This is another late post and this time I have no other excuse but
sheer laziness.
I’ve always said that one of the
rewards of having some cooking and baking skills is being able to prepare and
enjoy whatever I crave for in the comfort of our home even at the most ungodly
hour barring some unforeseen circumstances like the stove or oven being busted
or unavailability of ingredients needed although the latter is not a hopeless
situation and can still be remedied via substitute ingredients. Such is the
case last weekend. First, I wanted a repeat of the spicy crabs I made way back but blue crabs were not available so
change of plan and I just settled for shrimp. I found really nice large ones on
sale at my favorite Carrniceria- yes, they sell seafood too! Sautéed in garlic, ginger and green onion then
simmered in a special spicy sauce; this is something I prefer eating at home
where I could just get my hands dirty with all the delicious sauce.
The next item is barbecue pork ribs.
It was just a spur of the moment thing. I saw beautiful racks at
the meat section and thought about barbecue. Am I really up to the task
of grilling or should I just bake it? I didn’t even have to think long
because an idea popped into mind when the butcher at the counter asked me
if I want the ribs chopped or sliced. Hmm, why don’t I do it
differently and do a stove top barbecue? The ribs are seasoned with
my dry rub mix (paprika, brown sugar, granulated garlic powder, freshly cracked
black pepper and cayenne pepper) and set aside for an hour to allow the flavors
to mingle and to adhere to the meat. Then I heat canola oil in a cast
iron pan just enough to coat the surface and then placed the ribs for browning. That I did in batches so every piece is browned evenly. Then I
put them all back into the pan and poured half of my barbecue sauce which is a mixture of
tomato ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, white vinegar, honey, Cayenne pepper
and liquid Hickory seasoning for that smoky flavor. You bet my sauce is sweet,
tangy, spicy and smoky altogether. Let the ribs simmer in the sauce,
occasionally turning the meat over and then pour the rest of the sauce when it
starts to dry up. Repeat the process until the ribs are golden and just moist. Devoid of the usual grill marks but these
little pieces taste nothing short of delicious barbecue, trust me!
There's one more item that caught my
eye as I surveyed the seafood section of the store. I saw bass fillets
are on sale too! Hmm I imagine creamy sauce with bell peppers and capers
with fresh cilantro and that's how I prepared it. Seasoned first with freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt then oven roasted till light golden. The sauce is half and half, paprika. shallots, dry white wine and a little butter.
After preparing these dishes, I feel
that a nice dessert is in order. Time to revisit another old favorite- Canonigo. This is a Spanish dessert made from egg
whites whipped until stiff with just a little sugar (meringue); baked in a bain marie with
caramel topping and served with creme anglaise sauce.
This I can say is like soft cloud in my mouth and I really mean it!
Ah what a trip! I just love weekends... love cooking and baking ... brings so much joy. Ready for another busy week!
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