A trip to the candy, er, um, I mean a trip to the grocery store!



I am not one of those lucky people that have a Whole Foods location near them. The closest one to BFE is about 30 miles, so I rarely (ok, that's a lie -- I NEVER) get to go! BUT... When I am able to visit my dearest friend, Dottie, in Houston, Whole Foods is a mere couple of blocks from her home!

Is there anything better for a foodie than walking into a grocery store (that seems like such a mere term) and seeing the most BEAUTIFUL of ingredients spread as far as the eye can see? I think not.

Whole Foods is the mini-Mecca of "foodie-ism" in Houston. The REAL Mecca is H-E-B's Central Market on Westheimer, but I have yet to take my camera in. Maybe next time!!

I finally remembered to take my camera to Whole Foods on this trip and these are some of the things I found!! (I do have to admit that the camera couldn't compete with the food after the Produce Dept.! Oh well, maybe next time!)

Once I Had A Little Lamb..

I'm one of those people that go to the market everyday. I just have to. I think I should have been born European, or something, because my day is not complete without a trip to the market.

The other day I came across the most beautiful lamb shanks in the Meat Dept. at my local grocery store. I don't know why more people don't eat lamb. It's very delicious. Nowadays, lamb is very delicate, it's not the strong overpowering and gamey lamb of yesteryear which was more mutton (meat from an older sheep) than lamb.

I decided I wanted to do the lamb shanks osso bucco style. Of course, it's not a traditional osso bucco which uses veal shanks. I also wanted to do a Parmesan Polenta to accompany the lamb. That being said, I live in the South, in BFE (as I have stated before), so I made Parmesan Stone Ground Grits, instead. This recipe is a hybrid of things that I love. I hope you will love it, too!

Lamb Shanks Osso Bucco Style

2 whole lamb shanks, approximately 1 pound each

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup olive oil

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 medium or 1/2 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 shallot, diced

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 cups red wine (preferrably Cabernet)

2 cups beef broth

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 sprig rosemary leaves, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season the lamb shanks (I usually just season my flour) with salt and pepper. In a deep pot, heat olive oil until shimmery. When oil is hot, dredge lamb shanks in flour, and remove any excess. Brown lamb shanks on all sides. When shanks are brown, remove to a plate, and set aside for a bit.

Add mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onion), and shallot to hot oil. Saute for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add garlic and tomato paste and saute a minute or two longer to "cook" the tomato paste. Add rosemary and parsley, wine, broth and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

Add lamb shanks back to pot, cover, and place in oven for 2 hours.

Parmesan Stone Ground Grits

2 cups milk or half and half

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup grits

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a pot, bring milk, butter and salt to the boiling point. Add grits. Stir constantly -- don't walk away! When grits have thickened, add parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

To Serve

Place Parmesan Grits on the plate. Top with a lamb shank and some of the "gravy" from the shanks.

You can make a gremolata by chopping the zest of 1 lemon, 2 garlic cloves and 1/2 cup of parsley together and garnish the shank, if you desire.

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet, and Bitter

I have never made Thai food. I've always been too afraid to try, to be honest. Too many of the ingredients always seemed so far out of my comfort zone that I'd become overwhelmed just READING a recipe, and I'd give up.

Well tonight, I decided to forge ahead and do it anyway! (Seems like I am doing a lot of these kinds of things lately. Going against my own grain. Stretching beyond my limits.) I'm either getting very courageous, or, I just don't care anymore. I have no idea.

They say that to make authentic Thai food, it must contain the flavor profiles of hot, sour, salty, sweet, and bitter. If that is the case, I must say, if this doesn't taste authentic, it HAS to be pretty darn close! I actually kind of impressed myself!

** I cannot find kaffir lime leaves where I live. No one sells them. So I have substituted bay leaves, lime zest, and lime juice instead. If you can get kaffir lime leaves, omit the bay leaves, lime zest, and juice, and use 3 kaffir lime leaves.**

Thai Coconut Chicken Curry

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 green onions, sliced on the bias

1/4 cup + 2 T. chopped cilantro

1 fresh jalapeno, sliced with seeds

1 fresh cayenne pepper, sliced with seeds

2 T. garlic ginger paste

2 T. Garden Gourmet lemongrass herb blend OR 2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 1 1/2" pieces and bruised

2 T. fish sauce

Zest of 1 large lime

Juice of 1 large lime

3 bay leaves

2 cans coconut milk

Put coconut milk in a pan (I used a deep-sided skillet). Add garlic ginger paste and lemongrass and stir to combine. Add onions, chiles, lime zest and juice, bay leaves, 1/4 c. chopped cilantro, and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and mushrooms. Bring back to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve garnish with 2 T. chopped cilantro and serve with rice or noodles.

This dish is spicy and does have a distinct bitterness, it is also sweet, and (mildly) salty, and a little bit sour. Whatever it is -- it is addictive!

You Don't Wear White After Labor Day...

... and you don't celebrate a holiday in the South without barbecue.

Some of my fondest memories have been made around a grill. My daughter's birthday is in February. To be more specific, Groundhog Day. More times than not, it's a very cold day. When we lived in Alaska, we celebrated her birthday each year with a cookout. Yes, a cookout. In Alaska. In February. In the snow! I guess you can take the girl out of the South, but, you never really take the South out of the girl!

However, unless you have a smoker and an extra day just laying around (when you figure out how to do that, please, let me know), you can't get REAL barbecue. REAL barbecue takes time and, quite honestly, years of training at the hands of someone older and wiser than yourself!

*In deference to all the barbecue purists out there, I must concede that this is NOT real barbecue, nor am I trying to pass it off as such. I have no smoker, no extra day, and I am not a Pit Master.*

That being said, I almost feel guilty sharing this recipe. Almost.

Spareribs on the Grill

One 2 1/2 pound rack of spareribs

1/2 lemon, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cups water

1/2 Tablespoon  Hickory Liquid Smoke

Put all above ingredients in a 13x9x2" baking pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place pan in a preheated 250 degree oven for 1 hour. At the end of the first hour, turn oven down to 225 degrees and cook for 1 more hour. Cool completely.

When ready to grill ribs, preheat grill. (I preheat mine on HIGH and then turn it down to LOW)

Add the ribs to the grill, and start basting with the barbecue sauce of your choice, allowing the sugars in the sauce to caramelize a bit. Turn and repeat until you have the desired "crust" of your liking. This usually takes about 20 minutes, but will depend on how hot your grill is. When ready, remove and enjoy!

Ahi Tuna Ceviche with Coconut Milk and Lime

When I went to the grocery store the other day, I was shocked to see that they had some of the best looking Ahi filets I've seen out here in BFE. So I bought one with the full intention of making ceviche. I'm REALLY glad I did! It turned out to be quite delicious!

Ahi Tuna Ceviche with Coconut Milk and Lime

1 scallion or green onion, thinly sliced on the bias

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

6 ounces sushi grade Ahi Tuna

3 T. coconut milk

1/2 t. sesame oil

1/4 - 1/2 t. sriracha

salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients. You can eat it right away or let it marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Salmon en Papillote on The Grill

So last night I decided to make some salmon on the grill. What I really wanted was smoked salmon, but found that the price of cedar planks (at $6.99 for two) was a little much to pay for just me. I could have seen spending that much if I were having company for dinner (yeah, right!). 

Then I found that Emeril Lagasse now has his face on a smoker bag. They come in Hickory and Alder, which made me a little excited. It was $3.99 for one bag, more economical for one person, and I thought it would be easier to use since I don't have a fancy-schmancy grill with a thermostat. Well, it was easy to use. Just put the fish in (I added some sliced lemons, also) and put it in a pre-heated grill (I had one side on high, one side on low) and let it cook 20 minutes per pound.

The results, however, were less than stellar. The fish steamed more than it smoked (hence, the "en papillote" title) and only had a VERY faint tinge of smoke. I was a little more than disappointed.

I do have to say that the recommended cooking time was on point, it was cooked perfectly. However, I don't think I'll be buying this product again (the smoker bag NOT the salmon!). C'mon Emeril, you can do better than this!