Lobster Rolls

Lobster Rolls
(from Bon Appetit)

Michael Paterniti wrote about his search for the ultimate lobster roll. He says warm toasty buttered rolls are key. Jason made some for us earlier this year, the memory of his lobster rolls linger for a long time.
Jason made his own mayonnaise with canola oil, his description of how he made the rolls seems very similar to this one. If you are lucky to have any left over lobster, which would be most unusual, use that.

Ingredients

utensils to crack the lobster shell and dig out meat from legs and claws

3 x 1 1/4 lb live lobsters
1 celery stalk finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed
lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped chives
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
(or better homemade mayonnaise)
pepper, salt
6 New England style split top hot dog
buns (or Kaiser rolls)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Lobster can be prepared a day ahead. Cover and store in fridge. Toss with remaining ingredients the next day.

In large pot, pour water until it’s at the depth of 1 inch. Bring to a boil and salt generously. In Maine, lobster is cooked this way with seaweed. Once the water is boiling, add the lobsters head first, cover and cook until bright red, 8 - 10 minutes. Remove lobsters and allow to cool.
Crack lobster shells, pick meat from tail and claws and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Mix lobster, 1 celery stalk chopped, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and 3 tablespoons mayonnaise in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. You may need to add more mayonnaise at this point, add more lemon juice or salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as you desire.

The rolls have to be warm. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread flat sides of buns with a little butter. Cook until golden, approximately 2 minutes per side.
Fill with the lobster mixture.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Ingredients

1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
3/4 canola oil, divided

Directions

Combine egg yolk, 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup canola oil, pouring in a very slow stream, whisking all the time... (about 4 minutes). Then gradually add 1/2 cup oil, still pouring in a slow stream and whisking continuously until mayonnaise is thick (about 8 minutes). Cover and chill, make ahead. Can be chilled up to two days.
To make aioli, add 1 clove garlic minced and substitute olive oil for canola oil.

Za'ata with Kishk

When David’s grandmother (Situ) came to America as a young bride, she carried all the memories of Lebanon in her heart. She came from the Chouf area, where wild thyme grows in abundance in the hills. They would pick wild thyme and dry it for za’ata. But there is another herb that looks a bit like mint but is softer, tastes like oregano but with a stronger more distinct taste. While walking in some fields in Connecticut, Situ found a plant that reminded her of her home ...... when she tasted it, it was exactly what she had been searching for to make za’ata with kishk. She dug a few plants up all those years ago, and every year they came up in May, spreading all over the garden. Mint tends to overpower it, so we keep them apart. When her daughters married, they took some of these plants with them and to this day, we all have a patch of za’ata growing in our gardens. I’ve always been confused by what this exactly is. Ana Sortun writes in her excellent book, Spice, ......‘Some sources maintain that the very green herb called za’atar is a type of thyme; though some sources say it is Syrian hyssop (a herb similar to oregano). Fresh za’atar in the Middle Eastern markets in Watertown, Massachusetts, looks more like summer savory, or a crossing of marjoram, oregano and thyme. To further confuse matters, za’atar also refers to a blend of the green herb, sesame seeds and other spices. Za’atar blends vary widely in color and spice flavors. The za’atar blends in Israel and Lebanon are similar to the Jordanian version, but they are not as vividly green. In Syria, the za’atar blends contain more sumac and sometimes chilies or cumin are added. We buy the Lebanese version, and add sumac. We use the dried zatta for man’oushie. However, we also use the fresh leaves of this plant to make a delicious dish to be eaten with fresh pita bread.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh Za’ata, leaves only  
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup kishk (kishk is a mixture of fermented milk, salt and bulgur, dried and ground into a cornmeal or powder like form with a tart flavor.) Can be found in Middle Eastern specialty stores.

Directions

Pluck the leaves and wash in a bowl of water. Drain through a colander and then dry between paper towels.
Place leaves in a bowl, add 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1/3 cup kishk. Mix with a fork and eat immediately with pita bread.

birthday cake by Mirabel

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble

Fresh rhubarb posing with mint

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble

Ingredients

2 cups chopped rhubarb stalks
12 strawberries
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
pyrex dish 8” x 8 1/2”

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Buy fresh rhubarb, in season end of April
beginning of May in Upstate New York.
Easy to grow, comes up by itself every year.

Slice the rhubarb stalk close to the base when harvesting.
To Prepare rhubarb, remove the large leaf and discard. Sometimes the outer membranes are a little stringy, just peel off the outer stringy bits, then chop into 1/2 inch chunks. Wash in a bowl.
Place the chopped rhubarb in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 4 tablespoons sugar. Cook over low heat covered for 5 minutes or till tender.
Wash the strawberries and slice.

In a pyrex dish, spray with Pam, then place the sliced strawberries on bottom. Next drain some of the extra juice off the rhubarb and add to the strawberries.
For the crumble, have 6 tablespoons butter at room temperature, add 1 cups flour and rub butter and flour together  with your hands until the texture is like breadcrumb. Mix in 1/2 cup sugar and then pour the crumble mixture over the rhubarb and strawberries.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes or bubbling and browned on top.

Scallops with Yummy Granny Smith Apple Sauce

Scallops with Yummy 

Granny Smith Apple Sauce
David found this delicious
recipe in Bon Appetit.
A delicious combination.

Ingredients

10 large Sea Scallops
2 Granny Smith Apples
1/3 cup water
1 Lemon freshly squeezed
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons butter
salt
pepper

Directions

Take 1 Granny Smith Apple, cut into quarters, peel and remove the core. Chop into small 1/4 “ cubes and place in a blender with the juice of 1 lemon and 1/3 cup water.
Blend until completely smooth. Place puree in a bowl.
Take the other apple and cut into quarter, peel and remove the core, chop into small 1/4” cubes and add to the apple puree in the bowl. Set to one side.

Wash the scallops, drain in a colander (remove side muscle if not already done), pat scallops dry in a paper towel. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper.
In a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat.
Cook scallops until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Place scallops on a plate and cover with silver foil.
Add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.Add the apple mixture and cook stirring for approximately 4 minutes, to allow the juice to thicken and the apples pieces to soften.
Serve with the scallops and a nice salad.

macaroni with tuna fish salad

Macaroni with Tuna Fish Salad
(or substitute left over Chicken for tuna fish)

Ingredients

1/4 lb elbow pasta
1 can tuna fish in oil
3  tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lemon freshly squeezed
1 stalk celery finely chopped
1 tomato cut into small wedges
1/2 baby romaine lettuce chopped
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives
3 stalks mint, leaves only chopped
1 red pepper chopped 
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In a large pot, bring 6 cups water with 1 tablespoon salt to the boil.
While waiting for the water to boil, drain the tuna fish and place in a bowl. Take 3 tablespoons mayonnaise and mix into the tuna fish. Add 1 stalk celery finely chopped, 1 tomato cut into small wedges, 1/2 baby romaine lettuce chopped, 2 tablespoons chopped chives, 3 stalks mint (leaves only) chopped, 1 red pepper chopped, 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped and salt and pepper to taste. Cook the pasta according to the package, drain pasta in a colander and run cold water over the pasta to cool. Add pasta to the bowl with all the other ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste and the juice of 1 lemon.  Mix all together.

Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta

Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta

I keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer at all times.This is a dish that is absolutely delicious. Preparation time is no more than 20 minutes.

Ingredients

12 Large Shrimp
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper
1/4 pound angel hair pasta

Directions

Get large shrimp. If the shrimp is frozen, thaw in a colander for a good hour before preparing, the shrimp will mostly thaw. At the end of the hour, run the shrimp under cold water to remove any ice  and then pat dry with a paper towel.
While the shrimp is thawing, have a large pot filled with water and 1 tablespoon salt, bring to boil.
Once the shrimp have thawed, heat a skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons butter. Peel and slice cloves once, drop into skillet and saute until the cloves start to brown. Remove cloves.
Take 1/4 cup flour, add a shake of salt and pepper, and sprinkle the shrimp very lightly with the flour, shaking most of it off before placing them in the skillet. Saute shrimp approximately three minutes on each side. When you have done one side of the shrimp, drop the angel hair pasta into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, the pasta and shrimp should be done at the same time. Drain the pasta, add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the pasta and mix in a large serving bowl. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and place on a plate. To the skillet add 2 tablespoons fish sauce, and mix quickly then pour over the pasta. Mix the pasta, with 1/8 cup parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Arrange the shrimp around the edge of pasta and sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley.

Serve with salad.