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Thai Shrimp and Spinach Curry
I got this recipe from my mom a few years ago and never got around to making it until this week. I wish I hadn't waited so long to try it....this dish is delicious! It is also very easy to make and quite quick to prepare. The end product not only tastes wonderful, it is also pleasing to look at with all the vibrant colors. This recipe will no doubt be one i will make again and again.
Thai Shrimp and Spinach Curry
14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk, chilled
11/2 to 2 teaspoons Thai green or red curry paste
1 pound medium shrimp (about 24), shelled and deveined
2 tablespoons naam pla (Thai fish sauce)
2 carrots, sliced thin crosswise
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
3/4 pound spinach (about 1 bunch), coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and spun dry
3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
Cooked rice or rice noodles as an accompaniment
Spoon about 1/3 cup of the thick coconut cream from the top of the coconut milk and in a large heavy skillet cook the cream over moderate heat, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is thickened slightly. Add the curry paste and cook the mixture, whisking, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and sauté the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink. Add the coconut milk and the naam pla and simmer the mixture,
uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, or until the shrimp are just cooked through. Transfer the shrimp with a slotted spoon to a bowl, to the skillet add the carrots and the bell pepper, and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Add the spinach in batches, stirring until each batch is wilted, return the shrimp to the skillet, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Sprinkle the dish with the coriander and serve it with the rice or rice noodles.
Tortuga’s Lie
Beach Road, Milepost 11
Nags Head, NC
Finding a satisfactory restaurant while out of town or on vacation can be luck of the draw. We got super lucky when we discovered Tortuga’s Lie in Nags Head, NC.
Tortuga’s Lie is a small, casual, Caribbean-influenced restaurant and bar on the beach front road. The outside of the building is brightly painted and parking is limited. There is a volleyball court in the back.
The inside of Tortuga’s Lie is painted with bright colors and decorated with personalized (some very entertaining) license plates from all over the world. A large bar takes up a good portion of the restaurant. You can get drinks at the bar while you wait to be seated or eat your meal there while watching the television sets playing ESPN and surfing videos. There is NO smoking (yay!) inside Tortuga’s Lie, so you won’t have to inhale secondhand smoke while you try to enjoy your meal.
The food, bold with global flavors, is the real star. We started our meal with the special appetizer of the day, crab and artichoke dip served with pita triangles. It was wonderful with large chunks of crab meat. We also got the nachos supreme ($6.50). They were piled high with chips, black beans, cheese, fresh salsa, sour cream, and pickled jalapenos. They disappeared fast. Our meals arrived soon afterwards. My hubby got fish tacos ($12.95) that consisted of corn tortillas filled with generous portions of grilled mahi-mahi, shredded cabbage, jack cheese, and an avocado-lime dressing. Sour cream and jalapenos were served alongsidet, as well as, black beans and rice. One of our friends ordered the grilled fish and black bean burrito ($10.95). Grilled tuna, black beans, jack cheese, sautéed onions and peppers were wrapped in a cheddar-jalapeno wrap and served with rice, sour cream, and salsa. Our other friend ordered pork antonio ($13.95), two pork chops rubbed with jerk seasoning and grilled. The chops were then glazed with a habenero yellow currant jam and served with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. I ordered coco-loco chicken ($8.95) that was a chicken breast rolled in coconut and cracked black pepper then fried. It was served with a lime curry dressing sauce, black beans, and rice. We all agreed the food was excellent.
Tortuga’s Lie also offers burgers, sandwiches, pasta, steamed seafood and vegetables, and sushi (on Wednesday nights).
We were pleased with Tortuga’s Lie. The atmosphere was fun and relaxing, and the food was delicious. It was the dining highlight of our trip to Nags Head. Any return visits to the Outer Banks will certainly include a stop at Tortuga’s Lie.
Colache
This is a great low calorie soup that originates from Mexico. I have seen so many variations of this soup/stew. Some contain butternut squash, pumpkin, mushrooms, meat, and/or basil. This is a perfect recipe for late summer when tomatoes, corn, and squash are so abundant.
Colache
6 ears fresh sweet corn (or 3 cups frozen corn)
3 large, very ripe tomatoes (3 lbs.) (i used canned, guesstimated amount)
2 fresh jalapeños, minced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 small zucchini, sliced medium thick
1 yellow crookneck squash, cubed
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 qt. water
1 qt. vegetable stock
Salt to taste
Fresh black pepper, to taste
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the ears with a sharp knife. Blanch, core, and skin the tomatoes; chop coarsely in a food processor, retaining all juices (use short pulses).
Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup kettle, add the onion, garlic, and red pepper, and sauté over low heat until limp. Add the jalapeños, zucchini, squash, and cumin and sauté a few minutes, stirring the vegetables gently. Add water and stock, bring to a simmer, season with salt and black pepper, and cook over low heat about five minutes. Add the corn, lime juice, and cilantro and cook about two minutes longer, or until corn is heated through.
Archaeologists Offer Taste of Pompeii
By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press WriterWed May 25, 2005
Sauces made from fermented fish entrails. A quiche-like pastry shell filled with bay leaves and ricotta cheese. For dessert, peaches with aromatic cumin and honey.
Those tastes may not be for everyone's palate, but the specialties of ancient Pompeii are being revived for a month at the site of the ruins by a research project intended to give new insights into how the Romans lived.
Pompeii's busiest restaurant was buried with the rest of the prosperous city when Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. The eruption killed thousands of people, but a 20-foot-deep cocoon of volcanic ash kept the city almost intact, providing precious information on domestic life in the ancient world.
Starting Thursday, visitors will do more than stroll around the restaurant's tables and gaze at the kitchen tools that have stayed where residents left them when they were surprised by the eruption.
Researchers have tried to revive the city's food by replanting — in the restaurant's garden and in other open spaces — the fruits and vegetables that were part of the Roman diet: figs and olives, plums and grapes, as well as poppy, broom (a flowery bush), bramble (a prickly shrub), and mallow (an herb).
Kits with the ingredients will be sold to visitors in the area around the restaurant with instructions on how to cook Roman specialties. Although there will be no cooking on the site, visitors will be directed to a local restaurant where some of the ancient specials will be offered.
"We wanted to learn what the inhabitants of Pompeii ate," said Anna Maria Ciarallo, a biologist who heads the project for Pompeii's archaeological office. "But we wanted a side of the project to appeal directly to the public as well."
Some may keep away from "garum," a pungent sauce used for flavoring and obtained by fermenting fish entrails, but Ciarallo said many Roman dishes closely resembled modern cuisine.
The recipe to make prosciutto ham has remained unchanged, while "savillum," the favorite dessert of many Romans, was a baked cream similar to today's custard, she said.
Pompeii's wealthy were known to feast on such exotic dishes as swallow's tongue and parrot meat, but the project is presenting more everyday fare, Ciarallo said.
The restaurant was located between the gymnasium, the amphitheater and one of the city's gates and mostly catered to middle-class merchants and travelers, she said.
Its six benches were probably always filled with hungry customers passing through the busy neighborhood, she said. The guests would recline on one side on the benches, as eating customs demanded at the time, to chat, play dice — one of the Romans' favorite pastimes — and partake of the dishes served out of large pots. The quiche-like "libum" is made with bread, bay leaves and cheese resembling today's ricotta.
"It was a sweet and sour cuisine, which blended the sharp tastes of vinegar and spices with the sugars of honey and figs," Ciarallo said. Cereals and beans were the staples of the Roman diet, together with fish, cheese and limited quantities of eggs and meat.
"The main differences were between the social classes," she said.
Slaves were kept on a high-energy diet of bread, dried-fruits and low quality cheese and wine. The upper classes enjoyed the same foods available to the middle class, but the quantities were larger, the ingredients finer, and the banquets were lavish presentations.
The project will shut down on June 26 because of lack of funds — a perennial problem that keeps parts of the huge Pompeii site often closed to the public.
kiwi bread
i made this kiwi bread to take to a party last weekend. people seemed to enjoy it. the kiwi flavor was subtle (which was a bit disappointing for me). the bread turned out a bit crumbly and dry, so if i make it again, i won't cook it as long as i did (60 minutes).
kiwi bread
2 cups unbleached flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup peeled, mashed kiwi fruit (about 3 or 4)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees - grease and flour a 9x5x3 loaf pan.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. In a large bowl cream the butter, add the sugar gradually & beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, to creamed mixture, beating well after each one. Stir in the kiwis. Fold in the dry ingredients gently, stirring only until batter is completely moistened. Spoon batter into pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack - then remove from pan and cool completely.
recipe source: favorite quick breads and muffins by dimetra markis.
Hot Water Cornbread
This is another favorite from my childhood. It's a Southern classic. My Dad used to add in shredded sharp cheddar cheese, minced onion, and minced jalapenos to his hot water cornbread mixture before frying. Experiment with the add-ins, the possibilities are endless. I like my hot water cornbread plain (no add-ins). I've been known to dip mine in ketchup.
Hot Water Cornbread
2 cups cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
2 cups boiling water
hot oil for frying
Combine cornmeal and salt. Add the boiling water and mix until combined. When dough is cool enough to handle, take a small amounts and pat into a rounded patties. Place patties in the hot oil and fry on both sides until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Fried Okra and Potatoes
This dish has been a favorite of mine for most of my life. It's the ultimate in Southern comfort. Fried okra and potatoes goes great with black-eyed peas and cornbread or with fried fish. I like it with ketchup.
Fried Okra and Potatoes
1 pound fresh okra
2 large potatoes (baking type -- not new potatoes)
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Wash okra and cut off stem ends. Cut in 1/2-inch pieces. Peel potatoes and chop into 1/2-inch dice. Put okra and potatoes in large bowl. Add chopped onion to mixture. Sprinkle cornmeal, salt and pepper over mixture. Stir until cornmeal is evenly distributed throughout mixture.
Heat cooking oil in large skillet over medium heat (oil should be hot, but not smoking hot). Carefully spoon okra/potato mixture into hot oil. Fry, turning mixture occasionally, until potatoes are done and mixture is nicely browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Chocolate Gobs
chocolate gobs are a sweet treat that have a cream filling sandwiched by two cake-like chocolate cookies. essentially, they are whoopie pies, but don't have marshmallow in the cream filling (although, not all whoopie pies recipes have marshmallow in them). the first time i ever saw a whoopie pie was at a mennonite farmers' market in the shenadoah valley. i'm guessing it's a pennsylvania dutch, amish, or mennonite recipe. i made this recipe after seeing an episode of paula's home cooking (it's paula deen's recipe) on the food network. they were fun to make and tasted great. the recipe made a gabillion gobs, so plan on giving some away. these would be great for a bake sale.
Two Brothers' Chocolate Gobs
Cake:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa
Filling:
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs and continue to beat. Stir together buttermilk, boiling water, vanilla, and blend this into the creamed mixture at low speed.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. Add to mixture 1 cup at a time, blending well at low speed. Batter will be very thin but do not worry. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and transfer onto waxed paper.
To make the filling, place flour into saucepan and slowly add milk, stirring until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring until very thick. Mixture should become as thick as solid vegetable shortening. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. In a medium bowl, cream together sugar, butter, shortening, and vanilla using a handheld electric mixer. Add the cooled flour mixture and whip until fluffy. Spread onto bottom side of cookie and top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.
Recipe note:
i didn't have buttermilk, so i used 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (you can use white vinegar) and enough milk to make 1 cup.
Ratatouille
This is the best ratatouille i have ever had. I like to eat it on top of egg noodles with a little bit of goat cheese crumbled on top. it's really an easy stew to make and it's hard not to get it right. i usually use zucchini and summer squash (instead of only zucchini). i also add a bit more garlic and sometimes chopped jalapeno. i have used canned tomatoes (drained) when good fresh tomatoes are not available.
Ratatouille
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 T. olive oil
1 lb. unpeeled eggplant, cut in 3/4 inch dice
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/4 t. basil
3 medium unpeeled zucchini (a combination of yellow and green gives more color) cut into bite size pieces
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 green peppers, chopped
1 t. salt or to taste
dash of pepper
Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients, bring to the boil then reduce to simmer. Cover and simmer 5 minutes or until mixture becomes somewhat liquid. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant and zucchini are tender,(about 30 minutes). Serve hot, alone or over rice or egg noodles
Chocolate Ice Cream
my son and i made this easy ice cream recipe yesterday and it was delicious! it's very chocolate-y.
i feel that this particular recipe has a lower fat content (i used reduced-fat milk) than commerical ice creams without a compromise on taste or texture. next time i make this recipe, i will probably use a bit less sugar too.
make sure you have plenty of ice and rock salt (specifically for ice cream making) for the ice cream machine before you begin.
Chocolate Ice Cream
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Melt the unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Gradually whisk in the cocoa and heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. (The chocolate may "seize" or clump together. Don't worry, the milk will dissolve it.) Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, and heat until completely blended. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and vanilla and whisk to blend.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on your refrigerator.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.
Makes 1 quart.
Roasted Corn Tacos
these are very good and surprisingly satisfying. when the corn is roasted, it gets sweet and has a wonderful depth of flavor. the texture of the corn also changes and it gets chewy (for the lack of a better word).
the last time i made roasted corn tacos, i added thinly sliced zucchini to the mix and will definitely do that again. yum!
Roasted Corn Tacos
Fresh ears of corn (frozen can be used in a pinch)
Onion
Bell pepper
Corn tortillas
Grated cheese (Cheddar or Monterey Jack)
Salsa
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro leaves
Additional diced onions
Chopped lettuce
Depending on how many you are feeding, shuck and wash fresh ears of corn, making sure to remove all corn silk. (In general, allow two ears per person -- but I always make more so I have leftovers.)
Stand up each ear of corn on end in a deep, large bowl or a deep cookie sheet, and with a small, sharp knife, slice down the cob in sections to remove the corn. Cut AWAY from you and watch those fingers! You want to remove as much of each corn kernel as possible, but don't cut into the cob. Use the knife to scrape the cob to obtain as much of the corn juice as you can.
Grab an onion and peel it, then slice it very thinly. Do the same with a bell pepper. The key is to slice very thinly.
Throw the corn kernels, sliced onion, and sliced bell pepper onto a large, deep cookie sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, mix well, and put in very hot oven (425-450 degrees). Roast, removing from oven and stirring every 10-15 minutes, until the corn is hot and sizzly and the onion/bell peppers start to blacken. Total cooking time is generally in the 45-minute range, though actual cooking time depends on oven heat, how much corn ya got, and how roasted you like your veggies. (I think this is much tastier when the onion and bell pepper start to blacken slightly and carmelize, as they get sweet.)
Remove from oven; you can consume immediately or put it in the fridge and gently heat it in microwave before serving. The roasted corn mixture also freezes well.
To serve: heat corn tortillas, fill with roasted corn mixture, throw on some cheese, sour cream, diced onions, cilantro leaves, and salsa, and eat. Repeat numerous times.
