Cooking Irish can also be found on Pinterest and PETITCHEF.
After sleeping 13 hours, we got up and looked forward to a restful day at the beach. Mediterranean beaches are not like our Florida or California beaches. Besides the sun being so much hotter, beach etiquette is nonexistent. You risk getting stepped on constantly by bathers walking to the water, by frisbee players jumping, or by kids tossing a beach ball. Sand is flying everywhere. Israeli children throw sand at bathers for sport. The parents say nothing. Older boys and men play some form of paddle ball. It is dangerous trying to get to the water for they play with wooden paddles and hard balls that hit anyone as he or she tries to make it to the shore. The men leer at will with no subtlety. For part of the day we could not go into the water to cool off for the red flag was posted. First the waves were too high, and then the undertow was dangerous. Bathers were saying a boy drowned. You also risked life and limb if you tried to get any refreshment. Europeans and Asians have a word for lining up--a queue, but I don't know why since it is anathema to them. Americans seem to be the only people who understand the concept of an orderly line. Whether trying to start to ski in the Alps or get food at a beach or get into a movie complex, it is a fight to the death. You have to accept you are going to get elbowed and stepped on and yelled at.
We stayed from 9 AM to 4 PM which we found out was much too long in those intense rays. We were all burned, felt nauseous, dizzy, and tired. When we walked back to our hotel, I left the key in the outside door, and the door locked from the inside, and we could not get out.
Erin saved the day by climbing out the bathroom window onto the roof and retrieving the key. We had pizza and went to sleep. I woke up and found my face wet from blisters popping with my face swollen. For the next few days I had the most beautiful tan. Then the skin on my face started to develop lines all over. I know what I would look like if I live to be 120. If I was playing a wicked witch in a film or play, no makeup artist would be needed. Then the lines cracked, and my face peeled. What an experience. And we used full sunblock. Of course, this was in 1985 so the products were not as advanced.
That was the last day I wrote in my journal. We left the next day for London. We stayed a few days in London and then flew home on British Airways to JFK. I remember when we reached the airport and got off the plane, I wanted to kiss the ground. I was so happy to be home after such a long time living in Europe. Erin and Eli even commented on how everyone seemed so happy in New York. It is such a different atmosphere. Most people are just so much more somber in Europe and Asia and Africa. Our cultures are so fundamentally different. It was so nice to be home and hear laughter and see smiles. Our adventure was over, but we had a lifetime of memories. Erin went to Ireland for the summer the next year by herself, and I went back the year after that by myself. Eli has never been back. Though he has since traveled to Europe, I think Ireland was not his favorite place.
These are more photos of our holiday in Israel in July of 1985. These are not on the Mediterranean but at the Dead Sea.
Erin and Eli met a friend while floating in the saline water.
Erin and Eli in the Dead Sea
And once more I must credit my favorite experts on the hors d'oeuvres. All these recipes are found in Hors D'Oeuvres published in 1999 by A D K Publishing, Inc.® and written by Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell.
Chinese spoons are readily available online. Numerous websites offer the white porcelain variety sold separately for finer quality spoons and in large quantity for lesser quality spoons. I have a large number of the nicer heavy porcelain spoons to service a large cocktail party buying periodically in smaller quantities to fit my budget.
NILE CHINESE SPOON HORS D’OEUVRES
Photo of the fragrant coconut saffron shrimp in spoons from Hors D'oeurvres by EricTreuillle and Victoria Blashford-Snell
FRAGRANT COCONUT SAFFRON SHRIMP IN SPOONS [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
20 medium shrimp, peeled and
1 lemon grass stalk
1 shallot, finely chopped
½ inch piece of ginger, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Pinch of ground coriander
Pinch of saffron
1 tbsp. of sunflower oil
1/3 cup of coconut milk
¼ cup of salt
¼ cup of pepper
Essential Equipment:
20 white chinese porcelain spoons [Spoons that sit well on a flat service and are easy to pick up work well with this recipe.]
Preparation:
With a small, sharp knife, cut each shrimp almost in half lengthwise, leaving the tail end attached. [ I always remove the tails even though they do make for a nicer presentation. You decide what is your preference. I don’t like my guests to have to discard the tails at a party.] Remove and discard the tough outer skin from the lemon grass and finely chop. In a non-metallic bowl, toss the lemon grass, shallots, ginger, garlic, coriander, saffron, sunflower oil, and shrimp together to coat each shrimp well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Remove shrimp and place the lemon grass mixture into a pan over low heat. Cook gently, stirring until fragrant, 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and simmer gently until they turn pink and lose their transparency, 3 minutes. Arrange one shrimp in each spoon. Drizzle sauce over each. Serve warm.
Photo of the soba noodles with sesame vinaigrette in spoons from Hors D'oeurvres by EricTreuillle and Victoria Blashford-Snell
SOBA NOODLES WITH SESAME GINGER VINAIGRETTE IN SPOONS [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
½ lb. of soba noodles
1 tbsp. of pickled ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp. of chinese hot chili sauce
4 tbsp. of rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp. of dark soy sauce
4 tbsp. of sesame oil
6 tbsp. of sunflower oil
2 tbsp. of sesame seeds for garnish
Essential Equipment:
20 white chinese porcelain spoons [Spoons that sit well on a flat service and are easy to pick up work well with this recipe.]
Preparation:
Bring a pan of water to a boil over medium heat and add the noodles. When the water returns to a boil, add one cup of cold water. Continue cooking until the water returns to a boil. Repeat this process 1 or 2 times until the noodles are tender to the bite, 5 to 7 minutes. [Adding cold water to the noodles as they cook checks over vigorous boiling to ensure that the noodles cook evenly.] Drain and cool noodles in cold water. Leave in the colander for five minutes to drain well. Combine the noodles, ginger, chili sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sunflower oil and stir to coat the noodles well. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over low heat until nutty and golden, 3 minutes. Divide noodles into 20 equal portions. Twirl each noodle portion around a fork to make a nest. Transfer to spoons. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.
Tips:
Cook and dress noodles in vinaigrette up to one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Return to room temperature before serving.
After sleeping 13 hours, we got up and looked forward to a restful day at the beach. Mediterranean beaches are not like our Florida or California beaches. Besides the sun being so much hotter, beach etiquette is nonexistent. You risk getting stepped on constantly by bathers walking to the water, by frisbee players jumping, or by kids tossing a beach ball. Sand is flying everywhere. Israeli children throw sand at bathers for sport. The parents say nothing. Older boys and men play some form of paddle ball. It is dangerous trying to get to the water for they play with wooden paddles and hard balls that hit anyone as he or she tries to make it to the shore. The men leer at will with no subtlety. For part of the day we could not go into the water to cool off for the red flag was posted. First the waves were too high, and then the undertow was dangerous. Bathers were saying a boy drowned. You also risked life and limb if you tried to get any refreshment. Europeans and Asians have a word for lining up--a queue, but I don't know why since it is anathema to them. Americans seem to be the only people who understand the concept of an orderly line. Whether trying to start to ski in the Alps or get food at a beach or get into a movie complex, it is a fight to the death. You have to accept you are going to get elbowed and stepped on and yelled at.
We stayed from 9 AM to 4 PM which we found out was much too long in those intense rays. We were all burned, felt nauseous, dizzy, and tired. When we walked back to our hotel, I left the key in the outside door, and the door locked from the inside, and we could not get out.
Erin saved the day by climbing out the bathroom window onto the roof and retrieving the key. We had pizza and went to sleep. I woke up and found my face wet from blisters popping with my face swollen. For the next few days I had the most beautiful tan. Then the skin on my face started to develop lines all over. I know what I would look like if I live to be 120. If I was playing a wicked witch in a film or play, no makeup artist would be needed. Then the lines cracked, and my face peeled. What an experience. And we used full sunblock. Of course, this was in 1985 so the products were not as advanced.
That was the last day I wrote in my journal. We left the next day for London. We stayed a few days in London and then flew home on British Airways to JFK. I remember when we reached the airport and got off the plane, I wanted to kiss the ground. I was so happy to be home after such a long time living in Europe. Erin and Eli even commented on how everyone seemed so happy in New York. It is such a different atmosphere. Most people are just so much more somber in Europe and Asia and Africa. Our cultures are so fundamentally different. It was so nice to be home and hear laughter and see smiles. Our adventure was over, but we had a lifetime of memories. Erin went to Ireland for the summer the next year by herself, and I went back the year after that by myself. Eli has never been back. Though he has since traveled to Europe, I think Ireland was not his favorite place.
These are more photos of our holiday in Israel in July of 1985. These are not on the Mediterranean but at the Dead Sea.
Erin and Eli met a friend while floating in the saline water.
Erin and Eli in the Dead Sea
And once more I must credit my favorite experts on the hors d'oeuvres. All these recipes are found in Hors D'Oeuvres published in 1999 by A D K Publishing, Inc.® and written by Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell.
Chinese spoons are readily available online. Numerous websites offer the white porcelain variety sold separately for finer quality spoons and in large quantity for lesser quality spoons. I have a large number of the nicer heavy porcelain spoons to service a large cocktail party buying periodically in smaller quantities to fit my budget.
NILE CHINESE SPOON HORS D’OEUVRES
Photo of the fragrant coconut saffron shrimp in spoons from Hors D'oeurvres by EricTreuillle and Victoria Blashford-Snell
FRAGRANT COCONUT SAFFRON SHRIMP IN SPOONS [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
20 medium shrimp, peeled and
1 lemon grass stalk
1 shallot, finely chopped
½ inch piece of ginger, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Pinch of ground coriander
Pinch of saffron
1 tbsp. of sunflower oil
1/3 cup of coconut milk
¼ cup of salt
¼ cup of pepper
Essential Equipment:
20 white chinese porcelain spoons [Spoons that sit well on a flat service and are easy to pick up work well with this recipe.]
Preparation:
With a small, sharp knife, cut each shrimp almost in half lengthwise, leaving the tail end attached. [ I always remove the tails even though they do make for a nicer presentation. You decide what is your preference. I don’t like my guests to have to discard the tails at a party.] Remove and discard the tough outer skin from the lemon grass and finely chop. In a non-metallic bowl, toss the lemon grass, shallots, ginger, garlic, coriander, saffron, sunflower oil, and shrimp together to coat each shrimp well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Remove shrimp and place the lemon grass mixture into a pan over low heat. Cook gently, stirring until fragrant, 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and simmer gently until they turn pink and lose their transparency, 3 minutes. Arrange one shrimp in each spoon. Drizzle sauce over each. Serve warm.
Photo of the soba noodles with sesame vinaigrette in spoons from Hors D'oeurvres by EricTreuillle and Victoria Blashford-Snell
SOBA NOODLES WITH SESAME GINGER VINAIGRETTE IN SPOONS [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
½ lb. of soba noodles
1 tbsp. of pickled ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp. of chinese hot chili sauce
4 tbsp. of rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp. of dark soy sauce
4 tbsp. of sesame oil
6 tbsp. of sunflower oil
2 tbsp. of sesame seeds for garnish
Essential Equipment:
20 white chinese porcelain spoons [Spoons that sit well on a flat service and are easy to pick up work well with this recipe.]
Preparation:
Bring a pan of water to a boil over medium heat and add the noodles. When the water returns to a boil, add one cup of cold water. Continue cooking until the water returns to a boil. Repeat this process 1 or 2 times until the noodles are tender to the bite, 5 to 7 minutes. [Adding cold water to the noodles as they cook checks over vigorous boiling to ensure that the noodles cook evenly.] Drain and cool noodles in cold water. Leave in the colander for five minutes to drain well. Combine the noodles, ginger, chili sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sunflower oil and stir to coat the noodles well. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over low heat until nutty and golden, 3 minutes. Divide noodles into 20 equal portions. Twirl each noodle portion around a fork to make a nest. Transfer to spoons. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.
Tips:
Cook and dress noodles in vinaigrette up to one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Return to room temperature before serving.
No comments:
Post a Comment