Smoky Shrimp and Grits

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/smoky-shrimp-and-grits




This was easy to make and very delicious. Not as much cheese as regular shrimp and grits. I would like to try this with white grits next time. I also did not use quick cooking grits, but stone grind ones that take 27 minutes. I might experiment with shrimp stock but it could be overpowering.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup quick-cooking grits
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup snipped chives
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 cup dry white wine
DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Gradually add the grits and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the grits are thick and porridge-like, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and stir in the cheddar cheese, baby spinach and chives; stir until the cheese is melted and the spinach is wilted. Cover the grits and keep warm.
In a large skillet, heat the canola oil with the garlic over high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and paprika, season with salt and black pepper and cook until the shrimp are opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until the shrimp are white throughout and the garlic-paprika sauce is slightly reduced.
Spoon the grits into bowls, top with the shrimp and sauce; serve.

Skillet roasted spiced Okra

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/skillet-roasted-spiced-okra




Delicious and fast. I didn't have ground fennel seeds so I used whole. I may use more fenugreek next time. Cutting Okra was dangerous business - they were really prickly.

NGREDIENTS
3/4 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ground fenugreek (optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound small okra, halved lengthwise
Salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, blend the paprika with the cumin, coriander, fennel, turmeric, cinnamon and fenugreek.
In each of 2 large nonstick skillets, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the okra, cut side down, and cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until browned on the bottom, 4 minutes longer. Turn the okra and cook over low heat until tender, 2 minutes. Season with salt and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Drizzle the lemon juice over the okra and serve.

Portuguese Kale & Potato soup

We got our first bucket of CSA goods and it was mostly kale. I don't like kale but I have to eat it. It's full of calcium. The web said it was easy to freeze, so I went the soup route. I hope I don't get more kale next week. This produced about 12 cups of soup. We froze some of it and I would double the sausage.


http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Portuguese-kale-and-potato-soup-1026



* garlic cloves, minced
* 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
* 3/4 cup sliced carrots
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 pound russet (baking) potatoes (about 2 large)
* 4 cups chicken broth
* 3/4 pound Spanish chorizo (cured spicy pork sausage, available at Hispanic markets and some specialty food shops), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* 3/4 pound kale, stems discarded and the leaves washed well, spun dry, and shredded thin (about 8 cups packed)
* 1 pound red potatoes

In a kettle cook the garlic, the onions, and the carrot in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Add the russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, the broth, and 4 cups water, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. While the potatoes are cooking, in a skillet cook the chorizo over moderate heat, stirring, until it is browned lightly and transfer it with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. With the slotted spoon transfer the cooked potatoes to a blender, add about 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and purée the mixture until it is smooth. Stir the purée into the broth mixture, add the chorizo, the kale, the red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces, and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer the soup, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Miso glazed catfish

Bok Choy is in season and I cannot fear this vegetable anymore.

This recipe was super easy however miso paste is expensive and needs refrigeration. We have a whole month to attempt consuming the entire bucket. Fish needs to be cooked about 8-10 minutes rather than 5. This meal is extremely low in carbs, high in protein and uses the "Best Choice" of sustainable fishes .


http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/11/miso-glazed-catfish-and-baby-bok-choy-recipe.html#comments


serves 2 - Adapted from Whole Foods.
Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tablespoon white miso
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 catfish fillets (about 5 ounces a piece)
4 baby bok choy, halved
Procedure

1. Combine miso, sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of the oil, and 1/2 tablespoon of warm water in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Brush about half of the glaze onto both sides of the catfish fillets.


2. Pour the remaining oil into a large skillet. Turn the heat to medium. Add the catfish fillets and cook for about five minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the fillets, cover with aluminum foil while you cook the bok choy.

3. Keep the same skillet over medium heat. Quickly, brush the remaining glaze on the bok choy, and place on the skillet cut side down. Pour in 2 tablespoons of water, and scrape up any browned bits. Cover the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring every one minute. The bok choy should be tender and wilted, but still bright green. Serve with the catfish.

Turkey Herbed Brined

Last year I tried to cook a turkey and it was pale, sickly, and undercooked. I was defeated. This year I was determined not to let that happen again. Anne Burrell came to the rescue!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/brined-herb-crusted-turkey-with-apple-cider-gravy-recipe/index.html

SPY: This was a challenge for me - what in the heck will fit this enormous turkey as well as several quarts of water and salt? I fished out my handy Tupperware that stored my Apocalypse rice supply. It fit perfectly. Now wait 3 days.

Brining - I realized after day 2 that my turkey was about 9 pounds and at least 4 pounds lighter than what Anne used on the show. I began to worry that I would over brine the turkey. I decided to pull it out on Saturday morning. (From Wednesday night)

Slathering butter - This was very unpleasant as I don't like to get dirty with a raw turkey. It was so cold and my fingers got numb. The cold turkey would harden the butter into chunks. I would let the turkey sit out room temperature longer next time.

Time - ~2.5 hours. Realized thermometer is broken, used the poking method to check temperature.




Skin - The skin kept sliding away from the cavity due to jamming our fingers under the skin. Next time, there must be skewers to hold the skin in place. The skin was all exposed to the elements and I was afraid it would dry out. I made a mini aluminum hat to protect it. It looks like the turkey is flashing us.


Giblet bag - I told Mike that there was not one inside the bird. I fished around inside and did not find a bag. After dinner was over, alas, we discovered a sad plastic bag cooked inside. I hope the plastic did not poison the guests.


Ingredients
Brine:

* 7 quarts water
* 1 quart apple cider
* 3/4 cup kosher salt
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1 large onion, diced
* 1 large or 2 small carrots, diced
* 3 ribs celery, diced
* 1 head garlic, cut in 1/2 equatorially
* 1/2 bunch fresh rosemary
* 1/2 bunch fresh sage
* 6 bay leaves
* 1 (12 to 14 pound) turkey, free range organic is great!

Herb crust:

* 1 bunch fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
* 1 bunch fresh sage, leaves finely chopped
* 3 sticks butter, room temperature
* Kosher salt

Gravy:

* 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 4 cloves garlic, smashed
* 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 5 bay leaves
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 1 bunch thyme
* Kosher salt
* 1 quart chicken stock, divided
* 2 cups apple cider, divided
* 1/2 to 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

To brine the turkey: Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large container. Add the turkey and let it brine in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

To prepare the turkey for cooking: Remove the turkey from the brine the night before roasting and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine the rosemary, sage, and butter for the herb crust in a small bowl. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Work the butter under the skin of the turkey and massage it into the breasts and the legs. Massage the butter on the outside of the skin as well. Tie the legs together over the breast so they will protect it during cooking and help keep it moist and juicy.

Gravy preparation: Put the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, apples, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and thyme in a roasting pan and season with salt. Arrange the turkey on top of the veggies and refrigerate overnight UNCOVERED! Yes, that's right, uncovered. This will help the skin dry out and become really brown and crispy. Make sure that there is no raw food near the turkey in the refrigerator. After refrigerating overnight, the turkey is ready to go in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Put 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup apple cider in the bottom of the roasting pan. Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until the skin gets really nice and brown, about 40 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cooking time. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes or so and add more stock to the roasting pan, if needed. Cook about 17 minutes per pound. Once it gets to the proper color, tent the turkey with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too dark.

Remove the turkey from the oven when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the turkey registers 160 degrees F. Make sure that the thermometer is not touching a bone when doing the reading. When the turkey has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the roasting pan to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Strain all the veggies over a bowl to separate them from the stock/mixture. Discard the veggies. Skim off the fat and add it to the roasting pan. This is the fat for the roux. Put the roasting pan over 2 burners and over a low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1 cup apple cider, remaining chicken stock and the stock/cider mixture. Cook until the mixture has thickened and reached a gravy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour into a serving pitcher or bowl.

Where in the world

I have been absent. I apologize, a wedding came up. My past recipes have been unsuccesful. I have become lazy. I will post again.