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Appetizers – Page 2 – surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

Category: Appetizers

Appetizer [ap-i-tahy-zer], noun: a small portion of a food or drink served before or at the beginning of a meal to stimulate the desire to eat. These recipes will not contain dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat or hazelnuts. If we use a top 8 allergen, we will use a tag warning of its use.

  • Gluten-Free Vegan Tortillas and/or Pita Chips

    Gluten-Free Vegan Tortillas and/or Pita Chips

    Gluten-Free Vegan Tortillas
    Gluten-Free Vegan Tortillas
    Gluten-free Vegan Tortilla Chips
    Gluten-free Vegan Tortilla Chips

    Gluten-Free Vegan Tortillas and/or Pita Chips

    So you’re probably saying, ‘Denise, shouldn’t this be Gluten-Free Vegan Tortillas and Tortilla Chips, not Pita Chips’?  And yes, that would seem to make sense, except that the dough when baked tastes more like pita chips than tortilla chips.  If you baked or fried the tortillas after making them, maybe it’d be closer to tortilla chips, but I haven’t tried that yet. If you do, let us know.

    This dough was originally designed to be baked to be chips, so there’s oil in it.  However, I decided to just roll some out and cook it like a tortilla to see what happened.  I got a pliable tortilla, which I hadn’t been able to do with other gluten-free tortilla experiments. So it’s not the most traditional tortilla, but hey, for a wheat-free, dairy-free, corn-free tortilla, that doesn’t break in half when you bend it and I might actually be able to make soft tacos, fajitas, and enchiladas again, whatever, I’m sold.  Just as a note, whether you decide to make the chips or the tortillas, you’re going to need parchment paper. These need to be rolled out really, really thin.

    You all know that my style is normally to give you every step with a picture and then give you the recipe card at the end. But, I was in a hurry and didn’t take as many pictures as I should have, and it’s much harder to do with two recipes in one post.  So I’ll give you what I have for in-process photos, and then the recipe cards.

    So first, the in-process photos of the tortillas:

    Tortilla after being flipped on skillet from parchment paper
    Tortilla after being flipped on skillet from parchment paper
    Tortilla cooking on cast iron skillet
    Tortilla cooking on cast iron skillet
    Pliable tortilla! Yay!
    Pliable tortilla! Yay!

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    Gluten-Free Vegan Tortillas
    Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    5 Tortillas 15 minutes
    Cook Time
    2-3 minutes a side
    Servings Prep Time
    5 Tortillas 15 minutes
    Cook Time
    2-3 minutes a side
    Gluten-Free Vegan Tortillas
    Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    5 Tortillas 15 minutes
    Cook Time
    2-3 minutes a side
    Servings Prep Time
    5 Tortillas 15 minutes
    Cook Time
    2-3 minutes a side
    Ingredients
    • 1 15 ounce can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans (I used home canned. Save the aquafaba and freeze it for when you need it.)
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 cup olive or other safe-for-you oil
    • 1 cup glutinous rice flour (you’ll also need a bit extra for rolling out the dough)
    • cast iron skillet
    • blender
    • mixer
    • parchment paper
    Servings: Tortillas
    Instructions
    1. Place drained and rinsed garbanzo beans, the salt, and the olive oil into a blender, and blend until smooth. Place the mixture into a mixer and using the flat beater on medium low speed, slowly add the glutinous rice flour, beating until dough comes together.
    2. Using a piece of parchment paper dusted with some of the glutinous rice flour, roll out a portion of the dough about the size of an apple or to fit the size of your cast iron skillet, to a thickness of about an 1/8th of an inch.
    3. Place a cast iron skillet over medium low heat. When it is hot, use the parchment paper to transfer the tortilla to the skillet. Flip it onto the skillet and peel the parchment paper off. Cook the tortilla for 3-4 minutes each side or until it is golden brown.
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    Now, here’s what I have for the pita chips:

    Pita Chips just out of the oven
    Pita Chips just out of the oven
    Pita Chip thickness after baking
    Pita Chip thickness after baking

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    Gluten-Free Vegan Pita Chips
    Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    30-40 chips 15 minutes
    Cook Time
    25 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    30-40 chips 15 minutes
    Cook Time
    25 minutes
    Gluten-Free Vegan Pita Chips
    Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    30-40 chips 15 minutes
    Cook Time
    25 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    30-40 chips 15 minutes
    Cook Time
    25 minutes
    Ingredients
    • 1 15 ounce can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans (I used home canned. Save the aquafaba and freeze it for when you need it.)
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 cup olive or other safe-for-you oil
    • 1 cup glutinous rice flour (you’ll also need a bit extra for rolling out the dough)
    • baking sheet
    • blender
    • mixer
    • parchment paper
    Servings: chips
    Instructions
    1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
    2. Place drained and rinsed garbanzo beans, the salt, and the olive oil into a blender, and blend until smooth. Place the mixture into a mixer and using the flat beater on medium low speed, slowly add the glutinous rice flour, beating until dough comes together.
    3. You will need to do a couple of batches to bake all of the chips. Cover your baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Dust the parchment paper with some of the glutinous rice flour. Roll out about a third of the dough to a thickness of about an 1/8th of an inch, the thinner the better. Use a sharp knife to score lines through the dough the size you’d like your chips, being careful not to cut through the parchment paper.
    4. Place the baking sheet in your preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the chips are golden brown.
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    Enjoy!

  • Shrimp and Sausage Skewers

    Shrimp and Sausage Skewers

    Shrimp & Sausage Skewers
    Shrimp & Sausage Skewers

    I know we don’t normally feature shellfish at all, given that it’s one of the top 8 allergens, but neither Denise nor I are allergic. If you are, I’m sorry. Come back next week.

    This is a quick and easy appetizer that’s pretty impressive. The key here is finding good spicy andouille sausage. I like Leidy’s, which is safe for me. The spicy sausage just slightly infuses the shrimp with flavor, but it’s also a great contrast texture-wise. Basically, your time is spent putting together the skewers (and peeling the shrimp, if you buy it with the shell on). Otherwise, this is super simple. Try it out for your next party.


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    Sausage and Shrimp Skewers
    Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    4-6 people 10 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    10 minutes 10 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    4-6 people 10 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    10 minutes 10 minutes
    Sausage and Shrimp Skewers
    Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    4-6 people 10 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    10 minutes 10 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    4-6 people 10 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    10 minutes 10 minutes
    Ingredients
    • 1 pound 16/20 count shrimp raw, devined, peeled
    • package andouille sausage sliced into 1/4 inch slices
    • olive oil
    Servings: people
    Instructions
    1. Soak wooden skewers in water for about 15 minutes.
    2. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
    3. Thread skewers through shrimp and sausage so that sausage is in the curve of the shrimp and the skewer goes through the shrimp twice.
    4. Brush a baking tray with olive oil, and then brush the skewered shrimp.
    5. Bake 8-10 minutes, until shrimp is opaque and pink.
    6. You could serve this with cocktail sauce, but the flavor the the sausage and shrimp should be enough. Add a pinch of salt at the end if you need it.
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  • Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites

    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites

     

    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites
    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites

    I’d write something eloquent about this, but doesn’t the recipe title tell you everything? My friend Corinne of spare cake made these for me a few years ago, and my guess is that she didn’t make the recipe up. It’s not even much of a recipe — just an amazing technique that you need to know for your next gathering (or blizzard day in).

    If your allergies prevent you from eating commercial bacon or frozen tater tots, fear not. We have you covered with DIY bacon and a few versions of potato bites. (If you are making your own, I’d suggest cooking the tots about half way through before wrapping them in bacon).

    Enjoy.


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    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites
    Print Recipe
    This is a great appetizer for the next sporting event or movie night or other gathering where clean fingers aren’t a priority (so do not make this for a gaming night!). Plan on maybe a half-dozen potato bites per person, fewer if you have other hearty appetizers. I always cook some extra potatoes just because you can never have extra potatoes.
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 15 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    30 minutes 30 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 15 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    30 minutes 30 minutes
    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites
    Print Recipe
    This is a great appetizer for the next sporting event or movie night or other gathering where clean fingers aren’t a priority (so do not make this for a gaming night!). Plan on maybe a half-dozen potato bites per person, fewer if you have other hearty appetizers. I always cook some extra potatoes just because you can never have extra potatoes.
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 15 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    30 minutes 30 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 15 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    30 minutes 30 minutes
    Ingredients
    • 12 strips bacon
    • 24 tater tots or potato bites check ingredients!
    Servings: people
    Instructions
    1. Pre-heat oven to 420ºF.
    2. Take frozen tots out of oven OR make and pre-bake DIY tater tots (bake for half the time in the recipe linked above).
    3. Line a sheet pan with slightly crumpled foil (this will act as a bit of a “rack” for the bacon). Lay strips of bacon out, close, but not touching or overlapping. Bake for about 10 minutes — bacon should start getting some color, but will not yet be crispy. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
    4. If using frozen tots that aren’t thawed yet (and most won’t in 10 minutes), bake for 10 minutes.
    5. When tots are cool enough to touch, wrap each tot in half a strip of bacon, overlapping on one side and stick a toothpick through the overlapped part and out the other side.
    6. Place back on baking sheet (not the greasy foil one!) and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until bacon is crisp and potatoes are cooked through (usually brown on the ends).
    7. Eat with dipping sauce of your choice. Ketchup is good, but cashew ranch would also be a good choice.
      Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites
    Recipe Notes

    420ºF

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  • White Bean Pizza Hummus

    White Bean Pizza Hummus
    White Bean Pizza Hummus

    Being allergic to foods that are staples of the Standard American Diet can mean that road trips are, well, a little sad. But not going on a road trip would be more sad. So thinking about road trips like setting out for the western frontier (or, in this case, Vermont, which is to the west) means that with a plan and a cooler (and a hotel chosen partly for the microwaves and mini-fridges in each room), means “yay! Road trip!” I admit that I really miss finding awesome, off-beat restaurants in new cities. Now, if I plan to eat out, I check ahead and carefully read menus. That’s hard to do when you don’t know where you’ll be for lunch. So, again, the cooler and the meal plan.

    Hummus is a great road trip food. I’m a little bored of chickpea hummus, the standard, and I had time (and a plan) to make my own. I was going to make a black bean hummus I’d forgotten about — but in planning the grand meal plan, I forgot to see if I had black beans in the house. Oops.

    I did have cannellini beans. And I have not yet killed my fresh herbs on the deck — I have chocolate mint, thyme, and oregano, and my neighbor is growing basil. Oregano and basil made me think of pizza, so I went that direction. Instead of tahini, I’ve used cashews, as I thought their more neutral flavor would be good with this combination. I think tahini would likely be okay (and make it nut-free), so if you make it that way, let us know in the comments how it turned out.

    White Bean Pizza Hummus
    White Bean Pizza Hummus

    White Bean Pizza Hummus

    • 1/4 cup raw cashew pieces (yes, you can use whole. The pieces are usually cheaper, though.)
    • 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic (more, up to 1 teaspoon, if you want a prominent garlic flavor. Roasted garlic would also be excellent here, but I’m currently out.)
    • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (Save the liquid!)
    • 5 large fresh basil leaves, rinsed
    • about 1 Tablespoon of fresh oregano leaves, rinsed
    • pinch of fennel seeds, crushed
    • 2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil, plus more to drizzle on top

    In a food processor fitted with the S-blade, add the cashews and puree. They will not quite turn into nut butter (you’d need a little oil), but let them go until they are almost there.

    Add the garlic and tomato paste and pulse it in.

    Add the beans and puree the mix.

    Add the basil, oregano, fennel seed, and olive oil and run until everything is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

    Transfer to a serving bowl or storage container and drizzle olive oil over the top — just a bit will help keep the hummus from drying out. Unlike in the photos, swirl it around so that it coats the top — I just wanted better photos, so I didn’t do that until I was done.

    Serve with crackers, chips, or veggies of your choice.

  • Chili Flavored Russet and Sweet Potato Chips

    Chili Flavored Sweet Potato Chips
    Chili Flavored Sweet Potato Chips
    Chili Flavored Russet Potato Chips
    Chili Flavored Russet Potato Chips

    I’ve been meaning to fry stuff for sometime, because I miss fried food and the last time Mary Kate and I had a fry-a-palooza was this past Thanksgiving. And I wanted potato chips. I tried a recipe where you baked them, but it took two hours of prep, and seriously, I can fry them faster than that, with less aggravation. This is one of those recipes where having good tools helps. I used a mandoline to slice the russet potato and sweet potato, and I used a Thermopop thermometer to keep track of the temperature of the oil.  Also, I used a cast iron wok to fry in, because I like it and it uses less oil, but you can use a regular skillet or stock pot if you use enough oil.

    Chili Flavored Russet and Sweet Potato Chips:

    Serves 1 (let’s be realistic about this…I ate them all in 10 minutes).

    • 1 Russet Potato, sliced extremely thin
    • 1 Sweet Potato, sliced extremely thin
    • a pinch of DIY Chili Powder
    • a pinch of salt
    • safe oil for frying enough to fill the pot about 3 to 4 inches deep

    For the frying:

    • A pot deep enough to accommodate about 3 inches of oil and the frying thermometer, a thick stainless steel stock pot or an enameled dutch oven would be best, although I used a cast iron wok and just fried less chips at a time. You also want a pot that’s tall enough that the edge is 4 or more inches above the oil level. It’s safer and there’s less splatter all around. We do not recommend using anything with Teflon or nonstick coatings. Of course, if you have an actual deep fryer appliance, use that.
    • frying thermometer (but you can’t use this one with a wok, in case you planned use a wok instead, I used this one and just stuck it in the oil periodically to check.)
    • tongs and/or slotted frying spoon/spider  (we used a silicone one rather than the traditional wire and bamboo, but I can’t find a picture of ours)
    • plate or cookie sheet, lined with paper towels

    Set up your frying pot, add your safe oil, and set up your thermometer. Start heating your oil over medium heat, as it will take some time to reach the right temperature.  You are aiming for about 380ºF.

    I used a mandoline, shown below, to slice my potatoes, but you can slice them with a knife if your knife skills are that good.

    Mandoline
    Mandoline

    The slices of your Russet potato will be wet and starchy. Place them in a bowl and water and agitate them a bit to rinse the starch off.

    Rinsing off the starch from the Russet potato slices
    Rinsing off the starch from the Russet potato slices

    Place the rinsed slices in between the folds of a clean kitchen towel to dry them off.

    Rinsed slices on clean kitchen towel
    Rinsed slices on clean kitchen towel
    Fold towel over slices to dry both sides
    Fold towel over slices to dry both sides

    The sweet potato slices should be dry enough after slicing as there is less water content than a Russet potato.

    Sweet Potato Slices
    Sweet Potato Slices

    When the oil temperature is 380°F, carefully add some of the potato slices to the pot. You don’t want to overcrowd them.

    Russet Potato frying
    Russet Potato frying
    Sweet Potato frying
    Sweet Potato frying

    Fry the potatoes, turning them occasionally with tongs until they are golden brown. They should be fried a bit darker in color than normal potato chips so that they are crispy. The mandoline does not quite cut the potatoes as thinly as a commercial potato chip, and in order to get some crisp, you need to cook them a little longer. The potatoes will start to wave and distort when they are close. if the potato chip seems pretty flat still, keep frying a bit.  When the potato slices are fried, place them on the plate or cookie sheet lined with paper towels to drain.

    Sweet Potato Chips
    Sweet Potato Chips
    Russet Potato Chips
    Russet Potato Chips

    Once the chips have cooled a little, place them in a bowl and sprinkle the salt and chili powder on them to taste and toss them a bit to coat them and distribute the seasoning.

    Chili Flavored Sweet Potato Chips
    Chili Flavored Sweet Potato Chips
    Chili Flavored Russet Potato Chips
    Chili Flavored Russet Potato Chips

    Enjoy!

  • Beef Satay – Gluten-free with Soy-free option

    Beef Satay - Gluten-free with Soy-free option
    Beef Satay – Gluten-free with Soy-free option

    I used to order chicken satay all the time, before the chicken and corn allergies reared their ugly heads. Since I can’t have chicken, and I’ve been craving satay, I decided to try the beef version to see if that would get rid of the craving, which it did. It was so yummy. If you can have chicken, try it with chicken too and let me know how it was, so I can live through you vicariously. If you have a soy allergy (I don’t), try this with Mary Kate’s Soy-Free, gluten-free “Tamari Sauce” and let us know how it worked out for you.

    Beef Satay – Gluten-free with Soy-free option

    • 1 to 2 pound flank steak

    Beef Satay Marinade:

    • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
    • 1 small onion, peeled and diced roughly (it’s going in the blender or food processor, so don’t stress over it)
    • 1 Tablespoon of Sriracha (use a safe version for you, I ferment my own at home, since I don’t have a safe version)
    • 3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce (I do well with San-J Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce, the alcohol is from cane sugar not corn, but if you can’t use soy, try Mary Kate’s recipe for a Soy-Free, gluten-free “Tamari Sauce” )
    • 4 Tablespoons of a safe oil for you (I used grape seed and olive oil because I ran out of grape seed in the middle)
    • 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon of dried lemongrass (if you’ve got fresh, use it, but it’s often hard to get here)
    • 1 1/2 Tablespoons of ground coriander
    • 2 Tablespoons of ground turmeric

    Equipment:

    • food processor or blender
    • a baking rack
    • a sheet pan safe for the broiler
    • bamboo skewers (optional)
    • food safe and safe for you food prep gloves – you’ll need them to put the beef on skewers or you’ll have really yellow fingers as turmeric stains, which is a vast understatement.

    Place all the marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender, and puree them into oblivion. They should be the consistency of a smoothie when you’re finished.

    Beef Satay marinade pureed into oblivion
    Beef Satay marinade pureed into oblivion

    Cut your flank steak across the grain into long strips about an inch and a half wide, as these will end up going onto skewers. Place the flank steak and the marinade into a zip top bag, making sure that the marinade covers all pieces of the flank, and squeezing out any air.

    Beef Satay marinating in a zip top bag
    Beef Satay marinating in a zip top bag

    Marinate overnight, or at least 4-5 hours. When I made them, I marinated them in the morning for that evening’s dinner. I’d say that they marinated for about 10 to 11 hours and that worked fine.

    If you’re using the bamboo skewers, it’d be a really good idea to soak them in water for an hour or two before cooking them. I soaked them for about 15 minutes and it was clearly not enough time, as some of the sticks charred and burned a bit (okay, a lot).

    Once your flank steak is finished marinating, turn on your oven’s broiler and let it heat up. I put the oven rack in the top-most position, but you may need to move it down one depending on the height of your baking rack and baking sheet. Place the baking rack on the baking sheet, and put on your food safe prep gloves. Over a surface that won’t stain, or you don’t care if it stains (I used a cutting board), slide the strips of beef on to the skewers and put them on the rack.

    Flank steak skewered but before cooking
    Flank steak skewered but before cooking

    When you have skewered all the beef strips, place the baking sheet in the oven and broil for 5 minutes, or until you see some crispy bits and then flip the skewers over, and broil on the other side for 5 minutes. It make take more or less time depending on how hot your oven is, or how thick your flank steak is, but you’re looking for an internal temperature of 135°F for medium rare if you’ve got a thermometer.

    Beef Satay after broiling
    Beef Satay after broiling

    It make take more or less time depending on how hot your oven is, or how thick your flank steak is, but you’re looking for an internal temperature of 135°F for medium rare if you’ve got a thermometer.

    Beef Satay - Gluten-free with Soy-free option
    Beef Satay – Gluten-free with Soy-free option

    Enjoy!

     

     

     

  • Summer Mango Salsa

    Summer Mango Salsa
    Summer Mango Salsa

    Apparently it’s mango season. In browsing the grocery store flyers looking for inspiration, I noticed that two of our three chains had mangoes on sale. I’ve never eaten a mango before, but I’ve had mango juice and liked it. So I thought I’d give it a try. Why not, right?

    According to the Mango Board, mangoes are ripe when they give a little under a gentle squeeze — like avocados. As I said on Friday, it’s really worth your time to watch the video before deciding you know how to cut a mango. You can make it a lot harder than it needs to be (I sure did), but mangoes are sweet and tropical and taste like summer. If your “spring” as been like ours in New England, you need a reminder that warmer weather is coming. Tropical mango flavor helps.

    “Salsa” generally conjures up tomatoes, but fruit salsas are pretty amazing and seem to have a better, brighter balance of flavors for certain main dish meals. (And yes, I know that biologically tomatoes are  a fruit, but US law says they are vegetables). Salsa isn’t the quickest thing ever, but the work that goes in pays amazing dividends in flavor.

    This salsa is fine with chips, but if you want to really highlight it, serve it over a meal. Things I think would work well with the summer mango salsa:

    • Shrimp and rice, if you can do shellfish (this was my choice)
    • Chicken, pork, or fish, if any of those work for you
    • Black beans and rice

    Let us know what you try so that, if it’s good, we can copy you. I have a feeling I’ll be making this a few more times, and I’d love some new ideas for what to serve it over.

    Summer Mango Salsa
    Summer Mango Salsa

    Summer Mango Salsa

    • 1/2 of a sweet onion, finely diced (this should be between 1/3 and 1/2 cup — adjust according to your love for onion)
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 Tablespoons lime juice (I wanted to give you a measurement, but I’ve had to use everything from 2 whole limes to 1/2 a lime to get 2T. It varies widely. I always buy limes in pairs, for whatever reason.)
    • 1 serrano pepper (buy a size commensurate with your love of spice), stem, seeds, and inner membranes removed, diced very finely
    • 1 mango, cut into small cubes
    • 1 avocado, cut into small cubes
    • 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

    The order of the ingredients above is deliberate. I love onion in my salsa, but I don’t like it too strong. If you chop it first and then let it marinate in the lime juice while you fight with the mango, it mellows out a bit. I’m assuming that the acid “cooks” the onions a bit, as it does for fish in ceviche. If you’re a better food scientist than I am, I’d love to know if this is true; it could just be the power of suggestion.

    For the best flavor profile, you want the onions and the chile diced very finely, as finely as you can manage, and the mango and avocado a good bit chunkier (but still, not too big). The onion and chile go into the lime juice first. The mango next, and last the avocado — the avocado will break down the more you stir it, and I like it pretty well intact.

    Basically, chop everything up and mix it together in a bowl. This is a very fresh salsa, and it doesn’t need much time to meld — half an hour at room temperature seems to be enough, although it is great the next day. I doubt it would last all that much longer, but I’ve made it a few times now and I’ve yet to test that.

    Enjoy your plate of summer.

  • Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)

     

    Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)
    Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)

     

    Have I ever said how much I love Thai food? And that my first date with my husband was at a Thai place?  Because of the corn, wheat, and coconut allergies, going out for Thai food really isn’t an option anymore. And I miss it, very much. I used to order this appetizer often in the long, long ago before food allergies, and when Mary Kate and I talked about doing a Fry-Day for Thanksgiving this year, I decided to give it a shot. I was very happy. I may have even teared up because it was just like our local Thai joint’s version.

    Tod Mun:

    Makes about 10-15 or so.

    Cucumber Salad/Dipping Sauce:

    • 1 cup of Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce
    • 1 cucumber peeled and diced
    • 1 cup of cashews, toasted in a skillet or roasted in the oven (If you can have peanuts, use roasted peanuts. If you can’t have nuts, just leave them out.)

    Tod Mun:

    • 1 pound of Haddock (or other mild white fish, such as Pollock or Halibut)
    • 5 ounces of uncooked shrimp, peeled and tail off.
    • 2 Tablespoons of Thai Red Curry Paste (If you can use a commercial version, great, but if not, here’s a recipe for it.)
    • 1 Tablespoon of safe for you fish sauce (If you don’t have one you can leave it out).
    • 1 bunch of scallions, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
    • 1 chia egg (1 Tablespoon of ground or milled chia seed mixed with 3 Tablespoons of water)
    • safe oil for frying enough to fill the pot about 3 to 4 inches deep

    For the frying:

    • A pot deep enough to accommodate about 3 inches of oil and the frying thermometer, a thick stainless steel stock pot or an enameled dutch oven would be best. You also want a pot that’s tall enough that the edge is 4 or more inches above the oil level. It’s safer and there’s less splatter all around. We do not recommend using anything with Teflon or nonstick coatings. Of course, if you have an actual deep fryer appliance, use that.
    • frying thermometer (the link goes to the one we used)
    • tongs and/or slotted frying spoon/spider  (we used a silicone one rather than the traditional wire and bamboo, but I can’t find a picture of ours)
    • plate or cookie sheet, lined with paper towels

    Set up your frying pot, add your safe oil, and set up your thermometer. Start heating your oil over medium heat, as it will take some time to reach the right temperature.  You are aiming for about 350ºF.

    Chop your toasted/or roasted cashews and place them in a bowl. Add your your peeled and diced cucumber and the Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce, and mix well to combine.  Set aside.

    Cucumber Salad/Dipping Sauce
    Cucumber Salad/Dipping Sauce

    Chop the haddock into pieces small enough to put in your food processor.  Place the haddock and the shrimp in a food processor with the regular cutting blade and process until the haddock and shrimp forms a smooth paste. Empty the mixture into a large mixing bowl, making sure you scrape down all the sides of the food processor bowl carefully.  Also, wash your food processor parts immediately. You really don’t want the fish mixture to dry to your food processor bowl, cover and blade.

    Mix in the Thai Red Curry Paste and fish sauce, until well combined. Then add the scallions and chia egg, and mix thoroughly.

    Tod Mun mixture before frying
    Tod Mun mixture before frying

    Once your oil is hot and has reached 350ºF.  Use two large spoons to form a rough patty, and drop it into the oil. Depending on the size of your pot, you may only be able to do a few at a time. I had a 10 quart stockpot and I was only able to do about five at time.

    Use large spoons to make rough patties
    Use large spoons to make rough patties

    Fry them for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.. Place them to drain on the paper towels.

    Fried Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)
    Fried Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)
    Fried Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)
    Fried Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)

    Once you have fried all of them, serve them with the cucumber salad/dipping sauce.

    Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)
    Tod Mun (Thai Fish Cakes)

     

    Enjoy!