cooking

Crab Cakes – Baltimore Style

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Today my hair is short :).
Yesterday, I received beautiful roses, thank you Nancy and Philip. I also got a fantastic cooking book (I have chosen already several recipes) thank you Theresa!!!!

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The Maryland area and specifically the city of Baltimore are well -known for their famous crab cakes. Two nights ago I followed the recipe below from Epicurious; it is excellent.

Crab Cakes – Baltimore Style
Time: 40 min | 6 crab cakes
Level: Easy

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice plus wedges for garnish
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning**
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped
  • 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over (Chicken of the Seas is a great option)
  • 1 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
  • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whisk first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add crab; fold to blend. Stir in 3/4 cup panko, chives, salt, and pepper. Divide into 6 equal portions. Form each into 1 inch thick patties. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place remaining 1/2 cup panko on a plate. Coat cakes with panko. Fry until golden brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with lettuce or salad.

Cooking tip: Panko can be found in groceries or markets with Asian products. Otherwise, bread crumbs are a good substitute.
**In case you cannot find Old Bay Seasoning in your local grocery store; you can make your own. Old Bay is a mix of the following spices: mustard, paprika, celery seed, bay leaf, both black and red pepper, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, mace and ginger.

Flowers and a Recipe

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Last week I received this colorful and joyful bouquet of flowers. I love flowers!

When you go to a hospital you can experience mixed feelings, you might be scared, feel relief, be worried or excited. For me when going to Johns Hopkins is the latter. I get excited to go to the hospital because not only do I know that I am recieving the medicines that will help my body to recover, but I am getting the best care from wonderful nurses.
Through this journey I have met  beautiful people. I am fortunate to have the great care of Lynne and Jenny (amazing nurses). Their smile, laughs and positive energy heals, they make a difference and I admire them.

Last Friday I had my second chemo and I have been feeling very well. In fact, on Saturday I started running again. Three miles to be exact.

A super easy and fast recipe for any winter day…

Ginger Chicken and Rice
From Food & Wine
Time: 1 hr | 4 Servings
Level: Easy

  • 3/4 cup hot water
  • 1 large cube chicken boullon (consome de pollo Knor)
  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • 2 inch of fresh ginger (cut into matchsticks)
  • 1 1/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3 cups of baby spinach
  • 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk

In a bowl, dissolve the cube of chicken bouillon (consome Knor) in the hot water, set aside. In a rice cooker (if you don’t have one use a normal pot) combine the rice with the ginger and the boneless chicken thighs cut into cubes. Arrange the spinach on top of the rice. Pour the coconut milk and the bouillon broth (consome de pollo) already prepared into the pot and season lightly with salt.
Cook the mix until it boils and then simmer. (for about 30 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked)

Cooking tip: To make this even easier and faster, use canned chicken or turkey.

Buen Provecho!

A Recipe with Quinoa

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Dave and I found this recipe at Food and Wine Magazine and we tried it for dinner tonight.
Quinoa is a seed and seems like a boring option for dinner; yet, this recipe adds a great flavor to it. Quinoa is known for its nutritional value. It is high in protein and considered a great antioxidant, it is also a source of magnesium for those that suffer from headaches and migraines; a great and nutritious ingredient that worth adding to your diet.

Photo from James Baigrie, Food & Wine, 2010.

Spice-Roasted Shrimp and Pistou with Quinoa
Time: 30-40 minutes | 4 servings
Level: Easy

To marinate the shrimp
1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the Pistou
1/4 cup (packed) basil leaves
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed  or cooked rice ready-to-serve
2 1/4 cups water

  1. In a resealable plastic bag, toss the shrimp with the garlic and onion powders, paprika, oregano, fennel seeds, dried thyme, 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until coated. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°. In a food processor, pulse the basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme leaves, garlic and cheese. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil; puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. If you use quinoa, in a saucepan, combine the quinoa, water and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Season lightly with salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; keep warm.
  4. On a baking sheet, roast the shrimp for about 8 minutes, until curled and pink. Cut the shrimp into thirds and add to the quinoa with the pistou. Toss well, season with salt and pepper and serve

Cooking Tip: You can double the pistou sauce, it adds a great flavor to the shrimp. In case you don’t feel like using Quinoa, I encourage you to mix the marinated shrimp with rice (yellow is the best option for this dish)

Parsley Dressing and Tilapia

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My friend Shanti shared this great easy-to-make recipe. Thank you Shanti!.
We made this recipe for dinner and it was delicious. I don’t know if that is your experience but when using fresh parsley on a recipe, I usually end up throwing away more than half of an entire stalk, right? Well this is a great option for those (like me) that love to use the entire stalk of fresh parsley in one single recipe.

Parsley Dressing
Time: 10 minutes | Level: Easy

  • Stalk of fresh parsley (just the leaves)
  • 1/4 cup of canola oil
  • The juice of 3-5 limes
  • 2 teaspoon of Chicken flavour Bouillon

In a blender place all ingredients until the texture is uniform. Adjust the lime juice, bouillon or oil as you wish to make the dressing more liquid.

Now you have a delicious dressing to use on a salad or veggie side !

Tilapia al Perejil (Tilapia Parsley)
Time: 30 minutes | 4 servings
Level: Easy

  • 4 filets of Tilapia (or a white fish of your choice)
  • Parsley Dressing already prepared
  • 2-3 tablespoon of Mayoneise
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup of shredded parmessan or feta cheese

In a blender place all ingredients until the mixture is creamy. Then, on a baking pan or pyrex add 1/4 of the mixture and place the fish on top of it. Cover the fish completely with the rest of the mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 325 F or until the fish is easy to cut with a fork.

Serve it with white rice and/or salad. Enjoy!

For dinner: Pasta, Veal, Capers and White Wine

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 Orecchiette with Veal, Capers and White Wine

Source: Food and Wine Magazine
40 minutes approx | 4 servings
Difficulty: easy

Dave and I love this recipe and have prepared in many occasions. We made this dish on Sunday and  today we had the leftovers for lunch!  

  • 2  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1  medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1  garlic clove, minced
  • 1  pound ground veal (1/2 kilo)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons small capers, rinsed
  • 3/4 pound orecchiette or the pasta you like
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil.

Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the veal, season with salt and pepper and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veal is no longer pink and any liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.

Add the white wine to the skillet (sarten) and boil over high heat until nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, thyme, rosemary and capers and simmer over moderate heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the orecchiette in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta well and add it to the skillet along with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, chopped parsley and butter. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowls and serve right away.

Cooking tips: Add a bit of olive oil in the water to cook the pasta, this prevents the pasta from sticking together. Add 3 times more capers to give a better flavor.