MUSSELS WITH THAI TWIST

You can use any kind of mussels as long as the date in the bag is not its last day for use.  Yes, a bag of commercially harvested mussels always has a date on its tag.  Read it so you know how fresh your mussels are.

For a change, I wanted my mussel dish with a Thai flavor twist to it.  So i used the following ingredients I had:

HOW TO MAKE IT:

Ingredients:

1 small shallot minced

3 cloves of garlic minced

1/2  can of unsweetened coconut milk

3 TB safflower or canola oil

2 TB chili paste basil

2 TB Thai basil leaves

1 or 2 stalks of lemon grass cut in 1-1/2 inch lengths

Juice of 1/2 lime

Fish sauce to taste (1 tsp)

1 bag of fresh mussels

Sauté The garlic and shallot till translucent.  Add the coconut milk and all other ingredients except the mussels.  Cover pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Add in the clean fresh mussels, and squeeze the lime juice over.  Cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes till all the shells open.  Serve.

If you cook a long time, the meat of the mussels start falling off into the pot and they will appear dry.  Best served right away.

May eat it with rice or toasted baguette with garlic rubbed on it.

AFTER WORK DINNER

For a quick healthy meal within an hour, I had a salmon trout and zucchini squash with cheese.

Instead of slicing and arranging my zucchini squash, I just chopped the zucchini, and Vidalia onion.

INGREDIENTS:

3 small to medium size zucchini squash

1/2 large Vidalia onion

1/3-1/2 c imported Parmesan cheese (preferably freshly grated)

Salt and pepper to season

1/3 c olive oil

2 TB butter

Melt butter with the olive oil in a fireproof baking dish.

Put the chopped vegetables in the dish, season with salt and pepper and mix well with the butter/olive-oil.  Grate your Parmesan cheese over the dish and bake at 350 degrees F oven for 40-44 minutes. Serve!

FOR THE FISH:

I used 1lb of Ocean Trout Salmon (I wanted to try this).  Or you can use any salmon. Season with salt and pepper and broil for 6 minutes.

Serve with lemon.

HOME COOKED BROILED DORADE

Dorade is a small while fish of Mediterranean origin.  It's one of my favorite fish.

One of the ways I enjoy preparing it is simple.

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole DORADE fish

Salt

Pepper

1 Tb minced peeled fresh ginger

2 Tb minced fresh onion

3 TB chopped tomato ( preferably Romano)

Cut slits on each side of the whole cleaned fish. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine the ginger, onion and tomato with salt and pepper to season. Stuff the belly and head of the fish with mixture. Skewer the fish to close.  Pour olive oil and coat both sides of fish.

Broil fish 5 minutes on one side and 3 minutes in the other side.  Remove and let it sit in pan for about 3 minutes.

Serve with a nice healthy salad and sliced lemon.

I like eating it with a fish sauce-lemon mixture with sliced Thai mini hot peppers.

You can also use branzino, pompano, or milk fish.

LOBSTER PREPARATION

For five 1-1/2lb lobsters, I simply boiled about 3/4 inch of water in a large pot to fit the lobsters.

Soon as the water boiled, I dropped the lobsters and covered the pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes then turn off heat and uncover the pot. 

Above is a female lobster.  The blue mark  like an inverted U indicates it is.

Place them in a boiling pot.

After 20 minutes, uncover the pot do the lobsters  do not over cook.

Cut the shells to remove the meat easily from the tail and claws.

I have decided to make lobster rolls so I packed them up in a plastic container after taking the meat out if the shells.

I now realize that four 1-1/2 lb lobsters fits one medium sized container - 16oz container.

ALGERIAN RECIPE

Sometime earlier this year, I was invited to a Middle Eastern Cooking Demonstration and contest.  Each Chef represented a country.

This flyer was distributed to us so that we can make it at home.

I am delighted to have had this recipe which was actually prepared in front of us while attending a Middle East cook off contest sponsored by an organization at the UN which was held at the Consulate of Kuwait.

Peas Soup - Minted

This is definitely an all-year round healthy soup.  I've always liked peas even as a child.  You can imagine how I like this recipe without having to use any cream in it.  And without cream it will last a few days longer in your fridge.  I use Vita Mix, a blender that purees so fine you would think it was liquid in the first place.

INGREDIENTS:
1 to 1-1/2 lbs of frozen peas
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 TB of unsalted butter
3-4 cups of chicken stock
1-1/4 cups of fresh mint
Fleur de Sel (1-2 Tsp)

In a pot, melt butter and saute the chopped onion.  When translucent but not golden brown, add the frozen peas and chicken stock till it boils.  Soon as it boils, add the mint and cook only for 30 seconds more and remove from heat.

In batches, process in a food processor such as a Vita Mix.  Season with Fleur de sel, stir and serve.

Can be served hot or at room temperature.

May also dribble some heavy cream for decoration on top.  Or you could whip cream mixed with some sour cream to place a TB on top when serving.

Minted Peas Soup served