Phoebe's Phamous Salt and Sugar Cured Shrimp

Shrimp must be one of the food world's great luxuries. It cooks quickly, absorbs flavors well, is low fat and is a good source of protein. There are a couple of different varieties of shrimp, but I divide them into two main categories. Big and small. I grew up eating the small ones, also know as 'Northern Shrimp', Maine shrimp, salad shrimp--you know the ones--they are small, tender and delicious. When they are fresh, not frozen and quickly steamed they have a heavenly buttery quality that Iadore. I have fond memories of going to my grandparents' house and standing next to my grandfather at the sink while he cleaned pounds of shrimp. He would hum under his breath and quietly get to work. Some to eat, and some to freeze to eat later. He would tell me stories about life in a small town in early 20th century New England. To this day whenever I eat Maine shrimp I think of being small and snug--well loved in a warm house.
It wasn't until I was a young adult that I tried the big shrimp, also called cocktail shrimp, prawns, etc. and I was disappointed. Overcooked and rubbery, they were less than appealing. Haven't you ever gone to a restaurant and been disappointed in the quality of the shrimp cocktail? When my clients started to request grilled shrimp for salads and dinners, I knew that I had to be able to come up with something more appealing for them. It took some searching and recipe testing, but I finally came up with a system to cook tasty big shrimp. Although they are not the same as the 'small' shrimp, cooked my way they are delicious.
The secret lies in curing the shrimp briefly with salt and sugar. This was inspired by a recipe found in Sunset magazine, but I have also seen similar recipes in cook's illustrated.

Phoebe's Salt and Sugar Cured Shrimp
1tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 # peeled and deveined Shrimp, tails on
In our search for a more sustainable way of living it is important to purchase food that supports our long term goals for the future. When purchasing shrimp, try to avoid buying imported farm raised shrimp, such as Tiger Prawns or Black Tiger Prawns. Instead, look for wild caught shrimp from the U.S Gulf of Mexico and U.S South Atlantic, called white or pink shrimp. U.S. farmed shrimp called Pacific White Shrimp or West Coast White Shrimp is also a good choice. ( The Monterey Bay Aquarium website www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch has a terrific guide to sustainable and safe seafood. Check it out for more information.) If you have questions while shopping your fish market should be able to advise you.

Optional Flavorings
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. lemon zest (about 1 lemon's worth)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. chopped herbs--Parsley is good and adds a nice note of color while accentuating the lemon and garlic flavor. I have also experimented with basil successfully and a variety of spice rubs, so be creative.

Rinse the shrimp in a colander under cold running water. Next, toss the shrimp with the sugar and salt. Let the shrimp sit in the cure for as little as 20 minutes and up to an hour while you prepare the rest of dinner. I use this time to start cooking rice and set up the steamer for steamed vegetables. Once I have the rest of dinner underway I proceed with the shrimp recipe.
Mince the garlic and zest the lemon. Set aside. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry between two sets of paper towels. Drying the shrimp is important--it will help the shrimp to sear and seal in juices instead of steaming, so don't skip this step. Toss the shrimp with the lemon zest, garlic, herbs and olive oil.
These shrimp are equally as good when they are pan seared, grilled or roasted in an oven. Whatever cooking method you decide upon the most important thing is to have a hot surface to cook the shrimp quickly. If you are cooking in the oven, pre heat to 425 or 450F and cook for about 5 minutes or so on at pre heated sheet pan. I prefer to cook these shrimp in a grill or saute pan. Heat your pan over a medium high heat and place the shrimp in a single layer in the hot pan. They should start to curl and turn pink almost immediately. The flesh will sear to a light golden brown where it has had direct contact with the pan. Turn the shrimp and sear on the second side. Remove from the pan and serve. Leftovers make a great addition to a lunchtime salad. I also like to toss leftover shrimp with a thin pasta such as angel hair.

Morels and Mother's Day

Happy belated Mother's day everyone! It was my first one, and I have to admit the feeling was a bit odd. Should I be celebrating my mom? Should she be celebrating me? Should I celebrate myself? It was a lovely day and I did positively nothing. We did not go out for brunch--when I was still working in restaurants Easter brunch and Mother's day brunch were both days of reckoning. I've lived through horror stories about running out of food and people keep coming.P and I had very low key plans for dinner--takeout from the new Thai place that we like, but then our farmer's market basket arrived and plans changed.
Our Farmer's market basket arrives every Sunday, hand delivered and fresh from the farmer. For me, emptying the whole foods re-usable bag that it arrives in is almost like Christmas morning, without all of the wrapping paper to recycle. And yes, I realize it is a luxury to have someone shop the farmer's market for me, but really it's the best thing that I have done for myself all year. There is always fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge, I can support the farmer and the local economy and with a well stocked pantry I can easily put together a yummy meal in no time. There are always one or two items that surprise and inspire me. Mother's day was Morels. When I opened the small paper bag that contained them, I was positively delighted! I have a very special relationship with Morels, you see. Morels are the honeycomb shaped mushrooms that are available from about mid april to mid june. They have a haunting woodsy taste and are among my favorite mushrooms. Morels are best purchased fresh--they dry ones have lost much of their elusive flavor. They are best simply prepared, sauteed with garlic and butter and if you are feeling really decadent, finished with heavy cream. They are a wonderful companion to asparagus, sugar snap peas, omelets and as a sauce for chicken or beef. The first time that I had a morels was in Paris, from the farmer's market and I was immediately and completely in love. When my mom visited me that spring it was one of the food discoveries that I shared with her (that and my favorite place to get pastries from) I managed to make her the most perfect omelette with farm fresh eggs and fragrant morels. She still talks about it to this day. This Mother's day, however, we had leftover roast chicken in the fridge and pasta in the pantry. With the addition of asparagus, morels, a touch of garlic and heavy cream P and I were enjoying meal fit for a king (or new parents) in no time at all. Here's how to do it.

Mother's Day Pasta with Morels
6 oz of dried pasta, I like spaghetti or linguine for this dish.
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 oz of Morels, cleaned and sliced*
8 oz. of asparagus, the tough bottom tips snapped off and the remaining spears cut into 1" lengths.
1 1/2 c. leftover roast chicken, cut into bite size pieces.
1/2c. heavy cream
1 tsp. lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
*Morels can be full of grit and even insects. Make sure that you clean them thoroughly. Start by placing them in a bowl full of cold water and swish them around a bit. Lift them out of the water. If they are extremely dirty, repeat the bath. Next, split them in half lengthwise and cut them crosswise into strips. If the morels are small you can simply split them in half to check for any extra protein. (i.e. insects.)
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the back of the box.
Melt the butter in a wide saute pan and saute the garlic for 2 or 3 minutes until fragrant. Toss in the morels and saute for 3 or 4 more minutes. Add the asparagus and pour in the heavy cream. Let the cream simmer for a few minutes until it has thickened slightly. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Season to taste with the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Toss with the pasta and enjoy! I like to serve this with a French style chardonnay, such as Stubbs chardonnay from Marin County. If you wanted a red wine with this, I would recommend a Pinot Noir or another light red such as a Beajolais.

Moving, mayhem and meatloaf

Moving should really mimic the transporter device on Star Trek. Not only should I be able to beam myself up and over to my new place, but all of my furniture too. I haven't been doing a ton of cooking lately--too busy packing and dealing with contractors at the new house. It has been several weeks of ordering takeout and eating off of paper plates, and I am so ready for a home cooked meal it isn't even funny. The one upside of moving is rediscovering cookbooks and recipes that I would like to try. So many recipes and so little time. Sometimes I rush too much--trying to do everything, and this move had me simmering with activity and good intentions. Once I had the kitchen set up I proceeded to make gingerbread (makes the kitchen smell all warm and spicy) but in my haste used the wrong size pan, and ended up with cake all over the oven (makes the kitchen smell like burned sugar--not so nice) but the cake still tasted good, and I enjoyed it with a cup of coffee after scrubbing the oven clean. I also made a 'Flamiche' which is a type of alsatian quiche with leeks and a pungent cheese, such as a ripe camembert. That too overflowed, but at least this time I was smart enough to put a sheet pan underneath the pie plate to catch potential overflow. Really I was feeling quite irritated with myself. I wanted to cook us a nice dinner, something that wouldn't mess up the oven and I could do while entertaining Miss Lils. Old Fashioned Meatloaf seemed to be the answer to all my problems. Now, I came to meatloaf late in life. We were not a meatloaf family as a kid--shrimp in white sauce, teriyaki beef kabobs with pineapple yes, meatloaf no. I had no idea how much I would enjoy the ketchup glaze on the old loaf. But yum! and quick too--I can almost mix it with one hand, except for dicing the onions. My favorite meatloaf recipe comes from cook's illustrated. It's simple, classic and tastes wonderful. I've also included notes on how to adapt this recipe to be gluten and dairy free and a second adaptation using chicken or turkey and ground flax meal if you are feeling ultra hip and healthy. I sauteed some spinach, boiled some new potatoes from the farmer's market, tossed them with butter, parsley, salt and pepper and voila! Dinner is served.

*Just a brief note on potatoes from the Farmer's Market. They are awesome--hands down the best, most flavorful potatoes that I have ever had. They are well worth seeking out. Grocery store potatoes don't even compare.

All American Meatloaf
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with tinfoil.

Ketchup Glaze
1/2 c. Ketchup
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cider or white vinegar
Combine the above ingredients and set aside.

Meatloaf
2# meatloaf mix--I like using equal parts ground beef, veal and pork. However, I have also used ground turkey or chicken with success. (If you do use ground poultry I would recommend thigh over breast. Ground breast is too lean and dries out in my opinion.)
2 eggs
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2/3c. crushed saltines (about 1/2 a sleeve) or 2/3c. dried breadcrumbs
1/2c. milk
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. of dried thyme
1 Tbsp. Oil

Heat the oil in a saute pan on the stove top. Saute the onion over medium heat until it is softened. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute or two until the garlic is aromatic. Set aside.
Place the crushed saltines or breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour the milk over. Let stand for a few minutes until softened, and then add the eggs, worcestershire, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the cooled onion mixture and the meatloaf mixture. I always mix meatloaf with my hands, but you can use a spoon if you prefer. Once the meatloaf has been mixed, turn it out onto the foil lined pan and shape it into a loaf. I typically make a low and flattish loaf in order to optimize the meat to glaze ratio. Now, brush the loaf with half of the ketchup glaze and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, pour the remaining glaze over the meatloaf and bake for another 15-20 minutes. It's hard to overcook meatloaf, so if it is in the oven for a few more minutes don't worry about it. It's easiest to slice the meatloaf if you let it cool for 15 minutes or so.
Now, to make a gluten and dairy free meatloaf simply substitute rice or soy milk for the whole milk. Make sure to use plain unsweetened. Save the vanilla flavor for your breakfast cereal. In place of the cracker or breadcrumbs, I use gluten free bread crumbs from kinnikinnick. (kinnikinnick.com) To add fiber and omega 3's to your meatloaf, replace 1/2 of the bread or cracker crumbs with flax meal.