Peanut Butter Soup for the Soul

I wanted to highlight a little goodness in the world amid ever-harrowing headlines.

The catastrophic flooding in Louisiana in August this year left hundreds of dogs and cats homeless, hungry and scared. Local shelters had to scramble for food and supplies to care for them. To help ensure these animals had enough food while they waited for their forever homes, WellPet, maker of Wellness^® Natural Pet Food and Old Mother Hubbard^®, recently donated nearly 50,000 pounds of food and treats to Baton Rouge area shelters, including the Companion Animal Alliance of Baton Rouge (CAABR), which alone took in 650 animals during and after the Louisiana flooding. More details on the donation can be found here.

Izzy recently got to try out a sampler of their wares and I swear her coat is shinier. I’ll say, to be fair, Izzy is an indiscriminate diner, and she also doesn’t have any gluten or otherwise allergic intolerance, but she appears to be ravenous for Wellness pet food. As a Louisiana resident, and a personal friend to several people devastated by the flooding this fall, I just wanted to extend a Thank You to Wellness Natural Pet Food for noticing and for the efforts made to save our ship. In the words of Randy Newman, “Louisiana, Louisiana, they try’n to wash us away.”

Now for what the humans are eating. Both KP and I had exceedingly low expectations for this soup, imagining it not possible (or, rather, ill-advised) to blend peanut butter with celery, carrots and onions. How wrong we were! The chili spice addition to the recipe is my own, and I think it makes this soup more of a peanut sauce in the style of east Asian cuisine, but it was surprisingly yummy, especially when accompanied by toasted whole wheat bread. I found myself spooning the soup onto the toast and reliving my “peanut butter toast” memories of childhood Saturday mornings. And, I’ll just say since this post is mostly about the world’s best bulldog, peanut butter is a longtime favorite of Miss Izz.

Peanut Butter Soup for the Soul

Adapted from Penzeys

1 TB. butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

8 Cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 1/2 Cups whole milk

2 Cups crunchy peanut butter (Adams is the only way to go)

1/2-1 tsp. chipotle chili powder

1 tsp. Fox Point seasoning (Penzeys)

1/4 Cup finely chopped salted peanuts

In a stock pot over medium heat, heat the butter/oil. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Cook until softened, 10-30 minutes. Add the stock and heat to boiling. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add the milk, stirring occasionally. Whisk or vigorously stir in the peanut butter. Add the chipotle and fox point. Simmer until hot, stirring frequently; do not boil. Stir in the peanuts and serve.

Still Life with Chocolate Kissel and Squash with a side of Ankovsky Pie

I am honored with the opportunity to review this new cookbook, Leo Tolstoy: A Vegetarian’s Tale, by S. Pavlenko. As a woman with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and a food blogger, I was told I was contacted because I was considered a “literary foodie.” Highest praise. This cookbook necessarily targets similar “literary foodies” as it is a review of a diary kept by Sophia Tolstoy (wife of Tolstoy) in the 19^th century. She maniacially collected recipes from relatives and family friends. Her younger brother stole her diary and published the thing as the “Cookery Book” in 1874 as a gift (prank?). There were over 160 recipes in her version, and this book by S. Pavlenko reproduces 30 of the finest. Most of the originals were entirely imprecise, so Pavlenko, et al, tried to approximate something the average recipe-follower might decode. The biggest surprise to me in all of this is that Tolstoy went totally vegetarian in his 50s. That isn’t to say he started eating healthy…lots of sugar and heavy cream in this book… in fact, my favorite part of Sophia’s diary is the part where she expresses concern over how much Tolstoy likes to indulge himself, “Today at lunch I was watching him eating and was terrified by how much he had: first came pickled milk mushrooms…followed by four big buckwheat toasts with soup, all with sour kvass and brown bread. There was quite a great deal of everything!” All this to say, just being vegetarian doesn’t imply a healthy or balanced diet.

Whoa, whoa, whoa is this a thick brew! Watch that cornstarch, unless you like your cocoa thick as mud. I doubt he could have written War and Peace while drinking this due to sugar coma.

Chocolate Kissel

Adapted from Pavlenko’s Tolstoy: A Vegetarian’s Tale

1.5 oz dark chocolate or ¼ cup cocoa powder (I used Equal Exchange due to my particular love and loyalties)

2 cups milk

¼ cup sugar

½ TB cornstarch

¼ tsp vanilla

Pinch of cinnamon

Melt the chocolate bar in a double boiler, if you’re using a bar. If powder, dissolve in several tablespoons of cold milk until a paste forms. Watch out for clumping!

In a saucepan, stir the milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon together. Bring to a boil and pour in the chocolate mixture. Dissolve the cornstarch in water and slowly add to the milk. Reduce the heat and stir until thickened. Don’t let it boil a second time.

You can find the book for purchase here. From this book, I also attempted my first Ankovsky Pie.

Ankovsky Pie

Sabores de Cuba Ropa Vieja to #StopDiabetes

I swear I did not time the publishing of this post to occur in the wake of the late Fidel Castro. I love Cuban food, pure and simple. And I’m thrilled there is now a healthy Cubano cuisine cookbook.

November is American Diabetes Month, and so I am celebrating with a series of cookbooks the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has published. But here’s my attitude, as a physician, even if you do not have diabetes, these meals are smart and healthy eating for all who hope to prevent diabetes–a preventable disease with rising prevalence in the United States.

This Cuban-inspired cookbook by Chef Ronaldo from ADA is fantastic because it is published in both English AND Spanish. The recipe I chose to feature, Ropa Vieja, translates to “Old Clothes.” The name refers to the era right after the Castro regime took over when Cuban people were left with very little, such that they had to cook down old clothing into sauce and compensate by adding a TON of spices and vinegar broth to break down the clothes. Well, instead of clothes, this recipe uses round steak, old clothes of sorts for the former cow, I suppose. I love how Cuban cuisine features holiday colors, red and green peppers!

Old-Fashioned Ropa Vieja

2 cups washed and sliced green and red pepper (core reserved)

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tb black peppercorns

1 bunch cilantro

2 tsp garlic powder

2 quarts water

20 oz top round steak

1 TB avocado oil

1 cup sliced onion

4 cloves garlic

½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp Spanish smoke paprika

½ tsp oregano

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tb tomato paste

6 oz diced canned tomatoes

8 pitted green olives, chopped

2 dried bay leaves

3 tb cilantro, chopped

In a large stockpot, add the cores of the red and green pepper, apple cider, peppercorns, cilantro bunch, garlic powder to the water and bring to a boil. Add the top round steak. Reduce heat and simmer steak for 90 minutes until the meat is tender.

Remove the steak from the water and shred on a plate. Reserve 3 cups of the stock.

Heat a large saute pan and heat oil. Add red pepper, green pepper, onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute on high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, add cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Saute for 3 minutes until flavors “marry.” Add diced tomatoes, olives, reserved stock, and bay leaves and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the shredded steak and simmer for another 10 minutes. Fold in chopped cilantro and serve.

I served it over the Congri, which I made using half brown rice and half quinoa.

Thanks again to ADA for sponsoring this post! To order this book, or the other books featured on Bake This Day over the last two weeks, please call 1-800-232-6733 or order online at ShopDiabetes.org.

Dhoodhi Handvo, or Indian Zucchini Muffins

It’s a gorgeous autumn day in New Orleans. I had forgotten how summery the southern fall tends to be. Perfect day for a bike ride around town to see what our local shops have in store for holiday gift potential.

These ultra-healthy muffins for the granola Birkenstock crowd feature savory summer squash and are an exotic electric yellow color, which will attract skepticism and interest from all who witness your enjoyment. Many of these Indian spices are gaining traction as health foods because of their anti-inflammatory properties. So feel righteous.

Dhoodhi Handvo

Adapted from Eating Well

2 cups fine semolina flour

2 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil plus 1 1/2 tablespoons, divided

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated or minced

3 1/2 cups packed shredded zucchini (about 1 pound—very important that this is as dry as can be)

1 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with liners (or butter). Mix flour, 2 1/2 tablespoons oil, salt, baking soda and turmeric in a medium bowl. Combine garlic and ginger in a large bowl; press with a spoon to make a paste. Add zucchini, yogurt and sugar; stir until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add water and stir to combine again. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup until almost flush with the top. Level the batter. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds; cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 45 seconds, being careful not to burn them.

Remove from heat. Spoon a scant 1/2 teaspoon of the seasoned oil on top of each muffin, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes. Leaving the pan in the center of the oven, switch the oven to broil, and broil the muffins until the tops are browned, 7 to 10 minutes more. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing. Serve warm or room temperature.

Summertime in my mouth. And in my garden too.

Sicilian Caponata to #StopDiabetes

Ok diabetes, allow me to blow your mind. Here is a recipe that is both Italian and rife with chocolate that is made especially for you. November is American Diabetes Month, and so I am celebrating with a series of cookbooks the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has published. But here’s my attitude, as a physician, even if you do not have diabetes, these meals are smart and healthy eating for all who hope to prevent diabetes.

In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes. AND, even more harrowing, 86 million Americans age 20 and older had prediabetes; this is up from 79 million in 2010. So think about getting one or all of these cookbooks for the holidays and feeling good about how you impact the health of your family. (And don’t worry, there are cookie and cake recipes in there!) Izzy has taken to napping with the Italian cookbook; instead of sugar plums, I imagine sweet dreams of eggplants and capers and green olives dancing in her head.

The epigraph of this book is an Italian proverb: The cuisine of a people is the only true testimony of their civilization.

Let’s not be a fast food nation anymore, America, shall we?

One other thing, I would never have put green olives and chocolate together in a sauce. But Oh Man is this good.

Sicilian Sweet and Sour Vegetable Caponata

¼ cup EVOO

¾ pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes

¼ yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/3 stalk celery, chopped

¼ tsp black pepper

1 TB tomato paste, thinned in ¼ cup water

½ cup canned crushed tomatoes

2 oz green onions, pitted, rinsed and chopped

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

1 TB finely grated unsweeted chocolate

3 TB shredded fresh basil

1 tsp pine nuts

4 slices of bread, toasted (I use my Tartine homemade sourdough)

Heat oil in 12 inch skillet on medium heat, and add eggplant to skillet and fry, tossing occasionally until browned. Transfer eggplant to a large bowl.

Then add the onions and celery to the skillet, season with pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add tomato paste, and cook until vegetables are caramelized and paste is evaporated, 2-ish minutes. Then add crushed tomatoes and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Then stir in olives, vinegar (the original recipe adds 1/8 cup of raisins, but I hate raisins), and CHOCOLATE (whaaaa?) and stir until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Transfer mixture to bowl with eggplant, add basil and pine nuts and mix together. Let cool to room temp and then serve over your toasts like the weirdest bruschetta. YUM.

To order this book, please call 1-800-232-6733 or order online at ShopDiabetes.org. Stay tuned for ADA’s take on Sabores de Cuba coming up next.

Speaking of healthy, besides the good stuff falling on the floor from this cookbook’s recipes, make sure your dog’s regular diet is also as healthy as possible, like Wellness Pet Food! Thanks Wellness, Izzy LOVES her treats and kibble.

Rib Eye Roast with Black Garlic Red Wine Gravy- A Turkey Alternative

As a flexitarian, on occasion I will eat meat, and Thanksgiving just so happens to be one of those occasions. That said, I’ve never been a big fan of turkey. I think it tastes great in a post-Thanksgiving Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich, but traditional Turkey Day turkey is just blah to me. Long ago, my mother began the tradition of preparing for me a small steak on Thanksgiving, and for that, I was truly, truly thankful… I think, in this rib eye roast, I’ve found a new tradition. What a fabulous slab of savory meat. If you’re going to eat meat, make it a prime cut, soaked in shallots, prunes and juniper berries one succulent night a year.

Rib Eye Roast with Black Garlic-Red Wine Gravy

Adapted from Food and Wine

ROAST

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pitted prunes

4 shallots, chopped

1/3 cup rosemary leaves

3 tablespoons juniper berries

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

One 5- to 6-pound cap-on boneless rib eye roast

GRAVY

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

2 heads of black garlic, peeled (1/3 cup)

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon dry red wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 quart beef broth

3 thyme sprigs

1 rosemary sprig

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Kosher salt

Pepper

Make the roast In a blender, combine all of the ingredients except the rib eye and puree until smooth. Set a rack in a roasting pan. Set the roast on the rack and rub the marinade all over. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Roast the beef for about 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 120°. Transfer the roast to a rack and let stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the gravy In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the black garlic, crushed garlic, flour and sugar and cook, stirring often, until a golden-brown paste forms, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the wine and the soy sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the broth, thyme and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 4 cups, about 30 minutes.

Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of wine and the vinegar into the gravy and season with salt and pepper. Strain into a gravy boat. Thinly slice the roast across the grain and serve the gravy alongside.

I’ll substitute pictures of the gravy with Izzy because I learned that gravy, even black garlic red wine gravy, really isn’t photogenic. But Izzy on the other hand….

Gluten-free Socca with Poached Eggs, Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Basil for American Diabetes Month

Just in time for Thanksgiving, red alert that November is also American Diabetes Month. When I help my patients to understand a diagnosis of diabetes, many are disappointed because they believe they will have to give up some of their favorite foods. The good news: how many more favorites you have yet to discover. Living with diabetes doesn’t mean you have to kiss flavor goodbye. There are ways to make all of our favorite foods a little healthier. This post is sponsored by the American Diabetes Association, and in the forthcoming posts this month through Christmas, I’ll be featuring a series of some of my favorite recipes from several fantastic diabetes-friendly cookbooks written by chefs and nutritionists. This recipe comes from Whole Cooking and Nutrition by Katie Cavuto. This book is easy to read, principle-based, the recipes are simple. Fresh spices and fresh fruits and vegetables stand in for simple sugars, as it should be. As a bonus, many of the recipes are building blocks that you can make all on a Sunday, then use in different combinations throughout the week.

Enjoying this gluten-free dish, I couldn’t help but transport now and then to some of the best eggs benedict plates I’ve ever had. Oh the flavor.

Socca with Poached Eggs, Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Basil

From Whole Cooking and Nutrition by Katie Cavuto

1 cup chickpea flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo bean flour)

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp salt

1 cup warm water

2 tbsp EVOO

1 TB rice vinegar

As many eggs as you want to eat

1 cup roasted tomatoes*

1 cup chopped fresh basil

¼ black pepper

My eggs were so fresh, Lucille’s tail fluff was still stuck to one of them… haha.

Place a cast iron skillet in your oven and set to Broil. In a small bowl, mix the chickpea flour, cumin and salt together. Whisk in the water, then the oil and beat out all the clumps. Then let it rest for 15 minutes on the counter. Meanwhile, start boiling some water with the vinegar to poach the eggs! When the skillet is hot, add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and then pour in the socca chickpea pancake-like batter into the skillet and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Stir the boiling water into a whirlpool and add as many eggs as you want to eat, and let poach for 4-ish minutes (as set or runny as you like), then scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Remove the socca and cut it into wedges. Top with eggs, tomatoes, and chopped basil. YUM.

To make your own roasted tomatoes, super easy, take a pint of tomatoes, mix with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp spices (fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano), 3 cloves of chopped garlic, ½ tsp of lemon zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Pour this mix onto a foil-lined baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Seriously, this tastes like I got it at Ruby Slipper. Except this one will keep you alive longer, to continue enjoying over and over again.

Thanks, American Diabetes Association. You’ve published what promises to be a series of winning cookbooks! I look forward to trying the Italian Diabetes cookbook next.

Red Lentil Dal with Mustard Seeds as Pseudo Soup

Onion cutting had always been a painful, eyeball drenching task for me, until I discovered this failsafe method: ski goggles. A matchstick in the teeth worked partially, but the issue is the chemical irritant onions release when their cell wall is breached. Basically onions are the vegetable equivalent of a skunk. But don a pair of goggles and lo, you are protected by a plastic barrier. You look a little bit like a serial killer at the kitchen counter, but it’s worth it.

Been gorgeous weather here in New Orleans. All blossom and bee buzz. Seems a little counter intuitive to participate in the usual winter routines, such as making soup and hearty bread and cozying around a hearth, blanketed. I’d rather be on my porch—and dal seems a perfect tropical sort of pseudo-soup to accompany me. And healthy to boot. Enjoy with flatbread!

Red Lentil Dal with Mustard Seeds

Adapted from Food and Wine

4 cups red lentils

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)

1 1/2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 large onion, minced

1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger

One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 serrano chile, minced

2 teaspoons ground coriander

In a large cast-iron casserole, combine the red lentils with the bay leaves, turmeric and 12 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the lentils break down to a thick puree, about 40 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the ghee. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook over moderately high heat,  stirring, until the seeds start to pop, about 1 minute. Add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chile and coriander and cook until the tomatoes just start to break down, about 5 minutes. Season the tomato mixture with salt and pepper.
Stir the tomato mixture into the dal and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with yogurt and chopped cilantro, cucumber and tomato.

Forgotten Cookies, Dark Though It Is

There is little to settle the upset I feel this morning after the election. But also, I am heartened to live in a country whereafter such an upset we are met with peaceful concession and a peaceful transition of power. I woke up with the words of WS Merwin in my throat, a bilious sort of meditation. I had no idea it was going to be such a Roald Dahl season, an unending and curious circus—but now I see the disembodied clown nose that was left in my bathroom after our Halloween party as a sort of perverse, haunting totem to what would befall. Even so, I am staid that we must, with irony, approach our election consequence with a spirit of gratitude—that we have the opportunity to vote at all…a blessing, dark though it is.

BY W. S. MERWIN

Listen

with the night falling we are saying thank you

we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings

we are running out of the glass rooms

with our mouths full of food to look at the sky

and say thank you

we are standing by the water thanking it

standing by the windows looking out

in our directions

back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging

after funerals we are saying thank you

after the news of the dead

whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you

over telephones we are saying thank you

in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators

remembering wars and the police at the door

and the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you

in the banks we are saying thank you

in the faces of the officials and the rich

and of all who will never change

we go on saying thank you thank you

with the animals dying around us

taking our feelings we are saying thank you

with the forests falling faster than the minutes

of our lives we are saying thank you

with the words going out like cells of a brain

with the cities growing over us

we are saying thank you faster and faster

with nobody listening we are saying thank you

thank you we are saying and waving

dark though it is

Rodrigue’s Blue Dog was the mascot for our election season in Louisiana, but I had no idea that the scared and sad eyes were to be a foreshadowing of mine own, and indeed, my whole being, decidedly blue. The shock, oh, the horror.

I have decided that I will be decorating for Christmas early this year, starting today by making cookies—joining the cadre of folks I used to make fun of—but now I think I strangely understand the motive: there are times when indeed we wish we could fast-forward through the seasons. And now this advent seems like the truest advent, we are truly in a season of night. Time, hurry on.

Forgotten Cookies, Dark Though it Is

Adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/4 cup dried cherries

Coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. With the machine on, gradually add the sugar. Add the vanilla bean paste and cardamom and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl and fold in the chocolate chips, pecans and cherries.

Using 2 spoons, drop 2-inch balls of the meringue mixture onto a large foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt and bake for 5 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cookies in for at least 8 hours or overnight before serving.

Project Repat Quilts and Shrimp Cakes, both Cozy

I wouldn’t say we are hoarders, but everyone has several dozen T-shirts from significant life events and places that they cannot part with, right? Discovering Project Repat was an affirmation; if an entire company exists to repurpose old T-shirts into quilts, we must not be the only hoarders in the world. I am grateful to Project Repat for sponsoring this post, and I recently received my own personalized quilt, wrought of the many shirts representing the many places and stages we’ve been through in life. I love it!!! The first thing that struck me when I opened the package was, WOW, this is the first time I’ve ever received a gift that bears my musk. The shirts retained the subtle smells of me and KP–a priceless memory-conjuring feature, and something that surprised me.

Izzy is particularly pleased that she gets a centerfold feature, the classic “Where’s the Cheese?” t-shirt Dave gave me one Christmas (but which I have since pitted out and rendered unwearable).

I urge y’all who also have bins of old shirts to put nostalgia to cozy use in converting them into fleecy blankets. There is still time to rush order these for the holidays, if you get your shirts to them by November 14^th. So great!!

These shrimp cakes are a variation on a Creole classic, great for fall breakfasts!

Shrimp Cakes

Adapted from a recipe on a Prosecco bottle, curiously enough

½ cup mayonnaise

1 TB hot sauce

1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp, chopped

¾ cup panko bread crumbs

2 large eggs

3 TB finely chopped scallions

1 tsp lemon zest

¾ tsp paprika

½ tsp pepper

¼ cup EVOO

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the hot sauce.

In a large bowl, mix the chopped shrimp with the panko, eggs, scallions, lemon zest, smoked paprika, 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper. Form the mixture into 8 ¾ inch thick cakes.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. In batches, add the shrimp cakes and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve with the spicy mayonnaise and lemon wedges. And snuggle up with your old T-shirts and/or the person who used to wear them…