Cilantro to me is just like parsley to Italians. It can be mixed into a dish or can be sprinkled on top of a cooked meal. People either fall in love with this tiny leafy greens or try everything they can to pick it out from every single bite. It's really a love and hate story. As for me, I love it with all my heart.
Stir fry shrimps with vegetables and a touch of cilantro -
Ingredients?
25 shrimps
25 grape tomatoes
8 button mushrooms
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
Some olive oil
Some sea salt
Some freshly ground black pepper
How?
Peel and devein the shrimps. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Halve the tomatoes. Quarter the mushrooms. Finely chop the cilantro.
Drizzle just enough olive oil onto a pan till evenly coat the bottom. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, add in sliced garlic and 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes. Turn to medium high heat.
Cook till the garlic aroma comes out, about 30 seconds. Remember to lower the heat if the garlic is about to get burned. You can turn the heat back up as soon as other ingredients are added to the pan.
So once the aroma comes out, toss in quartered mushrooms and season with a little bit more salt. Cook for about couple minutes -
Add in the tomatoes, about 1o seconds, toss in the shrimps. Once the shrimps are cooked, should be less than 2 minutes, toss in chopped cilantro. Give it a quick stir and you'll have a very aromatic stir fry shrimps -
I'm guessing..if you like parsley, you'll probably like cilantro too?
Cindy's Rating: 8
There's this cute cheese store located in the center of Beverly Hills. Luckily I was invited there for a small cheese tasting for four (thank you my dear friends).
Here's what we had on a Monday afternoon, I know, what a good life -
Meat section -
Maybe not so small after all with all that generous amount of cheese, wine,
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Undo
The whole idea behind this tasting is that the cheese store owner wanted to introduce some new items to our chef friend, among all is this olive-like ??? in the center -
Yes, I said "olive-like," obviously these are not olives,
Anyone want to take a guess?
....
......
.........peaches! Dwarf peaches!! Truffled dwarf peaches!!!
They had similar crunch as olives, but not as salty and perhaps the best parts of all - there is no pit in the middle.
On our way out, we grabbed some more bottles, a jar of dwarf peaches, and a can of tuna in oil -
Let's prolong this yummy tasting memory from a welcoming cheese store to my cozy home, with this -
Crostini with tuna, tomato, shallot, and dill -
Ingredients (for 8 slices of baguette)?
1 small baguette or 1/3 regular baguette
1 can of tuna in oil
1 ripe tomato (prefer more sourish kind)
1 shallot
2 threads of dill
Some olive oil
Some sea salt flakes
Some freshly ground black pepper
Some freshly squeezed lemon juice (if preferred)
How?
Cut the baguette diagonally to about 1/3 to 1/2 inch slices,
Evenly lay out the sliced baguette on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil on top. Into the oven and turn to high heat till the surface turns slightly brown. Once done, remove from heat and set aside for later use.
Drain out the oil from the tuna. Take a fork and gently break the tuna into smaller chunks -
Peel and chop the shallot into small pieces, dice the tomato into same size pieces, and finely chop the fresh dill.
Mix tuna, shallot, tomato, and dill,
Sprinkle some salt and pepper then give it a quick taste, see if more seasonings are needed. If you prefer more acidity, perhaps some freshly squeezed lemon juice would help.
Generously spread the mix over baked baguette -
Garnish with some fresh dill,
It'll be a very refreshing snack, perfect for weekend afternoon or serve as a party appetizer.
