallions 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup coarse, stone-ground yellow cornmeal 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Pinch of freshly ground pepper 1 1/4 cups low-fat milk 2 tablespoons honey 2 large eggs, beaten 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon corn oil 8 scallions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, honey, eggs and 1/3 cup of the oil. Add the wet ingredients to the cornmeal mixture and whisk just until combined. Stir in the scallions.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat. Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly, then turn the corn bread out onto a plate. Invert it onto a rack to cool. Alternatively, serve the corn bread hot from the skillet.


note* with nine servings (a big slice), each piece of corn bread is 6 Weight Watchers points.

Doggie Burgers (and birdie burgers too)

My guys got a treat yesterday. I made them Isaboo's Bacon-Cheese-Barley Burgers from the December/January issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine.

These are pretty easy to make. And what I like about them is that even though they take about 30 minutes to complete, you can do other things most of the time. It takes about 20 minutes for the barley to cook. The ingredients are really healthy: barley, chicken stock, cheese, and a little bit of bacon. The only problem I had was that they fell apart a bit while I was cooking them.

I kept telling my dogs that they were getting special treats and Charlie Bird got jealous. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It's so healthy so I gave him some too. Cheese is one of his favorites but he really liked the barley too.


This recipe make four patties. I gave my two dogs one each and brought the other two over to my friend's house for her two dogs. All four of them snarfed it down and were very happy.

Isaboo's Bacon-Cheese-Barley Burgers 1/2 cup pearl barley 2 cups fat-free chicken broth 2 slices lean bacon 1 large egg 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions
In a medium saucepan, bring the barley and chicken broth to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the barley is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool.

While the barley is cooking, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Reserve the fat from the bacon for cooking the burgers. Finely chop the bacon and add to the cooled barley. Mix in the egg, bread crumbs and cheese. Combine thoroughly and score into 4 equal pieces. Wet your hands and form the pieces into patties.

Reheat the bacon fat and cook the burgers over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side.


Check out the round-up of Weekend Dog Blogging hosted each week by Sweetnicks.

Pancakes!

Teppanyaki Tricks

Going for teppanyaki dinner is so much fun. I never realized teppanyaki chefs had to practice so much! Chef David does some really neat things with eggs that I have not seen before. The below video is from Tokyo Cafe in Amsterdam, Holland.

No Winner on Top Chef

Top Chef was kind of a disaster this week. It started out with a fun quick-fire challenge. The Chefs has to take the "Kraft Gourmet Snack Challenge". They were provided with mayo, zesty italian dressing and barbeque sauce and had to create a snack. Sam's tempura with pickled peaches won.

It got really stressful for the elimination challenge. The group was split into two teams of three people each. And they had to set up their own RESTAURANT. Marcel, Cliff and Elia opt for a "diner" approach with hamburgers as the main course. Of course it was a gourmet diner though. Ilan, Sam and Mike went with an Italian theme. The diner served beer but the Italian one didn't serve any alcohol so they got a lot of negative feedback from the customers from that. Both teams had so many messes and poor service at the front of the restaurant that the judges couldn't declare a winner.

All six chefs were judged and had the risk of being sent home. In the end, Mike was the one who had to pack up his knives. It's about time I think . . . Except for last week, he always seemed to be not up to par in his culinary skills.

Now it should start getting interesting. I think Marcel may be the next one to do as I don't believe he has ever one any challenges. And he apparently has an attitude problem that might get in his way. Elia, Cliff, Sam and Ilan seem to be the top four. I guess we'll find out next week

Indian Noodles (the cheating way)

Some nights I just can't make dinner. I either don't feel like it or don't have time. Or am just busy wanting to do other things like tonight when I was busy waiting for my Vosges Exotic Ice Creams to soften up so I could try them. So I made one of my favorite throw-togethers.

I discovered the combination quite by accident one day at work. I brought regular old spaghetti with some type of tomato sauce I had made the night before as leftovers for my lunch. But the sauce had kind of disintegrated somehow and had no taste. One of the gals I was working with had whipped up some amazing potato curry the night before which she was heating up for her rice. She offered me some so I dumped it on top of my bland pasta. I was looking for some spice but I got so much more. The heat of the curry and the texture of the noodles introduced me to a new meal! And the soft Indian potatoes were so tasty in there as well. I never in a million years would have thought to mix potatoes in with my pasta. Two starches!

That began me on my quest for curry. I really would like to make curry but I have not mastered that yet. Maybe because I have some over-complicated Indian cookbooks, but I am still intimidated by the curry. Not the spice, the recipe. But lucky for me the American grocery stores now carry several ready made curry-like sauces. All you have to do is heat and serve.


Tonight I used lentils in cream sauce. The cream added some thickness that sometimes gets thinned out when combining ready-made curry with noodles. For the pasta, I used the other half of the elbow macaroni box leftover from when I made "Healthy" Four Cheese Macaroni last week. I usually make this with angel hair because i like the lightness of the noodle, but the elbows worked well too. They kept the lightness because the noodle itself is small and yet its shape allows some of the sauce to stick to it.

To make it, all you have to do is heat up the lentils in the microwave for two minutes and mix together! The only hard part to the recipe is to make sure you don't have too much pasta and not enough sauce. So instead of mixing the sauce into the pasta, I mix the pasta into the sauce a few ladels at a time. Then I give the leftover pasta to the dogs.


note* one cup of pasta plus one serving of the lentils in tomato cream sauce is 7 Weight Watchers points.