Every couple of months or so, my mother-in-law Irene, the Greatest Home Cook in the World, visits us. She and her husband Marvin never arrive without the Blue Cooler. And in that cooler they carry, along with Irene’s special cereal, Marvin’s buttermilk and a few tasty leftovers from their fridge, the ingredients for the dinners Irene has planned for us during her stay. These are often supplemented with items bought by us from the short shopping lists that Irene phones up ahead of time.
I long ago gave up feeling insulted that Irene feels the need to bring food along or plan the meals for her visit with us. I love her cooking too much, and just enjoy both their company and their food. Every once in a while I do put my foot down and insist that she let us feed her, but mostly I just join in and chow down. And what better treat than to walk in the door from work at the end of a long day, and find Iene in the kitchen, Marvin and my husband Paul setting the table, the kids happy and the smell of garlic in the air? If there is a heaven for working mothers, this is it.
This particular night, my in-laws were headed to see “The Odd Couple” with my kids, so dinner was “a quick meal”. Shrimp salad like no shrimp salad I’ve ever had before, and a test run of the latest macaroni and cheese recipe from the NY Times, served with garlic bread. (Susan, no comments please, you’re just jealous you weren’t here to eat it.)
Irene’s Shrimp Louis Salad
This recipe is based on the classic Crab Louis Salad, the origins of which are not entirely agreed upon, but which seems to have been created sometime at the turn of the 20th century in a restaurant on the West Coast. Some say it is named after King Louis XIV who was known for his enormous appetite. It is always pronounced Loo-ey. (Let’s sing it together, shall we? Louie, Louie…)
Irene uses Trader Joe’s frozen shrimp, which are really delicious. She keeps them in her freezer at all times. (One of these days, I will do a post about her two, count ’em 2, kitchen freezers and what’s in them… ) The amounts and proportions of ingredients will really depend on how many people you are serving and what you like, but do keep her proportions of the shrimp and celery, and obviously the dressing and artichoke recipes are made as written.
Ingredients
Shredded romaine lettuce
1 ½ pound cooked shrimp, cut into bite sized pieces
3 stalks crisp celery, cut up
Some sliced scallions
Louis Dressing (recipe follows)
Marinated artichoke hearts (recipe below)
Cherry tomatoes
A few hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters
Black olives
Cucumber, peeled and sliced
Red onion, slivered (salted or not, your preference)
Slices avocado
Lemon or lime wedges
Toss the shrimp and celery together with just enough Louis dressing to hold it together, really just a little. (You’ll serve more dressing on the side late, so keep it light at this point.)
Plate the lettuce on a large serving platter. Heap the shrimp salad in the middle. Arrange everything else prettily. Scatter scallions atop everything. Serve with lemon wedges and Louis dressing on the side.
Irene’s Louis Dressing
1/3 cup French vinaigrette Dressing (Made using the ingredients below)
– 1 ½ tbsp Dijon
– 1 tbsp Worcestershire
– 1 tbsp honey
– ¼ cup olive oil
– salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup chili sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup sweet India relish
1 tbsp minced scallions
Mix well.
Irene’s Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Trader Joes again, this time a bag of their frozen artichoke hearts. (Manhattanites, take heart – a Trader Joes is coming to Union Square, finally!)
Put artichokes in just enough water to cover, with some chopped garlic and a little olive oil. Simmer till most of the water is evaporated and artichokes are tender. Add 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp champagne vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cool before using.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese (adapted from the NY Times)
Julia Moskin wrote a really nice article in the NY Times recently about her search for the ideal mac and cheese recipe. This was one of the ones she made. Some minor changes were made for this meal. Irene left out the butter and the extra cheese for the top, and baked it in a 9 by 12 glass baking dish instead of a smaller pan as called for in the original recipe. This change in pans results in lots of the crispy top and bottom of macaroni and cheese that is my favorite part of the dish. It was still quite rich, and I’m going to make it myself sometime soon using a little less cheese.
1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9×12 inch glass pan.
2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Reserve ¼ cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Category: Food
