Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

This isn't my recipe, I usually don't follow a recipe for bacon wrapped shrimp, but this caught my eye and it seemed close enough to what I do when preparing the dish, I thought I would share it. As long as you remember that neither shrimp nor bacon is very strong flavor wise, you can experiment all you want with spices that won't overpower the dish.

12 large, raw, peeled and deveined shrimp
2 Tbsp olive oil
Zest from 1 lime
Juice from one lime (about 2 Tbsp)
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
6 strips thin bacon, cut in half (12 pieces)
Skewers (for grilling) or toothpicks (for oven)

1 Mix together in a small bowl the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, and chipotle powder. Put the shrimp in the lime chipotle mixture; make sure each piece is well coated.
2 Prepare grill on high, direct heat (if grilling) or preheat the oven to 450°F.
3 Working one at a time, wrap a half piece of bacon around each piece of shrimp. If you are grilling, thread the shrimp onto long, flat skewers (flat skewers make turning the shrimp on the grill easier). If you don't have flat skewers, I've used two thin bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes beforehand) to the same effect. If you are using the oven, secure each the bacon onto the shrimp with toothpicks. Place the bacon-wrapped shrimp on a slotted baking pan (lined with foil inside for easy cleaning). Brush remaining lime chipotle mixture on the outside of the bacon-wrapped shrimp.
4 Grill uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes, until shrimp is pink and the bacon is crisp.
Makes 12 pieces.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

What I know about Lumpia

While in Manila on a two-week pass from the Navy, I met a young girl, Auriela Pador in an open air Manila market. She was the attending cashier and speaking better English than I do was so very helpful at offering directions (and pleasant, polite and pretty) I was compelled to ask her out to dinner. On her suggestion we went to Max's Fried Chicken, a pleasant enough sit down restaurant that served fresh food. I guess it is the Filipino version of a pinoy Denny's. After dinner we went for a walk, and then to a movie (a Filipino made combination kung fu / Hollywood starlet romance theme) without subtitles. Auriela kept me informed as to what was going on by whispering in my ear throughout the movie, I instantly became a major movie buff that evening. Although she attended college in the mornings and worked the afternoons, she found time in the evenings to take me on tours of the city, and on the weekend invited me to accompany her home to meet her family. Her family lived in the city of Baguio, some 5000 feet above sea level, and a good 7-hour drive from manila (without traffic, and providing the road isn’t blocked by landslides that is). I say 'good' in the sense that it is thorough, not pleasant; in fact, I would say it's a downright nuisance of a journey--flat, hot, and congested in the beginning, then rocky, hot, and more congested when you get to the provinces that are covered in volcanic lahars from mount Pinatubo, then followed by treacherous, nausea-inducing switchback roads as you climb through the Grand Cordillera mountain range.
As we negotiated our way through the modern industrial City of Baguio, she pointed out the many education centers, the Centermall, Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza, Abanao Square, and the Maharlika Livelihood Center.
Later she would take me to Burnham Park, the Botanical Gardens, the Orchidarium, and the Asin Hotsprings and we would picnic at Mount Kabuyao but for now we continued to travel north.The pay-off as Halsema Road leads you into Trinity Valley is that the landscape is breath taking, full of verdant foliage and colorful flowers. Auriela’s home was located in a little garden provincial barangay nestled amongst pine trees in a tranquil valley settled beneath the Cordillera mountains, and the weather was mild, it is often a good 15-20 degrees cooler than in Manila. The weather there is good enough to provide roses and strawberries almost year-round. Auriela’s family greeted me like an old cousin they hadn't seen in years. Their house was a bahay kubo, or nipa hut, built on great poles with a ladder for the front entrance. Below the house lived a goat, two dogs, and many chickens. Aside from the entrance the house was similar to wooden houses in the old south with an oriental flare. Auri's family included Mom and Dad, two older sister's a younger brother, grandmother and grandfather. (granny would sit in front of the house in a rocker all day and smoke from an ivory handled pipe.) Dad and Grandpa and younger brother were farmers and tended fields all day, Auri's two older sister's worked in a textile mill in Baguio. Mom stayed home and cooked and cleaned and managed household affairs much like many families I have known. Maama Pador taught me to make lumpia, (and later a filipino cook onboard ship helped me perfect the art) and these are the recipes I remember learning.

Lumpia

1 tbs vegetable oil
1 lb ground pork
2 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c minced carrots
1/2 c chopped green onions
1/2 c shredded green cabbage
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp soy sauce
30 ea lumpia wrappers
2 c vegetable oil for frying

1.) Place a wok or large skillet over high heat, and pour in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Cook pork, stirring frequently, until no pink is showing. Remove pork from pan and set aside. Drain grease from pan, leaving a thin coating. Cook garlic and onion in the same pan for 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked pork, carrots, green onions, and cabbage. Season with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and soy sauce. Remove from heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.
2.) Place three heaping tablespoons of the filling diagonally near one corner of each wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly. Keep the roll tight as you assemble. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap to retain moisture.
3.) Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil to 1/2 inch depth, and heat for 5 minutes. Slide 3 or 4 lumpia into the oil. Fry the rolls for 1 to 2 minutes, until all sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Lumpia Wraps

1 cup rice flour
1 cup water

Mix the flour and water together and blend well to form a smooth batter. Grease a clean griddle or frying pan very lightly. (The best way to do this is to use a piece of clean cloth or paper lightly moistened with oil and wipe the surface of the pan). Using a paint brush, paint batter thinly over the griddle or pan, working quickly. Remove the wrapper with a pan cake turner as batter dries.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake
3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or cake flour
12 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup sugar

pre heat oven to 325 degrees

Grease 3 spring form pans, round pan 9x1 inches. Heat 3 cups of chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cup of butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat until chocolate chips are melted; cool 5 minutes. Stir in flour until smooth.

Stir in egg yolks until well blended. Beat egg whites in a large bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft peaks form. Fold chocolate mixture into egg whites. Spread equally in three pans.

Bake spring form 35 to 40 minutes, or round cake pans for 30 to 35 minutes (top will appear dry and cracked) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool 10 minutes.

I like to take 2 tsp of water and 2 tsp of almond extract and spread over the top of each pan of batter before baking (if you try this, be sure not to stir into batter).

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Southern Style Geens

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound bacon
3 cups chopped onions
salt and pepper
dash of Louisiana hot sauce
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (12 ounce) bottle of Dixie Beer
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
6 pounds greens,such as mustard greens,
collard greens,turnip greens,
kale,or spinach; cleaned and stemmed

PREPARATION:
1. Fry bacon until it is crispy, cut up and add bacon and some of the drippings to large pot. Add the onions and cook for about 6-7 minutes or until the onions are wilted. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce.
2. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beer, vinegar, soy sauce, and molasses. Stir in the greens, a third at a time, pressing the greens down as they start to wilt. Cook the greens, uncovered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3. Mound the greens in the center of a platter. Spoon the sauce over the top and serve.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Grilled Abalone Steak & Fruit Skewers

Ingredients:
· abalone steaks
· fresh pineapple
· fresh peach
· fresh pear
·1/2 cup soy sauce
· 1/2 cup sherry
· 1/2 cup mango juice
· 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
· 2 1/2 Tbs brown sugar
· 1/2 tsp dry mustard
· 1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
· 1 Tbs minced garlic

Mix all ingredients (except abalone) and reserve 1/3 of the mixture for a glaze. Cut abalone into squares.Marinate the steaks, 1 oz each for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Place the reserved marinade in a pan; add 2 Tbs brown sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of cornstarch. Stir over low heat until thickened. Use this glaze as a finish for the fruit on the skewers while grilling. Cube fresh pineapple, peaches, and pears. Assemble skewers by weaving marinated abalone steaks onto the skewers so that the steaks will lie flat on the grill. Alternate with fruit between the steaks. Each double skewer can have 2 steaks. Grill over high heat for 1-2 minutes per side. Brush the fruit with the glaze. Serve hot off the grill.

Golden Abalone Medallions

Ingredients:
Abalone steak
Cracker crumb mixture: 50% finely ground Ritz® crackers, 25% flour and 25% corn starch
garlic powder (optional)
egg whites
clarified butter
Mix cracker crumbs, flour and corn starch; lightly season with garlic powder. Beat egg whites until slightly foamy. Dip abalone steaks in egg whites then coat both sides with the cracker crumb mixture. Pour enough clarified butter into a pre-heated skillet to cover the bottom (a cast iron skillet works best). Cook abalone steak for 30 to 60 seconds on each side until lightly browned. Cook over high heat and wipe the skillet clean between batches if the butter begins to scorch.