The dreaded D's can stike at any time. Those would be Disappointment, Discouragement, Deception and, since we've just recently paid our taxes, Debt. Oh, I just thought of another one, Diet, as in weight-loss plan gone seriously south. I'm sure there are more letters of the alphabet waiting to cause trouble. Sometimes life is one blasted letter after another. Times like these call for an intensive dose of culinary therapy.
For me, cooking always untangles the knots and untwists my mind. It completely calms and soothes me. I'm not talking about microwaving some gourmet soup. I had something more in mind. I am talking about choosing an intriguing, slightly complicated recipe. I'm talking about making a list and shopping for the perfect ingredients, even if that means visiting more than one store. Then there's the dicing, slicing, chopping, sauteeing, simmering, baking and broiling. Let me not forget the garnishing and presenting. The process is the therapy, and it's almost more important then the tasting.
So, the next time the dreaded D's or any other problems from A to Z strike, why not give culinary therapy a try? To start you off, consider these recipes.
Szechwan Spicy Shrimp - serves 4
My friend and former colleague in the U. K. was way ahead of her time. Years ago she swore that spicy food speeded up her metabolism and helped her lose weight. It's worth a try, isn't it? Sian loved seafood, but hated chicken, so I'm forgetting about cholesterol and dedicating this shrimp recipe to her. Use as much of the chili peppers as you dare.
3 tbsps canola oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 scallions, sliced, green and white parts separated
2 - 4 red or green chili peppers (whatever variety you like best), seeded and thinly sliced (just make sure to wear gloves while slicing or scrub your hands afterwards)
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and de-veined with tails left on
1 - 2 tsps five-spice powder
2 tsps chili powder
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Add garlic and white part of the onions and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add the sliced chili peppers, the five-spice powder and chili powder. Stir-fry for 1 minute and stir in enough water to make a thick sauce. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until shrimp curl, turn pink and go from translucent to opaque. While the shrimp cook, add more water a little at a time to keep the sauce liquid. Add salt to taste and sprinkle over the sliced green part of the onions to garnish.
Marinated Pork with Clams, Peppers and Tomatoes -serves 4
When wrestling with a problem or delving into the depths of a deception, what is needed is a dish of many parts. This classic Portuguese recipe is certainly that. For me, concentrating my conscious mind on the intricacies of a recipe like this lets my subconscious go to work on my problem. This recipe is often cooked in a cataplana, a spherical copper baking pan that opens like a clam. I got mine from the Sur La Table catalog. An ordinary heatproof casserole with a lid works, too.
2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 cup white wine
3 cloves or garlic, minced
2 tsps hot or sweet paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
Pinch of red pepper flakes
24 littleneck or mahogany clams, scrubbed
Salt
4 tbsps chopped fresh cilantro
1 lemon, cut in wedges
Be sure to remove the silvery-white tendon on the pork. Cut the pork into 1 inch pieces. Mix the wine, garlic, paprika, pinch of pepper and bay leaf and pour over the pork cubes. Leave to marinate for 2 hours. Bring a pan of water to the boil and have a bowl of ice water close by. Cut a small cross through the skin of the rounded end of each tomato. Place tomatoes in boiling water to 5 - 8 seconds, depending on how ripe they are. Place immediately in ice water. The peel should loosen and come off easily. Cut in half, scoop out seeds and chop the flesh. Set aside. Drain the pork and reserve the marinade. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tbsps of olive oil in a large skillet. When hot add the pork. Don't crowd the pan or the pork will steam, not brown. Saute in 2 or 3 batches as necessary. Remove the pork and add the marinade to the pan. Bring to the boil, scraping the browned meat juices from the bottom of the skillet. Boil to reduce the marinade to about 1/2 cup. Heat 2 tbsps of olive oil in the cataplana or casserole. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes until softened, but not browned. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and return the pork and marinade to the pan. Discard any clams with broken shells or that do not close when tapped. Place the clams, hinge side down into the sauce and cover. Cook over moderately high heat, about 10 minutes for the clams to open. Discard any that don't open as these won't be good to eat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and garnish with lemon wedges.
Lakefront Pastitsio -serves 4
I think my grandmother and my mom were better at stretching a dollar and a recipe than I will ever be! This is a variation of a recipe my mom learned from one of the first TV cooking shows, which was broadcast from Chicago. The recipe was called Baked Macaroni Sizzling Squares. She changed it and so have I, but the original concept is still there--a more interesting take on macaroni and cheese. It's a bit like the Greek pasta casserole called pastitsio and it comes from Chicago, hence the new name.
1 cup elbow macaroni or penne
6 tbps butter
6 tbsps flour
1 1/2 tsps dry mustard
Pinch of paprika and cayenne pepper
2 cups milk
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
2 cups white cheddar, grated
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb Kielbasa or other smoked sausage (beef, pork, turkey or any combination)
Extra milk
1 large tomato (Way to stretch one tomato Mom!)
Bring water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes or according to package directions, until al dente. Drain well. Transfer to a bowl.
Melt butter in a deep saucepan and when foaming, remove from the heat. Stir in the flour and mustard until smooth. Add paprika and cayenne and gradually whisk in the milk. Stir in the Worchestershire. Return to moderate heat and cook, whisking constantly until sauce is thick and smooth. Stir in the cheese until melted. Taste and add salt and pepper. Sauce should be very thick.
Cut the sausage into 1/2 inch pieces and combine with the pasta. Fold in 1 - 1 1/4 cups of the cheese sauce until the mixture binds together thickly. Line an 8 inch square pan or dish with waxed or non-stick paper. Spoon in the pasta mixture and press it down firmly. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. To reserve the remaining sauce, smooth the top and pour about 1/2 cup extra milk over it. This will keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until needed.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Turn the pasta mixture out of the dish or pan onto a cutting board. Peel off the paper and cut into 4 large or 8 smaller squares. Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to hold the squares with room in between. Reheat the cheese sauce over low heat, whisking in the milk that covered the top. Sauce should coat the back of a spoon thickly, but run off slowly. Add more milk if sauce needs it. Spoon sauce over the pasta squares, reserving about 4 tbsps. Core the tomato and cut into 4 thick rounds. For 8 squares cut tomato rounds in half. Place a tomato slice on each square. Drizzle a little sauce over each tomato. Place in the oven and bake about 20 -25 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and lightly browned. If it subbornly refuses to brown, place under a hot broiler until it does.
Lemonade Pound Cake Pudding -serves 4 - 8
A well -known advice columnist used to say, "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade." This recipe calls for homemade lemonade concentrate, much better than the frozen or powdered kind. It has no high fructose cornsyrup. Double or triple the syrup recipe and freeze in an ice cube tray. Just add water for fresh lemonade anytime. Buy the best pound cake you can, or if you really want to go all out, make your own. So, once you make your lemonade, take it a step further.
Lemonade syrup:
Grated zest and juice of 3 large lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
Pudding:
1 1/2 tbsps cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water
10 - 12 oz pound cake, cut into 8 slices
3 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Confectioners' sugar to decorate
Be sure to zest the lemons before squeezing the juice. Combine the sugar, water, lemon zest and juice in a heavy-based saucepan. Bring slowly to the bowl, then simmer until sugar dissolves and mixture forms a thin sryup. Remove from the heat. Take out 1/2 cup of the syrup and set it aside.
Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the lemonade syrup still in the pan. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, whisking constantly until thickened and cleared. Spray an 11 or 12 inch long baking dish with cooking oil. Spread each slice of pound cake with the thickened lemonade mixture and place in the baking dish. Mix the eggs, sugar, milk and reserved 1/2 cup lemonade syrup. Pour over the poundcake, cover the dish with oiled foil and leave to stand for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, so the cake soaks up some of the egg mixture. Preheat oven to 325. Bake pudding, covered for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the egg mixture has set. Serve warm or cool, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. Next Time: What Started All This.
