Food Friday - Crispy Calamari

CRISPY CALAMARI

One of the things that my hb and I enjoy doing together is try different cuisine and try new restaurants in and around our town. Our old time fave appetizer is Crispy Calamari. We've seen calamari prepared in lots of different ways, and this one is from Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse & Bars. It's really yummy.

Scallion Pancakes with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Whenever I go to Oriental store, I always buy scallions because they are usually a bargain at three big bunches for a buck. I use them in just about any dish like omelettes, fried rice, soup, sauces and many more. There is one good Chinese resto that we frequent where I always order their delish scallion pancakes. So I thought I should try making them since I've got tons of scallions in my chiller all the time.

There are a lot of recipes you can find in the net though, but I chose this recipe of Ming Tsai because I find it easier to make. Ming Tsai is also one of my fave chefs from Food TV Network who also owns Blue Ginger resto in the Boston suburb of Wellesley, MA where we've been several times already.

SCALLION PANCAKES WITH GINGER DIPPING SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup canola oil
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup ginger dipping sauce, recipe to follow

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, sift flour. Slowly add water in a steady stream while mixing with a wooden spoon. Keep adding water until a ball is formed. With the same procedure one can use a food processor with a metal blade. Let ball of dough relax for about 30 minutes and cover with damp cloth.
2. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a thin rectangle. Brush an oil mixture, cover with scallion and season with salt and pepper.
3. Carefully roll dough like a spone cake. Cut into 4 pieces. Take one piece and twist 3 times. Make a spiral out of this and roll again and flatten to achieve a 5 to 6 inch pancake.
4. In a hot non-stick pan, coat with canola oil and pan sear both sides until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

GINGER DIPPING SAUCE
1/4 cup thin soy sauce
1/4 cup Chinese chinkiang vinegar (I used regular white vinegar)
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
Combine all ingredients

Yield - Makes 4 servings

Crabmeat Cucumber Rounds

Here's another easy and refreshing appetizer that I got from Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade in Food TV Network. Bite-size cucumber rounds topped with very tasty crabmeat is a welcome change to our usual chips appetizer. This was one of the appetizers I served during our Christmas get-together with friends.

CRABMEAT CUCUMBER ROUNDS

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Worcesterchire sauce
1 can (4.25 oz) crabmeat, drained
1/2 large unpeeled English hothouse cucumber, cut crosswise into 16 thin slices (1/4" thick)
8 pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard, and Worcesterchire sauce. Stir in crabmeat (be sure to drain all liquid from canned crabmeat). Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Arrange cucumber slices in a single layer on a serving tray. Spoon 1 Tbsp of crabmeat mixture onto each cucumer slice. Garnish with olive slices and serve.

Bacon-Wrapped Artichoke Hearts

This is a very simple appetizer that I served during our Christmas Party with friends. Anything you wrap with bacon will surely taste good. I already tried bacon-wrapped mushrooms and bacon-wrapped scallops in the past and I thought of trying artichoke hearts this time for new flavor.

BACON-WRAPPED ARTICHOKE HEARTS

INGREDIENTS
1 jar (12-ounce) marinated artichoke heart quarters
9 slices bacon, cut in half

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 deg. F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drain artichoke heart quarters, reserving liquid.
2. Wrap each artichoke heart quarter with a half-slice bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
3. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle with reserved liquid from artichokes. Roast in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.

Kielbasa In Raspberry Preserve Sauce

This is a very hearty appetizer that is so easy to prepare. You just need 4 links of Kielbasa either beef or turkey, sliced into bite pieces and 3 jars of 18 oz Red Raspberry Preserve. Just mix the two ingredients in a crock pot (slow cooker) and cook on high for 4 hours, and you're done! You may think it might be too sweet of an appetizer, but it will have a tangy bite as the saltiness of the kielbasa and the sweetness of the preserve marry together.

Baked Shrimps With Ritz Crackers Crumbs

Here's another easy recipe for you. The original recipe calls for scallops, and since scallops are very pricey, I substituted shrimps. I keep a big pack of medium shrimps in my freezer so I have them handy when I need to stir-fry veggies with shrimps or cook Mung Beans with Shrimps instead of pork (Ginisang Monggo). This dish smells really good while baking in the oven, you can not resist to eat them right after baking. Everything really tastes and smells good with butter!

BAKED SHRIMPS WITH RITZ CRACKERS CRUMBS

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Shrimps, deveined and pat dry
6 tbsp butter, melted and divided
10 pcs Ritz Crackers
salt and pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

PROCEDURE:
1. Preheat oven to 375 deg. F
2. Put Ritz crackers in a ziplock bag and crush into crumbs, set aside.
3. Pour half of the butter on the shrimps and stir to coat.
4. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
5. Arrange the shrimps in a shallow buttered casserole.
6. Cover with Ritz crackers crumbs.
7. Pour rest of the butter over crumbs
8. Bake for 15 minutes.