Old Bay Crab Cakes

By Paul Briand

If you know Maryland crab cakes, you know Old Bay.

At any seafood restaurant in Maryland you'll find Old Bay seasoning on the table. It's as ubiquitous as a salt and pepper shaker.

Old Bay is a combination of seasons and herbs used to enhance seafood, and I tried an online recipe from the Old Bay website for its own style of crab cakes.

According to the website, "this is the original recipe that appeared on the back of the Old Bay can ... Baking powder makes the crab cakes light and fluffy, while Old Bay Seasoning adds personality."

Ingredients
2 slices dried bread, crusts removed
Milk
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon parsley Flakes
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 pound lump crab meat

Directions
1. In a large bowl, break bread into small pieces. Moisten with milk.
2. Add mayo, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, baking powder, Old Bay, salt, egg and crab meat. Mix lightly and shape into patties. If time permits, refrigerate patties 30 minutes to help keep them together when cooking.
3. Broil or fry until golden-brown on both sides.

One issue with crab cakes is that they sometimes fall apart on the griddle. Letting the mixture rest in the refrigerator for about a half hour before cooking certainly helps but I still had a problem with the patties coming apart on the grill. But that was my fault. I had the grill on medium low. I should have had it fired up closer to medium high. That would have put an immediate sear on the patty, perhaps lessening the possibility of it falling apart at the flip.

How to serve it? Alone is fine. Between two lightly toasted hamburger buns is an option. I used mine to top a fresh salad.

Shrimp with Mustard Sauce

By Paul Briand

While visiting my sister Ella and her husband Tom not too long ago, I was at their kitchen table browsing the "Super Suppers Cookbook 2" by Judie Byrd. I figured this recipe for shrimp and mustard sauce would be a keeper, especially for my wife Jane, because it combined two of her favorites: shrimp and mustard.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
36 shrimp (for ease, I use pre-cooked frozen shrimp that I thaw in a bath of water)
4 shallots, minced
2 tablespoons of tarragon or thyme (I used a tablespoon each)
1/4 cup sherry or chicken broth (I used half sherry, half broth)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup of butter, cut in pieces
Pepper

Directions
1. In a skillet heated to medium high, cook the shrimp until it starts to become opaque, set aside;
2. Add shallots and tarragon/thyme to skillet and cook for two minutes;
3. Add sherry/broth and cream and stir until the sauce starts to thicken;
4. Stir in the butter a piece at a time;
5. Stir in the mustard and season with pepper to taste;
6. Return the cooked shrimp to the skillet and stir into the mixture until hot.

Certainly the dish can stand alone, but goes well with rice or, as we did, angel hair pasta.

Charred Corn and Grilled Shrimp Chopped Salad

By Paul Briand

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay loves to grill and will grill anything and everything as part of his recipes.

His cookbook -- "Bobby Flay's Grill It!" -- was a Father's Day gift last year and is the source of this week's recipe as we get more deeply into the outdoor grilling season (at least here in northern New England).

This recipe leans heavily on corn charred on the grill and shrimp, also grilled.

Ingredients
6 ears of corn, husked and cleaned
1/4 cup of canola oil
Black pepper
12 ounces (21 to 24 count) of peeled and deveined shrimp
Jalapenos, to taste (optional for those who can't take the heat)
1 ripe avocado, pitted and finely diced
2 beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups chopped watercress or romaine lettuce
1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Directions
1. With grill heated to high, brush the ears of corn with oil and season with pepper, then grill until slightly charred on all sides;
2. Remove cobs from heat, let cool and use a knife to remove kernels and transfer into medium bowl;
3. Grill the shrimp until done, then cut in half and add to bowl;
4. Add jalapenos, avocado and tomatoes;
5. Whisk the lime juice, vinegar, honey and olive oil together in a small bowl and season with pepper. Pour over the corn and shrimp mixture, add cilantro, and toss;
6. Arrange the watercress (or lettuce) on a large platter and spoon the corn and shrimp salad over the top, sprinkle with crumbled tortilla chips and serve.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

By Paul Briand

I volunteered to make a pasta salad for a family Memorial Day barbecue before knowing just what kind of pasta salad I wanted to do.

Then it struck me that I'd been riffing lately on my love for grilled vegetables, so decided on a pasta salad that combined a variety of grilled vegetables, penne pasta, and balsamic vinaigrette.

There's no real trick to this, just a willingness to grill all the vegetables (either on your outdoor grill or, as in my case, with grilling pan or even with a panini grill) and chopping it all up.

Ingredients
Medium size eggplant
Vadalia onion
Green bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Package of cherry tomatoes
1 box of penne pasta
1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette
Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Wash and prepare vegetables: Cut eggplant and onion in hamburger-like slices, quarter the peppers, and cut the squash and zucchini lengthwise in half;
2. On a medium hot grill (or other grilling appliance) spray some cooking oil and place the vegetables flattest side down;
3. Once the vegetables get a nice char, turn them over until another char develops and they begin to just soften from the cooking;
4. You may have to repeat the grilling process, depending on the size of your grill;
5. Set vegetables aside and let cool;
6. Cook the penne pasta according to the package instructions;
7. Slice the vegetables into bite size chunks and put them into a large mixing bowl;
8. When the pasta is al dente, remove from heat, strain and add to mixing bowl;
9. Add vinaigrette (more to taste, if desired);
10. Add Parmesan cheese to desired taste;
11. Let stand to room temperature or refrigerate to cool, mixing occasionally.

Japanese-Style Pork Cutlets

By Paul Briand

When you think of using a breading mixture in your recipes, rethink what you're thinking: Think panko.

Panko is a flaky bread crumb used a lot in Asian cooking. Since it's made without the bread crusts, it has a lighter almost airier texture to it.

I found this recipe on the back of the box of some panko bread crumbs I picked up at the market.

Ingredients
4 boneless pork loin chops
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cups panko bread crumbs

Directions
1. Pound the pork chops to about 1/4 inch thickness, trim off excess fat;
2. Coat each chop with flour, then dip into egg to moisten, then into panko to completely cover both sides;
3. In a large frying pan, pour oil about an inch deep and heat to 350 degrees;
4. Add each pork chop to hot oil and cook until brown, about two minutes;
5. Remove from oil and drain briefly on a paper towel before serving.

This particular recipe suggests cutting the pork in 1/2 inch diagonal strips then arranging on a salad made from shredded cabbage and tomato wedges, garnished with lemon juice and a steak sauce.

I served mine with a side salad and topped my chop with a Thai chili sauce.

Grilled Peppers and Onions

By Paul Briand

This is more about technique, and less about a recipe. It's an alternative to sautéing as way to prepare peppers and onions for addition to your spaghetti sauce and chili or as a topping or side dish.

Don't get me wrong, I love to sauté fresh vegetables using a bit of olive oil, then using them as part of a red sauce or chili. But, if you have the time, grilling the vegetables then cutting them up as an addition to your sauce or chili gives you a crunch and heartiness that really stands out in your recipe.

Here's a recipe I use for grilling peppers and onions, with the addition of some other ingredients that I use as a topping for hamburgers, tacos, burritos or as a side dish with sliced avocado or with guacamole.

To do this recipe you'll need a means to grill -- such as an outdoor grill or even that panini maker you hardly ever use. I use a wonderful grilling skillet, a gift from daughter.

Ingredients
1 sweet onion
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers
2 cloves of garlic
2 baby carrots
Lime juice
Cilantro
Black pepper

Directions
1. Peel and cut the onion into quarter inch slices, as you would if you were going to use them as a burger topping;
2. Clear the green and yellow peppers of seeds and membrane and cut into quarters;
3. Over a medium hot grill, sprayed with a little olive oil, grill the onion and peppers, just enough to get a little bit of a char on both sides. They should be just barely limp;
4. Remove to a cutting board and slice into bite size pieces, set aside in a mixing bowl;
5. Add two whole cloves of garlic to the grill and cook 30 seconds on each side (easier with a grilling skillet than your outdoor grill);
6. Remove garlic to cutting board and mince, set aside in mixing bowl;
7. Dice the red peppers from the jar and add to the mixing bowl;
8. Julienne the baby carrots and add to the mixing bowl;
9. Add lime juice, cilantro and pepper to taste and mix together;
10. Let stand for 15 minutes, then serve.

Mexican Lasagna

By Paul Briand

If you are a recipe hound as I am, you clip or print out your finds and toss them into a book or binder.

Then, in search of inspiration for a meal, you go digging through your recipe book like an archeologist digging through layers of sand.

I went digging the other day and found this recipe for a Rachel Ray Mexican Lasagna. It was one I hadn't made, dating back to October 2009 when I originally printed it out from the FoodNetwork.com.

It's a bit of a variation on the Taco Lasagna recipe that I posted in November of last year.

This is much more like pasta lasagna with lots of gooey layers. With the use of the tortillas this lasagna layers up really well.

A couple of notes: I substituted the red onion with a sweet onion. That's just a personal bias that I don't like to cook with red onion because I think it can be too overpowering at times.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Salt
8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack
2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees;
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes.
3. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.
4. Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.