Coconut Curried Prawns

I got a new cookbook! The Melting Pot. The World in Your Kitchen Each chapter of the book highlights a different country and nationality (Malaysian, Chinese, Ethiopian) and gives you an introduction to the cuisine, flavors you'll find in the kitchen, and, of course, offers recipes. I like the aspects of learning the contents of an Estonian store cupboard and lessons learned along the way when discovering Perisan cooking but I'm not a fan converting measurements from metric to imperial (note to self: do not buy English cookbooks).

The Coconut Curried Prawns recipe came from the Caribbean Kitchen section. Allen loves curry and coconut so I figured it was a good one to try first. He loved it. The color turned out much more yellow than the red curry pictured in the book. Regardless, we'll make it again. It's easy, rich and a bit different Caribbean style, Mon!

Ingredients:
200 g prawns (you tell me how many!) Actually, we used about 20 (or more) frozen shrimp.
1 small red bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic
A small bunch of spring onions (green onions)
5cm of ginger (I don't know what this quantity is either so I used about 1 tsp
1 scotch bonnet chili (a small colorful chili that's got a thin skin and is hot!)
1 tsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk
A small bunch of coriander (cilantro)
Salt and Pepper

Prep:
1. Clean and de-vein the prawns
2. Finely chop the red pepper, garlic, green onion, ginger and chili
3. Do not shake the can of coconut milk, open and spoon off the heavier coconut cream from the top of the can and set aside the rest of the coconut milk
4. Roughly chop the cilantro

Cook:
1. Heat a little oil and fry the red pepper, garlic, green onion, ginger and chili with the curry powder and a pinch of salt and pepper until soft and glossy
2. Toss in the prawns and cook for one minute
3. Add the coconut cream and half the milk. Turn up the heat to cook the prawns and reduce the sauce. Add milk until you get the consistency you want
4. Cook for 10 minutes and serve with freshly chopped cilantro

Very easy and, again, fairly rich. Probably a recipe best to consume in small quantities but, instead, we ate the entire meal in one sitting.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with White Cheddar Cheese Grits

I've been watching Top Chef from the get-go and just last season I decided to try out a recipe that a Chef named Tre prepared on the show. I love grits and bacon wrapped shrimp so I figured this was a win-win recipe. It turned out that the grilled corn and white cheddar grits recipe is a keeper (I made this again for a Bacon party and people liked it just fine), the bacon wrapped shrimp aren't much different than how I usually make them normally and the chipotle-tomato butter sauce isn't worth trying again. (I made it twice and it turned out the same both times. It's got a nice flavor with a bit of spice but it doesn't thicken as much as I'd like and it's not worth the effort.) From this, I figure that Top Chef recipes are probably not really tested in an actual kitchen. I mean, the grits made enough for a few dozen people!

Shrimp Prep: Season shrimp with a little Kosher salt. Using a hot grill, quickly mark each shrimp. Remove from grill and allow time to cool. Shrimp should still be uncooked. When cool enough to handle, wrap each shrimp with a half piece of bacon. Season with cracked black pepper. Sear each shrimp in grapeseed oil till crispy on both sides. Serve when rest of dish is ready.

Grits Prep:Using a deep saucepot combine chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer, add butter, and allow time for it to dissolve. Slowly whisk in grits a little at a time. When grits begin to thicken, lower heat. Switch to a spatula and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust for addition seasonings if needed. If grits are too thick, add more chicken stock.

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter Sauce: In a saucepot, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat. Next, add tomatoes, chipotle peppers and peppercorns. Continue to cook for another three minutes. Deglaze with chicken stock and lower heat. Cook for 5 minutes then place in a blender; blend till smooth. Place liquid back in saucepot and over low heat mount with butter, whisking in a little at a time. Add cilantro and season with lemon juice and salt. Turn off heat and allow 5 minutes to steep cilantro. Strain through fine mesh strainer and reserve warm till time to serve.


(Messy, messy, messy when your blinder lid doesn't stay on!)

To Plate:Place small amount of grits in the center of a large plate. Drizzle sauce around grits. Place three pieces of shrimp around grits. Serve. (THREE?!? Make that Nine!)

For the Shrimp:
18 pc black tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2T Kosher salt
9 bacon slices
2t cracked black pepper
Grapeseed oil for searing

For the Grits:
2qt chicken stock
1qt milk
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1qt instant grits
2 cups grilled corn kernels
1 cup poblano peppers, small diced
2 cups aged white cheddar cheese
3T chopped cilantro
2T Kosher salt
2T cracked black pepper

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter:
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2T chopped garlic
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3T chipotle peppers (in Adobe)
1t black peppercorns
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 bunch cilantro1 lemon, juiced
2t Kosher salt

(Not the greatest of pictures.)

No-Knead Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah

I took this recipe from Steamy Kitchen who took it from the book Artisian Bread Five Minutes a Day. I've since bought the book because I enjoyed this recipe so much. It's a bit labor intensive (we didn't get to enjoy our bread until about noon on the Saturday morning that I made it despite starting on it around 9:30 a.m. -- but most of the time is waiting and baking), a bit messy, and with buying the honey, hazelnuts (I had some leftover from the Scallops with Hazelnut Brown Butter Recipe) and Nutella it's not necessarily an inexpensive bread. But I love challah (I wonder what would happen if you made french toast with this challah!?!) and it was fun to make.

On to the recipe (taken from Steamy Kitchen):

You start by mixing the master dough first, let that rest overnight in the refrigerator, then the next day, pinch off a grapefruit sized piece of dough (1lb) to use for a loaf of Challah. Return the rest to the refrigerator to use for another day.

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbl instant yeast
1 1/2 tbl kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp table salt)
4 lg eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, honey, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add in the flour. STIR, BABY STIR!!! Stir until you don't see any more dry bits of flour. Cover (not airtight) and stick it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 4 days. The longer you let it fart around in the refrigerator (literally!), the better tasting the dough will be.
pssst....if you want, you can let it rise for 2 hours on the counter, pinch off the dough that you need to make your Challah. However, I've found that with only a 2-hour rise, the bread isn't very flavorful. Still good, but definitely not as good as if you had let it sit 1-4 days in the refrigerator.

Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah adaptation of Challah recipe from from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

1 lb of Master Challah Dough (above) about a grapefruit sized chunk of dough
4 1/2 tbl Nutellasmall handful of hazelnuts
1 egg + 1 tbl water, whisked to make egg wash

The first thing you need to do is take that master dough out of the refrigerator, grab a grapefruit sized chunk of dough. Return the rest of it to the refrigerator to use another time. Generously flour your hands and the dough. Shape the dough into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough and tucking it to the bottom all around, rotating hte ball a quarter-turn as you go. This creates a taut, smooth surface. Let the dough hang out on counter, covered with a towel to take the chill off while you roast your hazelnuts.

Roast Hazelnuts: Grab a medium sized skillet. Turn heat to medium. When hot, add hazelnuts and roast, continually moving the nuts so that they don't burn. You may want to turn your heat to medium-low if the pan gets too hot. Roast until nuts are golden brown and fragrant. Roughly chop the nuts with a sharp chef's knife and cutting board.

Braid Dough: Now, back to the dough. Use palm of your hands and roll the dough into a thick, even log. Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces with knife or dough scraper. (It's easier to cut even pieces when the dough is not round). Roll each piece with your hands to stretch into a long 1 1/2" thick rope. Try not to just stretch it out by pulling, the dough will break. Easiest way is to place dough on counter and roll back and forth with palms of hands, starting in the middle and hands move out which stretching the dough a bit. Don't worry about getting it to look pretty, just try to get each piece even sized.

Time to add the Nutella. Take one piece of dough. Use side of your hand to press and create an indent in the middle of the strand. Spread about 1 1/2 tbl of Nutella in this indent.

Bring up the sides of the dough, encasing the Nutella and pinch dough closed. Repeat with other strands. It's a bit messy and next time I'll try and make deeper, wider holes so less Nutella squirts out the top.
Pinch it up!



Time to braid. Start in the middle and braid. Pinch ends, tuck under. Now braid the other side, pinch and tuck. Start braid from the middle (instead of top) so that it tapers evenly at both ends.

Cover with towel and let rest for 1-1/2 hours. 20 minutes prior to baking, preheat your oven to 350F. When dough is ready, brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 25 minutes.

It's as good as it looks!

Scallops with Hazelnut Brown Butter

A simple recipe that will sort of make you feel like your eating healthy. For some reason Allen wasn't a big fan of this recipe but I can't remember why (I think I just liked it so much I blocked out his criticisms)!

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup hazelnuts, skins removed coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound large sea scallops (about 12), muscles removed, cut in half horizontally
1 to 2 bunches (about 1/2 pound total) arugula (preferably baby), washed well and dried


1. In a large skillet, stirring frequently, cook butter over medium heat until golden brown and most of the foam has subsided, about 4 minutes. Immediately transfer butter to a small bowl. Stir in hazelnuts and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Cover hazelnut butter to keep warm, and set aside. Wipe out pan with a paper towel.

2. Season scallops generously with salt and pepper. Place same skillet over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, cook scallops, in two batches (to avoid steaming), until browned and opaque in center, turning over once with a thin-bladed metal spatula, about 2 minutes total.

3. Divide arugula among four serving plates; top with scallops. Spoon hazelnut butter over scallops.

Cod with Tomato, Olive and Caper Tapenade

I was watching the Food Network HD a couple of weeks ago (seriously insane in HD and jumbo-tron) and caught a bit of Ellie Krieger's Healthy Appetite. She made this great looking cod dish. Unfortunately I wasn't paying too much attention to all the ingredients (thinking I could find it later online -- not the case). I made a pretty close knock-off but it still needs a little umph. I'll keep working on it and update if I come up with a better recipe.

In the meantime, Ingredients:
1 lb cod
1/4 cup kalmata olives, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 small can chopped black olives
1 tablespoon capers
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes salt pepper

1. Sprinkle cod with salt and pepper. Saute in lightly oiled pan for a couple of minutes on both sided (until cooked through). Transfer and set aside (in a low heat oven -- do not let continue to cook)

2. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, saute onion, add garlic, black olives and kalmata olive and toss until heated, add the entire can of diced tomatoes. Let simmer until extra liquid evaporates. Add capers and serve on top of fish. Other things I'm considering next time I make it: only use one type olive, shallots instead of onion, add a bit of balsamic vinegar with the tomatoes, and take notes next time I'm watching the show!

Layered Eggplant and Polenta Casserole

Man, I love the smell of basil. I killed the basil plant I bought last fall but I'm thinking of getting another so I'll think to cook with it more often (but I'll probably just kill it too). This recipe made me happy because it was a great excuse to use basil, plus it was a nice vegetarian alternative to the meat lasagna I usually make. Also, I got to use my polenta recipe and my grill pan! Yes, it's the little things...

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds fresh or canned plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh oregano

3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, roughly chopped

Freshly ground pepper

1 1/4 pounds medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

One 16-ounce log precooked polenta, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (or, make your own polenta).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in upper third. (I don't do this until 15 minutes out.)

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar, oregano, and basil; season with pepper. Remove sauce from heat.

3. Meanwhile, heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Lightly brush eggplant slices with the remaining tablespoon oil. Working in batches, lay slices in skillet in a single layer; cook until browned and they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. (Start step 3 while you're sauce is simmering.)

4. Spoon about A cup tomato sauce into a 9-inch square baking dish, spreading to coat evenly. Arrange eggplant slices snugly in a single layer. Spoon about 1 cup tomato sauce over eggplant, and arrange polenta rounds in slightly overlapping slices on top. Repeat with sauce and another layer of eggplant. Finish by dotting with remaining tomato sauce.

5. Cover with foil; bake until bubbling and juicy, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until sauce is lightly caramelized and eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes more. Remove from oven; let cool slightly, and serve.

I made this in two pyrex dishes and froze the second. It's a lot of eggplant and polenta for two people and I'll look forward to reheating it one night that I don't have time to cook. Next time I make it I'll probably add some mozzarella on top.

White Christmas Chili (a.k.a White Chicken Chili)

I make soup about once a week and throughout winter we'll throw chili in the mix. When we get tired of regular chili we'll make this version. Typically I'll half the recipe but only cut the seasoning by 1/4 so it still has a lot of flavor. It's great topped off with some sour cream and a few tortilla chips.

Ingredients:
8 skinned and boned chicken breast halves (you can also use boneless, skinless breasts)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
4 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and mashed
2 (4.5 ounce) cans chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces
2. Saute chicken, onion, and garlic in hot oil in dutch oven over medium-heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
3. Stir in broth and next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

P.S. Sorry for the lame, blah, picture. My camera kinda sucks. I tastes a lot better than it looks!