Mussels a la Condor and Sparrow

            I have to give props on this one to the oft mentioned Toby Stubbs for the inspiration for this post. We have had many discussions about the glory of shellfish, specifically mussels. Now, the bummer of my friend Toby’s life is that he has found a wonderful and beautiful and simply amazing woman to spend the rest of his life with who is allergic to shellfish. I am regaled with stories about how Tiffany had a girls’ night out and Toby, with manic glee, wolfed down like 5 pounds of mussels while he could and then lapsed into a food coma. We have all been there, well I have been there. So here is a little bit of shellfish cookery in honor of Toby’s love of mussels.

            I also have to mention that my little sparrow friend was in on this one too as it was the appetizer to the halibut plate we put together in the last post. Jilly loved the broth so much that once we had eaten all of the mussels and shrimp she was digging in with a spoon. So I am going to say that it turned out pretty well. So here it is mussels and shrimp in a Thai inspired broth. It is super easy and crazy good. Enjoy.

Thai Inspired Mussels and Shrimp to the tune of Then Go On by The Old Canes

2lbs fresh mussels cleaned and beards removed

8-10 good sized tiger shrimp

1 can coconut milk

3 Thai green chili peppers chopped

The juice of one 1 lime

A splash of dark beer

-Over medium heat add the coconut milk, peppers, lime juice, and beer into a sauce pan and heat up for 5-8 minutes, allowing all of the ingredients to come together.

-Strain out the chunks of peppers and return to the heat.

-Add in your mussels first and then your shrimp cover and cook until the mussels open, this should take no more than a minute or two.

-Dump the whole mess into a bowl and serve with some nice bread and you are done son. Enjoy.

What you are left with... a bunch of shells and satisfaction

Halibut with and for My People

            As I have said more than once before I love it when I get a call from my friend Jill. Jill has a huge passion for food and is always game to give something new a try. So Jill and I hit the market with no real plan in regards to what we were going to cook in an attempt to let the ingredients speak to us a little bit. We were not disappointed because the bounty of spring was upon us. We decided on a bit of a seafood feast because Halibut was starting to come in, fresh off the boat and looked fantastic. So Johnny and Jilly put together this little dish and it turned out fantastic. A little bit classic, a little bit, well, us. So here is what we came up with.

Halibut with Roasted Bell Pepper and Asparagus Salad to the tune of Closer by Joshua Radin

Fish Part

Halibut, 4 4-6oz portions

¼ cup butter

Some finely chopped dill

The juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

Salad part

1 bunch of asparagus, bottoms trimmed off

2 red bell peppers

2 parts olive oil

1 part rice wine vinegar

The juice of ½ a lemon

We will take care of the salad first.

-Heat your oven to 400. Rub your peppers down with a little bit of oil and salt and pepper and toss them onto a sheet pan and into the oven for about 20 minutes turn every once and a while until the skin starts to char and peel away.

-While this is working cut your asparagus into bite sized pieces. Heat up a little bit of oil in a sauté pan and add your asparagus with a little salt and pepper. Let it work until al dente, remove from the heat and allow it to cool.

-Mix oil, vinegar, and lemon juice until it is emulsified.

-Yank out your peppers and allow them to cool in a covered bowl, this allows the skin to come off a little easier. Once cooled remove the skin and cores and chop into bite sized pieces. Toss with the asparagus. Dress right before serving.

Now for the fish.

-Heat up a sauté pan over medium high heat and add you butter and let it melt and heat up but not brown. Add in your lemon juice.

-Pop your fish in, skin side down and let it work for a couple of minutes, watch it closely. Once there is a nice sear flip it and add your dill. Give the fish a poke. It should be a little firm but not stiff. That is the only way I know how to describe it. Remove the fish and let it rest for a couple of minutes.

-Now plate up. We used Israeli couscous as a starch but you could use rice, a mashed potato or even pasta if that is all you had. This was a simple fish dish but it was so tasty. The rhythm section of our little band wolfed it down like we were going to try and take it away from him. That’s proof positive that it was pretty darn tasty. Give it a go.    

Shepherd's Pie

As all of my friends will attest St. Patrick’s Day is my holiday. It is the only one that I really celebrate, mostly because of my Grand who was fiercely Irish. Now I have spent most of these holidays in pubs drinking good Irish beer and questionable Irish whiskey with little to no thought to the food I could be eating. In recent years with the help of my friend Toby we have played with some Irish food, bacon and cabbage and Irish stew being the favorites. This year I wanted to do Shepherd’s Pie. This may not be the most authentic Irish thing but My Grand made it and in my mind that makes it more than Irish enough. There are many people that will make this with beef instead of lamb, this is cottage pie, and as good as it is, it is not Shepherd’s Pie. You have to use the lamb. I have added in some of my own touches such as the bacon and the beer but the taste is 100% from my Grand’s kitchen and 100% delicious. I hope that you get a feel for the Irishness of this dish and that you enjoy it. Erin Go Bragh.

Shepherd’s Pie to the Tune of Ode to Whiskey by The Chieftains

1lb ground lamb

6 slices thick cut bacon

2 onions medium dice

2 big carrots or 5 bunch carrots

4-6 mushrooms sliced

4-5 small potatoes cubed

¼ cup butter

1-2 tsp finely chopped winter savoury

1-2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

Salt and pepper

Oil

Beer, I used a Red Irish Ale about 350 ml

-In a large pot, over medium high heat add your oil, onions, garlic, ground lamb and bacon. Brown your meat. Drain off any fat or grease.

-Add in your carrots and your beer and herbs. Reduce heat and let simmer for around 45 minutes.

-In a large sauce pan add your potatoes and fill with water until they just float. Put it on high heat and bring to a boil. Boil until the spuds are soft. Drain the water and mash until they are semi smooth. Add your butter and a little salt and whisk them until they are light and fluffy.

-Back to your other pot. Add in your mushrooms and your peas and cook for another 5 Minutes or so. While this is happening heat your oven to 350 degrees.

-In a pie plate or a square baking pan spread out your meat and veggies. Spoon your spuds over the top and spread them out evenly over the top. 

-Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and Bam said the lady you got Johnny’s version of Shepherd’s Pie.

Meatloaf Just To Warm You Up

            On rainy, kind of crappy days I find that I am drawn to making food that warms you up from the inside out. The kind of food that is simple and strait forward but delicious and satisfying all at once. Nourishing to both the body and the soul is what we are aiming for. There are few things that hit that sweet spot for me and one of them is meatloaf. It is something that I ate as a kid that I was just mad for. It also helped my cause that it was always made by either my Grand or my Mom, two pretty bad ass cooks. So this is a bit of a riff on their meatloaf. It makes me happy just talking about it. It also will fill your kitchen with one of the best smells ever, so that is a plus. My family would serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans. That being said, in my opinion, it is best served as a sandwich. I know you are all shocked to hear me say this. Be warned however, meatloaf sandwiches can lead to the best kind of food coma. My kid sister Tiff can testify to this fact. So here is some comfort food for you all to try. You will not be disappointed.

Meatloaf to the tune of Something to Talk About by Badly Drawn Boy

1lb lean ground beef

½ lb lean ground pork

1 onion finely diced

1 egg

¼ cup bread crumbs

1 cup grated cheese

6 strips of double smoked bacon

A good splash of Worcestershire sauce

A good splash of hot sauce

Salt and pepper

A good drizzle of catsup (optional)

-Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a loaf pan with the strips of bacon.

-Mix the beef, pork, onion, egg, crumbs, ½ the cheese, sauces and salt and pepper all together in a big mixing bowl. And divide it in half.

-Press half of the mixture into the loaf pan. Spread the remaining cheese over that. Press in the other half of the meat sealing in the cheese. Drizzle with the catsup if you like. Bake for 45-55 minutes.

-Let rest for at least 10 minutes then slice and serve. Magic, Baby.