Stir-Frying (Velvet Shrimp) to the Sky's Edge

Before I got a review copy of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, I never thought about stir frying anything with eggs. I mean, okay, eggs in fried rice ... but certainly not in a shrimp dish.

For me, that's a great reason to try a recipe. I always like to try new things, whether it's a new technique or a new flavor combination, or a new gadget. Stir frying eggs and shrimp was a new idea and sort of a new flavor profile. I've had shrimp in egg foo yung, but that's a different concept.

Velveting is a Chinese technique, but these aren't velveted in the traditional sense. The result, though, is similar. Yet another new technique to add to my arsenal.

When I went shopping for shrimp, I was faced with some interesting choices. This recipe called for small shrimp, and of course small is a relative term. But the small shrimp were all from countries I prefer not to buy seafood from. There was one option for US sourced shrimp, but they were large shrimp. Interestingly, when I looked at the price per pound, it was actually a better deal than for all but the really miniscule shrimp. So I bought the big ones.

For many recipes, large shrimp seem preferable. Or at least they look more generous. But with a stir-fry recipe, timing is important. You don't want to have big pieces of shrimp that take too long to cook. So I cut them into pieces that I thought would approximate the small shrimp the recipe called for. Problem solved.

Stir-Fried Eggs with Velvet Shrimp
Adapted from Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge by Grace Young

4 oz. small shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
4 large eggs, 1 teaspoon egg white reserved
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
2 1/2 teaspoons Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
1/8 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/3 cup frozen peas

Combine the shrimp, 1 teaspoon of egg white, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of rice wine, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir in one teaspoon of the oil.

Put the shrimp in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature - about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs, pepper, remaining 2 teaspoons of rice wine, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.

Heat a 14-inch wok or 12-inch skillet on high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of hitting the pan. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, add the scallions and ginger, and stir fry for 10 seconds, until the aromatics are fragrant.

Add the shrimp and stir fry for one minute, until the shrimp start to turn color but isn't fully cooked. Add the peas. swirl the egg mixture into the wok, and stir fry for another minute until the shrimp are cooked through and the eggs are just set but still moist.

Serve.

Whole Foods Friday: Rotini Pasta Salad

Rotini Pasta Salad

1/2 pound (1/2 of a bag) 365 tri-color rotini pasta, cooked
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 cucumber, peeled
3 scallions, white and light green part only
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can salad-cut hearts of palm
2 roasted red peppers (from a jar or the olive bar)
2 ounces chevre
Salt, to taste
Olive oil

Cut the zucchini, squash, and cucumber into a medium dice. Slice the scallions thinly. Remove the seeds and any errant bits of skin from the red peppers, and dice them.

Combine the warm pasta with the vegetables. Break the chevre into pieces, and add it to the pasta and vegetables. Stir to combine. Taste, and add salt, as needed.

Drizzle with a bit of olive oil to moisten the mixture, as needed.

Refrigerate until chilled. Serve cold, or at room temperature.

Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sandwich

Before I moved to Colorado, I lived in, near, and around Chicago. So every once in a while, I crave the kinds of food that was readily available everywhere in Chicago, but is less available here. High on that list is the Italian Beef Sandwich. And yes, the sandwich sometimes needs capital letters.

There are a few places around here that sell Italian beef sandwiches, but in the Chicago area, they're so ubiquitous that the name of the sandwich is recognizable even when it's shortened. Tell someone you want to go out for some beef sandwiches - or even just beefs, and they'll know what you mean. You're not looking for a roast beef sandwich, and you're not looking for a French dip.

Well, okay, a French dip is similar to an Italian beef sandwich. But it's not the same. If you're craving an Italian beef, a French dip isn't going to satisfy that craving.

There are six critical components in the proper beef sandwich. First is the beef. You can use different cuts of meat. I've even been known to use left over rib roasts. But an Italian beef is cheap eats. A rump roast or top or bottom round is perfect. They key, though, is thin slices. I use an electric meat slicer to make sure the slices are thin enough. If you don't have one, then it takes some care to slice it as thinly as you possibly can.

The second important component is the bread. You need something sturdy. A baguette or French bread is what you need. A soft, squishy loaf won't work.

Third is the sweet peppers. Here, we're talking about green bell peppers. It's a classic addition to a classic beef sandwich. Not everyone asks for them on their sandwich, but they are a standard item.

Fourth is the hot peppers. If you ask for an Italian beef sandwich in Chicago, hot giardiniera peppers are always an option. Again, not everyone asks for them, but a beef with "sweet and hot" is a typical order. Unfortunately, the brand of peppers served in Chicago is hard to come by in Colorado. But that's okay, I found an acceptable substitute.

Fifth is the juice. Or gravy. Or whatever you want to call it. The slices of beef swim in a flavorful broth, and it's as important as the beef or the bread or the peppers. I've made beef sandwiches from left over roast beef, but then I need to come up with a broth or stock to use. If you're starting from scratch with the intention of making beefs, braising a tough cut of meat gives you tender meat and plentiful broth as well.

Sixth and last is the assembly. A beef sandwich is not a dainty sandwich. It's a messy thing. There shouldn't be slices of beef laid flat in the bread - you should have pillows and piles of thinly slices beef stuffed into the sandwich, with as much of the peppers as you like.

The last step is to ladle juice onto the sandwich so the bread soaks up the juice. Or you can dip the whole sandwich into the broth. And that's why you need a sturdy bread - something that starts off soft will simply disintegrate.

I made my own bread, but if you prefer, you can simply buy crusty baguettes or French bread

Beefs are usually substantial enough that they don't require any side dishes, but when there is one, it's usually French fries. I decided to make something a little healthier.

This whole recipe is a two-day process. The beef cooks ahead of time and gets chilled and refrigerated before slicing and the dough gets made ahead and baked the next day. The giardiniera is better if it's made ahead of time. The sweet peppers can be made ahead of time or the same day - whatever works best for you.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

1 beef rump, bottom round, or top round roast, 2-3 pounds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oregano
Salt, to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
4 green peppers
1 jar Mmlocal hot high desert peppers
1/2 pint giardiniera (from the olive bar)

For the beef:
The easiest way to cook the beef is in a crockpot, and it even better if you've got a crock pot that has a browning feature, it's even better. You can also cook it in a dutch oven, but it requires a little more attention.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot or in your crock pot, if it has a browning function. Salt the meat lightly, then brown it on all sides. Add 1 tablespoon of oregano and the garlic cloves. Add water to just under the top of the meat - in my pot it was about a quart.

Turn the heat to low - or turn the crock pot to a low cooking setting, cover the pot, and cook until the meat is fork-tender - from 4-8 hours, depending on the shape and size of the meat, and your particular crockpot.

When the meat is tender, remove it from the pot and put it in a storage container that will hold the meat and the cooking liquid. Strain the cooking liquid to remove the spent oregano and garlic and add the liquid to the storage container. Refrigerate until the meat is fully chilled - over night is ideal.

The next day, remove the meat from the container and slice as thinly as you can. Add it to the cooking liquid, add 1 teaspoon of oregano, and heat gently. Taste for seasoning, and add salt as needed.

For the sweet peppers:
Cut the peppers in half, remove the stem, core and seeds, and slice them into thick slices. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and cook the peppers until they begin to soften - but you don't want them to brown. Add some of the beef cooking liquid - about 1/2 cup - and cover the pan. Simmer until the peppers are fully cooked - they should be soft and a little floppy.

For the hot giardiniera:

The giardiniera from the olive bar will likely have very large pieces of cauliflower along with smaller pieces of vegetables. Cut them all into smaller pieces, to match the size of the peppers from Mmlocal.

Combine the deli giardiniera with the hot pepper (and all their liquid) and stir to combine. This should fit nicely in a pint jar. Refrigerate until needed.

This is fine right after it's combined, but will be better after the flavors meld, so make it a day or two in advance, if you have time.

To assemble the sandwich:
Cut the French bread into sandwich-sized lengths, the slit lengthwise, but not all the way through. Pile on the hot meat, top with peppers, and then ladle on some extra broth until it's as soggy as you like it.

Italian-Style Bread
This isn't exactly the same as the bread in Chicago, but it's close enough.

1 cup water
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (3 ounces) semolina flour
2 cups (9 ounces) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Olive oil, for drizzling

Combine all of the ingredients, except the olive pil. Mix until combined, then knead until the dough begins to get elastic - you can do your kneading in a stand mixer, bread machine, by hand, or with a food processor.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a plastic bag and transfer the dough to the plastic bag. Squeeze the air out of the bad and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator, let the air out and reseal the bag, and let the dough rest on the counter for an hour to warm up a bit.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or sprinkle with cornmeal.

Flour your work surface and divide the dough into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a rope about 12 inches long. Place the logs on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them for rising. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap, slash the top of the loaves as desired, and bake at 375 degrees until nicely browned, about 30 minutes.

Let the loaves cool completely on racks before cutting.

Check the next post for the pasta salad.


This has been submitted to Yeastspotting.