Floribbean Pepperpot, Baked Risotto!, Salmon Wellington, Victoria Sponge

Floribbean Pepperpot
Here's my vegetarian take on a classic Bajan slow-cooked beef and veg dish.  On the island of Barbados they use a tough cut of beef and cook it into submission by braising it low and slow.  

6 large Carrots, peeled and cut into 4" lengths
1 cuo Butternut Squash Cubes
1 Red and 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 White Onion, sliced
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 large fresh Tomato, diced

Broth:
2 cups Water
1 Tbsp Vegetable Bouillion Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
1 tsp fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes -- to taste

Saute in a large covered skillet saute the onion, bell peppers, and garlic until the onions are turning translucent.  Add the tomato and cook a few minutes more.

Push the saute to the side, add the carrot and squash, then arrange the other veg back around them.  Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to 225-250F and simmer, covered, for 1+ hours until the carrots are fork tender.  Check the liquid level at the half-hour mark and add a bit of water if needed.

Serve with rice, or as I did, with a mix of half rice/half quinoa "Spanish" style -- seasoned with achiote, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, etc. Achiote (annatto seed powder) gives the dish it's signature orange/red color.  I use the Badia brand Sazon Tropicaltm blend rather than making my own mixture of spices.  

Baked Risotto
One of my UK cookery friends turned me on to this BBC Good Food technique for making risotto without all the whisking and stirring.  Instead of the haddock and leek in the original recipe, I used crimini mushrooms and shrimp.  As written this serves four as a main course.

1 Tbsp Butter or Oliviotm
1 Leek or Sweet White Onion, sliced
1-1/2 cups Risotto Rice -- I prefer Arborio
3 cups Stock or Broth -- I used water with vegetable powder and mushroom powder
1 cup Whole Milk
6 oz Shrimp -- I used pre-cooked locally sourced
4 oz sliced Crimini Mushrooms
4 oz Baby Spinach
3 Tbsp Skyr or Sour Cream or  Crème Fraîche
Fresh cracked Black Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

In a large skillet on the stovetop, saute the onion in butter until just turning soft.  Add the rice, stir to combine, and cook a couple more minutes.  Add the liquids, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.  Fold in the shrimp and mushrooms.

Transfer to an ovenproof baking dish, cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.  Turn the heat off.

Fold in the skyr/cream and spinach, crack on some pepper, cover and return the dish to the oven for 3-5 minutes to wilt the spinach.

Winner, winner, Risotto Dinner!!  This is a keeper folks! 

If you love risotto but hate standing at the stove stirring, this is the dish for you!   


Salmon Wellington
Sally loves her salmon, and this was her requested birthday dinner, along with some stir fried broccoli...

12-14 oz Salmon filets.  I used two pieces, 6-7 oz, skin-on
1 sheet Puff Pastry
6-8 oz sliced Crimini Mushrooms
6-8 oz Baby Spinach
1 Egg, beaten

Par cook the salmon until almost done (I used my air-fryer).  Remove the skin and save it for your cat or dog.  Reserve

Par cook the spinach -- heat a 1/4 cup of water in a large skillet, add the spinach and cover.  Turn the heat off and let it wilt for 4-5 minutes.  Then drain and cool.  Reserve

Saute the mushrooms in a pat of butter, hot and fast so they don't shrink much.  Reserve.

Beat an egg.

Thaw the puff pastry and rolls it out a couple inches larger all around.   Lay down the mushrooms to form a bed of the salmon filets.  Layer the spinach on top of the filets.  Egg wash the pastry around the salmon and fold it over to seal.  Poke a few holes with a fork, lay the Wellington on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Egg wash the outside of the pastry.  Bake for 30 minutes at 400F.

Rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Victoria Sponge Cake
Sally's traditional birthday cake for me to make.  I used the recipe from English food-diva Mary Berry.  Yes I weighed the ingredients.   Simple actually:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Spray or grease two 8"  baking tins and line the bottoms with parchment.

4 Eggs
8 oz Sugar
8 oz Self-rising Flour
8 oz Butter at room temperature, sliced into pats
2 tsp Baking Powder 
Strawberry Jam or other fruit jam
Fresh Strawberries or other fruit
Whipped Cream -- real beaten cream is best, but spray cream or Cool Whiptm are OK.

Mix together (hand or stand mixer) everything until they just all come together without lumps.   

Divide the batter (again I weighed them) between the two baking tins and smooth the tops.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until the tops are golden and the cake is pulling away from the edge of the tin a bit.  Cool 10 minutes before unmolding and letting the cakes cool entirely.

Put one the cakes upside down on your cake plate.  Schmear a nice thick layer of jam on the first cake.  You can also add sliced fruit here if you want.

Carefully set the second cake right-side up on top of the jam. 

Cover the top of the cake with whipped cream and sliced fruit. Look at those giant strawberry slices!

You could also dust with candy sprinkles, cocoa powder, even flavored gelatin powder (Jell-O) for an added kick.  Let the cake chill for a couple hours before slicing and serving.

Birthday Shrimp Alfredo, Mongetes, and Mango "Cake"

 Shrimp & Mushroom Alfredo
My birthday dinner this year was a dish I haven't made in awhile.   So much better and healthier than that jar of Alfredo sauce!

1/2 lb Shrimp -- I used pre-cooked 41-50s
4-6 oz sliced Mushrooms
Fettucini or Spaghetti -- 2oz dry per person
Old Bay Seasoning to taste
2 Tbsp Oliviotm &  3 Tbsp Flour to make a Roux
1-1/2 cups Milk to thin the roux into a sauce
Mushroom Powder to flavor the sauce

Saute the mushrooms hot and fast in the Olivio, so they cook but don't shrink too much.  If using raw shrimp, cook them too until they just turn orange.  Use whatever seasoning you prefer.  I like a bit of Old Bay in this application.  Reserve.   

In a pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta cooks, make the roux with the flour and butter, and cook it a couple minutes to remove the raw flour taste.  Add milk a bit at a time to the roux, whisking to make the sauce.  When you have the volume and consistency of sauce you like, add mushroom powder or other spices to flavor the sauce.  Lastly, add the reserved shrimp and mushrooms. Heat through before ladling over the pasta.  Delish!!

Mongetes
It's also been quite awhile since I made this classic Spanish tapa.  Simple really -- fried white beans.  What makes them special is the Spanish (not Latin) salsa verde (below).

1/2 lb dry White Beans
1 tsp Thyme

Cooke the beans with the thyme, according to package directions.  Don't stir much, to keep the skins intact.  Don't over cook, you want them just tender, not mushy.  Dry the cooked beans very well on paper towels.

While the beans are cooking, make the Salsa Verde:

3/4 cup chopped Parsley
3-5 cloves Garlic, chopped
1/3 cup EVOO
pinch of Salt
Optional:  6-10 Croutons (depending on size)

Take the ingredients for a spin in your food processor, adding a bit more EVOO if needed to give this the consistency of a pesto.

To Make The Mongetes
In a large skillet add a good glug of EVOO and get it not quite smoking hot.  Carefully (so they don't splash) add the beans in a single layer and cook, stirring frequently, until they are crisping and starting to brown.  Add 3-4 Tbsp of the Salsa Verde and cook to combine the beans and salsa.   Some recipes call for you to add some crushed croutons to absorb any excess liquid.

Serve as a side with anything you like.  In Catalonia they are often served as Mongetes amb Botifarra -- fried white beans and a locally-made sausage similar to a bratwurst.

Mango "Cake"
A third blast-from-the-past!  It's Mango Season, and I needed a birthday cake.  What could be better than Mango Cake which is really Mango Bread in the shape of a cake???  

2 cups Mango pieces and juice
2 cups AP Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Lemon Juice

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Beat the egg and oil together.  Add the wet to the dry and stir with a fork.  Add the mango and lemon juice and fold things together to make a batter.  Pour into a prepped 8" springform pan.  I prefer a baking spray rather than oil or butter rubbed all over...

Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until you get 190F internal temp and a golden top.  Add candles as desired.   This would be great with a dollop of blueberry ice cream.

But I forgot to get any...

Asparagus-Shrimp Risotto, More Mango Gazpacho, Wild Mushroom Wellington, Scarborough Fayre/Fair

Asparagus-Shrimp Risotto
It's been dog's years since I made a risotto, but this simple recipe came across my feed, and sounded just right.  All I needed was the special rice. 

 This risotto is  a bit healthier because it doesn't add unnecessary extra oil or butter at the end.  For tools you'll need a deep-ish pot, a wide skillet and a soup ladle or silicon half-cup measure with a handle.   Nice and creamy, this serves four, or two with plenty of leftovers.

1/2 large Sweet White Onion
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
2-3 Tbso EVOO
5 cups Broth -- I used water plus mushroom powders
2 cups Arborio Rice -- the ultimate short grain rice, gotta have it to make passable risotto
1 lb Asparagus -- pencil thin stalks, please
1/2 lb large Shrimp -- I used pre-cooked locally sourced shrimp
Fresh cracked Black Pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan Cheese to garnish

Trim the asparagus butts and save them to make pesto.  Cut the good bits into thirds and reserve.  Peel the shrimp and reserve.

Put your broth in a pot and bring it to a simmer.  Add the asparagus and the shrimp if uncooked.  

In the skillet, heat the EVOO a minute, then saute the onion and garlic on medium heat until it's soft.  Add the rice and cook for a couple minutes, folding it with a spatula until it's all coated.  

Push aside the asparagus and shrimp, and scoop up a 1/2 cup of broth.  Pour it over the hot rice and fold the rice and stir while it is being absorbed -- about 2 minutes.   Repeat this process a total of five times, folding the rice so it gets cooked evenly.  

If your shrimp is cooked, add it to the remaining liquid/asparagus for a couple minutes to warm through.  Then pour the asparagus/shrimp liquid into the risotto for one last fold through cooking before plating.  

Plate with shaved Parmesan and a few twists of fresh cracked black pepper!


Mango Gazpacho II
LOTS of mangos this year, very early season!  Here's another simply delicious mango gazpacho!

2 cups Mango
2 cups Watermelon
2 cups  Lemon-Lime Sparkling Water
1/4 cup Lime juice
6+  English Cucumber, diced
1/2 cup Blueberries
2/3 cup  Red Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

Take the mango and watermelon for a spin to puree, then transfer to a pitcher.  Stir in the other ingredients and taste.  Adjust tart/sweet as desired.  Chill at least 3 hours before serving.

Wild Mushroom Wellington
I got some beautiful "wild" mushrooms from the SWFL Produce Co-op and just had to do something special and different with them.  All my own recipe

1 lb Mixed Mushrooms, Chopped -- Oyster, Cremini, you name it
1Tbsp Butter
1 small Sweet Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Roasted Eggplant Spread -- recipe from a couple weeks back
1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Scarborough Fayre spice blend
1/4 cup Panko
1 Egg, beaten
1 sheet Puff Pastry

Saute the mushrooms in butter, hot and fast so they don't shrink.  Reduce the heat, add the onion and garlic,  and simmer until they start to soften.  Add the sesame oil, Worchestershire, and spice blend.  Continue cooking another minute or two.  Then add the eggplant spread and stir to combine.  Turn off the heat and stir in the panko to absorb any liquid.  Reserve.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Thaw a sheet of puff pastry for about 20 minutes, gradually laying it flat on a lightly floured surface.  With a rolling pin or wine bottle, roll the pastry out a couple inches bigger all around.  Brush the beaten egg around the edges of the pastry about an inch wide.

Spoon the mushroom mixture into the center of the pastry and fold the edges over to encase it.  Place on a parchment covered baking sheet, seam-side down, and brush the outside with the remaining egg.   Bake for 20-30 minutes until GB&D. 

Let it rest a few minutes before slicing and serving.

                               

Scarborough Fayre/Fair Herb Blend
All my own invention, based on the herbs mentioned in Child Ballad #2:    The words in the oldest, Yorkshire versions of the song are savory, sage, rosemary and thyme. 

Paul Simon visited England in the 60's and first heard the local version of the song, and I suppose the word "savory" didn't make much sense since we seldom use Savory in the States.  So when he  brought the  tune back to the US, he substituted an herb we all knew, and Art Garfunkle wrote the Canticle lyrics which are sung around and behind the original words.  The rest, as they say,  is American Folk music history

I make two versions;  Fayre with the herb Savory and  Fair with the herb Parsley (both dried).  Savory can be a bit hard to find and expensive in the States (I got my from an internet spice shop); it's much more common and available in the UK.  

Simply enough, I use equal parts of each herb.  The only tricky bit is to try and grind the Rosemary and Parsley so they are as powdery as the other herbs.  Otherwise the blend will tend to separate.  I've used both a mortar & pestle and my electric coffee/spice grinder (cleaned before use) to grind things.    I make batches of about 1/8 cup of each herb, and store it in my spice cupboard in a shallow screw-top jar from which I take pinches as needed.

Whichever way you make it, the blend is really nice on eggs, mushrooms, vegetables, stuffings and anywhere you want a bit of herby earthiness -- umami as we now say.