Month: March 2010

Shrimp and Grits

/ Ren

Gigantic gulf shrimp are sautéed in sweet butter with fresh lemon, celery, tomatoes, white wine and parsley and served over stone-ground yellow grits with fresh thyme, shrimp stock, garlic and cream..

Shrimp and Grits

Adapted from recipes by Chef Chris Hastings, Coastal Living

For the Grits

1/2 cup stone-ground yellow grits
1 tablespoon cultured butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 cup fresh cream
1/2 cup shrimp stock (substitute fish fumét or vegetable stock)
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic, slivered
1 tablespoon shallot, diced
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Add thyme, garlic and shallots and sauté until soft and fragrant.  Whisk in broth and cream, reduce heat and cook until done, adding water as you go, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.

For the Shrimp

4 very fresh jumbo Gulf shrimp, peeled, de-veined and patted dry
2 tablespoons sweet butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons red or green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoon celery, diced
1 small plum tomato, chopped
2 green onions, slivered
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (substitute Old Bay)
1/4 dry white wine
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Heat half of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add celery, bell pepper and shallots and cook 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook without moving until lightly browned on the outside and opaque on the inside, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Remove shrimp from pan and add wine, cook and reduce until only a little liquid remains, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice and shrimp and heat through, about 2 minutes.

To serve, spoon grits into a bowl and arrange shrimp over the top.  Pour the remaining butter sauce over the top and serve with Tabasco if desired.

Soaked Oatmeal with Wild Honeycomb, Mascarpone and Fried Bananas

/ Ren

Steel-cut oats are soaked overnight in cool, filtered water with a little lemon juice before being cooked with cinnamon and freshly-grated nutmeg.  Topped with banana slices fried in cultured butter with Tahitian vanilla, mascarpone thinned with fresh cream and a sprinkling of wild-harvested bee pollen..

Soaked Oatmeal with Wild Honeycomb, Mascarpone and Fried Bananas

For the Oats

1 cup traditional, steel-cut oats
1 cup cool, filtered water for soaking
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups filtered water for cooking
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons wild honeycomb
1 teaspoon wild-harvested bee pollen (not propolis)

Combine oats, water and lemon juice in a non-reactive bowl. Cover and allow to stand overnight. Transfer oats to a heavy saucepan, add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and keep warm until ready to use.

For the Bananas

1 just-ripe banana, bias-cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 tablespoons cultured butter
1 Tahitian vanilla bean, split and scraped

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-low heat.  Scrape vanilla into pan and swirl to disperse.  Add bananas and cook until golden brown.  Flip and cook until the other side is browned, about 8 minutes. Total.  Pour remaining butter into oatmeal.

For the Mascarpone

1 pint raw, fresh cream (ultra-pasteurized cream will not work)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon filtered water

Heat the cream in a double-boiler until it reaches 185 degrees. Mix water and lemon juice and add to the cream; it should thicken right away. Keep mixture at 185 degree for a full 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer to a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a clean bowl, refrigerate allow allow to separate 12-24 hours.  Mascarpone will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

To serve, spoon warm oatmeal into a bowl and drizzle cream-tinned mascarpone around the perimeter. Top with fried bananas and a spoonful of honeycomb and sprinkle with bee pollen.

Wood-Fired, Ancho-Rubbed Sirloin with Fried Plantains and Frijoles Charros

/ Ren

Grass-fed sirloin (Bastrop Cattle Co.) is rubbed in a mixture of ancho chilies, fresh garlic, Mexican oregano, comino and piloncillo, then quickly seared over a wood fire.  Served with salt & pepper-fried plantains and home-cooked frijoles charros (cowboy beans)..

Wood-Fired, Ancho-Rubbed Sirloin with Fried Plantains and Frijoles Charros


For the Rub (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

2 cloves garlic, peeled
3-4 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon piloncillo
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon half-sharp paprika
2 teaspoons sea salt

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into a semi-fine powder.

For the Beans (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

1 cup dried pinto beans
1 tablespoon leaf lard
1/2 yellow onion
1 small sprig epazote

2 thick slices bacon, diced and fried
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes, diced
1/2 fresh poblano pepper, charred and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Rinse and pick over dried beans.  Cover with 1 quart of cool, filtered water, lard, onion and epazote.  Bring to a hard boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 2 hours, adding the tomatoes and peppers about 30 minutes out.  Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep from drying out.

Add bacon, salt and cilantro during the last 10 minutes of cooking, discarding the epazote before serving.

For the Plantains

1 plantain, very ripe but still firm
1 tablespoon peanut oil or butter
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Heat butter or oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Season plantain slices with salt and pepper then fry until golden brown. Set aside to drain.

For the Steaks

1 4oz breakfast sirloin per person
1 1/2 teaspoon spice rub per steak

Pat steak dry, then evenly coat on all sides with spice rub. Grill over a wood fire for about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain about 3/8 inch-thick.

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!


Conchiglie al Formaggio

/ Ren

Baked seashells with artisan cheeses, mustard and fresh cream with spring onions, grape tomatoes and bits of spicy sausage..

C

Conchiglie al Formaggio

1 1/2 cups conchiglie pasta, cooked and drained
1-2 spring onions, sliced or 1/2 yellow onion, diced
1-2 spicy cooking sausages (such as Spanish chorizo), sliced
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup cheese (Manchego, Parmesan, etc.), grated
1 cup fresh whole milk, more-or-less
1 cup fresh cream
1 pastured egg
3 tablespoons grass-fed cultured butter, divided
2 tablespoons sprouted wheat flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/8 cup fresh oregano, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Whisk in flour and mustard and cook, stirring continuously until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Slowly whisk in cream and stir until combined, then thin with milk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit, then whisk in the egg and set aside.

Quickly brown sausage and onions in a heavy skillet over medium high heat until some of the fat has rendered, then add tomatoes and cook until softened.  Drain any excess grease, then fold into the cheese sauce along with the parsley and oregano.  Fold in pasta and adjust taste with salt and pepper.

Turn pasta mixture into a buttered casserole, then top with fresh bread crumbs and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Serve with a green salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio if desired.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, in support of freedom of choice for farmers and consumers everywhere

Who’s invited?  Raw milk producers and their consumers, grass based farmers fed up with the low commodity milk prices looking for alternatives, folks that have seen healthier days, Future Farmers of America wanting to check out the buzz about direct sales of raw milk,  constitutional scholars and lawyers looking for work that makes a difference, mother and fathers looking for answers to their children’s chronic health and obesity problems, college students cutting classes and stumbling into some life changing information, new couples considering having  family, doctors and dentists interested in pragmatic prevention based solutions, teachers and parents concerned with sugared milk in school lunches and YOU!

Pomelo and Lotus Root with Pickled Ginger, Mint and Wild Honeycomb

/ Ren

Fresh pomelo tossed with tender lotus rootlets, pickled ginger, fresh mint and wild honeycomb makes a light and refreshing dessert..

Pomelo and Lotus Rootlet with Pickled Ginger, Mint and Wild Honeycomb

Native to Southeast Asia, the pomelo or Chinese grapefruit is much larger, sweeter and less bitter than grapefruit from Florida, Texas or California. The 1/2 inch thick peel can be used to make marmalade or candied and dipped in chocolate.