Eye for a Recipe

Tomatoes + corn + fresh herbs = summer. And when you add shrimp, garlic, hot pepper, wine and butter, you have a lovely dish that can be served over pasta or with crusty bread. I served this recipe from the New York Times over cooked linguine.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used frozen shrimp with only salt added and a wine from Frogpond Farm with a sulfite level of fewer than 10 parts per million. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and butter that does not contain colour.

Cook the shrimp and set aside

Cook the corn and tomatoes

Add the shrimp back in and heat through

Top with herbs and serve over pasta or rice

Ingredients:

1 pound (454 g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 pint (500 ml) cherry or grape tomatoes

2 cups (500 ml) fresh or frozen corn kernels (from 4 ears)

5 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon (5 ml) red-pepper flakes

¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), plus wedges for serving (optional)

5 tablespoons (75 ml) unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces

3 tablespoons (45 ml) chopped parsley or chives, or torn basil leaves

Preparation:

Pat the shrimp very dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large (12-inch/30-cm) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and lightly golden in spots, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring just once or twice, until they start to blister in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring just once or twice, until the tomatoes burst and the corn is golden in spots, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until you smell garlic, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat to medium, and add the wine and lemon juice, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until nearly evaporated, then add the butter and stir until melted. Add the shrimp and its juices and stir until warmed through. (If the sauce breaks and looks greasy, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water and stir until emulsified.)

Remove from heat, add the herbs, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with extra lemon for squeezing over, if you like. Serves 4.

From the New York Times

This delicious, salty spicy dish from the New York Times comes together quickly, making it ideal for a quick supper. Combine red-pepper flakes with soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook orange rind and peanuts in oil and then pour over the red-pepper mixture to create a chile oil. While you cook the noodles, cook ground chicken until browned and cooked through. Remove the orange rind from the oil, add the oil to the cooked chicken in the pan, add the noodles and toss to coat. Cook’s note: I used spaghetti noodles instead of udon noodles and chopped scallions instead of chives.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the red-pepper flakes, peanuts and noodles do not contain additives or preservatives. I used tamari instead of soy sauce and Spectrum Natural sesame oil.

Combine red-pepper flakes, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Cook orange rind and peanuts in oil

Add rind and peanuts to red-pepper-flake mixture to create a chile oil

Spread ground chicken across the bottom of the skillet and cook until browned and cooked through

Remove rind from chile oil and then add oil to cooked chicken. Add noodles, toss to combine and then serve, topped with chives or scallions

Ingredients:

1 ½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) red-pepper flakes

1 ½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) low-sodium soy sauce

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) toasted sesame oil, plus more as needed

Kosher salt and black pepper

½ cup (125 ml) plus 1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil, like grapeseed or canola

6 tablespoons (90 ml) roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Rind of ½ orange, peeled into 2- to 3-inch (5- to 7.6-cm) strips

1 pound (454 g) ground chicken

10 to 12 ounces (285 to 340 g) ramen or udon noodles, preferably fresh

3 tablespoons (45 ml) finely chopped chives

Preparation:

In a medium heatproof bowl, stir together the red-pepper flakes, soy sauce and sesame oil. Set next to the stovetop.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch/30 cm) skillet over medium heat, cook the ½ cup oil, peanuts and orange rind, shaking the pan occasionally, until the peanuts are golden and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour the contents of the skillet over the red-pepper mixture (be careful of splattering!) and set aside. (Once cool, the chile oil will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks in an airtight container.)

Meanwhile, in the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon (15 ml) oil over medium-high. Add the chicken and press it down with a wooden spoon into a thin layer. Season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper and cook, without stirring, occasionally pressing the layer of chicken down, until the bottom is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Break the chicken up into small pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.

While the chicken cooks, cook the noodles according to package directions, until chewy but not soft. Drain and toss with a bit of sesame oil.

Remove and discard the orange rind from the chile oil. Off the heat, add the chile oil to the chicken and stir to coat, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Top with chives and serve at once. Serves 4.

From the New York Times

This dish from The New York Times brims with flavour from fresh herbs, lime and crunchy carrots. Marinate the pork briefly and then sear until it’s still slightly pink in the middle. Slice and add to sauce, cooked rice noodles, carrots and herbs.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use freshly squeezed lime juice and a fish sauce with no preservatives or MSG, such as Cock brand.

Make the sauce

Marinate the pork in a little of the sauce

Add the carrots to the remaining sauce

Cook the pork in a skillet until just a hint of pink remains, then slice

Chop the herbs and slice the lime

Add cooked rice noodles, pork and herbs to the sauce and toss before serving

Ingredients:

⅓  cup (83 ml) fish sauce

¼  cup (60 ml) dark, pure maple syrup

2  tablespoons (30 ml) canola or other neutral oil

Black pepper

2  large shallots, thinly sliced (¾ cup/180 ml)

1  long red finger chile, thinly sliced (⅓ cup/83 ml)

3  small garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon/15 ml)

4  thin (½-inch/1.25 cm) boneless pork chops (¾ to 1 pound/340 to 454 g total)

⅓  cup (83 ml) fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes), plus lime wedges for serving

3  carrots, peeled and julienned (2 cups/500 ml)

Kosher salt

8 to 9  ounces (226 to 255 g) thin rice vermicelli noodles

2  packed cups (500 ml) torn fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil and dill (2 ½ ounces/71 g), plus more for garnish

Preparation:

Whisk the fish sauce, syrup, 1 tablespoon oil, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the shallots, chile and garlic. Transfer 2 tablespoons liquid to a large shallow dish and add the pork. Turn to evenly coat and let stand until ready to cook.

Stir the lime juice into the sauce in the bowl. Add the carrots and toss until evenly coated. Let stand.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining tablespoon (15 ml) oil in the skillet and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the pork and cook, turning once, until seared and just rosy in the center, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and let stand.

Put the noodles in the boiling water, stir well, and remove from the heat. Let stand until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain very well, then transfer to the sauce in the bowl. Toss until evenly coated.

Cut the pork into thin slices and add to the noodles with any accumulated juices. Toss well. Toss in the herbs until well mixed. The mixture may look a bit soupy. As it sits and cools, the noodles will absorb the liquid. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with more herbs and lime wedges. Serves 4.

From the New York Times