AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Celery (Recipe: Spicy Shrimp and Cashew Stir-Fry) DATE: 4/02/2010 08:53:00 AM ----- BODY:

Along the lines of garlic and onions, I think of celery more as an aromatic than a vegetable. I rarely cook it on its own, but its distinctive flavor enhances French, Chinese and southern cooking. Its crunchy texture makes it a staple in egg, chicken or tuna salad.

Because of how I use celery – one stalk at a time – it becomes a regular crop in my vegetable garden. I can harvest the single stalk, leaving the remainder of the plant in the ground to continue growing. Unlike purchasing a whole head at the market – where the remainder will go limp in my crisper drawer before I have a chance to use it up.

I was working on a cookbook for Sauchuk Farm in Plympton MA for their summer CSA. His subscribers will get an incredibly diverse assortment of vegetables, including celery. The celery will keep for up to 3 weeks when stored properly (Coldest part of fridge. Leaves like to be dry in a bag. Stems like to be loose in a bag). You’d still need to use almost a stalk a day to consume it all before it goes flaccid. That creates a menu planning challenge. For that reason, I wanted to make sure I included a few recipes in his cookbook that called for copious amounts of celery.

Last summer, I made a celery Caesar salad which was quite lovely, but decided to go a different route for his book. I opted, instead, for a Chinese stir-fry – a variation of kung pao chicken that I learned at a cooking class in Beijing China. I used cashews instead of peanuts, and shrimp instead of chicken.

Spicy Shrimp, Celery and Cashew Stir-Fry
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 egg white
3 scallions cut into rounds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs. ginger, peeled and finely minced
3 celery stalks, sliced
¾ cup roasted, salted cashews
2 tbs. plain or peanut oil

Sauce
½ tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar
2 tbs. black vinegar or balsamic
2 tsp. shaio xing wine or sherry
2 tbs. water or chicken broth
1 tsp. corn starch
1 – 2 tsp or more chile paste (like sriracha)

In a small bowl, marinade the shrimp with ¼ tsp. salt, soy sauce and egg whites. In a separate bowl, combine all sauce ingredients.

Heat a large over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, ginger, garlic and ½ the scallions. Let cook for 1 minute and then add the celery and cashews. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry until the celery turns jade green, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and shrimp and stir-fry until shrimp turn pink and curl up, about 2 minutes. Return the celery and cashews to the pan and the sauce, and stir over the heat for about 1 minute to mix together evenly and blend flavors. Transfer the stir-fry to a platter and garnish with the remaining scallions.

Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

Labels: celery, CSA, shrimp

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ANNEMİNELİ DATE:4/02/2010 11:56:00 AM OoooSüperrr.Sevgilerrrr... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kim at Rustic Garden Bistro DATE:4/02/2010 03:54:00 PM Hi Julia,

Just dropping by to say hello. :-) We didn't mean to be, but these days, we're garden food bloggers, too. The last few posts of mine have been about foraging in the backyard and coming up with decent food. Have a great weekend! Kim ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Reeni DATE:4/02/2010 09:22:00 PM Such a great piece of info I learned from you about celery! I didn't know you could just pick a stalk. Our fridge hates us - and is always freezing up our celery. Celery will be in my garden this year. Your stir-fry sounds delicious with shrimp and cashews! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:4/03/2010 05:12:00 AM The first time I had a dish like this, with celery as the main vegetable, it was a revelation! I love how it stays crisp but also gets more sweet when you cook it this way. I'm definitely going to try this; I have all of the condiments, shrimp in the freezer, and a bit of celery that's wanting to be used soon, even though it's not from my garden. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Buffalo Shimp via Cambridge DATE: 12/17/2009 07:58:00 AM ----- BODY:

Within 24 hours of the first snowfall, the temperatures crawled north of 32F, and the one inch blanket soon disappeared. But not without a lasting effect in the garden. I harvested what I could before it fell, but the celery, lettuces and kale remained in the ground with questionable odds of survival.

Last night I peeked at the celery. It was definitely floppy, and I didn’t expect it to recover. I harvested the remaining head, and salvaged what stalks I could. The outer stalks were hollow, stringy and brown. The inner stalks seemed okay.

With Maine Shrimp season just starting, I decided that Buffalo Shrimp would be the perfect foil for the celery remnants. The celery would balance nicely with the creamy shrimp, and the cool crunch would tame the heat of the spicy chili sauce.

Most recipes for buffalo shrimp call for Frank’s Hot Sauce. I didn’t have that, and instead used Lan Chi’s Chili Garlic Sauce with a splash of red wine vinegar. I prepared the classic bleu cheese dressing with mayonnaise, sour cream, a few crumbles of cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Since Maine Shrimp are so small, I worried that the typical deep frying would make them dry and rubbery by the time the outside crisped up. I opted, instead, to dust them in corn starch and fry them in hotter-than-usual (about 425F) oil. This worked pretty well. Probably next time, though, I would use larger shrimp and a more traditional coating.

Buffalo Shrimp with Celery and Bleu Cheese Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs. butter
2 tsp. Lan Chi Chili Paste with Garlic
2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined.
1 cup corn starch

2 cups (or more) plain oil for deep fying
celery stalks

1. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and blue cheese. Season with lemon juice. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with chili paste and vinegar. Set aside.
3. Heat a pot with oil over high heat. Toss shrimp in corn starch and spank of any excess. Gently drop the shrimp in the oil ( you may need to cook in several batches to avoid overcooking). When shrimp are crispy, remove from oil with a slotted spoon.
4. Toss shrimp into chili sauce. Serve with celery and blue cheese dressing.

Labels: celery, shrimp

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:12/17/2009 09:57:00 AM Wow - still picking things from the garden! And those little shrimp are quite cute! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:12/18/2009 02:21:00 PM Love that you've used my favorite chili paste with garlic in this recipe. Your garden is amazing! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Get 'Em While They're Cold! DATE: 3/13/2009 07:56:00 AM ----- BODY:

When my friend Paul opened his last restaurant, he called on all his friends to help on the first night of service. The usual hectic-ness prevailed with the added stress that the gas-services had been interrupted for several hours. Thankfully, his signature dish - Shrimp Shrimp, Cha Cha Cha - required no stove-top cooking. The Maine shrimp he used were so small, they cooked in 30 seconds from the hot water out of the tap!

Maine shrimp, bright pink and cheery, appear in the supermarkets and on menus in New England when the weather is dreariest -- the dead of winter. These small creatures, about 60 in a pound, have a creamy sweet texture. In sushi bars, you may see them as "ama-ebi." With a rif on the Japanese ama-ebi, I serve them cold and raw, tossed with cucumbers, scallions and ponzu sauce.

The season ends on March 31, so get them while they're cold!

Ponzu Sauce
(adapted from David Rosengarten's recipe in the Dean and Deluca Cookbook)
1 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup citrus juice - a combination of lemon, lime and orange
3 tablespoons mirin
1/4 cup bonito flakes
1 - 3 inch square piece of kombu
1/3 cup rice vinegar

Mix everything together. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Strain and store in the refrigerator for as long as you like. Use within 2 months.

Labels: recipes, shrimp

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:3/13/2009 07:01:00 PM Julia,
It isn't clear to me whether the shells are meant to be eaten, or peeled. If the shrimp are so small, then .... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:3/14/2009 09:15:00 AM Anon, I remove the shells ... which is rather easy -- they slide right off. They are edible, but palatability is debatable. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:3/15/2009 03:07:00 PM Homemade ponzu sauce is great -- it lets you control the amount of citrus, which can be overpowering sometimes in the commercial product. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Heather DATE:3/15/2009 08:12:00 PM yum! i've just started liking shrimp and am looking for more recipes to experiment with. looks delicious!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Daniel DATE:3/16/2009 02:43:00 PM Thank goodness sometimes the best foods come at those dreariest times of year, right?

Looks absolutely delicious.

Dan
Casual Kitchen ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Melissa DATE:3/16/2009 10:44:00 PM Mmmm ponzu. Thanks for the easy recipe that I'm sure is right on. Great idea to add the seasonal shrimp to it. I agree with your assessment about the shells and I personally don't find them particularly palatable. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Asian Pears with Salt -n Pepa Shrimp DATE: 2/16/2009 09:20:00 AM ----- BODY:

Asian pears are a cross between apples and pears -- juicy like a pear, but crisp like an apple. The round shape resembles an apple, but the brown skin more closely looks like a bosc pear. And unlike their pear-cousin, the flesh is firm when ripe.

Though they are good eating, I typically use them in a sauce -- for Salt -n Pepa shrimp or with Avocado-Lemongrass Springrolls.

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbs. corn starch
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. Sichuan pepper
1/8 tsp. five spice
2 scallions, cut into rounds
2 serranos or Thai chilies, cut into rounds
1 tbs. oil

Toss shrimp in corn starch.

Heat a large sauté pan over a high flame. Add oil. Add shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes, or until they begin to turn pink. Add spring rolls to pan.

Sprinkle in spice mix (you will have extra) and coat shrimp with spice, scallions and chilies.

Asian Pear Sauce

1/4 cup dashi or water
1/4 c. soya,
1 tbs. sugar
1 - 2 Asian pears, cored (no need to peel)
1 tsp. chili paste
1 1/2 tbs. mirin
2 tsp. rice vinegar
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp. sesame oil

Put everything in a blender and puree.

Labels: recipes, shrimp

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

grace DATE:2/16/2009 12:53:00 PM pears. chile paste. mirin. sounds like a glorious sauce to me! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:2/16/2009 04:31:00 PM Is Asian pear a tenderizer, or do I have it confused with something else? I've never used it in a sauce, but I'm bookmarking to try this one. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:2/16/2009 05:26:00 PM This sounds wonderfully eotic. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

PG DATE:2/17/2009 08:21:00 AM There are a couple ingredients in here I've never tried - dashi, Asian pears, sichuan pepper, mirin. Sounds like a good dish to discover new flavours with. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:2/17/2009 09:09:00 PM Hi,
I would like to invite you to a Food Bloggers Dinner on behalf of a client. If you could please email me your contact info. so that I can send you their invitation?
Thanks,
Katie

kscully@directpartners.com ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:2/18/2009 03:37:00 PM Grace, thanks!

Lydia, you're correct. Asian pears can also be used as a meat tenderizer.

Noble, sounds exotic, but tastes delicious.

Psychgrad, definitely some new things. check out [eating club] vancouver for a good recipe for dashi... http://www.eatingclubvancouver.com/2008/11/dashi-three-types.html ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Melissa DATE:2/20/2009 03:33:00 PM PG - You should try all of those, for sure!

Julia, I love Asian pears and I love this shrimp, but never wuold have thought to combine the flavors. Great stuff! ----- --------