Laksa Shrimp and Grits

Laksa Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp and grits inspired Laksa, a spicy Malaysian coconut stew. The grits are cooked in coconut milk and topped with shrimp in a homemade laksa paste.

Onion Cranberry Pecan Baked Brie

Onion Cranberry Pecan Baked Brie

Ingredients2 Large Onions (diced) 1 Habanero (minced) 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries (minced) 1/3 Cup Pecans (chopped) 2 Tablespoon Butter1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar1 Wheel BrieBagel Chips Preparation: 10 minCooking: 1 h 15 minReady in: 1 h 25 min InstructionsCook the onions with 1 tablespoon of butter on medium low until browned, about 45 minutes.Add in the…

Pesto Mashed Potato with Corn Zucchini Pork Hash

Pesto Mashed Potato with Corn Zucchini Pork Hash

I had some leftover pesto but it was only basil hazelnut and garlic, there was no cheese in it. I was brainstorming on how to repurpose the pesto, and because of the lack of cheese I was thinking of going Asian with it. Basil with a nut made me think that a vaguely Thai dish would work. I was thinking of mixing the pesto with some rice noodles at first and maybe popping some pork I had in the freezer on top, but when I was at the store, I was persuaded by the fresh summer corn and zucchini, and some really tasty looking potatoes. I ended up mixing the pesto in with mashed potato, and topping it with a mixture of the pork, corn, and zucchini dressed with some sriracha and fish sauce. It all came out fantastic, summery, and bright, and somehow light yet hearty and filling.

Squid and Sausage Fusilli

Squid and Sausage Fusilli

Seafood and sausage is always a tasty pairing. After playing around with squid cooking times and noticing that it can be tender after 3 minutes or 40 minutes, but nowhere in between, I really wanted to make a hearty tomato sauce with chopped up squid that was cooked slow and low. I decided to mix in sausage, but otherwise make it like a normal tomato sauce. I loved how this came out. The squid had a perfect texture that was super tender with just a slight rubbery bite that gave the whole dish a nice chew. The flavor combo of tomato sausage and squid with a little banana pepper thrown in is really something special and some chopped up hazelnut and meyer lemon zest on top brought everything together in a nice way.