Curried Acorn Butternut Squash Soup

 

Slightly sweet and spicy… Hearty and extremely easy to make.  Great for the winter season.  And most of all… this soup freezes well.  So you’ll always have soup whenever you feel like having some.

What you need…

What to do…?

Wash acorn and butternut squash under cold running water. And roast in a preheated oven at 375°F for 1 hour.

Cut both squashes in half.

Scope and discard the seeds. And scope out the flesh and place in a bowl.

Heat a large stew pot.  Saute onions, ginger and garlic.   Then add the green curry paste.

Add the can of coconut milk.

Add the 2 cans of chicken broth.

Bring to a boil.

Add the squash.  Stir and bring to another boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mash with a potato masher or blend with a hand held blender. Cover and bring to a boil. Again, simmer for another 5 minutes.

Taste to see if additional salt is needed.  Otherwise, add freshly ground black pepper.  Stir in chopped green onions and cilantro.

Serve hot with rice and other meat dishes.

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Acorn Butternut Squash Curried Soup

1 medium size acorn squash– about 2 – 3 pounds

1 medium size butternut squash – about 3 – 4 pounds

3 TBSPs. olive oil

1 medium size onion – chopped

2 TBSPs. finely chopped young ginger

4 large cloves garlic – minced

1 – 3 TBSPs. green curry paste

2 (14.5 ounces) cans low sodium chicken broth

1 (13.5 ounces) can Chaokoh coconut milk

½ – 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

3 stalks green onion

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Preheat oven at 375°F.

Line a heavy duty baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Wash acorn and butternut squash under cold running.  With a fork or a serrated steak knife, prick both squashes in the different in several areas – all around.

Line a heavy duty baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place both squashes in the pan and bake for 1 hour.

Remove and cool.  Split both squashes in half.  Scope the and discard the seeds.  Scope the flesh and place in a large bowl.

Heat a large, 4 quart stew pot.    Add olive oil.

Sauté onions, ginger, and garlic until onions are translucent.  Add curry paste and sauté for a few minutes.

Add coconut oil.  Stir until curry paste is incorporated.  Add chicken broth.  Bring curried liquid to a boil.  Add acorn and butternut squash.  Stir and bring to another boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Mash the squash in the pot with a potato masher or hand held electric blender.  Taste to see how much salt is needed.  Add freshly ground black pepper.  Cover and simmer curried squash for another 5 minutes.  Add chopped and green onions and cilantro.  Serve hot. With rice and other meat dishes.

Tess Kitchen Secrets:

Green curry paste is hotter than red curry paste.  So start with 1 tablespoon.  You can always add more later once the chicken is cooked.  The 3 tablespoons of green curry paste I used here makes this chicken curry very spicy!  But my husband likes his curry this way. So here’s the scale of hotness in this curry, based on how the number of tablespoons of green curry paste you use on a scale of 1 – 10:

1 tablespoon = 4 (good average heat)

2 tablespoons = 7 (hot, a little medium heat)

3 tablespoons = 10 (superhot)

This soup can be divided into small portions and frozen.  When ready to enjoy the curried soup, simple take out a portion and leave in the fridge overnight.  Microwave for 2 – 3 minutes and serve.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

 

 

Tsukune Turkey

This turkey dish is tender, juicy and bursting with flavors in every bite.  Simmered in a teriyaki sauce that is rich in garlic and ginger.

The turkey patties can be fried or grilled on bamboo skewers over hot coals.  Dipped in teriyaki sauce instead of being simmered in it.

This recipe was originally for ground chicken made into balls or clumped around bamboo skewers, thus the term Tsukune in Japanese.  But I decided to use ground turkey because of convenience and availability.

Below is what you need to make this Japanese flavored dish…

*** Please note that I have doubled the recipe in these photos…***

Ground turkey or chicken.

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce, salt, ground black pepper, ground hot peppers (optional) egg yolks, carrots, ginger and cornstarch…

Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt, black pepper,  and ground hot pepper if using.

Add the soy…

Add the grated ginger… and stir to combine.

Add the egg yolks.  Mix.

Add the grated carrots.  Stir to combine.

Add the cornstarch.  Mix well.

Form mixture into 8 – 10 patties.

Heat a nonstick skillet and add canola oil…

Fry turkey patties in hot oil…

About 4 minutes on each side or until patties are cooked…

Transfer patties into the simmering pot of Teriyaki Sauce… Cover pot and simmer patties over low heat for about 10 minutes before serving…

Of if you want a crunchier patties, serve the sauce on the side…

The Sauce… Teriyaki Sauce

You will need teriyaki sauce, Liquid Aminos or soy sauce, water, minced garlic, and grated ginger…

And chopped onions…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Make the Teriyaki Sauce…

In a medium size sauce pan over medium heat, combine teriyaki sauce, water, garlic and ginger.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with about 2 tablespoons water.  Mix until smooth…

Drizzle cornstarch mixture over the sauce mixture.

Bring the sauce to a boil while stirring constantly.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low…

And while the sauce in simmering over low heat… prepare and fry the turkey patties…

Transfer turkey patties to the simmering teriyaki sauce…

Serve turkey patties with the sauce sprinkled with chopped green onions and a bowl of freshly cooked Jasmine rice on the side.

The RECIPE:

Tsukune Turkey

1 pound ground chicken or turkey (93% lean)
1 small carrot – grated finely
1 extra large egg yolk
¾ tsp. salt
1 TBSPs. Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

½ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)
1 inch piece fresh ginger – peeled and grated
2 TBSPs. cornstarch

½ cup canola oil for frying

Place ground turkey in a medium size mixing bowl.  Add salt, ground black pepper, hot pepper.  Add the soy sauce and the grated ginger.  Stir to combine.  Add the egg yolk and mix.  Add the grated carrot and mix.  Sprinkle the cornstarch over the mixture. Mix well.

Form mixture into 8 – 10 patties.

Heat a nonstick skillet and add vegetable oil.  Fry turkey patties over medium heat until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side.
Remove fried turkey patties from the skillet shaking off excess oil and place them in the simmering Teriyaki Sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce:
1 cup teriyaki sauce
½ cup water

1 inch piece ginger – peeled and grated

8 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)

1 TBSP. + 1 tsp. cornstarch

1 bunches of green onions – chopped (to be added to the chicken patties right before serving.)

In a medium size sauce pan, combine all the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch over medium heat.  Whisk until combined.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water.  Drizzle cornstarch mixture over the teriyaki sauce.  Whisk until mixture comes to a boil and sauce slightly thickens.  Reduce heat to low.  Let the sauce simmer while you fry the turkey patties.

Add the fried turkey patties into the simmering Teriyaki Sauce.

Serve turkey patties with the sauce sprinkled with chopped green onions and a bowl of freshly cooked Jasmine rice on the side.

Tess Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Prepare the Teriyaki Sauce and have it simmering over very low heat while you prepare and fry the turkey patties.

#2 – Forming the turkey patties can be a messy business.  So I have 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a small bowl.  Lightly oil the spoon and your hands before forming the patties.  I also wear disposable gloves to keep my hands clean.   (I always keep a box of non-latex gloves in the kitchen.  And they are much cheaper at Sam’s Club – $9.99 for a box of 100 gloves.)

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Easy and Simple Egg Rolls (Lumpia)

Are you Filipino?  Do you make lumpia?

These are two questions that I get asked often by Americans.  Years ago.  I would feel offended by these questions.  What do you mean do I make lumpia?  I can make all kinds of things.  Why does it have to be lumpia?

It’s not until this past several years that these questions no longer offend me.  As much.

I can’t blame my American friends.  We have been conditioned to think of people in terms of their stereotypes.  I am Filipino.  Therefore I make lumpia.  I probably eat balut too.  For those of you who are not familiar with balut.  Balut is a fertilized duck or chicken egg with a nearly developed embryo.  Boiled and eaten on the shell.  And the answer to the balut question is NO.  I have never eaten balut.  And never will.  No offense to those who eat them.  Sorry.  The mere sight of balut makes my insides shakes and grumble.  As if it’s going to invert.

The truth is.  I did not learn how to make egg rolls or lumpia until I was 19.  When I meet my husband, my cooking skills were mediocre.  I had to teach myself how to cook.  Or watch others cook.  And then practice what I had learn in my kitchen.

I had once used a blender to ground pork.  And the blender started smoking.  The motor burn out.  I was 20.  Young and dumb.  I didn’t know I couldn’t use a blender to ground pork!  I forget what it was exactly I was making.  But I wanted to impress my husband, who was then my boyfriend.

To this day.  He remembered the dish.  He said it was good.  And the blender?  He remembers that too.

You’re probably wondering… What do you mean you didn’t know how to cook?  You were poor and had no servants!  So how could you not know how to cook?  Being poor was  exactly the reason.  We were too poor.  There was nothing to cook.  I know how to cook rice.  I learned that at seven.  I know how to stew fish with salt and vinegar.  I learned this at eight.  But these were it.  We did not have the luxury to cook and eat pancit or lumpia.  We eat meat once every six months.  If we’re lucky.

Though there were exceptions.  I helped my mom make “sweets stuff” when I was barely nine.  I was her little helper.  Grating sweet potatoes and cassava.  And rolling them in banana leaves.  And then hawking them on the street until every one of the sweet roll is sold.  Probably explains why I hate selling to this day.

The skills of rolling stuff come naturally to me.  Rolling sweet potatoes and or cassava.  Egg rolls.  Lumpia.  Sushi.  And kimpap.  A Korean dish that sort of like sushi.  I suppose I could roll anything.  My step mother-in-law was highly surprised when I easily caught on on how she made kimpap.  And how at ease I was at rolling them.  I didn’t tell her I’ve been rolling stuff since I was barely nine.

I was with my sister when I first saw how lumpia or egg rolls were made.  She, and her friend, Ate Aida, would have a large tub of raw ground beef and finely chopped vegetables, and some eggs to bind them.  And they’ll start rolling the mixture in lumpia wrapper.  They’d do this on birthdays and special occasion.  This was my first exposure in making lumpia.

You probably notice that I am using the terms lumpia and egg rolls interchangeably.  That’s because the principles in making the two are the same.  The only difference is the thickness of the wrapper.  Lumpia wrapper is thinner and crispier.  More delicate and tears easily.  Whereas the egg roll wrapper is thicker and a lot easier to handle.

There are two types of lumpia:  Fresh (spring rolls) and Fried (egg rolls).

Fresh lumpia or spring rolls are just what the name implies.  The wrapper is not fried.  It is filled with stir fried or fresh vegetables.   And topped with a slightly sweet sauce.  Health aficionados will almost always chose fresh lumpia over fried spring rolls.

The fried egg rolls are of course, fried.  The vegetables are stir fried.  Then wrap with egg roll wrappers.  Deep fried at 350˚F for about 2 minutes on each side.  Or until the wrapper is golden brown and crispy.

The secret in making egg rolls is in the filling.  People have their favorite secret ingredients.  Usually, a combination of meats, shrimp and vegetables.

What I made here are lumpia or egg rolls.  And in my opinion, easy to make.  I used vegetables that I like and quick to cook.

I hardly ever use bean sprouts in my egg rolls.  That’s because my husband hates bean sprouts.  And besides, beans sprouts produce too much liquid which makes the filling a bit runny.  And this I do not want.

And the sauce is fresh from the bottle.  Sweet Chili Sauce.  Available in any Asian stores.  You can make your own if you like.  A simple mixture of vinegar, garlic, freshly ground black pepper, and a little bit of salt will do.

Egg rolls are best served immediately.  While they’re still warm and crispy.

Here’s what you’ll need for this easy and simple egg rolls:

Ground beef.

Ground Pork.

Onions. Chopped.

Garlic. Chopped.

Carrots. Finely diced.

Celery. Finely diced.

Green Beans. Chopped.

Potatoes.  Finely diced.

Green onions.

Lumpia or Eggroll Wrappers.

You can find these at any Asian stores.  Or in Supermarkets.  In the refrigerated section next to the produce department.  And or in the freezer department.

Seasoning:  soy sauce, coarse sea salt, and ground black pepper.

And Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping the lumpia or egg rolls.

~~~~

Once the prep work is done. i.e. chopping the onions, garlic and the vegetables needed…

You need to do the following:

Heat a large skillet and add 3 TBSPs. olive oil.

Add meat – ground beef and pork into the pot.

Stir it up and add sea salt.  Or kosher salt.  Use less if using kosher salt.

Add freshly ground black pepper.

Cook meat until gray.  Until all the juices evaporated and meat starts to sizzle.  If the meat is too watery.  Drain liquid.  You may have to add a tablespoon oil to saute the veggies with the meat.

Add onions and garlic.  Stir a few minutes.  Just until onions are translucent.

Add the potatoes.  Stir and saute a few minutes.

Add the chopped vegetables: carrots, celery and green beans.

Stir and saute until green beans are slightly cooked.

Add the green onions.

Add one to two tablespoons of soy sauce.

Add one tablespoon first.  Then taste.  Add another if needed.

Stir to combine.

By this stage… the potatoes should be soft and mash easily.  It should act as thicker or binder to the whole meat and vegetable mixture.

If the mixture contains a bit of a liquid.  Sprinkle a a tablespoon cornstarch over the meat and vegetable mixture.  And then stir to incorporate.  Over medium heat.  Stir for a few minutes.

~~~

How to roll the lumpia or egg roll:

Step one.  Carefully peel and separate each egg roll wrapper.

Lay one wrapper flat with one corner facing you.

Spoon about two tablespoons of the meat and vegetable mixture onto the wrapper.  About two inches from the corner pointing towards you.

Fold the corner facing you over the filling.  Slightly tucking in the tip under the filling.

Roll it forward up to the middle corners.

Fold the left corner over.

And fold the right corner over.  Forming an envelope.

Lightly brush the folded corners and top wrapper with beaten egg.

And then continue to roll until you have a short cylinder.

Finish rolling the remaining meat and vegetable mixture.  Place each roll seam side down.

Heat a deep skillet or a wok and add about 3 – 4 cups of cooking oil.  Heat oil until it reaches 350˚F.

Fry egg rolls or lumpia, five or six at a time, until golden and crispy.

Remove egg rolls from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately.  While warm and crispy.  With a sweet chili sauce on the side for dipping.

This Sweet Chili Sauce is really not spicy.  It is more sweet than it is spicy.

~~~

Easy and Simple Egg Rolls

Filling:

1½ pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

6 TBSPs. cooking oil – divided

1 large onion – chopped

4 stalks green onions – chopped

6 cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and minced

1 large baking potato – peeled and finely diced

3 large carrots – peeled and finely diced

3 celery sticks – peeled and finely diced

1 pound green beans – finely chopped

6 green or red hot chilies – finely chopped (optional)

1 TBSP. coarse sea salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 package Egg Roll Wrappers

Large egg + 1 tablespoon water – lightly beaten

Heat a large pot and add 3 tablespoons cooking oil.

Add ground beef and pork.  Stir to break up into small chunks.

Add coarse sea salt and ground black pepper.

Stir and cook meat until gray.  Keep stirring until most liquid evaporates and meat starts to sizzle.

If there’s too much liquid in the meat.  Drain the liquid.  And add a tablespoon of oil to the meat.

Add onions and garlic.  Stir until onions are translucent.

Add the potatoes.  Stir for a few minutes.

Add all carrots, celery, green beans.

Stir until vegetables are partially cooked, about 3 minutes.

Add green onions.  Stir to combine.

Add soy sauce.  Stir to incorporate.

At this stage, the potatoes should be soft and mash easily.  It should act as thickener or binder to the whole meat and vegetable mixture.

If the mixture contains a bit of a liquid.  Sprinkle a a tablespoon cornstarch over the meat and vegetable mixture.  And then stir to incorporate, over medium heat.  Stir for a few minutes.

Remove pot from the heat and cool.

How to Roll the Egg Rolls or Lumpia:

Separate the spring rolls wrapper one at a time.  Cover them with damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying.

Using a large chopping board lay the spring roll flat.  One corner facing towards you.

Scoop about two (2) spoonfuls of the meat and vegetables mixture into the spring roll wrapper.  About 1½ inches away from the corner facing you.

Fold the corner facing you over the filling.  And fold both left and right corners over the first fold.  Forming an envelope.

Lightly brush folded and top wrapper with the beaten egg.

Roll and seal.  Place egg roll seam side down.

Repeat the procedures with the remaining filling and egg roll wrappers.

How to Fry Egg Rolls or Lumpia:

Heat a deep skillet or frying pan and add 3 to 4 cups cooking oil.  Heat the oil to about 350˚F.  (Use a thermometer to make sure you have the correct temperature while frying.)  The egg rolls should be fully submerged in the hot oil.

Fry egg rolls about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve egg rolls immediately.  While still warm and crispy.  Have a small bowl of Sweet Chili Sauce on the side for dipping.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Since the filling has already been cooked.  It only takes a few minutes to fry these egg rolls.

#2 – The finely diced potatoes serves as thickener and binder.  Which makes for a crisper egg rolls.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Salt N’ Peppa Shrimps

I first moved to Vegas, by myself and stayed with my sister, while Ramon finished the school year and Willie was waiting for military retirement.  On one of his visits, I told him about the restaurant my sister bragged about.  The name was Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant.  A Chinese restaurant that served authentic Chinese foods.  It was Friday night and there were about 15 – 20 people waiting to be seated.  The Hostess went through the line and assigned numbers to the people waiting.  Then she came to us.  We were the last couple in line.

“Your name!?” The young Asian lady asked rudely.

We told her our name.

“It’s going to be 30 minutes!  We have no seats right now!  You can wait if you like.” She yelled.  Her tone was offensively condescending, eying us up and down.  Examining as if we were good enough to be granted a table.

I noticed that she was rude to the people ahead of us, mostly Asian.  But I also noticed that she was particularly more rude to us.

My husband got so pissed off.

“Let’s get outta here!  I don’t need this kind of treatment.  If I’m going to spend my hard earned money at this place… I would like to be treated like I’m a decent human being.  I would like to be treated with respect!”

“I don’t care if they serve the best food in the world.  I will never, ever go back there! They don’t get my business. I’ll take my money somewhere else.”

We walked out.  It was around 9:30 and didn’t know where to go.  I drove back and parked at a nearby high school.  My husband was still pissed about the incident that happened tonight.  We haven’t eaten.  We were both hungry.  And I know there wasn’t any food to eat at my sister’s house.  Besides, it was late to cook dinner.

“How about we just grab some Chinese Food at Boulder Station (Hotel & Casino)?”  I suggested to him.

“Frankly, I don’t want to go anywhere!  I had lost all my appetite!” He was still fuming about the incident

“But it’s already 9:30pm and we haven’t eaten!” I reminded him.

“All I want wanted to do was treat my wife to a nice dinner.  A good Chinese food.  How hard is that?  Instead, I got treated like shit by a racist Chinese woman!”

“Fine.  Let’s get some food at Boulder Station.”  He reluctantly agreed.

And so we went.

We ordered our food and sat at a small, dimly lit table.  This was a last minute decision.  And a bad one at that.  The food was not good.  In fact, was one of the worst Chinese food we’ve eaten.

No luck.  Our night was supposed to be enjoyable.  Instead, we had nothing but bad luck.  Bad service.  Bad food.  Bad night!

I felt responsible.  It was my idea to go to Sam Woo.  I felt guilty and ashamed.  I felt awful.  And I was beginning to get pissed off too.

~~~

Several months later, I convinced my husband that we ought to try Sam Woo again.  I suggested that maybe we should go there in the afternoon when it might not be as crowded.  I told him that my sister and her boyfriend took me there one night and the food was indeed real good.  And the service wasn’t that bad.  Maybe they just had a bad Hostess that night.

“Fine.  This is their last chance to redeem themselves.  I’m only going because you’re bugging the shit outta me.  Their food better be damn good!”

So we did.  This time the Hostess wasn’t rude like last time.  She wasn’t overly nice either.  And that was OK.  I wasn’t expecting a royalty treatment.  And we got seated right away.

We ordered several shrimp dishes:  shrimp with lobster sauce, beef in black beans sauce, salt and pepper shrimp, fried rice and iced tea.  All these dishes were good.  The sauces were perfectly spiced and seasoned.

But the “salt and pepper shrimp” was the dish that intrigued him.  He particularly liked the sauteed peppers which appeared to be Serrano peppers and green onions that was served with the shrimp.

So instead of us going back to Sam Woo, I decided to recreate the “salt and pepper shrimp” dish that my husband liked.   And this is what he has to say…

“Mmmm.  You cook this shrimp better than Sam Woo!  And better than any other place I’ve been to…  At least I don’t have to put up with bad service. ”

The key to cooking the shrimps is the oil temperature.  The oil must be around 350°F when you start frying the shrimp.  No higher.  Or the shrimps will burn.

To be sure I attach or place a thermometer in the frying pan.

You could also just use your judgment.  Gauge it.  The oil must be hot but not smoking.

If the shrimps are fried correctly, they should be crunchy.  And you should be able to eat everything.  I mean everything, including the shells which is fiber.  If the eyes and heads of the shrimp bother you, you can take them off after frying and just serve the body with the tails on.

For Westerners, this dish may seemed bizarre and weird.  One might wonder how could you possibly fry and eat shrimps with the shells on?  Most Filipinos don’t know this either.  I remember when I bought a big bag of whole shrimps at the Filipino Food Store here in town.

The owner ask: “What are you going to do with all that shrimp?  How are you going to cook them…?”

“Oh.  Simple.  I am going to lightly dredge them in seasoned flour and fry them whole.  With heads and tails on, unpeeled.”

“Really?  Aren’t those shells going to be tough?”

“Nope.  Not at all.  When the shrimps are perfectly fried.  Heads, shells and tails become crunchy.  And they taste great!”  I assured him.

“Hmmm.  I didn’t know that.  I’ve have never tried eating shrimps that way.  I just learn something new! Thanks!”

You do have to choose shrimps with soft shells.  And most farmed shrimps’ shells are thinner and softer compared to the ones harvested from the Gulf of Texas.

With this dish every part is eaten.  The head, the shell and tails.  When fried perfectly.  All parts become crunchy, and therefore, edible.  My favorite part is the tail much more than the head.  The same part that my son leaves on his plate.  He doesn’t like the heads and the tails.  He is a typical American kid.

When I was little, I remember my grandparents cooking a pot full of small shrimps.  All body parts intact.  The shrimps were about the size of my pinky and was perfectly cooked in a large deep pot with only a little bit of water and a good amount of sea salt.  They were salty.  But very good.  Because they were freshly caught from the sea.

Whole shrimp, shell on with heads and tails are hard to come by.  Our local grocery stores rarely carries them.  So I have been buying the “easy peel” ones that’s already been deveined.  Their headless.  But works just fine.

As for Sam Woo.  The food was great.  But the service is left to be desired.  Most days the wait is too long and the Hostess need an attitude adjustment.  She seems rude to all the customers, which are mostly Asian.  But I guess a lot of Asian, especially Chinese people, didn’t mind the rudeness and bad treatment.  Because this restaurant is never empty.  In fact, the line is always over flowing at the door.

However, for Americans, this leaves a “bad taste” in their mouths.  My husband feels exactly this way.  He doesn’t think it’s right for any restaurant to treat it’s good paying customers badly.  No matter how great their food.

So… to avoid all these hassles.  I’m better off cooking these shrimps at home…

Washed and drained.  Easy Peel Shrimps.  Seasoned with coarse sea salt or kosher salt and plenty of ground black pepper.

All purpose flour plus kosher salt and plenty of  ground black pepper.

Mixed them up real good.

dredge 8 – 10 or more shrimps at a time, depending on how large your frying pan…

Be sure to coat the shrimps nicely with the seasoned flour.

Place the dredged shrimps in a plate or over waxed paper and allow the shrimp to rest for about five minutes.  This resting period will allow the seasoned flour to stick on the shells.

Heat a large skillet or frying pan and add 1 cup or more oil.  The shrimps must be submerge in hot oil.

Fry shrimps until crispy on one side.  About 3 minutes on each side.  As you can see, I should have heated more oil to have the shrimps more submerged.

Flip the shrimps to the other side.

Fry them until crispy like these…

Remove the shrimps from the pan…

Drain them over paper towels…

They are now ready to serve.  You can serve them with rice and Sweet Chili Sauce as dipping sauce.

This is the best Sweet  Chili Sauce we’ve tried… available in Asian market and most supermarkets…

Or… If you are like my husband.  The Sauteed Jalapenos is a good accompaniment…

About 15 jalapenos and 1 bunch of green onions.  Chopped.  Here I didn’t have enough jalapenos so I threw in a handful of red peppers.  Which of course make the sauce more spicy.

Saute them in the pan with 2 tablespoons for the same oil used for frying the shrimps.  Add added the salt and black pepper.

Saute them  until they nice and tender…

Ready to serve! You need plenty of rice on the side…

Salt & Pepper Shrimp with Sauteed Jalapeno Peppers

2 pounds whole large shrimps (shell on with heads and tails if available)

2 tsps. kosher salt or 1 TBSP. coarse sea salt

1½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. cayenne (optional)

~~~

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

~~~

2 cups canola oil for frying

Cut the antenae off the shrimps.  Wash and drain shrimp in a colander.  Place in a large bowl.

Season Shrimps with salt, black pepper and cayenne.  Let it set four about 10 minutes.

In a large ziploc bag, combine flour, salt and black pepper.

Heat a large frying pan and add the oil.  Heat oil to 350°F.  Oil must be at least an inch deep.  Shrimps must be fully submerge.

Place 8 – 10 shrimps in the flour and shake the ziploc bag to coat the shrimps.  Shake off excess flour from the shrimp and fry them in the hot oil.

Fry Shrimp for 3 minutes on each side.  Remove and drain on paper towels.

Repeat procedures with the remaining shrimp.

Serve with rice and your choice of sauces below:

Sauteed Jalapeno Peppers

15 medium size jalapeno peppers

1 bunch green onions – chopped

1 tsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 TBSPs. of oil used to fry the shrimps

Wash the jalapenos and pat dry with kitchen towel.  Cut the stems off slice them in halves.  Chop thinly and set aside.

Wash the green onions.  Cut the roots and discard.  Remove yellowed or wilted pieces.  Cut the welted top.  Chop green onions.

Using the same frying pan, pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil.  Saute Jalapenos and green onions for a few minutes, until Jalapenos slightly soft.  Add salt and black pepper.  Stir again for a few minutes.

Transfer the sauteed jalapenos to a small bowl.  Serve on the side.

Or you can serve the shrimps with bottled Sweet Chili Sauce.  This sauce is perfectly fine.  It’s mild and sweet which offsets the saltiness of the shrimp.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – The secret is really using a whole shrimp.  Shells on with heads and tails.  Find them as fresh as you can find.  Use only shrimps with white soft shells.  Brown shrimps tend to have tougher shells.

#2 – Frying time.  The shells must almost look wrinkly.  Try eating one shrimp out of the first batch to be sure.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Roped, Saddled and Tamed

Here I am… still awake at 7 in the morning and have nothing to post.  I am empty handed…

I had a whole week to think about what I was going to post today.  But all of my ideas lead me nowhere.  I managed to write a 1500 word easy on one subject: divorce, which took  me several hours.  I cited examples using several couples we knew – including family and friends who have gotten divorce, but it didn’t feel right.  So in the end, I decided to stash it somewhere -  for my eyes only.

Sometimes… writing comes easy when I write from the heart.  But there are times when my mind wants to run.  It wants to do whatever it wants to do, other than what it needs to do.   It acts like a wild horse that needs to be roped, saddled and tamed…

So I decided to just post something… something I have cooked hundreds of times before and one of my husband’s favorite Chinese food – Hot Pepper Beef.  I have made many improvements since I first cooked this dish and posted the recipe over three years ago.  So I thought I’d be nice to share it with you…

As with most Chinese dishes… there are certain things you’d have to do to get the same results that Chinese restaurants do.  They use specific techniques like blanching marinated meats in hot oil… and stir frying at a very high heat.

I’ve adopted some of those techniques in this recipe.  It is a bit time consuming to do, especially if I am doubling the recipe… but my husband loves Hot Pepper Beef so I cook this for him at least once every two weeks…  It’s better to prepare this dish if you have an extra time to spare… maybe on Friday nights…

NOTE:  If you do not or cannot eat hot and spicy foods… simply omit all the hot peppers from the marinade and the sauce.

New and Improved Hot Pepper Beef

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds top sirloin steaks
• Marinade – see below
• 1 large red or yellow onion – cut into bite sizes
• 1 large green bell pepper – seeds removed and cut into bite size pieces
• Sauce – see below

Step 1: Marinating the Beef

• 2 pounds top sirloin steaks – sliced thinly into 1 x 2 inch strips
• Marinade:
• 3 TBSPs. medium dry sherry or rice wine (I use white wine if I don’t have sherry or rice wine in stock)
• 3 TBSPs. Soy sauce
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground hot pepper – use according to your ‘heat’ tolerance
• ¼ tsp. msg (optional)
• 3 TBSPs. Cornstarch + 3 TBSPs. Water
• 4 cups vegetable oil for blanching

Wash the steaks and squeeze off excess liquid.  Slice them into 1 x 2 inch thick strips.  Place in a large glass or ceramic mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine medium dry sherry, soy sauce, salt, baking soda, ground black and hot pepper and msg.  In yet another small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and stir until smooth.  Add cornstarch mixture to the  marinade mixture.

Pour marinade over the beef, and mix until beef absorbs most of the marinade.

Marinade beef overnight in the refrigerator or 30 minutes at room temperature.

Step 2:  Blanching the Beef

Heat the wok and add the cooking oil.  Heat oil until  until it reaches 300°F. (I always use a candy thermometer to be sure…)

Drizzle two tablespoons of vegetable oil – not hot oil – over the steaks and toss to loosen or separate them. Divide the steaks into 4 portions…

Blanch steaks in the heated oil, one portion at a time, for about 5 – 7 minutes or until steaks turn brown but not burned.

Remove steaks with a slotted spoon or skimmer and drain on paper towels. (I use a skimmer with a bamboo handle which I bought at an Oriental store for less $10.)

Be sure to bring the oil back up to 300°F before continuing with the next batch.

Finish blanching the rest of the steaks following the same process.

Remove all, but 2 tablespoons oil from the wok.

Step 3: Making the Sauce

• 6 garlic cloves – peeled and minced
• 1 inch piece ginger – peeled and thinly sliced
• 8 – 10 fresh or dried hot peppers
• 3 stalks green onions – chopped
• ¾ cup soy sauce
• ¾ cup water
• 3 TBSPs. brown sugar
• 2 TBSP. dry sherry or white wine
• 1 tsp. ground hot pepper (or to taste)
• 1 TBSP. Cornstarch + 1 TBSP. water

Combine soy sauce, water, sugar, sherry, hot pepper, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisk until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.

Using the same wok… heat two tablespoons oil and sauté the garlic, ginger and hot peppers, and green onions for a few minutes or until garlic turns light golden brown and hot peppers dark red.

Stir the sauce and pour over the sautéed garlic, ginger, hot pepper and green onions.  Bring the sauce to boil over medium high heat, while stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium and add the blanched beef into the sauce. Stir until beef are coated well with the sauce. Reduce heat and simmer steaks for 5  minutes.

Stir in the onions and bell peppers.  Stir until combined well with the beef and coated with the sauce.

Remove wok from the heat and serve.

Serve hot pepper beef with rice or egg noodles.  (Cook egg noodles as directed on the package.)

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1:  Marinate the beef overnight – in the refrigerator.  Marinating tenderizes the meat.

#2: Baking soda and msg are good tenderizers

#3: Blanching the marinated beef at 300°F until brown or caramel in color

#3: I grind my own hot peppers.  I buy dried hot peppers from Asian stores; which usually comes in a plastic bag.  First I put them in a blender to grind them coarsely and to break up whole pieces.  Second, I grind them again using a Cuisinart Coffee Grinder into a finer powder.  My Cuisinart Coffee Grinder is only used for grinding spices.

The beef should look like these after they have been blanched in hot oil.

Hot Pepper Beef – the finished product.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Eat Your Rum and Drink Your Pork

“Dad… wake up!” the little girl shaking his father on the left shoulder.

“Huhh…?  ssshhhhhh… ssshhhh…” the father snored while leaning his head on a big rock.

“Dad… c’mon, let’s go!  Let’s go home…!”

“It’s getting dark and I’m scared…” the little girl is now on the verge of crying.

This man is my dad.  He is drunk.  He is too drunk too keep walking and so he laid down right in the middle of the dirt path beside a big rock.  We are about 3 miles from our nipa hut, five miles away from the town.

As a little girl, I always wanted to go with my dad wherever he  went.  And this day was just one of the days I went with him.  He couldn’t refuse his friend and  drank too many shots of Tanduay Rum while we were in town.  He managed to head home with me… but midway to our nipa hut, he couldn’t keep his eyes open and slump right in the middle of the dirt road… This is not the first time he’s done this – got drunk and slept in the dirt path halfway home.  My mother was hoping that because I am with him, he wouldn’t get too drunk.  But she’s wrong.  I am just a little girl, no match to his friend who was offering him free drinks…

At least this time he is sleeping, instead of going to one of his violent and crazy rage…

Five years back… when I was even younger, probably four years old… I remember running with my little brother, while my mom holding my other youngest brother and youngest sister, yelling:

“Let’s go, Eday (baby)! Let’s go… let’s go.  Hurry!”

I was confused… I was dazed…. I didn’t understand why we were running.  And where we running to…? What’s happening…?

Finally… we arrived at the Barrio Captain’s house, all wet  and covered in mud…

I was sitting on the floor, in the corner, still holding my little brother’s hand, shaking… trembling from fear and exhaustion.  We ran through the rice fields,  and across the muddy and wooded marsh before we reach the small town…

“Mrs… what happened? How can I help you?” asked the Barrio Captain.

“My husband… Please hide us.” said Mrs… in tears and shaking.

“Why? What did he do? Why are you so afraid?” The Barrio Captain with a worried look on his face, wanted to know.

“My husband… He is very angry.  He pulled out his long knife and was going to kill us – me… and my children.  Please hide us? Please!” said Mrs, signaling for me and my little brother to come to her.

She pulled me and my little brother closer to her… She, looking at the Barrio Captain, pleading… look at me and my children… I don’t want to die… I don’t want them to die…please help me…

I don’t exactly remember why my dad was angry that night.  Something must have set him off, but I didn’t know what.  Could it have been my mother? What did she said?  I sensed that he came home drunk again and the slightest thing made him angry…

My father did not drink every day. Not even every week.  He got drunk intermittently.  But when he did, he became aggressive… mean… and very intimidating.  He looked for fights and we hoped that no one would engage him.  We hid when he’s drunk because we were scared he is going to physically hurt us.

My mother… she drank occasionally, at party celebrations.  When she did, her face turned bright red and she’d start crying.  She became depressed.  She strummed her guitar and cried uncontrollably.

~~~

I was 16 when I had my first drink.  It was white, clear, liquid.  Very strong, intense and fiery on the tongue.  I was with my cousin who was 18 and my step sister, who was 19.  We were on our way to the big city… to school.  That night, before we boarded a small boat, our friends – much older than us, persuaded us to have a drink…

“Here, drink some!” Said Renato, pushing the small glass towards me.

“What is that?” turning the glass with my finger.

“How does it taste?” I asked curiously.

“Well, try some and you’ll see.” Renato assured.

I picked up the glass and drank the content.  It burned my throat as the clear liquid went down my esophagus.  I felt my stomach burst into fire.  My head felt funny…  my eyes were seeing double… and the wall was spinning.

I don’t like the taste of straight alcohol and my body has low tolerance for it.  I very,  rarely drink, and won’t drink any alcohol unless it is camouflaged with sweet juices or sweet syrup. And even this, I can’t drink that much.

But… I like how some alcohol make certain dishes taste.  So I often use medium dry sherry or white wine in my sauces and marinades.  I use white wine with chicken and pork, and red for beef dishes.

Here in this dish, I used Myer’s 100% Jamaican Rum.  Dark rums are ideal for cooking.  It makes food and sauces very flavorful.

Pork Steaks with Rum Barbecue Sauce

Serves 3

3 large pork blade steaks – about 3 pounds

Sweet RUM Barbecue Sauce:

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup hoisen sauce

2 TBSPs. dark rum

1 TBSP. genuine wasabi or 2 TBSPs. deli style mustard with horseradish

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Combine sauce ingredients in a medium size glass bowl.  Stir until well blended and smooth.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line a heavy duty cookie sheet with heavy strength foil.

Wash pork steaks and pat dry with paper towels and place them on foiled lined baking sheet.  Using a pastry brush, liberally brush pork steaks, on one side with the barbecue sauce.

Roast pork steaks in a preheated oven at 400°F for 30 minutes.

Remove pork steaks from the oven and pour off excess liquid.

(Usually, I  temporarily transfer them into a large plate, while I pour the liquid from the baking sheet.)

Turn the pork steaks on the other side and again, liberrally brush with the barbecue sauce.

Return pork steaks to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes.

Serve with rice or potato salad.

OR

Chop pork steaks into small pieces, discarding the bones, and serve pork steaks as sandwiches…

Sweet RUM BBQ Sauce

Pork steaks freshly brushed with the sauce

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Our Quest to Find Tender, Juicy, Bursting with Flavors Barbecue

We have now lived in Abilene Texas for over five years, and we have yet to find a barbecue place that’s good.  When we first arrived in this town, late November 2004, I looked through the yellow pages to find a good barbecue joint.  I even went as far as calling the local newspaper, and they told me Joe Allen’s Barbecue is what they recommend.  Joe Allen’s is supposedly known for having catered for one of the Presidents – President George W. Bush, I think.  So we took the advice and went to Joe Allen’s. When we got to the place, there was only one other car on the parking lot. And we noticed that it was close to being a ‘hole in the wall’ kind of place.  Probably not a good sign, but we went in anyway.  I think I ordered ribs and brisket; which were both dry and didn’t have any sauce as is typical with Texas Barbecue.  I thought – fine.  I’ll just have some sauce on the side. The green beans were overcooked and the potato could use some seasoning.  I think my husband had brisket and sausage.  I forgot what Ramon ordered.  But to cut this story short, the food wasn’t anything to brag about.  We won’t even come back to give them another try.  We were highly disappointed.  We were staying at the hotel at that time and have been surviving on microwave foods for over a month; we were so looking forward to eating something good.  But too bad it wasn’t.  Maybe we just came in on a bad day.  Or maybe he just cooks well for dignitaries.  But we were unforgiving.

Square’s Barbecue Pit & Grill.  We all came here one late afternoon for dinner.  I thought the ribs were okay, at least they were seasoned.  And I had the peach cobbler; and it was good.  But then it’s kind of hard to mess up a peach cobbler.  Still I liked it.  But Willie didn’t care much for what he ordered.  He had ribs too but thought that the barbecue sauce tasted as if it was just poured over the ribs and wasn’t allowed to cook in with the meat.  This might have been true.  I think what they’ve done is cook the ribs, sliced them, and then pour the sauce over them.  We haven’t been back since.

Betty Rose’s Little Brisket.  One afternoon, Jed – the maintenance guy, was over at our condo fixing an electric outlet.  He’s lived in Abilene all his life, so we thought he might know a place or two.  He might even know the best place… NOT! He told us, “You might want to try Betty Rose’s Little Brisket. It is pretty good. That is where we get our turkey and ham during Thanksgiving. And their ribs and brisket are good too.” Of course we are suckers on the idea of maybe finally finding the best barbecue place in Abilene.  So I went and ordered their brisket, ribs, and sausage for three people; with sides of green beans and potato salad.  The food was bland; and tasted as if it’s been under the warmer all day.  The potato salad was more like watery mashed potatoes; and the green beans were overcooked.  Another disappointment.

And then finally, it looks like we really might find the best barbecue place in town.  In 2008, they began construction for a place called “Famous Dave’s.”  Supposedly known for the good barbecues.  We were excited on the prospect of finally finding a good barbecue joint.  The whole town waited in anticipation for the opening.  After almost one year of construction, it finally opened.  The first month they were opened, the parking lot was packed.  Looked like the whole town and their extended cousins and grandmas from neighboring towns, came to see what the hoopla is all about.  So we decided to wait until all the crowds died down.  By the third month, the place had less than half the crowd when they first opened.  But then we also started hearing from people who’s been to “Famous Dave’s” that their food – their barbecue is not as good as people had expected them.  Undeterred, my husband had me ordered three combo plates, all for “take outs.”  We ordered the usual: brisket, ribs, and sausage; with baked beans and fries on the side.  They gave us great servings for each order.  But when I finally got home, and got to taste the food… What a bomber.  Other than the French fries, and the sausage, the food was cold and had no flavor.  The brisket and ribs tasted as if they have been cooked one day before – and had been in a warmer all day.  It was stale and barely lukewarm.  The only item that was decent was the sausage.  But how can they mess up cooking the sausage? Disappointed again!

Harold’s Pit Barbecue.  My husband recently hired a new guy on his team.  And of course, my husband asked if he knows a good barbecue place in town.  He said, “Yeah man!  Harold’s Pit Barbecue.  That’s a good place.  That’s the place I always like to go.”  OK… so we took his words for it.  My husband and I drove by the place during lunch time.  The parking was a bit crowded, so I went in – while he waited in the car, to order slices of brisket and ribs – all to go.  Oh, and “hot water cornbread” which all the reviewers on the internet seems to brag about.  So we got home and ate the food.  The briskets were dry and needed seasoning, and the ribs were nothing special.  The only item that my husband thought was good was the “hot water cornbread,” which I did not care much for.  I thought it was hard, and really couldn’t appreciate it. We’re disappointed yet again!

Though there are steakhouses in Abilene that I liked.  My favorite is Texas Roadhouse.  I like their steaks, and I love their sweet dinner rolls – freshly made in-house.  Off all the times we’ve eaten here, my steaks have been seasoned well.  Though I can’t speak for my husband.  He’s had a “hit or miss” experience at this place.  And their booths are tight and cramped, which makes it uncomfortable if you are a man size.  Of all the places here in Abilene, “Texas Roadhouse” is always packed.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a Monday or Tuesday, and they’re only open for dinner on weekdays.  It’s worst on weekends. I often wonder what makes all these people kept coming back to this place?  I know they’re grilled steaks are good in my experience.  Like I said, my husband had a “hit or miss” experience at this place.  He enjoyed his meals twice out of seven visits…  Still I wonder why are they always packed?  Maybe it’s the free – all you can munch roasted peanuts…? Or maybe it’s their steaks and dinner rolls… I may never know.

There’s another place that I like – Lytle Cattle & Company. I’ve been here three times.  The first time was good, and I remember liking the small loaves of bread.  But the next time we went, they didn’t serve me the bread.  I don’t remember asking for it either.  And my third visit was when we attended a going away party here for a Lieutenant Colonel.  They had the food catered to one of their party rooms.  I thought the grilled ribeyes were well seasoned.  And the green beans and mashed potatoes we’re not bad either.

Still, this doesn’t answer our search for a great barbecue.  Both Texas Roadhouse and Lytle Cattle & Company are not barbecue joints, they’re steakhouses.

The only barbecue place we have ever been, that is truly worth revisiting, since we’ve lived here in Texas is “Hard Eight” in Brady, Texas.  We’ve stopped by there while we were on our way to Fredricksburg, Texas back in May of 2006.  Someone from my husband’s work told him about this place.  So we made a point to stop there.  The place is a typical ranch style barbecue joint with a barn like building with long tables and benches inside.  Outside at the entrance is a covered barbecue pit, where they slow cooked their brisket.  We were greeted by a tall and lanky elderly man, who looked like he’s worked there all his life.  “What can I get you folks?” asked the man.  I was first to place my order.  So I ordered two slices of brisket.  As the knife runs smoothly through that big, tender, mesquite smoked, big piece of meat, clear and brown juices oozed out of  it.  My senses were swept by the sweet, mustard spiced, charcoal, grilled, aromatic meaty flavor that burst out into the open air… Ramon ordered the same thing, and Willie ordered 3 slices.  I can’t remember what side items we had.  I think they only had small containers of green salad, and slices of bread.  But we didn’t care about the sides; we cared most about the brisket.  It was so tender, so juicy, well seasoned and freshly out of the pit.  The best brisket we’ve ever had, ever!  But they are three (3) hours away from Abilene.  And then, there is this fear that “what if we just got lucky that day? What if we drive the three-hour drive, and then when we get there their brisket won’t won’t taste the same…?”  We’re afraid to go back.  We are afraid to be disappointed again.

There’s one thing we’ve discovered from our search for a good barbecue – barbecue joints are highly overrated.  “Good” is subjective.  And it depends on who you are asking.   People become attached to a place, a lot of times not because of truly great food, but more likely the experience they’ve had in that place, the feelings they’ve felt while eating there with their love ones.  So they’re biased on their opinions.  They have convinced themselves that the food is good, when in fact it’s not the food.  It’s the psychological impact the place has on them and they don’t even know it…

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So… since having a good barbecue in Abilene seems to elude us.  I decided to just cook them myself.  Though I wish I could have cook this ribs slowly in a grill, but cooking them in the oven is the next best thing.  They came out juicy and tender all the way to the bones.  The keys to these ribs are the marinade and the glaze.

Tender to the Bones – Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

2 racks of baby back ribs (about 3½ pounds each) – washed and cut in half along the rib bones

Glaze – see recipe below

Marinade:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup teriyaki sauce

1 can soda (I used 7-up)

½ cup apple cider vinegar

6 TBSPs. brown sugar

4 TBSPs. 100% maple syrup

3 TBSPs. honey (I always use clover honey)

4 TBSPs. spicy brown mustard

2 TBSPs. kosher salt

2 tsp. fennel seeds (ground or smashed)

1½ tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. liquid smoke (I use hickory)

Juice of 3 limes (medium or large)

8 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

2 inch piece ginger – peeled and grated

Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a large glass mixing bowl.  Stir until sugar and honey are dissolved.  (If you are using 2 – gallon freezer bags, pour half of the marinade over the ribs in one bag and the other half in another bag.)  Otherwise, pour all the marinade over the ribs placed in a large non-reactive container.

Marinate the ribs for 6 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven at 325°F.

Line a heavy duty baking sheet with a heavy duty aluminum foil.  Place the marinated rack of ribs, meaty part down on the lined baking sheet. (Keep the marinade in a bowl to baste the ribs if necessary.)   Cover baking sheet with another piece of heavy duty aluminum foil.  Bake ribs at 325°F for 3 hours – using the center rack of the oven.  Check after 3 hours.  Use a fork to test if the meat is tender.  The meat should easily full off the bones, if not, bake another 45 minutes or up to one hour longer; covered with aluminum foil.  Be sure the baking sheet and ribs are not dry, otherwise, generously baste the ribs with the marinade before baking for 45 minutes to an hour.

Once the ribs are fork tender… remove the foil cover.  Liberally baste the ribs on one side, with the “Apricot White Wine Glaze.”  Turn on the broiler and broil the glazed ribs for about 7 – 8 minutes.  Turn the ribs over and liberally baste the other side (meaty side) and place under the broiler again for 6 – 7 minutes.  The glaze on this side usually sets faster.  Be sure to keep an eye on the ribs to avoid burning the glaze.

Remove ribs from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves 4 people – half rack each.  Serve with potato salad.

Apricot White Wine Glaze

1 – 18 ounces jar apricot preserves

4 ½ TBSPs. white wine or medium dry sherry (I use soft and fruity wine)

2 tsps. ground fennel seeds (fennel seeds are available whole so I grind my own)

¼ tsp. Chinese five spices (see recipe below)

Combine all ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl.  Stir until apricot, wine, fennel seeds and five spices are well incorporated. Use this glaze to baste the ribs as directed above.

NOTE:  If it’s too much hassle, you may decide to omit the five spices.  The taste is going to be a bit different but that’s OK.  These ribs are still going to be well seasoned and tender.

Five Spices:

Combine 1 tablespoon of each:  ground star anise, ground anise seeds, fennel seeds, ground cloves, and cinnamon.  (A typical Chinese “five spices includes schezuan pepper.  But I have not been able to find this here in Abilene, Texas so I use anise seeds instead.)

Store these “five spices” in a tightly closed glass jar for future use.  You need only a very minimal amount of these spices to give a dish that aromatic flavor.

Potato Salad

3 pounds red potatoes with skins (about 9 medium large) – sliced to ½ inch rounds

1 TBSP. sea salt

1 tsp. olive oil

4 garlic cloves – unpeeled

Potato salad dressing (see recipe below)

Fill a large pot, half full, with tap water.  Add sea salt and bring pot to a boil.

Scrub potatoes under cold running water to remove sand, and slice off imperfections.   Cut potatoes into ½ inch rounds.  Once the water starts to boil add the olive oil, sliced potatoes and garlic cloves.  Boil potatoes for 35 minutes or until soft.  Remove garlic and set aside.  Strain potatoes and place in a large bowl.  Peel garlic, mince and add to the potatoes.

Add the dressing to the potatoes.  Mix and chill.  Garnish with boiled eggs and serve.

NOTE:  I understand some people like their potato salad without mustard, and that’s fine, because in our home, my husband loves his potato salad with mustard while Ramon cannot have mustard in his food.  So I’ve also made this potato salad with and without mustard.  Without the mustard, the taste is slightly different but it’s still good, though I prefer mine with mustard too.

Potato Salad Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons French style mustard

3 tablespoons sweet relish

¼ cup minced red onion

1 TBSP. fresh chives – chopped or 1 tsp. dried

¾ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

¾ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. fresh black pepper

In medium size bowl, combine all the ingredients, stirring until smooth, creamy and well blended.   Pour dressing over the potatoes and mix.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess