2 tablespoons fermented black beans, sold in Asian markets
2 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine
About 1 1/2 pounds uncooked shrimp, in the 20 to 30 per pound size range, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, sliced, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 pound bok choy or other cabbage, trimmed, washed and dried
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger
3/4 cup chicken stock or white wine, optional
1/4 cup minced scallions.
1. Soak black beans in sherry, wine or water. In large bowl, marinate shrimp in
1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sliced garlic, salt and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
2. Separate bok choy leaves from stems; chop stems into 1/2 - to 1-inch pieces, and roughly chop leaves.
3. Preheat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil and raise heat to high. When it begins to smoke, add minced garlic and, immediately thereafter, shrimp and its marinade. Cook shrimp for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon it out of wok or skillet.
4. Put remaining peanut oil in wok or skillet and, when it smokes, add ginger, followed immediately by bok choy stems. Cook, stirring, until bok choy is lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes, then add leaves. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add 3/4 cup water, stock or white wine and let it bubble away for a minute.
5. Return shrimp to wok or skillet and stir; add black beans and their liquid, scallions, and remaining sugar and soy sauce. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat, drizzle remaining sesame oil on top, and serve.
Yield: 4 or more servings.
Look for fish that's 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. It sounds counterintuitive, but farmed fish is a better choice when raised inland, in recirculating water (rather than in crowded netpens in the wild). At the market, ask your fishmonger where the fish comes from.
Servings: Makes 6 servings.
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 teaspoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
Large pinch of saffron threads
Coarse kosher salt or coarse sea salt
6 whole farm-raised striped bass or trout (about 1 pound each), gutted, cleaned, top fin cut off
2 large oranges; 1 juiced, 1 halved, then thinly sliced
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Whisk butter, juice concentrate, vinegar, and saffron in small saucepan to blend. Season butter to taste with coarse salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Using small sharp knife, cut diagonal slits on both sides of fish at 1-inch intervals. Arrange fish on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle fresh orange juice and salt into slits and cavities of fish. Fill cavities with orange slices (about 3 per fish). Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Spray grill racks and fish generously with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place saucepan with orange-saffron butter at edge of grill to warm through, stirring occasionally. Arrange fish on barbecue. Grill until just opaque in center, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Serve with warm seasoned butter.
1. For pineapple salsa, in a medium bowl gently stir together pineapple, mandarin oranges, sweet pepper, and picante sauce. Set aside.
2. Trim fat from steak. Thinly slice steak across the grain. Sprinkle with Mexican seasoning; toss to coat evenly. In a large skillet cook and stir half of the seasoned steak in hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or to desired doneness. Remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining steak.
3. Arrange salad greens on plates. Top with steak and pineapple salsa. Makes 4 servings.
Tip: Look for green picante sauce or green taco sauce in the salsa section of the supermarket.
1. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade combine margarita mix, cumin, and lime peel. Pour over chicken; seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 8 hours. Drain chicken, discarding marinade
2. For a charcoal grill, grill chicken on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170�F), turning once halfway through grilling. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduced heat to medium. Place chicken on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.) Remove chicken from grill; cool slightly.
3. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, lime juice, and cayenne. Arrange tomatoes, avocados, and red onion on 4 salad plates. Coarsely chop chicken. Add to salads. Drizzle with mayonnaise mixture and sprinkle with black pepper.
4. Makes: 4 servings
1. Trim fat from meat. In a small bowl combine sugar, chili powder, salt, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; reserve 1 teaspoon. Sprinkle remaining spice mixture evenly over both sides of meat; rub in with your fingers; set aside. In a medium bowl toss the nectarines with the reserved 1 teaspoon spice mixture and water; set aside.
2. For a charcoal grill, place bacon slices in a large cast iron skillet. Place skillet with bacon on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill 8 to 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp-cooked and browned, turning very frequently. Carefully remove skillet from grill. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels.
3. Place steaks on the grill rack directly over the coals. Grill until desired doneness, turning once. (Allow 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare doneness or 5 to 7 minutes for medium doneness.) Place nectarine wedges directly on grill rack along side the steaks the last 3 to 5 minutes of grilling until nectarines are lightly browned and warmed through, turning often.
4. Transfer steaks to serving plates and top each with a slice of bacon and 4 nectarine wedges.
5. Makes: 4 servings
1. Mix yogurt and thawed non-dairy topping, adding fresh fruit if desired. Pile into baked pie shells. Chill. Decorate with fresh fruit if desired, before serving. Pies may be covered with cling film and foil and frozen.
2.Thaw before serving (then decorate with fresh fruit). Each pie serves 6-8. Great dessert to have for busy days. Low calorie too. Try raspberry yogurt and fresh raspberries, etc.
1. Mix ingredients to get batter. Using non-stick cooking spray to grease a 9x13 pan. Put batter in pan. Bake at 325o for 40-50 minutes.
2. When cake is baked, poke with a fork. Then, drizzle lemon mixture over the top of the cake. Let cake cool at room temperature.
3. Drizzle icing on top.
1. In a small saucepan bring 3/4 cup of the water to boiling. Remove from heat. Add tea bags and mint to saucepan. Let steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Strain tea mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discarding mint and tea bags. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup water. Pour mixture into ice cube trays and freeze 2 hours or until firm.
2. In a blender combine watermelon cubes and lemon juice. Cover and blend until mixture begins to liquefy. With the motor running, add frozen tea cubes, a few at a time, through the hole in the lid until slushy. Pour into glasses and stir before serving. If desired, sweeten to taste with sugar. Makes: 4 (8-ounce) servings
3. * Test Kitchen Tip: Do not snip or chop the mint leaves or it cause the tea to discolor.
