Camacho Watcho

Have I mentioned how much I love my cooking club? It’s so much fun to get together with good food, good wine and great friends for an evening. It’s even better when you’re not responsible for providing the whole meal – like our club organizes things!

Two cooking clubs have come and gone in the past six months. The last one I did not photograph, as I was just a few months pregnant and was not feeling up to it. It was held around Halloween, so the theme was a “Goulish Fall Feast” and featured caviar moons, a dark and stormy drink and bbq ribs. Kyle and I were assigned a shrimp and pumpkin bisque, which turned out to be fantastic (if we do say so ourselves). It’s a bit of work to make your shrimp stock, but it is definitely worth the effort! The recipe is at the bottom.

Before the Fall feast, we held a summer cooking club. This was had a lighter theme “Summer in the Hamptons”, and featured endive boats with smoked salmon, chilled avocado soup and truffled fillet of beef sandwiches.

I think the next photo (and my favorite dish of the evening) captures it all – a glass of wine and a chilled soup on a summer evening. Ahhh! In the midst of the freezing weather we’re currently having – I could go for that right about now.

Chilled Avocado Soup with Spicy Breadcrumbs
Bon Appetit
Soup
1 large ripe avocado (11 to 12 ounces), halved, pitted, peeled, diced
1 1/2 cups (or more) vegetable broth or low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Generous pinch of coarse kosher salt

Breadcrumbs
1 4x4x1/2-inch slice soft white sandwich bread with crust
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation
Soup
Place diced avocado in blender. Add 1 1/2 cups broth, whipping cream, lime juice, and coarse salt. Puree until smooth. Transfer soup to 4-cup measuring cup; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup, if desired. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD Soup can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
Breadcrumbs
Finely grind bread in processor. Melt butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs to skillet; stir until golden, about 1 minute. Add paprika, coarse salt, and cayenne; stir until crumbs are crisp, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to small bowl and cool. DO AHEAD Breadcrumbs can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.
Pour cold soup into eight 1/3-cup glasses or other small glasses. Sprinkle each serving lightly with breadcrumbs.

Pumpkin and Shrimp Bisque
Epicurious: The Herbfarm Cookbook
1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20)

Shrimp Stock
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken stock
Pinch saffron threads (about 24)
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion (about 8 ounces), coarsely chopped
4 fresh bay laurel leaves, torn, or 2 dried
3 3-inch springs fresh sage

2 cups pumpkin purée, fresh (see Note) or canned
1/2 cup heavy cream
About 3/4 teaspoon salt, less if using canned stock
Scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage

1. Shrimp stock: Peel and devein shrimp, reserving the shells. Cover the shrimp and refrigerate. Heat the olive oil in a medium (3-quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the shrimp shells to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until they turn deep orange and are just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. This step—pan roasting the shells—gives the stock much of its flavor, so take the time to do it carefully. The roasted shells should release a concentrated, toasty, shrimp aroma that will fill your kitchen. Add the wine to the pan, first turning off gas flames to prevent the alcohol from igniting, then boil it over medium heat until all the liquid is evaporated. Add the chicken stock, saffron, celery, onion, bay leaves, and sage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Partially cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, pushing down on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Rinse out the saucepan and pour the stock back into it.
2. Soup: Whisk the pumpkin, cream, salt (omit if using canned stock), and cayenne into the shrimp stock. Bring the soup to a simmer, then cook very gently uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and season with black pepper and more salt if needed. (The soup can be made up to this point up to 1 day ahead store covered in the refrigerator. Keep the peeled shrimp in a resealable bag buried in a bowl of ice in the refrigerator.)
3. Finishing the soup: Pour the olive oil into a large sauté pan placed over medium heat. When hot, add the reserved shrimp and sage and cook, tossing often, until the shrimp is just cooked through, pink, and no longer translucent, but not curled into a circle, 2 to 3 minutes. They should still have a tender snap when you bite into them. Arrange the shrimp in warmed serving bowls or a tureen. Bring the soup back to a simmer and then ladle it over the shrimp. Serve right away.

Just a hole-in-the-wall type of place serving up some delicious seafood favorites, The Sea Shack is a must-visit when visiting Hilton Head. Get there early, as the crowd gathers quickly and you’ll be left waiting in line while some other hungry diner digs into their po’boy.

Pictured below: crab cake best crab cake I’ve ever eaten and calamari tossed in a zesty roasted red pepper sauce appetizers, fried oyster po’boy mouthwatering good with just some lemon juice and Tabasco

While visiting Chicago recently, I had the opportunity to check out Han 202, a tiny Chinese restaurant with an amazing meal deal. For $20, you have your choice of five courses: soup, salad, appetizer, entree and dessert. Better yet – it’s BYOB. I love that about Chicago!

All the food was fantastic, but I did have my favorites. For appetizer, absolutely do not miss the Salt and Pepper Calamari. Its crispy salty/peppery flavor is positively addicting in the best way possible.

Another of my favorites is the crispy beef with orange extract – a lovely orange flavor that is surprisingly balanced for what could be an overly sweet dish.

Last, but definitely not least, is the lovely, lovely dessert – vanilla ice cream with tomato mango sorbet. I am head over heels in love with it…*sigh*.

PS – Did I mention that this deal runs every day of the week?

Last week we decided to try out a recipe from Diana Kennedy – the Mexican cooking authority. I hadn’t really planned anything for dinner, so seafood seemed the quickest option (since a lot Mexican dishes seem to start with slow cooking a piece of meat).

Flipping through her The Art of Mexican Cooking cookbook, I was drawn to this shrimp recipe because I love chipotle chiles! Ripened and smoke-dried jalapenos, chipotles bring a smokey heat to dishes that brings depth to the spice, rather than just hot for hot’s sake.

The recipe turned out to be very simple. So simple, in fact that when it came time to add the dry white wine and I realized I didn’t have any to use, I used what was on hand…literally. In my hand was a bottle of Model Especial, so I just poured some in. Perhaps the original version is better, but my version with beer worked out just fine. I served the shrimp over Arroz Verde (green rice), to contrast the deep red chipotle sauce.

The shrimp were just tender and were amped up by the smokey heat of the rich tomato sauce. This sauce is begging to be used in more dishes – I’m thinking enchiladas, huevos rancheros…the possibilities are endless. The onion, although it was a smaller amount than the original recipe called for, added a sweetness that really worked well together. The rice was good, but perhaps I would like it better using cilantro instead of, or in combination with, the parsley. I just don’t like parsley much – but I keep trying!

Camarones Enchipotlados (Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce)
Adapted from The Art of Mexican Cooking
serves 2

1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and butterflied with tail shell left on
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
3 medium tomatoes, broiled (see below)
2 chiles chipotles in adobo (to taste)
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup beer (or dry white wine)
1/8 tsp. Mexican dried oregano

Season the shrimp with salt, pepper and lime juice. Set aside to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a frying pan; add the drained shrimp, reserving any liquid, and sliced onion and fry, shaking the pan and tossing the ingredients for about 3 minutes (shrimp will not be cooked through). Remove shrimp and onion with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In a blender, blend tomatoes, chipotles and their liquid, and garlic to a textured sauce. Reheat the oil, add the sauce and fry over medium-high heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking, for about 8 minutes. Add the beer, oregano, marinade and salt to taste and cook for another minute. Add the shrimp/onion mixture and cook for about 2 minutes – the shrimp should be just cooked and still crisp.

*Broil tomatoes in a single layer in a pan that is just wide enough to fit them. Allow to boil and blister on one side, then turn and repeat.

Arroz Verde (Green Rice)
Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook
serves 3-4

1 cup long grain white rice
3 oz. fresh spinach
1/2 cup parsley leaves
1 T. chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. oil
3 c. hot water

Soak the rice for 5 minutes in warm water, rinse well and drain.

Rinse the spinach well, place it in a saucepan with no added water, cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the parsley, onion, garlic and 1/4 c. water and puree. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet, add rice and saute for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. When the grains begin to separate, remove from the heat and drain off the excess oil. Add the spinach-parsely mixture to the skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Add the hot water and salt to taste. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

What comes after Pizza Friday? That’s right – Seafood Saturday! Kyle and I were headed to the theater on Saturday night, so I thought it would be fun to make a few of the seafood dishes an appetizer-type meal that night. As always, the best laid plans always fail and I didn’t leave enough time to cook. We made all this beautiful food and then had about five minutes to enjoy it before needing to walk to the Guthrie. But no worries…nothing went to waste – even though Kyle was eating crab cakes while he was doing the dishes. I suppose things could have been worse.

But back to the food – we made Mini Crab Cakes, Salt-Roasted Shrimp with Scampi Dip and Seared Sea Scallops on Sauteed Spinach with Hoisin Butter Sauce. And let me tell you – all three recipes were very, very good.

Although my crab cakes got a little too browned, these were light and had a really nice texture, which sometimes can be an issue with crab cakes. I did stray from the recipe with one thing – the crab meat. It called for lump crab meat, which was double the price of claw crab meat. Instead of going elsewhere (I really wanted to get everything at Coastal), I decided to just change it up. I thought it was still really good – and for half the price!

The next recipe was for shrimp. I don’t know much about salt-roasting so I’m not quite sure what that did for the flavor (if anything), but they tasted good. We did have some issues peeling the shrimp after, but that probably had nothing to do with the recipe. The scampi sauce was A-MAZ-ING. Of course – it is mainly butter, so that probably doesn’t come as a surprise. This will definitely be made again and I’m also thinking of playing with the recipe a bit…maybe grill the shrimp and baste with the sauce and perhaps even make it with tequila (instead of wine) and cilantro (instead of parsley)…mmmm….

The last recipe, which was an Asian scallops dish was also absolutely delicious. So much so, in fact, that I made it again last night. I know – I have all these recipes to finish and I actually made a recipe again before the month is over…am I crazy? The answer, as you are probably aware, is yes. But, the scallops are just so tender and the sauce and spinach are so flavorful – ginger, garlic, serrano chile…so good! The second version was even better, as they caramelized better (I used only olive oil instead of the olive oil/butter mix the recipe called for).

All in all, our seafood fest was a success. These recipes will definitely make it into my rotation again soon.

We stayed in on Sunday night and made a feast of scallops. They were so good that I just had to share the recipe with you. The scallop recipe itself was from Epicurious, but I did make a few tweaks to it, following some suggestions from the comments on the site and also adding a few serving tweaks of my own. The result was a meal of tender scallops served over silky udon noodles with a creamy, tart ginger lime sauce and a side of spinach. Not bad for a Sunday night.

The link to the recipe for Sea Scallops with Cilantro Gremolata and Ginger Lime Beurre Blanc is here. The changes I used were: 1. Use half the amount of butter for the beurre blanc, 2. Used three large sea scallops per entree (it was plenty), 3. Serve the sauce over udon noodles and 4. After cooking the scallops, deglaze the pan with white wine and quickly wilt spinach in it for a side dish.

Straight from our Minnesota State Fair binge, we went to our Cooking Club on Friday night. The menu was set by RJ and Katie – a good old fashioned seafood boil! The ingredients for the boil were crab legs, shrimp, andoullie sausage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and corn. The accompaniments to round out the menu were cole slaw, cornbread and semifreddo for dessert.

Seafood boils are a ton of fun! You get a big ‘ol pot of water, add plenty of seasoning and then boil the ingredients…voila! RJ and Katie have a huge pot and propane stand made especially for this type of thing, but we ended up bringing it inside and putting the pot on the stove to speed up the boiling process. Nevertheless, it worked great!


One of the best things about a seafood boil is that it is just plain messy. Between cracking the crab legs open, dipping the meat in melted butter and the eating the corn, you end up with greasy, yummy fingers…and no one cares! You can choose to use silverware for the potatoes, carrots and sausage, but everything is cut bite size anyway, so you also have the choice to just eat with your hands. Which is exactly what I did. Sitting outside on a warm August night while eating a messy seafood boil was just perfect.

Kyle and I were in charge of making the dessert, a lemon semifreddo with summer berries. It was a lot of fun to make and, wow, was it good! Light and airy, with just a bit of tartiness…yum! I would definitely make it again!

Last night we went to Signature Cafe for a beautiful August evening dinner. Signature Cafe is a true neighborhood restaurant, in that it is situated on a residential street amongst houses and resides in a building that formerly housed a neighborhood grocery store. I remember the first time we drove up Warwick Street and saw the building. A shiver of anticipation went through me for what was assured to be a wonderful meal with a home cooked feel. We have eaten there several times since that first occasion and it never disappoints.

To our delight, we found out just before heading to Signature Cafe last night that Monday not only presents you with Signature’s regular dining menu, but you also have the choice of a tasting menu. We took one look at the tasting menu and immediately had to have it, as well as the wine pairing option. The menu started with ricotta ravioli, toasted and served with a light red sauce. The next course was a steak and gorgonzola crostini with a 50 year balsamic vinegar and a side of greens. The balsamic vinegar and gorgonzola were pure heaven. I made sure to get every last speck off my plate.

Despite how good the previous courses were, the third course was the star of the show. It featured pan seared scallops served with a side of udon noodles with vegetables and some red pepper flakes. Wow. Several hours later I could still taste those scallops. Actually, it was more than just the taste that I was still experiencing, but the feel of them in my mouth. The crispness of the peppery crust and the tender inside of the scallop. Wow. Again. For dessert we had a Meyer lemon bar with fresh strawberries and cream. Another great course, but unfortunately it followed the scallops that we were so in love with.

My only regret about this meal was that I did not take my camera (I had to return tonight to grab a quick picture of the exterior shown above) so I do not have any food pictures. If you haven’t tried Signature Cafe, you should definitely go in the next couple months. Ask for a table outside and enjoy…the food, the neighborhood and the experience.

Signature Cafe
130 SE Warwick Street
Minneapolis, MN
612.378.0237

I thought I would do a little catch up on a couple meals that I ate out this summer but have not had a chance to write about.

Muffuletta
The first was a brunch at Muffuletta that happened, admittedly, awhile back. On a beautiful early summer day a few friends and I had plans to try out Muffuletta for brunch. I loved their dinner so much that I had had there and was anxious to go back. We sat outside on their patio, a large sitting area with wide umbrellas to minimize the heat of the sun and actually allow you to enjoy an AM cup of coffee with your meal. Something I loved was the initial treat they presented us upon sitting. It was as if they knew that if they didn’t give me food I would get grumpy. This beautiful blueberry treat just appeared before us. Crumbly and warm, it hit the spot.

I ordered the omelette with mushrooms, bacon and herbs and a side of potatoes. I did like my breakfast, but I do recall thinking that the eggs were on the verge of being a little too dry. My friends really liked their meals, including this order of breakfast pizza. All in all, I would definitely give them another go for brunch.

Muffuletta
Milton Square 2260
Como Avenue
St. Paul, MN
651.644.9116

Sunsets – Woodbury
I also recently had lunch with a friend at Sunsets in Woodbury. Now, I don’t make it over to Woodbury very often and when I do, it usually is not in search of fine cuisine. But I was surprised by the menu variety for both food and drink (I was told they have 26 beers on tap) and I thought I would share in case anyone is out that way.

As with their Wayzata location, Sunsets patio is great. Although it doesn’t provide the same great sunset view as their other location, it was a great oasis for a weekday lunch on a hot, sunny day. We sat back with glasses of ice cold iced tea and relaxed. For lunch, I had a flatbread pizza with pesto, chicken, veggies and chevre. It had a crispy cracker-like crust and a lot of flavor – I really enjoyed it. My friend ordered their salmon special, which was very good except for the suspicious looking pastry it was served on. We both tried it and couldn’t figure out what it was, so we asked the waitress. She explained that it was mashed potatoes wrapped in a pastry. Hmmm…I’m still not convinced on that one. Nevertheless, we did enjoy ourselves with a good meal on a fine day.

Sunsets
700 Commons Drive
Woodbury, MN
651.735.1997

Last Saturday night Kyle and I decided to stay in. A good meal, a bottle of wine and a few games of Cribbage was on order for the night. Okay, I’ll admit it…I lost a few games to Kyle. I don’t like to admit it, but I did. However, this is highly unusual to “beat a Camacho girl at a game”, as Kyle put it, so he better relish in the victory…for now. Next time, I’m bringing my A-game.

The purpose of our night, however, was not for me to lose in Cribbage. Rather, we had stayed home to try some new recipes and to relax with a chilled glass of wine. I had picked up some Columbia Crest Riesling at Surdyk’s a few days earlier and decided to try it. I’m not usually a fan of Rieslings, but I have to say that I enjoyed this one. It was sweet (of course) but it was light enough that I didn’t feel like I was drinking a fermented piece of fruit like some Rieslings can taste. Overall I would definitely buy it again. It’s cheap ($8) and it’s a great wine to keep chilled for a hot summer afternoon.

We paired the wine with an appetizer of a quick oven pizza. I love these quick pizzas because you can make them so quickly and it’s easy to keep ingredients on hand. For this pizza, I took a tortilla (a wonderful cheater way of doing a thin crust) and topped it with sliced pear, blue cheese crumbles, fresh rosemary and raw walnut pieces. I baked it for 10 minutes at 375 and then drizzed honey on top before serving. Delicious!

I did a second appetizer course of sliced mushrooms with buffalo mozzarella, olive oil and herbs. This was broiled and then served with crusty bread to mop up the goodness. I had read about this recipe, but I didn’t have the oven proof platter necessary for broiling it correctly. I did like this dish, especially the olive oily mushroom residue at the bottom that we soaked up with the bread, and I’ll definitely have to try it again after I purchase a platter.

Our main course was halibut topped with basil-shallot butter. This is a recipe that I adapted from Bon Appetit. Instead of grilling the fish, however, I pan seared the fillets for a few minutes to get a wonderful brown crust on top and then finished them in a 450 oven to bake them through. I loved the crispiness of the fish and thought the basil-shallot butter added a lot of flavor. That being said I have had better versions of herbed butter than this particular recipe. I would consider trying this again substituting the basil-shallot butter for a different herbed butter topper, as I overall liked this dish, particularly the combination of textures with the crisp, flaky fish and the cool, rich butter.

I didn’t have my game on for the Cribbage, but that was after a good performance on the dinner. Staying in on Saturday night is sometimes just the needed thing.