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Posts Tagged ‘Recipes’

Crab and Chive Puffs

Posted in About me, Holidays, Husbands, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on February 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

He: What are you doing?
Me: Making appetizers.
He: Are we having a Super Bowl party?
Me: Nope, they’re for my Super Goal party.
He: What?
Me: My Super G-O-A-L party.
I figure I’ll get a lot of things done today while you’re glued to the T.V.
He: Okay, but why the fancy food?
Me: Why should Super Bowl fans be the only ones over-indulging?
He: Are you gonna share?
Me: Only if you help!

I’m not a big football fan and I make no apologies for it. Since I did not plan to watch the big game with my hubby, I figured I could get some things done around the house and then sneak in some R & R (reading and recipe research). Super Bowl Sunday is synonymous with big time snacking, so my “Super Goal” party deserved to have some snacks, too. But for me no ordinary chip and dip snack would do . . . I needed something special . . . and then I remembered a recipe for Crab and Chive Puffs! So for our Super Day, my husband and I made these easy and tasty treats!

Crab and Chive Puffs
From Real Simple

Ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (17.3 ounce box), thawed
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, more for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound lump crabmeat

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut the pastry into rounds. Place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, chives, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold in the crab.

4. Dividing evenly, spoon the crab mixture onto the pastry rounds (about 2 teaspoons each).

6. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the pastries are golden and crisp, 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with more chives, if desired. Serve hot.

Makes approximately 20.

Linnell’s Notes:
This recipe lends itself easily to variations. After step 3, I divided the crabmeat mixture into two parts. To one part, I mixed in a little curry powder. The other part was left as is. I proceeded to spoon the mixtures onto the pastry rounds as directed and baked according to directions. My favorite food taster liked the ones with a hint of curry better.

Even though the recipe is called Crab and Chive Puffs, I used green onions for the crabmeat mixture and used chives only for the garnish. The green onions I used were slender ones and not the wide, fat, almost-leek-like ones that are sold at some grocery stores!

Enjoy!

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Cracked Crab With Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Posted in About me, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on January 24, 2011| 1 Comment »


With Dungeness crab season peaking this month and with two Meyer lemon bushes heavy with fruit in my yard, I simply could not resist making Cracked Crab With Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette for a dinner with friends this past weekend. The fresh and fragrant flavors of lemon, garlic and Italian parsley complemented the delicate and slightly sweet flavor of the Dungeness crabmeat to perfection. Rounding out the meal was a loaf of fresh artisan bread, a colorful green salad, a bowl of hot tagliarelle with truffle butter (recipe to be posted at a later date), and a bottle (or two) of unoaked Chardonnay. There’s nothing like a night of great food and great friends!

Cracked Crab With Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
from Williams-Sonoma’s San Francisco Cookbook

INGREDIENTS

For the Court Bouillon:
2 yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 bay leaf
12 peppercorns
1/2 cup fine sea salt
1 bottle (24 oz/750 ml) dry white wine

For the Marinade:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1 large clove garlic, very finely minced
Fine sea salt

2 large live Dungeness crabs, about 2 lb each

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the court bouillon, combine the onions, celery, carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, wine, and 8 qt. water in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

2. While the court bouillon is simmering, make the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and garlic. Season to taste with salt.

3. Return the court bouillon to a boil over high heat. Add the crabs, cover, and cook for 20 minutes (less if your crabs are smaller than 2 lb) after the liquid returns to a boil. Lift them out of the boiling liquid and set aside to cool.

4. Twist off the crab claws and legs and set them aside. Holding each crab from underneath, lift off and discard the hard top shell. Turn the crab over; lift off and discard the triangular tail flap. Pull off and discard the grayish feathery gills along both sides.

5. With a heavy knife or a cleaver, quarter the body. If necessary, rinse the body pieces very quickly to remove the yellowish “butter.” Gently crack the claws and legs with a nutcracker or mallet and put them in the marinade along with the quartered body. Stir well with a spatula and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

6. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate the crab for up to 8 hours, stirring occasionally.

7. Serve the crab at room temperature or, if it has been refrigerated, serve chilled. Provide a nutcracker for each diner and a bowl for the shells.

Serves 4.

Cookbook Notes:
Meyer lemons give the marinade a particularly compelling fragrance, but you can substitute familiar Eureka lemons. The latter are more tart, so you will need less juice.

Linnell’s Notes:
Purchasing live crab is not a necessity, but certainly the fresher the crab the better the outcome. My husband purchased live crab from an Asian seafood market. If using precooked whole crab, skip down to step four.

For any of you who are not familiar with what court bouillon is, here is Wikipedia’s take on it: “Court-bouillon or court bouillon is a flavored liquid for poaching or quick-cooking foods. Traditional uses include poaching fish and seafood, but it is also used for poaching vegetables, eggs, sweetbreads, cockscombs, and delicate meats. Court bouillon loosely translates as ‘briefly boiled liquid’ (French court) or “short broth” because the cooking time is brief in comparison with a rich and complex stock, and generally is not served as part of the finished dish. Since delicate foods do not cook for very long, it is prepared before the foods are added.”

Enjoy!!

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Roast Rack of Pork with Carmelized Maple Onions

Posted in About me, Kids, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on January 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Every now and then it’s nice to go out for a good dinner. A couple of weeks ago I was served a flavorful and juicy rack of pork smothered with sweet, caramelized, maple onions. It was cooked to perfection – just a little pink in the center. The name of the restaurant? Well, truthfully, this delicious dish was served to me at my son’s home. He and his girlfriend treated me and my husband to a wonderful home-cooked meal. I love that all my children enjoy cooking and that for a change I can ask them for a recipe! My husband and I purchased an eight-rib rack of pork, which is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat, at Costco and doubled the recipe. We were delighted that the results were just as tasty as the one our son and his girlfriend prepared for us. The moral of the story: Teach your kids to cook!

Rack of Pork with Caramelized Onions
Recipe by Wolfgang Puck

Ingredients:
1 (2-pound) pork rack with 4 bones attached
Salt and pepper
2 ounces olive oil
3 yellow onions, sliced
1-inch fresh ginger, crushed
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 star anise
3 tablespoons sweet butter
4 tablespoons maple sugar
3-1/3 cups apple cider

Directions:
Season both sides of rack with salt and pepper 20 minutes before cooking. Sear in heavy saute pan with olive oil until rack is well caramelized. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In same pan, add sliced onions, ginger, cinnamon, star anise and butter. Slowly cook until onions are well caramelized. Add maple sugar and cook for 2 minutes.

Deglaze with cider, adjust salt and pepper to taste and reduce until glaze forms. Completely cover rack with half of onion compote. Transfer to roasting pan and place in oven. Cook at 20 minutes per pound or until internal temperature is 150 degrees F. Halfway through cooking time, pour over remaining half of onion compote. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Discard the cinnamon stick and star anise.

Serves 4.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I didn’t have maple sugar, so I used maple syrup instead.
2. Make sure you don’t overcook the pork, unless you like the texture of shoe leather! Is it safe to eat pork that is slightly pink in the middle? According to Wisconsin River Meats: Yes. The bacteria trichina is destroyed at 137 F. Pork cooked to a temperature of 150 F to 155 F will often have a slightly pink middle.

Enjoy!

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Reindeer Snack Mix

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on December 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Santa and his reindeer have come and gone, leaving not a trace of the Reindeer Snack Mix that was set out for them. They obviously needed to fuel their bodies with carbohydrates for the strenuous night that lay ahead! Many versions of Reindeer Snack Mix exist, but this one has just the right combination of saltiness, spiciness, and sweetness so that everyone who comes in contact with it finds it addicting! Why wait until next Christmas to make this Mix? Put it out at your next gathering and watch how fast it disappears!

Reindeer Snack Mix
Taste of Home Test Kitchen recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups Bugles
2 cups square-shaped, cheese-flavored crackers
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 cup Corn Chex cereal
1 cup bite-sized shredded wheat
1 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1-1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
2. In another bowl, combine the butter, syrup, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Pour over the cereal mixture and toss gently, but thoroughly, to coat.
3. Transfer to an ungreased 15-inch x 1–in baking pan. Bake, uncovered at 250 degrees F for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Serves 9.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. This recipe lends itself easily to substitutions. I use Crispix cereal in lieu of Corn Chex; pecans, walnuts, almonds and cashews work well individually or mixed; popcorn can be substituted for the shredded wheat (although I feel the shredded wheat absorbs the sauce much better); smaller, stubbier pretzels make it easier to grab a handful than the thin stick ones. I always add more Bugles than called for, because these are the first item to be picked out of the Mix and eaten. I usually double these dry ingredients and mix them in a large roasting pan.

2. In step 2, I add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder to the sauce mixture. The level of spiciness can easily be adjusted by adding or reducing the Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Make about 1.5 to 2 times the amount of sauce per batch for better coating.

3. I roast the mix in two shallow-lipped baking pans. Don’t try baking it in a deep pan (such as a roasting pan) because the Mix will take longer to dry out.

Enjoy!

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Hot Mushroom Turnovers

Posted in About me, Holidays, Parenting, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 7, 2010| 10 Comments »

November 1982. That’s what it reads on the upper left-hand corner of a slightly tattered, grease-spotted, magazine page. There’s no additional clue to reveal the identity of the magazine from which I carefully tore out the page. That I saved this page all these years is impressive, but what is incredible to me is that in those early-parenting days I had enough time to read a magazine, let alone had the ambition to make the recipe on the page. Having an eighteen-month-old baby who never slept took its toll out on me back then. So why on earth would a sleep-deprived, working, young mom clip out a recipe for a fancy holiday hors d’oeuvre, when she barely had time to make herself a sandwich? I’m sure it was wishful thinking on my part that my baby would eventually be like others and take a four hour nap instead of a twenty-minute one or that I’d eventually be able to leave the house to make friends and have the energy to entertain! Ever the optimist!

Well, that baby grew up and sleeps quite a bit these days. Somehow I survived his sleepless ways and am thankful that I hung on to that page and recipe all these years. The Hot Mushroom Turnover recipe has become a family favorite. These delicate little turnovers are made with a forgiving cream-cheese pastry and filled with the goodness of fresh mushrooms, bits of onions, rich sour cream, and fragrant thyme. They’re great for holiday entertaining because you can freeze them unbaked –  popping them into the oven when you have company or just when you have a craving for them!

Hot Mushroom Turnovers

Ingredients:
1 – 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups + 2 T all purpose flour, divided use
1/2 + 3 T cup butter, softened, divided use
1/2 pound mushrooms, minced
1 large onion, minced
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1. In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1-1/2 cups flour, and 1/2 cup butter until smooth. Shape into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, melt 3 T butter. Add mushrooms and onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream, salt, thyme, and 2 T flour; set aside.

3. On floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll half of dough 1/8-inch thick. With a floured 2-3/4-inch round cookie cutter or inverted glass, cut out as many circles as possible. Repeat.

4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

5. Onto one half of each dough circle, put 1 teaspoon of the mushroom mixture. Brush edges of circles with egg wash, using a small brush. Fold dough over filling. With fork, firmly press edges together to seal. Prick tops with fork.

6. Place turnovers on ungreased cookie sheet and brush tops with remaining egg wash.

7. Bake 12-14 minutes until golden.

Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. Do not attempt to put more than 1 teaspoon of filling into the turnovers. The turnovers may not seal correctly or may burst while baking if they are over-filled.

2. The onions should be minced smaller than the mushrooms. The mushrooms shrink while they are cooking. Ultimately you want both components to be of the same size.

3. I seem to always have leftover filling. Either use the extra filling for something else (topping for Brie?) or double the amount of pastry dough.

4. In a pinch I think puff pastry sheets could be used instead of making scratch pastry.

5. If you freeze them, make sure you bake them a little longer.

Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Mousse in Puff Pastry Shells

Posted in Holidays, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 16, 2010| 1 Comment »

Want a simple, yet elegant fall dessert recipe? Like the flavors of pumpkin pie, but don’t have the time to make and bake a pie? Don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but want a pleasing pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving? Want a dessert that you can pretty much make a head of time? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to check out this recipe! Using store bought puff pastry and canned pumpkin puree, the only hard part about this recipe is waiting the two hours it takes to chill the pumpkin mousse!

Pumpkin Mousse in Puff Pastry Shells
Adapted from a recipe by Chef Claudia Fleming, Gramercy Tavern

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 cup canned, unsweetened pumpkin puree
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. plus 1/2 cup heavy cream, divided use
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of cloves
Whipped cream for garnish, optional

Directions:
1. Bake puff pastry shells according to package directions. Cool. Remove centers.

2. Sprinkle gelatin over 1 tablespoon of water in a microwave-safe cup. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. Microwave on HIGH 10-15 seconds or just until dissolved.

3. Mix pumpkin, granulated and brown sugars, 2 tablespoons cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Heat to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in gelatin. Cool completely.

4. Beat remaining cream in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Refrigerate until mixture is set, about 2 hours.

5. Spoon pumpkin mousse into pastry shells. Serve with fresh cranberry sauce, if desired.

Serves 6.

Linnell’s Notes:
The pumpkin mousse can be easily made ahead, but the pastry shells will taste better and have a flakier texture if baked the same day as serving.

Although, you could spoon the mousse into the pastry shells, I chose to pipe it in. Instead of using a pastry bag, I used a sandwich-sized, zip-type plastic bag. By cutting less than a half-inch off one of its corners, I was able to insert a coupler and a pastry tip into that corner of the bag. After filling the bag half full with the pumpkin mousse, I piped the mousse into the shells.

Instead of using fresh cranberry sauce as garnish, I whipped up a little extra whipping cream (adding a little powdered sugar while I was whipping it to sweeten the cream) and put a dollop of it on top of the mousse. I finished it off with a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Chopped candied ginger sprinkled on top of the cream would also be a nice finishing touch.

The next time I make this I will add a little orange zest to the pumpkin mousse mixture and perhaps add a little less nutmeg.

Enjoy!

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Mom’s Baked Custard

Posted in About me, Parenting, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 10, 2010| 5 Comments »

“I sound like Darth Vader,” I moan to my husband. “What?” he says as he puts the newspaper down. “I sound like Darth Vader. I can hear myself breathing.” As I sit there listening to my loud, rattling breathing and contemplate whether to say, “Luke, I am your father,” my husband looks at me and just shakes his head. My nose is chapped and red and I have flat, lopsided, bed-hair. I remind him, “You said for better or worse, remember?”

Supposedly there are over 200 viruses that cause the common cold and, according to Wikipedia, adults average two to four infections a year and children average up to six to twelve infections a year. I’m in the throes of the first cold I’ve had in over two years, so I guess I’m not average. But whether it’s due to the cold itself or the groggy side effects of the cold medications or maybe a combination of both, I’m feeling a little nostalgic and crave two comfort items from my childhood:

1. A tall glass of 7-Up or ginger ale placed on my night stand is a must to quench my parched mouth during the night. But the most important part of this ritual is the use of a straw. When I was a kid, my mom always put a straw in my drink to make it easier to sip it during the night. Because I deem my mom as all-knowing, a straw is an essential element to my recovery. Basically, the only time straws are pulled out of the drawers in my house, is when someone is sick.

2. When my siblings and I were kids and were sick, my mom would make baked egg custard from scratch. It was the only good thing about being sick and is among my best comfort food memories. I looked forward to getting those little Pyrex custard cups filled with golden egg custard, lightly browned on the edges and sprinkled with nutmeg in the center. It was a smooth and nourishing treat that slid deliciously down my throat.

Since I’m battling a nasty rhinovirus right now, I’m sending my husband out to buy milk. Nothing will make me feel better than a bowl of my mom’s baked custard. And because the cold and flu season is approaching, I’m sharing her recipe with you.

Mom’s Egg Custard

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt
Ground nutmeg

Directions:
Beat all ingredients, except nutmeg, together well. Pour into 4 custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Place cups into a baking pan. Pour hot water into the pan halfway up around the custard cups. The water level should be at the same level as the top of the custard. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serves 4-6, depending on the size of the ramekins or custard cups.

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Balsamic Apple Topping

Posted in Holidays, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on November 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Apples sauteed in a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Yum! I love it when a recipe only has a few ingredients, yet delivers on flavor! Searching for something interesting and delicious to put over the pork tenderloin I had just roasted, I found this clipped recipe in one of my stacks. Apples and pork – always a great combination! Having all the ingredients on hand, I immediately started peeling and chopping. In under ten minutes, I had a delicious, sweet and tart topping for my roast pork. And don’t even think about leaving out the basil – it adds another dimension of flavor to the topping! This recipe would dress up any meal. Enjoy!

Balsamic Apple Topping

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pippin or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
4 servings of meat of your choice: grilled or baked salmon or any roasted poultry or pork.

Directions:
1. In a small nonstick skillet heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. When oil is hot, add apples and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until softened.
3. Stir in vinegar and honey and cook for a minute or two longer.
4. Spoon topping over meat and sprinkle with sliced basil.

Serves 4.

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Golden Beet and Pomegranate Salad

Posted in Parenting, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on October 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The bright orange color of golden beets combined with the rich red of pomegranate seeds make this salad a lovely fall dish, but mention beets and pomegranates to almost any mother and I bet her response will be “STAIN.” Both beets and pomegranates are well known for their stain-making abilities. Just ask my kids why for many years I wouldn’t let them eat pomegranates. Pomegranates are like piñatas – you have to work hard, before you are rewarded with a spray of treats! A spray, though, hardly describes the scene I found on what would be my kids’ last day of eating pomegranates in our house. Explosion is a far better word. As I approached my kids sitting at the nucleus of the explosion, my eyes took on a wild-eyed look that only a mother with three children who had just turned her white kitchen into a red polka-dotted one could have. I looked at them. They just sat there, looked back at me, and said, “What?” If not for a kitchen remodel that occurred years later, I’m sure I’d still find pomegranate juice stain somewhere in the kitchen!

Even if you think you don’t like beets, try this recipe. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Golden Beet and Pomegranate Salad
Recipe from Elise Bauer’s Simply Recipes

Ingredients:
3 golden beets
1 cup diced red onions
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetarian broth for vegetarian option)
3 Tbsp Triple Sec or other orange-flavored liqueur
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Salt
2 cups arugula and butter lettuce leaves
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
1. Cook the beets – either boil them for 45 minutes or roast them at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. Let cool. Peel and dice into 1/2-inch cubes.

2. In a medium skillet over high heat, bring diced beets, onion, vinegar, broth, liqueur, sugar, and orange peel to a boil, stirring often, until liquid is reduced to 2 Tbsp, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

3. Stir in pomegranate seeds into the beet mixture and salt to taste. Serve on top of salad greens on individual plates. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Serves 4.

Linnell’s Notes:
The beet mixture could be made ahead. Before serving, stir the pomegranate seeds into the beet mixture. I added a little freshly ground black pepper to the beet mixture. For my greens, I mixed baby spinach leaves and a spring salad mix together. I plated this salad on a beautiful blue platter (complementary color of the orange beets) instead of individual plates. This delicious salad really does not require any additional salad dressing, but if you feel the need for dressing, either make a pomegranate vinaigrette or buy a good brand of raspberry vinaigrette.

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Shrimp and Bean-Thread Salad

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , on October 20, 2010| 2 Comments »

Picnics or parties, that’s how versatile this easy do-ahead recipe is. It makes a great main lunch dish or a delicious dinner side dish. Bean threads are also referred to as cellophane noodles, Chinese vermicelli, crystal noodles, or glass noodles. They are transparent Asian noodles usually made from mung bean or yam starch. The dried form can be found in many grocery markets now and after reconstituting them with boiling water, they can be used in soups, stir-fried dishes, and spring rolls. Do not confuse bean threads or bean vermicelli with rice vermicelli, which are made from rice and are white in color rather than clear.

Shrimp and Bean-Thread Salad
from the Noodle Shop Cookbook by Jackie Passmore

Serves 4, or 6 to 8 sharing dishes.

Salad ingredients:
5 ounces bean-thread vermicelli
12 medium shrimp, in their shells
2 teaspoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon palm or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped whole scallions
1/4 cup finely sliced straw mushrooms
1/3 cup sliced water chesnuts
1 cup fresh bean sprouts, roots and seed pods removed
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro (Chinese parsley) leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Salad Dressing:
1-1/2 tablespoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon palm or dark brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons corn oil or other flavorless vegetable oil
2 teaspoons Thai sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)

Soak the vermicelli in boiling water for 1-1/2 minutes. It will be semi-transparent and crisp-tender. Drain in a colander and cool under running cold water. Use kitchen shears to cut into 3-inch lengths. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients. Pour half over the vermicelli, mix well, and set aside.

Shell the shrimp, leaving the last segment of the shell and the tail in place (reserve heads and shells for stock or bisque; they can be frozen until needed). Make a deep cut down the center of each shrimp’s back and pull away the dark vein. Press the shrimp open. Place in a dish and season with the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Set aside.

Prepare the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and add to the vermicelli in the bowl. Mix in evenly.

Heat the oil in a small pan over high heat and stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink. Remove and add to the salad, along with the reserved dressing. Toss for a few moments to thoroughly combine the ingredients and moisten evenly with the dressing. Pile onto a platter and serve.

Do-ahead note: The salad can be made ahead, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for several hours before serving.

Linnell’s notes:
The salad dressing recipe made a very small amount. I was skeptical that this would be adequate, especially since the bean threads would continue to absorb the dressing as it sat in the refrigerator. I doubled the dressing recipe and was glad I did. Although the minced garlic is optional in the dressing, I would include it. Don’t skimp on the herbs, either. They bring a wonderful fresh flavor to this salad. Enjoy!

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