WORLD’S GREATEST VEAL CHOPS (with local vegetables)

The local outdoors Farmer’s Market opened in April.  We have been away on the annual Passover pilgrimage to Vermont, and have not had the chance to pick up fresh vegetables on the weekend until yesterday.  We decided to cook a meal based on the vegetables and herbs available in Charlotte, using Veal Chops as the base protein. I used a marinade from the Janos cookbook (Janos is an elegant restaurant in Tucson Arizona – Sherry and I ate there on a business trip years ago, and the food was SO good that we bought the cook book as a guide). We grilled the chops over a charcoal grill to create an incredible taste.  The combination of sweet, salty and spice make the most amazing taste off the grill.

Sherry found small fingerling potatoes (red and white) and fresh spinach at the Farmers’ Market, which served as the accompaniment to the Veal.  While the cuisine was remotely Southwestern, it’s a totally worldly meal, and exquisite at that!!

VEAL CHOPS

2 veal chops

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. chile powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. chipotle chile powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix rub together.  Rub over veal chops and refrigerate for 6 hours.  Leave on when grilling.

Heat charcoal grill.  Grill 3-5 minutes each side, and then let rest for 5 minutes until cooked through.

SPINACH WITH SAGE

Olive oil

1 lb. fresh spinach, stems trimmed, washed until no grit remains

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. sage leaves, minced

Sauté garlic, salt, and sage in olive oil.  Add spinach and cook until wilted.

BABY POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY

1 lb. baby potatoes, sliced in half

Olive oil, to coat

1 tsp. Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, leaves taken off stems

Mix well together. Place on baking sheet. Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook for 30 minutes, until browned.

Serve veal chops, spinach and potatoes together, and Enjoy.

THAI INSPIRED SHRIMP STIR FRY

We had a bounty of shrimp this week, and wanted to use them in a delightful mix of flavors.  We do much of our shopping at a World market, with great asian, hispanic and european food selections.  Sherry decided to make a thai-inspired stir fry, with sweet, hot and vinegary flavors. It's easy to prepare, once you've done all the prep work.  Served over medium grain brown rice, it was as inspiring as its name!

Thai-Inspired Shrimp Stir-Fry

Ingredients

Half of a 4-inch-long fresh red chili, or 4 small thai peppers

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

A 1-inch piece fresh lemongrass

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh gingerroot

1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20)

3 medium carrots

2 medium zucchini

1/2 english cucumber

3 scallions

1/4 cup packed fresh coriander leaves

1/4 cup salted peanuts (about 1 ounce)

3 tablespoons peanut oil

Accompaniment:   cooked rice

Preparation

Wearing rubber gloves, cut chili crosswise into thin slices and in a small saucepan stir together with vinegar and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer 30 seconds. Remove chili vinegar from heat.

Remove and discard tough outer layer of lemongrass if necessary and finely chop enough to measure 1 teaspoon. In a small bowl stir together lemongrass, garlic, and gingerroot. Peel shrimp and devein if desired. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to lemongrass mixture, stirring to coat well, and marinate at room temperature 15 minutes.

While shrimp are marinating, diagonally cut carrots into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Halve zucchini lengthwise and diagonally cut halves into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Halve cucumber lengthwise and seed. Diagonally cut cucumber halves into thin slices. Diagonally cut scallions into thin slices. Chop coriander and coarsely chop peanuts.

Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until a bead of water dropped on cooking surface evaporates immediately. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirling wok or skillet to coat evenly, and heat until hot but not smoking. Add carrots and stir-fry until barely crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to wok or skillet and heat until just smoking. Stir-fry half of shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes, and transfer to bowl of vegetables. Add remaining tablespoon oil and stir-fry remaining shrimp in same manner.

Return shrimp-vegetable mixture to wok or skillet and stir-fry until combined and heated through. Add chili vinegar, cucumber, scallions, coriander, peanuts, and salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.

Serve stir-fry over rice in bowls, garnished with mint, coriander, and lime wedges.

THERE'S A GUEST CHEF IN THE HOUSE!

We had a guest chef in the kitchen -- the visiting Hillary!  Everyone woke up late, so Hillary decided to cook a late breakfast for us all.  She made up an Egg Scramble that was one of the highlights of the week. The eggs were served with a side of Ajvar, the Balkan (Croatian, Macedonian, Bulgarian) condiment that goes well with spicy foods.  Hillary is SO creative. (katieandhillarycook.blogspot.com)

SPICY EGG SCRAMBLE


6 eggs, beaten
4 chopped sundried tomatoes in oil
1 Tbsp. Sriracha
1 tsp. Emeril Essense
2 Tbsp. goat cheese
2 Tbsp. shredded Pepper Jack cheese


Mix well together and cook until done.

WEEKEND OF FINE EATS - DAY !

This was a full weekend of fine eats for the family.  For starters, and to continue with the tradition of having the kids try out some of the foods we've been cooking in their absence, for Friday we made Coconut-Crusted Tilapia with a Pineapple-Curry Sauce, and served it to them with a Whole Wheat Israeli Couscous-Grilled Eggplant-Figs-Chickpeas-Feta side.  The whole wheat couscous is a very versatile grain for meals; being larger lends it to full-flavored additions.

Here are the recipes:
Coconut Crusted Tilapia:

http://imnotasgoodacookasmargot.blogspot.com/2011/05/coconut-crusted-tilapia-with.html

Couscous with Eggplant and Figs:

http://imnotasgoodacookasmargot.blogspot.com/2011/08/israeli-couscous-salad-with-grilled.html

FOOD FROM THE GODS (with Katie and Hillary)

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We have had lots of wonderful food with Katie and Hillary this week. And the week isn't over yet!


One night, we had a Hungarian Dinner: Chicken Paprikash and Vegetable-Mushroom Stew with Whole Wheat Gnocchi:

Another night, we had Paniolo of Lamb (Asian-spiced), with Coconut Rice and Roasted Brussels Sprouts:

And tonight, we had a Jalapeno Jack Cheese, Cilantro and Pine Nut-Stuffed Pork Loin with Sweet Potato Fries and Avocado-Corn Salsa:

What is in store for the weekend?  Wait for the updates!!!!

SOUTHWESTERN DINNER

Katie and Hillary had not had the chance to eat a special Southwestern dinner for quite some time, so we decided to give them the treat.  

Poblano peppers, which are mildly spicy, are available at a variety of markets in the area.  They are roasted over a flame, then deseeded and stuffed with shrimp, corn, Manchego cheese and spices.  We also served up some Black Bean Cakes with sour cream for an extraordinary meal.

BAKED STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS

6 Poblano peppers, charred over grill or gas stove, cooled and peeled

Stuffing:

Olive oil

1 large onion, chopped and sautéed

1 lb. medium shrimp, cooked and chopped

1 ear cooked corn, stripped (or 1 can corn, drained)

1 cup shredded Manchego cheese

1 Tsp. smoked paprika

1 Tsp. ground cumin

10 drops green hot sauce

Char the peppers over a flame (gas grill or gas stove) until charred, turning regularly. Alternatively, place in broiler.  Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap, to sweat off the skin.  Then peel off the skin, and slice a pocket in each pepper, to remove the seeds inside.

Sauté the onion in olive oil until soft.  Remove with slotted spoon to bowl.  Add shrimp and cook, 3 minutes, turning over once, until done.  Chop into small pieces.  Add to bowl, then add corn kernels, spices, and shredded cheese.

Stuff peppers with mixture, and bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Serve with beans and rice.

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

Bon Appétit  | April 2001

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained well

6 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped seeded red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chili

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 large egg

2 tablespoons plus 1 cup yellow cornmeal

6 tablespoons (about) olive oil

Sour cream

preparation

Place drained beans in large bowl. Using hand masher, mash beans coarsely. Mix in green onions, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in egg and 2 tablespoons cornmeal.

Place remaining 1 cup cornmeal in small dish. Drop heaping 1 tablespoon of bean mixture into cornmeal; turn to coat. Flatten into 1/2-inch-thick cake. Repeat with remaining bean mixture and cornmeal, forming 18 cakes.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, fry bean cakes until firm and crisp, adding more oil as needed, about 6 minutes per side. Drain bean cakes on paper towels. Transfer to platter. Serve warm with sour cream.

MY DINNERS WITH HILLARY (André Was Not Available)

Hillary was visiting this week, after a year's absence from home, so we had the opportunity to cook, of course, a wide variety of yummy food. Here were some of the dinners:


Spicy Buttermilk Marinated Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries and Avocado and Corn Salsa

Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes and White Potatoes), Spicy Eggplant with Red Beans and Curried Couscous from Morocco.

Korean Dinner of Beef Bulgoki and Dukkboki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

Linguini with Shrimp, Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives, draped with Fresh Shredded Parmesan

The Smells of Aix-en-Provence:
Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic, Olives, Tomatoes and Potatoes

We don't yet know what is going to be for dinner tonight. 


Update:  Friday dinner was Chicken Saltimbocca with Lemon Risotto!

Recipes for these dishes will be made available soon.


Next week, Katie will be visiting, so there will be an entire new set of challenges and interesting dishes to explore.