Spring really has sprung around here. Almost all the daffodils are up and shining. The hyacinths that are right outside my door are a gorgeous purple, perfectly matching the yellow daffodils in their UW spirit.
On another topic, I was really tempted this week in my cooking adventures to try geoduck piccata (recipe courtesy of Kathy Casey). However, I have no clue as where to get my hands on some geoduck. (For those who have no clue what a geoduck is, click on the link above. Basically, they are large clams that live under the sand on the NW coast and they squirt at you when you stomp on them!)
Thanks to Fisheries and Oceans Canada
If anyone knows of a place that sells geoduck (I know, I should just make the trip out to the ocean to get one myself, but I'm lazy!), please let me know. I will seriously travel anywhere in Western Washington or Oregon or even BC to get one. I tried conch when I was in the Caribbean and I assume they can't be much different? (If I'm totally wrong on this one, please let me know too!)
But since I don't have any geoduck on hand, I decided to try Kathy Casey's Curry and Yogurt Snapper. I sure do like me some curry, but I was a little hesitant about it with snapper. I was very deliciously surprised! It had the curry flavor, but it was not very spicy. I was all worried that once the yogurt came in contact with the pan it would just slide off, but instead it soaked in to the snapper! I was truly amazed!
Kathy suggests to serve it with rice (which I did) and wilted spinach (which I did not. Wilted spinach has a weird taste to me. I like other wilted greens, but not spinach. Yuck!). The only downside to the recipe was that there wasn't a sauce to accompany the dish and so the rice was really bland. I think next time, I'm going to split the yogurt mixture and the spice mixture in half and use only half of each to marinate the snapper and the other half combine to make a sauce. I think that would be really delicious!
Kathy Casey's Coriander, Curry and Yogurt-Crusted Snapper
3/4 c. plain yogurt
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp coriander seed, crushed
2 tsp mild curry powder
salt
black pepper
olive oil
4 snapper fillets (preferably Pacific rockfish)
Fresh mint
Stir together first three ingredients in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine next four ingredients. Dip fish lightly into yogurt mixture, then sprinkle curry mixture on all sides. Place the fish in a hot pan with olive oil and cook until opaque or flaky, about 2.5 minutes each side. Eat!
Serves 4.
Serves 4.
And then last night, I made Martin Yan's Seafood and Garlic Chive Lo Mein. Tim is not a big fan of squid (too bad, right?) so I left that out, which basically made it a Shrimp and Garlic Chive Lo Mein. The dish as a whole was excellent (I added in some chopped up bok choy to add some veggies), but the flavor in the noodles was not as strong as we would like it. I think if you doubled the sauce, it would have been perfect! I also did not add in the mushrooms since, well, Tim does not like mushrooms and refuses to eat anything that includes them.
Martin Yan's Seafood and Garlic Chive Lo Mein
1 pkg Chinese egg noodles
2 tsp sesame oil
6 squid, cleaned
3/4 lb medium raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 dried black mushrooms
Cooking oil
1 tbsp minced ginger (I just grated it instead)
1/4 lb. yellow garlic chives, cut into 2-in lengths (I used green chives)
4 green onions, cut into 2-in lengths
Rachel's addition: 1 head bok choy, washed and cut into 1-in pieces
Sauce: (Double for more flavor!)
2/3 c. chicken broth
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Boil noodles according to directions on package (mine took about 5-7 minutes, in case yours has no direction, like mine!). Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut off squid tentacles and cut bodies in half lengthwise. Score inside diagonally several times to make cross-hatch pattern. Set aside. Combine sauce in another bowl. Soak dried mushroom in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Discard stems and thinly slice caps. Heat wok over medium-high heat, then add oil, swirling to coat. Add mushrooms, ginger, garlic chives and green onions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.Add shrimp and squid, stir fry for 2 additional minutes. Stir cornstarch into sauce, then add to pan, stirring until it boils. Add noodles and bok choy and mix well. Serves 4.
Anyways, I really should get working on my homework, but I think I'll watch a movie first. Or maybe do homework while watching the movie, eh?
Perfect!
Dobrou noc! (Good night in Czech)
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