Know Your Fire: Sizing it UP!

Fish markets sell shrimp according to size: colossal, large, medium, etc., but a more accurate way to judge the size of shrimp is to buy them by counting them: colossal, less than 10 to the pound; jumbo, 11 to 15 to the pound; extra large, 16 to 20 to the pound; large, 21 to 30 to the pound; medium,  31 to 35 to the pound; small, 36 to 45 to the pound, and miniature, 60 to 100 to the pound. 

Shrimp cooked in the shell has more flavor. If you can find shrimp in the market with the heads on go for it, they are fresh. And, for grilling best to use 21-30s or larger-- such as 16-20 to 11-15s. To make a real statement on the grill use U/15's Colossal, and U/10s Extra Colossal with the heads still on. BTW, U stands for under.

The nice part about today's post recipe is that just about any vegetable will go well with grilled shrimp, so use what you have on hand. Or, if you are heading to the market and you see good looking asparagus, that would be ideal at this time of the season to pair up with grilled shrimp.

Grilled Shrimp & Vegetable Salad

 Makes four servings 

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Marinade for Shrimp:

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

Juice from one lemon

2 teaspoons lite-soy sauce

1 Tablespoon honey

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Mix all ingredients for shrimp marinade and pour over shrimp. Marinate 5 minutes.

For the vegetables:

2 green squash, split and grilled 

2 large tomatoes, split and grilled

1 large sweet onion, cut into 4 pieces and grilled

4 Tablespoons olive oil 

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

juice of one lemon  

pinch sea salt

fresh ground black pepper 

Mix lemon, oil, thyme, pepper and salt with vegetables. 

Pre heat grill to a very high heat.

Grill vegetables on high heat until light brown and vegetables are tender.

Two minutes before vegetables are done place shrimp on grill.

Cook shrimp on hot grill and cook two minutes on each side, turning once. Baste the shrimp with any remaining marinade. Do not over cook.  Pink means done. Remove shrimp from grill and serve with grilled vegetables.

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Sunchokes

Aka, Jerusalem artichokes + the earth apple; a species of sunflower, native to North America. Italians refer to this plant as girasole, a possible fore runner of the name Jerusalem. 

sunchokes

Prepare as you would potatoes - roast, sauté, bake, boil or steam. Cook with or without the skin - scrub clean and leave it on for added nutritional benefit. Like an avacado or apple that oxidizes, after peeling or cutting, drop pieces into water with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Unlike potatoes, sunchokes can also be eaten raw as a crunchy addition to salads. They are also an excellent addition to stir frys, when sliced and added raw as a crisp substitute for water chestnuts.

Sunchokes contain vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium and are a very good source of iron. Sunchokes are very rich in inulin (not insulin), a carbohydrate linked with good intestinal health due to its probiotic properties. 

roasted sunchoke chips recipe

Sunchoke Chips Gremolata

Makes four servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle 

1 pound sunchokes, well scrubbed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

For Gremolata:

2 Tablespoons fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon, Lemon Zest

Mix all ingredients and sprinkle gremolata on roasted sunchokes.

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees F. 

In a heavy duty roasting pan big enough so sunchokes are on one layer and not crowded, mix sliced sunchokes, rosemary, olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender and golden. Turn sunchokes over with a spatula to allow top side to brown. When golden brown, remove and top with gremolata.

Serve with an optional Aioli.

___________

The technique with making an aïoli is to try and create an emulsion with the egg yolks supporting the liquid from the olive oil. Do not over pulse or pound the yolks and oil, don't add the oil too slow or too fast. This technique may take some trial and error. If done correctly  you will have a thick mayonnaise like sauce; or if the sauce is broken the oil will have separated from the yolks and will look more like a vinaigrette.

Classic Aïoli

Makes 1 1/2 cups

*8 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

Coarse sea salt

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

3 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon juice

couple drop of water

Fresh ground black pepper

Always use caution with raw eggs. And this sauce must be kept chilled after it is prepared. 

In a food processor or preferably a mortar pound the garlic cloves with pinch of sea salt and Dijon mustard until a thick paste forms. Add in the egg yolks and begin adding in the olive oil a few drops at a time with a fork or whisk. Continue to add the olive oil in a steady stream as the aioli begins to thicken. Stop and add a few drops of lemon juice, gradually add remaining olive oil and a few drops of water if the sauce becomes too thick. When all of the oil has been incorporated, season the aïoli with additional lemon juice, sea salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chilled. The aioli can be tightly covered and refrigerated overnight. 

* A classic aïoli is made with raw garlic but again I prefer usingcaramelized garlicin place of raw garlic which offers a much sweeter and nuttier taste.

Oscar and Thousand Island

Oscar Tschirky, maître d’hôtel of Delmonico’s Restaurant and the Waldorf Astoria in NYC is known as the creator of such popular classic dishes as Waldorf Salad, Veal Oscar, Eggs Benedict and Thousand Island Dressing. It may just be the name implies thousands of recipes - for this dressing, and rumors abound as to the true creator. I can assure you it was not Kraft or Wish-Bone though. This is the story I believe to be true or Oscar of The Waldorf has the best PR agency ever!

At the turn of the century, self-made multi-millionaire and hotel magnate George C. Boldt, (I have my own Thousand Island story, but it doesn’t involve dressing, so it will have to wait) owner of the New York City's Waldorf Astoria enjoyed vacationing in the 1000 Islands. Mr. Boldt and his wife Louise enjoyed this area of the St. Lawrence River region so much so that George had Boldt Castle built for his wife. Nice guy. He would entertain many wealthy friends and business associates on the island.  

Many times Oscar accompanied Mr. Boldt on his trips to the 1000 Islands and to George Boldt's Castle. On one trip aboard the yacht, Oscar improvised with the ingredients he had aboard the yacht, and concocted the dressing for which the region is now known for around the globe. Afterwards, Mr. Boldt started serving the dressing at his hotels.

So where are these islands of dressing fame? The 1000 Islands Region encompasses both sides of the US and Canadian border along the St. Lawrence River and the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. The region takes its name from the more than 1000 islands that dot the lake and river along this international waterway. The region extends from Kingston to Cornwall on the Canadian side, and from Oswego to Massena on the US side; reaching inland to the foothills of the Adirondack mountains to embrace the communities that are west and north of the Adirondack Park, and the four NY Counties of Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence.

The wide appeal of this dressing has gone far beyond elegant salads served aboard yachts on the St. Lawrence River. Burger joints have topped their meat patties for years with this special sauce - remember that jingle? Then there’s of course my preferred In-N-Out-Burgers, where all burgers come standard with Thousand Island dressing. BTW, a secret menu item called "Animal Style"; fries come with Thousand Island Dressing in addition to grilled onions and melted cheese. But when I hear Thousand Island Dressing I think of a dish with a little more of a classical take; like the topping on a Dungeness Crab or Shrimp Louis. I am sure that would make Oscar smile!  

Could this be Oscar’s classic Thousand Island Dressing Recipe? It just might be.

Take one cup mayonnaise dressing, mix, with one-half cup whipped cream, add small amount of Tarragon vinegar, one-half teaspoonful of Imperial Sauce, then chop one hard boiled egg, one green pepper, one pimento, one pinch chives, mix well together and squeeze the juice of one lemon before serving. This sauce can be served with any kind of salad."--Kansas City Star [Missouri], November 26, 1912

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Taste NBA All Star GameDay

Chef George supporting Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation's Soul Kitchen, "sharing the love"

Need a quick dish for Gameday? Try this flavorful winner, a burrito you'll hit net everytime!

Chef George's Winning BBQ Burrito

Barbecue Burrito

Makes 6 serving

chefgeorgehirsch.com | From Grilling with Chef George Hirsch cookbook

*2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs

1/4 cup Barbecue Chicken Burrito Rub

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups your favorite barbecue sauce

Twelve 10-inch flour tortillas

Season chicken with rub and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Pre heat grill to high.

Brush chicken with olive oil, place on grill and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Move the chicken to a cooler side of the grill and continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to cool for five minutes. Shred the meat, combine it with barbecue sauce in a small saucepan and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes on the grill or side burner.

To serve, place 3-4 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture in the center of each flour tortilla. Fold each side toward the center and roll up from the bottom. Place the burritos on a medium-hot grill and heat on both sides for a total of 1 to 2 minutes.

*Tip: Ideal to use left over chicken in place of grilling chicken

Chicken Burrito Rub, makes 1/3 cup

1 Tablespoon each sweet paprika, oregano, black pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, and lemon zest

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Store in a tightly covered jar.

Welsh Rarebit as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

This 18th century dish from Great Britain hales from Wales and is made with melted cheddar cheese sauce over toast. Think fondue-like only more of a pub-ish lunch; ideal and comforting during cold weather. 

Welsh Rarebit as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series

Making Rarebit

A béchamel or white sauce can be spiced up with a pinch of cayenne pepper, or hot sauce, 1/2 cup IPA (or another good ale), 1 teaspoon prepared English mustard, and pinch of paprika.

Finish the sauce off with 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese. Whisk in and simmer just until the cheese is melted. Serve a couple tablespoons of sauce over a slice of good white toast. Serve as is, or you may want to place the 'rarebit' under a broiler for 30 seconds to brown lightly. Top with chopped chives or green onion. I've also topped this with a slice of good ripe tomato + sweet onion. Enjoy.

Light Béchamel Recipe 

Makes 1/2 cup sauce

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series 

1 Tablespoon sweet butter

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup half & half (can use milk for a lighter version) 

In a small sauce pan over low heat add butter and flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. With a wire whisk add in milk and allow to simmer until slightly thickened.

If using béchamel for rarebit, continue adding ingredients as above and simmer for 5 minutes while continuing to stir.