Mr. Lesley Cooks

My Poor Fingers

Well, I have done it again...worked my fingers right down to the bone.  If  you take a look at The Shoppe at Flatwoods, you will see how I did it.  It's not a bad job, working for Lesley.  I even cut her sandwich in half (on the diagonal, of course) after I fixed her lunch yesterday.  But you should see what I get in return.

I did call Mom to tell her about the lamentable condition of my fingers.  "Don't get blood all over everything", was her response.  Maybe she was remembering that time I trimmed her fingernails a little too close.

How about a great joke:  Did I ever tell you about the time I was married to two women at the same time?  Wasn't that " big o' me"? 


You all deserve a really good recipe after that.

Shrimp stock

Shells from 2 lbs shrimp tails
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup mushroom trimmings
Sachet consisting of the following: 1 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns and 4 parsley stems
Cold water to cover – between 1 and 2 quarts.

Rinse the shrimp shells under cold running water and place them in a 1-gallon stockpot with the remaining ingredients. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer. Skim the impurities that rise to the surface with a ladle, spoon or a skimmer. Simmer the stock for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the stock is completed, strain the stockpot and immediately cool the stock using an ice bath of water and ice. Use the amount of stock you need, and refrigerate or freeze the rest.


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Tom

So You Think Your Dad Was Bad

My son, Phil, and I went shopping one day for clothes when he was about 15 or 16.  I don't remember what he got, but I bought this pair of red briefs.  I'm not sure why I did.  On the way home in the car, he was complaining about something to do with the awful tragedy of being a teenager.  I remember we were stopped for a traffic light at a busy intersection.  He seemed to go on and on, so I matter of factly opened up the pack and but the underwear on my head.

That sure got his attention.  As best I can recall, he was yelling, "Oh, God, Dad!!" as he was diving to the floorboard trying to crawl under the seat.  It was even better than when I used to take him with me at Christmas to help pick out some unmentionables for his mom.

You just can't beat the fun you can have with a  teenager.  Well, he liked these shrimp anyway.

Broiled Shrimp

If you can find large shrimp, broil them this Italian way and serve with lots of crusty Italian bread to mop up the sauce.

1-1/2 lbs. Large shrimp                 Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil                            1 tsp. Minced garlic
1 tbsp. Lemon juice                      1 tsp. Oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. Salt                                 1 tbsp. Finely chopped parsley

Remove the shell from the shrimp, except around the tail; leave that intact.  If there is a dark vein running just under the surface on the outside, scrape it out.  Mix all the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and add the shrimp to marinate for at least 1 hour, turning once or twice.  Preheat the broiler.  Place the shrimp in a large shallow pan with their marinade and broil close to the heat, about 3-4 minutes each side.

Sam’s Wholesale Club sells a 2 lb. Bag of uncooked shrimp that is peeled (except for the tail) and deveined.  I believe the bag costs about $14.00.

Tom

In a Hurry

We spent Sunday afternoon with Aunt Inez going over the history of my mother's family.  Aunt Inez talked (and we recorded) for four hours straight.  It was really interesting.  She asked me to do a little research on the family prior to my grandma's granddad.  One of our relatives had believed that may have been related to a distinguished branch that was filled with folks like Patrick Henry's first cousin and a lot of captains, colonels, and judges.

After looking through ancestory.com all day yesterday, I realized that we were a little plainer than that.  Although I was able to trace my great-grandma's family back to England, the most important relative I could find on my great granddad's family was a fellow named William Joseph Watkins, who fought as a private under Robert E Lee and was wounded in 1864.  That was good enough for me anyway.

After surfing all day, I realized I had run out of time to fix dinner.You know how sometimes you get tied up with something and all of a sudden it's time to eat and everyone looks at you?  Try this quick and easy meal.

Fillets of Sole à la Meuniere

Dip fillets of sole (or flounder) lightly in salted and peppered flour.  Melt butter in a heavy frying pan.  Put in the fillets and cook until delicately brown.  Squeeze a little lemon juice into the liquid in the pan and pour it over the fish.  Throw in some chopped fresh parsley if you've go it.  One pound serves 3.

Microwave Broccoli

Cut a bunch of broccoli up.  Include as much of the stem as you like.  I go for just a couple of inches.  Put the pieces in a microwave proof bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water.  Cover and nuke for about 5 minutes.  The time depends a lot on your microwave and the type of dish you use.  I use a plastic microwave vegetable cooking dish that has a top, and our microwave puts out 1100 watts.

After the real cooking time, let the broccoli rest for a couple of minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, melted butter and a little lemon juice.
 

Tom

Blackie

This November will mark the ninth anniversary of Lesley’s dad's death.  Blackie was a great guy, and I loved him.  There was never any doubt when he was around who was in charge. 

Lesley’s mom and dad spent a few days with us once.  He brought so much food that we had to empty our freezer to hold it all.  While he was here he reset all our clocks to the correct time as only he knew he could.  We all went down to the farmers’ market where he told people that he was from Louisiana and said, “Let me tell you all about peppers.” 

He built his own brick smoker and almost ever time he used it one of the neighbors would call the fire department.

We all miss him a lot.  Although I have a lot of his recipes, there were all SECRET, so I can’t share any of them here.  This one, however, does remind me of him.

Blackened Fish

Use Red Drum (Redfish), Tuna, Swordfish, Salmon, Grouper, Catfish, or Bluefish skinless and boneless fillets or steaks more than 1/2 inch thick.  Be prepared for more smoke than you ever thought possible.  Consider using earplugs to help with the sound of the smoke alarm. You might also want to warn the neighbors and the fire department, as well.  I opened all the kitchen windows and had the exhaust fan going strong when I fixed this the first time.  I couldn’t see anything for the smoke and found it kind of hard to breathe when I heard a gasping noise – it was one of the cats who had hidden underneath a bench in the kitchen and was choking.  Fortunately it was only a cat, so no real damage was done.  Lesley wants me to make sure that I say that the cat survived unscathed.

4 6-8 oz. fish fillets or steaks

1-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoon cayenne

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Put a cast iron or other heavy skillet on the stove on high for 5-10 minutes until it becomes dull and takes on a matte finish.  Combine the herbs, salt, and pepper thoroughly in a medium mixing bowl.  Coat the fish with half the olive oil.  Pat the herb mix on one side only of each piece of fish.  Take a deep breath and put the fish in the skillet herb side down for about 2 minutes.  Remove the fish and put it with the other side down in a nonstick frying pan with the rest of the olive oil on medium heat for 2-6 minutes until it is done enough for you.  Go outside from time to time and breathe.

Tom