Ecuadorian Fried Rice (Chaulafan)

I first had Chaulafan at Cocina Latina restaurant in Minneapolis.  I was fascinated by the concept of Latin/Asian fusion represented by the dish - essentially fried rice (brought to South America by Chinese immigrants) with Latin influences such as cilantro, cumin and ancho chile powder.  It was so amazingly good that I had to re-create it at home, complete with the Colombian hot sauce that was served on the side.

There are quite a few ingredients but it comes together reasonably fast if you do some prep in advance - cook the rice, buy cooked chicken from the deli, and make the hot sauce.  (If you don't want to make the hot sauce you can use any bottled sauce but I've tested several and think the Colombian hot sauce is the best with this dish.) Having a helper also comes in handy for the chopping part.

I assume this is a fairly special-occasion dish since it contains not only bacon and shrimp but also chicken, eggs and even optional shredded pork.  Of course, you can eliminate one or more of the proteins if you want but I'd keep the bacon for flavor.

There are two ingredients that you may not have on hand - ancho chile powder and achiote powder.  Of the two, ancho chile is much easier to find and is important to the taste of the dish.  It's a mild but smokey chile that's really delicious.  Achiote powder is primarily a coloring agent and since the dish uses just 1/4 teaspoon you could eliminate it if you can't find it.

Leftovers heat up really well with the exception of the shrimp, which can get tough if you microwave them.  Leave them out while you reheat the rest of the rice and then stir them in after the rice is hot to gently rewarm them.

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Chaulafan: Ecuadorian Fried Rice

Serves 3-4                           

 Note: To speed up meal prep, make the hot sauce and cook the rice in advance.

Rice

1 T oil

1 T white onion, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked white rice

Salt to taste

Chaulafan

2 oz pancetta or diced bacon

4 raw very large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed and cut in half lengthwise

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

 1 T vegetable oil

½ cup diced white onions

1 small carrot, diced 

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 T soy sauce, divided

1 T Worcestershire sauce, divided

3 T finely chopped cilantro, divided

2 tsp Ancho chile powder

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp achiote powder

1/3 red and 1/3 green bell peppers, diced

½ cup frozen peas, thawed

1-1 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken (from the deli department)

½ - 1 cup cooked shredded pork, optional

4-5 green onions, finely chopped

Sliced red onion, for garnish

 Colombian hot sauce (see following recipe)

To cook the rice, heat the oil, add the onions and the rice, stir well. Then add the broth, season with salt to taste, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Cool.  May be made in advance and kept cooled and covered in the refrigerator.

Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the pancetta or bacon and sauté, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  In the same pan, add the shrimp and sauté quickly (1-2 minutes) until barely cooked through.  Remove and set aside.  Add the beaten eggs to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cooked until softly scrambled.  Remove, chop, and set aside.

Add the tablespoon of oil to the pan over medium heat, then add the remaining white onions, carrot, garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, half the Worcestershire sauce, Ancho chile powder, cumin, and 1 tablespoon cilantro.  Cook for 5-8 minutes until the onions and carrots are cooked. 

Add the cooked rice (and optional pork), chicken, and bell pepper.  Stir well, taste and season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring infrequently, allowing a brown crust to develop on the bottom.  Stir in the remaining soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, shrimp, eggs, peas and green onions and stir well.  Cover and heat through for about 3-4 minutes.

Serve garnished with sliced red onion and hot sauce on the side.

 Colombian Hot Sauce

½ cup water

½ cup white vinegar

2 habanero peppers, chopped and seeded

1 to 2 green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup cilantro, chopped

½ cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium tomato, peeled and seeded

Add water, vinegar, habanero peppers, onion, sugar, oil, lime juice and salt to a blender and blend well.  Add cilantro, red bell pepper and tomatoes.  Pulse once or twice to mix the ingredients without blending.  Use immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Or, freeze in ice cubes trays for individual use later.

Spaghetti with Lemon and Walnuts

Last Year's Post: Grilled Lobster Tails
Two Years Ago:   Southwest Grilled Shrimp Salad

If spaghetti with marinara and meatballs is classic winter comfort food, then this is its summer cousin - spaghetti with a light but very flavorful sauce of lemon, garlic, parsley and walnuts. It's definitely an unusual combination for spaghetti, don't you think?  You can serve it either warm or at room temperature, making it even more appealing for warm summer months.  And of course you could add some grilled chicken or shrimp if you really want, but I find it very satisfying as a vegetarian entree.

I think of this recipe as being minimalist in concept but definitely not in taste.  Just because it doesn't have a long list of ingredients, don't be fooled.  Each ingredient plays an important part for big impact: fruity olive oil, fragrant lemon zest and bright juice, mellow garlic slices, grassy parsley, crunchy toasted walnuts, grated Parmesan, and freshly ground black pepper.  Because there are so few ingredients, be sure to use the best you can find.

The original recipe called for adding the parmesan into the pasta while it's still in the pan, and stirring to make a "creamy sauce".  I found it made big gooey clumps of parsley and half-melted cheese instead, so I adapted the recipe to add the parmesan later.  Same tastes, happier result.

Spaghetti with Lemon and Walnuts

Serves 3-4

May be served warm or at room temperature.

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for drizzling

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 ½ cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Zest from ½ lemon

2 ½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2/3 cup)

1/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 lemon, cut into quarters, for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt.  Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions.  Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, then drain the pasta.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook 2 minutes until pale golden-brown.  Place the pasta in the skillet, tossing to coat.  Add the parsley and toss, adding some pasta water if the pasta looks dry.  Taste and adjust salt if needed; sprinkle with pepper. 

Divide among shallow bowls and garnish with lemon zest, parmesan and walnuts.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil and add lemon quarters on the side for squeezing.

Italian Grilled Seafood Salad

Last Year's Post: Kale and Pancetta Salad
Two Years Ago:  Brie & Pomegranate Toasts

Seafood salads are a staple of Italian Christmas Eve dinners.  This one instantly transports you to Sicily with its combination of radicchio, orange and kalamata olives in addition to the shrimp and squid.  If you're like me and slightly squeamish about eating tentacles, make the salad with all shrimp instead.  (My Italian friend Angela is probably gasping in horror.)  Either way, it's a very healthy entree salad.  The sweet orange balances the slightly bitter radicchio, and the meaty olives and smoky seafood make it completely satisfying and perfect for a light dinner.

If you're not familiar with radicchio (rah-dee-kee-oh),  it's a leaf chicory (whatever that is) and it looks like this.

You'll find it with the vegetables in the produce section.  When I was going through the check-out line, the cashier (who I've seen there many times before) actually picked it up and said "I've never seen this before.  What is it?"  Really?  Anyway, it reminds me somewhat of cabbage in terms of texture.  The bitterness adds a nice element to salads that also have a sweet note.

Start by briefly marinating and then grilling some beautiful shrimp (and squid...if you're that type of person).

Next, prep the radicchio and greens.

Layer on the orange segments, juice of the orange, olive oil, and olives.

Finally add the shrimp on top.  The whole process takes less than 30 minutes and is very simple, but the result is special.

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Italian Grilled Seafood Salad

Serves 4-6

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¾ pound fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, rinsed and patted dry

¾ pound squid, cleaned and patted dry (or substitute more shrimp)

½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

2 cups baby arugula, washed and dried

1 cup radicchio, sliced

A good handful of Italian parsley leaves (about a ½ cup), washed and dried

1 orange

In a large bowl, add the zest and juice of the lemon, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper.  Add the shrimp and squid (if using) and mix to combine.  Marinate for 10 minutes.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high.  Place the seafood on the grill and cook until grill marks develop and the seafood is cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. (Tip: skewering the pieces helps in flipping.)  Remove from the grill and set aside.

Place the arugula, radicchio and parsley in a large shallow bowl or platter.  Peel the orange with a knife and cut each segment out between the membranes.  Drop the segments on top of the greens, then squeeze the orange over the salad to get as much juice as possible.  (Discard what’s left of the orange.) Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with freshly ground black pepper.  Place the olive and shrimp on top and serve.

Miso-Glazed Scallops with Quinoa and Grilled Pineapple

Last Year's Post: Smashed Potatoes
Two Years Ago:  Shrimp, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

Time for a confession - I totally stole the concept for this recipe from the Waldorf-Astoria Spa at The Boulders Resort in Scottsdale.  Not the recipe, mind you, but the concept.  I was checking out spas for an upcoming girls' weekend (tough duty) and was cruising by the spa restaurant, so I stopped to read the menu.  One of entrees was miso-glazed scallops with quinoa, pineapple, tomatillo salsa and prickly pear glaze.  I wasn't too sure about tomatillo salsa with miso scallops but liked the concept.

So here we are.  I pulled together components of several miso-based scallop recipes and added a few ingredients of my own to the quinoa.  I say this just in case Waldorf-Astoria employs a word-recognition internet-search service that will immediately flag this post because I would hate to get a cease-and-desist letter in the mail, although I'm sure it would be properly monogrammed on heavy cream paper with a nice gilt edge.

There are a few ingredients that you might not be familiar with:  white miso paste, mirin, and quinoa (keen-wah).

Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans and is a common seasoning in Japanese cuisine.  It comes in different varieties (white, red, mixed) and is typically savory and salty.  You'll find it in upscale grocers or Asian markets, usually in a tub or plastic bag that needs to be refrigerated after opening.  Mirin is a sweet cooking rice seasoning and can be found in the Asian foods section of most grocers.  Quinoa is a grain that comes in different colors - usually white or red - and can be found in upscale grocers or natural food stores.  I like red quinoa in this recipe because of the color, but if you can't find it the white variety will taste the same.

(If you prefer, you could use shrimp instead of scallops, and if you don't feel like buying miso you could use any soy sauce-based vinaigrette.  It won't taste the same, but it'll still be good.)

The miso glaze adds great flavor to the scallops while the quinoa adds nuttiness and the grilled pineapple brings sweetness and juiciness to the party - it's really a great combination.  When you consider that this is also a spa dish and therefore healthy and low calorie, you have to admit those Waldorf people know what they're doing.

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Miso-Glazed Scallops with Quinoa and Grilled Pineapple

Serves 4

4 (1/2” thick) pineapple slices, outer skin removed

Canola oil, for brushing

3 tablespoons white miso paste

2 tablespoons mirin

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

12 medium sea scallops

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup uncooked quinoa (red preferred)

3.5 ounce fresh shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and sliced

1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

3 green onions, white and green parts sliced

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat.  Brush the pineapple slices with canola oil and grill for about 3 minutes per side until nice grill marks appear.  Remove and set aside.

Toast the dry quinoa in a dry pan for a few minutes to develop a toasty flavor, then combine with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 

While the quinoa cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet and sauté the shiitakes for a few minutes until beginning to brown.  Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the miso, mirin, vinegar, 2 tablespoons canola oil, ginger and garlic.  Rinse and pat dry the scallops, then add to the marinade and turn to coat.  Let marinate for 5 minutes (scallops will begin to break down if left in any longer).  Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the scallops and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side depending on thickness.

Combine the quinoa, shiitakes, almonds, and half the green onions; season to taste with salt and pepper.  To serve, place one pineapple ring on each plate; top with quinoa mixture, 3 scallops, and remaining green onions.

Korean Seafood Pancakes

Last Year's Post: Spanakopita
Two Years Ago:  Chorizo and Mushroom Fideua

I can't seem to get enough Korean food lately.  I love the bold, clean flavors and particularly like adapting heavy recipes to be lighter but with the same flavor profile (for example, substituting ground turkey for beef in Korean Sliders).  I was attracted to these Korean Seafood Pancakes because they're already light and make a fast and easy (but exotic) weekday dinner.  The other thing that I liked was that this recipe is adapted to use ingredients commonly available in American grocery stores so I didn't have to go buy special items at the Asian market  (which I like to do, but there's a limit to how much stuff I can fit in the pantry).

Start to finish, they take maybe 30 minutes at most, and 10 minutes of that is spent prepping the vegetables into thin and pretty slivers, making the dipping sauce, and prepping the shrimp.

After prepping the vegetables and mixing a simple batter, all that's left is to cook each pancake for about 4 minutes.  You can keep the cooked pancakes warm on a plate in the oven, or serve them at room temperature - they're equally good both ways.  The pancakes may tear somewhat as you flip them, but don't worry - you'll cut the pancakes up for dipping anyway.

My favorite part is that you can use all shrimp, or substitute part or all of the shrimp with lump crab or lobster meat.  If you decide to add lobster, take the raw meat out of a lobster tail and cut it into relatively thin pieces similar to the shrimp so they'll cook at the same rate.  The pancakes cook for 3 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other, which is enough time to cook the thin seafood pieces completely.

Don't be scared by the amount of jalapeno.  The first time I made the sauce, I cut the jalapeno in half just to be safe, and the sauce wasn't even remotely spicy - I needed both jalapenos to give it a kick.  However, jalapenos can vary widely in their heat, so my advice is to taste the dipping sauce with one jalapeno and then add the second as needed.

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Korean Seafood Pancakes

Serves 4

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 ¾ cups water

¼ cup vegetable oil

4 large green onions, halved crosswise and cut into very thin strips

1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into very thin strips

1 large jalapeno, halved, cored and seeded, cut into very thin strips

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved lengthwise (or substitute lump crab or lobster meat pieces for all or part of the shrimp)

For the Dipping Sauce

½ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 green onions, minced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

1 ½ teaspoons toasted Asian sesame oil

To make the dipping sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt.  Whisk the egg with the water, then whisk into the flour mixture until smooth.

In an 8-inch non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add one quarter each of the green onions, red pepper and jalapeno.  Add one quarter of the shrimp, scattering them evenly in the pan.  Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter evenly over everything, tilting the pan to spread it.  Cook until the bottom is browned, about 3 minutes.

Using a large spatula, carefully flip the pancake (don’t worry if it tears) and cook on the other side for about 60 seconds, until lightly browned.  Slide the pancake onto a plate and make 3 more pancakes in the same way.

Cut into quarters (or medium pieces) and serve with the dipping sauce.

Grilled Lobster Cobb Salad

Last Year's Post: Lemon Polenta Cake

Two Years Ago:  Hoisin Burgers with Wasabi Slaw

It's definitely salad time of the year, and this salad is an interesting twist on the usual Cobb salad that has chunks of chicken; it substitutes lobster meat instead, and grilled lobster at that.  The cooking technique in itself is interesting - remove the lobster meat from the shell and par-boil for a minute, then place on the grill for a minute per side while basting with butter to give the meat a nice smoky taste.  If you really wanted to give the salad a pronounced grill character you could also grill the tomatoes (using something larger than cherry tomatoes) and zucchini as well.  Grilled lobster meat, yum.

I found some beautiful baby Romaine leaves at the store, but you could always used chopped regular Romaine instead.  You can use whatever cheese you prefer and can always substitute other vegetables to suit your choice in addition to using shrimp or crab in place of the lobster.

Other than the lobster, the only other cooked ingredients are hard-boiled eggs (cook in advance) and a little chopped bacon (can also be cooked in advance).  After that, it's really just a matter of whisking the dressing, prepping the other ingredients, and assembly.  Easy, delicious, healthy, and kind of special......a perfect summer dinner.

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Grilled Lobster Cobb Salad

Serves 2

Dressing:

1/2 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons walnut oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

2 (5-6 oz) lobster tails, thawed if frozen

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 strips bacon, chopped

½ small zucchini, chopped

1 ripe avocado

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 heart baby romaine, trimmed and leaves separated

2 hard-boiled eggs, chilled and sliced

1/4 pound red grape tomatoes, halved

2 ounces your favorite cheese, crumbled or diced

Salt

Dressing:

Combine shallot, Dijon, and vinegars in a large bowl and whisk well. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the oils until incorporated into the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Salad:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Preheat grill to high or preheat the broiler.  Remove the lobster meat from tail and parboil for 1 minute or until no longer translucent. Place lobster meat on the grill basting with butter just long enough to get a little grill flavor (about 1 minute per side). If cooking indoors, broil until lightly golden.  Remove lobster from the grill and cut into cubes.

Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Halve the avocado, discard the seed, score the flesh into chunks and scoop out into a small bowl. Toss with lemon juice.

 Arrange half of the romaine leaves on each serving plate and drizzle with some of the dressing.  Add the toppings in strips on top, starting on one end with the bacon, egg, tomato, lobster, zucchini, cheese, and avocado. Drizzle the remaining dressing on top.

Pad Thai

Last Year's Post: Pork with Fennel and Caper Sauce
Two Years Ago: Salmon with Balsamic Sauce

Pad Thai is one of the most popular Thai dishes in America, which is why you'll find it on virtually every Thai restaurant menu.  It's a stir-fried noodle dish made with cooked egg, bean sprouts and a chopped peanut garnish. The protein can be shrimp, chicken, or tofu for a vegetarian version. In its best form it has bright fresh flavor and a variety of textures ranging from the tender noodles to crunchy bean sprouts and peanuts.  Unfortunately, quality can vary and in its worst form it's often mushy and overly sweet. I recently had a Pad Thai encounter of the worst kind so I resolved to find a recipe for my ideal version.  I discovered that many Pad Thai recipes contain tamarind which is an unusual ingredient that's both sweet and sour, plus dried shrimp (yeck).  I was therefore really happy to find a recipe from a cookbook author who has traveled extensively in Thailand.  She found a simpler and very authentic recipe she convinced the local chef in southern Thailand to give her that contains rice vinegar and lime juice instead of tamarind and no dried shrimp.  Yay!

This is an easy recipe to make but as with any stir fried dish, you should do the chopping before you start to cook because the cooking goes fast.

You might notice the recipe calls for cooking the rice noodles less than the original package may state; that's because you finish cooking the noodles with the other ingredients and the sauce.  You want to let them soak in hot water until flexible but still very firm.

As I mentioned, the protein can be chicken, shrimp, and combination of the two, or firm tofu if you want to go vegetarian.  We've been having a lot of shrimp recipes lately (the big Costco bag o'shrimp) so I decided to go with just chicken.  Regarding the spice level, I would call the recipe medium-spicy as written.  By "medium-spicy" I mean you'll notice the spiciness but it's not really hot.  Your lips will be tingling a little by the time you're done but you won't have to stop eating because of the spiciness.  If in doubt, start with a lesser amount of jalapeno and have more available at the table for people to add to their tastes.

The recipe also calls for white pepper, which is common in Asian cuisine.  I just happened to have some on hand but I wouldn't recommend going out and buying it just for the 1/8 teaspoon the recipe needs.  It has a slightly different flavor than black pepper but you'll never notice it in that small amount.

One last thought - don't worry if you don't have a wok, this recipe works just fine in a large skillet.

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Pad Thai

Serves 2-3

Note:  As written, this recipe is moderately spicy.  You can adjust the spiciness by increasing or decreasing the amount of jalapeno you use.

6 ounces Pad Thai rice noodles

1 boneless skinless chicken breast and/or 10-12 medium shelled and deveined shrimp

1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 fresh red or green jalapeno, finely sliced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

4 green onions, sliced (white parts separated from green)

1 egg

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Lime wedges for serving

2 grated radishes, optional garnish

Pad Thai Sauce:

1/3 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons rice vinegar or white vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces; toss with 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce in a bowl and set aside.

Combine sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add rice noodles.  Cover and allow the noodles to soak approximately 8 minutes until flexible but still firm and undercooked.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan, then add the garlic, jalapeno, ginger, and the white parts of the green onion (reserve the green tops for later).  Stir fry one minute.

Add the marinated chicken and stir fry until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.  If using shrimp, cook for approximately 2-3 minutes until they turn pink.

Push ingredients to the side of the pan and crack an egg into the center, then stir fry quickly to scramble.  Add the noodles plus 3-4 tablespoons of the sauce.  Using two utensils, lift and turn the noodles with the other ingredients.  Continue this way, adding more sauce every minute or two, until all the sauce has been added (4-5 minutes).

Fold in the bean sprouts.  Portion out to individual plates and add a lime wedge on the side.  Top with remaining green onions, peanuts, and optional shredded radishes.

Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad

Last Year's Post: The Best Salsa Ever
Two Years Ago:  Roasted Tomatoes (Preserving)

Ahhh, summer corn season.  Fresh corn is only available for a few short weeks, so we tend to eat it as often as possible in every way possible.  This salad is a great way to enjoy fresh corn in a light, healthy and delicious summer salad that also includes tender grilled shrimp, grilled red pepper and creamy avocado.  Add a glass of chilled dry rose wine and you have the perfect summer dinner.

Our luxury in the Midwest is that we can buy corn at the local farm stand that had been picked just that morning, so it's unbelievably fresh.  The very first corn of the season is always the best - the most tender and sweet, with tiny kernels.  People wait all year for that corn and then just devour it.

When I was growing up, we always had fresh corn one way only - shucked, boiled and served with butter and salt.  I am perfectly happy with that method to this day, but have learned the joys of grilled corn as well. There are two ways to grill corn, and they result in distinctly different tastes, textures and appearance.  The first is to leave the husk on and soak the corn in water for an hour or so, then grill over medium-high heat for eight minutes, turning on all sides.  After grilling the husk and corn silk very easily come off all at the same time and the corn is very tender because it basically steams in its husk.  The husk and silk give it a slightly different taste than boiling that I would almost call grassy (in a good way).  The second way is to shuck the corn first, then grill it directly over the same medium-high heat for the same eight minutes (two minutes per side) until browned and tender.  This method give the corn more of a grilled flavor and fire-roasted appearance.  Grill the pepper at the same time and let it get some of that same fire-roasted look - it greatly adds to the flavor and visual appeal of the salad.

I tend to using the husk-on method of grilling corn if we plan to eat it directly from the whole cob, and the naked grilling method if I plan to cut the kernels off to use in other dishes because they're so pretty.  Here's a tip that I learned a few years ago regarding how to cut the kernels off a cob of corn without having them fly all over the place - stand the cob upright in a shallow bowl (make sure the bottom of the cob is relatively flat) and as you cut them, the kernels fall neatly into the bowl.

Here's another tip regarding grilling shrimp - thread them on two parallel skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes so they don't burn up) and they won't spin around when you turn them.

The smoky grilled shrimp, corn and red pepper are complemented by a light vinaigrette and the cool, creamy avocado for an irresistible, healthy, fast and easy meal.  What more could you ask for a perfect summer dinner?

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Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad

Serves 4

About 12 bamboo skewers

4 ears fresh corn, shucked

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded

1 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed if frozen (31-40 per pound)

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ large shallot, minced

¼ cup parsley, chopped

Red leaf lettuce for garnish

1 lemon cut in quarters, plus the juice of half a lemon

1 avocado

Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes.  Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.  Holding 2 skewers parallel and slightly apart, thread shrimp onto both skewers at the same time (this makes them easier to turn on the grill).

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and shallot and set aside. Cut the avocado into slices and toss with the juice of half a lemon to prevent browning.

Cut the red pepper into quarters.  Lightly brush the shrimp, corn and red pepper pieces with olive oil on all sides.  Grill the corn directly over the heat for 2 minutes per side, until browned and tender.  Grill the red pepper 2 minutes per side, until softened somewhat and browned on the edges.  Grill the shrimp for 90 seconds per side.

Cut the kernels from the cobs and place into a large bowl.  Chop the red pepper into ½” pieces and add to the bowl.  Add the shrimp, parsley, vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

Arrange lettuce leaves on plates and top with the corn mixture.  Place several avocado slices on the side and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the salad.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Last Year's Post: Tomatoes!

A couple of years ago we traveled to China because we wanted to see their culture while it's in rapid growth mode as they transition to capitalism.  The pace and scope of their growth is absolutely staggering.  For example, it's a really big deal when an American city has a new skyscraper of 75 or more floors being built, but there must have been over 100 skyscrapers under construction in Beijing alone.  We were on a tour and our guide proudly told us the public restrooms had been greatly improved in preparation for the Beijing Olympics, which had occurred the previous year.  Hoo boy.  All I can say is that I'm glad we didn't go before the Olympics.  All meals were provided on the tour, and dinners were inevitably what I came to term "spinner dinners" because they consisted of multiple dishes served family-style on a large Lazy Susan in the center of the table.  Some things we could identify, and some we couldn't.  When asked what any particular unidentifiable dish was, the answer (in very limited English) was usually "chicken".  Right.  Anyway, there was always a huge bowl of white rice but never any fried rice, which led me to believe fried rice may be more of an American Chinese food tradition.

I think fried rice is something most people like but would regard as somewhat of a guilty pleasure.  It is, after all, typically fried in copious amounts of oil.  The good news is that you can make it at home and cut down on the oil and sodium while amping up the fresh veggies to make it healthier and just as good as any restaurant.  The other advantage of making it rather than buying it is that you can use up any leftover meat or vegetables you have on hand, or take advantage of whatever is in peak season at the farmer's market.  The end result either way will be much more fresh and appealing than takeout.

One of the unique garnishes that I've discovered for fried rice is shredded radishes, lightly seasoned with vinegar.  The peppery tart flavor and beautiful color are a wonderful contrast to the rice.  Although they're not essential to the dish, I would really encourage you to give the radishes a try.  It makes the dish kind of special.

There are only two key things that you need to know about making fried rice successfully, and they both involve the rice.  First, the rice must be cooked and be completely cold before you start cooking, so plan in advance and cook it the day (or morning) before you plan to serve it.  If it's not cold, the grains stick together and become a big lumpy mess.  The second tip is to spread the rice in the pan, press it down, and let it cook for a while to get a little crispy before stirring it. This is not stir-frying where your utensils and the food are in constant motion - that part comes later when you add the other ingredients.  You want the rice to have some crispy bits for flavor as well as texture.

I started with some beautiful raw shrimp but chicken, pork, duck, or any other meat would also work.  I like medium-sized shrimp for this dish because they're just the right size to pop whole into your mouth after removing the tail.

For the vegetables, I chose a combination of regular peas, sugar snap peas, and snow peas but you could use literally any vegetables you like.

The vegetables are briefly blanched in boiling water, then shocked in ice water to stop the cooking process.

The shrimp and eggs are cooked and removed from the pan, then the rice is added.

After the rice is cooked all the other ingredients and sauce are added to the pan and stir-fried until hot.  Yum.

printable recipe

Shrimp Fried Rice

Serves 4

1 cup thawed frozen peas

1 cup sugar snap or snow peas (or a combination), ends trimmed

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

½ lb peeled and deveined medium raw shrimp (31-40 per pound)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

3 cups cooked and cooled brown or white rice (approximately 1 cup uncooked)

1 cup coarsely shredded radishes (about 5 large)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (plus more to pass at the table)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Blanch the thawed peas and sugar snap or snow peas by dropping in boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain and immediately submerge in ice water.  Drain again.  Cut the sugar snaps or snow peas into ½ inch pieces.  Set aside.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, then add one tablespoon of oil.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the beaten eggs, then add them to the pan and swirl to coat.  Cook for 30 to 45 seconds, then turn the eggs over and cook for another 10 seconds.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add the onion.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until almost cooked through, another 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and return the skillet to the heat.

Add the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of oil to the skillet, then add the rice, pressing it flat with the back of a nonstick pan-safe spatula.  Cook until the rice is slightly crispy, turning it over with the spatula, about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, combine the radishes and vinegar in a small bowl.  In a second small bowl, combine the soy sauce and sesame oil.  Chop the egg and add it along with the peas and sugar snap or snow peas to the bowl with the shrimp.

When the rice is nicely crisped, add the contents of the shrimp bowl and the soy sauce mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the mixture is heated through.  Serve in bowls and top with radishes.

Serve with extra soy sauce on the side.