Lemon Jalapeño Marinated Mussels – Definitely My First or Second Favorite Way to Eat Mussels

I might give you a different answer in the middle of February, when there’s nothing better than a hot bowl of mussels, swimming in some kind of garlicky, winey broth, but this time of year, chilled and marinated are my favorite way to go.

You can dress these anyway you want, but no matter how you flavor them, you’ll want to follow the same basic technique. By cooking the mussels with a minimum of moisture, and then reducing the liquids for the base of our marinade, we get an even more intense flavor, as well as an extra little kick of salinity.

By the way, I completely forgot to strain the cooking liquids before making the dressing, which can mean some grit, or tiny pieces of shell getting into your final product, so after everything is reduced, press the onion and juices through a mesh strainer before proceeding.

Most mussels sold at the grocery store are fairly well cleaned, but if yours aren’t, be sure to scrub well, and remove any beards. To ensure top quality, depending on proximity to the store, you can cook a couple when you get home, chill them, and then give them a test taste.

Mussels should have a fresh, sweet, mild, tastes-like-the-ocean flavor, and if yours don’t, or are gritty, or odd in any way, simply take them back, and get a refund. Anyway, that’s the worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario is what you see here, and I really do hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 pounds of Mussels:

2 pounds black mussels

1 tablespoon olive oil for sautéing onions

1/2 onion, finely diced

pinch of salt

For the marinade:

reserved reduced cooking liquids (about 1-2 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 lemon juiced

2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño

2 tablespoons champagne, rice, or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil, or to taste

extra pinch of salt if needed

red Fresno chili to garnish optional

NOTE: Serve on ice or a cold plate, and not on salt, unless it is very large grain, and won't stick to the shells.

DHANIWAL KORMA / KASHMIRI LAMB CORIANDER KORMA

Dhaniwal Korma is a flavourful lamb curry from Kashmir. It has a rich and creamy gravy with nut paste and flavoured with spices and saffron. You can relish it with Khamiri roti or Kashmiri pulao.

 In our group, "Shhhhh Cooking Secretly"  the theme of the month is "Jammu and Kashmiri Cuisine"
I am paired with Sasmita Sahoo Samantha who gave me the 2 secret ingredients - Mutton and Yogurt.

Korean Barbecued Rack of Lamb – That Other Rack of Ribs

While less popular than beef and pork, lamb was the original barbecued meat (Google barbacoa for details), and may be the best suited for cooking over smoky coals. That’s especially true when paired with this very simple Korean-inspired marinade. This really did taste every bit as good as it looked, and that’s saying something.

Lamb has a slight, subtly sweet gaminess, which works perfectly with the funky goodness of our gochujang chili paste, and if you let it soak overnight, you’ll be rewarded with a juicy interior as well. I love using rack for this, since it’s more tender, and easier to work with than leg, and a little more user friendly than chops.

You should find gochujang at any grocery store where the cool kids shop, but if not, it’s available online. Here is the one I used, just in case that matters. If you do happen to splurge for a jar, trust me, you’ll use it all by the end of summer.

By the way, the ingredient amounts below will only allow for a few tablespoons of sauce, once reduced. If you want more, just double the amounts, and save half to add to your reduction. A little more sauce probably isn’t a bad idea, especially if there’s going to be rice around. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions:

2 trimmed racks of lamb (about 1 pound each)

2 tablespoons gochujang chili paste

6 cloves crushed garlic

1/4 cup finely minced green onions

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Romesco Sauce – Cold Sauce Monte Rushmore for Sure

It’s not unusual for me to get requests for recipes I’ve already done before, but over the last few years, I seemed to be getting an abnormal number of requests for romesco sauce. Knowing I had already filmed it, I’d reply with something polite, like what don’t you understand about using Google?

Well, I’d like to apologize to all those people I blew off, since while it’s true I posted a video for romesco, it was actually many years ago, on About.com, which has ceased to exist. In fairness, I’ve done over 1,800 videos, as well as lived over 54 years, so hopefully a little recipe related forgetfulness would be forgiven.

Anyway, it was high time to update this Spanish classic, since it’s one of the all-time great summer sauces. It’s pretty much perfect with anything off the grill, especially vegetables and seafood, and that’s how we usually enjoy this, but there’re so many other places where this can shine. It makes for an unbelievable sandwich spread, as well as perfect “secret ingredient” for your favorite potato or pasta salad dressings.

Like most sauces and condiments, this begs for personalization; whether we’re talking the level of heat, or ratio between the ingredients, or how smooth or course you grind it, you shouldn’t hesitate to adapt this to your tastes. But, no matter how you tweak this, or what you serve with it, I really do hope you make some soon, and then keep making it all summer. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 cups:

3 large red bell peppers, fire-roasted, seeded, and peeled

1/2 cup olive oil

8 cloves peeled garlic

1 cup cubed stale bread

3/4 cup roasted almonds

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

RABRI & KULFI MADE FROM LEFT OVER KAJU PISTA KATLI

During festive season we have lot of left-over sweets. We can use them to make rabri or kulfi. I tried out for the first time and the result was amazing. The rabri and kulfi both were absolutely divine. It hardly took 10 - 12 minutes.

Ingredients:
Kaju pista katli .... 6-7 pieces
Milk .................. 1/2 litre
Malai ................. 3 tbsps
Sugar .................2 tbsps
Pistachios .....

Spanish Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo) – Top of the Tapas

If you ever find yourself in a Spanish restaurant, and they don’t have some version of this garlic shrimp recipe on the menu, immediately get up from your table, and leave. This would be the equivalent of a French bistro that doesn’t serve steak frites. What about vegetarian Spanish restaurants and French bistros? That’s a trick question, since those aren’t a thing.

Anyway, the point here is that every Spanish restaurant serves this, and for very good reasons. It’s fast to make, gorgeous to look at, and, if you’re into garlic, one of the most delicious things you’ll ever eat. Just be sure to use nice fresh, frozen shrimp. Allow me to explain.

Unless you live in a few choice locations, it’s rare to find true fresh shrimp at the market. All they do is thaw some frozen, and put it in the case, where it sits until you buy it, which is why it really makes a lot more sense to purchase frozen. Of course, not all frozen shrimp is created equal, so I encourage you to research the best sources, but the point is you don’t want something already thawed.

Speaking of which, I thaw mine by running cold water into the bowl of frozen shrimp, let it sit for about 10 minutes, before draining, and repeating once more. After that it should be fully thawed, at which point the shrimp can be drained, and prepped.

The last tip I’ll give, is to make sure you have all your ingredients together before you head to the stove, since start to finish, this only takes minutes to complete. This is another reason it’s so great for a party, since you can prep everything ahead of time, and finish it whenever you’re ready to serve. But, whether you feature this at a party, or not, I really do hope you give this amazing Spanish garlic shrimp recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Spanish Garlic Shrimp Portions:

1 pound peeled and *deveined shrimp (look for the 21-25 per pound size or larger)

kosher salt to taste

1 teaspoon hot, smoked paprika, optional

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves peeled garlic, slice thin

2 tablespoons dry sherry wine (or white wine and a pinch of sugar)

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

* This video from Allrecipes shows how to properly devein shrimp. 

KASHMIRI PULAO

Kashmiri pulao is a flavourful and rich dish cooked with dry fruits and flavoured with saffron and whole spices. It can be served with veg and non veg Kashmiri curries. 

Ingredients:
Basmati rice .... 1 cup
Cashewnuts .... few
Almonds ......... few
Walnuts .......... few
Raisins ........... 1 tbsp
Black cardamoms ... 1
Green cardamoms ... 4
Cloves ...................... 4
Cinnamon ........