Crab Cakes...Ina's Recipe

These Crab Cakes were very good. The recipe is easy to prepare but is a bit time consuming. The flavor is a lot like my  BANDMAN'S CRAB CAKES but that one is less time consuming. 

Crab Cakes

Show: Barefoot ContessaEpisode: Cooking with Tess

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup small diced red onion (1 small onion)
• 1 1/2 cups small diced celery (4 stalks)
• 1/2 cup small diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• 1/2 cup small diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound lump crabmeat, drained and picked to remove shells
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• For frying
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Place the 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons oil, onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, break the lump crabmeat into small pieces and toss with the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the cooked mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into bite-sized crab cakes.

Heat the butter and olive oil for frying over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the crab cakes and fry for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a 250 degree oven and serve hot.

These were on Diners, Drive In's and Dives a while back. They looked very interesting so we had to give it a whirl. I cooked the beets one day and refrigerated them until ready to use. The rest is less time consuming. I also made a Green Goddess Dressing from Allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/recipe/green-goddess-chive-dressing/detail.aspx because I didn't have all of the ingredients called for in this recipe. If you can find a bottle of it already made, I'm sure that's ok as well.

These were very good! I was actually surprised!!!

The full recipe is at the bottom. ENJOY!

Pan searing the beets in my very well seasoned cast iron pan.

toaster rolls, then beets, then red onion then the dressing

YUM!!!

Beet Sliders

Recipe courtesy Chuck Caplener and Jared Nuttall, co-owners of Gatsby's Diner, Sacramento, CA

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 5 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

16 to 18 sliders

Ingredients

• 5 quarts water
• 1/2 cup sea salt, plus a pinch
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 6 dried arbol chiles
• 1/4 cup coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons seasoning sauce (recommended: Maggi)
• 6 to 8 whole beets (depending on size)
• Olive oil
• Green Goddess Dressing, recipe follows
• Sliced red onions, for serving
• 16 to 18 slider buns, toasted

Directions

In a large stock pot, combine and the water, 1/2 cup sea salt, dill, chiles, coriander, caraway, carrots, celery, onions, seasoning sauce, and beets and bring to a boil. Boil on medium heat for about 1 hour.

Remove the beets and let cool, discarding the liquid. Once cooled, remove the skin from the beets with avegetable peeler. (Remember to wear gloves, as the beets will stain your hands as well as other surfaces.) Cut the beets into 1/4 to 3/8-inch slices. Place the beet slices, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt into a skillet over high heat and saute until glossy and tender, about 2 1/2 minutes on each side.

Remove the beets from the skillet and serve with shaved red onion and Green Goddess Dressing on a toasted slider bun.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Green Goddess Dressing:

• 1 bunch fresh tarragon, stemmed, finely chopped
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, stemmed, finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper

Combine the herbs, green onions, buttermilk, lemon juice, and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Let macerate for 10 minutes. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise, and blend with an immersion blender until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

PJ'S BBQ SAUCE!!!

Yesterday PJ made his own BBQ sauce! He's so proud of the GALLON of molasses that he bought. I'm so proud of him for actually USING that molasses!!!

He mixed everything in the house yet he cooked it using the burner on the side of our grill so he wouldn't heat up the house!

I'm very proud of him! And this BBQ Sauce actually tastes great!

PJ'S SPECIAL BBQ SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups ketchup 2 cups tomato sauce 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses 4 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.
2.	Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer, and for thinner, less time is needed. Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water if necessary. Brush sauce onto any kind of meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Grilled Veggies including Garlic Scapes

This was a delicious grilled veggie platter. It was so easy and should be done ahead of time. The vegetables should be room temp when served. When we were camping in Ithaca last week, we bought a bag full of the garlic scapes. The guy told us that his favorite way to eat them is to grill them.

Heat your grill to medium- low.

For the first batch I used:

red peppers, zucchini and yellow summer squash

Cut them into 2" to 4" pieces so they don't fall through the grates on the grill

I brushed them on both sides with Soy Vay Hoisin & Garlic Sauce

SOY VAY HOISIN & GARLIC SAUCE

Then grill on one side until brown grill marks appear. Turn over and do the same. A bit of brown is good!

As they were done, I would add them to the top grate on the grill so they don't steam on top of each other. When they were all done, I then arranged them on a nice plate.

NEXT: I cut the seed head off of the garlic scapes. Leaving whole, I put them in a plastic bag, sprinkled a little olive oil over them, and a little balsamic vinegar. I made sure they were coated. I then put them on the grill and closed the cover. They were making popping noises. I then turned them until they were done. I brought them into the house and cut each scape into 3 pieces and then placed them in the middle of the veggie plate. They were delicious and not overpowering at all. The grilled veggies were also delicious!

Grilled Watermelon, Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

Who knew that grilled watermelon would be so tasty!!! This is a watermelon salad recipe that Alyssa wanted to try. It's from my John Besh MY NEW ORLEANS COOKBOOK.

You marinate the watermelon in a Pepper Jelly vinaigrette...
then you grill the watermelon pieces...
Put it all together and you have a beautiful salad!

GRILLED WATERMELON, TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

_{Yields 6 servings}

• 6 slices seedless watermelon, rind removed
• 2 T Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette ** see below for recipe
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic,minced
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 sprig basil, chopped
• 2 C tomatoes, peeled (mixed colors of smaller varieties are best)
• 1/2 C fresh goats cheese
• 2 or 3 C young lettuces
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh garden herbs such as chives, chive blossoms, chervil, parsley & dill

METHOD:

Marinate the watermelon in the Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette for several minutes before grilling over high heat. Grill each both sides of the watermelon for several minutes and remove.

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sugar and basil together with enough salt and pepper to tasted.

Toss the small tomatoes with the vinaigrette in the bowl and place on individual plates or a platter along with the grilled watermelon.

Crumble the goat cheese over the top of the tomatoes and watermelon. Toss the lettuces in the vinaigrette remaining in the small bowl and serve over the top of the salad.

Garnish with what ever fresh garden herbs that you have available.

PEPPER JELLY VINAIGRETTE

• 1/2 cup(s) pepper jelly
• 1/2 cup(s) red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon(s) sambal chile paste
• 1 1/2 cup(s) canola oil
• Salt, to taste

---

Directions

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well mixed.

Killer Baja Chili Rellenos Mariscos

I made this for dinner last night. It was DELICIOUS!!! It's a bit time consuming but if you have your ingredients on hand, it's a snap.

Roast the poblano peppers until blackened
Saute the onions, then add the rice and spices

Saute the shrimp and scallops

Combine the seafood and the juices with the rice mixture.

Stuff the peppers, top with cheese and bake. YUM!!!

Killer Baja Chili Rellenos Mariscos (Roasted Poblano Chiles Stuffed with Seafood and Rice)

Ingredients

• 6 large, fresh poblano chiles (sometimes called "pasilla" chiles)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup long-grain white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 cup canned chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 pound fresh medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails removed
• 1/4 pound fresh scallops (if using large sea scallops, quarter them)
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated lime zest
• 2 medium sized fresh, red, ripe tomatoes, chopped, with juices
• 4 ounces cotija cheese (Mexican aged cow's milk cheese), crumbled (I substituted fat free cream cheese)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, tough stems removed, leaves chopped (reserve a few whole sprigs with leaves intact for garnish)
• Grated Monterey Jack cheese, to taste

Directions

Broil or roast the chiles over a flame until skins blister, wrap in a tea towel or put in a paper grocery bag for 10 to 15 minutes to sweat the skins loose. Remove skins and open pepper on 1 side. Remove seeds but do not remove stems. Arrange the prepared chiles in a lightly oiled 9 by 13-inch glass nonstick baking dish.

Heat oil in a 10 to 12-inch skillet until hot. Add the onion and saute until translucent (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the rice and the cumin seeds. Toast the rice and cumin in the oil with the onions for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring the rice to a boil and cover tightly. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 18 minutes, or until rice is cooked, but still a little firm to the bite. Do not overcook the rice. When the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.

While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter starts tofoam, add the shrimp and the scallops and stir or toss to coat them with the butter. Keep the heat at medium-high and saute the seafood for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until just cooked through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the lime juice. Toss to coat. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

After the rice has cooled a bit, put it in a large mixing bowl and fluff it with a fork. Add the shrimp and scallops, with the accumulated juices. Add the ground cumin, coriander seed, oregano, lime zest, chopped tomato with their juices, cotija cheese and chopped cilantro. Toss the mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently stuff the peppers with the rice and seafood mixture. Stuff them good and full! If there is any extra, let it spill over into the baking dish. Top the chiles with the Monterey Jack cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the chiles are heated through and the cheese on top is melted. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.