Mango-Poached Shrimp, Mango Salmon, and more!

Mango-Poached Shrimp Fettucini
This one just came to me in a flash of inspiration.  I love how that happens!!

2-3 very soft fresh Mangos
1/2 - 3/4 lb large-ish Shrimp (16-20s would be good)  I like Gulf Pink deepwater shrimp.
4-8 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar, to taste
1/4 cup julienned fresh Basil

Basil Pesto to taste; home made is best, if you have lots of basil on hand.
Your favorite Fettucini noodles

My Cajun-loving chef friends could add some Cajun spice blend to this recipe, but I chose not to -- this time!

Disassemble the mangos and put the meat and juice in your food processor along with a cup or so of water.  Take it for a spin until you have a thin sort of mango 'gravy'.  Reserve.

Peel the shrimp.  I like to leave the tails on, but you don't have to.   Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the fettucini and cook to package directions. 

Put the mango puree in a medium skillet along with the fresh basil.  Bring to a simmer and add the vinegar to taste. Stir to combine.  The vinegar cuts the uber-sweetness of the mango and along with the basil, makes the gravy more savory.  Now add the shrimp.  

Cook a few minutes, turning as needed until the shrimp just turn pink -- but no longer -- tough overcooked shrimp are not good!

Plate your fettucini and top with the mango-poached shrimp.   Add a dollop of Basil pesto as an additional kick to the flavor.

Shrimp & Grits
Sally's Mum requested these for Sunday brunch a week or so back.  Every time I make this dish it's a bit different.  This time I didn't 'tart things up' with added veggies or a gravy.  Just a simple meal of shrimp sautéed with a bit of Cajun spice, atop a bed of my Creamy Dreamy White Cheesy Grits.
  

And a mango smoothie for dessert!


Mango Salmon
The leftover 'mango gravy' from the Mango-Poached Shrimp recipe became the basis for a dinner of salmon and sweetcorn.  #MakeOverMyLeftover chef Suzanne DuPlantis!

I pan seared the wild-caught sockeye fillets dusted with Evergladestm seasoning, then topped them with spoonfuls of the mango sauce, put the lid on and let them cook about 10 minutes until flaky.  

Most moist and tender salmon I've made in a loooonngg time.

I cook my corn on the cob in the husk, in the microwave -- about 3 minutes per ear.  The I use a chef's knife to chop off the butt end.  Wearing heat-proof gloves, I squeeze the ear of corn from the pointy end, pushing the ear out of the husks , leaving 90% of the silk behind!


Barley Bowl
Variations of the classic Japanese Rice Bowl meal have caught on with the healthy eating folks.  They're using grains other than rice, of course -- barley, faro, quinoa, amaranth.  This is my take -- a Barley bowl, made by cooking up a batch of pearled barley, preferably in a vegetable stock for added flavor.  I made the mistake of using "quick cooking" barley -- never again!  Just not the quality, texture or taste of regular slow-cooked barley.  This would be even better, I think if made with the ancient grain Faro.

Toppings can be anything you like, cooked or raw.  For this vegan bowl I used heirloom cherry tomatoes, slices mushrooms, diced green onion, and some Indian-spiced roasted chickpeas.  The sky's the limit!

Lace Potatoes, Turmeric Latte, Cantaloupe-Cucumber Soup, Stuffed Courgettes

Lace Potatoes & Quorm Rissoles
One of my favorite science fiction writers, L.E. Modesitt, has written over 60 books, and in at least two of his multi-part series, the characters often eat "lace potatoes".  Well, for years I though this was supposed to be some exotic, otherworldly vegetable.  But then one day, with nothing to lose, I Googled "lace potatoes".

Surprise, surprise! as Gomer Pile used to say!!  It's a real dish!  Think "thin potato pancakes" made with Southern style shredded Hash Brown potatoes.  More fun to shred your own, of course!

2 cups shredded Potatoes
2 Eggs, beaten
4 Tbsp Self Rising Flour or AP flour plus 1-1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 -- 3/4 cup Onion and/or Shallot 'strings'
2 tsp Cavender'stm Greek Spice Blend

In a largish bowl combine the potatoes, flour, onion and spice.  Toss to combine well.  Rest 10 minutes, then fold in the beaten eggs.  Makes about 6 cakes.
Heat 1/4" of vegetable oil in a wide skillet.

Place 1/3 cup scoops of the potato mixture in the skillet and flatten with a spatula to about 1/4" thin.  I fit 3 'cakes' in my skillet per batch.   Fry about 8-10 minute per side until the edges are crispy and the cakes stay together.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.

I served my Lace Potatoes alongside some Spicy Quorn rissoles that I picked up at the mega-mart.   We had sampled and enjoyed Quorn while in England earlier this year.  According to Wikipedia:  

Quorn is a meat substitute originating in the UK in 1985 and sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 18 countries.  Quorn foods contain mycoprotein, which is derived from the Fusarium venenatum fungus which is grown by fermentation similar to the commercial yeast making process. In most Quorn products, the fungus culture is dried and mixed with egg albumen as a binder, and then adjusted in texture and pressed into various forms (patties, fingers, ground, nuggets, etc.).

Chilled Cantaloupe-Cucumber Soup
Here's a great summertime chilled soup that is light and refreshing, and oh so tasty!  Of course it's summer all year 'round here in Florida so it's appropriate anytime round here!

6 cups of 1" cubes of Cantaloupe (one average melon)
4" length English Cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped.  Extra for garnish
1/2 cup unsweetened Almond or Rice "milk"
1 Lime, juiced
1" fresh Ginger, grated
12 leaves fresh Basil, julienned; extra for garnish
pinch of Salt

In a blender whirr together the melon, almond milk, lime juice and ginger.  Add the cucumber (don't overdo the cucumber in the puree) and whirr again until smooth.  Season with salt as needed (I didn't).  Stir in the julienned basil. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours.  Garnish with additional cucumber cubes and chopped basil.

I'm betting this would be equally good with mint rather than basil.

Turmeric Latte
This is a variation on a Blue Zones recipe.  Turmeric has lots of healthy properties and is a supplement worth consuming more often.  Hot (as I make it) or cold, this is a good way to get a large dose of health!

2 cups strong Coffee
1/2 cup Almond Creamer or Half & Half
1 tsp ground Turmeric

Heat the creamer and the coffee separately.  Add the turmeric to the coffee and stir like crazy.  If you have a milk frother, whip the creamer with it until well frothed.  Otherwise use a whisk "with vigor" to put some air into the creamer before slowly adding it to the hot coffee.  

The whisking isn't just for froth -- it's really difficult to get the turmeric to dissolve into the coffee, and the drink will be 'gritty' if you don't whisk or blend well enough.

Stuffed Zucchini
This is a concept, not really a recipe.

Halve one or more large zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the seeds to leave a fillable channel.

Make a filling -- I used Aroz Amarillo (yellow rice) with cooked diced red bell pepper, onion and celery.  Taco seasoned meat, faux meat, any dice vegetables you like, quinoa or amaranth, faro or barley could all do well here.

Add cheesy toppings.  I used real cheese for my halves, and Nutritional Yeast for Sally's.

Bake at 400F for about 30-45 minutes depending on how huge the zucchini are.  I prefer to nuke the hollowed zucchini for a few minutes prior to filling, to reduce time in the oven and have the zucchini done but not mushy.

Mint Lemonade Chickpea Salad, Tropical Smoothie Trio, Mango-Pit Jam

Lemon, Mint & Chickpea Salad
Simple and refreshing -- a great summery salad.

2 cups cooked Chickpeas
3/4 cup Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp or more packed Mint leaves finely minced
2 cloves Garlic finely minced
S&P TT
optional:  leafy greens, pita pockets

Toss chickpeas and tomatoes together in a bowl.  In another bowl whisk together the lemon juice, mint and garlic.  Toss dressing with the chickpeas and tomatoes.  Chill.  Serve on a leafy green base  (I used fresh baby spinach) as above, or in pita pockets:

Tropical Smoothie Trio
One of the great pleasures of living in Southwest Florida is our ready access to tropical/exotic fruits which aren't available elsewhere (or are not readily available in perfectly ripe condition anyway).  One of the best ways to enjoy these tropical blessings is in a simple smoothie.  Here are three of our favorites:

Mango-Banana
These are extra special when you can pick the mangos and bananas off of your own trees!!  We like our mangos "falling on the ground" ripe and sweet.  Bird pecks or raccoon nibbles we just cut away and salvage the rest -- no sense in wasting fabulous fruit!  For two smoothies you'll need:

3-4 very ripe Mangos, filleted
1 ripe Banana, peeled and chopped

To fillet the mangos, follow my Mango In A Glass post here:
https://foodingaround-kiltedcook.blogspot.com/search?q=mango+glass

Put the fillets and pit trimmings in a blender with the cut up banana.  For the most mango flavor take just those two things for a spin.  Or, you can add Greek or Skyr yogurt or even half & half to thin things out.  A dusting of cinnamon or nutmeg is a nice touch before serving.

Mamey Sapote
This unique fruit grows here on Pine Island, and from Homestead, FL south.  You want these extra, extra mush soft before making smoothies -- the riper the better.  Firm Mamey. like the one shown, are actually best suited for making Mamey Foster desserts -- check out my post on Mamey and Mamey Foster from 5 years ago.

https://foodingaround-kiltedcook.blogspot.com/search?q=Mamey+Foster

Mamey by itself makes a very, very thick smoothie.  Thin it out using plain yogurt (Skyr or Greek), half & half, or unsweetened Almond Creamer.  Since this Mamey wasn't quite as colorfully ripe, the smoothie is a bit more pale -- but still almost cloyingly sweet!

Dragonfruit
Dragon fruit are certainly 'interesting looking' inside and out,  but they're not particularly flavorful IMHO.  

They are the fruit of a succulent (cactus) related to the Night Blooming Cereus.  Dragonfruit bloom both at night and the early morning hours and are pollinated by moths and other flying insects.  Scoop out the white or red interior and take it for a spin with some unsweetened Almond Creamer of half & half.  

If that's too bland, add a little mango, blueberries, or other fruit to kick things up a bit.

Mango-Pit Jam
Mango-Pit Jam I hear you say????   Yeah, well, sorta...  Sally found a version of this recipe in an Oprah!  magazine (April 2019).  This is a great thing to do with mango pits when you're processing lots of mangos into frozen fillets!  

A lot less messy than cutting the meat off the pits!  The original recipe called for 4 fleshy mango pits.  I multiplied x 4 the number of pits but not the amounts of water or sugar.  Here's my version:

16 Mango-Pits, meat on.
1 cup Sugar
2 cups Water
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes.  

Every 15 minutes or so use tongs and a knife to scrap the meat off the pits, removing pits as they are cleaned.  Continue cooking and reducing the liquid  -- as much as an hour or more low and slow -- until the mango mash is thickened but not browning/burning.  If it passes the "spoon leaves a trail as you drag it across the pot" test  or the "sticks to a spoon" test , you're good to go!  Don't try to rush the reduction, you'll end up burning the fruit.

Transfer to a screw-top container and cool on the counter before refrigerating.  I got a bit more than a pint of jam out of 16 pits.

Blueberry "Cheese"cakes, Cherry Tomato Tart

Blueberry "Cheese"cakes
Here's a recent no-bake Blue Zones recipe that I made for yesterday's lunch dessert.  No cheese was harmed in the production of this "cheese"cake dessert!  However, two kinds of nuts were reduced to dust...

Start by putting 2 cups of Cashews into a large bowl and covering them with an inch or so of boiling water.  Let them set for at least half an hour while you make the crust.

Crust
1-1/2 cup Almonds
10-12 Medjool Dates, pitted
1-2 tsp Water

Take the nuts and dates for a spin in your food processor until things are very fine grained.  Add the water and spin another minute or so to combine and the mass starts to clump.

Pan
Use a 12 cup cupcake tin and line the cups with standard cupcake papers.  Put "some" of the crust mix into each cup and press it down.

I used the 2" ladle shown, both as a measure of the amount of crust mix;  and with a damp back, a press to spread the mixture and pack it into the cups.  Put the tin in the refrigerator while you carry on with the rest of the recipe.

Filling
2 cups raw Cashews, from above
1-1/2 cups fresh Blueberries
1/2 cup Maple Syrup (the real thing, not "maple flavored syrup"
Juice of a Lemon
1/3 cup melted Coconut Oil.  If you aren't "into" coconut oil for medical reasons (it's not good for us diabetics), use Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Optional:  My filling wasn't very sweet, so I added 2 tablespoons of Honey to the mix.

Take all these ingredients for a spin until smooth.  It can take several minutes to grind things enough to get rid of any 'gritty' texture.

Ladle the filling into the chilled cupcakes; filling all the way to the top.

Place the filled tin in the fridge overnight until the filling sets up.  Or start by putting them in the freezer for an hour or so and then the fridge for a few hours.

This was a very interesting idea, but blueberries aren't really the best fruit for this application -- they just aren't that flavorful.  The filling tasted more of cashew than blueberry.  It was OK, but not great.  Strawberries, or mango would be much more flavorful; even if they aren't a "super-duper" food like the blueberries.  Next time I'll try mango...


Cherry Tomato Tart
Parse that title anyway you want -- Cherry Tomato Tart or Cherry Tomato Tart.  Either way it's a light and tasty dish, and a wonderful way to use up lots of cherry tomatoes at one time!  I got a huge order of heirloom cherry tomatoes from the SWFL Produce Co-Op this week, an just had to find something special to do with them.  Here goes...

Shortcrust Pastry
This is a classic British tart crust, enriched by one egg.  Best kept cool to cold while you're working the dough.  Best also to weigh pastry ingredients rather than using cups.  And metric is much more accurate for these measures.  This is enough pastry to make a 10" tart crust.

300 grams AP Flour
1 metric Pinch of Salt
150 grams COLD Butter or Lard or a combination
1 Egg, beaten
2-3 Tbsp COLD water ( a cup of water with 3 ice cubes)

Put flour and salt in food processor, add the COLD butter/lard and pulse till it turns to 'breadcrumbs'.  Slowly add the egg as you continue to pulse, then add the water.  Pulse a few more times until the mix comes together as a dough.  Wrap in clingfilm and store in the fridge for 15-30 minutes while the oven pre-heats to 400F.

Roll out the dough and tuck it into your tart pan.  Dock the bottom with a fork and blind bake the crust for 10-15 minutes.   This can be done the day before and stored, covered, in the fridge overnight.

Filling
2 Sweet Onions
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
Small Button Mushrooms
Goat Cheese, softened
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Basil

Slice the onions into strips and caramelize them on a griddle or large skillet, with a splash of olive oil.

Pre-heat the oven to 375F.

Spread a layer of softened goat cheese across the bottom of the tart crust.  Alternatively use softened cream cheese.  Then add a nice layer of shredded mozzarella.  The cheeses melt quickly and act as as a barrier to keep the juices of the mushrooms, tomatoes and onions from making the crust too soggy.

Add the cooled caramelized onions over the cheeses.

Then arrange your tomatoes and mushrooms and top them with more shredded cheese and about 1/4 cup of chopped basil...

Bake for about 30 minutes until the tomatoes are starting to wrinkle and the cheeses are nicely melted.  Remove from the over and rest for 10 minutes before slicing.  Julienne another bunch of fresh basil and sprinkle it overall before slicing.  

YUUUMMMMM!

Watermelon, Oat Cakes, Edamame Rissoles, Kitchen Tip

Watermelon Cake
This gives a whole new meaning to the word Fruitcake!!!.  We got this Forks Over Knives recipe the other day via email.  It's one of the few FOK recipes that has everything right -- no missing ingredients/times/temps, properly seasoned (none in this case), etc.  Sally needed something to take to work as a "thank you" to some co-workers, and thought this would be a Good Thing for me to make.

Watermelon
Fresh Nectarines, Mango, Plums, Blueberries, whatever you like
Skewers

Cut 3 rounds of watermelon 1" to 1-1/2" thick, and trim the rind away.  It's nicer if the three disks are slightly different sizes.  Select the largest disk for the base.

Cut the other fruits (except the blueberries) into 1/2" thick wedges.  I used firm mango slices, some pluots, and of course blueberries from our local food co-op.

Stand 4-5 skewers, points up, in the base, and arrange fruit all around the edge and into the center.  Run 2-3 blueberries down each skewer.    Add the second layer of melon and repeat with the other fruits.  Add the last layer of melon, top with fruit, and trim the skewers off at the last berries.  Chill for at least 2 hours.  Want to be decadent?  Add spray or real whipped cream, slice and serve.


Staffordshire Oatcakes Revisited
Our English friend Joan sent me, quite awhile ago, a recipe for Staffordshire Oat Cakes (see Oat Cakes May 22, 2017).  Well, when we went to England and I finally got to meet Joan and Mick, she served us handmade Oatcakes that were more like crepes then the thick planks I've been making.  
After the batter rises overnight in the fridge, she thins it down with water the next morning.  Also, hers had more texture -- she uses "pin oats" (which are nearly impossible to find in the US) rather than the Oat Flour I've been using -- so there were flakes of oat in the batter, not a homogenous slurry.

So anyway, here's my take on Oat-crepes served, this time "English Sweet"  -- a dusting of confectioner's sugar and a squeeze of lemon.  Next time I'll use Quick Oats rather than Oat Flour, so I should have even better texture...

Edamame-Rice Rissoles
Got this recipe from the local newspaper courtesy of America's Test Kitchen.  Usually ATK recipes are really well spiced and herbed, but IMHO they missed the mark in this case.

Don't get me wrong -- these are really good.  But they will be Outstanding if you add about a tablespoon of a spice blend to the recipe.  You can take these to any flavor profile you want -- Asian, Cajun, Malaysian, Indonesian, Caribbean, Mediterranean, etc.  I stayed with Asian, and next time will add more ginger, sriracha and Hoisin sauce to the mix.

1 cup Short Grain Rice -- brown if you can find it, but I used white
1 cup Fresh Baby Spinach, packed
1 cup Edamame, shelled, thawed, and patted dry
2 sheets Nori seaweed, crumbled
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil 
1 3" thumb Fresh Ginger, chopped
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil for frying

for Sriracha Mayonnaise1/2 cup Mayo
2-3 Tbsp Sriracha hot sauce

Cook the rice to package instructions.  Fluff it with a fork when done.   Combine the mayo and hot sauce for the Sriracha Mayonnaise.  Chill.

In the food processor, pulse everything else until everything is finely ground but not a paste.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Chill for about 30 minutes.

Divide the mixture into 4 and form into tight patties about 3/4" thick.  

Fry in the oil about 8 minutes per side until lightly browned and slightly crispy outside.  Plate with side items as desired.

Removing Price Stickers
Doncha just hate it when you buy something and it has those darn hard to remove price stickers???  Scrape the stickers off and you're left with the ugly gummy residue that takes forever to go away.  

Sally bought these plastic wine goblets the other day, got frustrated, and we spent some quality time researching ways to get the gunk off.

Just fingernail scraping gave us the middle goblet.  The goblet on the left was treated with a swabbing of oil.  The one of the right was, as you can see, rubbed with mayonnaise.

In the end, a combination of oil and then mayonnaise, together with scraping with an old credit card gave us these:

Mayo definitely gave us better results, but oil first seemed the best solution.