Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Soppressata with Mango Hot Sauce

This is one of those combinations that sounds weird, but is a crowd-pleaser. This recipe for Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Soppressata with Mango Hot Mustard Sauce was published in my John Ash Cooking One on One cookbook. Depending on the color of the soppressata you get, you can show your San Francisco 49er spirit with the red meat and the beautiful gold colored sauce.

You can serve it as an appetizer or as a main course, with steamed jasmine or basmati rice. If you serve it as an appetizer, I suggest you skewer each shrimp individually, which will result in less mess for the guest, and for you!

Soppressata is a cured Italian sausage similar to salami. It has a wonderful, peppery flavor and is generally available at good delicatessens. Ask for it very thinly sliced so it will stay wrapped around the shrimp better during grilling.

This recipe serves 4 as a main course, 8 as an appetizer. You can multiply it to fit your crowd.

Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Soppressata with
Mango Hot Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
16 small fresh basil leaves
16 large (16-20 size) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and brined if you like
16 thin slices of soppressata
Mango Hot Mustard Sauce (see recipe below)

Method:
Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat a gas or stovetop grill. Place a basil leaf on the side of each shrimp and wrap the shrimp with a slice of the soppressata. Grill the shrimp until just cooked through. The center should be very slightly translucent- you can check with the point of a small knife. Serve immediately with the sauce spooned over or arranged for dipping.

Mango Hot Mustard Sauce
½ cup pureed ripe mango (from 1 medium mango) or canned
¼ cup fresh tangerine or orange juice
¾ teaspoon Chinese hot mustard powder, or to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon canola or other neutral flavored oil
Salt to taste

Method
Combine the mango, tangerine juice, mustard powder, lime juice, vinegar, and wine in a blender and pulse 3 or 4 times to pureé and combine. Add the canola oil and pulse 3 or 4 times more to make a smooth sauce. Season with salt. Set the sauce aside for at least 2 hours while the flavors marry and build. The sauce can be warmed gently, but do not simmer or boil. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Makes about 1 cup.

30AEATS

 Wonderfully versatile piquillo peppers come exclusively from the small northern Spanish region of Navarra. Nestled between the borders of southern France and Basque territory, the town of Lodosa thrives on a busy trade in piquillo peppers. The peppers take their name from their distinctive, narrow, triangular shape: Piquillo means “beak” in Spanish.

At first glance, piquillos look like a variant of sweet bell pepper, but just one bite will tell a different story, as the familiar sweetness gives way to a sneaky heat. Navarra’s piquillo peppers are traditionally roasted over a beechwood fire, which adds a delectable smokiness to their bouquet. The final product is then packed whole in its delicious juices, ready to be sliced, stuffed and puréed into a variety of delicious dishes.

I’ve also included a recipe here for making leafy herb oils. This is a great way to use fresh herbs, and the oil can add a new dimension of flavor to grilled meats, fish, and vegetables. Let me know what creative uses YOU find for using fresh herb oil.

GOAT CHEESE STUFFED PIQUILLO PEPPERS

Serves 12 as a Tapa

Seek out a good herbed fresh goat cheese or alternately, mix in your own favorite fresh herbs. Piquillo peppers are available canned or jarred. Save any of the leftover garlic scented olive oil for other uses such as frying potatoes.

10 ounces fresh herbed goat cheese
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
12 whole piquillo peppers
1/3 cup fragrant extra virgin olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
12 Caper berries, drained
Fresh Basil Oil (recipe follows)

Mash the goat cheese in a bowl with the zest. Stuff the whole piquillos three-quarters full with the mixture and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and fry the garlic until lightly golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Drizzle the peppers with some of the oil and briefly broil in a preheated oven. If cheese oozes out just push it back in.

To serve: Use a spatula to transfer to a platter or individual plates and top with the fried garlic and a grinding or two of pepper. Serve with a caper berry or two, if desired.

For leafy herb oils
I suggest using basil, mint, chives, cilantro, parsley, shiso

3 cups packed herbs, large stems removed
1 – 2 cups olive oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Blanch the herbs in lightly salted, boiling water for 2 – 3 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. This blanching step inactivates the enzymes that cause the herbs to turn brown and develop an oxidized flavor.
Squeeze the herbs very dry with your hands. Chop and add to a blender along with enough oil to cover by 2 inches. Blend to make a paste. Let sit for an hour or two and then strain thru a fine mesh strainer or a coffee filter. This might take an hour or two depending on what you are using to strain the mixture. Season with a little salt and pepper if you want, and store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. Return to room temperature before using.

Photo from adactio

ZUCCHINI SOUP WITH CINNAMON, CUMIN AND BUTTERMILK

Serves 4

This is a quick, and simple soup. It’s a wonderful base to which you can add all manner of things including cooked shrimp, sautéed mushrooms, spring peas, etc. I often will drizzle on a little fragrant nut oil as a garnish. Serve the soup chilled or at room temperature. We don’t always think about room temperature soups but it’s a nice variation on a warm day.

1 pound trimmed zucchini
2-1/2 cups rich chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon seeded and minced serrano chile, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/2 cups good quality buttermilk
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Garnish: Chopped fresh cilantro or mint and lime or lemon wedges

Chop zucchini in large chunks. Add broth to a soup pot, bring to a boil and add zucchini. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until zucchini is barely tender but still bright green. Off heat and cool.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a small, non-stick frying pan. Add onion, chile, fennel, cinnamon and cumin, and sauté until onion is soft but not brown and spices are fragrant.

Put both mixtures into a food processor and pulse until well chopped but still with some texture. Pour into a bowl and stir in buttermilk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve garnished with a sprinkling of cilantro and added drops of lemon or lime juice to taste.

Recommended Wine: The tart buttermilk, fresh herbs and spices would go best with a crisp, clean chilled white wine with similar flavors such as a Sauvignon Blanc. Italian whites such as Pinot Grigio and Spanish whites such as Albarino would also work fine.

COLD CUCUMBER AND HONEYDEW MELON SOUP WITH CRAB

Photo from Robert Verzo

Serves 6 – 8

The combination of the cucumber and honeydew is an intriguing flavor combination and also visually interesting. Being a west coast boy, I think Dungeness crab is the best, but use whatever you like. I’ve used cream here to add richness to the soup. You could also leave it out or substitute buttermilk if desired. All are good. I recommend serving this in wide shallow bowls for best dramatic effect!

2 quarts roughly chopped peeled and seeded English (burp less!) cucumbers
1 quart roughly chopped and seeded ripe honeydew melon
3 tablespoons or so fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt
Drops of hot sauce
10 ounces fresh picked crab meat (1 cup or so)
3/4 cup seeded and diced yellow and/or red tomatoes
1/2 cup diced firm ripe avocado
2 teaspoons each chopped fresh chives and tarragon (or basil)

Garnish: Fresh herb sprigs and/or chopped nasturtium flowers and leaves, if available.

Add cucumbers, melon, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and sugar to a food processor and puree until smooth. Strain through a medium strainer pushing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and hot sauce. You should end up with about 1 quart of soup. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Gently combine the crab, tomatoes, avocado and herbs. Season to taste with salt, hot sauce and lemon juice. To serve: Gently press crab mixture into a 1/4 cup or so measuring cup and unmold in the center of a large, flat soup plate. Ladle chilled cucumber mixture around and garnish with herbs and/or nasturtiums.

Recommended Wine: There is a bit of sweetness in this soup and you’d want to try to find a nice chilled white with a similar level. Look for a Chenin Blanc, Riesling or Gewürztraminer that has a bit of residual sugar in it.

Photo from Clairity

For all the years that I’ve fixed Thanksgiving, my kids especially, have been adamant about keeping it traditional:  turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  They are inventive and creative eaters and cooks every other day of the year but you don’t mess with their Thanksgiving menu.

How about your family??  Sound familiar??  Well here are some appetizer and starter dishes that I’ve been able to slip in over the years that now show up on the table too.  Hope you’ll enjoy them and that they’ll become part of your tradition.

BACON WRAPPED DATES WITH ALMONDS AND GOAT CHEESE
Makes 24
A simple little hors d’ oeuvre that is addictive!  Use what cheese you like.
24 large moist dates, such as medjool
12 slices of bacon
4 ounces softened fresh goat cheese
24 whole toasted unsalted almonds

Move oven rack to upper third of oven and preheat oven to 475 °.
Pit dates carefully to hold as much of their shape as you can. Halve the 12 slices of bacon crosswise. If available, put the goat cheese into a pastry bag fitted with a round, plain 1⁄4″ tip.
Stuff cavity of each date with 1 almond.  Pipe goat cheese into each stuffed date or alternately use a small demi-tasse spoon. Wrap 1 piece of bacon around width of each date.
Put dates on a baking sheet, seam side down, at least 1⁄2″ apart. Bake until bacon is golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool briefly before serving.

AVOCADO HUMMUS
Makes 1-1/2 cups
This combines the best of what makes guacamole and hummus so delicious.  Use as a spread for sandwiches, on crackers or toasted pita triangles as an hors d’ oeuvres, with crudités and wherever you are looking for a little healthier substitute for mayonnaise.

Flesh of 2 ripe avocados
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Juice from 1 large lemon, (about 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Drops of hot sauce to taste
Salt to taste

Combine the avocado, tahini, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, oils, hot sauce and salt to taste in a food processor or blender and process until the mixture is as smooth as sour cream.

Store covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days and adjust seasoning as needed before serving.

OLIVES AND ALMONDS
Makes about 2 cups
The combination of these two makes a fantastic little snack to serve with wine.  If you can find Spanish Marcona olives which have been fried in olive oil definitely use those and it saves you a step.

1 cup whole skinned (blanched) almonds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1 cup or so Lucques, Picholine, Cerignola or Gaeta olives
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Toast the almonds in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes or so or until they are browned and fragrant.  Nuts need to be toasty but not burned or else they will be bitter.  Remove and toss the warm nuts with one tablespoon of the olive oil and lightly salt.

Briefly rinse the olives, pat dry with paper towels and toss with remaining two tablespoons oil, thyme and lemon zest.  Add a grind or two of pepper if desired and mix with the almonds.  Serve with a little bowl on the side for olive pits!

CHEDDAR CHIVE GOUGÈRES
Makes 24 or so
These little golden puffs are usually eaten by themselves but you can also split them and fill them with chicken, ham, or lobster salad for more substantial hors d’oeuvres

1 cup water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Put the water, butter, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook, swirling the pan a few times until the butter melts; once it has melted, increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and dump in the flour. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Take the pan off the stove, set it on a counter or hot pad, and let it cool, without stirring, for 3 minutes.

Now, work in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating the mixture well with the spoon after each addition (you have to put some muscle into it to incorporate the eggs fully). With each addition, the dough should look glossy and slick at first, then stick to the sides of the pan before you add the next egg. After beating in the last egg, beat in the dry mustard and cayenne, then the cheese and chives.

Scoop up a heaping teaspoon of dough and with another spoon, push it off onto the paper-lined baking sheet (it should form a mound about 1 inch in diameter). Continue with the remaining dough, leaving an inch of space between the gougères (work in batches as necessary, the dough can stand, covered with buttered waxed paper or parchment, for up to 1/2 hour).

Bake until the gougères are puffy and light golden, about 25 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving, or turn off oven and let gougères remain in oven, with door ajar, for up to 1 hour.

DEVILED EGGS WITH CRAB
Makes 16
Being a West Coast boy, I use Dungeness crab but you can use whatever you have locally.

8 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Big pinch cayenne (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon dry sherry
10 ounces crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Drops of lemon juice

Garnish:  Paprika, preferably smoked if available

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the hard yolks from the eggs, making sure not to break the 16 halves of hard-boiled whites that remain. Place the yolks in a mixing bowl.

Mash the yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and sherry. Blend well until the mixture is smooth. Fold in the crabmeat, trying to keep the crab pieces as intact as possible. Season to your taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Gently spoon into whites.  Garnish with paprika and serve.  Can be made a couple of hours ahead and refrigerated.

QUICK MARINATED SALMON
Serves 4 as a starter course
This is a gravlax approach which the Scandinavians are famous for.  Here I don’t marinate for a day or two as we would for ordinary gravlax but cure it for just a few minutes and then top with a lemon and herb vinaigrette.

1/2 pound salmon, skin on and chilled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped tarragon
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped chives
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons drained small capers
2 teaspoons rinsed fresh salmon caviar
Good crackers or black bread, sliced, to serve alongside.

Slice the salmon on a 45-degree bias as thinly as you can without tearing it. Using the skin as your guide, slide the knife as close to it as possible (there should be no skin adhering to the slice). Use long sawing strokes to make the slices. It’s best if you can almost see through the fish.  Cut away and discard any of the dark meat.  Each slice should be about 1 ounce.

Sprinkle each plate of 4 plates with a little salt and pepper and lay two slices of the salmon neatly on top.  Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes to allow the salmon to quick cure.

To serve:  Whisk together the herbs, lemon juice and olive oil.  Drizzle over the salmon and scatter the capers and salmon eggs over.  Serve immediately with crisp crackers or thinly sliced toasted bread.