Some crazy deliciousnes is what happens. I bought some mangoes, they were supposed to be organic, but they kinda sucked. Outraged, I peeled and chopped them and threw them in a pot determined to make them useful citizens of society. I’m happy to report that this rehabilitation effort was a success. The mangoes proved to be a great addition to their community, the Price Household.
This was the first I had integrated mango to a savory dish, come to think about it, this was the first time I had done anything with mango except for my usual peel & eat and the occasional lassi. I was a bit nervous. I mean, I had about 1lb of gorgeous, fresh LARGE shrimp and I hate messing up shrimp. But I showed it no fear, never let an ex-con see you sweat…, right? Onward!
There’s no real recipe here, just add things at will. Also, if you don’t have mangoes, don’t fret. You can substitute with any caramelized/syruped fruit, like peaches, pineapple. Anything you like, really. And you can just get it from your local grocer. Don’t sweat it. Feel free to add more or completely eliminate the chili pepper, though I must admit it makes for a really nice contrast: sweet & tangy combined with fiery spicy. But that’s just me. On with the cooking.
Spicy & Tangy Shrimp with Mango
Start with about 1lb of peeled and deveined shrimp. Season them with 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic, 2 tsps sea salt (less if using regular), ground black pepper and about 1-2 tsps of olive oil. Mix it in and set aside while you prepare the veggies.
Slice 1 onion, 1-2 serrano peppers, 1 cp of mangoes, drained and about 1/2 cp of chopped cilantro.
Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high and add about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions are translucent.
Add the shrimp and toss them after 2 minutes or so, allowing them to cook for another 2 minutes on the opposite side.
Add the mango and cilantro, stirring them into the rest of the ingredients. Cover tightly with a lid and turn off the heat, allowing the contents to finish cooking in the steam. Serve over rice or pasta or with your favorite vegetable.
Enjoy!
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
Mangoes are my favorite fruit. I wouldn’t want to live life without them. Mangoes are deliciously versatile and excellent for you. Mangoes are pretty. They’re pretty when green. They’re pretty when ripe. Mangoes are pretty with or without peel. Doesn’t that sound like an essay submitted by an 8-yr-old? That’s how mangoes make me feel. Like a kid looking forward to a full life. I love mangoes, I simply do!
I don’t know how many varieties there are, but I do know that I can think of at least 10 different types available in Panama. Some are extraordinary, while others are considered poor quality and snubbed. Now that I live in Houston, I cherish EVERY mango I can get my mango-eating hands on.
It also occurs to me that as common as they are to me, they are still exotic to a lot of people. With that i mind, I thought I would give you a quick how-to peel a mango post. No mad scientist skills required, to tell you the truth, I’m worried you’ll find this unnecessary and patronizing. But really, I’m coming from a place of helpfulness.
First, don’t buy your mangoes soft/ripe already. Instead, opt for the ones that still have quite a bit of green in them. It’s best to let them ripen under your watchful eye. Just leave them out on your counter for a few days and allow nature to do its thing. Sniff it, squeeze, but not too hard. When it smells sweet and honey-ey, its ready. The outside will be a mottled orange-red, depending on the varietal you get.
There are 2 routes I know of. The first one is how I used to do it back in the homeland, Panama–did I mention I’ll be there in 3 weeks? I digress. This is your basic peel a fruit route.
See? You knew how to do that.
Now it’s ready to eat or chop at will. The other method I learned after moving here. I think it looks fancy and pretty.
First, remember there’s a large pit right in the middle of the mango. One side of the mango is rounded and the other end has a slight point/end. Trim the rounded side so you have a flat surface on the mango, stabilize to avoid cooking injuries.
Lay it on the trimmed end and place the knife on either side of the pointy end and work it down. Then do the same to the other side.
Once you have 2 halves, score them across. Be careful not to cut too deeply, you don’t want your knife to cut through the peel.
Flip it and score it in the opposite direction. Again, mind the peel.
Now the fun and making pretty part comes in. Hold the halves with both hands and push from the bottom/skin side in.
Once it’s flipped, it looks like this.
You can cut the cubes with the knife or you can tear them off with your fingers. Then peel the section with the pit, there’s a lot of meat there too. It’s ready to eat.
As it turned out, these weren’t the best mangoes, so I didn’t eat them like this. Instead, I added some sugar, water, star anise and salt and simmered it down until the mango was softened and used it to jazz up other meals.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
And this is one of the meals I created with the caramelized mangoes. Tangy & Spicy Shrimp and Mango. Yum, no?
There’s this place in the French Quarter called Yo’ Mama’s. They serve 2 of my must haves when in the area. A Peanut Butter Burger and THE best Bloody Mary’s I’ve ever had. Since I’m still having FQ withdrawals and because it is Social Friday, I thought I’d try my hand at the Bloody Mary, a first.
When in New Orleans, the only way to have a Bloody Mary is spicy, at Yo’ Mama’s extra spicy is how they serve them. Watching Erica put it together is like watching a mad scientist at work. A bit of this, a lot of that, splash and sprinkle then garnish with the popular spicy pickled green beans and olives and you’re in business. Obviously she has it down to a science, but I’m going to attempt to offer some measurements. As with any drink or food, adjust it to your personal taste.
N’awlins Spicy Bloody Mary
Makes 2 cocktails
4 oz Vodka
V8 Juice (about 1 cp)
1 tbsp horseradish
2 tsp celery salt
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (such as Tabasco, Crystal)
1 tsp ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 each fresh lime and lemon
Olives and pickled green beans for garnish
Splash of olive juice
Few dashes of cayenne pepper
Didn’t I tell you she was a mad scientist? Combine all the ingredients, except for the garnish, and stir. Fill a glass with ice (a tumbler if you’re being modest, a highball glass if you’re really going for it).
Here’s the interesting part, she doesn’t shake it or do a lot of stirring. She pours it from one glass to another about 5-6 times to mix it before serving.
As I mentioned, adjust to your taste. I like mine with lots of horseradish and black pepper, not to mention quite spicy. Enjoy!
Drinkingly yours,
Anamaris
I was so happy when I found out our conference would be held in New Orleans this year, even happier when I heard we would get to go. I’d been to Nola twice before: once in my previous life, about 15 years ago and last year for our honeymoon. As much as I missed the hubbz, I still enjoyed this visit immensely.
Sure I had to devote time to evil work duties, but I’m a fun-loving kinda girl and I know how to make time for it. I squeezed some fun and wonderment into this trip like nobody’s business. Then there was all the amazing food, which is no surprise to anyone who’s ever heard about this town. I tried to give you a play-by-play of my eating ventures, but I just didn’t have enough time to do both. I will revisit a few of the meals and share them with you soon.
As luck would have it, last week was the French Quarter Festival. The official start was Friday, but the quarter was buzzing with preparations all week. Check out a few of the shots I managed last week; you can go to the Flickr photostream for the extended version. I’ll get back to cooking soon enough, right now I’m still in a New Orleans state of mind.
Lanterns, lanterns everywhere! They’re famous for them and you know how much I love a lantern or a hundred!
This is the Pontalba, probably the French Quarter’s most photographed building, it sits adjacent to St. Peter’s Cathedral.
I sat across the square to have some fried oysters and found out some history. Turns out this is could be my building. You see, the ironwork has initials. My initials. AP. I have a building in the Quarter!
The other thing I love about this area are the balconies and courtyards. Next time we get a house that’s what I want.
As the festival got under way, I saw interesting people, listened to some Blues and met a really cool lady. Suzy and her husband have given up the corporate life in favor of one that allows them to earn a living from their creativity. They work in leather: she making bags and belts, he making lamps. I didn’t see his work, but her bags are beautiful. Let me know if you would like her contact information to purchase one or find out when she’ll be at a festival near you.
I’m still having French Quarter withdrawals, thank goodness I’ll be in Panama soon! Where are you going?
French Quarterly yours,
Anamaris
March came and went, but not before it brought us another cooking challenge and a new featured blogger. The challenge was to create a dish using edible flowers, shallots and a meat (lamb, pork, beef). After much deliberation by my readers’, that means you, Kitchen Masochist’s dish reigned supreme and was selected as the favorite.
That means this post is all about her. In order to have an opportunity to get to know her a little better, I asked her a few questions to help us all have a full picture of the goodness that happens in her little corner of the Philippines. And now, here’s the in-depth interview by Anamaris TheNoseyOne:
We all want to know, why did you call your blog Kitchen Masochist?
I was raised by a mother who loved to cook. She was raised the old way in that everything was made from scratch. My mom hated all the instant stuff, TV dinners, Campbell soup cans. She made everything from scratch, from gravy to spring roll and wonton wrappers, mac and cheese, etc. The only things she didn’t make from scratch were noodles, pasta, tomato and oyster sauce. My siblings and I still don’t know what any of those TV dinners or Campbell soup cans taste like to this day.
When I moved out and went off to college, I soon learned how fussy I was when it came to food and couldn’t eat any of the instant stuff so common to college students. They just tasted really foul to me, since I was accustomed to well-prepared, good quality food. I make most of the stuff I cook from scratch and use very few instant, commercially prepared ingredients, just like my mom did. Hence, the name, The Kitchen Masochist, because making everything from scratch is pretty masochist, if you ask me.
You’ve lived in so many wonderful places, how have each of them influenced your cooking style?
I spent the first 12 years of my life in the Middle East, Iran and Kuwait, specifically. I use a lot of herbs and spices, chicken, beef, and fish and grains in my cooking. Since both of these countries are Muslim countries, pork meat is not available, as it’s forbidden for Muslims to eat it. I didn’t start eating pork until we moved back to California. I try to make myself use pork more often, but it rarely makes a blip in my culinary radar since it was just not available during my formative years.Since I’m now living here in Southeast Asia, I use a lot of chilies, tofu and aromatic Asian herbs such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, laksa and pandan leaves, etc.
If you were stranded in a deserted island and could only do one thing, what would it be?
That’s easy, I’d draw or paint. I have always loved to draw. With drawing, you don’t need any fancy materials. You can use burnt wood and draw on leaves or rocks, just like the early cavemen did.
What is the greatest cooking challenge you face in the Philippines?
The greatest challenge would be finding the ingredients when I’m craving stuff from home such as Mexican or Tex-Mex food. Those Mexican or Southwestern chilies like chipotle or ancho chilies are simply not available here, so it’s pointless trying to recreate these dishes. Cooking Western food is quite challenging here. Ingredients are either unavailable or very expensive if they are available.
Why do you blog?
I started my blog on Thanksgiving Day of 2009 and realized that I’ve now been living as an expat in the Philippines for 9 years. I couldn’t help but think about how frustrating it was that I couldn’t cook the foods I grew up with, or was accustomed to because I didn’t know where to get the ingredients during my early days.
As exciting and interesting as it is to try different kinds of ‘exotic’ dishes, you always go back ‘home’ to mac and cheese or whatever is considered comfort food in your culture. I figured I’d help out new expats here in the Philippines and point them in the right direction by giving them tips on where to shop and what substitutions to use.
When you’re in a totally new and unfamiliar environment, the most familiar things in your life would be your family and the food you prepare. When you’re a new expat, the only control you have is how you run your home which includes the food you prepare.
What exciting things will we see in your blog in the coming months?
For this month, I’ll be featuring a series I call Culinary Cosmetic Surgery where I take a traditional dish and give it a new appearance. The ingredients won’t be changed, just the shape and presentation.
It’s your turn to be the boss, which 3 ingredients will you pick for the next challenge?
Tofu – firm or soft ( also known as ‘silken tofu’)
Seafood of your choice – fish, shrimp, mussels or clams
Lemongrass
Shopping tips:
-Buy your tofu from your local Asian markets instead of those fancy or trendy health food stores like Whole Foods. You’ll pay much less.
-Soft or silken tofu is generally used in desserts and firm tofu in savory dishes.
-The scent of fresh lemongrass dissipates the longer its exposed to air, so chop your lemongrass just right when you’re about to use it.
Thanks for sharing, KM! Please be sure to stop by The Masochist’s blog, I promise you will enjoy her approach to cooking. As for the next challenge, since I had scheduling complications, I will need to reconfigure the dates, I will keep you posted with the details.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
This is only the second entry for my New Orleans adventures, I mean work week, but I’ve been here for almost 4 days now. Technical difficulties kept me from giving you a play-by-play, but i will try to make up for lost time.
Yesterday I had an awesome omelette for breakfast at a little cafe right across from the hotel. I didn’t take pictures of it, I’m sorry to say, but it was perfect. Tasso ham, still moist in the middle. Beautiful! And they also gave me the best cup of coffee I’ve had on this trip.
So I thought I would try to top yesterday’s breakfast today. I headed out to Mother’s, a landmark in these here parts. You know how sometimes you hear a lot about a place, then it doesn’t live up to the hype? Mother’s is nothing like that.
I decided against another omelette, even though the menu was tempting me with a crawfish etouffe omelette. Instead, I went for the basics: 2 eggs, grits, biscuits and their homemade sausage. Let me tell you, when something this simple is that good, you know the place is a winner.
Now, I have to walk this off. I’ll be back!
Hello my friends! Have you missed me? I hope so, because I’ve missed you! I’m away. This week I’m working in New Orleans. Yeah. That’s it. I’m working.
The awful view from my room
And since I’m working so hard, I can’t produce proper posts for you, but what I’ll do is give you a play-by-play as I eat my way around town. It’s a tough job, but I’ve got to do it. Some of these may even make it another appearance in a few weeks as I attempt to recreate them.
I arrived on Tuesday and had computer drama, so I couldn’t start this then. But…, here’s what was for dinner.
N’awlins Barbecue Shrimp
Today at lunch I had fried shrimp and oysters. Yum!
That's just spicy tomato juice in the background.
I will keep you posted as I eat around. Commander’s Palace tonight…
I wish I could tell you I know a lot about eggplant, but I can’t. I never touched the stuff when I was growing up and as a young and not so young adult, I stayed away from it based on my early childhood impressions.
Then I went to Spain and the stuff was EVERYWHERE. I tried it roasted and swimming in garlicky olive oil and I feel in love with the creamy sweetness of it. Since then, I’ve made it a handful of times, always following the preparation I enjoyed in Spain. I add onions, peppers and garlic, douse it with olive oil and either roast it in the oven or slow cooking on the stovetop.
Lately I’ve been pondering about other ways to eat it since it is now a friendly veggie. This means it will make an appearance every so often on this little blog. Today, I’ll give you a recipe I found in Saveur magazine for fried eggplant. When I tell you it is to die for, I am NOT exaggerating. The batter is a similar to a tempura batter, but it is ridiculously easy to make. Read on.
First things first, get that eggplant ready for consumption. I didn’t know this about eggplant, but it has an inherent bitterness that is best removed before frying. Saveur’s suggestion is to use salt to draw the bitterness out.
Peel and slice the eggplant into rounds that are about 1/4 inch thick. Lay them out on a cookie sheet that has been covered with paper towels or a kitchen towel. Sprinkle with salt, preferably coarse that way the eggplant doesn’t absorb as much of it. The salt also seems to prevent the discoloration.
Saveur’s recommendation was to let it sit 30 minutes, but the first time I made these I allowed them to sit for about an hour and that seemed to work best. At the end of that time, you’ll notice there’s a lot of liquid on the tops of each slice.
Flip each slice over and squish it into the towel to remove the liquid and remove some of the moisture that may still be trapped in the slice. Then brush off with a damp cloth to remove the excess salt.
OK, Ok. Here’s the recipe:
Saveur’s Fried Eggplant
1 1/2 cp flour
1 1⁄4 cp white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio)
1 large or 2 medium eggplants sliced into rounds
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Whisk wine and flour in a medium bowl until batter is smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper. Remember that the eggplant slices will have some salt if you used that method, so be mindful about how much salt you’re adding to the batter. I would suggest following the recipe as is, frying one slice and tasting it before adding any more salt.
Pour oil into a heavy skillet or deep fryer and heat oil to 400° or until it sizzles when you drop in a little batter. Dip eggplant slices in batter, then drop them into oil, but try not to crowd them. Fry until golden brown, flip and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels.
You can keep them warm in a 200° preheated oven. Something weird happened when I made these the first time. I left the skins on them and it was perfect just out of the fryer, but as they cooled, the skin was tough and papery. I suggest peeling them, makes eating them a LOT more enjoyable.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
PS: The batter was awesome on asparagus too!
Not sure why, but I’m in a blogging funk. Not a cooking funk, mind you, just blogging. To ease it, I took myself on a nature date, which is funny because I’m a consummate city girl. But since Spring is springing, I thought I’d go on a hunt for bluebonnets.
Bluebonnets are Texas’ state flower and they are as elusive as they are beautiful. I think Houston’s weather is too wacky to allow them to be in bloom for a reasonable amount of time, so when you hear word that they’re springing, you have to act fast. And act I did.
After a quick search for the best spots, I grabbed my camera and hit the road towards Burton, TX. Traffic was mercifully light, but there were lots of people pulling up on the side of the road, babies and toddlers dressed up and sitting amidst the blooms. Dangerous practice and an illegal one, but heck, TX is cowboy land.
I found Burton after taking a few scenic detours and was tickled by the quaint little town.
Standing in the blaring sun I found myself thinking how cute it would be to live in a town like it. Of course, I quickly came back to city girl reality and mocked myself.
I saw cute store fronts.
An old railway station.
Beautiful classics.
And…
lots of bluebonnets.
And wildflowers.
Nature’s own Monet painting.
On a sidenote, someone REALLY should’ve mentioned the inordinate amount of bugs that hang out with the pretty flowers. I’m amazed my shots were steady.
If you liked these pictures, go to my photostream, there are LOTS more.
What’s blooming in your neck of the woods?
Anamaris
There was a side dish my mom used to prepare for almost every Sunday dinner we served. She called it a corn soufflé, I’m not sure where she got the recipe from, Betty Crocker? In any case, I.simply.loved.IT.
I’m surprised I still think and crave that dish given that I was the type of child who would OD on a dish or food once discovered. I’m trying to keep my carb intake down, which is tough for me because most of the veggies I like pack a huge punch in that department. Corn, obviously, falls within that category. Improv time.
I had a couple of zucchinis and a few spears of asparagus left from after our weekend grilling fest. Wonder if I can sub the corn with those two and still have something similar to mom’s dish, while keeping carbs on the DL???
The delicious answer is YES! Yes! It works, oh it works deliciously! It may not be a fancy soufflé, but you’ll like it anyway. The best part is that you can probably use pretty much any veggie you like and the ratio you prefer. More asparagus, all zucchini, peas, the possibilities are endless.
Zucchini & Asparagus Soufflé-ish
2 medium zuchinnis, cubed (about 3 cps)
+/- 10 asparagus spears, cubed (about 2 cps)
2-3 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 cp milk
1 egg
3 tbsp flour
1 cp cheese, shredded (I used cheddar)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg, optional
1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
Preheat oven to 375°. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet until lightly brown, just long enough to render the fat.
In a bowl, beat the egg, milk and flour, then add the rest of the ingredients. Once all the ingredients have been incorporated, add the bacon, including the fat rendered.
Butter a baking dish, something that is about 8 to 10 inches in diameter and add the mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. YUM!
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
