So I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.
I hope to see you there.
Every now and then in my monthly newsletter, I have a section called Not Really a Recipe. It’s where I share some of the ordinary foods that I eat for meals that are simply a combination of ingredients without much measurement.
This shrimp cobb salad falls into that category.
These pickled shrimp are flavored with sundried tomatoes, black peppercorn, and dill. Prepared with crunchy vegetables and a tangy brine, they can be eaten with crackers or used to top tacos!
Good shrimp are hard to find. At least they are when you define good as them arriving to you in sustainable ways from areas that fish them responsibly.
Knowing that these type of shrimp cost more, I invested in some for a recipe that I had to develop…and they were awful. I expect because the turnover here for that type of thing is low, but either way, I won’t do that again.
So my only solution has been 1) saving shrimp eating for when we travel and 2) buying these small bay, or salad shrimp as they are often called, that I can find at the market that do have some traceability for sourcing.
It turns out that I’m kind of liking them more than larger shrimp. I’m also finding them a lot more fun to work with.
Some might call it cauliflower fried rice, but since there is no rice in it (and I hate putting words in quotes) I prefer fried riced cauliflower. It’s not the prettiest dish you will ever eat, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious. Not to mention super simple to throw together.
I was just reading an article last week about ugly food.
It was about all those delicious dishes out there that will never win a photo award no matter how talented the stylist.
It got me thinking about how this little tidbit influences what I put on the blog.
I tend to throw together some really tasty and really ugly meals every week. Before I finish cooking, I think, hey, I need to put this on the blog. It’s so good.
Then I stand there staring at it in my bowl.
I had my very first Hatch chile last week.
Every year I see the social posts, watch all the roastings that take place around the Southwest, and keep my eye out for them with no luck in getting my hands on any.
But this year, a box arrived at my door and I opened it to find a big beautiful bag of these peppers. If you are unfamiliar, the peppers are grown in the valley around Hatch, New Mexico. Only peppers grown there are true Hatch chiles, and as was reported to me, they have an earthy, fresh flavor that sets them apart from other varieties. And they are in season as we speak, just a few weeks every year.
This shrimp dip layers flavors and textures to create a delicious and easy to make summer appetizer. It pairs well with the 2015 Cultivar Napa Valley Rose that I received from Cultivar Wine!
Shrimp is a summer food to me. I rarely have it in the kitchen until hot days begin to bring about thoughts of the beach and ocean.
My shrimp recipes are pretty standard — tossed with pasta, stirred into sweet corn risotto or wrapped into Asian-inspired spring rolls. When I found a bag of sustainably harvested small shrimp (often called salad shrimp) at the market last week, though, I was too excited to use it in one of my regular recipes.
I’d been having trouble finding shrimp from a good source so when that find lined up with my shrimp season, I needed to celebrate a little.
Wai San is a potato-like root vegetable that I discovered at an Oakland Farmers market several years ago. It turned out to be delicious addition to this ginger coconut soup!
I watched the mass of shoppers hover around the table for at least 10 minutes before I mustered up enough courage to elbow my way in and take a look. I was surprised to see a knobby, speckled, skinny root vegetable staring back at me. I had no idea what it was and given all the hustle around me, I doubted I’d get an answer even if I asked.
I walked away, but it didn’t take long for my curiosity to get the better of me. Finally, on my last lap through the Farmers Market there was a lighter crowd swarming the vendor. I stepped up, analyzed the unfamiliar root, and I caught his eye. I asked what it was. He responded twice with the proper name, and I’m sure my face revealed that not only could I not hear over the people, but that I also couldn’t understand him.
His next response was, “Chinese potato. You cook it like potato in a soup.
Sold. I grabbed up a handful and he nodded in acknowledgement that I only needed a few for soup.
After a bit of research, I think I finally found the name for this new-to-me vegetable. I say – I think – because it wasn’t easy to come by. I have found a couple of blogs which identify it as Wai San.
It’s long and thin, and almost looks like it has dots. Check.
When it’s peeled, its starch is sticky and a little glue-like. Check.
It boils up like a potato, yet it has a blander flavor. Check.
If you happen to know it by another name, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to learn more about it.
This being my first attempt at cooking with Wai San I didn’t want to get too adventurous. I stuck to the recommendation for soup, and I wasn’t let down.
Cut into small pieces, it takes less time to cook than potato. It has a similar texture, but it’s less starchy. It’s almost like a cross between a carrot and a potato, but with little flavor. That is, until you mix it with the ginger, coconut milk, and shrimp in this soup. Then it becomes all kinds of delicious.
This shrimp and asparagus dish is something I made when I first learned how to cook with sticky rice after our a trip to Thailand.
I didn’t know sticky rice existed until 2009. Even after I discovered it in Thailand, we got back to Kentucky and I couldn’t find it anywhere. When I did finally locate it, first in Chicago, then eventually in Lexington, I went a little overboard. Looking back I think I was making up for lost time since I spent the majority of my life without it.
There are two large bags of white sticky rice sitting in my pantry accompanied by a small bag of purple sticky rice. My new found access has taught me that it takes two people a long time to use up that much rice.
So my thought process in meal planning tends to be – what can I make that would go with sticky rice?
This time I threw together a little stir fry using up some asparagus from the garden, some cabbage and shrimp. I recently learned that you can freeze lemongrass so I was able to preserve my last purchase before it went bad. That went into the mix as well. I love coconut sticky rice, and it is easy to get the flavor by stirring in a small amount of coconut milk before serving.
This dinner could not be easier. Soak your rice the night before, and then let it steam while you chop everything and toss it in the wok. A bamboo steamer is ideal, but a metal vegetable steamer works fine, too.
Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free Productions, LLC and Lori Rice unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round-up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.
I have absolutely nothing against cilantro. In fact, I love the stuff. But I fear I greatly offended the herb this week.
I have this very organized habit of getting all my ingredients laid out on the counter whenever I begin to cook. This leads to a bad habit of pushing things around to create space when I need it for doing things like, um, rolling up spring rolls.
This was the first time I made spring rolls and I’m pretty darn happy with the result. I could use a bit more practice in rolling to get them tighter, but otherwise I claim success. Well, that is if you don’t talk to the cilantro.
As I proudly wrapped all the rolls and admired them sitting on the plate, I looked over and tucked away in the corner behind the coffee maker, was the cilantro! I had every intention of topping off my pile of filling with a sprig or two before rolling, but in my effort to create space I shoved one of my favorite herbs out of view!
So we’ll just have to enjoy it as a garnish in the photos. The good news is, if you don’t like cilantro, these spring rolls are great without it. If you do, they’ll be even better with it inside and not just sitting on the plate.
Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.
This is one of the first cookbooks I reviewed here at Fake Food Free. I still go back to it on occasion for fun taco and drink ideas! This recipe remains a favorite for quick and tasty tacos.
It’s shameful. A complete disgrace. A food blogger in Kentucky without one post about the Derby or related food traditions. How could I?
Yes, I realize I have let you down. My excuse is that other than watching it on Saturday night there were no celebrations around here for the event. We didn’t even know the favorite horses this year which is uncommon for us. The reason? Well, it was also marathon weekend for my husband which I will recap later this week.
No pies with sugar or juleps with bourbon could be found in the house for several weeks before this event. We’ve vowed to do better next year. Fortunately, Derby should fall the weekend after the Flying Pig marathon events in 2011 so we are all good
I decided that I could not let another special day pass without a celebration in the form of a post and, as you know, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. Lucky for me, I received a new cookbook to review for the occasion!
So I was thrilled to check out the brand new cookbook, Amor y Tacos: Modern Mexican Tacos, Margaritas, and Antojitos
This cookbook though small in height compared to others on my book shelf makes up for it by being tall on flavor and creative recipes. Its focus on tacos and antojitos (little bites, sometimes referred to as the Mexico version of tapas) makes you want to throw taco-tasting bash!
It is full of recipes using fresh ingredients from margaritas with a homemade sweet and sour mix and fruit juice blends to salsas and guacamoles with everything from pineapple to chipotle. There is one minor hiccup that doesn’t go along with my eating plan, the beef simmered in soda, but I can overlook that to see all the other great options the book has to offer.
I made the Shrimp Taco Dorado. It combines tender shrimp with smoky chipotles on corn tortillas with jack cheese. Simple, yet incredible flavor! The ingredient list suggests toppings of chipotle salsa, guacamole and mango habanero salsa all homemade from recipes in the book. I chose to go with only the chipotle salsa, a mix of chipotle peppers in adobo, mayonnaise and lime juice blended into a sauce. It alone was perfect on the tacos so I can only imagine how much better they would be with the additional toppings.
I’m thinking this is just the start of a taco and margarita summer!
Shrimp Taco Dorado
From Amor y Tacos by Deborah Schneider reprinted with permission from Abrams Books
Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons butter or olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, tails removed and cut in half if large
1 teaspoon finely chopped chipotles in adobo
¼ teaspoon salt
Large corn tortillas
1 ½ cups grated Jack cheese
Cilantro sprigs
Suggested toppings: Chipotle salsa, Guacamole and Mango habanero salsa (recipes provided in cookbook)
Prep
1. In an 8-inch sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter or oil over medium heat. When it is heated, but not brown, add the garlic and shrimp, and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are pink. Stir in the chipotles and salt and remove from heat.
2. Preheat a heavy pan or griddle over medium heat and brush it lightly with some of the remaining butter or olive oil. Set a corn tortilla on the griddle and scatter 2 tablespoons of shredded Jack cheese evenly over the tortilla. Set 3 or 4 shrimp on one side of the tortilla. When the cheese starts to melt, fold the tortilla in half over the shrimp, and continue to cook on both sides until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is lightly crisped and golden brown.
3. Open the taco. Dollop 1 teaspoon of the chipotle salsa on top of the shrimp (or drizzle from a squeeze bottle) and follow with the remaining toppings. Tuck a couple of cilantro sprigs into the opening and serve right away.
I wrote this post back in 2009 when we were still living in Southern Brazil. Our friends in Maringa invited us over to teach me how to make Brazilian Moqueca. The post recaps that experience and shares the recipe Moqueca de Camarão that I put together after this hand-on cooking lesson.
I have a pretty exciting food journey for you today. Okay, at least it was exciting for me. 
Last weekend a friend of mine invited my husband and me over for lunch. Her husband was going to teach me how to make Moqueca! Moqueca de Camarão to be exact.
Moqueca de Camarão is a dish from Bahia in the north. It is basically a shrimp stew served over rice, often with farofa. My friends had just taken a vacation to Salvador in Bahia and were happy to show me how to make it.
This was very exciting for me for two reasons – 1) I had never had or made the dish before. 2) I found out that a fish shop here sells fresh (not frozen) shrimp. I’ve been living here 18 months and just now found that out!
We have not yet been to the north of the country, but we hear the north and south of Brazil are like two different worlds. This was my first time eating Moqueca and I loved it. It was such a nice change from the red meat overload we get here. I’m looking forward to making it myself very soon.
I have the recipe to share with you, but I have to warn you there is a secret ingredient that I have not found out how to make yet. We’ll call it a seasoning paste. I’m pretty sure it was a paste made from garlic, cilantro, parsley and cumin, but I don’t have exact measurements. I’ll let you know when I find out for sure. It was similar to sofrito, but I’m not sure it is the same thing here.
Let’s get started.
First, this dish is made with azeite de dendê. This, I have learned, is what we call palm oil. This is traditionally used in the dish, but any oil will do if you don’t have access to it.
Next, the dish is made in a clay pot. I plan to try to get my hands on one before we move back to the States and pray it doesn’t break in the shipping process.
Ingredients were already chopped and ready to go when I got there. I was pretty much a witness to the whole thing, but I got good pictures. Anyway, I am estimating amounts based on what I saw.
In addition to the rice he also made farofa. Farofa is a toasted mandioca flour most often served with meats and rice and beans. Mandioca is also known as manioc, cassava and yuca. Mandioca is also used to make tapioca – just to throw in some more info for you there.
We had an awesome tapioca dessert too, but I’m going to save that for another post. Enjoy your Moqueca!
