Shrimp and Papaya and Tuna, oh my!

Welcome to October!  Anybody for a Fest with beer?  

We had the great pleasure of seeing John Cleese and Eric Idle's Together Again For The First Time touring comedy show.  What a hoot!  In their 70s now, these two former Pythons are still hilarious as they perform skits, reminisce about the old days, show clips from the Flying Circus and other shows they worked on, tell outrageous jokes, and generally act up.  They've started their American tour here in Florida to "fine tune" the show for bigger, more prestigious venues.  Should we be insulted?  Or pleased?   Anyway, in our opinion, the Audience Q&A segment was contrived (they just BS'd, and only answered one or two real audience questions) and ran overly long.  Even so, it was a laugh a minute!  If you're a Monty Python fan, this is a "must see".


FoodFightWrite Update
The powers that are have created for us a private Facebook Group, and so far there are thirty-something bloggers of various type getting to know each other a little.  Several bloggers from here in Florida, one from Myanmar, and one from England, others scattered here and there across the country.  Looks like this will be a fun event.  

This time next month we'll be getting ready to compete in the cook-off.  Steaks from Kansas City Steak Co.tm and sauces from SaucyMamatm are featured sponsor ingredients, plus there will be a pantry of items to draw from for sides, garnishes, etc.

Shrimp and Wilted Spinach Salad

First up in the Shrimp Parade is this dish which I saw on the internet the other day and decided it needed the Kilted touch to ramp it up from "interesting" to "exciting".  The optional extras give you a bit more volume and create more of a 'dinner salad' appeal.  (serves 2)

3/4 lb large Shrimp, peeled

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4--1/3 cup Asian Ginger Sesame Salad Dressing -- I used Newman's Owntm
9-10 oz bag fresh Spinach

Juice of 1 fresh Lemon

Optional but nice: Mushrooms, Dice Red Bell Pepper for color

In a bowl combine the shrimp and salad dressing, tossing lightly until shrimp are thoroughly coated. Marinate for 10-15 minutes or more.

Add the shrimp and marinade to a hot skillet, turning until they are just cooked and changing color. Remove shrimp to a small bowl and  keep warm.

In the same skillet, toss in the lemon juice and spinach, cover and cook until the leaves are just wilted. Plate, add the shrimp and optionals if any, and serve.

Critique:  Sally wished that I had sauteed the mushrooms rather than leaving them raw.  I wish I'd added some diced red bell pepper to the spinach, for color.  Otherwise, we'll be having this dish again. and again...

Tuna Noodle Casserole - a modernized classic

Like many of you I grew up with tuna-noodle casserole that used cream-of-something soup rather than have home cooks try to make a roux or an Alfredo sauce. The problem with those soups, even today, is that they contain about 3x the salt you really need to be eating. 

Campbell'stm and other soup manufacturers still belong to the 'old school' that sez massive doses of salt will improve the flavor of flash -cooked mediocre ingredients. Well, personally, I'm not having it! When they start making canned soups with NO salt added (but use other herbs and spices instead), then I'll buy canned soup again.

Here's a hint when buying canned tuna: NEVER buy "Chunk" tuna. You're paying for a can that is half water!! Buy only Solid White Albacore Tuna, and you'll never go back to that other stuff!

8 oz medium or wide Egg Noodles

1 jar Alfredo pasta sauce -- by now you know the brand I prefer

1/2 cup dry White Wine or Chicken Broth

2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoon grated Lemon Peel

3 cans (5 oz each) Solid White Albacore Tuna in water, drained and flaked

2 cups frozen peas

8 oz mushrooms

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese from a can

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray a 3-quart baking dish (8x11 or so) with cooking spray.

Cook and drain the pasta using minimum cook time. Saute the mushrooms in a splash of olive oil. 

 In large bowl, toss to combine the Alfredo sauce, wine/broth, seasoning, lemon peel, tuna, peas, mushrooms and pasta. Spoon into the baking dish and pat the top down flat. Top with the Panko/Parm mixture. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is GB&D (golden brown and delicious). 

 

Som Tum -- Green Papaya Salad my way

Here's my second float in the Shrimp Parade!   

This is a classic Thai dish, with variants from all around the region. Unfortunately, it can only be made if you have access to green (unripe) papayas. We grow papaya down here in South Florida, and I was propping up one of Sally's trees on Saturday, when this huge fruit broke its stem -- from the 4+ pound weight hanging on it -- and tried to brain me! 

So I peeled and seeded it, and chunk cut half and froze it. I shredded the other half for this salad, using our Saladmastertm with the #1 cone. You can use a box grater or if your knife skills are good, slice it julienne. Freezing the papaya (both chunks and julienned) is an experiment to see whether it can be used after freezing, or if it turns into sludgy water.  Hopefully it will freeze and recover well...

The original Asian versions of this recipe use dried baby shrimp tossed in with the papaya.  We like real bites of shrimp and use fresh Florida Pink shrimp when we can get them.  You can also use those little "salad shrimp" which are often quite inexpensive.

Traditional recipes also call for you to julienne one or more hot chili peppers and toss them with the rest of the ingredients.  I prefer a bit more 'fine control' on my spice level, so I use the Cajun spice blend.  You could also use any dried chile pepper blend or liquid pepper sauce like Tabascotm or Cholulatm.

Nuoc Mam or Nam Pla is an exceedingly salty fermented sauce from Southeast Asia, similar to the Garam sauce of ancient Rome, and other "don't waste any of the catch" fermented fish sauces around the world.  A little bit goes a llllooooonnnnnggg way!  I keep a small bottle on hand for dishes like this as well as other Vietnamese, Thai and similar dishes I make.

Serves 4

Dressing:

Juice from one fresh Lime

1 to 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce (Nam Pla or Nuoc Mam), to taste

1/2 - 1 tsp Brown Sugar

2 cloves Garlic, peeled and pressed/minced

1 tablespoon Dry-roasted Peanuts, chopped fine

Salad:

1/2 pound Green Beans, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths

3-4 cups Green Papaya, shredded fine or julienned (discard the seeds and inner membrane

1+ teaspoon Tony Cachere's Cajun Spice Blendtm or other dried chile blend

1 bunch Green Onions, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

24 Shrimp, peeled and sauteed

1/2 cup Dry Roasted Peanuts, for garnish

Whisk the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, ground peanuts and minced garlic together to make the dressing. Set aside.

Cook the beans in salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water. Cut into 1" inch pieces. You could also just microwave them for 2-3 minutes.

Julienne or shred enough peeled, cored papaya to measure 3-4 cups. Place in large bowl. Add the tomatoes, green onions, Cajun or other chile spice blend, and green beans. Toss to combine. Pour dressing over; toss. Sprinkle peanuts over and serve with shrimp on the side.

 

Som Tum is a very filling dinner salad, especially when served with a half dozen full-sized shrimp.  The flavor is rich without being fiery (unless you like it that way).  The dressing is sweet, salty, tart and tasty!  If you can find a green papaya, please try this dish.  I know you'll love it!