Oyster Stew Lightened Up

Around this time every year, when the weather gets cold, Tom starts to drop not so subtle hints about one of his favorite winter meals:  Oyster Stew.  As I was tired of turkey, I obliged and made it for him this weekend.

Traditional southern Oyster Stew uses lots of butter and heavy cream.  My version is lighter. I cut back on the fat where I can by using only a ¼ cup of butter and 2% milk.  The results are a creamy, savory soup that feels like a splurge.

Lisa’s Oyster Stew

1 shallot – minced

1 celery stalk – minced

¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)

Heavy splash dry vermouth (You could use dry sherry as an alternative)

3 cups 2% milk (As a life-long skim milk drinker, 2% milk seems rich to me.  If you prefer something richer, please use whole milk and/or half and half.)

8 oz. container shucked oysters

Pinch cayenne pepper (to taste)

1 tbsp. minced parsley

Oysters with their liquor

Melt butter in a 2 qt. saucepan; add shallots and celery and sauté until tender.  Add the   vermouth and continue to sauté for 1 or 2 minutes until alcohol evaporates.  Add the milk and bring just barely to a boil.  Add the oysters with their liquor to the milk. Continue to cook at a simmer until the edges of the oysters begin to curl, about 5 minutes.  Add the cayenne pepper and taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Stir in the minced parsley and serve.

Oyster Stew with Oyster Crackers

Simple and delicious!  The richness of the butter and milk and the briny flavor of the oysters are a match made in heaven.  This is an easy, satisfying winter weeknight meal when served with a salad and some crusty bread.

Stay tuned, I will be posting some of my favorite recipes for turkey leftovers.

Twist on a Crabby Classic

Aaaahhhh.....

Every year Tom and I try to get to the Florida panhandle at least once for vacation.  Last year we were forced by the unfortunate situation in the Gulf to relocate our vacation to St. Simon's Island.  St. Simon's is lovely and I had a wonderful time but I am still longing for sugar white sand, warm clear water and fresh Gulf seafood!

The first thing I always order when I go out for that first vacation meal is a Southern classic:  a West Indies Salad.  First created in 1947 by Mobile restaurateur Bill Bayley, it is a staple in many seafood restaurants from northwest Florida to Biloxi.  Delicious and simple, it just screams "Florida!" to me. I have added some chilies and changed the original yellow onion to red onion to give it a little extra bite but have otherwise stuck with the traditional recipe. The end result is a refreshing salad that feels fancy and indulgent.

Best "As Seen on TV" item ever!

Spicy West Indies Salad for 2

1/2 lb. lump crab meat - use lump not claw or back meat

3 tbsp. finely chopped red onion - I use my trusty Slap Chop!

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Gourmet Gardens tube chilies (see my earlier post from 11/17/11)

1/4 cup ice cold water

Bibb Lettuce



Yum!



In the bottom of a small bowl, spread one half of the of the chopped onion.  Layer the crab on top of the onion.  DO NOT STIR.  Season with kosher salt. Layer the remaining onion on top of the crab.  Combine the oil, vinegar, tube chilies to taste and ice water in a separate bowl.  Pour over the crab and onion and resist the urge to stir.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  To serve, stir together and using a slotted spoon, spoon it onto Bibb lettuce leaves.  You can use another lettuce if you like, the crab is the star here. 


This dish is perfect for a celebration like Valentine's Day or an anniversary.  Try serving it in a large martini glass lined with the lettuce leaves for a special presentaion.  Tom and I are having it with a grilled steak for a perfect surf and turf dinner.  I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we do.

Note:  Tom is loving this new blog.  He is reaping the benefits of all my recipe experiments!

Brine it baby!

Several years ago I discovered what amazing results you can get by simply brining your meats before cooking.  I now brine all of my pork, chicken and turkey.  The results are always juicy and flavorful.  My favorite brining recipe is my Thanksgiving turkey.  It is from B. Smith and it makes, by far, the best turkey I have ever eaten.

Here is the recipe with my added comments:

Recipe: Herb Roasted (Brined) Turkey

By B. Smith

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground white pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 18-to-20 pound turkey (I always cook a smaller bird but choose the right size for you)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Preparation

The day before cooking, combine salt, sugar, cayenne, dried thyme, allspice, cloves, ginger, white pepper, and bay leaves in a stockpot. Fill pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Cool to room temperature. Remove giblets and neck from turkey and rinse bird well. Place in cooled spice mixture, breast side down. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

To Roast: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove bird from brine, gently wipe dry, and bring to room temperature. Combine butter, olive oil, fresh thyme, and rosemary, mixing well. Season turkey generously inside and out with salt and pepper. (I disagree here.  I found that if you do this the drippings are far too salty for gravy.  I found that rinsing the turkey with water and then patting dry with paper towels leaves all of the flavor while avoiding the salt lick drippings.)

Set turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Rub seasoned butter lavishly over turkey breast and legs. Roast 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to roast, basting every half hour, until temperature reaches 175 degrees or until juices run clear, about 3 hours, Let bird rest 30 minutes before carving.

I have been cooking this recipe for about 10 years and while I think about switching it up ever y now and then, I always come back to this.  I serve it with pan gravy and a sausage cornbread pecan dressing.  You could make it your own by changing up the spices, adding bourbon or apple juice, you name it.  

Every year we go to Tom’s parents for Thanksgiving and then I cook a turkey for the two of us on Saturday.    I will be able to add a picture of this year’s bird next weekend.

Have a Happy Turkey Day!

Gnocchi Dokey!

Tom came through with one my wish list items for my birthday:  a food mill.  I had been thinking of getting one for years.  There are several canning recipes I have never attempted because I didn’t own one.  The thing that pushed me over the edge was the gnocchi recipe in the new Anne Burrell cookbook.  Every recipe of hers I have ever tried has been fantastic so if she says I need a food mill, I need a food mill.

There are several models of food mills out there ranging in price from $19.99 to $200.  I was not in the market for a pricey model but didn’t want to cheap out either.  In the end, we went with the $50 OXO model.  If I find later on that I love it and want something more substantial, I’ll invest in a more expensive professional grade.




My new mill

 

Throw the food in here and then turn the crank



On to the gnocchi!  Gnocchi are little Italian dumplings made out of various things such as flour, potato, eggs, cheese and spinach.  The gnocchi I started out with are made from potatoes, cheese, flour and eggs.

Potato Gnocchi

Bake 5 large potatoes in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour.  When they are done and cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.  Cut into quarters and run them through the food mill to “rice” them.  Spread them on a large baking sheet and allow to cool completely.  If you make your dough with warm potatoes, they will absorb too much flour and be heavy.  I used part of this time to make a Spicy Marinara for the gnocchi (See recipe below).

Potatoes that have been run through the milll

Once the potatoes are cool, combine 2 large eggs with ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano.   Sidebar - Don’t you dare use the stuff in the round green box!  Buy it fresh in the Deli and grate it yourself.   Throw out the green box! 

I have kind of a small working space so I did this next step in two batches but if you have the space you only have to do it once.  Pour the egg & cheese mixture over the milled potatoes and then season with kosher salt.  Sprinkle flour over the mixture starting with a little over a cup, using up to 3 cups.  It depends on the humidity so start out slow.  Begin to work potatoes and flour together with your fingers.  The dough should be moist but not tacky.   If it is feeling tacky, add more flour and continue to work it together.   Form the dough into a large log.



Big dough log and little dough rope

Gnocchi!

Cut 1 inch slices off of the dough log and roll with your hands into ropes.  Cut the gnocchi into ½ inch pieces, dust with flour and put on a baking sheet covered with flour in a single layer.  Gnocchi should be cooked or frozen immediately.  If freezing, freeze them on a baking sheet then put them in a plastic bag and throw them back in the freezer.  They can go directly from the freezer to boiling water.

If cooking immediately, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Drop the gnocchi into the water and cook until they float to the top of the water.  Once they come to the top, cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.    Scoop the gnocchi out of the water, toss with your favorite sauce and top with Parmigiano.

This recipe produced the lightest, fluffiest gnocchi.  Like little clouds.  There is nothing worse than a heavy dumpling hitting the bottom of your stomach. I tossed mine with my Spicy Marinara and served with a simple shrimp scampi.  Yum!



Spicy, Tomato-y Goodness!





These are the only

tomatoes I buy



Spicy Marinara Sauce



Olive Oil

2 Cloves garlic

1 box Pomi tomatoes

Tube Chilies

Fresh basil



Best convenience food ever!
In the produce section



In a large skillet heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil (always Extra Virgin).  Peel and chop the garlic and add to the olive oil and sauté for 1 or 2 minute without browning the garlic.  Over browning the garlic will make it bitter and ruin your sauce.  Add a generous squirt of tube chilies and sauté a minute or so.  Add the box of Pomi chopped tomatoes and check for seasoning, adding kosher salt to taste.  Simmer for about 10 minutes on low to allow the flavor to develop.  Add a generous handful of shredded fresh basil.  Never use dried basil in marinara; it’s just not the same.  Allow to simmer for 2 or 3 more minutes and then you are good to go.  This sauce is good on any kind of pasta and takes no time to make. 

Okay, I'm not a food stylist but hey, it's good!

My first time using my new gadget was a success.  I am dreaming of all the possibilities now:  homemade ketchup in the summer, applesauce in the fall.  This little machine is a keeper!

Haute Dog

To kick off my birthday weekend, Tom and I went to lunch Friday at HD 1 in Poncey-Highland. I haven’t been in that neighborhood for years and so much has changed! The Plaza Drug store is gone and has been replaced by, of all things, an Urban Outfitters. Gone are the winos and hookers, all replaced by hipsters and trendy types. The Majestic Diner still remains but Ray Lee’s Blue Lantern Lounge is gone forever. I know it’s better now, but I still feel some nostalgia for the way it used to be when RuPaul sightings were a common occurence. But I digress.

The menu and the hipster busboy

HD 1 is the latest restaurant from my favorite Top Chef contestant, Richard Blais. He won the Top Chef All Stars season. He is so cute and talented but still fraught with anxiety, a quality I find very endearing. HD 1 does for the hot dog what Flip Burger Boutique did for the burger.

Walking into HD 1, the atmosphere is similar to Flip Burger but a little more casual. There is a bar, a row of tables up against the windows and a row of communal tables down the middle of the restaurant. The menu is written on the wall and changes regularly. It is divided into Bits & Pieces, Stuff, Plates and Sweets. You order at the counter and are given a number and find your seat and your food is brought out to you.



Mexican cokes can be found in most Latino groceries



The sodas offered are all classic Southern flavors. Of course, there is Coca-Cola. This is Atlanta. The twist is its Mexican Coke. Most Coke sold in the U.S. is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, a nasty concoction that is terrible for you. If you want Coke sweetened with sugar like when we were kids, you have to buy either Mexican or Kosher Cokes. They also offer several flavors of Nehi, Cheerwine and Root Beer. There is a full bar but as it was lunch, Tom got a Coke and I had Root Beer.

We started out with the Shrimp Fried in Grits and the Porky Corn Dogs for an appetizer. The shrimp were beautifully fried in a surprisingly light batter of grits and served with a totally unnecessary sweet tartar-like sauce. Not that the sauce was bad, it was just that the shrimp were so good they didn’t need the sauce. The Porky Corn Dogs were equally as delicious. They were served with a yummy spicy mustard sauce. I told Tom it was the best corn dog I have ever eaten. The batter on the dog was sweet and smooth with just the right amount of coarse cornmeal.

Shrimp Fried in Grits



Porky Corn Dogs



Next up, I had the Classic dog and Tom had the Kenturkey dog. The Classic is served with sauerkraut and HD mustard. The frank was very flavorful and had a good snap when you bit into it. The texture was juicy without being mushy. The sauerkraut was mild but stood up to the mustard which had a little bit of a pleasant afterburn. The Kenturkey dog was a turkey dog with bacon, mornay, tomato-pimento marmalade and parmigiano. It was a really good combination of sweet from the marmalade and salty from the bacon and cheeses. I would order both dogs again.

Classic Dog

Kenturkey Dog

 

Chocolate Soft Serve with Bacon Caramel - My new reason to live

Now the dessert was a revelation. Just like Flip Burger specializes in liquid nitrogen milkshakes, HD 1 features soft serve ice cream. Friday’s offering was Chocolate with Bacon Caramel. O. M. G. The first bite tastes sweet from the chocolate and salty from the caramel. Then you hit what at first seems like a chocolate chip but slowly gives way to crispy bacon-y goodness. Weird, but so, so delicious. This was a sundae that could easily have been created by some insane pregnant woman.

We ended up spending about $38 after tip so it’s not cheap. Tom couldn’t help but point out that we could have gone a few blocks down Ponce de Leon and fed four people at the Varsity for the same amount. That’s true but then we would have never have known about chocolate and bacon. I am definitely stealing that one.

Stay tuned for my next post when I play with my newest food gadget:  the food mill.

L8r G8r!

Welcome to my new blog!

Every year Tom and I start giving little hints to each other in the fall about potential gift ideas for Christmas. Sometimes the hints border on demands, but the intent is to make Christmas shopping a little easier for both of us. I have dropped several hints already this year and the other day when I was thinking about them I realized that every one of them was related to food. On my wish list this year: a crème brulee torch, a food mill and the pasta making attachment for last year’s wish list item - my Kitchenaid mixer.

This got me thinking what big a role food and the preparation of food play in my life, or everyone’s life for that matter. My mother and I once had a conversation where we agreed that we can remember a lot of occasions or celebrations in our lives by recalling what we ate. I remember the first time I made a standing rib roast on Christmas as a newlywed and being so proud at the time. I remember I made chili the night Tom and I moved into our house. Food is not only for the nourishment of our bodies but also for the nurturing of our souls. Preparing food is how I relax, how I express myself and how I show the people I love how much I care about them.

I have decided to start this blog to keep a diary of my food life. I will be writing about new recipes I have tried, cookbooks I have read, restaurants I have visited, new gadgets I have discovered and much more. I look forward to sharing my love of all things food!

P.S. Please forgive the plain Jane look of the blog. I plan to spruce it up when I figure out how. :)