Shrimp Stirfry

I miss Blake's presence the most when we cook, especially on Stirfry Days. This lil sweet tradition of ours was started a while back when for a couple Sundays in a row we'd cook dinner at his place and watch "Celebrity Apprentice". Once that show was over and he got me hooked onto "The Bachelorette", it became Stirfry Mondays. My job was to cut the veggies carefully without chopping his fingers off as he'd reach over to steal pieces of carrot and red peppers. Eventually, I learned it was just safer to feed him large pieces of veggies. Save us a trip to the emergency room... Blake was in charge of sautéing the shrimp and seasoning the final product. We would have a great time cooking together.  :)

Yesterday was the first time in a long time I cooked stirfry by myself. My friends who had never tasted our stirfry thought it was delicious, but I could taste the difference. I guess I never realized that his contribution made such a significance to the taste of the dish.

Sometimes the best kind of seasoning is Love.


Carrots
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Red bell peppers
Snow peas
Olive oil
1 lb raw shrimp (deveined)
Butter
Garlic
Stirfry Sauce
Salt & Pepper

1. Cut vegetables carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and bell peppers into edible pieces. In a heated oiled wok, cook the veggies in descending order (about a minute each before adding the next veggie on the list). Keep stirring the veggies.
2. In a separate pan, melt the butter. Add garlic and shrimp. Remove the shrimp before it well done. Add to the veggies.
3. Add the stirfry sauce. And cook until veggies and shrimp are done to your own preference.
4. Season with salt and pepper (and love)

Note: If the sauce is to watery, you can add a couple teaspoon of cornstarch OR Blake's method is to cover the wok and steam the liquid off.

Eggplant & Mushroom Rigatoni

1 (16 ounce) package rigatoni pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 (8 ounce) package fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces ricotta cheese, cut into large chunks

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the eggplant, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and olives. Season with thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.
4.Toss with pasta and ricotta cheese.

Note: I usually like eggplants when they are absolutely tender. Even though the end product was delicious, I thought it took too long to tenderize the eggplants simmering in the sauce. Plus, by that time, the sauce had reduced too much. Suggestion for next time is to boil the eggplant to tender and then add to sauce.

Coq Au Vin with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

It's been a while since I post any recipes on this blog.

During my absence, I found a love within myself that grew to make room to love another. This was a huge accomplishment for me... Before I started soul searching I was unsure that I could fall in love the same way I had since my first love. He made it easy for me to fall in love with him and I accepted the vulnerability that coincided with love. It was an amazing experience which I believe will continue through a great friendship even after he leaves.

However, the thought of his absence does leave an aching and emptiness in my heart. Thoughts of him kept running through my head over and over again today. Those thoughts and feeling of emptiness was manifested by a loss of appetite. But I knew I needed to eat. And in order to eat, I needed to stop thinking and get distracted.

I ran across a cooking book at Barnes & Noble. Not only did it re-spark my passion for cooking but it is good way to be distracted. I chose Coq au Vin because it is a dish requiring a bit more attention. I found out it is a dish commonly served for the cold winter nights in France (which is a perfect metaphor for the way my soul was feeling).

Being that it is actually the middle of the summer, I substituted dry red wine for a crisp and light white wine.

Recipe for Coq au Vin:

3 chicken thighs skinless, boneless
flour
thyme, chopped
salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 cup pearl onions
3 garlic cloves, bruised
1/4 cup canadian bacon/pancetta, sliced into 1/4"
1/2 cup wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
3 dried bay leaves
thyme

1. Add flour, thyme, and salt to ziploc bag. Add the chicken thighs, seal and mix until well coated. Remove chicken from bag and lightly tap off excess flour mixture.

2. Heat skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Add chickens. Lightly brown them by flipping over continuously. Remove chicken off heat and place them onto side, still pink inside.

3. As chicken is cooking, boil a pot of water. In a bowl pour the hot water on top of the pearl onions. Let it sit for a while. Peel the skin of the soaked onions by cutting the ends. Halve the onions and set aside.

4. Heat skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Saute garlic cloves for 1 minute. Add carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon to the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add wine, chicken broth, and tomato paste to the mixture. Let it simmer briefly before adding the chicken.

5. Cover the pan and let the sauce reduce to half.

6. Add the bay leaves and thyme at the very end.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes: