Summer Crab Fettucine

My new favorite crab fettucine dish that is lighter than the one I listed previously. Ingredients are aproximate, I just invented & threw this together a couple times when we were given some whole crabs and I want to be sure to remember what I did.

Summer Crab Fettucine

serves 2

As much fresh dungeness crab as you have or can afford, picked out of the shell

1 cup of heavy cream

1 lemon

parmesan

2-3 roma tomatoes

6 kalamata olives, pitted

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 clove garlic

olive oil

Start cooking the pasta immediately because this dish comes together fast.

Core & take the seeds/pulp out of the roma tomatoes. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces & place in a bowl. Slice kalamata olives in half and add to tomatoes. Roll several basil leaves lengthwise and slice the opposite direction into very fine strips. (rolling them just makes it easier to cut evenly) Add shredded basil to the bowl, sprinkle with a little salt, drizzle with a little olive oil and add a finely minced or pressed garlic clove. (garlic optional) Stir everything together.

In a 12 inch frying pan, warm the heavy cream over medium heat. Add the crabmeat and heat Zest the lemon into the cream & crab mixture & remove from heat.

Pour crab/cream mixture over pasta & top with some of the the tomato mixture. Drizzle generously with lemon juice, scatter some fresh ground pepper & toss on some parmesan in a carefree manner. Enjoy with a glass of white wine.

Grilled Fajitas

This has been a favorite this summer, its quick and is all done on the grill.

Grilled Steak Fajitas

From "America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook"
serves two

1 lb Flank Steak
2 red bell peppers
1 large sweet onion
1 Avacado, scooped out & sliced
1 Lime
1 package tortilas
Sour cream & salsa (optional)
Cheddar cheese (optional)

Latin Spice Rub (makes enough to coat 2 lbs flank steak)
2 T cumin
2 T chili powder
1 T coriander
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine spice rub ingredients and generously rub on all sides of the flank steak. Slice onion through the "equator" into 1/2 inch thick rings. Keep the slices together and carefully thread horizontally onto a skewer so that the skewer keeps all the rings together. You should fit about 2 slices per skewer. Brush with vegetable oil

Cut the top & bottom off the bell peppers. Pull out the core & seeds, then make one cut lengthwise. Carefully flatten the pepper so you have one flat long piece of bell pepper. Brush with vegetable oil.

Heat grill to medium high & grill veggies & meat for aprox 10 minutes or until cooked through. The bell pepper will blacken some which is ok.

Slice the flank steak and drizzle with lime juice. Warm tortillas briefly on the grill and serve with grilled onions, peppers, steak & avacado slices.

Kari's Red Curry

After many tries, I finally figured out how to make a Thai red curry that we love. Be sure to check out an Asian import store for the ingredients, they are so much cheaper there than at a normal grocery store. ($.99 for coconut milk vs. $2.39 at haggens) I like the one attached to Hong Kong Garden on Meridian in Bellingham.

Kari's Tropical Red Chicken Curry

Aprox 4 Tbs Thai red curry paste - to taste (I like the Maesri brand - less than $1 a can)
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 sweet potato
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, sliced in 1/4" thick strips
1 tsp sugar
3 kaffir lime leaves torn into thirds (optional - find them frozen in import stores)
2 Tbs fish sauce
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 red bell pepper cut into thin (1/4 inch) slices
Fresh basil (optional)
Cooked Rice for serving

Peel & chop sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes. Pour 1/2 of the coconut milk, the chicken broth, 2 Tbs of the red curry paste and the sweet potato into a saucepan or wok over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft, smooth & creamy. (it will soften & be the texture of a regular potato at first - keep cooking it) If the liquid gets too thick, add some extra chicken broth.

Add chicken, sugar, lime leaves, fish sauce, and the remainder of the coconut milk & curry paste. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the pineapple, red pepper and basil, stir & let them warm for a minute or so. Serve over rice.