Friday night call. It’s chicken soup for the soul time.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Adapted from Food and Wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup wild rice (5 ounces)
2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups water
4 cups bite-size pieces of roasted chicken or turkey
1 cup heavy cream
In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just start to soften, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until evenly coated and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
Add the wild rice to the saucepan and gradually stir in the stock and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the wild rice is tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
The walls and the furniture have become easels. My mother in law and I are painting the place like Bohemians. I love how color sabotages the ordinary. I am cursed by an eye-condition that only allows me thirty minutes at best in a day to paint fine detail before my vision collapses. The brevity of my capacity is inversely proportional to the preciousness of the experience, because it is so fleeting and so finite. By the end of a half hour of painting, I can barely see what it is that I have accomplished. But the next morning, oh, what astonishment waits.
Fall is here and with it, hearty wholemeal breads (well, I suppose those are a year round delight for me) and thick vegetable soups. There was a smell in the air this morning, and I think it was of ripening autumn magnolias, that gave me more vigor than the stiff scent of fresh coffee. I would have drank a case of it, had it not already gone to my head.
This is, by far, the most beautiful picture of a loaf of bread I’ve ever taken.
Sunflower and Flax Bread and Leek Soup
Adapted from the Tartine Bread Book
Sourdough 200 g
Water 850 g
Wheat flour 700 g
Regular flour 300 g
Wheat germ 70 g
Salt 25 g
Flax seeds 140 g
Hot water 180 g
Sunflower seeds 140 g
Coat the seeds in hot water and let sit out while bread is rising. You may mix in after the first or second turn of the dough. Save some seeds to coat the top of the bread before you put it in the oven.
Prepare the dough using the method of Tartine Country Bread, except let the dough rest for 60 minutes in the first rise, because it needs to absorb more water. Bake in the heated cast iron pot with the lid on at 500 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 450 and bake for another 10 minutes, then finally remove the lid and finish with 25 more minutes at 450 degrees.
Leek Soup
Adapted from Bon Appetit
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 large leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1 small onion, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
2 cups whole milk, divided
1 cup heavy cream, divided
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add leeks, onion, and garlic and season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables begin to soften, 5–7 minutes. Add 1 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft, 25–30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer half of leek mixture to a blender and add half of milk, cream, and yogurt. Purée until very smooth; pour into a large bowl. Repeat with remaining leek mixture, milk, cream, and yogurt.
Return soup to pot and heat over medium, adding water by ¼-cupfuls, until soup is thick enough to hold potatoes without sinking but thin enough that a spoon dragged across the top doesn’t leave a trail. Season with salt and pepper.
Home Cooked Dinners, I believe, make the world a better place. The time it takes to do this. The time is the most important ingredient. Time spent standing in the kitchen, salivating at the aromas issuing from the oven, from the cast iron, from the dog sprawled out at our bare feet watching the skies for a chance of meatballs, or possibly lemon chicken.
KP and Marilyn made this dynamic Penzey’s duo of chicken and cheesy parmegiano-regianno mashed potatoes, so rich and flavorful. The perfect home-cooked dinner.
1/2 tsp. kosher salt 2 eggs 1/2 Cup milk 2 TB. lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, pepper lemon peel, and salt. In a second wide, shallow bowl, combine the eggs, milk and lemon juice. Mix well. Dip each chicken piece first in the crumbs, then in the egg mix and back in the crumbs. Place the chicken on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400° for 45-60 minutes, depending on size, turning the pieces halfway through. Check one of the pieces to make sure the chicken is cooked through.
1/4-1 tsp. salt, to taste (omit if using salted butter) 1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg to taste 2/3 Cup milk
Directions
Place the potatoes in a stock pot. Add enough cold water to just cover the potatoes. Add a pinch of salt and the rosemary, if using. Bring to a gentle boil and let simmer until fork tender, 15-25 minutes or so, depending on the type of potato and how small you cut them. Drain very well and return to the pot. Let dry a bit. Add the butter, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mash with the potato masher of your choosing, adding just enough milk to reach your desired consistency. If you’d like, transfer the potatoes to a broiler-safe casserole dish and broil for a bit for a crispy top.
We have the pleasure of welcoming KP’s parents to New Orleans and on my first day off in two weeks, we had a leisurely breakfast of eggs and toast to follow last night’s feast of shrimp and pork dumplings. Ralph and Marilyn are fantastic examples of how wanderlust and a sense of adventure should ripen as we age. They make me want to grow up to be young, just as they are. With great costumes.
Shrimp and Pork Dumplings
Adapted from Food and Wine
3/4 ounces dried shiitake mushroom caps
1/2 pound fatty ground pork, preferably pork butt
1/2 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp, finely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup finely chopped bamboo shoots
2 tablespoons (or 6 if you let your spouse go at the mincing unsupervised) minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon cornstarch
36 Wanton wrappers
Olive oil, for frying
Instructions
In a medium bowl, cover the mushrooms with boiling water and let stand, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain well, then squeeze out any excess water. Finely chop the mushrooms.
In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms with all of the remaining ingredients except the cornstarch, dumpling wrappers and canola oil and fold gently until well blended. Fold in the cornstarch just until incorporated.
Lay a wrapper in the palm of one hand. Using your finger, brush the outer edge with water. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. Fold the wrapper over the filling to form a half-moon; pinch at the top to adhere. Fold a pleat in the wrapper on the top left, angling back toward the center. Press with your fingers to adhere. Repeat the pleating on the top right of the wrapper to meet the first pleat in the center. Transfer the dumpling to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap; repeat with the rest of the wrappers and filling.
Pour enough canola oil into a large nonstick skillet to cover the bottom. Arrange some of the dumplings in the skillet with a non-pleated side down (you will need to work in batches). Cook over low heat until golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
Carefully pour in enough water to reach halfway up the dumplings. Cover and cook until almost all of the water is absorbed and the filling is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Uncover and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated and the dumplings are crispy on the bottom, about 2 minutes longer. Carefully invert onto a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining dumplings. Serve warm.
And Happy Birthday to Lighthouse for the Blind– KP’s employer and a wonderful provider of services to the disabled in this state. You throw a mean block party with a killer photo booth.
I’ve been snacking. KP and I are starting to add on the miles in preparation for the next marathon (the Canyon City race in November) but I think I’m also doing some foraging and pre-hibernative work since I have another month of wards coming on and I’ll need all the extra energy stores my body can tuck away, haha. I usually don’t endorse recipes that include Velveeta cheese as a primary ingredient, but I make an exception every now and then for the sake of comfort. A similar variation on a theme is the second recipe I’ve included in this post for a snacking dip—KP made this spicy guacamole the other day and it is heavenly; great when you have avocados blackening on the counter and reminding you that you too are not getting any younger. Gather ye chips while ye may…
El Original Queso
Adapted from Food and Wine’s recipe from El Original Restaurant in NYC
Pico de Gallo
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped Vidalia onion
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Pinch of kosher salt
Queso
2 pounds Velveeta, cubed
1 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
9 jalapeños, seeded and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Tortilla chips, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving
Make the pico de gallo: In a bowl, mix the tomatoes with the onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice and salt.
Make the queso: In an enameled medium cast-iron casserole, melt the cheese with the milk over low heat, stirring often, until smooth, 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet. Add the jalapeños and onion and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the cumin and salt.
Stir the jalapeño mixture into the melted cheese. Off the heat, stir in the pico de gallo. Serve hot with tortilla chips and lime wedges.
Spicy Pea Guacamole
Adapted from Food and Wine
1 serrano chile, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup thawed frozen peas
2 medium Haas avocados—peeled, pitted and chopped
Kosher salt
Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
In a mortar, mash the chile with the cilantro. Add the peas and avocados and mash until well blended but still chunky. Season with salt and serve with chips.
I promise this is the last of my Latin food recipes for a while. Time to simmer and braise and slow cook myself into a new season–my favorite–autumn.
I am aware this makes three posts about tacos out of the last five. It can’t be helped. I must have more Mexican food. So we learned some days ago that fried pork belly (chicharrones) is not my thing. The entire time I was reciting the TIMI score risk factors in my head and wondering second by second about my LDL and at the end of each taco I had to resist taking an aspirin. But BRAISED pork belly is an entirely different beast. I bought five pounds of pork belly on a super sale and am thrilled to have found this recipe in which to use it. In particular, the pico de gallo made with Mexican beer and fresh lime juice (from backyard limes) is delicious. Octoberfest starts today, but here in the sunbathed Gulf, where I am planting a fresh crop of tomatoes and marigolds, it still feels like the season of tacos and Tecate on the porch.
Crispy Pork Belly Tacos with Pico de Gallo
Adapted from Food and Wine
One 2-pound piece of meaty pork belly
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup melted lard or shortening (I used butter)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 white onion, coarsely chopped
2 morita chiles or dried chipotle chiles
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
4 ounces tomatillos—husked, rinsed and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 chile de árbol, crumbled
1/4 cup Mexican beer
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Twelve 5-inch fresh corn tortillas, warm, or taco shells like I did (blue corn my fave)
Lime wedges, for serving
Braise the pork belly Preheat the oven to 250°. In a large ovenproof saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover, transfer to the oven and braise the pork until very tender, about 3 hours. Transfer the pork to a plate to cool slightly; discard the braising liquid.
Make the pico de gallo In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the salt. Season with salt and mix well.
Make the tacos In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the canola oil. Add the pork belly, skin side down, and weigh it down with another heavy skillet.
Cook over moderately low heat until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork, skin side up, to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Slice across the grain 1/4 inch thick, then halve the slices crosswise. Top each tortilla with a few pieces of pork belly and a little pico de gallo and serve warm.
In other news, I’ve started some of my first classes at the New Orleans Psychoanalytic Center, and can’t help but wonder at what subconscious process has me fixated on tacos. Perhaps they are a fitting representation of my daily life–a colorful, spicy smattering of found objects and found characters stuffed between the impossible confines of corn cracker-thin walls, ever tumbling, ever over-spilling, leaving a bright trail of goodies for a bulldog to snuffle up. How’s that Freud? Self as taco.
In the precarious midst of hurricane season, I can’t help but work on growing things. The hot summer afternoons are fading into breezy, even cool at times, bright fall days. KP just built us our first raised bed after my experiments in the backyard Earth resulted in a grand total of 17 undersized lima beans.
The lime trees are doing okay, but I would like some real veggies, carrots, squash, spinach, etc to come home to. That and some flowers. The seeds have sprouted.
As a gardener, I never seem to get over the astonishment of coming home to find change, or growth, that is not at all my own doing. Plants keep me humble. And what have you been doing all day, they insinuate from their planters on the porch. Certainly not dividing yourself exponentially. I’m not going to argue biology with my plants. I do have a few cells turning over here and there that I’m pretty proud of, but you have to hand it to them. With just water and air, I believe they did accomplish more in a day spent under the sun than I did in the fluorescent ER.
But then I came home and made a buku batch of hot tamales. Plants 1-Rachel 20.
This recipe makes at least 20 Black Bean Tamales. Mm Mmm Mmm.
Black Bean Tamales with Ancho Adobo
Adapted from Food and Wine
1 1/2 ounces ancho chiles—stemmed, seeded and broken into small pieces
1 tablespoon minced white onion
1 minced garlic clove
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 dried cornhusks—I used Louisiana Deep South Brand Tamale papers
1 3/4 cups masa harina, preferably Bob’s Red Mill
4 oz butter, softened
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped epazote or 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallion
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cup grated Colby jack cheese
Instructions
Make the ancho adobo– In a small bowl, cover the anchos with boiling water; let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain, discarding the soaking liquid.
In a food processor, combine the anchos, onion, garlic, vinegar and salt and puree until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl.
Make the tamales In a large bowl, cover the cornhusks/papers with hot water. Weigh down the husks with a plate and let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. If you are just using the papers like I did, you just need to soak them in regular water for a few minutes before you wrap up the innards.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the masa with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water. Beat at low speed until a dough forms, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, beans, cilantro, epazote, scallion and salt and beat, scraping down the side of the bowl, until the mixture is well blended and light in texture, about 5 minutes.
For each tamale, spoon 1/4 cup of the masa in the center of a cornhusk and top with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese and 1 teaspoon of ancho adobo. Roll the husks up and over the filling to make compact cylinders, folding in the sides as you go. Tie the tamales with kitchen string.
Arrange the tamales in a steamer basket and set it over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam until firm, about 1 hour. Remove the steamer basket and let the tamales stand for 15 minutes. Serve with grated cheese and the remaining adobo.
The spice cha-chas on. Red light, green light, red salsa, green salsa…you’ll be doing the Conga at the stove. After I played this oldie music video, I proceeded to watch every Gloria Estefan classic and now all I have is fantasies of doing a karaoke montage of Conga, Turn the Beat Around, and The Rhythm is Going to Get You as I serve the whole room these chilaquiles and chicarrones tacos, wearing a hat with dingle balls and off-the shoulder fringed, flowered, and fruited dress. Izzy’s fantasy is eating this plate of chilaquiles, or at least every morsel of cheese on top.
Green and Red Chicken Chilaquiles with Fried Eggs
Adapted from Food and Wine
Salsa Roja
12 ounces small tomatoes, chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 serrano chiles, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped epazote or 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1 cup water
Kosher salt
Chicken Chilaquiles
Two 8-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large eggs
6 ounces corn tortilla chips
Grated Colby Jack cheese
Sour cream
chopped white and red onion, for garnish
Salsa Verde
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large scallions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped epazote or 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Combine all the ingredients except the salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and simmer over moderate heat until the onion is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and coarsely mash the salsa with a potato masher. Let cool completely, season with salt and serve.
You will need 1 1/2 cups Salsa Verde for this recipe, save the rest for later!
1.Make the salsa verde (as above) and the salsa roja at the same time. Make the salsa roja In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until saucy, about 25 minutes; keep warm.
2.Meanwhile, make the chicken chilaquiles In another medium saucepan, cover the chicken, garlic and bay leaf with 1 inch of water. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat until the chicken is white throughout, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly; reserve the cooking liquid for another use. Coarsely shred the chicken and season with salt; keep warm.
3.In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil. Crack the eggs into the skillet and season with salt. Cover and cook over low heat until the whites are firm but the yolks are still a little runny, about 3 minutes.
4.Mound the tortilla chips on plates. Spoon some of the salsa roja over half of the chips and some salsa verde over the rest. Top with the shredded chicken and fried eggs. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and onion and serve with the remaining salsa roja and salsa verde.
Also, you could just keep going with the Salsa Verde and make some chicharrones tacos, which was a first (and a last) for me. Note that I am smiling below BEFORE having eaten the taco.Thank you to Norma’s Mexican Bakery in Midcity for supplying the chicarrones. I’d love it if Walgreens would sponsor me for the toilet bowl cleaner. Or maybe Jim Gaffigan, Hot Pockets and I could do a bit.
Chicharrones Tacos
1/4 pound thick, crisp chicharrones, plus crushed chicharrones for garnish
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups Salsa Verde (see above)
Salt
Six 8-inch taco shells or fresh corn tortillas, warm
Sour cream
purslane or watercress, for serving
In a large skillet, combine the chicharrones and water and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the chicharrones start to soften and the water is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Ewww. I do not recommend routine eating of these–like having atherosclerosis for dinner.
Add the salsa verde and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the chicharrones are coated and the salsa is thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Serve in the corn tortillas, topped with sour cream, purslane and crushed chicharrones.
KP and I are on a Hispanic cuisine kick ever after Labor Day. Just feeling spicy. And also, we’ve been doing the weekend warrior routine as new homeowners and I’m sure the caloric density of Latin dishes is an instinctive choice after free time spent dangling from ladders, kneeling over shrubs, knuckles-deep in garden soil and hammering together new furniture from abandoned spare parts. These taco baskets are great football season snacks. Or for US Open matches. Prepare yourself for, say, five to seven posts in a sequence that all include tomatillos as the main ingredient….My toilet is trembling.
Taco Baskets
Adapted from Penzeys Spices
1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast meat or BBQ pork
1 pkg. won ton skins
1-2 TB. Fajita seasoning
1 TB. water
1-2 TB. vegetable oil or butter
1 TB. Buttermilk ranch dressing base*
1 TB. water
1/2 Cup buttermilk
1/2 Cup mayonnaise (olive oil based)
1/4 Cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 Cup black olives, finely chopped or 1 small can of pre-chopped olives
1 Cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 Cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 TB. Aleppo pepper
*this is a Penzeys spice, which I approximate by adding ½ tsp dill, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp pepper and salt, and 1 tsp buttermilk powder, with a sprinkle of chives and parsley.
In a large bowl, mix the fajita seasoning with water, then chop the chicken into small bits and add it to the bowl. Stir well, cover and refrigerate until the won ton cups are made.
Preheat oven to 350°. You will need at least two mini muffin pans for this recipe–the recipe makes about 36 baskets. Spray the pans well with vegetable oil spray, and then gently press each won ton skin into a muffin cup in the pan. Repeat this process until all the cups are filled. Bake the skins for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Be careful—they can turn brown quickly and you don’t want to overcook them because they will be baked again once they are filled, but they also won’t get much browner in the second cooking, so make sure the edges are at least golden when you pull them out. When you take them out of the oven, be sure that they are open; the flaps have a tendency to flop over.
While they are still warm it is very easy to ease them open to form a basket. Remove to a cookie sheet and repeat the process until all of the won ton skins have been baked. While the skins are baking, heat 1 TB. olive oil or butter in a large frying pan. Cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and cooked through. Mix the buttermilk ranch dressing base with water and let stand 5 minutes. Add buttermilk and mayonnaise, blend until smooth, and set aside. Combine the cooked chicken, red bell pepper, black olives, cheeses and dressing. Stir to combine. Using a teaspoon, fill each of the won ton baskets with filling—about 1 rounded tsp. per basket. Bake another 4-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle with Aleppo pepper. Serve while warm.
Saturday, Labor Day ahead. I would say last chance to BBQ if I were still living in Minnesota, but HAHA, I’m in New Orleans and will be BBQing all the way to next Labor Day. For those of you watching yellowing tree leaves with the stink eye of betrayal, for those of you with chilly nights blustering in, heat up the charcoals and swordfight with these greasy kabobs. Wrap yourself with another coat, on the inside.
Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce
Adapted from Food and Wine
SHRIMP
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 small jarred or dried Calabrian chiles, minced
20 jumbo shrimp, shelled with tails intact
10 slices of bacon, cut in half crosswise
COCKTAIL SAUCE
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup prepared white horseradish, drained
1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving
PREPARE THE SHRIMP In a large baking dish, whisk the 1/2 cup of oil with the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and chiles. Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon and add to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour; turn the shrimp halfway through marinating.
MAKE THE COCKTAIL SAUCE In a bowl, whisk the ketchup, horseradish, shallot, vinegar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Light a grill or preheat a grill pan; brush with oil. Season the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat, turning once, until the bacon is browned and the shrimp is just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve with the cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.
This morning I made some buckwheat pancakes on a skillet that I used for sautéing jalapenos the night before, which made for a spicy pancakes surprise. Actually, it was fabulous and would recommend setting that up intentionally in the future. I’m headed to the Marigny on bicycle with my hula hoop for Southern Decadence, which is not altogether so different from my usual weekend routine in this bayou paradise (BP). I’ll twirl with whoever meets me there from St. Anna’s!
