Cilantro, lime and hot pepper are the key to marital bliss

Really.

When I made this, my husband grinned, lavished me with compliments, ate seconds AND did the dishes afterwards.

Need I say more?

It's so, so easy and would have been about a 15 minute meal if I hadn't bought whole shrimp, which needed deveining and shelling and decapitating. Next time, I'll go for the frozen kind, I think!

(Take out the meat and this is still tasty, a great vegetarian/vegan option for those so inclined.)

Many thanks to Gina whose recipe was my starting point.

Cilantro-lime shrimp stew with Tabasco rice

2 tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro, divided
3 green onions
1/2 bell pepper (green, yellow, or red)
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
500 grams shrimp, deveined, etc...
salt, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
Tabasco sauce, to taste
lime juice (about 2)
1 cup coconut milk (or more if you'd like)
rice
water

Dice all the vegetables. In a saucepan, prepare your rice according to package directions with one change: add several good shakes of Tabasco to the cooking water. While the rice is cooking, pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a deep skillet and cook the bell pepper five minutes. Add the garlic, 2/3 of the green onions and 1/2 the cilantro, cooking until the garlic is fragrant (about 4 more minutes). Dump in your tomatoes, coconut milk, salt and hot sauce/peppers. Allow to cook for 10 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, check the rice. If it's done, put it into a serving bowl with the rest of the cilantro, green onions and the juice from one lime. Stir to combine and set aside. Return to the sauce, and add the shrimp and the rest of the lime juice, cooking until the shrimp turn pink, and serve over the rice.

*I had some leftover salsa in the fridge, which I dumped into the sauce at the end...this is a great recipe for cleaning out the fridge!!!

Yogurt and Yogurt Cheese

We're making cheesecake here today (yes, I am speaking of myself in the plural, just feeling a bit "royal" at the moment). I could be on the beach, but that feels too decadent and inappropriate, given that everyone else I know if working hard in some air-conditioned office. Now, the big issue with cheesecake is cost and calories. Here in Rio, a 150 g packet of cream cheese runs you R$4.99, a little less when it's on sale. According to one of my recipes, I'd need NINE packets to make a good cake. Ouch. Now, I have some leftover mascarpone in the fridge, as well as a big container of homemade yogurt. Yogurt on its own is too thin to use in cheesecake, but if it's strained overnight in cheesecloth, you'll have a thicker substance that subs in nicely for some of the fattier cream cheese. I usually substitute up to 1/2 of the cream cheese in a recipe for yogurt cheese and add a tablespoon of flour to help thicken the mixture.

What is this homemade yogurt stuff? I hear someone asking.
It's pure, cheap heaven, that's what it is. I've been making cardamom lassi (hm, what's the plural of this?), yogurt parfaits and so forth with all the extra yogurt we don't know what to do with! Here's how to make your own, followed by yogurt cheese directions.

Yogurt

1 container (single serving) plain, unsweetened yogurt with active cultures
powdered milk (whole is good, but I've heard skim works as well)
Clean pot and stirring utensils
Plastic Film

Mix up your powdered milk with 1 liter of water according to package directions. Add a little bit more powder--you want the milk to be a tad more concentrated than the directions call for. Heat the milk slowly until it begins to form a film; remove from heat before it boils. Allow to cool. When the milk is room temperature, stir in the yogurt, cover the container with plastic film and place in a warm place (about 90-100 F) for 6-10 hours. I wrap my container in a big towel and place it in a warm oven (some people just turn the oven light on) overnight. In the morning, I have yogurt! The tangy yogurt flavor improves after a day or so. Obviously, please refrigerate after the yogurting process is achieved!


Yogurt Cheese

Cheesecloth
Strainer
Bowl
Yogurt

Line a strainer with damp cheesecloth (2-3 layers) and place over a bowl. Pour your yogurt into the cheesecloth, cover with a lid or plastic film and allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator. Scrape off the cheesecloth in the morning and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ina Dell's Chocolate Pie

This recipe comes from a friend of mine in Peru. It is phenomenal. I describe this as "the inside of an undercooked brownie" pie. The recipe makes two pies. You'll want both. Trust me.

4 1/2 squares of bitter baking chocolate*
3 sticks butter (the real stuff)
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 lightly beaten eggs

Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan. Remove from heat, let cool and then add the sugar, vanilla and eggs. Pour into an unbaked or pre-baked pie crust (a salty crust is a good counterpoint to this pie) and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. The center should be loose and gooey. Don't overbake! Allow to cool and set before eating or cutting.


* Substitution is 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon oil/butter for every square of chocolate.

Cayenne Cheese Sticks

These would have been sprinkled with sesame seeds, but I forgot. They're phenomenally easy and a great way to use up those cheese rinds in your freezer. You DO save your ends and bits, right? I keep a plastic bag with all the tiny bits of cheese that are left over from other projects just for this recipe. It doesn't matter what you use: this particular batch was a mixture of mozzarella, Swiss and Parmesan, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

1/4 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) grated cheese
1 cup flour
3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you're brave)
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Pulse all ingredients but milk in a food processor (or use your hands) until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk and form into a ball. Knead a little to combine. Roll out dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into strips, transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden.* Switch racks halfway through baking time. Cool on racks and store in airtight containers.

*If you're blessed or cursed with a gas oven, as I am, note that it's best to cook these on parchment paper. Halfway through the cooking, remove the pan from the oven, pick up the edges of the paper and lift out the crackers, then carefully flip them over into the pan again. This ensures that both sides get nice and brown. (If they don't, you can always double-bake, like biscotti).

Quail Eggs with Truffle Mayonnaise

Hard-boiled quail eggs are a breeze. Have a big bowl of ice water waiting in the wings. Fill up a saucepan with water an a good teaspoon or so of white vinegar. Gently lay your eggs in, bring the water to a boil and then count off 2 minutes 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, transferring them to the ice water. After they've cooled, carefully remove the shells. There's definitely a trick to this, as the membrane is pretty tough, so plan on cooking at least a few extra than you need, as a few will break open. Or, as was my case, slip out of your fingers, get squashed between a thigh and the cupboards and STILL manage to end up under the stove. (It tasted fine, once the shell came off, but was cracked and un-pretty. You want pretty to serve to company!)

These babies have such beautiful spotted shells that I'm contemplating only half-shelling them, and accenting with a green onion bow around their cute little middles.

The truffle mayo is simply a drop of truffle oil (white or black) and a good grind of black pepper. Not authentic, I know, but do I look like someone who can afford truffles in or out of season???

Cheese Plate

If you serve a cheese platter, don't forget to let the cheese get to room temperature first. That's where the flavor really shines! Just ask my father...I think I might have gotten them hooked on real Parmesan the last time I visited. There's NO COMPARISON to the white fluff you've been shaking over pasta for the last 20 years! And for eating with some crackers while watching movies or playing chess, well, it's sensational.

For the birthday dinner, we'll be serving 4 cheeses. The first three aren't "authentic" being Brazilian in origin, but they should be fine:

1) a crunchy, salty Brazilian Grana
2) Brie
3) Boursin-like cheese with fresh herbs
4) Cablanca from Holland. It was on sale, and turns out to be a good "entry-level" goat cheese, according to online reviews.

I'm not a big fan of "stinky" cheese and really have to be in the mood for it, so I've stayed with rather safe options for the evening. If you're more adventurous, more power to you!