An Ode to the Chili

I absolutely LOVE chili - eating them, growing them, cooking with them, decorating with them, you name it!  Whether you're just adding a pinch or really giving some heat to your dish, chili kicks it up a notch!  There are so many different varieties of chilies and nearly every country thinks their chilies are the best in the world.

A few of my favorite dishes featuring this beautifully spicy fruit:

• Grilled Tuna and Mango Salad
• Spiced Pumpkin Soup
• Chimichurri
• Pork Skewers with Thai Dipping Sauce
• Thai-style Grilled Whole Snapper
• Roasted Squash with Chili Citrus Sauce
• Tom Yum Goong
• Grilled Pineapple Skewers
• Gingered Apple-Squash Soup

 Must stop... my mouth is watering...

Find these and many more chili recipes on http://www.therecipediva.com/!

Green Papaya Salad with Grilled King Prawns

I cannot get enough Thai food, I absolutely love it!  If there was one word that I would use to describe this cuisine, it would be harmonious.  Thai cooking is based on blending the five basic flavors: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and hot.  It's often lightly prepared but achieves a perfect balance of these flavors in each dish or in the overall meal. 

When cooking Thai food at home, your most valuable tools are your tastebuds.  I am constantly tasting to ensure that I achieve that perfect balance of salty, sweet, sour, hot, and sometimes bitter.  Too sour?  Need more of kick?  Not sweet enough?  Below are a few ingredients that I find key when I am trying to balance out my dish:

         - Sweet - palm sugar, honey, fruit

         - Salty - fish sauce, soy sauce

         - Sour - lemon, lime, sour fruits

         - Hot - fresh chilli, dried chilli, pepper

         - Bitter - raw leaves, bitter fruits

         - Fresh herbs and aromatics are also key - cilantro, lemon grass, Thai basil, mint, ginger, galangal, garlic, to name a few...

Green papaya salad is a very popular dish in Thailand and it's one of my favorites as well.  I would make it more often but it's not always easy to find green, unripe papayas.  You cannot substitute a ripe papaya as both the texture and flavor will not suit the dish.  Unripe papayas have a very mild flavor but absorb flavors well.  Healthy and packed with flavor, this dinner didn't stand a chance!  I added some grilled prawns to add a bit more substance.  Needless to say, there were just a few lonely fish heads left on my plate...

Green Papaya Salad with Grilled King Prawns

Ingredients

12 large king prawns, deveined, head and tail on

1 chilli, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lime, juiced
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Green Papaya Salad:
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 tbsp coarse salt, more as needed
2 chillies, chopped
2 tbsp dried shrimp
2 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 green, unripe papaya, shredded or finely julienned
1 cups bean sprouts
3 green onions, sliced diagonally into thin strips
1/2 cup Thai basil, large leaves sliced into strips
1/4 cup coriander, roughly chopped
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed (I left these out as my fiancé claims he’s allergic)

Directions

1. Combine ingredients for marinade and marinate the prawns while you make the salad.

2. Pound garlic, salt and chillies in a pestle and mortar. Add dried shrimp and sugar and pound into a coarse paste. Mix with lime juice and fish sauce.

3. Gently bruise the papaya, combine with the sprouts, onions, and herbs, and toss with the dressing.

4. Make sure to taste test to ensure the flavors are balanced. Not sweet enough - add a little honey. Not salty enough- add a little more fish sauce. Too sweet or salty - add more lime juice. Need a bit more a kick – add some minced chilli.

6. Grill the prawns for 3 minutes on each side until just cooked through.

7. Sprinkle the salad with peanuts and arrange the prawns on top.

Easy & Healthy Snacks

Being that I'm working from home these days, I often find myself grazing a bit throughout the day as opposed  to eating a proper breakfast and lunch.  I love quick, healthy, and easy dishes that I can whip up and snack on over the next couple of days.  I try to combine most of the food groups in these type dishes so I can get the energy and nourishment that I need without much effort.  It's also a plus when they taste good :)  Enjoy one of my go-to 'snacks'!

Tuna, Parsley, and Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 pound gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 tins of canned tuna, drained and flaked
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 tbsp olive oil
12 1/2  tbsp parsley, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp french mustard

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until tender.  Drain and rinse briefly with cold water.

2. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, parsley, and mustard.  Season with salt and pepper. 

3.  Gently combine potatoes, tuna, and tomatoes.  Add dressing and again, gently combine.  Serve at room temperature or chilled over greens.

Grilled Tuna with Chilli Onion Salsa

Fresh, good quality tuna steaks don't really need much, just a little salt, pepper, and olive oil... but we all need a little variety in our diets right?  Whether it be fruit, or in this case, onion based, I love a tangy salsa served over tuna straight off the grill.  Tuna is so easy to grill due to it's firm texture, but be careful as it will dry out if overcooked.  It is typically served medium rare, seared on the outside and warm in the center.  Serving a sauce over the tuna does give you a bit of breathing room if it is slightly overcooked as the sauce will add moisture to your dish.

I was definitely in the mood for something with a kick, so this chilli onion salsa was just what the doctor ordered.  The tuna was perfectly cooked with a sweet crust and tender, juicy center.  Add more or less chilli but definitely don't leave it out completely!

Grilled Tuna with Chilli Onion Salsa

Ingredients

4 tuna steaks

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tablespoon caster sugar

For salsa:

1 red onion, minced

6 stalks green onion, white and light green parts only, minced

2 red chillis, minced

1 stalk lemongrass, peeled and finely minced

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp salt

cilantro, to garnish

fried shallots, to garnish

Method

1. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, oil, vinegar, ginger and sugar for marinade.  Add tuna and marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients to make salsa and let sit at room temperature until your tuna is ready to grill

3. Prepare grill for cooking over medium high heat and thoroughly oil.  I like to use to tongs and rub an oil soaked paper towel over grates.

4. Grill tuna for about 2 minutes on each side until the sugars have caused the outside to slightly caramelize and the it is cooked to medium rare.  Grill more or less to your liking. 

Chilli Grilled Kingfish

Kingfish, or Yellowtail Kingfish, is found off the south east coast of Australia.  It may be served cooked or raw if proper care is taken, but the most popular preparation method is probably on the barbeque.  Because the flesh tends to dry out a bit, be careful not to overcook it.  I made sure to use citrus and garlic in my marinade to help retain as much moisture as possible while it cooked.  This is a very simple recipe but the results are fantastic. 

Chilli Grilled Kingfish

Ingredients

4 kingfish fillets
3 chillis, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, minced
1/4 cup oregano, minced
salt and pepper
olive oil

Directions

1. For marinade, add chillis, garlic, zest, herbs, and seasoning to a mortar and mash with pestle.  Add just enough olive oil to make a liquidy paste.

2. Marinate the fillets in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3. Prepare grill for cooking over medium high heat.  Grill fish for 3 minutes on each side or until almost cooked through.  Serve immediately.

Spiced Shrimp Tagliatelle

This quick and easy pasta dish always pleases.  I love how the addition of just a very small amount of an ingredient can change the whole feel of your dish.  With only a dash of chili, you get an entire new layer of flavor.  The small hit of buttter smooths out the whole dish and seems to bind everything together. 

Spiced Shrimp Tagliatelle

Ingredients

12 oz. tagliatelle, fresh or dried

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

3 gloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1 small onion, chopped

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

2 tsp butter

1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonaded

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, drain. 

2. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium high heat in large pan.  Season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to pan with garlic and chili.  Saute until pink and cooked through.  Remove shrimp and set aside. 

3. Add remaining olive oil to pan.  Add onion and cook for 2 minutes.  Pour in wine to deglaze pan, make sure to stir up any brown bits.  When wine is reduced by half, add tomatoes, butter, and return shrimp pan to warm.  Stir in pasta until evenly coated.  Remove from heat and stir through basil. 

You can make this with any kind of pasta, add more vegetables if you like...  it's super easy but still very tasty!

Barra on the Barbie

Barramundi, also known as Asian seabass (along with numerous other names), is very common on the Australian table.  If you aren't familiar with Barramundi, which most of my North American friends probably are not, it is a white, flaky fish that is best cooked whole as its thick skin both protects the fish and retains moisture while cooking.

Interestingly enough, I recently read that Dr. Oz, Oprah's go-to medical advisor, just named Barramundi one of his ‘5 Super Foods To Eat Now’ for its anti-aging, immune boosting and cancer fighting properties.

“If the Barramundi fish were a human, he would be a tree-hugging, salad-loving vegetarian. The Barramundi, hailing from the coast of Australia , eschews his fellow fish, dining on plankton instead. That means he doesn’t load up on mercury-packed smaller fish and has extremely low levels of the toxin, which is especially important for pregnant women.
"Free of mercury, but full of heart- and brain-healthy omega-3s, the Barramundi, which is becoming more popular in the US, is a shoe-in for one of the top 5 superfoods. Bonus: the white meat is light, flaky and delicious.”

As if I didn't already love it, it's just another excuse to keep this light and delicious fish as a staple in my diet.  And if it comes from one of Oprah's advisors, it's gospel right?

Here's a quick and easy recipe.  I'm not indicating quantities as you can simply modify for how many people you are feeding and how much you can stuff into the fish cavity.  By the way, my new grill basket has made life infinitely easier.  I highly recommended you purchase one of these for grilling whole fish, so much easier than battling to ensure the skin doesnt stick to your grill.

Barra on the Barbie

Ingredients

fresh whole barramundi

olive oil

garlic cloves, smashed

lemon

herbs

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Rinse and pat fish completely dry.  Cut diagonal incisions on both sides of fish 1/2 - 1 inch apart.  Season inside and outside with salt and pepper.

2. Using an olive oil spray or paper towel soaked in oil, coat inside of grill basket and outside of fish with oil to ensure it does not stick.  If you are not using a grill basket, make sure to thorougly coat grill grates. 

3. Slice lemons, reserving one to squeeze over fish once it is cooked.  Stuff fish cavities with slices lemons, garlic cloves and fresh herbs.  I used thyme sprigs, oregano, and parsley and saved my torn basil to garnish.

4. Grill fish for about 5-7 minutes on each side until cooked through.  Adjust according to size. 

5. Remove and serve whole.  Squeeze lemon juice over fish and garnish with some fresh herbs.  Dig in!

Thai-style Whole Snapper

Cooking a fish whole is probably the best way to get all of the flavor that you can out of the fish.  As with most meats, cooking the flesh on the bone makes it very juicy and flavorful.  It also makes for a very dramatic presentation as long as your guests are comfortable seeing the whole fish, head and all.  Make sure your fishmonger has scaled and cleaned the fish as this is a task I doubt you have much interest in.

Tell me this little guy isn't just aching to get doused in a spicy marinade, thrown on a sizzling grill, and devoured by 2 hungry mouths love that love a bit of spice.  I hope he likes chili...

Using some pretty typical ingredients in Asian cooking, I made a fresh, yet quite spicy marinade to give our tasty friend a little kick.  You can really use whatever you like - add different herbs, less chili, MORE chili, skip the coconut, add more lime if you want it zingier.  Whatever goes!  A lesson learned on my part... next time I need to more heavily oil the grill, or better yet, use a fish basket.  I had some issues with the skin sticking to grill.  Despite looking a little rough, it was absolutely delicious.  I served the fish with plain steamed rice to balance the spiciness.

Thai-style Grilled Snapper

Ingredients

1 whole snapper (mine was just over 1 lb)

olive oil

1 tbsp cilantro (coriander) leaves, to garnish

1 lime, cut into rounds, to garnish

Marinade:

1 cup cilantro (coriander) leaves
1/2 cup thai basil leaves

6 garlic cloves

3 shallots

3 chilis

2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp white pepper

 2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup coconut cream
2 tbsp fish sauce

Directions

1. Cut incisions diagonally along both sides of fish using sharp knife.  Incisions should be about 1/2 inch apart.

2. For marinade, blend all ingredients in food processor and pour over fish.  Reserve about 1/4 of the marinade for brushing over the fish once it has been grilled.

3. Thoroughly oil grill by soaking a paper towel in oil and using tongs to rub oiled town onto grates. This is an important step, I did not oil my grill well enough which caused the skin to stick a bit.  If you have a fish basket, use it!

4. Grill on each side for about 6 minutes or until cooked through.  Make sure to flip your fish carefully using a large spatula. 

5. Remove fish from grill, pour over remaining marinade and garnish with cilantro.  Now... dig in!!!

My Asian-fusion Seafood Feast

Since living in Australia, my cooking has definitely been influenced by our proximity to Asia.  I'm really enjoying experimenting with different ingredients and techniques.  The food is healthy, I love the complex flavors, and I can't find anything wrong with eating a ton of seafood!

After a quick run to the market, I stopped by my favorite asian grocery, picked up a few things, and headed home to prepare my seafood feast.  I gathered together all of my 'asian ingredients' and waited for inspiration. 

I decided on pan-fried ginger scallops, tuna tartare over fried rice, and tuna and mango sashimi cups.  I had intended to make another small dish - something with shrimp and shitake mushrooms but my ideas were bigger than my stomach and I'd have to save those shrimp for something else!

As only the sashimi cups, scallops, and fried rice require cooking, you can do much of the preparation ahead of time and throw a few things together last minute!  For my first tuna dish...

Tuna & Mango Sashimi Cups

 Ingredients

3/4 cup tuna, diced
1/4 cup mango, diced
1/4 cup cucumber, diced
2 tbsp onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp cilantro chopped
2 spring roll wrappers

Directions

1. Combine sashimi ingredients, through lime juice and refrigerate.

2. To make 'cups' for the sashimi, preheat oven to 400 degrees F, slighten dampen spring roll wrappers, cut into rounds, and mold into cups in a mini muffin pan.  Bake for about 5 minutes until firm and crisp.  Remove from pan and let cool.

3. Fill cups with sashimi and serve.  Garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

The spring rolls cups were light, gave a nice crunch, and served their purpose; however, I'd probably try something with a bit more flavor next time.  They would be great if I could figure out a way to do them fried?

Pan-fried Ginger Scallops

 

Ingredients

8 large scallops

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1-inch knob of ginger sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

For sauce:

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp mirin

1/2-inch knob of ginger, grated 

For garnish:

1 tbsp cilantro leaves

1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced

1 red chili, thinly sliced

1 tsp fried shallots

Directions

1.  Heat oil over medium heat and add ginger and garlic slices.  Cook for 4 minute to infuse oil with flavor.  Increase heat to medium high.  Season scallops, add to pan and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until almost cooked through and golden brown.  Remove from pan 

2.  Whisk together ingredients for sauce, toss in pan quickly, and strain over scallops

3.  Garnish with cilantro, green onion, chili, and fried shallots.

And last but not least (my personal favorite of the night)...

Tuna Tartare over Fried Rice

Ingredients

3/4 cup tuna, diced

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp honey

2 tsp mirin

1 tsp wasabi paste

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp pepper

For fried rice:*

2 cups cooked white rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 egg beaten

For garnish:

1/2 cup watercress

1 lemon, juiced

1/2-inch know of ginger, grated

* This will make more fried rice than is required for this dish, but I don't see that as a bad thing :)

Directions

1. To make your ginger-infused lemon juice for your garnish, combine grated ginger and lemon juice and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

2. Combine all ingredients for tuna and refrigerate.

3. For fried rice, heat vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic, tossing constantly so it does not burn.  When softened, add rice and stir through. 

4. Push rice up the sides of wok creating a hole in the center.  Add egg and loosely scramble.  Season with salt and pepper.

5. To arrange dish, use circular mold.  Push rice into bottom half of the mold.  Remove tuna from marinade and fill mold.  Strain lemon juice over watercress, toss, and layer on top of tuna.

With the mix of ingredients that I had to work with, there was not way that I could go wrong!  It was a delicious and healthy seafood feast!

 

 

Grilled Swordfish over Braised Beans

We were BBQing with some friends last week and on a last minute whim, my girlfriend picked up a couple of fresh and very large swordfish steaks.  She called and asked me if it would be ok to still BBQ?  Ok?  OK!?!  That's perfect!  My absolute favorite way to eat swordfish is from the grill.  Swordfish was made for grilling.  Apart from the flavor that the grill imparts, it's very firm and meaty texture prevent the risk of falling apart on the grill.  I quickly braised some beans while the swordfish was grilling and in about 15 minutes, we were enjoying our hearty meal. 

Grilled Swordfish over Braised Beans

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs swordfish steaks (4 medium sized)

salt and pepper

Braised Beans:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp chili flakes

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 rosemary sprigs

2/3 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients for marinade.  Season fish with salt and pepper and add to marinade.  Turn to coat.

2. For beans, heat olive oil in pan over medium heat.  Add shallot, garlic and chili and cook for about 4 minutes until starting to color.  Add beans, rosemary, and stock, and simmer for 5 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and discard rosemary.  Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

3.  Grill fish over medium high heat for about 3 minutes on each side.  Swordfish should still be a bit pink in the middle.  Serve over braised beans.

 

Tuna Two Ways

Yesterday I went to the market to pick up some snapper for dinner, but when I saw how beautiful the tuna looked, I couldn't resist!  I picked up a couple sashimi-grade tuna steaks and was on my way!  I was craving some grilled tuna but being that these were so high quality, I wanted to take advantage of their sashimi-grade.  Since I never finish my whole piece of fish anyway, I cut mine in half and decided to make Tuna Tataki as an appetizer and Honey Soy Tuna for dinner with steamed bok choy and brown rice.  Both turned out delicious and I am still receiving accolades from the fiance!  I think I made the right choices for the fate of this tuna!

Tuna Tataki with Citrus Ponzu

Ingredients

1/2 lb sashimi grade tuna

1/4 cup ginger, finely chopped

2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp black sesame seeds (I used all regular b/c I didnt have black)

1 tbsp fresh cracked pepper

salt

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Ponzu:

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp mirin

1 1/2 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 small chilli, sliced halfway up lengthwise

Directions:

1. For ponzu, whisk all ingredients liquid ingredients together.  Let the chilli sit in the sauce while you cook the tuna.  Remove before serving. 

2. Using sharp knife, cut tuna into long rectangular pieces.  Combine ginger, sesame seeds, and pepper in a shallow dish.  Salt tuna and roll into mixture making sure to press mixture into the tuna.

3. Heat oil in pan over medium high heat.  Sear tuna for 30 sec - 1 min on all for 4 sides.  Place in refrigerator to cool.

4. When tuna has cooled, slice using a very sharp knife and drizzle with ponzu. 

As I said, we both LOVED this healthy and delicious appetizer.  I made a quick salad of shaved cucumber, carrot, and snow peas sprouts tossed with a ginger dressing (ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil).  This would make a great appetizer for entertaining as it can be made a bit ahead of time and cooled in the fridge.  On to the next course...

Honey Soy Tuna

  

Ingredients

For 2 servings

2 tuna steaks, equal in thickness

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

Directions

1. For marinade, combine soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic.  Marinate tuna for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare grill for cooking over medium high.  Oil and grill tuna for 1-2 minutes on each side until desired degree of doneness.

Might be quite a bit of tuna for one day but that's just how it worked out for us and I didnt mind one bit!  Enjoy!

Colorful Cacciatorre

Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish with many variations.  Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian and when referring to cuisine, "alla cacciatora" is a meal prepared "hunter-style" with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, herbs, bell pepper, and wine.

After picking up an array of colorful bell peppers at the market, I decided to make my own colorful version of this basic dish.  Served over whole wheat pasta, it was both healthy and delicious.  Thank goodness I made enough for leftovers for lunch today!

Colorful Cacciatore

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces each

1 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 yellow bell pepper sliced into strips
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp capers
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp basil, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat.

2. In a large heavy saute pan, heat 2 tbsp oil over a medium-high. Cook the chicken pieces about 3-4 minutes on each side to brown.  Remove from pan.

3. Add remaining tbsp of oil and onion.  Cook for about 3 minutes.  Add bell peppers and garlic and cook until peppers soften.

4. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by at least half. Add the tomatoes with their juice, capers, oregano, chili and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.  Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. 

5. Transfer the chicken to a platter, spoon sauce on top and sprinkle with basil.  Serve over pasta if desired.

Crab-Stuffed Avocado

Not only does this light and easy appetizer look great, it tastes amazing!  Something about crab and avocado just works!  I love the creaminess of the avocado, the crunch from the shallot and pepper, and that little zing from your splash of hot sauce.

You want to make sure to use good quality crabmeat as that is really the star of this dish.  This makes a great appetizer as it's very light or a perfect afternoon snack while lounging on your back deck with a refreshing glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Crab-Stuffed Avocado

Ingredients

2 avocados

6 oz. good quality fresh crabmeat

1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 shallot, finely chopped

1 tsp parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp light mayo

1 tbsp heavy cream

1 tsp lemon juice

few dashes of your favorite hot sauce

S&P

Directions

1. Cut avocados in half and remove pits.  Rub exposed avocado with lemon juice so it doesn't brown. 

2. In medium-sized bowl, combine crab, pepper, shallot and parsley.  In small bowl, combine mayo, heavy cream and lemon juice. 

3. Add dressing to crab mixture and combine.  Splash the salad with hot sauce and stir.  Mound the salad into the avocado and garnish with parsley if desired.

Why Thai?

Why NOT Thai?!  I absolutely love Thai food as the dishes are often lightly prepared but have very complex flavors - a balance of sweet, spicy, salty and sour. 

To bring a little taste of Thailand into my kitchen, I made a spicy pot of Tom Yum Goong, a hot and sour prawn soup.  As I wanted to make it very spicy, I needed a side to take some of the heat off my tongue so I could get threw the bowl.  I did my own take on khao dome, coconut rice sticky rice in banana leaves.  I've seen this made by steaming plantains in with the rice, but I had picked up some beautiful ripe mangos at the market and wanted to incorporate these into the dish.

Everything turned out great and I look forward to more experimentation on my next culinary trip to Thailand!  Check out the recipes below!

Tom Yum Goong

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, skins intact *
6 cups water or stock
1/3 fresh galangal, peeled and chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, peeled and sliced into 1-inch pieces
4 kaffir lime leaves, stem removed and quartered
1 can straw mushrooms, halved
1 1/2 tbsp roasted red chili paste
2 tsp fish sauce
3 thai chilis, sliced
1/3 cup cilantro chopped
1/3 cup green onion, sliced
2 tsp lime juice

* if you have time, buy shell-on shrimp, simmer shells in water for 1 hour and strain to make broth for step 1

Directions

1.  In medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil and add galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Strain and discard solids and return broth to saucepan.
2. Add mushrooms, chili paste, fish sauce and chilis and bring to boil.

3. Stir in shrimp, green onion, and cilantro and cook for 3 minutes until shrimp are done.  Stir in lime juice and serve immediately.

Khao Dome with Mango

Ingredients

1 cup glutinous rice (sticky rice)
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 package banana leaves, washed, trimmed
1 ripe mango,  sliced

Directions

1. Rinse and drain 1 cup rice several times to remove any debris.  Add cold water to cover and let sit overnight (or at least 4 hours).
2. Add coconut milk and sugar to saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until dissolved.
3. Stir in rice and cook until it resembles a porridge, stirring throughout.  Remove from heat and cool.

4. Take sheet of banana leaf sliced to about the size of a sheet of paper and place a heaping spoonful of rice inthe center.  Fold as you would wrap a gift and place seam side down into bamboo steamer.  Repeat with all leaves.  Steam for 40 minutes

5. To serve, open leaves to expose rice and topped with mango slices