Final Week of New Year's Resolution!!!

Well, the damn resolution is finally over and I ended up doing a lot better than I thot we would - in fact good enuf to say I did stick to it!!

Jan. 28th - Leftover filling from (1/27) Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers used for twice baked potatoes - nice.

Jan 29th - Mixed cooked Cavatelli with the rest of the fresh Tapenade cheese from Pike Place market - with additional kalamatas, capers, su-dried tomatoes. great dish, Roy devoured. This cheese is suggested to be eaten with a week - so this is a wonderful way to use it up and not waste it.

Jan 30th - the two leftover Jambalaya Peppers - glad we're thru with those - three nites of the same flavors gets old.

Jan 31st - Sichuan Shrimp with Chili Sauce - one of the worst written recipes I've ever made, but once things got sorted out, what a tastey dish! rewrote the recipe -

SICHUAN SHRIMP WITH CHILI SAUCE*****

6 T. oil -- divided
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Mix together -- while assembling other ingredients:
1 lb. large shrimp - not more than 24 to a pound -- cleaned 2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. mirin
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Seasonings:
1 T. mashed and finely mined garlic
1 T. mashed and finely minced ginger
1 green onion -- thinly sliced
1 tsp. hot chili paste (optional) - but very good in it
(for your mise en place, you can have all the above seasoning ingredients in one small bowl - the the peppers (below) should be separate)
3 Red hot Chili Peppers -- "genuine Tabasco peppers work really great" (I used 2 Jalapeno, seeds and membranes included), minced
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Sauce - mix together in small bowl:
5 T. ketchup
1 T. sugar
1/2 T. salt
1 T. mirin
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Vegetables:
10 spears asparagus -- cut off tips whole, and the rest (stems) cut in 1" steep diagonal cut
1 stalk celery -- cut in thin diagonal slices
1 good size bamboo shoot -- cut in long thin slice to compliment the other vegetables
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1 dash Toasted Sesame Oil

Boil a qt. of water in your wok. Immerse all the veggies and boil rapidy till they reach peak color brightness and are crisp tender. Remove to a bowl and keep warm. Dump water and dry wok.

Put 5 T. of the oil in the wok and get it smoking hot; add the shrimp and stir till just pink and done. This shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes. Put onto plate and discard all excess oil and quickly wipe out wok.

Heat the last 1 T. oil in wok. Get it smoking hot and toss in the hot peppers. Cook them for a minute, at most, till you are getting good whiffs of cooking chili. Add the other seasonings and stir for 15-20 seconds.
Add the sauce ingredients and stir to mix. Add back in the shrimp and veggies. Stir till all reheated. Give a quick dash of toasted sesame oil, then a quick stir.

I served this with lots of rice and it's really good!! It's hot, but good!

And as I was entering the recipe into Master Cook, I found my old recipe for Sichuan Chile Sauce - completely forgot I even had one! So, will keep with this recipe and make some up next time.

Sichuan Chile Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic -- peeled and finely chopped
1 piece fresh ginger -- (1 inch) peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion -- peeled and finely chopped
6 fresh red chiles -- such as jalapeños, deseeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup Chinese red rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons Chinese yellow rice wine
2 teaspoons salt
Water as needed

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the onion and stir-fry for another minute.

Add the chiles and the vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes, adding water if it gets too dry.

Add the remaining ingredients except the water and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process to a fine puree, adding water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

Place the sauce in bottles and refrigerate.

Yield: About 1 1/4 cups

This recipe is reprinted with permission from Dave DeWitt at Fiery Foods.com.

NOTES : This is a classic chile sauce from one of the hottest regions--foodwise--in China. It can be used in stir-fry dishes, added to soups, or sprinkled over rice.
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Also on the 29th, made some wonderful seafood stock - made differently than I have previously. Layered mirepoix on two b. sheets and topped with the seafood shells, I had 3 lbs., and roasted - what a wonderful flavor!!

Seafood Stock --
3 lbs. shells
mirepoix - 50% onion, 25 % each carrots and celery
Roasted this for 25 min. at 400 F. - in my oven, this was just perfect - lots of good goop on the b. sheets.

Deglazed the sheet pans with with water, in the oven, and added to stock pot along with 8 oz. of Noilly Pratt and 1 1/2 gal. cold water. Simmered for just about 1 hour.

The stock is not the 'classical' white seafood stock, but rather a caramel-color and so very tastey!!

The rest of the week we were not very healthy eaters - P.A. was having sales all over town for Alaskan King Crab legs, so picked up some of those plus a couple Dungeness Crabs and some Mussels.

The mussels went to Cameon's Mussels with Balsamic Cream and Bacon dish, the Dungeness I cleaned and made up 2 and 4 oz. pkgs. and put in freezer. The Alaska King we had steamed and the rest went to Crab Louis!!! Delightful dinners. And of course, as we did when the kids were little, we had "Choo Choo Train Rice" - which, for obvious reasons has been renamed over the years to Fried Rice with Ham!! For some reason Mattie named it the Choo Choo thing and it just stuck...

FRIED RICE WITH HAM
Recipe By :a Chef's Journey via an old family favorite
Serving Size : 6

2 T. peanut oil
1/3 cup green onions -- thinly sliced, includ. tops
1/2 teaspoon ginger root -- peeled & minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic -- minced
2 each eggs -- lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup approximately of ham -- finely diced cooked, lean
1/4 - 1/3 cup fideo pasta
1/2 cup peas -- frozen, tiny
2 T. soy sauce
2 cups rice -- cold
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Heat oil in wok or large skillet.
Add next 3 ingredients & stir fry 1 min;add eggs & scramble loosely breaking them w/spatula.

Add next 6 ingred. & stir fry 2 min.
Add rice & stir fry till hot.
Add sesame oil & stir. Serve.

Serving Ideas : add leftover veggies, chicken, pork, etc.
NOTES : Always make fried rice with cold rice.
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Well, we are well into February and still doing a pretty good job of eating healthy....overall! but, with these seafood sales and neighbors deciding it would be fun to have a 'professional' chef cook for them....and that's another story!! We shall persevere...