Chorizo and Shrimp Stew

I love when I have an unusual ingredient that I want to make into something new and different (to me at least). After I'd made the traditional paella from the chorizo I brought home with me from Barcelona, I still had some left and wanted something delicious to make with it. Among the many good ideas was this stew, which I adapted from foodandwine.com. 

The ingredients were simple, some olive oil, onion, garlic, frozen shrimp, a few roasted red bell peppers (this time I used those from a jar and didn't roast them myself), crushed tomatoes that serves as the base of the stew and of course, chorizo. 

Start by thinly slicing the chorizo and dicing the onion and garlic. First add the chorizo to a deep heavy coated stew pan with a drizzle of olive oil (the chorizo will not need a lot of added fat to cook, as it has plenty of its own). Stir in the heat until sizzling. The sides of the chorizo slices will curl up and become very fragrant.
Remove the chorizo from the pot, leaving the oils in the bottom. Set the chorizo aside with the shrimp for later.
Next, soften the onion and garlic in the pot. You may also use sliced or diced carrots. Once soft, you may add a tablespoon of flour to the mixture and stir until yellowed and bubbling if you wish to thicken this into a stew. Then add the crushed tomatoes, sweet roasted red peppers (about 2), and a few cups of water and bring to a boil. At this point, I made the texture of the stew smoother by using a few short pulses with my hand blender. Lastly, add the shrimp and chorizo and cook for a few more minutes.

Serve with fresh slices of avocado and enjoy.

Stir Fried Garlic Bean Sprouts and Shrimp

I'm glad to have a few new ways to eat bean sprouts, other than in a salad and on a delicious hummus and sunflower seed bagel. This made a super easy side dish, but could also be paired with rice or egg noodles to make a main dish. If using pre-cooked shrimp, this is a fast and easy recipe that everyone will eat right up.

2 tbs vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 1/2 cups of cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp, if using large shrimp, you may want to coarsley chop them
1 1/2 cups of bean sprouts, washed and drained
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 large scallions, diced
1 tsp white pepper

1.) Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet. Add the garlic and fry briefly until golden.
2.) Add the shrimp and heat through or cook if the shrimp are still raw.
3.) Add the fish sauce, sugar, and scallions and cook for a few more minutes until the scallions are softened.
4.) Add the bean sprouts and white pepper, toss, remove from heat and serve immediately.

Shrimp Egg Rolls with Cucumber Sauce

I had wanted to make these for a long time. If you like this, you may like another eggroll recipe without seafood. This is another one of those recipes adapted from my fave, Giada de Laurentiis from the Foodnetwork that does a lot of Italian and Californian style recipes. I keep a bag of jumbo shrimp in my freezer, mostly for when I have guests over or want to make something that looks fancy fast. Ok, this recipe is not a fast one. It takes some time to chop and roll. With the hang of it it gets faster. I made these for T & G for dinner last Sunday and the words 'very impressed' were used, by T, which means more than when coming from G (doesn't take much to impress that one ;)

I started with the sauce because as with most sauces the longer is marinates together in the 'fridge the better it tastes when time comes to devour it. 

Cucumber Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonaise 

4'' piece of cucumer diced finely

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp chilli sauce (the kind I used has extra garlic in it)

Blend these ingredients well and cover with plastic wrap or in a tupperware and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Shrimp Egg Rolls

18 egg roll wrappers (premade is the way to go here)

2 shallots

2 cloves garlic

1 carrot

3/4 lb (500 grams) shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

1 cup of mixed mushrooms (I used shitake and black flower fungus)

1 cup lightly cooked bean thread noodles

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs fish sauce or oyster sauce

peanut oil for frying 

1.) Finely chop the onion, garlic and carrot as best you can. Add to a larg bowl.

2.) Prepare the shrimp, chop them, chunky, not too small. Add to the vegetable mixture.

3.) Chop the mushrooms also a bit smaller than the shrimp but not as small as the vegetables. This all goes more easily with the help of a food processor, but if like me you do not have one, this is not impossible, just time consuming. My mushrooms were in the dried form, so this step required soaking in hot water for about 20 minutes before chopping. Add to the mixture.

4.) Add the soy sauce, sugar, and fish sauce to the mixture and blend well.

5. ) Now that the mixture is ready to roll, set up your rolling area so that you have everything you need in close proximity. You may want to roll the egg rolls and lay them flat on a baking sheet until ready to fry. Have a small bowl of water on hand for dipping your fingers in and wetting the ends of the wrapper when ready to close, have the bean thread noodles, drained, cooled and possible chopped into 2'' or otherwise manageable lengths. and as you can see from my picture of course, coffee.

6.) Starting with an egg roll with the point facing toward you, like a diamond, place a heaping tablespoon of the shrimp and veggie mixture in the middle of the square. Add a few of the bean thread noodles on top. Don't over do it, you'll need to wrap this soon, but you'll figure out the best amount as you go.

7. Roll tightly the first half up. Tuck in the two sides. On the last triangle, dab some water on the tip with your fingers and finish the rolling. The water keeps the roll 'glued' together. Place on the baking sheet with the closed side down (this gives it some time to firm the seal).

8.) When almost ready to serve, heat the peanut oil in a large pot or a deep saucepan. You will want just enough oil to almost cover one egg roll dropped in, not much more. The deeper the pot or saucepan the less likely it is for you to get splattered with hot oil. When the oil is hot enough, an eggroll will take only about 20-30 seconds to brown. You may have to gently flip the egg roll to the other side if it is not completely submerged in oil. This part goes relatively quickly.

9.) Return to the baking sheet and drain on top of paper towels for several minutes.

10.) Transfer to a serving dish or plates and serve with the cucumber dipping sauce.

Madal Ravintola

Saturday, some friends and I went to a new little restaurant in Kuurvi, Sörnäinen (Kulmavuorenkatu 4) called Madal for lunch. For a little restaurant in Sörnäinen, this place was pretty upscale, with a long menu, a wine list, and both domestic and Nepalese beers to choose from. I've tried the Nepalese beer, Gorkha, at another restaurant in Kamppi, called Pikku Nepal, and I'm not wildly impressed. Somehow there is a nice bitter after bite to it, but otherwise I prefer just regular old 'kotimainen,' domestic Karjala. (Never thought I would say that!) It makes me miss Fordham's Copperhead Ale from Ram's Head in Annapolis....

I ordered the Madal salad with king prawns (ok that's what normal shrimp are called in Finland, and if you ask for 'katkarapu' you'll get a tiny version of regular shrimp) By the time the food came, I was really hungry- the wait was about 30 minutes for the food, but it was worth it.


The boys all got some kind of lamb, beef or chicken, but the girls' table went veggie. M and A both had the paneer (soft homemade cheese) in a red curry sauce.

I would recommend this place to anyone that likes good Indian or Nepalese food, but wants something a little more fancy, for a date or special outing. The portions were modest, but the flavour, presentation and service from this restaurant were outstanding. Also, the restaurant has a lunch buffet with 3-4 choices before 3PM for only 8,50e. I'll have to check that out some other time.

Italian Dinner for Two

Since I have the last chance to cook for A for a while, I wanted to make something special as a sendoff. I'm sure once he's in Berlin he'll be in donerkebab heaven, but for now I wanted him to enjoy some nice Italian.

My menu was a little off season, since I made a Southern Italian Ratatouille inspired by the Food network, and I really wanted to use a little zucchini. The multitude of different vegetables really hit the spot.

Italian Salad

• Head of lettuce (arugula, or romaine, or a mixture)
• Handful of black or kalamata olives, pits removed
• approx. 1o cherry tomatoes
• 1 roasted red pepper (I used jarred to make my life easier)
• olive vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1. Tear lettuce into forkable bites.
2. Toss in other ingredients.
3. Mix in the vinaigrette.
   

Olive Vinaigrette

• 3 tbs green olives with pimento and juice
• 3 tbs red wine vinegar
• handful of basil leaves
• fresh bunch of parsley leaves
• black pepper
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs grated Parmesan

1. Mix all ingredients in the blender, adding oil and Parmesan last.

Southern Italian Ratatouille

• 1 zucchini, sliced on the horizontal
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can of mushrooms or one pound fresh button or cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup spinach, frozen
• handful of basil leaves, torn
• 2 tbs thyme or rosemary (or both)
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 4 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 tbs Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Heat half of the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add 1 onion and half of the garlic and saute until golden and aromatic. Add zucchini slices and saute on medium low until soft. Remove from the pan to another plate or oven dish.
2. Heat the other half of the olive oil in the same pan as before. Add the other onion and the rest of the garlic and saute. Add the mushrooms, spinach, red bell pepper, thyme or rosemary and salt and pepper. Saute until softened.
3. Mix the mushroom and zucchini together, add the chopped tomatoes and basil and toss.
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5. Keep warm in oven if necessary, while preparing the rest of the meal.

This makes a lot of ratatouille, or 4 servings. However, the leftover ratatouille is versatile for use in leftovers! I used some the next morning in a delicious egg omelet. I plan to use the rest for an appetizer, on top of say, bruschetta. Or, it can be served over rice, with potatoes, or tossed into some tomato puree and vegetable broth to make a delicious soup!

Shrimp Pasta with Herb Cream Sauce

• pasta for two servings, I used whole wheat rotini, about half pound for two very hungry people
• half pound shrimp
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 cup cooking cream
• 1 can crushed peeled tomatoes
• 1 tbs oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 1/2 cup torn basil and parsley leaves

1. Set water to boil with a pinch of salt and a splash of oil. When boiling, add pasta and cook to instructions.
2. Heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add the diced garlic and and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are just cooked, turning from grey to pink. Remove shrimp from pan. I bought frozen raw shrimp, so I was not able to peel and devein until after this step.
3. Peel and devein shrimp at this time if you have not already.
4. Add the tomatoes, basil and parsley to the pan and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Add oyster sauce, cream and white wine and simmer for another 4-5 minutes.
6. Add basil and parsley leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. (For a little heat, add some crushed red pepper flakes.)
7. Strain pasta and return to pot. Add sauce and shrimp to the pasta and toss thoroughly.

Wahlah! Yummy and easy, but still tastes so gourmet.

Bon Appetito!

Rice Paper Wraps and Sup Tom Xao Lan (Shrimp Soup)

V for Vendetta.... or Vietnamese (food)

First time back to the ethnic markets on Hameentie in over 3 months! I bought some rice paper and veggies and decided to make some wraps. I'm making these fresh, summery wraps mid-January in celebration of my and my and A's new year's commitment to eat more healthy. You may even blanch the vegetables a bit to warm them up and make this a warm dish. However, Vietnamese cuisine is known for its use of healthy and fresh ingredients, and a range of spices such as lemongrass, mint, coriander and basil. And because of the Buddhist influence, there are many vegetarian Vietnamese recipes!

To make it a meal, I'll make some shrimp soup, or Sup Tom Xao Lan to accompany it with something warm and hearty. Shrimp can be substituted with tofu, naturally, without compromising anything of the taste.

Sup Tom Xao Lan Soup

1 liter boiling water
4 tbs Nuoc Cham sauce (recipe follows)
raw or frozen shrimp
three stalks lemongrass or half tsp lemongrass powder
one can of mushrooms, straw mushrooms preferrably or whatever is avaiable
1 scallion or small onion
the juice of 3 limes
3 keffir lime leaves, or a scant pinch of keffir lime leaf powder
salt and pepper
fresh coriander (optional)

Prepare or thaw the shrimp. Cut the tops off the lemongrass, if you're using fresh, then add them to the water, with shrimp shells if you have, and the keffir lime leaves or powder to make a stock. Bring to a boil, strain, then return the water to the pot. With pestle and morter, grind lemongrass stalks, before adding them to the pot of soup. Then add the remaining ingredients exept for the shrimp, and simmer for 10 minutes. If adding tofu, this is the time to do that as well. Save the shrimp for last, so that they don't become overcooked- they can tend to get rubbery.


The recipe calls for Nuoc Cham sauce, which is simply a mixture of the following ingredients, according to regional and personal preferences:
garlic
sugar
lime juice
fish sauce
red pepper flakes
water

The name of this recipe makes me wanna have a friend named Tom Xao Lan, so I can see him on the street and shout ''Sup Tom Xao Lan!?. Let's wrap and roll!'

Rice Paper Wraps with Vegetables

as many rice papers as you intend to serve (2-3 per serving)
an asorment of julienned vegetables: red and yellow peppers, snow peas, bean sprouts, carrot, mushrooms, and possibly strips of firm tofu, raw or pan seared in some of the dressing sauce
other herbs: cilantro and/or basil
buckwheat or soba noodles seasoned with rice vinegar and sesame oil

Soak rice papers one at a time for approximately 30 seconds in warm water to re-hydrate. Roll each wrap one at a time. Soaking more than one rice paper at a time will likely end up with papers stuck together, impossible to separate, and spoiling the aesthetics and logistics of making a wrap.

Roll portions of vegetable mixture, noodles, and some sauce to the middle of the rice paper, fold in sides, roll to the end. Not as easy as it sounds, but with a little practice I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.... the dipping sauce is the easy part.

Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs lime juice
1 tbs sesame oil
salt
chili flakes
1 tsp balsalmic vinegar

Mix the ingredients to taste, trying to mix the yin and the yang. In Vietnamese cooking as well as lifestyle, it is important to have a balance of the elements. Spicy with sweet, salty with sour, salty and sweet....all great combinations. Way to celebrate the funny way opposites attract, and why chocolate covered pretzels and salt and vinegar chips both rock.