Hear me!   Touch me!   Feel me!   I am not a liver fan. 

As a matter of fact, it is one of the few foods that goes on my never eat list.  My husband loved liver and always asked me to make it.  (I never did!)   It was one of the few reasons we went to Piccadilly for several months in a row each and every Wednesday.  Liver and onions on Wednesday.  Well that and the fact that it was right next door to the hospital where we were taking birthing classes anticipating the Queen’s arrival.   Because The Queen loved to push the tray down the long row of silver bars to the black forest cake, we continued this tradition albeit it monthly or so.  And, Bill continued his tradition of liver and onions.  One evening The Queen asked her dad what he was eating and asked if she could have a bite. 

I literally had to sit on my hands to stop myself from covering her mouth and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from shouting out a resounding NOOOOooooooo as the piece of liver touched her tongue.  I swear it is because she smelled it during my pregnancy!  She liked it.  Hey Mikey!  

So I was less than thrilled to see the Daring Cooks Challenge (yes I am this late posting) about pates.  Liver.  Yuck.   Poo.  I’m not gonna do it.  But then I saw that I could do a vegetarian version so onward ho.  We also had to make a yeast bread.  Fortunately, we were in the middle of a bread making workshop and Todd, my hero, made me this french bread!  It is crunchy and chewy and dense and beautiful and is a perfect marriage for this pate.  One of the ladies in class said we might as well rename it crack bread because it was so addicting!

This may or may not be a pate in the true sense of the word but it is all combined together, processed and molded that I am calling it that.  Besides this is my blog and I can call it whatever the heck I want.  : )

MUSHROOM PATE

2 ounces mixed dried mushrooms

1 lb mixed fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

2 tsp garlic, chopped

1/2 tbsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 cup nuts

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tbsp minced fresh parsleya

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water to soften, about 15 minutes.  Squeeze mushrooms and coarsely chop.  Coarsely chop fresh mushrooms.

In large pan, melt butter.  Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, curry and cumin.  Stir until liquid is evaporated, about 8 minutes.

Chop nuts in food processor until finely ground.  Add oil and mix until a paste is formed.  Add mushroom mixture and mix until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish with parsley.

Mound in a bowl or in a plastic lined mold and serve with crackers or baguette slices.

It was our turn to host the monthly poker game.  The fare “before Todd and I” was pizza and beer.  The fare is now, hopefully, a far cry better.  Some nights it is still pizza as I use this group of great friends as guinea pigs for recipes I am testing for upcoming classes.  They always humor me and eat whatever I cook with a smile on their faces when I know there are silent wishes for the “before Todd and I” days when they could just order pizza and know that dinner was going to be edible.    We used to just cook and eat.  Now that there is Doable and Delicious, we cook, photograph and then, finally, eat. 

This week was a double whammy as I was testing recipe for an Island Style Mon class as well as completing the Daring Cooks challenge.  Shhh.  That is double top secret so you will have to tune in on the 27th for the second part of tonight’s experiment.  

I was running short on time so Todd made Jamaican Beef Dumplings as an appetizer.  It is quick to put together and was happily eaten by everyone.  As we have been together for a few years now, I can pretty much tell when there is silent grousing or obvious enjoyment.  These fall under the latter category.

Jamaican Beef Dumplings  from Gourmet Magazine, May 2009

1/2 cup finely chopped scallion

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 pound ground beef

2 tbsp fine dry bread crumbs

siracha sauce

wonton or gyoza wrappers

oil for cooking and frying

Cook scallion, onion, curry powder, thyme, salt and pepper in 1 1/2 tbsp oil over medium heat until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add ground beef and bread crumbs and cook until meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Add siracha and allow to cool. 

Put a teaspoon in the center of a wonton wrapper.  Brush edges of wrappers with water, fold in half and press to seal. 

Heat 1 inch oil to 350.  Fry dumplings, turning a couple of times, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Serve with additional siracha sauce if desired.

We had a last minute cancellation for a class and I found myself with about a dozen scallops and a handful of shrimp.   I don’t like to adulterate scallops too much and oftentimes just pan sear them to enjoy their sweet goodness.  But I just wasn’t in the mood.    So I started rummaging around both in my head and the fridge for inspiration.  I found a chipotle chili in adobo sitting next to the mayonnaise which got me thinking about a spicy mayonnaise.  Easy enough.  Chop up the chipotle, add a bit of salt and spicy mayonnaise is done.  I grabbed a few staples …. shallot, egg and heavy cream.  I rough chopped the shallots, shrimp and scallops and tossed them with the egg, 2 tbsp of heavy cream and a liberal pinch of salt and pepper.  I added about 1/4 cup of panko to the mix and shaped them into little cakes.  They were a bit soft so I added more panko to a plate and lightly coated the cakes with more panko.  A quick fry in a saute pan and these babies were born.

I wouldn’t recommend them for a big affair as I think they would get soggy but they would be perfect for a small group and they sure were a tasty use for those leftover seafood tidbits. 

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 chipotle in adobo, chopped

1 1/2 cups seafood (I used shrimp and scallops), coarsely chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 egg

2 tbsp heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup panko, more or less

Sometimes the Quirky Calendar can be a stretch.  Okay, so most days the QC can be a stretch.  And I have absolutely no idea why it cracks me up or why I sit and try to find ways to make it work.  My life is already full enough.  Truly it is.  Yet, here I go again.  Ides.  Days.  Latin for half division (of a month).   Not much help in the food department.  March.  Not much different than April or May.  But the Ides of March conjures up Julius Caesar which conjures up Caesar Salad.  Hmmm.   What else can be written about caesar salad?  While I love a good one,  we’ve moved on.   But a walk down memory lane with a today feel is what I offer here. 

It’s got all the elements of the ubiquitious salad:  parmesan cheese, anchovies, lemon juice, croutons and romaine.  We’re todaying it with rice paper!  

CAESAR SALAD SPRING ROLLS adapted from Fine Cooking

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp minced anchovies

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup crustless bread cut into very small cubes

8 rice paper wrappers

16 slices thinly sliced prosciutto

8 romaine lettuce leaves, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips

Whisk together mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, anchovies and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Preheat oven to 350.  Toast bread cubes until firm.  

Pour some water into a large shallow dish.  Submerge 1 rice paper round in water until just beginning to soften, about 30 seconds.  (DO NOT LEAVE SUBMERGED TOO LONG)  Lay rice paper on cutting board.  Add thin layer of prosciutto to cover most of rice paper.  Place 1/8 of lettuce down center.  Tightly roll into cylinder.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.  Repeat with remaining rounds. 

SERVICE:  Remove plastic and slice each roll into three pieces.  Stand upright.  Top with dressing and croutons.

Linked to Magazine Mondays at Cream Puffs in Venice.