Mexican Street Corn: my latest addiction/obsession

 We all go through faves phases, right?  My latest food I think about all the time is Mexican Street Corn.  I like it on the cob, grilled and slathered with that delicious seasoned crema. But, I also like it off the cob, in the form of a salad. Certain restaurants around town offer their versions and many are quite good, but as is usually the case, I like it best when I make it myself.

A recent, super-quick dinner we made was lime shrimp and Street corn salad. I realize my photo is all yellow up in your face, but I've never claimed to be a master photographer. 

 Vivian was responsible for the salad and used a Weight Watchers recipe as a base.  If you've ever made this before, you know that you can vary it in all kinds of ways.  In this version, she used:

• 2 1/2 c. frozen corn (thawed, duh!)
• 2 Tbs light mayo (or Mexican crema, or a combo of them both)
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of that lime
• 3/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 c. sliced scallions (green onion)
• 2 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1 med jalapeno, chopped
• 1/4 Cotija cheese, grated   

You mix it all up and that's all she wrote.  Obviously, you can use fresh corn.  Sometimes we grill it and give it a light char, sometimes we just use it raw.  Same thing with frozen. You can thaw it and then "grill" in a pan to give it that little bit of char too. Or, use it raw.  Corn is so naturally sweet that it really doesn't even need to be cooked. It's all up to you.

A word about Cotija. It's ridiculous how difficult it can be to find this stuff in a grocery store. If you do, most often, it's a solid block and being a hard, crumbly cheese, grating it can be messy.  Here's the shocker: I will actually force myself to enter a Wal-Mart because of this. 

It's a one pound bag of grated Cotija cheese.  Wal-Mart, God-forsaken Wal-Mart, is the only place I've ever seen this. Having it already grated makes it super convenient to work with, obviously. It's slightly salty, kind of like a version of Parmesan.  It's good sprinkled on just about anything.

Now, about the shrimp.  Shrimp is one my favorites things to have in my freezer for two reasons:  A) I love it. B) It is ridiculously easy to prepare and cook.  I can't remember where I came across this recipe, but I've been making it for years.  You can't ask for something quicker and easier and it's just simply delicious.

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, patted dry
• 4 Tbs butter, divided
• 1/4 chopped shallots (NOT green onions, shallots)
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/3 c. chopped cilantro

Season your shrimp with salt & pepper. Heat a large skillet to med-high; add 1/2 Tbs butter and shrimp. Cook about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side and transfer to a plate. 

Over med-low heat, melt another Tbs butter and add shallots, lime juice and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add remaining butter, zest, shrimp and cilantro and toss all together.  

This shrimp is fantastic because it's just different.  And, since some people find themselves intimidated by cooking seafood, this recipe demonstrates that it is quick and easy, just pay attention to your temps and timing.  If you don't already do this, have all your stuff measured out and waiting by the stove so you don't get distracted with ingredients and lose track of what you're doing. 😉  Buen provecho!

Thai Food: Simple and Quick

 Funny how so many of us think "ethnic" cooking must be difficult.  But, it's really not.  I think people can easily become overwhelmed when they see a long list of spices/herbs, but think about it.  We're talking about taking some small bottles out of the cabinet and employing a measuring spoon.  Piece of cake, right?

Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines of the world.  I have a fantastic cookbook entitled Quick and Easy Thai. 

Its author spent 3 years in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer.  Her book features an array of true Thai dishes but easy for American cooks.  One of my new favorites from her book is simply called "Chicken with fresh basil."  

Check how easy this is to prepare:

You saute some chopped onion and garlic in a bit of oil. As soon as it all starts smelling good, add in some chicken cut into bite sized pieces. I usually use about 12 oz of chicken breast. Get your meat browned then add some fish sauce, soy sauce, a bit of water and sugar, and a chopped up serrano or two.  Stir in about a cup of fresh basil leaves to wilt, then serve. Not sure, but I'd be willing to bet my vegetarian friends could do all this with firm tofu. 

It's great on its own, or over some jasmine rice.  In the photo above, you'll see that I accompanied mine with marinated edamame.  I warmed the edamame in some boiling water for a few minutes, then added it to a mixture of garlic and soy sauce to marinate for about an hour. 

Obviously, I had some prep work: chopping onion and garlic, cutting up chicken and chopping the pepper, but actual time to cook the dish was probably about 12 minutes.  If you want rice, remember to start it first, since you need to give it about 20 minutes to do its thing. 

If you're a fan of Thai food, go seek out this cookbook.  I freaking love it!  The recipes are literally quick and easy so that you can whip up great tasting Thai on the proverbial weeknight.  Here are a few of my other favorite recipes from this book: Pad Thai, Red Curry Shrimp with Pineapple, Mussamun Curry Beef with potatoes & peanut, Green Curry Chicken with zucchini, and Chiang Mai Curry Noodles. I could go on and on...

I hope you will seek out this book. It can give your everyday cooking repertoire a nice shot in the arm! 

Semi-Homemade Pizza Tonight

 

Remember that show? Sandra Lee with her semi-homemade dinners?  I loved it, except for her "table scapes." They were all inspired by Holly Hobby or something. 

Anyway...I am a pizza fanatic. New York, Detroit, thin crust, veggie, meat lovers, weird combos, you name it. While I love going out for a cheesy heart attack pie as much as the next guy, sometimes just making one at home for a quick dinner is what the doctor ordered.

So, yesterday I discovered I had half of a chicken breast half. What can you do with that? I decided on BBQ pizza. I've been known to say that I really don't think chicken has any place on a pizza, but I can make exceptions from time to time. 

The semi-homemade part is a pre-baked pizza crust. Most stores carry Boboli. These are good, but I prefer Mama Mary's Thin & Crispy. A) they are thin & crispy B) they come in a 2-pack and C) they cost less than Boboli. Here's what I did:

Ready for the oven

Ingredients

3 oz (or so) chicken breast

BBQ sauce of your choice

shredded cheddar mixed with shredded monterrey jack

3 slices store-bought fully cooked bacon, chopped

red onion, thinly sliced

fresh cilantro

1.  Cook chicken however you like then shred it. Mix it with a little of your bbq sauce.

2.  Cover your crust with a bbq sauce. Bottled bbq sauces tend to be rather sweet, so I use a thin coat here so that the sauce isn't overwhelming.

3.  Top with a mixture of cheddar & monterrey jack.

4.  Top that with your shredded chicken, bacon and onion.

Right out of the oven. Time for finishing touches

5.  Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes. Top with roughly chopped fresh cilantro and give it a drizzle of bbq sauce. 

Ready to eat!

So many of us are in need of quick weeknight dinners, especially on those days of after-school soccer, ballet, or karate practices. Keep some of these pizza crusts in your pantry, and whip up your own pie in no time. Remember, it's like my "kitchen sink" fried rice: try out any combo of ingredients that you find in your kitchen.