Specialty of the House & Mediterranean Shrimp

It’s a question I get asked from time to time, “What’s your specialty?” I’m never sure if they’re expecting me to name a specific dish or a style of cooking. In any case I normally answer with something vague like Mediterranean cuisine. Which is true but I’m not sure it answers the question. Sometime I think they want me to bounce back with a proud and definitive answer like the world’s best linguine with clam sauce or roast duck with plums or even that New England standby, pot roast. From my Chicken Provencal to a wonderful Couscous Salad with citrus and mint and my oft-requested Death by Chocolate Cake and Peanut Butter Brownies. I have too many favorites (and my friends and family have too many favorites) to name just one. With so many interesting recipes, I can’t imagine narrowing it down to a single dish.

There are cooks who have a claim to fame, a specialty which makes them renown with family, friends and acquaintances. Well maybe not renowned, but at least everyone knows what they will bring to the next potluck. My grandmothers were like that.

My Father’s mother was a traditional New England cook. She lived on Cape Cod so she cooked a lot of fish. She steamed clams, broiled scallops and cooked haddock in milk topped with buttery cracker crumbs. She won a prize for her fish chowder. At least once a week, she baked hermit bars or molasses cookies, usually by the gross. She baked blueberry pies in the summer and apple in the fall. In winter, she made Indian pudding. I haven’t had it in years but it was very tasty in an old fashioned, New England-y sort of way. If I had to pick Nana’s specialty, it’d be a tie between her chowder and her hermit bars.

My Mother’s mother hated to cook. If she absolutely had to make something, Nana Westland made little individual Jell-O molds. She always used lemon Jell-O. She added bottled orange and grapefruit slices as well as canned black cherries which she bought at S.S. Pierce’s. Nana used a muffin tin to make her little molds and the Jell-O always got stuck. Sometimes she lined the muffin tins with wax paper which didn’t help much. Mostly, she avoided the kitchen and had my grandfather stop at Hazel’s Bakery for chocolate chip cookies or Captain Marden’s for shrimp.

My Mother did not hate to cook, or at least not as much as her own mother, but she was never a culinary enthusiast. She was a young wife and mother when Julia Child became the first celebrity chef but Mom was never a fan. She had no interest in mastering the art of French cooking so when Julia wrestled chickens on PBS, Mom found something else to watch or something else to do.

Mom’s specialty was doctoring things. In the summer, she doctored potato salad and coleslaw from the deli counter at Cricenti’s. When company was expected she doctored Duncan Hines cake mixes with Jell-O pudding and chocolate chips. I don’t know how long it’s been since she made it, but Mom’s signature dish has got to be the chicken that she doctored with cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, sherry and pearl onions.

Now that summer is here, families and friends will be spending lots of time together. There’ll be family cookouts and neighborhood block parties. There’ll be fun and festive picnics on the beach and burgers on backyard grills. Casual is the key to summer entertaining. Let everyone lend a hand and bring their favorite summer dish. My Mom no longer cooks so she’ll bring herself and I’ll bring the Couscous Salad!

Enjoy and bon appétit!

Mediterranean Shrimp
These shrimp are very popular at cocktail parties, so much so that guests ask for them, whether they are on the menu or not. Could it be a trademark dish in the making??? Enjoy!
About 36 pieces, enough for 8-12 people

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes or to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Combine the olive oil, wine, lemon juice, garlic, pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a large skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and continue to cook until reduced by about 2/3rds.

Raise the heat to medium high, add the shrimp, sprinkle with herbs and and toss to coat.

Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until pink. Do not overcook. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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One Year Ago – Grilled Hoisin Pork

Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Get Out your Bicycle & Shrimp with Jicama Slaw

Spring has sprung. I can tell because the cyclists are out. Dressed from head-to-toe in body-hugging, brightly colored miracle fibers, they are hard to miss. Some ride solo while others travel in packs. Or perhaps the proper term is horde or herd or gaggle.

I still remember the first time I rode a bike without training wheels. It was a glorious spring day and I wandered down the street looking for my little gang of friends. I hit the jackpot because I found more than my three best pals. There was a whole bunch of kids hanging out behind the Dosdall’s house. I hadn’t been on training wheels all that long but for whatever reason, one of the older girls decided it was time for me to get down to two wheels.

I was an agreeable sort so I hopped on a little two wheeler and just started riding. No drama, no fears, no tumbles or tears. I surprised myself at how easy it was, nothing like my older sister’s trials and tribulations. I still remember watching my Dad and our neighbor Mr. Caruso patiently (at least Mr. Caruso was patient) teaching Brenda to ride a two wheeler. It took an entire afternoon, maybe more. It certainly took long enough for me to get bored and wander off before she got the hang of it.

Perhaps my most exciting bicycling adventure occurred a year or two later. That’s when I flew into a five-way intersection at death-defying speed. My mother and sister happened to be in the front yard. They watched in terrified, jaw-dropped horror as I roared down Jefferson Road, flew across Oakland Street and Comeau and then careened into our driveway.

I was grounded for two weeks.

I complained loudly and blamed my high speed antics on faulty brakes. My bikes were hand-me-downs and had a tendency to rattle, shimmy and shake. They were passed down from my sister and weren’t always new when she got them.  But my mother would hear none of it and I was on foot for fourteen, long days.

I finally got my first new bike when I was eleven. After years of rattley old second-, third- and fourth-hand bikes, a shiny new, 3-speed Schwinn appeared under the Christmas tree. I was just entering that icky stage. You know it. That time in a girl’s life when being cool goes beyond important or critical; it’s a categorical imperative. Bikes were not cool in my sixth grade class. Neglected and rejected, my beautiful, blue Schwinn was relegated to a corner of the garage.

At some point in high school, bikes became hip again and I rescued mine from the dust and cobwebs. I rode it everywhere, especially to school. My bus picked up an ungodly hour. By bicycling to school, I could grab an extra hour of shuteye and still slip into homeroom before the last bell.

I rode that bike through high school and college and a few years more. It took me up hill, down dale and all over town. It eventually developed a few rattles but it was always reliable and virtually indestructible. We finally parted ways when I upgraded to a 10-speed model. But bicycles never die, they just move to someone else’s garage. I don’t remember who took over my no-longer-shiny Schwinn.  After hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles it was a little worse for wear. Hopefully it went some agreeable sort who didn’t worry too much about being cool.

Bon appétit!

Tequila Shrimp with Jicama Slaw  
Celebrate Cinqo de Mayo with some spicy shrimp and a refreshing slaw. Watch me cook up this dish on Cook’s Corner with Sean McDonald on NH’s ABC affiliate WMUR.  Enjoy!
Serves 6

Olive oil
1-2 tablespoons (or to taste) finely chopped jalapeño pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup tequila
Juice of 1 lime
About 2 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Garnish: fresh chopped cilantro

Heat a little olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the jalapeño, garlic and shallots; season with cumin, salt and pepper and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add the tequila and lime juice; raise heat to medium high and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced at least by half.

Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until pink, do not overcook. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature with Jicama slaw.

These shrimp are also a great alternative to that same-old-same-old shrimp cocktail with the red cocktail sauce. Put the shrimp on a large platter, sprinkle with cilantro and pass – don’t forget the toothpicks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Jicama Slaw
Not just for shrimp, Jicama Slaw is also delicious with  chicken and pork.

Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon (or to taste) minced jalapeño
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 jicama, peeled and cut in julienne or shredded
1 European cucumber, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut in julienne
2 carrots, shredded
4-6 radishes, cut in julienne
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, honey, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Let the vinaigrette sit at room temperature to combine the flavors while you chop the veggies.

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Place the jicama, cucumber, peppers, carrots, radish and cilantro in a large bowl; toss to combine. Lightly coat with vinaigrette and toss.  Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature (or longer in the refrigerator) before serving.

Wonderful with seafood, this slaw is also great side dish with grilled chicken or steak.

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One Year Ago – Pork Mole

Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website at www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Mid-Winter Day & Caribbean Seafood Stew

Think about mid-summer and you come up with images of sunshine, fun, parties and romance. Maybe even a little magic. Shakespeare celebrated mid-summer with a dream-filled play. But think about mid-winter. What do you get? Not much. Mid-winter is celebrated with Groundhog Day.

Even when I was little, Groundhog Day seemed like a rather silly holiday. Or maybe non-holiday is a better word for it. I understand the concept. The groundhog wakes up in the middle of his winter sleep, pops his head outside, looks around and maybe takes a quick stroll. If it’s sunny and he sees his shadow, he dives back in his hole and winter will last another six weeks. If it’s cloudy the groundhog will cancel the rest of his nap and hang around in anticipation of an early spring. It seems counter-intuitive. If it were me, I’d stay out and play in the sunshine. A cloudy or grey day is a good excuse to stay inside and read a book or take a nap.

For anyone living in New England, the story doesn’t make any sense. We’ve all heard about hibernation. We know that groundhogs are one of those animals that climb under the covers in late fall and don’t come out again until spring. In February the groundhog’s lair is covered with at least a foot or two of snow, maybe more. Even if for some unfathomable reason a groundhog gets frisky in the middle of his long winter’s nap, what’s he going to do? Dig his way out? I am sure that New Hampshire groundhogs just roll over and go right back to sleep.

So who came up with all this stuff and nonsense?

Hundreds of years ago the Celts of Ireland and Scotland celebrated something called Imbolc. By early February, the Celts were getting fed up with the long nights and grey skies. As the days started to get a little longer and the air a little warmer, they grew both hopeful and impatient. The Imbolc festival celebrated any sign of eagerly awaited warm weather.

When compared to New Hampshire, winter in Ireland and Scotland is practically balmy. It’s more chilly than cold, more rainy than snowy. True or not, legend has it that as the days got a just bit longer and the rain just a bit warmer, a few critters got restless. Insomniac hedgehogs (the groundhog’s European cousin), began to sneak a peak to see if it was time to get up. Spying a hedgehog was a good omen that spring was just around the corner and cause for jubilant celebrations.

Fast forward a few centuries and Imbolc has been transformed into Groundhog Day. At least in the United States, it’s just a bunch of guys in top hats pestering a groundhog somewhere in Pennsylvania. That and a lot of speculation on when winter will finally end.

As if there could be any doubt. At least in New Hampshire, winter will continue until it’s good and ready to quit. Let’s face it, winter is here for eight maybe ten more weeks. You can harass groundhogs, you can speculate, you predict all you want. I’ll bet you a dollar there will still be snow in my yard on April Fool’s Day.

If you hate the cold and snow and all that goes with it, Groundhog Day is cause for celebration. Winter is half over. Spring, while still distant, is on the horizon. If you love winter, Groundhog Day is a reminder to get out and ski, skate, snowshoe or just play in the snow. Enjoy it while you can. The end of winter, while still distant, is on the horizon.

Bon appétit!

Caribbean Seafood Stew
Whether you love it or hate it, winter will be around for several more weeks. Bring some sunshine into your kitchen with a taste of the Caribbean. This warm and cozy dish is perfect on a cold night. Enjoy!
Serves 8 – 10

1 large onion, chopped
2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper or to taste
1/2 teaspoon each of paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fish or chicken stock
2 cups crushed tomatoes
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 pound cod or scrod filets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound scallops
1 pound large shrimp
Olive oil
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro and chopped green onions

1. Heat a little olive oil in a soup kettle over medium heat. Add the onion, sweet potatoes, carrot, red pepper, jalapeno and spices. Cook, stirring, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the stock, tomatoes and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
3. Check for seasoning. Add the fish and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the scallops and shrimp; simmer until the scallops are opaque, the shrimp are pink and the fish is cooked through, an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and green onions and serve.

The stew can be made ahead through step 2. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate. Bring the vegetables and broth to a simmer and continue with step 3.

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Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010