The Ash Creek Papers

Liu Xiang, the great scholar during the Han Dynasty wrote: “You can’t deny the change in seasons.”  And so it is when we move from frigid days of Winter, we make a necessary sojourn to the intermediate period of Spring, before continuing apace toward the heat drenched days Summer. For me nothing shouts Spring better than a crayfish boil!  The little beasts are in season now and I have found a terrific source for provisioning out the necessary fare for staging the feast.  Cajun Grocer in Louisiana will ship you 10lbs of live “mud bugs” (premium select jumbo purged) overnight for $67.50, special seasonings included! And they arrive in perfect condition – almost ready for the stock pot (instructions included advise additional purging before cooking – this is a bit of a pain in the ass, and time consuming… and as you would suspect, adds delay to digging in!).

Although this type of chow down is best done outdoors… on the back deck, table covered with newspaper and with the cooked crayfish plopped in a substantial heap center stage.  Connecticut weather did not cooperate this past Friday, so I moved the venue to our kitchen table.

Regardless of where you set the feast, the perfect wine to enjoy is a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc.  And due to the protracted nature of the experience, you must have several bottles at the ready!  Eating crayfish is a labor intensive activity.  A lot of effort is expended to extract a small amount of tail meat (a tiny amount relative to a Maine lobster!).  But on the positive side, time slows, the enjoyment is extended as you eat, drink and talk your way thru a splendid repast.  It doesn’t get any better!  Eat a couple of tails, a sip of Sauv Blanc, tell a story… repeat numerous times.  Yes, numerous. The stories, too! (My favorite line from Ellen: “Jim could talk a blue bird out of a tree.”)

Two alternate suggestions on the wine side… Rosé from Provence or Albariño from Spain.

 Maison Idiart Touraine  Sauvignon Blanc ’15 (Loire,France)
Touraine is the “smart buy” for Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire… located just west of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, producing wine with the same scent and flavor profile but without the higher ticket price!  The wine displays an array of aromas gooseberry, lime, lemongrass, apricot and Passion fruit. Alive and fresh on the palate with excellent ripe fruit with a clean, clear finish. It has superb crystalline aciditybalanced by the richness of the superb 2015 vintage.  Flavor with freshness and restraint – it is what makes Loire Valley Sauvignon Blancs so good, and it is what makes the Idiart Touraine “sing.”

THE WOODBURY CRAYFISH BOIL

Ingredients

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 Blue Cheese stuffed Olives
10lbs live crayfish
½ pack seasonings (provided from Cajun Grocer)
1 sack small red potatoes
2 stalks celery
3 ears of corn (cut into thirds)
6 assorted sausages

Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Follow directions about purging the live crayfish.  Put enough water in a stock pot to cover the crayfish, add seasonings and bring water to a boil.

3. Add the corn, potatoes, celery and sausages to the stock pot, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Remove contents to a platter and tent with foil.

4. Bring stock pot back to a boil and chuck in the live crayfish.  Cook 5 minutes.  Take off heat, let sit for 10 minutes. Add to the platter… bring to the table.

5. Take a sip of wine, tell a joke… tuck in!

n.b.
If there is more than one person eating, multiply the ingredients accordingly (just kidding!). Given the “sides” included to the boil this recipe should do well for 4 folks. I used andouille, chorizo and bratwurst sausages. But anything goes.

Here is the link to the Cajun Grocer:
http://www.cajungrocer.com/fresh-foods-crawfish-live-c-1_15_19.html

Oh, one more thing… Liu Xiang is indeed a great scholar from the Han Dynasty; but I made up the quote.

 

March is clearly a “tweener” month in New England.  Daylight savings returns, suggestions of spring are beginning to emerge from a winter’s slumber, yet an angry snow storm can lurk around the corner.  And such is the case this year with a possible nor’easter set to belt us on Sunday/Monday (even though the daffodils and crocuses are well on their upward paths). So I was looking for another “one dish comfort food” before closing the door on casserole season.  Beef Lombardi is a relatively new dish, created in the 1990s by a caterer from Cleveland, Mississippi and it has become a staple dish in the South.  Chef & Food Writer Diane Unger referred to Beef Lombardi as “Stroganoff meets Tex-Mex”.  OK, I’m in.

For wine I’m selecting a South African wine that I have recently tasted.  I wanted a wine that was full flavored, a shade on the rustic side… a wine to stand up to flavors of the dish.  “Country” food, “country” wine. And the Roodeberg hits the perfect pitch.  Other wines that would work: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Crozes-Hermitage, Montsant from Spain or Bonarda from Mendoza.

KWV Roodeberg ’13 (Western Cape, SA)
A blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 12% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Tannat, 3% Tempranillo and 3% other.  Aged for 12 months in a combination of French and American Oak.  This famous red blend shows aromatic layers of plum, dark cherry and tobacco with undertones of wild strawberry on the nose. The palate is lively with nuances of dark chocolate, dried spice and aniseed, accompanied by the perfectly integrated tannin structure and a lingering finish.

BEEF LOMBARDI

Ingredients

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
A goodly amount of ice
1 tbs olive oil
1 lb 90% lean ground beef
 Salt & pepper
3 tbs tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 10oz cans of Ro-Tel Original diced tomatoes & green chilies, drained
12 oz (7¾ cups) wide egg noodles
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1¼ cups sour cream
1 tbs corn starch
4 scallions, sliced thin
8 oz Colby Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)

Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350°. Grease 13X9 baking dish.  Heat oil in 12” nonstick skillet over medium high heat ‘til just smoking.  Add beef, onion 1tsp pepper, 1 tsp salt and cook, breaking up pieces with a spoon ‘til beef is cooked thru, about 8 minutes.

3. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook ‘til fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in tomatoes and cook ‘til liquid as evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot.  Add noodles and 1 tbs salt and cook, stirring often, for just 3 minutes.  Reserve 2 cups of cooking water, then drain noodles.

5. Whisk sour cream, cream cheese, cornstarch, and ½ cup reserved cooking water together in now-empty pot ‘til smooth.  Stir in scallions, noodles, and remaining 1½ cups of cooking water and ¾ tsp of salt.

6. Spread noodle mixture in an even layer in prepared baking dish.  Spread beef mixture evenly over noodles.  Sprinkle Colby Jack cheese evenly over top.  Bake ‘til bubbling around the edges and cheese is spotty browned, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.

n.b. I used bison instead of the lean beef, and Cheddar Jack cheese instead of Colby Jack. Also note, the shortened time for cooking the noodles in the pot is not a mistake.  The noodles will finish cooking during the baking.  And last, the casserole can be assembled (minus the Colby Jack), cooled completely, and refrigerated a day ahead.  To serve, sprinkle on the cheese and increase baking time to 45 – 50 minutes.