Feeling Crabby?

I WAS. The weather was reminiscent of a late fall day – rainy and chilly. My latest golf game was miserable (‘I spent more time on the sand than David Hasselhoff’), the living room was waiting to be vacuumed and I had a big pile of shirts waiting to be ironed.

Fortunately for me AND Mr. Charlestown Culinary, there was a cure. And of course this cure involved food! With three key ingredients - golden ripe champagne mangoes, a tub of fresh crab meat and a mint bush growing on the fire escape – I was able to turn my blues around with a vibrant dinner of ginger crab cakes with a mango mojito salad. Now if only I could figure out a recipe to improve my golf game...

Charlestown Culinary’s Mango Mojito Salad

2 ripe champagne mangoes, diced
½ lime, juiced
¼ cup red onion, diced
¼ cup cucumber, diced
10 mint leaves, shredded
Red pepper flakes
Sea salt

In a large bowl, combine mangoes, lime juice, red onion, cucumber and mint leaves. Stir well. Add red peppers flakes and salt, to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature at least one hour before serving.

HINT: Check out this link, for great instructions on how to dice a mango.

Charlestown Culinary’s Ginger Crab Cakes

8 ounces cooked crab meat (for best results DO NOT use canned)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1/3 cup panko crumbs
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ lime, juiced
½ teaspoon lime zest
Chipotle Tabasco sauce, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine crab, ginger, panko, mayonnaise, lime juice and lime zest. Mix gently. Add remaining ingredients to taste and mix gently. Dived crab mixture into four equal portions. Using a ramekin or round cookie cutter, form crab mixture into round cakes, and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until crab cakes are golden brown, about 25 minutes. For best results, flip over crab cakes halfway through cooking.

Happy Eating!

Bon appetit!
Gudden appetit!
Selamat makan!
Καλή όρεξη!
Velbekomme!
慢慢吃！
Bil haná wal shifá!
T'boftë mire!
Vær så god!
Buon appetito!
Smaklig måltid!
The intention was for a simple, chicken and rice with seafood. Although a little more time consuming than anticipated, the result was a very delicious Sunday night meal. The cooking process was a whirlwind of chopping, baking and simmering. What follows is a translation of the process into a recipe.

Charlestown Culinary's Chicken and Seafood Rice:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter
4 Chicken thighs
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
1 Onion, finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Cups rice
1/2 Cup dry vermouth (or white wine)
4 Cups chicken stock
Pinch saffron
24 Ounces chopped tomatoes
1 Cup frozen peas, thawed
12 Clams
6 Shrimp
Cilantro (Or parsley)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add oil and butter to a large saute pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika and brown both sides in oil/butter combinaiton. Transfer browned chicken to a pan and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring chicken stock and saffron to a simmer.
Pour off half of the oil in saute pan and add onion and garlic. Once soft, add rinsed rice. Stir until translucent. Add wine and stir, for about 2 minutes. Add warm chicken stock and chopped tomatoes and cook over low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in peas, salt and pepper to taste. Nestle in clams and shrimp and cook covered until clams open.
Once liquid is absorbed and clams are opened, plate with chicken and garnish with chopped cilantro.

TGIF

The first full week of work in what seems like ages - seemed like ages. Last night I ended the week with a simple dinner at home with my husband: sauteed sea scallops, spinach and baked sweet potatoes.
For the sea scallops, I seasoned them with salt and pepper, then cooked them in a combination of olive oil and butter over medium high heat for a few minutes per side.
The sweet potatoes were rubbed with olive oil and sea salt, then baked for about an hour at 425 degrees. The spinach was a quick saute with olive oil and garlic.