Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Annie's Appetizer and Prawn-Stuffed Mushrooms

ANNIE'S APPETIZER

1 1/2 lbs. freshwater prawns, shelled

Prepare water with salt and liquid crab boil to taste. Bring to a boil. Add prawns to boiling water and cook large prawns for ONLY
3 MINUTES for large prawns. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Drain and immediately immerse in ice water to cool. Chop prawns and
reserve several for garnish. Cover and refrigerate until ready to combine with other ingredients.

1 large bell pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 or 2 small cans sliced black olives, drained
1 (8 oz.) pkg. grated Mozzarella cheese
1 (12 oz.) jar cocktail sauce (we like the Heinz spicy if it is available – if not, you can add some horseradish according to taste)
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. Cream cheese, softened (use lower fat if desired)
4 tablespoons sour cream (use more if needed to make cream cheese easy to dip
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Stir together cream cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire, lemon juice, red pepper and garlic.
Combine green pepper, onions, olives, cheese and chopped prawns in a separate bowl. Add about 1/3 to the cream cheese mixture.
Distribute evenly over platter.
Spread cocktail sauce over cream cheese.
Top with remaining cream cheese mixture and whole prawns for garnish.

Serve with Ritz or the cracker of your choice.



LAUREN FARMS ROMANO & PRAWN STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1 lb. freshwater prawns, shelled, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces

40 large, fresh mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (use low fat if desired)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4-6 drops hot sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese - divided
White wine

Saute’ prawns in a small amount of olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Add a small amount of salt or seasoned salt while cooking. Prawns do not need to be cooked completely as they will finish cooking in the oven. Chop into bite-sized pieces. Do not overcook!

Set cleaned mushroom caps aside. Combine cream cheese, ½ cup cheese, Worcestershire, hot sauce andgarlic powder and mix well. Add prawns and mix. Spoon into mushroom caps. Sprinkle with white wineand remaining Romano cheese.

Place stuffed mushrooms in a lightly greased baking pan. (Mushrooms can be covered and chilled 2-3
hours.) Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Recipe can be easily halved. Freezes well.

Note: Mushrooms are best when just wiped clean with a paper towel.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Catfish Filet Sandwiches with Red Firecracker Sauce

For the catfish:
4 3- 5 ounce U.S. Farm-Raised catfish fillets, frozen
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil
For the Red Firecracker Sauce:
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
4 soft sandwich rolls
Lettuce leaves, alfalfa sprouts, or coleslaw
8 slices ripe avocado
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices red onion
4 teaspoons sour cream or plain yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. To prepare the catfish, place the frozen catfish fillets in a baking pan large enough
to hold them in a single layer. Sprinkle with oregano and season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the fillets with olive oil. Bake about 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when
tested with a fork. Cool. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the sauce. The catfish can
be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

3. To prepare the red firecracker sauce, place lime or lemon juice and mustard in a non-
corrosive medium bowl. Using a wire whisk, mix until smooth. Whisk in chili powder,
cumin, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Gradually whisk in olive oil until it forms
a smooth, slightly thickened sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set
aside. The sauce can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. (If the sauce separates, whisk
until blended.)

4. Cut the cooked fillets in half and coat each piece with some of the sauce. Spread a little
of the sauce on the bottom of each roll and cover them with lettuce leaves or sprouts or
coleslaw. Place two pieces of the dressed fillets on top of the greens on each roll. Place
avocado slices on top and season with salt and pepper. Place red onion slices on top of
the avocado and add a small dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Top with other half of the
roll. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.

Variations:
The sandwich is delicious made with warm or hot catfish fillets.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Bang Bang Prawns

So delicious! A fun twist on the version found at Bonefish Restaurant.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
3 drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (or to taste)
1 pound shelled and deveined Lauren Farms prawns
Dry cornstarch
Kosher salt to taste
oil for frying
lettuce
chopped scallions

Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. Dredge the prawns in cornstarch and salt. Deep fat fry the prawns until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions.