Monthly Archives: June 2012

I Stole a Recipe and I Liked It: Shrimp and Mango Ceviche

Shrimp and Mango Ceviche

She Said:

This was never the way I planned. Not my intention.

I got so brave, wine in hand. Lost my discretion.

Perhaps it was the 5 days spent at a conference in Orlando this week. After arriving home Friday evening to say I was ass-kicked would be an understatement. And the idea of a scale after 5 straight days of conference food left me searching for the nearest bottle.

Lucky for me, while I was away Steve attended a wine tasting of the Top 10 Summer Wines at Whole Foods. I often wonder how we get invited to these from time-to-time, and then I see my credit card statement detailing the aftermath of said tastings. It is much safer for the male half of this relationship to attend because the last time I brought along a girlfriend and ended up with 18 bottles of what was sampled that evening.

Never before this night have we tried the recipes accompanying the featured wines. But after the week I had this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Steve had specifically mentioned a Greek wine that he tasted, Kyklos Moschofilero. Per Whole Foods description: This light straw-colored white has melon, white rose, and citrus flavors with some fresh vegetable notes, providing a zingy, pleasant finish. A great pairing with seafood, this is a fun substitute for chardonnay or pinot grigio.Our take was slightly less refined and simply put, it reminds me of a sauvignon blanc in that it is both light and crisp. This is a great summer wine and pairs very well with seafood. Suggested as a pairing with a calamari pasta, we opted instead for an alternative recipe of shrimp and mango ceviche.

We both loved this dish, so much so that we felt we needed to share it. It is perfect on a 90 degree plus summer day when you don’t want to heat up the house and are vying for something light, fresh and delicious. In other words, perfect for every day for the next three months. The ideal combination of cilantro, lime, shrimp and mango left us yearning for immediate transportation to the Caribbean. Try this and serve it to friends. You won’t be disappointed.

We followed the recipe exactly and opted to serve it over a bed of a baby Asian lettuce blend. I thoroughly enjoyed the crunch of the lettuce and imagine that this would also be fantastic with some tortilla or pita chips as a dip.

Whole Foods Shrimp and Mango Ceviche:

Serves 6 to 8

This fully cooked, brightly flavored ceviche is good enough to eat all by itself, piled into bowls over shredded lettuce and served as an appetizer or light lunch. But don’t hesitate to scoop it up with tortilla chips, too.

Ingredients

3/4 pound (about 30) medium peeled-and-deveined shrimp
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
6 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 large mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 tomato, cored and chopped
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded (if desired) and finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method

Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add shrimp and cook until pink and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again.

Chop shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add onion, lime juice, cilantro, mango, tomato, jalapeño and salt and toss well. Cover and chill until cold, about 1 hour.

Nutrition

Per serving: 80 calories (10 from fat), 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 75mg cholesterol, 330mg sodium, 8g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 10g protein

If Loving You is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna be Right: Dat Dog

Welcome to the funhouse

He Said:

Oh boy, there are so many reasons not to go to Dat Dog.

Thousands of them.

As in the thousands of calories that descend upon you, reducing you to a Rip Van Winkle stupor upon leaving and Amish-style shunning of the bathroom scale for days afterward.

And that is why it is with just a bit of guilt I tell you that if you’ve not been to Dat Dog, you must go.

I’ll admit it; we’re late to the game. The homage to all things dog has been open on Freret for more than a year now. They’ve already outgrown their launch location and moved across the street to a repurposed garage. We don’t eat a lot of hot dogs, and we don’t cherish any misguided illusions about how healthy they are, so whenever we discussed Dat Dog we just ended up somewhere else, until last week.

Let me tell you, that was a mistake, because calories aside I can’t find anything wrong with this place. Continue reading

An Open Letter to Brett Anderson

Editor’s note: Yesterday, the TImes-Picayune announced substantial layoffs, among them long-time food critic Brett Anderson

Follow up note: On Friday, June 15th, the Times Picayune announced that they would welcome Brett Anderson’s return subsequent to his Nieman fellowship.

He and She Said:

Brett,

We’re somewhat unsurprised, but nevertheless saddened to hear you’re leaving us.

No economists, we do not pretend to offer any educated opinions on the financial wisdom or lack thereof of recent decisions affecting the Times Picayune. But we know great writing, and yours has been.

We don’t know you personally and as far as we are aware, you don’t know us at all. But your work over the years has been both a source of pleasure and entertainment to us and a benchmark against which to judge our own writing.

We’re fortunate in many things in this city. Not least among them is the passionate food culture that has resulted in a thriving community of amateur food writers, many of whom write very well and provide an up to the minute perspective on the New Orleans dining scene.

In our view, those efforts have augmented but do not substitute for the work of professionals like yourself. That statement does not diminish the writing of our very talented brethren, but rather recognizes the quality of the work you have produced.

New Orleans is one of the great food cities on earth, and you have been the best of the journalists covering our traditions. Good luck to you in the future, and be assured you will be greatly missed.

Steve and Sheree Smith

Always Hungry in Philadelphia: Adventures in Orwellian Policy

cc image courtesy Tony Fischer Photography at Flickr

He Said:

Ever been turned down for a sandwich purchase because you refused to sign the terms and conditions? Be careful if you’re in Philadelphia anytime soon, because it could happen.

Like me, you might innocently assume that purchase of a pair of bread slices enclosing various and sundry accoutrements would implicitly convey unencumbered title to both the slices and the associated contents, resulting in the purchaser’s ability to freely exercise the disposition of said items. Presumably this would include not only the eating of the repast in question but also the ability to distribute said possession, to wit: Hey, would you like a bite of my sandwich?

But not so in the city of brotherly love, where the offer of half a ham sandwich must now be preceded by weighty questions of venue and domicile.

Put more plainly, the aptly named Mayor Michael Nutter of Philly has recently made it illegal to feed the homeless outdoors in public parks. Nutter said the plan is ‘ intended to increase the health, safety and dignity of the city’s most vulnerable population.’

Yeah, because nothing enhances someone’s health and safety like, um, making it illegal to feed them. No word yet on whether or not Mayor Nutter plans to have the Philadelphia City Charter rewritten in Newspeak, but I’ll go out on a comfortable limb here and call this policy double plus ungood.

Apparently escaping Nutter’s notice is the rather basic idea that the homeless show a remarkable propensity to, you know, lack homes. To be undomiciled. To be freaking outside.

‘Providing to those who are hungry must not be about opening the car trunk, handing out a bunch of sandwiches, and then driving off into the dark and rainy night.’ Nutter said.

So true. Next time you come into possession of a bunch of leftovers, don’t get any misguided subversive ideas. Feed that stuff to your dogs or throw it out to be landfilled, but do not under any circumstances hatch some smart-ass plan to connect resources with needs by driving out to give the food to someone who is hungry for it, you anarchist.

And if you’re thinking about a romantic picnic with your partner, just be sure to pack a copy of your most recent utility bill so you don’t risk calling down the wrath of Nutter’s minions if they observe one of you passing the other a round of brie.

That this is a real city ordinance, that this rant is even necessary, is more than a little troubling. How much more basic do our freedoms get than the idea that if I have food I can share some with you?

Any. Damn. Way. I. Please.

One suspects that such legislation might be driven by the awkward fact that the homeless are just so damned inconvenient, loitering in otherwise pristine and tourist-worthy downtowns, getting in the frame of photos for the folks back home, and generally eroding a city’s brand. After all, there appears to be no prohibition on the feeding of ducks or squirrels, and one need not inquire as to the extent of their real estate holdings before tossing them a loaf of bread.

Trust me Philly, you DO have a problem with your brand, but it’s your mayor, not your homeless, that’s causing it. Maybe you should stand up and do something about it.

Welcome to New Orleans, NEUAC

He and She Said:

Today through Wednesday, the National Energy and Utility Affordability Conference will hold its 2012 conference in New Orleans. About 600 attendees will be here, listening to panels of experts and, hopefully, soaking up the best NOLA has to offer.

Steve’s been asked to help kick off the conference this morning by sharing his take on New Orleans with the attendees. Anyone who reads our stuff knows that having an opinion is really not a problem for Steve, so he’s not struggling for content.

This is a companion to his speech, which focuses on three aspects of New Orleans:

  1. This place can and will change you.
  2. What you get is often different, and better, than what you expected.
  3. Keep digging, because there’s always another layer.

For conference attendees reading this, we’ve got specifics, places to check out while in town that’ll get you off Bourbon Street and into things more interesting. These are just a taste, and there are 100 other intriguing choices, but you could do a lot worse than hitting these spots: Continue reading

Cheese Whiz: Sarah Kaufmann at Rouses

Astronaut in cheese by Sarah Kaufmann

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He and She Said:

No pasturized processed cheese food product for us, thank you very much. Kraft Singles almost never make an appearance in our house, and it wouldn’t be pushing it too far to call us cheese snobs (totally unsurprising, right?).

But we’ve never encountered cheese processed quite the way Sarah Kaufmann will be doing it at Rouses today and tomorrow. Sarah’s a ‘nationally recognized cheese sculptor.’ According to her website, some of her creations have included a six-foot long aircraft carrier and a 300 pound gorilla. Which begs the question: Given a giant pile of cheese, what NOLA themes would you carve? The Dome? Cathedral? A chedder sculpted contract for Drew Brees?

This, we gotta see.

She’ll be at the Tchoupitoulas store on Friday and the Baronne store on Saturday, 10am to 5pm both days.

As we wrote yesterday, we know you’re racking your brains for any fun ways to beat the heat, so this is another opportunity this weekend that’s indoors and cool as can be.

Sunscreen: SPF 50 Solutions for NOLA Summer

cc Image courtesy Barockschloss at Flickr

She Said:

Spontaneous combustion could happen. It is freaking hot outside and the idea of 4 more months of it is frustrating. Should I hole myself up and refuse to leave the house for the next 120 days? That seems only slightly extreme, but I hate the idea of missing out on the happenings and culture in New Orleans. No way am I going to waste my weekends away withering inside on the couch watching television because I am too much of a pansy to get my butt out of the house and brave the heat.   

There has to be a happy medium, right? Well I have racked my brains and come up with some suggestions that will get you enjoying some of our fantastic New Orleans culture without forcing you into heat exhaustion. Forthcoming is a list of ideas both indoors and outdoors that won’t leave embarrassing puddles of sweat in your wake.

Wednesday evening sailboat races on the lake. They start between 6 and 7 and you can pull your car right up to the edge of the water at The Point, hop out with a cold beverage of choice and watch the races. I haven’t done this before last week, but it is actually quite peaceful, and there can be a nice breeze on the water. (How to find The Point if you’ve not been there? Just head to the lakefront over the little bridge past where Coconut Beach used to be and keep going straight. If you’re car’s in the water, you’ve gone too far.)

Sunset picnic in City Park or on the Riverfront. City Park offers peaceful atmosphere and evening shade by the majestic moss-laden oak trees. Conversely, the Riverfront typically offers a cooler (ish) breeze from the Mississippi River.

Friday night sculpture garden- it is open until 8:45pm. New Orleans Museum of Art also does a Where Y’Art series on Friday nights featuring various cultural opportunities, exhibitions and events. Don’t forget NOMA always has its permanent exhibit along with special exhibitions that frequently change. It is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-5 and until 9 on Friday’s when there is a Where Y’Art event. Most importantly it is air conditioned.

For whatever reason it never seems as hot when you are on/near the water. You’ll feel the breeze as you hop on the free Algiers ferry to the Westbank and catch a set at the Old Point Bar or grab a glass of wine and a small plate at Vine and Dine. On Wednesdays, you can stop at the Algiers Ferry Dock for free music as part of the Wednesdays On The Point concert series happening now through the end of July. There is a different band each week from 6-9 pm and the price is right: Free.

Canal Place Cinema- If you haven’t been, this is the premier movie experience. First, it is indoors – i.e. cool, and second there are cocktails and a good wine list along with solid food options by New Orleans’s own Adolfo Garcia. Need I say more?

Ogden Museum of Southern Art- Ogden after hours. Occurring every Thursday evening from 6-8, various local musicians perform inside the museum. Check out the art, sip on a cocktail and listen to the southern sounds of local musicians, all indoors, for only $10. The Ogden Museum is also a great mid-day option to stay out of the heat.

The National World War II Museum-Everyone should take the opportunity to visit the nationally recognized museum. Hours are 9am-5pm 7 days per week, you can spend all day here, and you’ll leave Mr. Nasty Sunshine outside while you’re getting some education. Have lunch of a cocktail at John Besh’s American Sector Cafe while you’re there.

So don’t let the sweltering NOLA summer be an excuse to stay in and watch back-to-backs of Storage Wars. As always, get out and do, and you’ll be glad you did.