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Crab cakes and corn bisque

crab cakes

My god…what did we do before the interwebs. I can literally waste hours and hours reading blogs, facebook, daily puppy, and then there are the puzzles and games…I love it all and yet it makes me feel like an ADHD diabetic teenager that just snarfed down six hot pockets and guzzled a twelve pack of pepsi.

Lucky for me that I actually get to eat fabulous food like these fresh and fancy crab cakes. Actually they are neither fresh nor fancy but they were a bright spot on a cold wintery day. Crab cakes are basically a fritter and who doesn’t love some frittery goodness? I know that some crab cakes contain way to much filler like bread crumbs or cracker crumbs and so they are always a risky item to order when dining out. But in your own kitchen you can make them any old way you like.

Fresh crab isn’t all that easy to get here in Wisconsin. Our fish monger always claims that the canned/refrigerated crab is just as good but it isn’t. But for a crab cake it wasn’t bad. It didn’t have that awesome briny, sweetish flavor that fresh has but it was acceptable. I served my crabbie patties with a bowl of corn bisque that I made this summer and tucked into the freezer. It had the most unbelievable flavor of corn…it was pure essence of August.

corn bisque

Crab cakes
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1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely diced onion
¼ cup finely diced celery
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground Spicy Sea Salt
1 pound can of crab meat
3 slices sour dough bread, toasted and crumbed
Canola oil

Toss all the ingredients together in a big bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour before forming into patties and frying.

Using a heavy skillet add about 1/3 of a cup of oil and let it heat up to 350°F. Form the patties by taking about ¼ cup of the crab mix and patting it into a patty shape in your hand. Gently place it into the heated oil and when it’s brown on one side flip it and brown the other. Serve with fresh lemon and Tabasco. If you don’t have time to let it chill out for 30 minutes to an hour then go ahead and cook them but be gentle when placing them into the skillet and when you flip them, they’ll be more fragile.

December 3, 2008 | Filed Under fish, food, recipe, soup, salad, sandwich | Leave a Comment 

Jubilation, sleep and a celebratory dinner

paella

The last few weeks have been a blur. Working full time at a new job, knocking on doors for Obama, calling people in swing states, reading 538, Huff, and RCP with an obsessive zeal and all the while trying to avoid the hype. The 2000 and 2004 elections were sore spots on my psyche and I didn’t trust any of the polls that came out near the end. On election night I was prepared to stay up all night…no sleep until a winner was called or at least until we knew how bad the outcome was going to be. When the Pennsylvania returns came in I was comfortably numb. Then as I watched CNN and simultaneously scanned the electoral map, district by district, I saw that Nate Silver was right and as they called Ohio and New Mexico, Colorado, and then at 10:00 the whole election, well I was in tears. Tears of joy to have a true leader as president. I finally made it to bed around midnight. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights I was tucked into my bed by 9pm and happily logged those extra hours of much need rest. In the midst of all this joy I have felt a bizarre emptiness, so much of my thoughts and time had been consumed by the election and now with it over…dare I return to my life?

A good meal goes a long way toward getting life back on track. Paella is a Spanish rice dish that I think may have a reputation of being complex (the flavors certainly are) but in reality it couldn’t be simpler. Certainly, if one wanted to make an authentic paella using spanish rice, and authentically appropriate meats (rabbit) and seafoods (clams, lobster, and shrimp), then it might be a great deal more complex. Most recipes for regional dishes like paella insist that you use specific ingredients but really it is absolutely acceptable to substitute freely.

I’ve got several large quantities of rice in my pantry…Nishiki, Basmati, Jasmine, sticky, black, and Burmese red and I not about to buy another just for this. Spanish rice is short grain, as is Nishiki, so I used that. I shopped at Trader Joe’s and they didn’t have any uncooked shrimp so I substituted some good looking scallops and clams. Most recipes call for chicken but I’ve never liked it in paella so I blew that off but I did include chorizo which almost all versions of paella call for. Some recipes call for lima beans or green peas which I think are unappealing in this dish, but most call for artichoke hearts and that was available at TJs. A box of chicken stock, some white wine, saffron, onion, garlic, and tomatoes and that’s it. The best part of making the paella is that you don’t have much to do. I find it’s best to set the timer, pour a glass of wine and walk away. A paella that is over tended won’t have the toasted, crusty rice bottom called a socarrat and without that it’s just a seafood rice casserole. Walk away from it and you’ll get that crust…also don’t be afraid to use some heat on this.

paella

Paella
printer-friendly version

8 ounces Chorizo
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup drained diced tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups short grain rice, rinsed well
1 box chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 dozen frozen clams
6 frozen scallops
8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts
Olive oil

Heat oil in a wide shallow skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and tomatoes in olive oil. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Add the chorizo and saffron and pour in the broth and wine and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes over a medium low flame . Add the clams and scallops, and artichoke hearts, gently nudging them down into the rice. Cover and let simmer another 10 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium-high and cook for a minute or two to allow the bottom to more fully toast. Remove from the heat and let it rest uncovered for 5 minutes before serving.

Paella offers some wonderfully bright flavors because of the saffron, seafood, and artichokes and the sofrito, chorizo, and rice give it a soulful heft that translates to comfort. It looks impressive but can be pulled off in about 30 minutes.

November 8, 2008 | Filed Under beef, fish, poultry, pork, fish, food, recipe, rice and other grains, spicy | 8 Comments 

Salmon with pistachio oil and asparagus

salmon napped with pistachio oil

I guess if I were a responsible food blogger I would find some other way to cook my asparagus. I could, but I won’t. A farmer told me that we can expect to have asparagus for another two weeks so I’m just going to languish in my rut of grilled asparagus…I’ll enjoy every minute of it.

The salmon was just pan fried in butter and napped with the deliciousness that is pistachio oil. You know that I’d post something more complex but why mess with perfection.

June 17, 2008 | Filed Under asparagus, fish, food, grilled | 11 Comments