Seafood Laksa

This is one of those meals where if you have fresh seafood you should take advantage of it. This Thai meal allows the seafood to have front and center stage.

Allow 200grams of mixed seafood per person (Fresh fresh fresh is all I can say on this) - we used a mixture of mussles, calimari and fish in this paricular batch
Fresh chinese egg noodles or rice noodles if preferred
750 mls coconut milk
750 mls chicken stock
Laksa Paste (allow 1 tbsp per person)
fish sauce to season
1 tsp palm sugar
Laksa leaf (also called Vietnamese mint)
100 gms bean sprouts
crispy shallots
wedges of lime
fresh cilantro leaves
chopped tomatoes

Skim the thick cream off the top of the coconut milk.  Heat the cream in a large saucepan, add laksa paste, allowing one tablespoon per person. 
Fry gently until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add remaining coconut milk and chicken stock.  Bring to the boil.

Add palm sugar and fish sauce.  Add seafood, reduce heat and poach gently until cooked. (once it is simmering it is done!)

Blance noodles in boiling water and divide between the serving bowls.
Pour on laksa and garnish with sprouts, shallots, lime wedges, laksa leaf, cilantro and tomatoes. It sounds like alot to garnish but every little ingredients has their part to play in layering flavors and creating this beautiful soup.

Stuffed Coconut Shrimp and Sweet Thai Cucumber Relish Salad

Here is the recipe Featured in the Alive Utah Appetizer Recipes.  I have previously posted the Stuffed Shrimp and Relish recipes sepereately, but here they are together in "salad form" for your convenience. Serve these to your guests hot and crispy and while they eat you can whip up your stir fry or curry.! A great way to start your thai meal.!

Ingredients:
20 Large green king prawns (get the largest uncooked shrimp you can find if you aren't near fresh seafood) deviened and butterflied (butterflied is to slit down the back without cutting the shrimp in half.. thats why the bigger they are the more room you have to stuff.)

125 grams (.27 lb) chicken breast, finely chopped

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp coriander (cilantro) stems finely chopped

half teaspoon white pepper

2 slices finely chopped ginger

1 tsp fish sauce

2 tbsp coconut cream

Batter Ingredients:

2 tsp sambel olek

1 tbsp very finely chopped lemon grass, tender part only (If you can't get your hands on lemon grass substitute for half teaspoon lemon zest)

1 cup plain flour

1 cup corn flour

soda water (Enough to make a batter the consistency of pouring cream)

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Cucumber Relish Recipe to Follow.

1. If you have a mortar use it .. if not grind up and pound as best you can the garlic, peppercorns, coriander root and ginger into a paste.

2. Place finely chopped chicken into food processor with coconut cream and process to a paste. Add garlic coriander paste and fish sauce.

3. Place in fridge to chill for 2 hours


4. Fill the prawns down their butterflied backs with chicken mixture.


To Cook


1. Combine flours, lemon grass, sambel olek in bowl, add enough soda water to make thin batter.


 2. Carefully roll prawns in some plain flour, dip into batter, then roll in coconut.(put only half of your coconut in a bowl at a time otherwise it will get goopy and gross quickly)


3. Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in wok (or use deep fryer), deep fry prawns in batches of six until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Cut open to one to make sure they are cooked all the way through. The chicken stuffing and shrimp should be a solid white colour.

Plate immediately and serve while shrimp is hot. On each serving dress your lettuce with cucumber relish making sure each serving has good amounts of the cool cucumber and peanuts.
Place shrimp on top. It is a good idea to serve the relish in a bowl on the side as well so your guests can add more to their taste.

Sweet Thai Cucumber Relish

Ingredients:1 cup coconut vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 cup white sugar
1 good splash of fish sauce
1 large cucumber
4 small red chilis, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 of roasted, unsalted peanuts crushed or finely chopped. (you will probably have to buy unsalted peanuts and roast and crush them yourself)
1/3 cup chopped coriander (cilantro), including stems
1/2 Tsp Salt
Directions:


Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally, cook for one minute at a gentle boil. Remove from heat and cool completely to room temperature.


While sauce is cooling. Peel and slice cucumber in half lengthways. get a small spoon and scoop out the seeds. Slice very thinly so that you get "moon shaped" cucumber slices.


Place the cucumber, chilis, peanuts and coriander in bowl. Pour over cooled dressing and toss gently.


Place in fridge and chill until use.

As prepared for the Alive Utah/Artful Edibles Tasting.

Seared Scallop with Shaved Lamb and Pea Puree

I LOVE this appetizer.

This whole dish was simple in seasoning, but has a few seperate components when put together make it burst with flavor. The small shaving of lamb compliments all the flavors of the puree and scallop.

I think this was my personal favorite of the luxury dinner night. If you can't afford or find lamb in your area then you could leave it out.. but if you have the chance to make it all you won't regret it.

Ingredients:



1 Batch of Pea Puree (see pea puree recipe post)
6 large Scallops
Count your Scallops - 1 per serving is plenty.. unless you know someone will like seconds do one or two more than needed- just in case!
Salt and Pepper to Season
Olive oil


Directions:


 Scallops

Pat your Scallops dry.
Coast liberally with olive oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a stainless steel pan on high. Add in a coating of olive oil.
When heated add your scallops, they should hiss happily when they hit the pan.
Let them sit approximately 1 1/2 - 2  minutes each side (they won't take long). Be careful they don't stick to the pan. You should have lovely crispy brown scallops.


while the scallops are sizzling cook your lamb...............


Shaved Lamb Rack of Ribs

Ingredients:

3 Lamb Ribs
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil


Directions:

Take a rack of lamb ribs and cut off 3.
Like with the scallops, Rinse ribs and pat dry with paper towel.
Heat Pan with olive oil on high temp.
Season ribs liberally with Salt and pepper on all sides.
Place ribs in pan and let them cook and sizzle to taste. I don't like rare lamb so I cooked my a little longer. It's up to you.
When done remove from pan onto a cutting board and slice very thinly.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER.

On a nice white plate scoop a dollop of pea puree. Add small shavings of hot lamb and then top with Scallops. Clean plate edges if needed and serve. Simple and beautiful.

The Surf & Turf Burger

Check back tommorow for the recipe !

Risotto with Mixed Seafood:Risotto alla Chiogiotta

Easily Serves 4

Based on recipe by Mario Batali

Ingredients
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped, plus 1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
5 Lobster Tails
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups arborio rice (Vialone Nano brand preferred)
1 cup dry white wine
Approximately 2 cups large shrimp
6 Large (the ones that are about 2 1/2 inches across) - cut in half
1 cup small bay scallops
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup

Directions
Bring 3 quarts water to boil with the coarsely chopped onion, carrot, and bay leaf. Prepare the ice bath. Plunge the lobsters into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove with tongs and submerge in ice water 1 minute. Drain and set aside.


In a 12 to 14-inch frying pan with 3-inch sides, heat the olive oil and onion and tomato paste over medium heat until softened but not brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and, stirring constantly, cook until opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine, then the lobster cooking liquid, ladle by ladle, until the rice is covered. Turn the heat to high and, stirring constantly, continue to cook, maintaining the level of liquid just above the level of rice, for 10 minutes (keep ladleing the lobster broth to maintain the liquid level. Continue cooking 5 minutes.

Taste to make sure the rice is nearly aldente before the next step adding more liquid if needed.
Remove the lobsters from their shells, chop the meat into 1-inch pieces, and toss into rice, along with the shrimp and scallops. Continue cooking until rice is soft but still al dente and seafood is completely cooked (do not overcook it or it will be rubbery) Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and stir in butter and parsley. Serve immediately.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients
1 cup crab meat
1/2 cup cream cheese softened
1/2 cup italian parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Approx.15 mushroom caps (small/medium sized white)
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated parmesan
nonstick cooking spray
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
pinch pepper

Directions
I recommend making the cream cheese mixture a day ahead. It lets all the flavors incorporate well.
Combine the crabmeat, cream cheese, parsley, green onions and Parmesan.  Season with salt, garlic salt and pepper - season it to taste.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp parmesan in a bowl.
Stuff the mushroom caps with teh mixture and top with bread crumbs.  Drizzle the tops with olive oil.  Place them either on a cookie sheet or in a glass casserole dish. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the tops crispy.
Serve hot!

Shrimp and Pancetta over Pasta

Practically perfect in every way. Moist, tastey and very satisfying. If you love Shrimp you will also love this recipe.

Adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse

Serves: 6

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound torn fresh pasta sheets, or other wide noodles
1/4 cup olive oil
6 ounces pancetta, chopped (Or if you can't find it use the thickest sliced bacon you can find)
1 medium red onion, peeled, cut in 1/2, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds large (21 to 25 count) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied UNCOOKED
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest, garnish
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from pan.
3 To the oil in the pan, add the onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. WATCH IT so that it does not burn. Add the wine, salt, lemon juice, pancetta/bacon and shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and stir to combine.
4. Add the cooked pasta to the shrimp mixture and toss well to combine. Cook until the pasta is heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest, and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Sprinkle generously with parmesan. This dish looks great if you serve it on a large platter.

Stuffed Coconut Prawns

This is a huge favorite in my family. While my recipe is made to be an asian dish it can be turned into a southwestern meal simply by changing the dipping sauces you serve it with.

Ingredients
20 Large green king prawns (get the largest uncooked shrimp you can find if you aren't near fresh seafood)deviened and butterflied
125 grams (.27 lb) chicken breast, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp coriander (cilantro) stems finely chopped
half teaspoon white pepper
2 slices finely chopped ginger
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp coconut cream

BATTER:
2 tsp sambel olek
1 tbsp very finely chopped lemon grass, tender part only (If you can't get your hands on lemon grass substitute for half teaspoon lemon zest)
1 cup plain flour
1 cup corn flour
enough soda water to make a batter consistency of pouring cream
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1. If you have a mortar use it .. if not grind up and pound as best you can the garlic, peppercorns, coriander root and ginger into a paste.
2. Place finely chopped chicken into food processor with coconut cream and process to a paste. Add garlic coriander paste and fish sauce.
3. Place in fridge to chill for 2 hours
4. Fill butterfly prawns down their butterflied backs with chicken mixture.

To Cook

1. Combine flours, lemon grass, sambel olek in bowl, add enough soda water to make thin batter. 2. Carefully roll prawns in some plain flour, dip into batter, then roll in coconut.(put only half of your coconut in a bowl at a time otherwise it will all get goopy and gross quickly)
3. Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in wok (or use deep fryer), deep fry prawns in batches of six until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Cut open to one to make sure they are cooked all the way through. The chicken stuffing and shrimp should be a solid white colour.

Serve immediately with a dipping sauce. I love the Sweet and Sour or the cucumber relish

Stirfry of King Prawns with Garlic, Chili and Thai Basil

Recipe courtesy of "Spirit House" cooking school.

Ingredients

500gms (1.10lbs) Green king prawns (or just your largest uncooked prawns you can find) Peeled, deveined, heads and tails left on.
8 cloves of garlic
1/8 cup chopped red and green chilis (if you want heat leave in seeds and veins.. for mild stirfry remove the insides .. wear gloves)
1/4 cupSprings onions sliced (green onions)
1/4 cup coriander stem and root if you can find some with the roots still (Cilantro)
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons palm sugar (brown sugar isn't quite the same but it will do)
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
1/4 cup thai basil leaves (or regular basil leaves whatever is in season or fresh at your market)

Directions

1. Combine in food processor, the garlic, chilis, spring onions and coriander stem and root. Process to paste.
2. In a saucepan on medium heat, place 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, fry the paste gently until fragrant - about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except for prawns and basil. Bring to boil, simmer for 10 minutes.
3. In a wok heat 2 tbsp of vegie oil until smoking. Stir fry prawns until just starting to turn pink. Add sauce and continue to stir frying until cooked, only a couple of minutes.
4 Serve with jasmine rice

Crockpot Chicken Clam Chowder

Thick, creamy and chunky this is my absolute favorite winter comfort soup. Just a little bit of prep and then throw it in the crock pot.. my kind of meal.

Cook: Low 6-8 hours, High 3-4
Prep: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. (450g) bacon, diced
1/4 llb. (113.25 g) ham, small cubed
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups diced celery
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups diced potatoes
2 cups diced chicken
4 cups chicken broth
2 bottles clam juice, or 2 cans clams with juice
1 lb. can whole kernel corn with liquid
3/4 cup plain flour
3 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded cheeder or jack, cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream (not whipped)
2 Tsp. Fresh parsley

1. Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Saute bacon, ham, onions, and celery in pan until bacon is crisp and onions and celery are limp. Add salt and pepper. Remove and put in slow cooker. Cook chicken and potatoes in remaining fat and juices until browned and slightly crispy all over the outside.
2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker except flour, milk, cheese, cream, and parsley.
3. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours, or on High 3-4 hours.
4. Whisk flour into milk. Stir into soup, along with cheese, whipping cream, and parsley. Cook one more hour on high... do not cook longer or let it warm or cool down longer.. or else it will curdle.
Allow the soup to cool slightly and serve with garlic toast.. or nothing at all.. it's that good.
Note: Left over freeze really well. Just be careful reheating, because of all the dairy in it if you don't do it gradually constantly stirring it will curdle.

Shrimp and Scallop Lasagna

This is a variation of a Paula Deen recipe on the Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/). I tried the measurements she recommends and have changed it slightly. I prefer more meat than just sauce between the pasta layers, so I have adjusted the white seafood sauce with more of the meat so you can really stuff the lasagna full of the good stuff---the seafood. For all those that aren't such a fan of seafood I have to say this is very mild tasting.. and the fresher the scallops and shrimp you get the less seafood taste it will have.

Ingredients

2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles (Regular pasta noodles can be used.. I like the nutty flavor the whole grain pasta gave the dish)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups half-and-half
1 1/4 cup grated Romano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound sea scallops, cut in half or quartered if very large
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2/3 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 10-inch casselrole dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. (I also made a mini dish in a small casserole dish for Dave to take to work the next day with the leftovers---if you have any)
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until they are just done, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside. ---remember they will cook when you bake as well so don't over cook the noodles.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet and cook the onion over low heat until very soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more (watch your temp so your garlic doesn't burn). Over medium-low heat, stir in the flour with a whisk, then gradually add the half-and-half, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly before adding more. When the sauce has thickened to about the consistency of whipping cream, add the cheese and stir well. Add the salt and pepper and stir again. Add the scallops and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, then add the shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or just until the shrimp turn pink. Turn off the heat.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the skillet into the prepared pan. Cover the bottom of the pan withnoodles edge to edge or slightly overlapping until layer is complete(you might need to cut some to make them all fit depending on what size noodles you purchased. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles, distributing half of the seafood evenly. Layer more noodles over the top of the seafood, 1/3 of the sauce, and remaining seafood. Cover with one more layer of noodles and the remaining sauce. (For the top layer, do not spoon any seafood on top of the noodles; just use the sauce and try to save enough sauve to really cover it good.) Tuck in any edges of the noodles so they're all coated with sauce. Top with the a generous serving of Parmesan.

NOTE: you might want to add in another layer if you have enough sauce and seafood.. you can never have too much seafood and scallops right?

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly and the cheese on top starts to get golden brown and yum yum. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.