This is my adaptation of a recipe I found on a Greek foods site, Krinos.com which I have cooked several times now; it’s a wonderful way to savor fresh Gulf shrimp and tomatoes. I’m also enjoying finding recipes where I can use the fresh herbs from my garden I planted several weeks ago and which are still thriving.  Amazing! Me - the original black thumb. Go figure.

1 1/2 lbs. medium large fresh shrimp, shelled & deveined
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1/3 C EVOO
1 bunch scallions, trimmed & thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled &  minced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded, de-ribbed & diced fine
5 or 6 fresh Roma tomatoes, seeded & diced
1/2 C water
1 tsp dried or 2 T fresh oregano
1 C feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 C dry white wine
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 T fresh parsley, chopped

• Sprinkle the cleaned shrimp with the lemon juice and let them stand until the sauce is ready.
• Prepare the sauce: Heat the EVOO in a large skillet and saute the scallions, garlic and hot pepper until wilted. Add the tomatoes and water, lightly crushing them in the skillet with a fork. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Drain the shrimp and add them to the skillet. Add the oregano, salt & pepper, feta, and wine and cook the shrimp for about 5 mintues more over medium heat, or until pink and al dente. Remove, season to taste with additional salt & pepper, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve hot. Great over angel hair pasta or orzo.

Throw away all of your other pasta salad recipes; this one can’t be beat.
Found it on recipezaar and it’s fantastic.

2 (6-ounce) cans tuna, drained
10 oz. small shell macaroni
1 C frozen peas
½ C chopped sweet onions
¾ C chopped celery
3 T sweet pickle relish
3 medium dill pickles, chopped (optional)
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 C Hellman’s mayo
2 T tarragon vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Add the frozen peas to the pasta just before you take it off the stove to drain in the colander.
• In a large bowl, mix vinegar and mayo. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well.
• Refrigerate for about an hour to chill before serving.
Serves 8

Our friend Paul has three teen boys to feed so he needs plenty of nutritious meals that he can whip up in a hurry and make lots of.  This certainly fills the bill.  He shared it with us during his last visit and it has become a favorite.   This is exactly as he wrote it for me.

1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans (scale up for each can of beans used - I usually make a 4-can batch)
1 packet Sazon Goyo seasoning (with coriander and annatto)
3 oz. Goya Recaito, Cilantro Flavor (for rice, beans Soups & Stews)
4 Manzanilla Olives (with or without pimiento - your choice)
4-8 Capers
1 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
rice, to taste

• Rinse beans thoroughly but gently (don’t break the skins) and put them
  in a covered pot
• Cover beans with filtered water
• Finely chop olives and capers
• Add olives, capers, seasoning, fresh cilantro, and Recaito to beans and water
• Bring to gentle boil
• Simmer as long as you can bear it, stirring occasionally (the smell permeates the house - I usually attack the pot after an hour or so)
• Serve over rice or on the side

This is a home-grown recipe that I’ll definitely do again; the tortellini has a wonderfully rich flavor reminiscent of dim sum.

4 filet mignons
Montreal steak seasoning
extra virgin olive oil
2 T butter
1 pkg. Bertelloni sweet sausage tortellini
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot., minced
2 T butter
2 T white balsamic vinegar
1/2 fresh tomato, minced
freshly grated parmesan cheese

• Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Drain, put in a bowl, cool, and drizzle with a little olive oil to keep them separate. Store in fridge until ready to use.
• Pat filet mignons dry and season liberally on both sides with the Montreal steak seasoning. Let rest and come to room temperature for at least 15 minutes, preferably 30.
• Heat cast iron skillet for several minutes on high, add several swirls of extra virgin olive oil and quickly sear and brown the steaks, cooking several minutes per side until desired doneness. Remove to a plate; cover with foil to keep warm while they rest.
• Reheat cast iron skillet several minutes, add 2 swirls of olive oil, heat briefly, then add 2 T butter, lower heat slightly, and add the shallot and garlic.  Stir continuously for about a minute, then add balsamic vinegar, stir for about a minute, then stir in the minced tomato, stir and heat for about a minute.
• Carefully stir in the tortellini, turning carefullly so as not to break them up, but enough so they get coated on all sides.  Let rest long enough to slightly brown, about a minute or so per side. Drizzle any accumulated juices from the plate the steaks are resting on over the tortellini.
• Plate the steaks, and serve tortellini as a side, sprinkling liberally with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

This is my adaptation of Justin Wilson’s in his book “Homegrown Louisiana Cooking”.  I substituted andouille sausage which makes it super hot and spicy, just the way I like it.  Ice down your favorite beer and let the good times roll!

1/4 C EVOO
2 1/2 C finely chopped onions
3/4 C thinly sliced scallions
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced diagonlly
3/4 C chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
20 oz. canned tomato sauce
5 t finely chopped garlic
2 1/2 C raw rice
5 C chicken stock
5 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 t dried marjoram
salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste
2 1/2 lbs. raw shrimp, peeled & deveined

• In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Saute the onions, scallions, andouille, parsley and bell pepper until the onions are clear.
• Stir in the tomato sauce and garlic, and continue cooking until the tomato sauce starts to boil
• Stir in the rice and mix well, and then add the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf, marjoram, salt, pepper and hot sauce.  Stir in shrimp.  Continue cooking on medium high, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking.
• After all the stock has disappeared from the top, turn the heat to low, cover tightly, and let steam undisturbed for about 45 minutes.
• Stir to make sure that all the rice is well cooked.  If it’s not, cover again and let it cook until all the rice is tender, but not mushy.

Serves at least 10

I’m on a soup kick this week, and this is another one of my faves.  I grew up in Tampa which has always had a large Cuban population, and I love Cuban food.  This is a classic soup at the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa which has been serving up Cuban fare in the same location since 1905.

1/2 lb. dried garbanzos
1 ham bone
1 beef bone
2 qts. water
1 T salt
1/4 lb. salt pork cut into thin strips
1 onion finely chopped
1 chorizo sliced into thin rounds
2 potatoes, peeled and cut in eighths
pinch of saffron
1/2 t paprika

• Wash garbanzoes.  Soak overnight with 1 T of salt in enough water to cover beans.  Drain the salted water from the beans.  Place the beans in a 4-qt. soup kettle.  Add 2 qts. water and the ham and beef bones.  Cook for 45 minutes over low heat, skimming foam from the top.
• Fry salt pork slowly in a skillet.  Add chopped onion and saute lightly.  Add to beans along with potatoes, paprika, and saffron.  Add salt to taste.  When potatoes are tender, remove from the heat and add chorizo.  Serve hot in deep soup bowls.

I took the traditional homemade chili recipe of 1 lb. hamburg, 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of tomatoes and kicked it up a notch or two, replacing the hamburg and kidneys with sirloin steak and pintos and plain tomatoes with Rotel.  It’s the new default week-night chili.   

1 1/2 lbs. round steak, cut in 1/2″ dice
3 T EVOO
1 28 oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained
2 15 oz. cans pinto beans, undrained
1 onion, diced
1 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 C chili powder (I use McCormick’s Ancho Chili Powder)
1 T cumin powder
2 T dry sherry
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

Garnish:
sour cream
sliced scallions
shredded cheddar cheese

• In large saucepan heat olive oil over medium high heat then add steak, stirring to lightly brown all over.  Add onion and garlic, stirring to prevent garlic from browning.  Heat until onion is translucent.  Stir in chili powder and cumin.
• Add drained tomatoes and pintos, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until heated through and flavors develop. Sitr in sherry and cliantro. 
• Serve over hot rice, and garnish as desired with sour cream, cheddar cheese and sliced scallions.

I’ve been making these for years - based on a recipe from “The New Basic Cookbook”.  This makes about 10 good size servings, so you can make it and freeze a portion for later. These smell so good simmering in the oven. You’ll never buy canned again! 

1 lb. dried navy or Great Northern beans
8 oz. slab bacon, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 C chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 C ketchup
6 T maple syrup
6 T dark molasses
1/2 C Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper

• Rinse and pick through the beans. Soak them overnight in a large pot of water.
• Rinse the soaked beans well under cold water, and place them in a heavy saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
• Preheat the oven to 300 F. Place a 2 quart flameproof casserole or dutch oven over medium heat and sauté the bacon until it is slightly crisp and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until wilted, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add the brown sugar and stir over medium heat until it has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the ketchup, syrup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add the drained beans and mix well.
• Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Bake, stirring occasionally, (making sure you scrape the bottom of the casserole), for 2 1/2 hours.
• Add 3/4 cup of the reserved bean liquid, recover, and bake 30 minutes. then remove the cover and bake until the sauce is thick and syrupy, another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once.

This is based on a recipe I saw on a Food Network TV show on healthful cooking.  These beans are absolutely so delicious, good for you, and bear no resemblence at all to any canned refried beans. 

1 T olive oil
1 onion diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-oz. cans pintos, drained & rinsed
1 t McCormick’s ancho chili powder
1 t cumin
1 C chicken broth
1/2 C chopped cilantro

• Preheat a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat.  Add olive oil, heat briefly, then add chopped onion.  Stir to prevent browning, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt.  Add garlic, and continue to cook for about another 2 minutes taking care not to let the garlic brown.
• Stir in beans, ancho chili and cumin.  Add chicken broth and stir to mix.  Let beans simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Mash beans to desired consistency with either a potato masher of back of a large wooden spoon.  Continue to simer until nearly dry, adding additional chicken broth if desired to reach your preferred texture.
• Stir in chopped cilantro and serve.

I’ve been on a couscous kick lately.  This is one of the first couscous recipes I ever tried and it’s great.  Sally brought this as a salad course to one of our lunches and was nice enough to share the recipe.

1 C chicken broth
1 C couscous
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 t grated lemon zest
1 t Dijon mustard
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic crushed
¼ C red onion or thinly sliced green onions
1 C chopped red pepper
1 C steamed and quartered fresh green beans
½ C coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 cups of quartered or halved cherry tomatoes
1 can (15 ozs.) garbanzo beans rinsed and drained.
1 T chopped fresh cilantro or basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

• Heat the broth to boiling. Put the couscous in a large bowl, pour in the boiling broth. Stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.  Fluff with a fork.

• In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, zest, mustard, olive oil and garlic.

• Toss the remaining ingredients into the couscous, fluff until evenly mixed.  Chill and serve.