Shrimp Tacos

I was purposely looking for a taco recipe with a mango accoutrement after my successful foray into avocado salsa, and these did not disappoint.

The most “difficult” part of this recipe, if you can even call it difficult, is putting together the mango slaw. It consists of diced mangoes (which can be a little difficult to slice up…I’m still learning myself), shredded cabbage (which you can buy pre-shredded), red onion, cilantro, a little mayo to bind everything together, and rice wine vinegar. I used red wine vinegar because it’s what I had on hand and I didn’t want to buy an entire new bottle to use 1 tablespoon of it. Check out this website for descriptions of “designer” vinegars and useful substitution info.

Beyond that, making the tacos only involves cooking seasoned shrimp (the recipe calls for Jerk seasoning, I just used my old standby, Tony’s) in a pan, on your grill, or on your George Foreman. You should also preheat the corn tortillas either in a pan or in the microwave between damp paper towels to make them more pliable. Tip: Use two tortillas per taco to keep everything neat–one tortilla tends to break pretty easily.

The crunchy cabbage contrasts perfectly with the firm, sweet mango, which in turn really benefits from the flavor of the red onion (this from someone who typically can’t stand red onion). The slaw as a whole was a perfect match for the slightly spicy shrimp. The only think I thought it was missing was maybe a sauce of some sort. So, cilantro-lime sour cream, or chipotle mayo?

Shrimp Tacos with Mango Slaw
Courtesy of Woman’s Day

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS
8 corn tortillas
24 peeled raw jumbo shrimp (about 1 lb)
1 Tbsp Caribbean jerk seasoning
2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1⁄4 cup sliced red onion
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 Tbsp rice-wine vinegar

PREPARATION
1. Tacos: Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; heat over medium heat. Add tortillas in a single layer 2 or 3 at a time and cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes, or until light golden in spots and softened. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep tortillas warm and pliable.

2. Sprinkle shrimp with jerk seasoning. Coat same skillet with nonstick spray; heat over medium heat. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until cooked through. Remove to a plate.

3. Toss remaining taco ingredients in a bowl until blended.

4. To assemble the Tacos: Top each tortilla with about 1⁄2 cup cabbage mixture and 3 shrimp. Fold in half to eat. Serve with the salad.

Meatball Slider

These were quite easy to make, and more important, quite delicious.

I got this recipe from those so-in-love-it’s-gross-but-still-cute Neely’s on an episode of “Down Home with the Neely’s” featuring a number of Superbowl party meal ideas. Keeping in mind that I wanted to have minimal cooking to do on game day, I decided to make the sauce and mix/roll the meatballs the day before. The sauce was super simple (onion, tomato puree, diced tomatoes), and initially not all that good. But after simmering the meatballs in the sauce right before serving, the sauce develops a much better flavor.

For the meatballs, combine Italian pork sausage (casings removed) and ground pork (I ended up using 2 different types of pork sausage because…where do you find ground pork??) with red pepper flakes, garlic, Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, and fresh parsley. I mixed all of this up by hand (joy) and then rolled ~2 inch meatballs, covered and refrigerated them until the next day.

When you’re ready to cook the meatballs, brown them on all sides in a little oil (doing this in batches works best), then add all the meatballs and the pre-made sauce back to that pan to simmer for 45 minutes. Slice open small rolls (I used yummy Hawaiian rolls) and sandwich a meatball, a little sauce sauce, a leaf of fresh basil, and shaved pecorino (I used shaved Parmesan–easier to find) between roll halves. I secured each slider with a toothpick and they were ready to serve! Very easy and very tasty, if a little spicy. Watch the red pepper flakes if you use “hot” Italian sausage!

Neely’s Meatball Sliders
Recipe courtesy The Neelys, foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 garlic cloves, chopped, divided
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 (20-ounce) can tomato puree
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Soft rolls, split horizontally
Fresh basil leaves
Shaved pecorino

Directions
Combine the ground pork and pork sausage, red pepper flakes, 2 cloves of the chopped garlic, panko, grated cheese, eggs, parsley, kosher salt and black pepper, to taste, in large bowl. Form into 2-inch-meatballs and set aside on a platter.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until brown on all sides. Transfer to plate.

Meanwhile, start the sauce. Add the 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and the remaining garlic. Saute until the onion begins to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season the onions with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the tomato puree and the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, stir in the meatballs and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.

To serve, put a meat ball on the bottom of each roll and drizzle lightly with some sauce. Top with a basil leaf and some shaved pecorino. Cover with the roll tops and transfer to a platter. Serve warm.

Juan's Flying Burrito: Creole Taqueria

We were seated promptly and had a while (too long, unfortunately) to look around before our server stopped by. The interior is “interesting” (Vortex-like, for ATLiens) with a ton of eclectic art-for-sale lining the walls, much of it featuring skulls or bleeding hearts. Food and drink specials are written on chalkboards around the room, and like any legit New Orleans eatery, they sport a full bar.

Spencer and I deliberated over the menu for about 5 minutes, and then waited another 15 before our waitress came to take our orders. When she returned 10 minutes later asking Spencer, “Oh, your drink hasn’t come out?” we gave each other blank stares because…isn’t that HER job (especially because she had brought my drink 5 minutes earlier)? Sketchy service aside, our food [me: Flying Enchiladas (steak, chicken, and shrimp grilled together, then stuffed inside our cheese enchiladas served with all three sauces, topped with sour cream and guacamole) Spencer: Super Nachos Grande (ground beef and chicken, with black and pinto beans, melted cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa and jalapenos)] was good:

Flying Enchiladas

Super Nachos Grande

If nothing else, Juan’s gives you a lot of food for the money (both entrees were < $10). My first bite of Flying Enchilada was a wonderful mix of meats, cheese, and grill juices. However, I didn't think the sauces or guac were anything special. As lunch wore on and my plate got colder, the enchiladas became less appetizing, but I'm willing to accept the toughened steak as a natural consequence of slow eating. Spencer's nachos were a kind of "everything but the kitchen sink" meal, and it worked. Every layer and rotation of the plate provided something different in the next bite.

Overall, we thought Juan's was a cool hangout with decent and decently-priced food. The service needs a jump start, but I wouldn't be opposed to visiting again.

www.juansflyingburrito.com

Baked Tilapia + Veggies

The crumb topping was a simple mix of Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, extra virgin olive oil and melted butter. For an extra treat, I used a little truffle butter I had on hand in the topping (50/50 with regular butter–I’m stingy with the good stuff!) and carried the flavor over into some mashed potatoes to make them Truffled Mashed Potatoes. Doesn’t that just sound super classy?

Like my previous Lenten season fish recipe, this one is super easy: just mix everything together and put the topping onto the fish. Voila! I seasoned the tilapia with Tony Chachere’s before adding the topping, and in the future I would leave this off, or use a salt-less seasoning. The Tony’s+the salty Parmesan was a bit much.

The recipe serves 6, so for my single filet I used 2 T Parmesan, 1.5 T breadcrumbs, 2 tsp butter, 1 tsp olive oil.

Recipe from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s EveningEdge.com:

Baked Tilapia with Parmesan Crumb Topping
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 pounds tilapia fillets, or fish of choice
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh or canned unseasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large baking dish, season fish fillets with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, mix Parmesan with bread crumbs. Add butter and olive oil and stir well until crumbly and moist throughout. Sprinkle over the fish fillets. Bake for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the topping is golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Sucré touts itself as an emporium of artisan sweets. According to their website, “unlike a traditional bakery, Sucré serves plated desserts with custom garnishes in addition to boxed treats.” As soon as I walked in the door, my eyes became the size of dinner plates. It took me a full 10 minutes to decide what I was going to order, and during that time I snapped a ton of pictures of Sucré’s offerings (not including the storefront below; it is from Sucré’s website):

Sucre

My selections

I finally decided to go with a gelato and 2 macaron flavors suggested by a staff member: lemon and the “Valentine’s special” raspberry & white chocolate.

I’ve been hearing a lot about macarons since the macaron-making blogger event recently, but had never tried one myself. They were such a treat! The almond cookies are delicately crisp on the outside but moist and airy inside, with a creamy and flavorful filling. I was glad I had gone with the employee suggestions, the lemon especially had a really intense flavor from the filling and [I would think] perfectly executed texture balance from the cookies. Yum!

Gelato Case

My gelato was a Superbowl special since THE SAINTS WON THE SUPERBOWL!!!!! (sorry), I believe it was called “Cool Brees” (or something with a play on Drew Brees’ name): peanut butter gelato with a fudge swirl and peanut butter cups. Don’t quote me on the ingredients either though, I just saw “chocolate” and “peanut butter” and went for it. It was creamy, but not the best gelato I’ve had. I think their fruity sorbets might be tastier; “Sour Cherry Champagne” also caught my eye.

Sucré makes typical bakery items like specialty cakes and the aforementioned plated desserts, some of the prettiest King Cakes I’ve ever seen, and also had a little confectionery in the back:

Specialty Cakes on Display

Plated Desserts: Eclairs, Bread Pudding, Tarts

Mini Carrot Cake + gorgeous King Cake

Chocolates

In addition to all that deliciousness, Sucré makes breakfast pastries, chocolate and/or sugared nuts, has a coffee and espresso bar, serves wines and champagnes to complement their confections, and has an online store where you can have a number of their offerings shipped to your door (I just ordered a King Cake). Phew! Why oh why am I not in New Orleans…

www.shopsucre.com

Honey-Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Typically, I like my salmon pretty naked: simply seasoned and pan-seared in olive oil. But for something to spice up its rotation during the next 40 39 days, this glaze offers a nice change of pace.

The glaze is quite simple, 1 part balsamic vinegar to 2 parts honey (I used 1 & 2 Tablespoons, respectively, for one salmon filet). Heat the honey in the microwave for ~15 seconds to make it more liquid, and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Additionally, the recipe I found surfing the web, adapted from a Michael Chiarello recipe for Planked Salmon, includes a basic seasoning mix of dry mustard, black pepper, and salt. For one salmon filet, I used a dash of dry mustard, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and 3/4 tsp. salt.

Season the skin side of the salmon and then place skin-side down into a pan of hot oil. While the bottom side is cooking, spoon the honey-balsamic mixture over the salmon. Do the same on the other side when it’s time to flip. Depending on the thickness of your filet, that should be 2-3 minutes, but I like my salmon to stay a little raw in the middle. The filet pictured above is a good deal thinner that what I usually have, so it cooked pretty quickly.

The sweet/salty salmon is more flavorful than you’d expect for such a simple glaze. I served mine alongside porcini mushroom ravioli and mixed veggies, keeping things meat-free. Good luck with Lent!

Our first course was Bone’s chilled seafood platter, which contained a number of beautifully presented crustaceans:

Chilled Seafood Platter

Artesa Chardonnays

My favorite was the snow crab legs, which were very sweet and juicy. This course was paired with two of Artesa’s chardonnays, a 2008 Carneros and a 2007 Estate Reserve. I’m not much of a white wine drinker, but I actually enjoyed these pairings. The Reserve was arguably the favorite of the night at our table.

Our second course was a fabulous Kobe beef carpaccio (Kobe tenderloin with arugula and Parmesan), paired with my favorite wine, pinot noir. We tasted Artesa’s 2007 Carneros and 2007 Estate Reserve Pinot Noirs:

Kobe Beef Carpaccio

The carpaccio was super tender and I loved the contrast with the flavor and texture of the shaved Parmesan, and the fruity flavors of the pinot noir (again, the Reserve was my favorite) were the perfect complement.

For the main course, we had the option of filet mignon, New York strip, or grilled swordfish:

Filet Mignon

New York Strip

Grilled Swordfish

Sides

The steaks were paired with Artesa’s 2005 Cabernet Sauvignons, one from their Napa vineyard, and the other from their Alexander Valley vineyard. I had the strip steak as my entree, and it was delicious and cooked perfectly, but was absolutely enormous! I barely got through half of it. I wished I had ordered the filet, which was a little more size appropriate and looked especially tender. I would be remiss if I neglected to comment on the sides that were presented “family style” with our meal: in the photo above (clockwise from top), there are Sautéed Mushrooms, Sautéed Spinach, and Truffle Butter Mashed Potatoes. Those. Potatoes. I think I had seconds (and maybe even thirds) of those. So so fabulously flavored!!

Along with our impromptu dessert, we got to taste some special Cabernets, also from 2005 and from different vineyards: Lone Pine and Standing Bear. I will admit that by this time, I was at the point where I wasn’t being discerning in what I was drinking, but typically Cabernets are a little heavy for me and I found these (especially the Lone Pine) quite smooth. Dessert choices near me at the table included Warm Pecan Pie with Praline Sauce and French Vanilla Ice Cream and Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Compote:

Warm Pecan Pie

Cheesecake

I had the Pecan Pie and it was quite delicious. I sipped on the Cabernets throughout dessert, but I think the Reserve Chardonnay from earlier in the night would have been fantastic, especially with the cheesecake.

Overall, this was an excellent meal spent with excellent company. Bone’s is obviously a place where Atlanta’s wheelers-and-dealers go to make verbal agreements in smoky back rooms (totally taking some creative license there), but would also be a great “splurge” spot for an anniversary or other special occasion. I’ll also be keeping my eye out for Artesa wines on store shelves, especially that fantastic Chardonnay!

www.bonesrestaurant.com

French Onion Soup

I’ve had to try to convince people before that even if you don’t like onions, you will like this soup. I mean, who could resist such depth of flavor, such heartiness, such…cheesy melty goodness? French onion soup does take a while to make properly, but even for my first attempt (for which I am already plotting improvements), it was well worth the time.

Making FOS begins with and centers on caramelizing onions. I used Tyler Florence’s recipe because I’ve been fairly pleased with dishes I’ve made from his “ultimates” collection. Start by melting butter in a large pot and then add sliced onions and seasonings. I used a mix of sweet, yellow, and white onions for my soup, and also added an onion to the recommended amount (recipe calls for 4, I halved it but used 3 onions). Caramelizing onions involves breaking down the sugars contained in them until they are soft, sweet, and all-around delicious. If the process is unfamiliar to you, there are a ton of tutorials and videos online to show you how. The recipe here suggests cooking them for 25 minutes, but I actually let mine go for longer–about 40 min–for extra flavor (and as a consequence of my mix of onions–they all finish at different times). Here, the recipe deviates slightly from traditional FOSs, which call for dry sherry to deglaze the pan. Instead, red wine is used, which of course adds a more full-bodied flavor. I had some pinot noir hanging around, but I think in the future I’ll try out something a little heavier. Pour this in the pot (and into the glass you have strategically standing by) and allow it to evaporate out. From there, it’s as simple as adding a little flour to thicken the soup and then the beef broth to finish it off.

And now the best part; cut a few rounds of crusty baguette and float them in the soup bowls. Top with copious amounts of grated Gruyere cheese and place under a preheated boiler to get browned and bubbly. Yum! If at all possible, this soup tasted even better the next day. Fellow ATL-area blogger Sean from Take Thou Food also made French onion soup recently. His version contained bacon (drool) and produced much better photos than mine

French Onion Soup
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence, foodnetwork.com

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 55 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts beef broth
1 baguette, sliced
1/2 pound grated Gruyere

Directions
Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn’t burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you’re ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.

Alternative method: Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

The place was not especially busy when we came in, so we got a good look at the space, which we both liked. The bar area is the room’s focal point, with booths lining the walls for those who want a more “nook”-like experience. The main attraction is likely the large patio, which was available (though enclosed and equipped with heaters) that night, but we only saw one small group braving the cold outside. We decided to start with an app of “Ooh Ooh Bread” (topped with creamy Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic and mayo that is lightly toasted and served with homemade marinara sauce), which I think we chose based on the name alone:

Ooh Ooh Bread

Shrimp & Grits

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger + Sweet Potato Fries

This was a different take on shrimp and grits, and I liked it. I wasn’t sure I’d like the tomato-based sauce, but it was actually quite good and complimented the smoky grit-cake nicely. The sautéed spinach, another unlikely addition, was also a nice touch. My shrimp were large and well cooked and seasoned. The plate looked small at first, but proved to be more than I could eat in one sitting (but tasted just as good the next day). Mario enjoyed his cheeseburger as well. The Coca-Cola BBQ sauce was a little sweeter than he liked (I agreed) and I think maybe would have benefited from some more smoky flavor. Sweet potato fries are probably his new favorite side order, and he thought The Nook did a great job with theirs. Chef Gogolin even came by to say hello before we left, and I really think he’s doing a nice job with the food at The Nook.

The Nook is located on Piedmont near the corner of 14th St. The location is a little awkward–if you drive to the end of 14th, you won’t be able to get to it because Piedmont becomes a one-way. Loop the block from Peachtree to 13th instead. Again, the space is really nice and intimate, and with a number of flat screens it would be a great spot to catch a game. On that note, they have $1 Yuengling drafts on Sundays, and have a good specialty for sharing (anytime, not just Sunday)–Totchos: nachos made with tater tots. Check their website for a number of upcoming events including Superbowl, Valentine’s Day, and Mardi Gras parties.

www.thenookatlanta.com

Avocado Salsa

This is, of course, pre-mixed, but afterward this salsa made a wonderful taco accoutrement.

There really aren’t any instructions to this: just chop up some veggies and eat! One point of advice though: wear gloves when chopping jalapenos (or any pepper), or be sure to keep your hands away from your eyes. Hot pepper oils are no joke!

Chunky Spicy Avocado Salsa
Recipe Courtesy of Cathy Lowe, FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

2 avocados, peeled, seeded and chopped
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently toss to together with a fork.

Variation: Mash the avocados and stir in remaining ingredients.