Recipe: Shrimp, Potato, and Scallion Quiche

This quiche was absolutely freakin' amazing. This totally made my Sunday morning!

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1 cup of milk

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large potato, diced

1 habanero pepper, minced

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

2/3 lb of large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, diced

1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped (approximately 2/3 cup)

2/3 cup of lean ham, diced

1 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)

2 tsp Herbs de Provence

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

3 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (approximately 1 cup)

1 pre-made pie crust (suitable for 9" Pyrex pie dish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced potato, habanero pepper, and garlic. Cook, covered, stirring frequently until the potatoes soften and begin to brown. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add the ham, scallions, Herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, and fresh dill. Mix thoroughly and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Roll pie crust out into a 9" Pyrex dish that's been coated lightly with cooking spray. Add ingredients from the saute pan into the crust and spread out evenly. Cover evenly with the shredded Gruyere. Whip the milk into the eggs in a mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the crust over the other ingredients. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until the top browns and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Shrimp Creole

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of peeled and deveined shrimp

3 bell peppers, preferably red or yellow, diced

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried tarragon

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 habanero peppers, finely diced

1 1/2 cups of yellow onion, diced

3 cups of diced tomatoes (1 large can), drained

1/4 cup of butter (approx. 1/2 stick)

1/4 cup of canola oil

4 tbsp. rice flour

1/2 cup of water

2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, habaneros, and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent - approximately 10 minutes. In a deep pan, heat the butter and canola oil over medium heat until the butter is fully melted and the mixture is hot. Add the flour to the oil mixture slowly, stirring to make a thick roux. Heat the roux until it turns a light brown color, stirring frequently. Stir in the water, dry spices, shrimp, tomatoes and the sauteed onion/pepper mixture. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 10 - 15 minutes until the shrimp are pink. Final consistency should be similar to a gravy. If not thick enough for you, mix 2 tsp. of cornstarch into 1 tbsp. of warm water and stir into the plan to thicken. Serve over rice.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Grilled Pork with Maple Habanero Glaze and Sauteed Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

For the Pork

2 1/2 lbs. of bone-in pork chops (4 large chops)

2 cups of apple cider vinegar

1 cup of soy sauce

1 cup of bourbon

3 habanero peppers, finely minced

1 cup of maple syrup

For the Chard

2 large bunches of green or rainbow chard, de-stemmed with leaves roughly torn into pieces

4 slices of uncured, thick sliced applewood smoked bacon, diced

1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced (approx. 1 1/2 cups)

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. of unsalted butter

Directions:

Mix the vinegar, soy sauce, and bourbon together with a wisk to make the brine. Reserve 2/3 cup of the brine. Place the chops into a large plastic bag or bowl, pour the brine over, and cover. Place in the refrigerator to brine at least 24 hours.

In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup, habanero peppers, and 2/3 cup of the brining liquid over medium heat until it bubbles vigorously. Remove from heat and place into a heatproof glass container, seal, and place in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours to chill until it thickens.

Brush your grill grate with olive oil and heat the grill to medium-high heat. Before placing the pork on the grill, coat all over with the maple/habanero glaze. Cook for 4 minutes, turn over, then cover with more of the glaze. Continue cooking for 4 minutes on each side, glazing after each turn, for a total of about 18 - 20 minutes for medium-well. The glaze will produce a nice blackening on the pork as the sugar caramelizes. Place in 180 degree oven covered in foil to keep warm.

In a large pan, melt the butter. Add the bacon and saute the bacon until it starts to crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion becomes partially translucent. Add the swiss chard and black pepper, in bunches if necessary, covering the pan to wilt the chard. Cook, covered, checking and stirring every minute or two until all the chard is fully wilted.

Serve the chard on top of or alongside the pork.

Serves 4 very hungry people.

Recipe: Spicy Beef Stroganoff

This ended up a total winner... so very tasty... and comforting :)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean beef tenderloin, cut into small cubes

2 tbsp. peanut oil

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 1/2 tbsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 habanero peppers

3 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 large sweet onion (Vidalia or equivalent)

4 cups crimini mushrooms

1 cup beef broth

1/3 cup bourbon

2 cups of sour cream

1 1/2 lb. egg noodles

Directions:

Heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. Add the beef and sear lightly on all sides. Remove beef from the oil and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and melt. Finely chop the onion, mushrooms, and habanero peppers. Add the onion and garlic to the pan, cover, sweating them for about 5 - 6 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the mushrooms, habaneros, salt, Dijon mustard, beef broth, and bourbon and stir to combine. Turn heat to high and bring to boil, boiling on high for about 2 - 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the beef back to the pan (including any juices), cover, and simmer for about 45 - 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Remove cover from beef mixture and turn heat to high until the pan returns to a boil, boiling vigorously for about 10 minutes to reduce the mixture to a very thick consistency (mix 1 tbsp. of corn starch with warm water and stir in to thicken more quickly if not the right consistency within 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream as a final step. Serve over the egg noodles.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.