A Skillet, a Spatula, and a Dream Read online

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  SMALL BITES

  WATERCRESS TEA SANDWICHES

  I suppose it's my English blood but I just can't help loving these tiny elegant morsels. They make me sit up straighter, mind my manners, and yearn for a silver tea service and a butler to go with it. You would think I learned my English ways from my English grandmother and her siblings but it was my Swedish-Chippewa mother who taught me everything I know. My mother was an Anglophile through and through and these recipes are all hers.

  One of my favorite memories is of the day I invited my mother, our friend Millie, and her sister Dottie over for High Tea. I had been planning for years to do that but you know how it is. You're busy. You're overworked. You're full of excuses. Finally one day I committed myself to putting aside work and making an afternoon of it with those three delightful women. We had watercress sandwiches, dainty cucumber sandwiches, tea served from two of my favorite china tea pots, and a platter of homemade shortbread. We talked. We gossiped. We laughed. We made memories that I'll always treasure.

  Ingredients

  2 sticks unsalted butter softened

  2 teaspoons heavy cream

  1 teaspoons Dijon mustard

  1 teaspoons lemon juice

  Salt and pepper to taste

  1 large bunch watercress, washed and trimmed

  12 thin slices of your favorite bread

  Method

  Mix butter, cream, mustard, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Spread mixture over 6 slices of bread. Top with equal amounts watercress and remaining six slices of bread. Trim crusts and cut each sandwich diagonally from top two corners to bottom corners so each sandwich yields four triangles.

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  BRUSCHETTA

  I love pesto. I love bruschetta. Put them together and you have a quick easy snack that will put you in a Tuscan frame of mind.

  Ingredients

  1 loaf Italian or French bread (w or w/o seeds)

  Pesto (the traditional basil/garlic kind)(store-bought is okay for this)

  Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

  Fresh mozzarella, chopped fine

  Method

  Cut the bread on the diagonal. Place slices on the grill or arrange them on a baking sheet and run them under the broiler until golden. (If you like, you can brush them with a tiny bit of olive oil before grilling them.)

  Let cool slightly. Spread a thin layer of pesto on each slice. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes. Top with Mozzarella. Heat in warm oven (maybe 350 degrees) for two minutes it you like. Or eat at room temperature.

  Jug of wine and thou optional.

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  CHICKEN SALAD TEA SANDWICHES

  If you're looking for something a tad more substantial for your afternoon repast . . .

  Ingredients

  12 thin slices whole wheat bread

  Unsweetened butter

  1 cup minced cooked chicken breast

  2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted almonds

  2 tablespoons finely chopped green grapes, seedless

  1 tablespoon heavy cream

  1 tablespoon brandy (optional; I don't care for the contrast with the other more delicate ingredients)

  Salt and pepper, to taste

  Method

  Butter bread sparingly. Mix chicken, almonds, grapes, cream, optional brandy, salt and pepper. Spread mixture on 6 bread slices and top with remaining 6 bread slices. Trim crusts and cut each full sandwich diagonally from two corners to bottom corners to each yields 4 triangles.

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  Deadlines are definitely hazardous to your health. The closer I get to the end of a book, the more I crave take-out from Hunan Delight. I'm not sure I understand why General Tso's Chicken spurs my imagination but it does and I'm superstitious enough not to mess with something that works. One writer friend used to stock her fridge with buckets of KFC and enough Oreos to build a house when she went underground to finish a book. Another corners the market on Mallomars and tuna salad sandwiches. Yes, I know we should be balancing carbs and proteins, turning up our noses at bad fats and embracing the good but somehow my writer friends and I all turn into teenagers cramming for exams when we're on deadline.

  You can get away with that when you're in your twenties and thirties but now that I'm in my fifties I think it's time to make a few positive changes. Maybe substitute a handful of almonds for the potato chips. Sliced turkey breast instead of pizza. Spend a little more time in the kitchen and a little less time scanning take-out menus.

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  MAKE AT HOME TAKE-OUT FAVORITES

  The main thing you need to know before you try your hand at Asian cooking is the importance of doing your prep work before you approach your wok. (Don't have a wok? Don't let that stop you. A wok is a wonderful thing but a good-sized frying pan will work in a pinch.) Chop or slice your veggies and set them aside. Slice your beef or chicken or pork and start it marinating, if necessary. Get your shrimp ready to go. Take out all the ingredients you'll need for your sauce and mix them in a tiny bowl so it's ready when you are. Yes, it's a fair bit of work but it will make the rest of the job much, much easier.

  KUNG PAO CHICKEN

  Marinade Ingredients

  1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into one-inch cubes

  1 tablespoon oyster sauce

  1 tablespoon dry sherry or Chinese rice wine

  1 teaspoon cornstarch

  Sauce Ingredients

  3 tablespoons chicken broth

  2 tablespoons white vinegar (I use a little more)

  2 tablespoons soy sauce (I prefer dark soy)

  2 teaspoons sugar

  Minced garlic, as much as your taste buds like

  Lots of crushed red pepper or whole tien tsin chiles

  1 green pepper, cubed in a 3/4 inch dice

  1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in a few tablespoons water

  1/4 - 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

  Method

  Place the diced chicken breasts in a non-reactive bowl. Mix the oyster sauce, sherry, and cornstarch then add it to the chicken. Make sure the chicken pieces are coated in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

  In another small bowl, mix the broth, vinegar, soy, and sugar. Set aside.

  In yet another small bowl, mix the corn starch and water. Set side.

  (I know this seems like an enormous pain in the butt--and it is--but having your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking is the true secret to successful Chinese cooking.)

  Heat your wok then add a splash of oil. (I use plain old canola but peanut oil is even better. It has a higher smoke point.) Add your chicken. Make sure you separate the pieces. Keep them moving in the pan for maybe five minutes until thoroughly cooked. Remove from wok with slotted spoon. Keep warm on a platter.

  Add your green pepper cubes to the wok along with the garlic and hot peppers. Keep the ingredients moving and whatever you do, please don't let the garlic burn! After two minutes add the sauce and bring to a boil. Then add the cornstarch solution and stir vigorously. The sauce will thicken like magic. Add the chicken. Then add a few handfuls of peanuts.

  Serve over fluffy white rice. You'll never order take-out Kung Pao again.

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  SHREDDED BEEF IN SPICY SAUCE

  Ingredients

  One pound filet mignon (or whatever stir fry beef you prefer) sliced into 1/2 inch thick strips. (One pound boneless, skinless chicken sliced in 1/2 inch strips may be substituted.)

  Lots of scallions, sliced into matchsticks

  Maybe 2 carrots, sliced into matchsticks

  Maybe 2 celery stalks, sliced into matchsticks

  2 tablespoons hot bean sauce

  1 tablespoon sweet bean sauce

  2 tablespoons dry sherry

  1/2 teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns

  1 tablespoon sugar

  1/2 teasp
oon salt

  1 tablespoon sesame oil

  4-6 cloves garlic, chopped fine

  1 one-inch piece of peeled ginger

  Method

  Prepare your veggies and set them aside. Slice your beef into very thin pieces. Mix together in a small bowl the hot bean sauce, sweet bean sauce, dry sherry, sugar, sesame oil and set aside.

  Add a splash of peanut oil (or canola) to a hot wok then quickly stir-fry the beef until cooked. Remove from wok to a bowl and set aside. Quickly add sliced celery, carrots, and scallions to wok and stir-fry. Sprinkle with the salt and ground Szechuan peppercorns. A little browning isn't a bad thing. Make sure you incorporate any bits of beef that were still in the pan. When the veggies are cooked to your liking (for me that means on the crisp side) add the sauce you previously mixed and set aside. Return the beef to the pan. Heat thoroughly and serve over white rice.

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  PEKING PARK SZECHUAN SHRIMP

  Ingredients

  One pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

  Six scallions, sliced into matchsticks

  Water chestnuts to taste

  4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

  1/2 cup ketchup

  1 tablespoon sesame oil

  1 tablespoon soy sauce

  1 tablespoon sugar

  3 tablespoons dry sherry

  Good splash of hot sauce or hot oil

  3 tablespoons water

  3 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in a few tablespoons of water and set aside

  Method

  In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, sesame oil, soy, sugar, sherry, water, hot oil. Set aside.

  Heat your wok, add your cooking oil (peanut or canola) then slide in your clean, dry shrimp. Quickly stir fry until they turn pink on both sides (maybe four minutes) then add the scallions, ginger, garlic, and water chestnuts (optional.) Stir fry for one to two minutes.

  Add sauce. Bring to boil. Thicken with some of the corn starch mixture, if desired.

  Serve over a bed of hot, fluffy white rice.

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  LAKE TUNG TING SHRIMP

  Ingredients

  1 pound large shrimp

  2 tablespoons dry sherry

  1 tablespoon soy sauce

  1 teaspoon cornstarch

  1 egg white, beaten

  1/4 cup minced scallions

  3 cloves garlic, chopped

  1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

  2 cups broccoli florets

  1/2 cup carrots, slice in matchsticks

  1/4 cup frozen peas

  1/4 cup dry white wine (I use Chablis or chardonnay)

  Shrimp broth, maybe 1/2 cup

  Method

  NOTE: This looks more confusing than it is. Read through it before you start cooking and it will all fall into place.

  Prepare the marinade for the shrimp: in a medium, non-reactive bowl mix together one egg white, one teaspoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons dry sherry, 1 heaping teaspoon corn starch.

  Peel the shrimp and put the peels into a shallow pan filled with water. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for ten minutes. Remove shells, Reserve broth.

  Rinse the peeled shrimp, dry them, then place them in a small bowl with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes.

  While the shrimp are marinating, heat your wok then add peanut or canola oil (maybe two or three tablespoons). When the oil is hot (it will only take thirty seconds or so) add the broccoli, carrots, scallions and stir fry making sure nothing burns. Add the garlic and ginger and again make sure nothing burns.

  Push the veggies up the side of the wok to make room for the shrimp. (Or you can remove them to another bowl. Your choice.) Add the shrimp mixture (also add more oil if absolutely necessary) and quickly stir-fry the shrimp. Again make sure nothing burns. When the shrimp are pink and plump and ready, add the white wine and shrimp broth. Toss in the frozen peas. The mixture should be bright with green and orange veggies and pink shrimp, all surrounded by a pale sauce rich with egg white and soy sauce. If you like a thicker sauce, mix a little cornstarch with tap water, add to the wok and bring to a boil.

  Serve on a bed of fluffy white rice.

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  MULTICULTURAL KITCHEN

  CATHY THACKER'S FAJITAS

  Cathy Gillen Thacker and I met at an RWA conference in Chicago back in 1992. We shared a love of romance novels, a passion for writing, and a wonderful editor. Not to mention a few recipes over the years. This is one of the absolute best. Just like Cathy.

  Ingredients:

  3/4 cup balsamic vinegar (red wine is okay, too)

  1/2 cup olive oil (you could use regular cooking oil if you like, but olive oil is far superior)

  Lemon juice - a long, healthy squeeze

  1/2 cup lime juice

  Cumin, as much as you can handle

  Oregano

  Lots of salt and pepper

  One or two cloves garlic, crushed

  1 small onion, finely-chopped

  Method

  Mix the above ingredients in a shallow, non-reactive container. You can use it to marinate chicken breasts, boneless strip steaks, whatever suits your grilling fancy. Marinate for a few hours or overnight. This is a very agreeable, adaptable recipe.

  When you're ready, fire up the barbecue, grill the marinated meats to the desired degree of doneness, then slice and serve along with grilled red and green pepper strips and onions that have also done time in the marinade.

  You know how to serve fajitas, right? Offer up platters of warm flour or corn tortillas, bowls of salsa (Pace Picante is wonderful), chopped tomatoes, raw onion slices, cheddar and jack cheeses, sour cream, and the ubiquitous guacamole.

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  GREEK SPINACH PIE (SPANAKOPITA)

  This is one of those dishes that look infinitely harder to make than they actually are. Spanakopita is all about preparation and assembly. Your oven will do most of the cooking. Read this recipe a few times. Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start. Once you get the hang of it, you'll add this to your list of favorites.

  Ingredients:

  1 package frozen phyllo dough (thawed to room temperature)

  1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well (You can use fresh spinach; you can use twice as much spinach. It's up to you.)

  1 onion, chopped

  Oregano

  Crushed red pepper flakes (not traditional anywhere but in my kitchen)

  1 pound crumbled feta (maybe less)

  8 eggs, beaten (maybe more, maybe less)

  1 stick of butter, melted.

  Method

  The prep work is vital! You have to have all of your ingredients ready to go once you open up that box of phyllo dough or you're doomed. Phyllo turns to parchment once it hits the air, so make sure you keep a slightly damp, clean dish towel over the sheets while you prepare the pie.

  Saute your chopped onion in a little olive oil until translucent. Add lots of oregano and crushed red pepper, if you like. Let cool to room temperature.

  Melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave. It usually takes 35 seconds or so. Set on the counter with your other ingredients.

  You'll need a large baking pan; a lasagna pan would be perfect. Brush melted butter along the bottom and up the sides then lay two pieces of phyllo dough down lengthwise. Butter them. Lay two pieces of phyllo dough down crosswise. Butter them. Repeat twice. In a huge bowl, beat 8 eggs. To the eggs add the crumbled feta, the sautéed onions, the thawed and drained spinach. Mix together then pour into baking pan. This is where Cook's Choice comes into play. How does the mixture look? Does there seem to be enough liquid? What about the ratio of spinach to feta? Do you need to add more? Eyeball it closely and make adjustments (or not) as your instincts tell you. Layer more phyllo dough lengthwise; butter well. Layer phyllo dough crossw
ise; butter well. Repeat until you have eight or ten buttered layers.