On the Sauce

Hello! I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend. We sure did. I got to spend most of the weekend engaged in two of my favorite hobbies: cooking and eating.
For Thanksgiving dinner, I got the big-girl job of bringing the appetizers. I always am looking for an excuse to make my very favorite, the king of the appetizers: shrimp cocktail. I am mildly allergic to shellfish, but I love shrimp cocktail so much that I am willing to throw caution (and rationality) to the wind in order to eat just a few of these little suckers now and then. But there is such a thing as bad shrimp cocktail (and I don't just mean the kind that gives you food poisoning), when the shrimp are rubbery or the sauce is store-bought and overly sweet, and, in those cases, I am always sorely disappointed to have risked anaphylaxis. I have finally perfected my own recipe, and it is delicious and foolproof.

The trick with the shrimp is to buy the frozen uncooked easy-peel shell-on kind. The precooked ones always seem to end up rubbery or tough, and I find the shells help them cook evenly and taste fresh. All shrimp are frozen in the fishing process, so if you buy them unfrozen, you are just paying a premium for the grocery store to thaw them for you. And I insist on making my own sauce, which, while simple, makes all the difference between a mediocre cocktail and one that is worth risking hives over.

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce
1 tablespoon horseradish (found in the refrigerator section)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for up to a week.

Cocktail Shrimp
Thaw the shrimp for about 10 minutes, by placing them in a colander under cold running water. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the shrimp for 3-5 minutes, until they are bright pink, and the flesh is no longer translucent. Meanwhile, rinse the colander thoroughly. When the shrimp are cooked, return them to the colander and run fresh, cold water over them, until they are cooled. Peel the shells off, leaving the tails attached. Serve with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce. Yumma!

Something to Crow About

Whenever I find myself getting a little down in the dumps or stuck in a rut, I call upon an old friend to shake me out of it: Mexican food. Not the heavy, greasy, refried-bean kind of Mexican food (although sometimes refried beans might be just what you need: like if you are making seven-layer dip ... or trying to kill yourself very slowly), but the fresh, light, healthy kind of Mexican food I grew up eating in Southern California.
When I can't get my hands on ripe avocados to make guacamole, I make another fresh, healthy Mexican staple: Pico de Gallo. This classic combination of tomato, onion, cilantro and hot peppers is sure to kick you in the pants and get your blood flowing. It's called "Pico de Gallo", which means "Rooster's Beak" in Spanish, because the chilies used to make it vaguely resemble bird's beaks. Or maybe because it's so spicy you have to be macho like a rooster to eat it. Or, also, maybe because the chopped-up salsa resembles the food they feed chickens in Mexico. I don't really know, and neither, it seems, does Wikipedia. But you don't have to know the etymology to enjoy the stuff. Just grab some corn chips and a couple Coronas, and presto: Instant Fiesta. Make a big ol' batch, throw it in the fridge and pull it out to use it as a condiment on fish or chicken, or even on burgers, to give them that zesty, uplifting, South-of-the-Border vibe. It may just be the pico of your week-o.

Classic Pico de Gallo
What You Need:
4-6 Ripe Tomatoes
1 Large Red Onion
2-3 Jalapeño Peppers, stems and seeds removed (unless you really like to play with fire, in which case, throw them in!)
Leaves from 1/2 Bunch Cilantro
1 Clove Garlic, minced finely (optional)
Salt and Pepper

What You Do:
Dice all of the ingredients into small cubes, and combine in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Que rico!

Salsa to Salivate Over

There is a restaurant in my hometown where the food is just okay, the drinks are a little overpriced, and the atmosphere is nothing special. But whenever I think of it, my mouth waters like one of Pavlov's dogs. Why, you ask? Because before you even order, they drop off freshly-made salty crisp corn chips, and a bowl of the most delicious corn-and-pineapple salsa that has ever crossed my tongue.
Since I can't fly to California just for some salsa, and even if I did, the rest of the dining experience would always just be kind of "eh," I have attempted to duplicate the recipe at home many times. And now, I think I have gotten pretty close. It's just as good, if not better, after it's been in the fridge for a while, so feel free to make it ahead of time as a casual appetizer, or spoon it over fish, chicken or pork for a summer-y dinner. Happy drooling!

1 can black beans, drained (but not rinsed)
1/2 pineapple, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 jalepeno, seeds removed and diced finely
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
zest and juice of one lime
pinch of salt

photo credit: Food Network Canada

A Hot Date

I'm hosting a little cocktail party tonight, and I'm psyched that it gives me an excuse to make these insanely delicious bacon-wrapped dates. They might not look that appetizing, but they are the most incredible combination of salty, sweet, chewy, crunchy, and well, bacon. They are sort of like a classier "pig in the blanket", only with this, the pig is the blanket. Sounds good, huh? They are great as a finger-foody hors d'oeuvre, or drizzle them with honey and serve them as a first course at the sit-down dinner. Oh, and also, they are the easiest thing to make- I don't know what's quicker- how long it takes to make them, or how long it will take your guests to snarf them down.




Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Here's what you need (makes 24):
24 pitted dates
24 whole blanched almonds
8 slices of bacon

Here's what you do:
Put the oven rack as high as it goes (like, 4 inches from the broiler), and heat broiler. Stuff each date with an almond. Slice the bacon strips into thirds (widthwise), and wrap a piece around each date. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet and put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until top is crispy. Turn and cook until bacon is crispy all over (another 3-5 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel to drain, and then serve. Piggylicious.