“Steamed” Shrimp

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Easy Steamed ShrimpI’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I’m so fortunate to live here on the beautiful Eastern Shore, with the abundance of fresh seafood and wonderful produce available all throughout the year. Whether it’s buying crabs right off the boats in Crisfield in the summer, buying bushels of oysters from the Chincoteague Bay in December, or getting up early to do some rockfishing with Dad in the fall – it’s the environment that I’ve been raised in, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I’m so thankful to call this place home, and have the opportunity to raise my family here.

That being said, I’m very excited to announce that tomorrow I’ll (along with Jon) be heading to Charleston, SC to compete as a finalist in the Avalon Great Foods Of America Recipe Challenge at the Charleston Food & Wine Festival. It’s such an incredible honor to represent my great state of Maryland, and I can’t thank Avalon Winery enough for sponsoring it. For this foodie who also happens to be a history buff, visiting Charleston is pretty much a dream come true. I’ve got a couple restaurants lined up that I have to visit, and the old tree on John’s Island is on my list too. Any other must-do’s in that wonderful city? It’s going to be our first time visiting, but I’m fairly certain it won’t be our last!

Ok, so enough about me. Let’s talk about these shrimp! My favorite fish monger closes for a couple months after Christmas, but thankfully – he just reopened on Valentine’s Day! Ray has been a waterman for as long as I can remember.  He’s also had his restaurant, Ray’s Shanty for about as long as I can remember too. It’s the place to go for fresh fish, THE BEST hushpuppies known to man, and gorgeous fresh shrimp. There’s a seafood market on the side of the restaurant too – gorgeous scallops, heads-on shrimp, and various filets of fish; most of which Ray has caught himself on his charter boat. Ray taught my mom his way to cook shrimp over 20 years ago, and it can’t get any easier. While technically, they aren’t steamed – they are always perfect, and you’ll never have an overcooked shrimp again. They’re great to season with lots of Old Bay and eat as is, peel and serve in a martini glass for a fancy shrimp cocktail, or chill down and make shrimp salad with.

“Steamed” Shrimp

2 quarts water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole coriander
1/4 tsp whole allspice
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp Old Bay (or any seafood seasoning)
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Combine water, vinegar, peppercorns, coriander, allspice, and bay leaf in a large saucepan*. Bring to a boil. Once water comes to a boil, add shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the water comes back to a boil. Remove from heat and drain IMMEDIATELY once water returns to boil. Remove bay leaves and toss shrimp with seafood seasoning. Serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

* You could also use a steaming spice mix. I love this one from Blue Crab Bay Co.

Mushroom, Onion & Swiss Burger

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Mushroom, Onion & Swiss BurgerI’d say that sauteed mushrooms and onions are one of the best toppings for a burger in the world. And, the “old-standbys” become that way for good reason – because they’re awesome. The preparation of the mushroom and onions is but the work of a few fleeting moments, but lifts your burger into a whole different stratosphere, than just a plain ol’ cheeseburger would.

I was actually planning on making these In-n-Out copycats, when I realized I was out of pickles (the horror!) so had to change my tactics. I had a half of a package of mushrooms in the fridge, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use them! Sauteed them with onion until golden, grilled the burgers, let the gooey Swiss melt – dinner was served, and it was a damn fine burger!

This really just made me hungrier for backyard BBQ’s with friends in the months ahead. Also, the beach! My mom & dad got us a portable Weber propane grill this year for Christmas. So, we’re looking forward to grilling burgers both bayside and oceanside this year! It’s also great to take to the park and grill some hot dogs for lunch while the boys play. And, I love that I can do it by myself – without Jon’s help. I see us getting quite a bit  of use out of it in the coming months. Come on, summertime!

Mushroom, Onion & Swiss Burger

2 Tbsp butter
4 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb lean ground beef (85/15 or 90/10)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 hamburger buns
mayonnaise, optional

Prepare your grill. Make sure it’s clean, and heat to medium-high (about 400 degrees).

In a large non-stick skillet (I like my cast iron), melt butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions, and 1 tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and starting to release their liquid – about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add garlic and continue to stir occasionally until mushrooms and onions are golden brown. Place in small bowl and cover with foil. Set aside.

Combine ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a large bowl. With clean hands, gently mix to combine. Shape beef into 4 patties (a tip: I like to use an old mayo or peanut butter lid for forming my patties – makes quick work of it!). Season the patties with remaining salt and pepper.

Grill burgers over medium-high indirect heat for about 6-8 minutes, turning once, until meat thermometer reads 140 (for medium). Place cheese on top of burgers, close lid, and cook for 1 minute longer to let the cheese melt.

Place burgers on toasted buns, and divide the mushroom-onion mixture evenly over the burgers. Top with mayonnaise, if desired.

Hard Cider Mac & Cheese

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Hard Cider Mac & Cheese

I wish I had known about cooking with hard cider sooner. I got my first dose of it’s culinary awesomeness at Thanksgiving 2011, when I added it to my pan gravy. We have about a case of of our local, homebrew cider left from that same year – that I’ve kind of been hoarding. But, when I saw this recipe I couldn’t resist going down to the basement to pull a bottle out.

I’d made a beer macaroni & cheese before, and I’d deemed it my favorite. But this version definitely gives it a run for it’s money. The hard cider lends a wonderful flavor, without being overpowering. And the addition of finely chopped Granny Smith apples and onions? Brilliant.

Spring is on the horizon, and I’m looking forward to it – but I’m trying to get my fill of winter warming favorites while I still can. And, nothing tops a big bowl of creamy, cheesy pasta. Especially when you bring booze to the party too!

Hard Cider Macaroni & Cheese

2.5 cups elbow macaroni (or another pasta shape)
1 cup hard cider
1 cup half & half
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 small onion, diced
16 ounces white Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (I like Cabot)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 6 minutes. Drain, and place in 2 quart baking dish. Set aside.

For the sauce; melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and apples. Saute for approximately 5-10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle flour over them and cook for about 2 minutes, mixing continuously until the flour has coated all of the onions and apples. Slowly pour in cider and half & half. Whisk constantly until mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Turn off heat, and stir in 12 oz of shredded cheese. Mix until smooth.

Pour cheese sauce over the cooked and strained pasta in the baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the sides are bubbly and cheese is browned.

Source: adapted from Bakeaholic Mama

Lumpia

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LumpiaI have many good memories associated with lumpia and football. A family friend always made them for the Super Bowl party we went to, year after year, and everyone always loved them. They were out of the kitchen as soon as they came out of the fryer!

Most of the ingredients are fairly easy to come by, even for a country mouse like myself. You may have a hard time finding spring roll wrappers. I know I did, for years. Until finally I realized that we have an Asian market here in Salisbury. Subconciously, I knew it was there. But, I’d always avoided it because the mini-strip mall that they call home looks kind of skeezy. A month or so ago, I finally ventured in, and am kicking myself for not going in sooner. Everything was clean, and well organized – and ingredients that I’d been searching years to find (black vinegar! good fish sauce!) were on the shelves in abundance. Was so happy to see that they had spring roll wrappers, so I purchased a couple packages to stick in the freezer. Then came home and set out to try making my own lumpia!

They come together fairly quickly, as you don’t pre-cook the filling. Just make sure to chop the carrots and cabbage very finely – as this helps to lighten the texture of the ground pork. Also, keep in mind that lumpia should be a good deal smaller than an egg roll – because they’re almost exclusively meat, as opposed to shredded vegetables. It’s easy to find yourself wanting to put more filling in before you roll them up – but, resist that urge. About one fingers width and length is the amount of filling you want in each roll.

If you’re still looking for Super Bowl munchie ideas, definitely consider this one. They can be fried in advance, then kept warm in the oven for an hour or so – without having the crispiness of the roll suffer.  Which leaves you plenty of time to mix up some Hurricanes before your guests arrive! Also, GO NINERS!

Lumpia

1 lb ground pork
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup carrots, finely minced
1 cup cabbage, finely minced
1/2 cup green onions, finely minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
30 spring roll (or lumpia) wrappers

In a large bowl combine ground pork, garlic, carrots, cabbage, green onions, and ginger. Using clean hands, mix to combine.

To wrap the lumpia, place 3 teaspoons of the filling diagonally near one corner of each wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly. Keep the roll tight as you assemble. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap to retain moisture.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven to 350 degrees. Place 3 or 4 lumpia into the oil. Fry the rolls for about 5 minutes, turning often, until all sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels that are placed on top on a cooling rack. Serve immediately with sweet chili or soy sauce.

Source: inspired by our family friend, CJ