Shrimp Cocktail

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Simple, delicious, and most refreshing.

If everyone knew how easy shrimp cocktails are, they would indulge everyday.

I just love them, and my special twist here is the cucumber relish that I got from the sorbet recipe. Adam says it reminds him of Japan, it must be tasty then!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

1 to1 ½ dozen medium-size shrimps

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup hot pepper sauce

¼ cup horseradish

½ cup fresh cucumber relish

Salt and pepper to taste

Celery stalk and chive to garnish

1. If using raw shrimp, peel and blanch with boiling water for 1 min or until just pink.

2. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, hot pepper sauce, horseradish, salt and pepper.

3. Fill the bottom of cocktail glasses with the cucumber relish.

4. Layer the shrimp on the relish, saving a couple for garnish.

5. Pour the horseradish sauce on the shrimp.

6. Chill for at least 1 hr.

7. Garnish with celery and chive.

Barbecue Galore!

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This is the week of long weekends between Madagascar's Independance Day, Canada Day and Independance Day! The long awaited 30°C- weather has finally hit the Prairies and my charcoal barbecue has been on for very tasty meals!

These hot days, I haven’t even thought about turning the stove top on, let alone the oven! The garden has been doing great this year and we got to eat our radish the other day – I LOVE them with butter, salt, and pepper. Don’t you? We have almost been enjoying our garden lettuce for the past 2 weeks!

Just like the plants, I have been relishing the perfect, sunny and hot, weather and I have here a smorgasbord of barbecue ideas for you to try and serve with your favourite salad…and the best thing about barbecue is that Italian herbs like oregano, thyme, or curry, salt and pepper are just enough to enhance the smokiness of the charcoal.

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Barbecued steaks and kohlrabi

Ingredients for 2 servings:

2 rib eye, sirloin or T-bone steaks

2 kohlrabis

1 lemon

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel and slice the kohlrabi into a medium bowl.

2. Add lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.

3. Marinate for ½ hour in the fridge.

4. Just before grilling, season the steaks and drizzle with olive oil.

5. For medium-rare 1 inch-thick steaks, barbecue for 3 to 5 mins per side, using tongs for turning. (To check for doneness: press the meat with a finger and compare the pressure with the resistance of the muscle at the base of your thumb when joining your middle finger with your thumb).

6. Barbecue the kohlrabi slices for 5 mins per side until softened.

7. Remove the steaks from the heat and allow to rest for 5 mins before serving with the kohlrabi.

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Barbecued smelts

Ingredients for 2 servings:

1 pound frozen smelts

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse the smelts and rub with salt, pepper and olive oil.

2. Barbecue for 3 to 5 mins per side, using tongs for turning, until the skin curls up.

3. Serve immediately.

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Barbecued bocconcini and capicollo bison burgers and corn on the cob

Ingredients for 2 servings:

2 bison burger patties (from the Farmer’s market or the Italian center)

2 slices capicollo or ham

1 medium bocconcini cheese

2 ears of corn

Italian herbs

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel back the husk for each ear of corn and remove the silk.

2. Bring back the husk over the cob.

3. Soak the ears in cold water for at least 30 mins.

4. Drain for 5 mins and place on the coals for 15-20 mins turning frequently to prevent burning.

5. Season the bison burger with Italians herbs and barbecue for 5-8 mins per side.

6. Place a slice of capicollo on each patty.

7. Slice and place the bocconcino on the capicollo.

8. Barbecue until the cheese has started melting and serve immediately. (I usually smother my corn with butter, salt and pepper.)

Salt Crust Rainbow Trout and Fennel Radicchio Salad

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Just enough time to catch a glimpse at my plants last weekend!

One week of rain and peas, radish, beans and spinach have grown another inch or two. Our carrots and cucumbers are finally poking out of the ground.

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Feels like fish, preferably on the grill.

How about these gorgeous rainbow trout?

It is so rare to find fresh fish at conventional grocery stores in Alberta that we spotted them right away. They so fresh, shiny and clear-eyed fish on crushed ice! These spotted freshwater fish were easy to recognize because of the typical red band along their spine. They must have come from British Columbia or one the neighbouring American states.

I wasn’t too sure where they came from, but they certainly reminded me of camping in Buffalo Lake and learning how to cast a fishing line. I did not catch anything that time, except for some old boot and a lot of algae.

The trout are so delicate that I decided on a salt crust instead of grilling them. I LOVE the salt crust because the crust - which is easy to brush off- protects the fish from the heat and preserves the moisture and softness of the trout. Very simple! I completely covered the fish in Kosher salt and wrapped them in foil after filling their bellies with bay leaves. A few minutes on the barbecue (or in the oven if raining) et voilà! The fennel and radicchio salad are just what I craved for…

Ingredients for 2 servings:

2 whole rainbow trout, cleaned

2 cups Kosher or coarse sea salt

6-8 bay leaves

Pepper

Olive oil

1. Lightly brush the inner cavity of each fish with salt, pepper and olive oil.

2. Fill the fish with bay leaves (Tip: Do not overstuff or the crust will seep through).

3. Tear rectangles of aluminum foil large enough to individually wrap each trout.

4. Spread ½ cup of salt on each piece of foil.

5. Pat the fish with paper towel and place the fish on top of the salt.

6. Entirely cover with the rest of the salt, pressing to form a crust.

7. Chill for at least 1 hr to consolidate the crust.

8. Light up the barbecue.

9. When the coals are ready, barbecue the foil-wrapped trout for 20-30 mins, flipping the fish after 10-15 mins.

10. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 mins.

11. Gently remove the salt crust and serve with fennel and radicchio salad.

Fennel and Radicchio Salad

Ingredients:

1 large fennel bulb

1 small radicchio

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Italian parsley

Olive oil

1. In a large bowl, mix together jemon juice and zest, 2 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.

2. Thinly slice fennel, radicchio, and cherry tomatoes and toss the dressing.

3. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Barbecued Wild Salmon With Herb Potatoes and Piccantelli Asparagus

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Spring is definitely here. Time to dust off that good ol’charcoal barbecue!

I love barbecuing because the smokiness of the charcoal enhances the natural flavours of your aliments. It is also the easiest way to deal with whole fish. This time, I just rubbed salmon with salt and pepper, filled it with lemon slices and thrown it on the grill. Once you lit the charcoal, there is nothing to stop you from cooking your veggies right there too! I used the heat of the barbecue to steam my foil-wrapped potatoes and piccantelli asparagus, to complete this simple and tasty meal.

Ingredients for 6-8 servings:

1 whole wild salmon

1 sliced lemon

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

For the herb potatoes:

1 russet potato per serving

1 tablespoon Italian herbs

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Olive oil

For the piccantelli asparagus:

6 asparagus spears per serving

¼ cup piccantelli olives

Olive oil

1. Boil the potatoes for 30 mins.

2. Score the potatoes using a knife and rub herbs and salt into the cuts.

3. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and tighly wrap with aluminum foil.

4. Light up the barbecue.

5. Rinse the fish with cold water and pat dry using paper towel.

6. Rub the fish with salt and pepper and fill the belly with lemon slices.

7. Wrap the fish with aluminum foil.

8. When the coals are ready, place fish and potatoes on the barbecue.

9. Snap the asparagus ends off.

10. Top the asparagus with the olives, drizzle with olive oil and wrap with aluminum foil.

11. After barbecueing for 15-20 mins, remove the foil from the fish.

12. Steam the asparagus on the barbecue for 15-20 mins.

13. Serve immediately.

Shrimp Stuffed Squid with Hot Tomato Sauce

This recipe is for those who have always associated squid with chewy, rubbery and tasteless chunks of fish. Just like me, you will be surprised at the tenderness of these stuffed squid. Most stuffed squid recipes just use the tentacles, but because my squid was armless, I had to go for shrimp.

A mouth-watering dish to enjoy with gnocchi!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

2 squid

2 slices pancetta

1 stalk celery

1 medium carrot

16 (about 1 cup) medium shrimp

Fresh thyme

2 slices bread

For the sauce:

2 small leeks

4 medium tomatoes

1 cherry bomb (or hot pepper)

½ to 1 cup dry white wine

Olive oil

1. To make the stuffing, finely chop the celery and carrot and peel the shrimp.

2. Brown the pancetta in a non-stick pan over medium high heat.

3. Remove the pancetta from the pan and drain on paper towel.

4. Add the chopped vegetable to the pan and stir fry for about 5 mins, until soft. 5. Transfer the vegetable to a bowl.

6. Add some oil to the same pan and stir fry the thyme and the shrimp for 1-2 min, until just pink.

7. Coarsely chop the shrimp and add to the vegetables.

8. Toast and chop the bread in the food processor.

9. Stir the breadcrumbs into the shrimp vegetable mixture.

10. Rinse the squid with cold water and pat dry with paper towel.

11. Close each squid at one end using skewers and stuff with the shrimp stuffing.

12. Close the other end of each squid with skewers.

13. Heat some olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stick pan.

14. Place the stuffed squid in the pan and fry all sides for 1-2 mins. Remove the skewers.

15. To make the tomato sauce, chop the leeks, the tomatoes and the cherry bomb.

16. In a small pan, heat some olive oil over medium high.

17. Stir fry the leek then the tomatoes for 5 mins. 18. Add the hot pepper and pour ½ cup of wine into the pan.

19. Let simmer for 2 mins and add the pancetta into the sauce.

20. Pour the sauce on the squid and add the rest of the wine to the pan.

21. Stir and cover for 5 to 10 mins.

22. Serve immediately.

Sautéed Shrimps with Fresh Thyme

Adam made a huge, creamy soup with all the garden lettuce we managed to save from the snow! So huge we finally got to use our tureen!

These light and crisp shrimps perfectly balanced the heartiness of the thick broth. I would definitely have them again for a snacky dinner on a lazy TV night!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

16 medium size shrimps

¼ cup milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

¼ cup flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel the shrimps leaving the end of the tail on.
2. Transfer the shrimps in a small bowl.
3. Add milk and oil to the shrimp.
   
4. Chop and sprinkle the thyme over the shrimp.
5. Season to taste and toss. Let sit for 10-15 min.
6. Lightly flour.
7. Heat some oil in a frying pan.
8. Fry the shrimp for up to 1 min and serve immediately.
   

Smokey Red Peppercorn Crusted Mahi Mahi on Sautéed Peas and New Potatoes

This is my new favourite barbeque fish recipe! The sweetness of the peas and potatoes counter-balances the smokey flavour of the anis wood infused fish steaks.

Ingredients:

1 pound mahi mahi (2 steaks)

2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon Kosher salt

¼ to ½ cup red peppercorn

4 pieces anis wood

Olive oil

4 bacon slices (or 100 grams pancetta)

½ yellow onion

2 small leeks

3 cups peas

4 new potatoes

½ teaspoon thyme

½ to 1 cup beer

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Start the barbeque.
2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
3. Chop the onion, leeks and potatoes.
4. Brown the bacon in the hot pan until slightly crisp, drain and set aside
5. Add the chopped onion into the same pan.
6. Once the onion is soft and lightly caramelised, add the leek and potatoes.
7. Sauté until the potatoes are browned on all sides.
8. Stir in the peas and thyme.
9. Reduce the heat to low.
10. Cover for 15 mins to allow the vegetables to soften.
11. While steaming the vegetables, soak the anis wood in water.
12. Crush the red peppercorn in a mortar and transfer to a plate.
13. Coat the fish steak with the peppercorn and Kosher salt.
14. Drizzle with olive oil.
15. Place the anis wood on the hot coals.
16. Barbeque the fish for 3 mins per side.
17. Before serving, add the beer and bacon to the vegetables and season to taste.