Crabfest & Dungeness Crab Egg Foo Young

As the gray clouds of the past week peeled away their canopy, we breathed in the crisp air as the sun bounced it's light off the waters of Puget Sound and poured it's warmth upon the fall leaves, displaying their glorious amber and crimson leaves as we drove up Highway 101 to Port Angeles for the 12th annual Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival.

Under the bigtop, food vendors lined the perimeter to serve up their offerings hot off their grill or ladled from industrial size cook pots. Some folks, even whole families stood in line for an hour for the crab feed, ordering either a whole or half crab with drawn butter, corn on the cob and coleslaw for $29 or $15 a plate. We preferred to sample a variety of seafood dishes - chowders, scallops and crab. 

Me sampling "World Famous" crab cakes.*(see links below)

The Blackball Ferry was churning out droves of Canadian tourists from Victoria and beyond along for the waterfront Crabfest - many there to see their favorite culinary celebrity and his wife, Graham and Treena Kerr. Graham, Treena and family were there to give attendees and opportunity to meet Graham, buy books, and attend events where he gave a talk, judged the first annual chowder competition, and watch his cooking demonstration. Unfortunately, we had to head back home before Graham 's time came to give his cooking demonstration on Sunday afternoon. However, we did have the good fortune of listening and watching Chef Les Chan, cooking instructor in Victoria B.C.

Chef Les Chan's delightful sense of humor entertained us while we watched his cooking demonstration and waited to taste his two dishes - Dungeness Crab with Black Beans and Crab Foo Young. Both tasty, relatively quick, if you don't try to talk and cook at the same time, and easy to prepare at home. The perks for staying through to the end of each demonstration was to taste the dish, and take a copy of the recipe, which I did for both and share with you here.

Dungeness Crab with Black Beans

Ingredients

8 Crab Leg segments, cracked
4 Tbsp Thai Basil, chopped
2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger Root, minced
2 Tbsp Fresh Garlic, minced
1 tsp Chinese Chili Sauce
4 dried Chinese Peppers, crushed
4 dried Chinese Black Beans
2 tsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Peanut or Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Sherry
1/4 cup Water
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a small bowl, soak fermented black beans in warm water and set aside.
2. To hot wok, add oil.
3. When oil is hot, coat the sides of the wok and add garlic, ginger, drained black beans and crushed Chili peppers. Cook for one minute.
4. Stir cornstarch into the water until blended smoothly.
5. To wok, add water and cornstarch mixture, and chili sauce. Cook two minutes.
6. Add crab legs, sherry, and Thai basil. Cook two minutes until crab is hot.
7. Serve on a warm platter family style.
8. This is finger food, so don't be afraid to use your fingers. Enjoy.

Crab Foo Young

Ingredients

8 Eggs, large
1 cup Fresh Bean Sprouts, minced
1/2 cup Green Onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup Bamboo Shoots, minced
1 cup Fresh Crab Meat
1 tsp Light Soya Sauce
2-3 tsps Cooking Oil
1/2 cup Water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, crab meat, soy sauce, and vegetables.
2. Heat 2 tsp of cooking oil in a non-stick skillet, coating sides.
3. Add 1/3 egg mixture and fry as you would a pancake, cooking until lightly browned on bottom. Carefully turn over to cook and brown the bottom.
4. Keep warm while cooking the other two pancakes.
5. Add more oil to the wok, if needed. Cook, and keep all three pancakes warm while making sauce.

Foo Young Sauce

1/2 cup Chicken Broth (if vegetarian, substitute with vegetable broth)

1 tsp Light Soya Sauce

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp White Vinegar

1/2 cup Water

2 Tbsp Cornstarch

Directions

1. In small pot, combine cornstarch and water with Foo Young Sauce.
2. Cook and stir until slightly thickened.
3. Serve hot over stacked Egg Foo Young, family style.

*If you  are in search of a great crab cake recipe, click for my crab cake blog post here. For Graham Kerr's Crab Cakes on Mixed Greens with Peanut Vinaigrette, click here.

Crab Babies

DZ is harvesting crabs daily, with a limit of five per harvest - Washington State limit per person, per day. It was dark by the time I got home, and DZ was still in the garage removing the crab meat from the  five he brought home and steamed late afternoon. The day before, he bought a small freezer to keep in the garage to store the vacuum-sealed seafood we will enjoy after their perspective season has ended.

We were both tired and hungry, with two portions of fresh crab in the refrigerator... so while DZ was dealing with the crabs outside, I need to quickly get creative and productive in the kitchen, if we wanted to eat anytime soon.

Having served my friend, Kris, sweet Dutch Babies filled with fresh fruit and Greek yogurt drizzled with agave nectar, for breakfast a few days earlier, I thought it would be tasty to serve us savory "Crab Babies" for dinner... simple, quick, and with little taxing of what brain cells I had left, a creative solution that proved to be excellent, despite how I had to take a number of little offerings from the refrigerator to generate enough content to feed two people. Our Crab Babies ended up just right - flavor-wise and portion-wise, especially for two, who whatever reasons, forgot to eat lunch.

Dutch Babies are easy-cheesy to make and take few ingredients... even with alternative ingredients in the batter, they hardly ever fail to impress, look and taste great.

Here's the ingredients and directions for making my version of a gluten-free Dutch Babies, using what I had on hand:

Ingredients for Dutch Babies Batter:

1/4 cup, same as a half a stick of Butter or butter substitute (four pats - two for each baking dish)

3 Eggs

1/2 cup Rice Milk

1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour

Pinch of Salt

Note: Dutch Baby batter recipes may vary slightly as to the ratio of number of eggs, milk, flour and butter per serving.

Directions and Other Ingredients for making Crab Babies:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425-degrees with two glass pie plates on a rack in the middle of the oven. Do not have a rack above, as the Dutch Babies have the potential of rising on the sides, sometime quite high.
2. Liquid first, put all the ingredients, sans the butter, in a blender and blend until... well, blended.
3. When oven reaches temperature,  put two pats of butter in each glass pie plate and melt, without browning - happens very fast, so watch carefully. It's easy to forget and set off the smoke detector.
4. As soon as the butter is melted, pour half of the batter into each of the two glass pie plates.
5. Before or while they bake at 425-degrees for 18-20 minutes, prepare the contents to fill the "Crab Babies" after they are transferred to dinner plates, as shown above.
6. In a saute pan, lightly saute together in olive oil savory ingredients of choice. Here's what I had on hand: chopped Green Onion, diced White Onion, diced Red Bell Pepper, sliced Mushrooms, teaspoon or less of Capers (rinsed), a quarter + teaspoon of Fennel Seed and a pinch of Salt and Cayenne Pepper. Keep warm, but don't over cook.
7. In a small mixing bowl, whip together - best at room temperature (a quick microwave works to take the chill off) -  whatever portions seems right to you of creamy ingredients. I found a little of each of the following in our refrigerator and combined them to make a wonderful, creamy base to my concoction: Tofutti (soy cream cheese substitute), Greek Yogurt, Mayonnaise, shredded Parmesan Cheese, a squeeze of fresh Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest... and a pinch of Salt.
8. As soon as the Dutch Babies come out of the oven - oven mitts compulsory - very, very hot and easy to burn yourself - transfer them to dinner plates. They should have lovely, toasty brown edges, perhaps bubbly in the center slathered in melted butter... then immediately start to "settle" on the dinner plates.
9. Best using a rubber spatula, divide and spread the creamy mixture across each, hot serving, then divide both the savory filling and warmed, cooked crab meat, and cover the creamy mixture with color and texture of the sauteed mixture and bite-size pieces of crab.
10. Garnish with a light sprinkling of Paprika and serve while hot. 

Generously serves 2

Recipe dedicated to Crab harvesters DZ and Phil.

Female Nomad and Friends by Rita Golden Gelman Virtual Tour

My book review scheduled for Monday, June 7th, for the Female Nomad and Friends by Rita Golden Gelman Virtual Tour and other information is rescheduled to post on June 15th and will include details about the author's launch party and book signing, which I attended in Seattle this past Friday, on June 4th.

Meanwhile, here are two recent and related blog posts about the launch of Rita Golden Gelman's new anthology/cookbook Female Nomad and Friends: New Anthology/Cookbook and Global Dinner Invitation and Connecting Through Food - Sea Bass with Red Quinoa Salad.

Be sure to read the other book reviews scheduled from June 7th through July 2nd on the Female Nomad and Friends by Rita Golden Gelman Virtual Tour.

As my Finnish Grandfather would say, "Come Soon Back!"

Connecting Through Food - Sea Bass with Red Quinoa Salad

This past week, I was in Seattle to meet with my friend Rita Golden Gelman, the author of Tales of a Female Nomad, Living at Large in the World to talk about her non-profit organization Let's Get Global, celebrate her new anthology-cookbook Female Nomad and Friends, Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World, and to attend her launch party and book signing.

While in town, my husband and I had the opportunity to see our dear and very precious friend Kimberly Lockard Ness not only at Rita's author event at Ravenna Third Place Books in Seattle, but Kimberly invited us to come to her home in Milton on Saturday afternoon for a late lunch on her sun-lit deck, as we were heading back south towards home.

Our time with Kimberly was absolutely delightful and lunch was fabulous - we were greatly blessed and nourished body, soul, and spirit! I asked Kimberly is she would be interested in writing something about our lunch together and share her recipes with us on my food blog.

Here are Kimberly's personal reflections and recipes for Sea Bass served with Quinoa Salad:

I’ve recently passed through a major surgery and am learning and seeking new, fresh and healthy foods to aid me in my recovery. I am focused on high protein and organic fare. My sweet friends from out of town (Lee Erickson and Cliff Bisch) invited me to join them at a book signing event in my city, where they would be attending. What an extraordinary event – so wonderful to meet old and new friends. A wonderful evening.

We planned a lunch at my house the next day, on their way out of town. I knew Lee was also focused on fresh, healthy, gluten free organic eating and I planned a sea bass and quinoa salad menu. I noticed at Trader Joe’s a new kind of quinoa that I’d never seen – Red Quinoa. And on the back of the box – this recipe!! So I take no credit, except that I added the organic greens and couldn’t find fresh corn to roast so I used a can of organic corn. All the ingredients I chose were organic. The recipe called for Cilantro Salad Dressing, which I couldn’t find so I chose a Tarragon Dijon Vinaigrette at QFC instead. It was really good.

The thing that makes food so wonderful is the hearts you get to experience along with it. I am always amazed and so very grateful when I participate in breaking bread with others and see how open communication and sharing of hearts is facilitated through eating. I believe there must be a spiritual restoration that happens in our hearts, as we corporately fill our bodies with wholeness and purity in all of its forms. Everything we do and say on this earth has the potential lead us into the presence of God, to mirror his design for our lives, and aid in fulfilling a purpose for His glory.

Sometimes it’s difficult to see it when you are in the middle of a dark season, but I often look behind me and see what He’s done in my life after it’s happened and more times than not, there was someone there alongside me enjoying a meal, a flower, a moment of time together with me. Glorious days, bright days await us and my story today with Black Beans and Red Quinoa is about how our dark days (those Black Beans) can pass through the blood of the Lamb (that Red Quinoa) to a brighter day with loved ones to share our experiences with on this journey.

Black Bean, Roasted Corn & Avocado Salad on a Bed of Red Quinoa and Greens

Ingredients:

1 cup red quinoa, cooked with broth
2 cups vegetable broth... See More
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained/rinsed
2 cups roasted corn kernels
1 avocado, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup red onion, diced
¾ cup Tarragon Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing (QFC)
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
Zest of 1 lime
Sea salt and pepper
2-3 cups organic greens of your choice

Directions:

Cook quinoa with broth according to package directions. While quinoa is cooking, combine beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion. Top with salad dressing and toss gently. Add salt, pepper and lime zest to taste. Add ½ of cilantro and gently toss once more. Set aside.

When quinoa is cooked, toss with olive oil; add salt and pepper to tast. Set aside to cool. When read to serve, spread greens on serving platter, spread quinoa on top of greens, and top with corn and bean mixture. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

I believe that Kimberly baked the Sea Bass in a 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. The fillets were baked in olive oil in au gratin dishes topped with a freshly ground lavender-pepper blend.

We LOVE you, Kimberly! Thank you for sharing your heart, your food and your home with us!

[If you also like to connect with others through food, Rita invites YOU to join her Female Nomad and Friends Global Dinner Party "Connecting Through Food" on June 18th, which will be taking place all over the world in our homes. For more information, go to Rita's website or her Facebook Female Nomad fan page.]

Like to see my mussels?

I thought I'd show you my mussels... all 2-1/2 pounds of them.

Following Aunt Jo's recipe from Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Raman Prasad on page 126 and directions from the Internet about preparing the mussels for steaming... this is how I adapted the recipe with detailed directions for cleaning prior to cooking and when to remove them from the pot.

Rinse the mussels several times in water, but do not soak them, as fresh water kills them and if they are already dead when you go to steam them they will not open up. If their is a beard (fibrous string) attached, gently pull or cut it off before steaming.

Ingredients:

2--1/2 to 3 pounds of washed mussels, or clams or a combination of both
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Melted butter, for dipping (optional)

Directions:

1. Placed the washed mussels in a large, deep pot.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the butter, and toss with the mussels to coat.
   
3. Cover and cook on medium-high heat with the lid on, until the mixture begins to boil. Note that there is little water in the pot, but the mussels release more liquid as they begin to cook and open.
4. As soon as the water is boiling, creating steam, lower the temperature to medium and simmer until the mussels are open, approximately 3-5 minutes. I recommend that you remove the lid and begin to pull individual mussels out with tongs as soon as each one opens to prevent them from getting tough.
5. Discard any mussels that do not open.
6. Serve the mussels while hot with melted butter for dipping (optional).

Serves 2-3

Broth with herbs, garlic and olive oil.

Toss mussels in mixture to coat before steaming.

Serve hot. Set out an extra plate to collect the shells.

Grilled Marinated Tuna Steaks

Although I am incorporating more raw foods into my diet, I am a pescetarian and include some seafood. One book that has been very helpful and healing for me has been Diet for a Pain Free Life. The premise is that if we are to reduce pain in our bodies then we need to eat the right foods, exercise, improve our mood and quality of sleep, and lose weight. I've adapted this recipe for marinated tuna from page 125 of Diet for a Pain Free Life, which is quite delicious and easy to prepare.

I'm also going to begin incorporate pH balancing with my recipes, as an imbalanced pH, especially if acidic is a breeding ground for illness and disease. But, acid-alkaline biochemistry is a topic for another post.

I cut the recipe in half for the two of us and served our tuna steaks with steamed red rice, lightly steamed zucchini and turmeric cauliflower. Tuna, the marinade and red rice are acidic, while zucchini and cauliflower are alkaline. Turmeric (mixed with with feta and hemp seeds) tossed with the cauliflower is a potent anti-inflammatory spice.

Ingredients:

4 4-ounce tuna steaks
1 teaspoon
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon Splenda
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2/3 cups porcini mushrooms, sliced (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the tuna in a shallow dish and season with salt on both sides.
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1-1/2 tablespoons oil with the remaining ingredients and whisk.
3. Pour the mixture over the tuna steaks and marinate for 15-minutes.
4. Remove the steaks and put the remaining marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
5. Blot the steaks and brush with the remaining olive oil.
6. Grill the steaks on the stove top or on the barbecue 2-3 minutes each side or until you have achieved the level of doneness you desire.
7. Serve over a bed of steamed baby boy choy (optional)
   
8. When serving the tuna steaks, drizzle the hot marinade over the top of the steaks.
   

New Year's Day-After South African Dried Fruit Curry

Looking forward to the new year? I am mostly filled with high expectations seasoned with bit of fear and trepidation... probably a healthy mix.

I don't know about you, but I had a lot of thoughts rumbling about in my head, right from the get go. So, I began the first day of 2010 writing New Year's resolutions, before I got out of bed. Done. Next, I hit the scales for the harsh reality check - gained 5 pounds during the holiday-months. Ouch! I already had the solution to that problem worked into my list. I will have to take another stickK contract out on my self.

We enjoyed having family with us most the day, but didn't fit in the walk we planned. However, my backup plan is to get in some yoga and stretches before returning to the comfort of my bed to review my outline of resolutions for the year and add a few more that came to mind as the day progressed. I'm determined to hold myself accountable by scheduling time slots on my Google calendar, but that's tomorrow's task.

Anyway, this evening we dined on Himalayan red rice, lightly-steamed brocollini and pan-seared halibut with fresh-squeezed lemon, dill and capers... a simple but delicious meal prepared by my husband, who happens to be an excellent cook! Notice the missing wine glass. One of my New Year's resolutions: No Wining = fewer calories = svelte figure. Right?

What about the South African Dried Fruit Curry? Thank you for your patience. Keep reading.

But, first let me digress. Our Christmas present to each other was the Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator. It arrived a few days ago, and this weekend we are putting it to use. I will be posting the outcomes of some of our forays into the world of dried foods this year.


This past fall we began incorporating more raw foods into our meals. I quickly discovered while perusing raw foods cookbooks that many of the best and most interesting dishes involved dehydrating certain raw foods and dishes anywhere from 4 t0 12 between 95 and 155 degrees.

Our first, test batch of kiwi, pear, apple and banana was dehydrated for 12 hours at 130-degrees with out any pretreatment, dipping or blanching. Loaded with flavor and chewy.

I will be using home-dehydrated foods in cooked dishes, as well.

A few weeks ago, while attending a house concert, I reconnected with a friend I haven't spoken to or seen since 1976. Neither of us could believe it! While catching up, I reminded Pamela of the amazing recipes she shared with me. I came across one of her recipes just today while looking through a recipe album of mine from the early '80's with my youngest daughter. South African Dried Fruit Curry. I'm going to make this dish tomorrow with store-bought dried fruits, but the next time I make it, I will be using my own dehydrated fruits. I'm excited about the possibilities and the added nutritional benefits of adding a dehydrator as a kitchen appliance.


South African Dried Fruit Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup dried apples
1/2 cup dried pitted prunes
1/2 cup raisins
1-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 pounds cubed lamb or beef (I am making this dish with tofu (prefer tempeh)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup onions, minced
2 tablespoons Madras curry
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped
2 bananas, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine dried fruits and soak in water for 1 hour or so.
2. Pat meat dry and sprinkle with salt. Brown evenly in hot oil, then set aside.
3. Brown onions in 2 tablespoons of meat fat or oil.
4. Reduce heat to low and add the curry. Stir 2 minutes.
5. Add the meat with accumulated juices (or add tempeh later).
6. Stir in the fruit and its water, vinegar and lemon juice.
7. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low.
8. Partially cover and let simmer for about 1 hour or until meat is tender when pierced OR when cooked through, add the tofu or tempeh.
9. Add water, if necessary. When done, most of the liquid should be cooked away.
10. Mound the curry on a platter on a bed of steamed rice.
    
11. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and arrange the bananas around the curry.

Enjoy! Serves 4-6.

Broiled Razor Clams

I find it interesting how hard it is to find variations on razor clam recipes. Even the seafood cookbooks I have in my kitchen seem to have overlooked these delectable, nutty-flavored shellfish. I've enjoyed razor clams since I was a young girl, mostly ordering in restaurants, pan-fried or chopped up and served in New England clam chowder.

Tonight, I tried something different. I made Rich's Broiled Baked Razor Clams from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife:

You will need: Razor clams, cleaned. (The fresher the better)

Eggs, beaten (however many you need for your egg wash).
Ritz Crackers, regular kind (not the low-fat or low-sodium varieties), crushed. Enough to coat the clams.
Butter, melted. (Margarine works)

Preparation: Turn your oven broiler on to high. It needs to be HOT.

1. Dip the cleaned clams in the egg wash.
2. Coat well with crushed Ritz crackers ( I used crushed sesame rice crackers (gluten-free).
3. Lay the clams out, single layer, on a greased baking sheet. (Lining the sheet with foil first makes easier clean up).
4. Drizzle the clams with melted butter, more or less to taste. (Without it you’ll get dry clams).

5. I sprinkled garlic salt and paprika over the top (optional).

Cooking:

1. Put the pan on the top oven rack under the HOT broiler.
2. Broil 3 minutes. Turn over. Broil 3 more minutes, and they’re done. Avoid over-cooking or the clams get rubbery.

The key is a HOT broiler or oven. You can do this in a HOT (500-degree) oven, without having to turn the clams over, but I’m not sure of the time. I prefer the broiler, thank you.

Done right, the clams are fork tender. And with no grease or oil spatter and mess from a frying pan, you’ll probably never want to fry a clam again!

Rich Daneker, KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, Wash.

It's true. I never want to fry razor clams again! They were delicious.

Earlier in the day, I received an unexpected gift box in the from a friend in Idaho... a half-dozen bottles of fine wine from Bitner Vineyards in the Snake River Valley appellation. The 2007 Reserve Riesling was wonderful to pair with our meal. I venture to say that it is the best Riesling I've ever tasted. I met Ron Bitner while doing business with him and his colleague a couple of years ago, and discovered that Ron is not only an amazing vintner, but an international bee biologist, educator and ecopreneur before it became fashionable. Bitner Vineyards has been named 2009 Idaho Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest.

Marinated Scallops with Sauteed Bell Peppers & Lentils

Yesterday was a busy day in town for me. Before heading home I stopped by the market and bought a pound of large sea scallops (8-10). I wasn't sure how I was going to prepare them or serve with them, but I'd think about it when I got home.

I grabbed The Big Book of Potluck by mistake thinking it was one of my "challenge" cookbooks and started flipping through it, still unaware that it wasn't. I must have been really tired. The recipe for the marinated halibut steaks served with sauteed bell peppers on pages 296 and 297 looked like our kind of  food - fresh ingredients, gluten-free and easy to prepare. I had all the ingredients to make the meal, except the halibut.

No problem. I set to work making the halibut marinade and used it to marinate the scallops,  put the French (green) lentils on to cook in  vegetable stock and sauteed the peppers and onion . By by the time my husband walked in the door, dinner was almost ready and the house was filled with the aroma of garlic. Six minutes later, we sat down to a simple, delicately flavored and satisfying meal with a glass of white wine.

 

Marinade for 8-10 Scallops

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2-1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1-2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse and pat dry the scallops and place in a shallow glass dish or bowl. 
2. Pour the marinade over the scallops, turn to coat and marinate for 10-20 minutes.
3. In saute pan on medium-high heat, cook the marinated scallops for about 3 minutes each side or until the center in no longer pink. Watch closely so the scallops do not overcook.

Sauteed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:


2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 each: red, green, orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/2 inch strips
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/4 cup or less of white wine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or wok, on medium heat, melt the olive oil and butter. 
2. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook on low uncovered until tender (about 15 minutes).
3. Stir occasionally. When tender, stir in the wine, thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Cook uncovered another 5 minutes or so.

Serves 4-6

French Lentils

(Lentils, French)  French lentils are a small dark speckled lentil, which are sometimes referred to as "green".  They are a firmer lentil that takes a little longer to cook, but they have an excellent flavor.  French lentils originated in Southeast Asia along the Indus River, where they remain quite popular. Their French name "Puy" comes from their growth in the Puy region of France. We have not found French lentils in supermarkets in the United States, but they are readily available from coops, health food stores, and many specialty food stores.  They are an excellent ingredient for soups, salads, and many other recipes, including curries.  The actual size of the French green lentils can be seen in the photo of the cup to the left.  We could not find nutritional chart information for these lentils, but like other lentils, the French green are low in fat and high in protein and fiber." All-Creatures.org

Cooking French (green) lentils is a very simple method:

1. Pick over lentils to remove debris or shriveled lentils 
2. Rinse in cold water and drain. 
3. Lentils do not need to be pre-soaked, but you can soak them for a few hours to reduce your cooking time by half.  
4. When cooking lentils in preparation ahead of time to add to a recipe or as a side dish, use 3X  the amount of water to lentils and avoid cooking them with anything acidic like vinegar, which retard the cooking process. 
   
5. Cover with water or broth and boil for 2-3 minutes (aids digestion) and reduce heat and simmer until tender (anywhere from 20-40 minutes).

In Search of the World's Best Crab Cakes

My friends Tom and Holly are celebrating Thanksgiving at home this year and serving crab. I suggested they consider make crab cakes. However, the search for the best crab cake recipe in the world will be an ongoing quest.

 

For those cooking gluten-free, we have the additional challenge of choosing the best gluten-free flour, cracker or bread that won't compromise the delicate flavors and texture of the cakes. I like cooking gluten-free with recipes like this using rice or tapioca flour.

Here's a good one I came across, handwritten and crammed in with a bunch of other index card in a old box of recipes, which I bought last year from a neighbor at their yard sale. I made a couple of changes to accommodate my pepper allergy and gluten intolerance and they were the best crab cakes we've ever eaten!

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh crab, picked over to remove shell
1 cup cooked corn
1/2 cup each onion, green pepper and celery finely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard and a dash of cayenne or green pepper sauce
1 egg, beaten
1-1/4 cups saltine cracker crumbs (for gluten-free use rice crackers, fine crumbs)
2 tablespoons olive oil and to tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Combine the crab, corn, onion, pepper, celery in one bowl; in another combine the mayonnaise, mustard and cayenne.
2. Mix the two sets of ingredients together.
3. Fold in the egg and 1/4 cup of the cracker crumbs to bind the ingredients together.
4. Form the crab mixture into eight (8) patties.
5. Roll them in the remaining cup of cracker crumbs.
6. Fry the cakes in oil and butter 3-4 minutes per side.
7. Serve with tartar sauce.

Here's a recipe adding Louisiana hot sauce.

Maryland Crab Cakes

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked crab, flaked
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dredging

Directions:

Mix the parsley, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce, eggs, and mayonnaise together.

Add the crab and crumbs, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the mixture into 8 cakes and dredge in flour.

These can be deep fried at 375 to 380 degrees for 2-3 minutes (or until golden brown). Or you may pan fry them on both sides in butter.

Note: I've come across other Maryland crab cake recipes that add 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, celery seed, even Italian bread crumbs.  Other recipes add finely chopped green onion and tomatoes.

 Mendo Bistro’s Award-Winning Crab Cakes with Tarragon Aioli seems to be a popular recipe shared across the Internet.

Watch how Tom Douglas, chef and author of I Love Crab Cakes! (50 recipes) makes his famous crab cakes. Scrumptous ingredients, excellent tips!

Another excellent crab cake resource is the Crab Cake Guy. He posts about 24 crab cake recipes and links to a half dozen crab cake cookbooks.

If you have a favorite crab cake recipe, I hope you will share it. If you try any one of the recipes I've posted here, I would love to hear about your culinary experience in the kitchen with crab.

Macadamia Encrusted Halibut

In my recipe I call for macadamia nuts, but you can use pine nuts, also you can make this macadamia version with shredded coconut instead of Parmesan cheese.

I recommend fresh halibut for this recipe.

• 1/4 6-oz. Halibut fillets 4
• 1 Tbsp. Grapeseed or Olive Oil
• 4 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 cup Macadamia Nuts, coarsely chopped
• Salt to Taste
• Squeeze of Lemon

Directions:

1. Rinse and pat dry the fillets on both sides. 
2. You can either bake the fish in a preheat 425 ºoven for 10-15 minutes, or you can add a splash of oil to a non-stick skillet to cook at medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes a side, depending on how thick the fillets. Combine the macadamia nuts, Parmesan cheese and salt. 
3. Place the halibut fillets on a baking sheet, or cook stove top in a flat-bottomed skillet large enough cook two to four fillets at a time . 
4. Before I pat the macadamia mixture onto the halibut fillets, I brush oil on both sides (or you can brush on egg). 
5. Pressing the mixture lightly to make it adhere. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the fish is opaque all the way through or cook on the stove top/ Since the crust is loosely patted onto the fish, turn gently. 
6. When flipped to the other side, you can add any remaining crust mixture on top. 
7. Add a thin slice of lemon and squeeze a little lemon juice and cracked pepper (optional) over all.

Serves 4

What's Your Curry?

Green curry is sublime with chicken, seafood and/or vegetables. If you're not in a hurry, make your own homemade curry. It will have more flavor and aroma than what you can find at the market.

Take your time to enjoy the process of cooking and enjoying the taste of Thai.

Ingredients:

Green Curry Paste

• 15 to 20 Thai Green Chili Peppers
• 2 stalks Lemon Grass, chopped
• 3 Shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 clove Garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped Kha*
• 1 tablespoon chopped Kaffir Lime
• 1/2 teaspoon Coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon Caraway Seed
• 1/2 teaspoon Fish Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sugar or a mild Honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Shrimp Paste (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Oil

Check with your local Asian market for Thai Peppers, Kha, Kaffir Lime, Fish Sauce and Shrimp Paste.

* Kha, also know as galangal or laos, looks similar to ginger, but has lighter, flesh and a different flavor than ginger. It is available fresh in selected Asian grocery stores. Fresh kha can be frozen to make it last longer. It is also available in dried slices and in powder. Dried kha should be soaked in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

What's Your Curry? Prawns and Vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil, for stir-frying the vegetables
• 1 large Onion
• 2 stalks of Celery
• 1-2 Carrots
• 2 cups chopped Green Leafy Vegetable
• 4 large Mushrooms
• 1 13.5 ounce can of Coconut Milk
• 3/4-1 lb. Prawns, pre-cooked and peeled
• 1-2 cups Bamboo Shoots and/or Water Chestnuts, thin-sliced (optional) (comes in 4-ounce cans)
  

Method:

• Blend all the Curry Paste ingredients together using a mortar and pestle. Use in the recipe according to taste.
• Thinly slice the Vegetables; julienne the Celery and Carrots.
• Remove the tails from the Prawns, rinse and let drain.
• This dish can also be served over a bed of white Rice or Noodles. Cook and have ready to serve by the time you are done cooking the curry dish.

Directions:

1. In a large wok, on high heat, add the oil, then the assorted vegetables. Toss gently and continually.
2. When the vegetables are almost tender, stir in the Green Curry Paste.
3. Add all of the Coconut Milk and more Curry Paste, to taste.
4. 1-2 minutes before serving, add the Prawns and lightly toss to warm through.
5. Serve in wide bowls and garnish with a spring of fresh Basil.

Serves 2-4