shrimp asparagus spinach stir fry

this is a dish i've been returning too often, now that the spring asparagus is in, with it's very thin, grassy stalks. perfect for this dish. this is based on a thai/vietnamese stir fry traditions, but i invented it myself. the prep work takes about 20 minutes but the cooking takes less than 5. so fast. great for a weeknight dinner. kind of want to eat this a couple of nights a week at this point, it is so fast and easy, yet full on flavor.

Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry

serves 4

marinate the shrimp for 20 minutes while you chop the other ingredients:

1lb peeled and deveined shrimp

1.5 TBSP fish sauce

1.5 TBSP grated palm sugar (could substitute brown sugar or honey or agave nectar here, but i do love palm sugar in this)

1 TSP minced cilantro stems

place shrimp in a bowl, add in the fish sauce, palm sugar and cilantro stems. stir several times to coat the shrimp in the mixture. set aside.

1 large bunch thin-stalked asparagus, cut into 2 inch lengths

1 large bunch scallions cut into 2 inch lengths

2 cups of baby spinach leaves (4-6 oz)

1 large shallot, minced

5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 TBSP minced cilantro stems

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 cup of water

to finish the dish

1 cup of cilantro leaves

juice of 1 lime

get your wok nice and hot. sizzling hot. add in the oil and the garlic/cilantro stems/shallot and shrimp quickly. dont stir for a minute while the shrimp sizzles and sears on one side. then stir. now add in the asparagus. stir again. add in the 1/2 cup of water and cover for 1 minute. maybe 2. until the asparagus is tender/crisp and bright green. add in the spinach and scallions. stir fry for 1 minute. it should be done now. add in the lime juice and cilantro leaves and stir one more time to combine. serve at once with some fluffy jasmine rice. guaranteed deliciousness.

woodland primavera, a walk and a recipe

there is something really lovely about rain soaked trees.

as you mostly know, i live in a wood. this has its pluses and minuses like everyplace. pluses like incredible overnight transformation from gray to leafy green every spring (what a show!). and minuses like more spiders and bugs as well as lots and lots of crazy (really crazy) squirrels. but living in a wood can sometimes be inspirational and lead me to create a new recipe for dinner. i was walking around after a recent rain and stumbled on some lovely ferns just emerging. remembering the fiddleheads i'd seen at whole foods market the day before, a recipe popped into my head. a rustic woodland-inspired pasta primavera. with shiitake mushrooms and sliced asparagus. pasta primavera is an italian-american dish (inspired by italian cuisine, yet cooked in america) which means spring pasta. usually it is a cream sauce with lots of vegetables tucked here and there, like carrots, peas and broccoli, in the 80s and 90s it was on nearly every menu at italian restaurants in new york. it was all the rage and written up by craig claiborne in the ny times as a brilliant innovation. i ordered it a lot back then and it included a slightly different mix of vegetables each time.

anyway, i rarely see it now, maybe because i no longer have a generous expense account as at my former employers in nyc, or maybe because it has fallen out of favor, pushed aside by fresh combinations.

but now it is back, at my house anyway, and with an earthy woodland twist. the whole wheat fettucini is rustic and a nice complement to this dish.

woodland pasta primavera

17 oz fresh whole wheat pasta (bought mine at whole foods)

1/4 cup organic heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 lb fresh fiddleheads

1/2 lb asparagus stalks, sliced into 2 inch lengths

4 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, slice

2 stalks parsley (optional)

1 TBSP salt

optional

2 TBSP chopped parsley

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, for garnish

set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. set another medium size pot of water to boil for the vegetables. i find it works best if you blanch the vegetables in salted water before tossing with the pasta. wash and trim the vegetables. if using, place the parsley in the medium pot to flavor the vegetables slightly. adds a nice fresh taste. add 1 TBSP salt to the medium pot.

start with the fiddleheads. once the water comes to a boil. blanch the fiddleheads for about 2 or 3 minutes until they are just tender. remove with a slotted spoon. set in a bowl. next add the sliced shiitake mushrooms. remove after 1 to 2 minutes. and add to the same bowl as the fiddleheads. next add the asparagus. blanch for 2 - 5 minutes based on stalk thickness, this time i used fairly chubby stalks, so i blanched them for 4 minutes. drain and remove.

okay. pasta water should be ready now. add a glug of olive oil to the pasta water. salt too. cook the fresh whole wheat fettuccine for 4 - 5 minutes. until just cooked through. drain pasta. set the pan back on the heat. add the cream and the cheese and then the vegetables. stir around to coat and let it bubble briefly. add in the pasta. reduce heat to medium and toss and cook so the flavors all mesh together for a minute or two. serve at once. sprinkle with chopped parsley and additional freshly grated parmesan cheese. serve at once.

p.s. my kids loved this. so much that i was a little disappointed. disappointed that i didn't get more of the fiddleheads for myself. they were so fresh and tender and bright. i was so sure they would eye them suspiciously and refuse them. instead they thought they were cool. next time i will buy more. one thing i can count on is not being able to predict their whims in advance. lesson learned.

bouquet of asparagus and hearty pork chops

i've been storing my asparagus in the fridge like this. it really works. stays fresh way longer. i trim the ends ever so slightly when i bring it home. then stick it in a bit of water in a ramekin. fabulously fresh when i remove it several days later. no more dried up stems and mushy tops. seems silly. but works.

by the way. it snowed over a foot yesterday. r broke his wrist in two places in a showdown with a snowplow while hiking to the train. new cast. bright blue. now this morning it is 11 degrees. winter is toying with us. we will not be deterred. and maybe next time we will let the snowplows plow a bit more before he sets out. stamina. perseverance. hearty sustenance required.

now, we don't eat a lot of meat. we eat meat or fish maybe once a week. some of us less than that. but hearty food is desired right now so that we can power through the last bit of winter and maybe heal our broken spirits (bones). yet spring is around the corner. lightness and heartiness. hmmmm. what to serve for supper? i came up with couscous (with lemon scallions and cherry tomatoes), asparagus (with lemony mayonaise sauce), and sauteed pork chops. we love pork the most of all the meats. but, i have to warn you, pork chops cooked in this manner are indescribably delicious. tender. juicy. not at all dry or stiff. yet cooked thoroughly, carmelized, succulent. but i don't want to oversell. try it. maybe it will taste alright.

secret technique. first you must bury the pork chops in a blizzard of salt for a while (30 minutes to an hour) like this:     

good gog that is a lot of salt, you are thinking. and you are right. underneath and on the sides and all around. these pork chops, they must be completely surrounded by salt (but please, don't worry we are going to rinse it all off a bit later). for some reason which is unknown to me, this salt blizzarding technique tenderizes and transforms the pork. some things just work like magic. this is one of those things. 

now, while the pork is resting in all of that salt, prep the rest of the dinner. asparagus rinsed and trimmed. check. scallions trimmed, rinsed and chopped. check. cherry tomatoes, rinsed and chopped, check. lemons washed, squeezed and juiced. check. time to fire up the stove.

asparagus

wash. trim ends. fill skillet or saute pan with 1 to 2 inches of water. bring to boil. add 2 teaspoons salt. when boiling, add asparagus, cook until tender and bright green. around 3 to 4 minutes unless quite thick-stemmed. in that case cook at a lower temperature for a bit longer so the outside doesn't overcook while the insides remain crunchy. serve with lemony mayonnaise sauce.

couscous

1 cup whole wheat couscous (may vary follow package directions for ratios)

2 cups chicken stock or salted water

16 cherry tomatoes, chopped

3 scallions, sliced

juice of 2 lemons

4 TBSP olive oil

marinate tomatoes and scallions in 3 TBSP of the olive oil and the lemon juice. bring 2 cups chicken stock to boil. add remaining 1TBSP olive oil to water. add 1 cup couscous according to package directions (generally pour into boiling liquid, stir, remove from heat and cover. let sit for 5 minutes. stir and fluff.) add tomato/scallion/olive oil mixture. stir to combine.

pork chops

3 or 4 large boneless thick cut pork loin chops

1 or 2 TBSP olive oil

a lotta salt

salt thoroughly on all sides. allow to rest for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. rinse salt off with cool water. pat dry with paper towels. heat skillet to high. add olive oil to pan (i saute most things in olive oil unless cooking at super high heat in which case i use rice bran oil). saute on high heat for 1 minute. then turn to other side. cook for one minute more on high heat. immediately reduce heat to low. yes quite low. turn over and cook for another 2 to 6 minutes per side depending on thickness of your chops. the clock will tell you how long. 1/2 inch thick chops will require 2 or 3 minutes per side. 1 inch thick chops will require 3 to 4 minutes per side. 1 and a half to two inch chops 4 to 6 minutes per side. six minutes is only for those super duper thick chops. you will have to gauge it. but watch the clock. it takes out all the guess work. it is the only path to success. when are they done? when both sides are nice and browned, when the top is firm to the touch. but not too firm. now the hard part. let the meat rest in the pan for 10 minutes before serving. this will be hard because family members' olfactory senses will most likely be tingling, and they will be milling about the kitchen hungrily. the resting is absolutely required. serve the couscous and asparagus several minutes early with some fresh italian peasant bread and some olive oil to dip. that will whet their appetite. maybe just maybe they will eat way more vegetables this way. this meal is easy on the cook, it doesn't take long at all to prepare.