Lemony Shrimp Salad

I concocted this 3 years ago and really liked it. I don't know why I didn't make it again until recently, but it was still good.

More or less, this is the recipe I used for the dressing:

 Creamy Lemon Dressing from allrecipes.com.
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
4 t. lemon zest
3 cloves garlic minced
2 t. dijon mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c sour cream

Plus shrimp, pasta, celery, asparagus and broccoli (lightly cooked and cooled in an ice-water bath), served on a bed of spinach or arugula.

 It's so nice when your vision matches reality.

Lamburger

Here's my original lamburger post, from however many years ago.

* * *

I've been thinking of starting a food blog, not because I have that many original recipes to share, but just to document what I feel is a really massive achievement: cooking dinner almost every single night. Yes, let's hear it for me!

Sunday night's dinner turned out to be one of the best I'd ever made. Oh, my gosh. One bite, and I said, "This is the most delicious thing I've ever made. I would PAY to eat this in a restaurant!"

I've had a yen for Greek food lately, so when I saw this recipe I had to try it. Grilled Lamb Burgers, or as I call it, Lamburgers. I found the recipe in the paper, but I can't link to it. (If you click on the picture, then click again, it will enlarge enough to read it.) I'll type out MY version at the end of the post.



I do have a few comments on what I did.

Ground lamb at the farmer's market is ex$$$$pensive but delicious! I used about 1 3/4 lbs, and made the patties extra large, so that with shrinkage (not that kind) they would still fill out the whole bun.


Because I used more meat, I also increased the other ingredients semi-proportionately. I'm not a real measury kind of cook. Also, I used onion powder because I really don't like onion chunks in a burger. I cooked them in the frying pan, not on a grill. Because I don't have a grill. Use a meat thermometer. The meat is so tender that it will still feel quite soft when it is done. I topped them with avocado, grilled onions, arugula, and a decadently delicious smoked cheddar from the farmer's market.

Doesn't that look wonderful?


I served them with homemade cole slaw and tater tots. Yes, tots. We love tots. (Which explains why there was so little ketchup left for the next night's dinner.)

1 3/4 lbs. ground lamb (try it with hamburger, tell me what happens!)
zest of one lemon (the juice went into my coleslaw)
approx. 4 tbl. fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (I think basil would be good, too)
approx. 4 tbl. fresh parsley, finely chopped (I like the flat leaf kind)
1/2 tbl. dried oregano (or fresh, if you have it)
2 cloves garlic, pulverized with your garlic press
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp honey
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Toppings:
4 good-quality larger hamburger buns, toasted
cheddar cheese, enough slices to cover each burger
spicy arugula, or any other greens or lettuce
sliced avocado
grilled onions (mine weren't quite "caramelized")
ketchup (yes, we're a ketchup house, not a catsup house)

Mix up the meat and seasonings, form into patties, cook...you can figure out the rest.

Yum.

Marinated Octopus Salad

I made this recently and it was really good.




New York Times Cooking's Marinated Octopus Salad.

14 to 16 ounces cooked, cooled octopus (recipe follows) [no, it didn't!]*
1 small red onion, sliced thin
½ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon drained capers
2 tablespoons sliced pitted calamata olives
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar**
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, coarsely chopped
1 bunch arugula, rinsed and dried

Slice the octopus into one-inch pieces and put them in a bowl. Add the onion, celery, capers and olives and mix.  Mix the oil, vinegar and salt and pepper together. Pour over the octopus mixture and toss lightly. Allow to marinate at room temperature at least an hour. Just before serving, fold in the parsley and check seasoning. Serve on a bed of arugula.

*Oh, here it is. I didn't do this because I had a bag of frozen, partially cooked octopus. I thawed it, sauteed it very briefly in olive oil until it started to get pink. It released a lot of liquid. I added the juice of one lemon and refrigerated it for a few hours, then drained it and proceeded with the recipe.

** Since I was craving a lemony flavor I used the juice of one lemon instead of vinegar.

Fish Chowder

When visiting Boston, we always try to go to the No Name for their fish chowder.

UPDATE: Here is the real recipe! Leave out the potatoes!

I haven't tried to make it at home, but this recipe seems pretty close. (The last time I also spotted a few shrimp in my bowl.)



Deseret News' Potato-free New England Fish Chowder


2 ounces salt pork, diced

1 large onion, minced

4 cups fish stock or clam juice

2 pounds filet of haddock or cod

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 cup cream

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter

Paprika

Soda crackers if desired

In a small skillet, cook salt pork until it is crisp and fat is rendered. Set aside pieces of pork and place 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in a soup kettle. Saute onion in fat over low heat until onions are limp. Stir in fish stock or clam juice.

Cut fish into large bite-size hunks and toss in soup kettle. Partially cover and simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until fish flakes. Add thyme, cream and milk. Stir well and heat through, but DO NOT BOIL. Float butter atop each individual serving, and dust each serving with paprika to taste. For starchier chowder, crumble crackers on top, too.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.