CastelNegroni Olives

 

150g jar of Castelvetrano olives, drained
1 t of gin
1 t of sweet red vermouth (Carpano Antica)
1 t of Campari

½ t olive oil
1 orange 

Combine ingredients &  stir to coat the olives.

Peel two strips from your orange. Bend the strips individually, lengthways, over the bowl to release oil from the orange. Grate the remaining of your unpeeled orange into the bowl and stir.

Marinate for a few hours before serving, or keep in the fridge for up to 5 days for a more intense flavour.

Laurie’s Crabcakes

1 scallion, minced
4 T or so anaheim chili, diced
2 heaping T Hellmans mayo (lite)
1 egg
Heaping T Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
3 T (or so) key lime juice
zest of one lime
4-5 T cilantro, minced
tsp or so Marash red pepper flakes
1 cup breadcrumbs (half unseasoned dried crumbs and half fresh, torn into small pieces from crust of multi-grain bread)
1 lb. Can lump crabmeat


Gently mix in crabmeat, picked over for shells. Form 6 balls and place onto a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. Flatten into patties. Top with another sheet of waxed paper, then press down again on patties. Put in fridge for at least 45 minutes. To cook, heat 2 T butter & 2 T canola oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add two crabcakes and turn down heat 1 notch. Cook 4 minutes on first side, flip, cook 5 minutes on second side., or until they are well browned. Use 2 large spatulas to flip, one under, one on top. Serve over arugula/lime salad (see below).

Arugula/lime salad

Baby arugula or other mixed greens, fresh blueberries, shaved parmesan
Dressing: key lime juice, rice vinegar, lime zest, pinch sugar, dash salt (proportions to taste) Or a basic olive oil, balsamic, mustard with a pinch sugar, Or, just deglaze the pan with some lime juice, take it off the heat, and very briefly toss the greens in the pan to lightly coat.

Ginger-Pork Spring Rolls

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce

1/4 cup water
1 (16oz) bag coleslaw mix
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 scallions, white parts minced; green parts sliced thin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
12 (9 inch) rice paper wrappers

Combine the hoisin, soy, and chili garlic sauces and water in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the coleslaw, cilantro and scallion greens; set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add pork and 1/3 cup of the hoisin sauce mixture. (The remaining hoisin sauce will be used as a condiment for dipping.) Cook the pork until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger and scallion whites and cook until fragrant. Place this pork mixture into the bowl with the coleslaw, cilantro and scallion greens. Toss to combine.

Spread a clean, damp kitchen towel on the counter. Soak a rice paper wrapper in a shallow bowl of warm water, about 10 seconds, and spread out on towel. Arrange 1/2 cup of filling on each wrapper, leaving a 2 inch border on the bottom. Fold in sides and roll up tightly like a burrito. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Serve with the remaining hoisin sauce mixture for dipping.

Lighter Seven-Layer Dip

2 pounds ripe tomatoes (5-6 medium), cored, seeded and chopped
6 scallions, 2 minced and 4 with green parts sliced thin (white parts discarded)
5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained but not rinsed
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 cups low-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and cubed

1. Place tomatoes in a strainer set over a bowl, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, and let drain 30 minutes. Discard liquid. Stir in the minced scallions, 2 tablespoons lime juice, cilantro and jalapeños. Season to taste and set aside.

2. Pulse 2 teaspoons lime juice, beans, garlic and chili powder in a food processor to a chunky paste. Set aside.

3. Whisk the sour cream and chipotles together in a bowl and set aside.

4. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons lime juice, avocados and ¼ teaspoon salt and mash until smooth. Season to taste.

5. Spread the bean mixture evenly over a serving platter. Spread with avocado mixture, then sour cream, and top with tomato. Sprinkle with scallions.

Saganaki

In an effort to relive some of the fun had during Dave & Ashley's much anticipated "wedding of the century", here is the recipe for our much loved Greek appetizer.


8 ounces Kasseri cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
1 ounce brandy


Slice cheese into 3/8 inch slabs. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the oregano. Dip each slice of cheese in egg, shake off excess, and coat in flour.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Quickly cook cheese in olive oil until golden, turning once. Pour brandy over and flame for effect. Shout Opa! Squeeze lemon juice over.

Arrange cheese on a plate, season with black pepper, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Lighter Stuffed Mushrooms

A dear friend of mine just asked me for a stuffed mushroom recipe she could use for an upcoming party. Here is one that we've tried that we really liked. Even better is that it's a lighter version with a third less calories and a fifth of the fat per serving as the more classic version so you can stuff your face a few extra times.

Stuffed Mushrooms - The Best of Cook's Illustrated Light - Makes 30 mushrooms, serving 10

Note: The mushroom caps shrink significantly as they cook, so be sure to buy ones that are 11/2 to 2 inches wide. To prepare the mushrooms up to 2 days ahead, roast the caps and stuff them, but do not top with the reserved Parmesan. Arrange the unbaked stuffed mushrooms on a plate, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. To bake, transfer to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with the Parmesan, and bake as directed in the recipe. You do not need to increase the cooking time.

MUSHROOMS
30 (11/2 to 2 inch wide) white mushroom caps, wiped clean
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch ground black pepper

FILLING
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 large shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
12 ounces white mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped fine (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme leaves
salt
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (crushed up stale bread - not the pre-packaged kind)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
ground black pepper

1. FOR THE MUSHROOMS: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Toss the mushroom caps with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, then lay gill-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast the mushrooms until they release their juices, about 20 minutes. Flip the caps over and continue to roast until the liquid has evaporated completely and the mushrooms are brown all over, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the mushrooms from the oven, flip gill-side down, and set aside to drain any excess moisture whole preparing the filling (Do not turn off the oven.)

2. FOR THE FILLING: Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chopped mushrooms, thyme 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the mushroom mixture is dry, about 6 minutes. Stir in the sherry and cook until absorbed, about 1 minute. Off the heat, gently stir in the vinegar, bread crumbs, and 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan; season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. TO ASSEMBLE: Flip the roasted mushroom caps gill-side up and spoon about 1 teaspoon of the filling into each cap. Top each mushroom with a pinch of the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake the mushrooms at 450 degrees until the cheese has melted and the filling is warm, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Deviled Eggs with Basil Aoili & Fried Capers

Orangette's perfectly timed blog entry, came in handy today as I had some ideally aged eggs on deck... "As a general category, I love deviled eggs. But of all deviled eggs, all types and all recipes, I think these are my favorite. The yolk filling is fairly standard, but when you add that basil aioli, which smells and tastes like June itself, this month that we have waited all stinking winter for, you get something entirely new. And with the briny crunch of capers, each one exploded in hot oil so that they look like strange, delicate flowers and dissolve on your tongue, yes, I really do think these are my favorite. Just be sure to buy your eggs a week or two ahead of time, because old eggs peel more easily than fresh ones. Actually, you know, if you buy now, you’ll be all set for the Fourth of July."

Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Here's another one of our favorites. When we first came across the recipe we immediately thought the Thai basil chicken would be much better served up as lettuce wraps, rather than an entree over rice. We turned out to be right. This one always gets devoured right at the kitchen counter... sitting down first would only delay the time it takes to get into our mouths.

2 cups basil leaves, tightly packed
3 garlic cloves, peeled
6 green or red Thai chilies, stemmed
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 2" pieces
¾ cup shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 head of iceberg lettuce, leaves cut into cups
red pepper flakes for serving

Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic and chilies in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 one-second pulses, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once during process. Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12" heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor.

Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into approximate ¼" pieces, 6-8 one-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 1½ minutes; if it doesn’t, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and vinegar separately.

NOTE: If fresh Thai chilies are unavailable, substitute 3 Serranos or 1 medium jalapeño.