by Sam Tackeff | Nov 10, 2009 | Asian, Books, Seafood
MAKE THIS SHRIMP.
Jaden Hair, the most fabulous lady responsible for the Steamy Kitchen website, visited San Francisco this weekend for her very own book signing with us at Omnivore Books! I’ve been reading Jaden’s blog for several years now, and she is certainly one of the best out there. So, when word was out that she was finally coming out with a cookbook – I was psyched. Let me just say, her book is AWESOME – this shrimp is only one of the reasons!
Among the other reasons why this cookbook is awesome, and you should get a copy:
1. It’s pretty! And she took all the photos *herself*. This is phenomenal for any cookbook author to be given such control over the layout of the cookbook. Inspiration for any budding food blogger, or really, just perfect for anyone who wants to be instantly hungry.
2. It features tasty and delicious Asian recipes, easy enough that anyone can make, even if you live hundreds of miles away from an Asian grocery and can only shop at a big-box . And, it’s really well organized – entertaining introduction, informative tools and a really great ingredient section where she goes into some depth about creating an asian-food friendly pantry – and helpful substitutions.
3. My copy is signed… in Pink Sharpie! Let me tell you, Jaden is as wonderful in real life as she comes across on her blog and in her cookbook. What a treat!
Isn’t she great? (Photo of Jaden at Omnivore Books, mid-pose, by Inuyaki)
Jaden’s coconut shrimp is delicious. Shrimp, coconut, a little bit of booze – some of my favorite ingredients, period.
Tonight I went into the liquor store and purchased a mini bottle of cognac to use in a recipe, and after making it, let me tell you – I sure as heck wish I had bought the whole bottle so that I can make this one on a regular basis and not have to go back!
Jaden’s Coconut Shrimp (from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook)
Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal
(Or two hungry people!)
1/4 cup (20g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
1 lb (500 g) raw tail-on shrimp, deveined and patted really dry
2 tablespoons butter
4 green onions (scallions), cut into 2-in (5-cm) lengths
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons cognac (brandy or rum make good substitutes)
Generous pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar (omit if you are using sweetened shredded coconut)
1. In a wok or frying pan over medium eat, add the coconut and toast until golden brown. This should only take about 3 to 4 minutes. Take care not to burn the coconut! Once the coconut is toasted, immediately remove to a plate to cool.
2. Wipe the wok or pan dry and set over high heat. When a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates upon contact, add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp to the wok, keeping them in a single layer. Fry for 1 minute, flip and fry an additional minute until almost cooked through. Remove from the wok, keeping as much oil in the wok as possible.
3. Turn the heat to medium, add the butter and , once the butter starts bubbling, add the green onion and garlic. Fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the cognac and add the salt and sugar. Stir and return the shrimp to the wok. Let the whole thing bubble and thicken just a bit – the sauce should lightly coat the shrimp. Remove from the heat, sprinkle in the toasted coconut and toss well.
Wise Note to Self / everyone: I served this on brown rice – which was tasty – but for next time I will split the sauce equally and not hoard it all on my own plate. But it was oh-so-delicious!!!
by Sam Tackeff | Jul 2, 2009 | Pantry Staples, Seafood, Uncategorized
I’ve been reading the Pioneer Woman religiously for several years now, and she is always reminding me of the beautiful things in life – love, the land, family, food, and friends.
Last month her friend Pastor Ryan of This is Reverb came to visit her, and made the most delicious looking shrimp risotto – I knew I had to try it. I had just purchased some beautiful asparagus at the farmers market, and decided to add that to the pot. This stuff is so incredibly good I can’t stand it.
Pastor Ryan is a hip, tattooed, man of god, with the most adorable daughter Ava Beans – he also happens to cook exactly how I want to cook – flavorful, painfully delicious food that is created without recipes, but with a basic foundation for your starting point and then just go! He’s been advocating Michael Ruhlman’s book Ratio – which is next on my to read list.
Aren’t they beauties? I was so excited to use them. A note on choosing asparagus: These were not too thick (sometimes the stalk gets really thick in late summer, in which case I would have used a vegetable peeler to peel them so that you aren’t trying to gnaw through the tough exterior), and the tips were tightly together, rather than splayed out or slimy or soggy which is a sign that they aren’t fresh.
This dish seems labor intensive from the recipe, but don’t let it scare you. The entire process takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, and it just requires gentle coaxing and will reward you immensely.
Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto
adapted from Pastor Ryan of This is Reverb
serves 2 (plus one lucky person for lunch)
For the shrimp:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (or salted)
several good glugs of worcestershire sauce
3 cloves of garlic
1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, ends removed
a lot of seasoning of your choice (lemon pepper, old bay)
For the risotto
a few good glugs of olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups organic chicken broth
1 bunch asparagus, steamed, cut into inch long pieces
Method:
1. In a small pot, warm the butter on low heat, and add in the worcestershire sauce, and a few cloves of garlic. (I smushed ’em with the heavy side of my knife and then chopped them really finely before dumping them in.) Let that all mellow together on low while you peel the shrimp (and devein them – although I usually like to purchase them cleaned) – and then in a shallow bowl, spoon the sauce over the shrimp and let sit while you start your risotto.
2. In a heavy bottomed pot, sautee the large shallot in a few good glugs of olive oil. After a few minutes, throw in your arborio rice, and a half cup or more of white wine. Now this is a bit of a process – add your broth in, about a half cup at a time, stir, and let it cook down slowly (a few minutes each time) before adding the next half cup. – this whole process takes about 30 – 40 minutes or so – but don’t feel like you have to be stirring the whole time. (when you have about a cup of broth left, start back on the shrimp)
3. Shrimp, part two. Now that the flavors have been mellowing, heat up the grill. (Or in my case, a grill pan). Before puttting the shrimp on, toss in some of your favorite seasoning into the shrimp mixture – I used my grandmother’s super special seasoning mix – but lemon pepper or old bay would work absolutely fab here. Toss them onto the grill, and cook just a couple of minutes on each side. When done, chop up about three quarters of the shrimp, and save the rest whole for garnishing.
4. Steam the asparagus – just cut them into couple inch long pieces, put them in a pyrex in the microwave for five minutes with an inch of water and covered with a lid or some saran wrap.
5. Ok! Back to the risotto! I hope you have been stirring occasionally! Now add in your chopped shrimp, and your steamed asparagus – take a little taste – and season with some salt and pepper if it needs it. (The flavors from the shrimp should usually do it, but it might need just a tad more. Pastor Ryan adds in some green onions here… but I erm… don’t like them very much, so I omit them. I’m sure they would be good if you enjoy them though!
Serve, with the whole shrimp on top – man the stuff is good.
Thoughts – for next time – I think I might add in some chopped kielbasa – and you could theoretically do this with any seasonal vegetable you have and it would be pretty delicious. You could also do it with lobster I would think – that is if you are living on the east coast and it’s 5.99 a pound rather than more than double that here in California!
Thanks Pastor Ryan! Thanks Pioneer Woman!
For a foundation on cooking risotto, you can look at Ree’s post on Basic Risotto.
by Sam Tackeff | Feb 17, 2009 | Challenge, Cheese, Quick and Easy, Seafood
In an effort to diversify my kitchen productions, I’ve been looking for new food blogger challenges to have fun with. One of my favorite challenges I have found so far is the “Cheese of the Month” challenge from Adventures in Gluttony, which provides a monthly cheese suggestion to create something delicious with.
This month’s featured cheese is feta, which coincidentally happens to be one of my favorite cheeses. I use feta and it’s cousin white cheese (Turkish ‘beyaz peynir’) almost interchangably, the latter being slightly less salty. I usually have a block of feta stored in some fresh water in my fridge, and eat it often plain, for breakfast, with a little slice of tomato and cucumber and a slice of toast with jam. Or, I crumble it on salads, into soups, or even on burgers.
For the challenge I decided to incorporate it into my lunch, baked with shrimp. This is a very loose adaptation of a broiled recipe my mother uses that I love and really should get a hold of, but nevertheless it was quick, easy and very very tasty. The feta I used was Mt. Vikos, which I picked up at Cowgirl Creamery in the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco. I only used an ounce of feta (all I had left), but the flavor still comes out wonderfully!
A Quick lunch: Baked Shrimp with Feta
serves 1
Ingredients:
4 or 5 shrimp (I used frozen)
A few small canned San Marzano tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 ounce feta
a pinch salt,
a pinch pepper
a couple of good pinches oregano
Method:
1. Couldn’t be simpler: In a baking dish lined with foil, put all the ingredients, stirring gently to allow the tomato juice to coat everything. Whack it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, until shrimp are pink and cooked.
To serve: I served this over a bed of steamed rice, usually I use brown, but I’ve run out and need to pick up some more. I use frozen single servings of rice that I cook and wrap while still warm, which traps the moisture and allows you to easily pop one into the microwave and eat for lunch as if it was freshly made.
