Valentine's Day/Mardi Gras MashUp

This year we decided to take advantage of the calendar and have a little fun with our Valentine's Day dinner. Since both the Hallmark designated day of love (too sarcastic?) and Mardi Gras fell in the same week, we thought doing a MashUp of the two might be fun. It should be noted that we never, and I mean never, go out to eat on Valentine's Day. Most restaurant chefs (if they were being honest) would tell you that it is literally impossible to produce their best food when they are crushed by the types of crowds that populate restaurants on that oh so special day of love (sheesh, I just can't seem to help myself). So, for us, a home cooked meal it is.

Those of you that have read this blog in the past know that I am the luckiest guy in the world to be married to Cynthia who, among her many talents, is an excellent cook who pays attention to not only the palate but the presentation. This particular meal, served in five courses, was romantic, spicy, fun, soul satisfying and delicious. My compliments to the cook!


First Course: Quick Fried Okra Spears

This simple starter is made by dipping the okra in butter milk and hot sauce and then dredging it in spiced corn meal. Fry for about 45 seconds and lightly salt. Yum.

Second Course: Fried Catfish Filet with a Homemade BBQ Sauce served on a Maytag Blue Cheese Slaw

I lived in Alabama for a few years a long time ago. One of the things I took away from that time was a love of fried catfish. The homemade BBQ sauce and the blue cheese slaw are a nod to a dish from one of our favorite restaurants in Las Vegas, Rosemary's, which served it with shrimp. I think I may like this version even better.

Third Course: Citrus Salad with Local Greens

After two fried courses, a palate cleanser was in order. The blood oranges, pink grapefruit and mandarin oranges offset perfectly with the greens from our winter garden and my house made vinaigrette.

Fourth Course: Shrimp and Grits with a Spicy Bacon, Sausage and Mushroom Gravy

Shrimp and grits is a classic southern/cajun dish. In this version, the shrimp were poached in butter and garlic and the gravy was "kicked up a notch (or two) with a liberal shot of hot sauce and cayenne pepper.

Fifth Course: Ice Cream Sandwiches with Homemade Cherry Vanilla 

 A couple of years ago we bought a very good gelato maker.We don't use it often, but when we do, it make amazing gelato. For this little treat, we used cherry vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two home made chocolate chip cookies. A perfect ending to a great meal!

Okra - The Rodney Dangerfield of Veggies

That;s right, okra gets no respect I tell ya. These beautiful green pods, often called Ladyfingers in Indian and other Asian cultures are misunderstood and under appreciated. I'll admit, cooked badly (and it often is), okra be pretty nasty. It can get slimy and funky tasting. Cooked correctly, this member of the mallow family, can be amazingly delicious on its own or a tasty addition in a variety of dishes -- like this one.

We recently ate at a wonderful Indian restaurant about 1/2 hour from our home called Rangoli and, among other "small plates" we had a fried okra dish that we so good we ordered a second helping. We enjoyed it so much we wanted to try to recreate it at home. Here's Cynthia's version.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 scant tsp (sweet) paprika
• several grinds of black pepper
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 - 2 dozens okra pods, the smaller the better but you'll need a few more
• sea salt, finely ground

Preparation

•  Mix the flour, smoked paprika, cumin, sweet paprika and black pepper through a wire mesh colander to insure complete blending.

•  Cut the okra on the bias into 1/4 inch slices

 

• Place cut okra slices into the colander and cover with dry ingredient mixture

•   Toss to coat well then shake to remove excess coating

• Heat the oil (about 1/2 inch deep) in a shallow pan with plenty of cooking space
• Fry slices about 30 seconds per side until GBD (golden brown and delicious)

• Remove and place on a drain rack and salt liberally immediately

These crispy and spicy treats are addicting and are perfect as a side dish with burgers, as a appetizer or all by themselves with a cold beer. If you've had okra done badly and think you don't like it, I promise you these will change your mind.

Final note: The spice mix here is Cynthia's and probably different from what they used at Rangoli. I'm sure these are a million combinations that would be just as good. Be creative, use things you like, just give okra a chance.

So you say you don't like okra....

...well, you might want to consider the dish we had this week on Meatless Monday.

One of the second tier goals of committing to a full year of Meatless Mondays was for me to expand my horizons, particularly as they relate to vegetables. Don't get me wrong, I'm not really a picky eater. In fact, having worked for the Japanese for more than a decade and traveling to Japan frequently, I know that I have experienced my share of, shall we say, non-traditional fare.

In the vegetable world, there are stars, there are bit players and then there are those that are misunderstood. I'm thinking that okra is in that last category. I suspect most people think of it as a "southern vegetable", and it isn't popular in large areas of the country. I never saw it growing up in NJ and, now that I live in VA, I'm not sure it's any more popular here. Sure, I've had okra here and there over the years, in Cajun dishes mostly. I've also had it battered and deep fried. Quite tasty that way - but then again what isn't tasty when it's battered and deep fried?

So, in that spirit of expanded horizons, I mentioned to Cynthia that I read about an okra and chickpea stew online and asked her if she was up for making it. Silly question really, she never shirks from a food challenge. So, this Monday night we had what turned out to be a soul satisfying, yummy, and very healthy dish that, as usual, was even better when I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Here is the recipe she put together.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 pound fresh okra, stem ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

10 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more leaves for garnish

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup bell pepper, any color or combination of colors, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 can Muir Glen fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 cup vegetable broth

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 pound cooked chickpeas (15 ounces can works well if you’re time constrained  but I encourage you to try cooking them from dried - the flavor is superior)

salt to taste, I usually use a little less than a teaspoon 

your favorite hot sauce, I use sriracha here, to taste

Chickpeas slow cooking with a New Mexican chile pepper and bay leaf

PREPARATION 

Cook okra for two minutes in rapidly boiling salted water.  Shock in ice bath.  Drain on paper towels and set aside.

1. Tie cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string.
2. Heat oil a tsbp of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell and jalapeno peppers. Cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer half to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and black pepper to the pepper in the pan. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, 3 to 6 minutes.  Add cumin and cook another 30 seconds. Mix in tomatoes, broth, okra, cilantro sprigs.  Reduce heat to medium; partially cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and salt; cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; discard the cilantro sprigs. Stir in hot sauce and check seasoning. Serve sprinkled with the remaining bell pepper and cilantro leaves, if desired. 

We served it with whole grain na'an bread and a side dish made up of the leftover spinach dip from New Years Eve that we added chopped cucumber to. The coolness of the salad was a perfect offset to the spicy main dish.


IPA from one of my favorite brewers, New Belgium, completed the meal.