New Orleans Spicy Shrimp

While lurking about in food/recipe blogs, I found a recipe adapted from Chef/Owner Scott Boswell of Stella. While I personally have never been to Stella and do not know Scott Boswell personally, I have known some of the people that have worked there in the past. My friend, Steve, was one of them, and I have had the privilege of swapping some great recipes with him over the years.

The ingredients in this recipe include a combination of global influences and “swamp-trotting” flavors. It is right up my alley. I changed it a bit from the original format that I saw it, I think that the shrimp was being cooked to long, and I adjusted some of the ingredient levels to suit my preferences. As complicated as it may sound it is actually a simple recipe. The trick is to go fast, so that you don't over cook the shrimp.

This appetizer sells on the menu at Stella for about $15.00. Let me know if you try it, how it turns out & what (if anything) you change!


Ingredients
3 Large Whole Shrimp
1 ½ Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
1 Tbsp Chili Flakes or Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Chopped Green Onions
1 Tsp Granulated Sugar
1 Tsp Chili Paste (bought in or made from dried chilli powders & oil)
1/3 Cup Cold Unsalted Butter Cubed
To taste Salt and White Pepper
Thick Sliced French Bread

Preparation

1. Peel and de-vein the shrimp. Leave the tail portion and head intact. Season them on both sides with salt and white pepper.

2.In a very hot sauté pan add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and allow it to just reach the smoking point, and then add the garlic and shrimp. Sauté shrimp on both sides turning after a few seconds

3.Add about 1/4 cup of the white wine to the pan and then add the chili flakes/cayenne pepper, continuing to sauté. Turn the shrimp often to coat evenly with the chili flakes.

4.Coat the French bread with the remaining olive oil and then set it under a broiler or toaster oven to toast the top side

5.Add the remaining white wine, green onions, sugar, chili paste, and then stir well to combine all the ingredients in the pan.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and gently whisk in the chunks of butter to smooth into the sauce.

7.Serve with toasted French bread and garnish with more chopped green onions.

Blue House Bistro

Ratatouille Bruschetta

I can't believe how long my hair was....

This is a recipe I demonstrated at the Holland Farmer's Market in 2008.  Most people have such a fear of eggplant.  The secret to making any recipe with eggplant successful is to soak slices of it in a mixture of salt, lemon juice, and water for a few minutes, then press the eggplant to squeeze all the excess (and absorbed) juices out. 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 small eggplant, cubed
2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
4 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
3 to 4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

In a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add eggplant; stir until coated with oil. Add peppers; stir to combine. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep vegetables from sticking.

Add tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs; mix well. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender but not too soft.  Serve mixture on toast. 

Serves 4.

www.bluehousebistro.net

My quest for green tomatoes

I have been trying to make a Layered Crab Cakes with Fried Green Tomatoes topped with Hollandaise Sauce for a little while now to no avail. Green tomatoes are not the kind of item that you can purchase in normal supermarkets, and my food vendors (if they even have them) would sell them to me by the case (which I definitely do not need). My trip to the Holland Farmer's Market on Saturday was disappointing at best. Out of a dozen or so stands that were set up, only a couple were selling vegetables at all. Neither of them had green tomatoes, although one of the vendors tentatively promised me some on Wednesday. There were a few stands selling tomato plants, but they were only blooming. If they had fruit growing, I might have felt brave enough to buy either just the green fruit or the whole plant.

Green Tomatoes

My search continues. In the meantime, here is a recipe that will go on the features menu at Blue House Bistro as soon as I find green tomatoes. If you have some in the Holland, Michigan area send me an email or come by Blue House Bistro; there are hungry people waiting!

Crab Cakes

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/8 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup diced bell peppers (I like red the best because of the color mixture)

2 tbsp butter

3 eggs

2/3 cup breadcrumbs

1/3 Parmesan cheese

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp mustard

Tabasco to taste

Two 10 oz cans of crab meat (unless you have access to fresh!)

1/4 cup cooking oil (use more or less depending on the size of your pan)

Sautee the onion, celery and peppers in butter until it onions turns clear. Whisk the eggs and combine with breadcrumbs, cheese, and seasonings. Stir in onion mixture and crab meat. Shape into patties. Heat oil in a skillet. Place crab cakes in hot skillet. Sear on each side until golden brown; about 2-3 min.

Fried Green Tomatoes

3 medium size green tomatoes

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 cup breadcrumbs

pepper to taste

1/4 cup cooking oil (use more or less depending on the size of your pan)

Slice tomatoes in 1/4 inch slices. Dip in milk. Dredge in combined flour, pepper, breadcrumb mixture. Heat oil in a skillet. Place tomatoes in hot skillet. Sear on each side until golden brown; about 2-3 min.

Layer the crab cakes and tomatoes into towers.

Hollandaise Sauce

1/2 cup softened butter (in pieces)

3 egg yolks

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Tabasco to taste

dash of salt

In the top section of a double boiler (because this sauce goes wrong FAST!) combine egg yolks, vinegar, and Tabasco. Whisk constantly over boiling water while slowly adding butter until it reaches desired thickness. Spoon over crab and tomato towers. Serve immediately.

Things That Go Wrong...

I want to talk about my work, my vision, my cooking style and my restaurant. It is inspiring when people sense the love that has gone into creating every aspect. What you see when you walk into my dining room is the culmination of HOURS and HOURS of planning and effort; from the menu layout, to assembling the tables (We just got new ones. Have you seen them? I love them!), to painting the walls, to ordering the merchandise/food, to getting all the necessary licenses & permits, to (at a more basic level) learning how to cook in the first place, etc. 

I love it when the dining room is full, the kitchen is bustling with activity and everything is going absolutely right. Still, sometimes things can and do go wrong. It is quite disconcerting when that happens, especially when there isn't a whole lot I can do about it. If your steak was cooked incorrectly, I can fix that. If the wrong button on the cash register was hit and it says you owe me $1067.58, I can fix that. Not every issue, however, that comes up can be easily addressed. Here is an explanation of the most common issues I run into & how I deal with them...

The restaurant runs out of an ingredient, item, or dish. It is an imprecise science and art to gauging just how much of something to order. My restaurant is tiny and on a VERY tight budget, and we need to maximize capital without having too much stuff sitting (or going bad) on the back shelves. I go to the store everyday before or after work, and sometimes quickly sending friends (beware if you are my pal & you stop by to visit I might put you to work!) during the middle of an order during the day. Sometimes for no reason I can figure out (if you happen to know why, please enlighten me) everyone who walks in the door on a certain day will order approximately the same thing. It is weird, and we will run out of that certain thing.

Service is a bit awkward. In whatever manner you choose to interpret it, something about the server or experience was off. It may be your servers first day (on the job or in the industry) & they are still getting the hang of things. You may have been one of the “lucky” few who got the other owner, Seraphena for a server. She is great in theory and terrible in practice. I know & she knows, which is why she avoids serving except in an emergency or when we are SUPER busy. Otherwise, the kitchen may be (or have been) on fire and we are all just trying to get our composure back.

There is no alcohol. I am absolutely on your side on this one. We are raising money for the correct license, so eat here often. If you absolutely MUST have beer or wine with your meal, call for pick-up or delivery.

The table next to you is too loud, too big, or otherwise annoying. I can't help you there, The restaurant is a “boutique bistro” and it gets full quick. What I can tell you is to focus on your lovely dinner/lunch companions and the wonderful food instead.

The food isn't spicy enough. It is a common misconception that everything I make is or should be super spicy. I am a Neo-American Creole Fusion style chef, which is a blend of French, Spanish, Italian, American, and whatever else I feel inspired by that day. I also cook for a broad audience in the Midwest with varying levels of tolerance; I tend to tone down the spiciness in all but the most obvious of dishes. I make my own hot sauce, ask for some if you want to turn up the heat.

These aren't big deal issues. Nope. They are really not. Although, I apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you if one of those things happened to you at my restaurant. If you want some juicy kitchen disaster stories check out this site http://www.dinnersfromhell.com You will be glad you never ate or worked at these restaurants.