Seafood Wednesday

My mother prepared the following dish for dinner last night:

Shrimp Feast

2 quarts water

1½ tsp. salt

1 (12-ounce) can beer, optional

2 TBS seafood seasoning (Old Bay)

2 medium red potatoes, cut into quarters

1 medium sweet onion, cut into wedges

1⁄3 LBS turkey kielbasa, cut into 2-inch lengths

2 ears fresh corn, cut in half

¾ LBS raw, unpeeled large shrimp

Cocktail sauce, optional

Melted butter, optional

Lemon wedges, optional

 

Combine water, salt, beer, if using, and seafood seasoning in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and onion; cook over high heat 8 minutes. Add sausage and cook over high heat 5 minutes. Add corn and boil 7 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook 4 minutes, or until opaque in the center. Drain well and ladle into large bowls. Serve with cocktail sauce, melted butter and lemon wedges, if desired. Serves two.

 

Nutritional Information

Nutrition facts per serving: 370 calories, 7g fat, 37g protein, 38g carbohydrates, 7g fiber, 770mg sodium.

It was a wonderful dish - light, yet filling, and very flavorful. Mum used one pound of frozen, ready-to-use shrimp rather than unpeeled large shrimp.

The recipe comes from American Profile Magazine, and was submitted by reader Joe Bradford of Sea Island, Georgia.

Click on image to see larger size in a new window.

The magazine photo is great (above left), but my digital snapshot is terrible as usual (above right) and does not do justice to the wonderful recipe. However, I think one can get the general gist of the dish.

Foodie Games

I love playing Russian Solitaire via computer, but food and cooking computer games? Apparently, there are such offerings from Oberon Media:

Go-Go Gourmet

Find ingredients, whip-up recipes, and juggle hungry customers. Become a master chef working alongside six nutty restaurateurs at seven uniquely themed restaurants in this combination hidden-object and time-management game.

The free trial is only good for sixty minutes, or one can buy the full version for 11.95, which opens up all features. I played with the trial version and liked it so well I ordered the full version. It's great fun, maybe a new trend for all us foodies (unless you've already tried it, of course).

Other "foodie" games from Oberon Media include Turbo Pizza and Turbo Subs.

On the downside: Oberon Media is not timely with their assistance if you need it. If you have an issue after purchase or a problem with the actual product after download and/or purchase, you may wait a few days or longer before hearing from anyone via e-mail. Their game products would be perfect otherwise.

Yankee Brands

Take the quiz and test your food trivia knowledge:

• Made in America or not?

I did poorly, only getting two out of ten answers right.

Give it a whirl, or take a look at my cheat sheet with the correct answers.

Offending the Sensibilities

Are they kidding?

• Eight Forbidden Delicacies

Does any of the following sound even remotely appetizing?

• Casu Marzu Maggot Cheese

• Puffer Fish

• Raw Milk Cheese (maybe?)

• Absinthe

• Sassafras

• Haggis (only if you're Scottish)

• Lobsters (cooked alive)

• Foie Gras

Thank you, no.

New Pages

I’ve added two new pages to Appetizing Muse, both of which used to be part of the Shenanchie’s Kitchen web site.

Herbs & Spices: A selection of homemade herb and spice recipe blends.

Cooking Tips: Great cooking and kitchen tips I have used over the years. Some are my own, while others were submitted by readers during the tenure of Shenanchie’s Kitchen.

Most of the work in reconstructing the information from an ancient layout occurred when I devised the drop-down menus for each page and added links on the Recipes page. It was a delightful way to spend Mother’s Day Sunday.

Food Milestones

Many moons ago I wrote an article about American food and culture for Savorys be Shenanchie. Near the end of the piece, I made lists of culinary milestones and this was one of them:

The invention of certain foods in America is of particular interest to me; mainly because it's fascinating to see how far we've come over the last two hundred years. Below is a list I complied from the information at the Food History Timeline (ed note: web site no longer available). This original list is quite extensive; however, I did some picking-and-choosing for the list provided below. The brand names of the foods are listed, with the year they made their debut in America.

• A & W Root Beer (1922)

• Alka Seltzer (1931)

• Animal Crackers (1902)

• Banana Split (1904)

• Betty Crocker (1921)

• Bird's Eye Frosted Foods (1930)

• Bisquick (1930)

• Bugles (corn snacks) (1964)

• Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup (1934)

• Campbell's Tomato Soup (1897)

• Canned Tuna (1903)

• Coca-Cola (1886)

• Coffee Mate Non-Dairy Creamer (1961)

• Cracker Jack (1896)

• Crisco (1911)

• Green Giant Frozen Vegetables (1961)

• Hamburger Helper (1970)

• Hershey's Chocolate Bar (1900)

• Hershey's Kisses (1907)

• Instant Coffee (1901)

• Instant Mashed Potatoes (1946)

• Jell-O (1897)

• Kellogg's Corn Flakes (1906)

• Kool-Aid (1927)

• Lipton Instant Tea (1958)

• Lipton (Loose) Tea (1890)

• M & M's Peanut Candies (1954)

• Malt-O-Meal (1919)

• Mike & Ike's (1927)

• Minute Rice (1949)

• Morton Table Salt (1912)

• Oreo Cookies (1913)

• Oscar Meyer Weiner (1929)

• Peanut Butter (1904)

• Pepsi (1902)

• Popcorn (1904)

• Pop Tarts (1964)

• Ramen Noodles (1972)

• Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (1923)

• Rice-A-Roni (1958)

• Ritz Crackers (1934)

• Saran Wrap (1952)

• Shake-n-Bake (1966)

• Snickers (1930)

• Spaghetti-O's (1965)

• Sprite (1960)

• Swanson's Pot Pies (1951)

• Swanson's TV Dinners (1954)

• Sweet 'n Low (1957)

• Tea Bag (1910)

• Tuna Helper (1972)

• Twinkies (1930)

• V-8 Juice (1933)

• Velveeta (1928)

• Wonder Bread (1920)

• Wrigley's Gum (1921)

From: "American Food & Culture" by Shenanchie

©2002 Savorys by Shenanchie

All I can say is thank God for Coffee Mate Non-Dairy Creamer and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup. I fancy Bugles, too.

Healthy Spices

I've always heard that certain spices carry health value, but thanks to McCormick Kitchens here's a list that summarizes some of them:

• Spices for Health

For example:

• Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon contains as many antioxidants as a ½ cup of blueberries.

• Ginger: 1 teaspoon of ground ginger has as many antioxidants as a cup of spinach.

• Oregano: Of all the dried herbs, oregano has one of the highest antioxidant levels. Just one teaspoon of dried oregano leaves has as many antioxidants as three ounces of almonds or ½ cup of chopped asparagus.

• Red Peppers: Capsaicin is the powerful compound in peppers that give them their heat - the hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin (and antioxidants). Cayenne or ground red pepper contains the most.

• Rosemary: Packed with antioxidants.

• Thyme: 1 teaspoon of Thyme contains about the same amount of antioxidants as a carrot or a ½ cup chopped tomatoes. Thyme also contains a variety of beneficial compounds called "flavonoids" that increase the herb's antioxidant capacity and may offer other benefits.

• Yellow Curry: 1 teaspoon of curry powder, which is a blend of turmeric and other spices, has as many antioxidants as ½ cup of red grapes.

*Spice content ©McCormick

I've never liked oregano so I would probably forego that spice in my cooking, even if it is one of the healthiest.

Tater Apps

Stuffed Baby Potatoes

Long Name:

Grilled Baby Potatoes Stuffed with Sharp Cheddar & Pancetta

• 8 baby or fingerling potatoes (each measuring about 1½” across)

• 1 TBS salt for cooking water

• 2 oz. pancetta (Italian style bacon), diced

• 2 tsp. olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp. minced rosemary

• 2-3 tablespoons milk

• ¾ C grated Tillamook® Sharp Cheddar Cheese

• Salt & pepper

• 2 tsp. minced chives

In a medium saucepan place potatoes in 4 cups of water, add salt and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Do not overcook or let skin of potatoes crack. Drain and set aside until lukewarm.

 

While potatoes are cooking, sauté pancetta in olive oil over medium high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Remove all but 2 teaspoons of fat from pan, add garlic and sauté over medium heat until softened, being careful not to brown garlic. Stir in rosemary and continue to cook about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

 

Preheat BBQ grill to medium. Cut potatoes in half, gently scoop out centers and place in small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons milk and mash with fork; add more milk if needed to make a creamy consistency. Stir in pancetta, garlic, rosemary, cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff cheese mixture evenly into skins.

 

Place stuffed potatoes on small-holed BBQ grill rack and cook on grill for approximately 8 minutes or until the skins are crisp and the filling is warm. Sprinkle with chives and serve.