One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar’s New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

Last month a favorite local foodie magazine called Sauce, published a delicious, spicy shrimp recipe that has climbed to the top five in our lengthy list of BBQ shrimp favorites. The creation of Chef Christopher Delgado of One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar in Kirkwood, MO, this recipe is unique in its inclusion of heavy cream. Adding cream to such a delicious and complexly flavored sauce is pure genius because it gives the sauce cling. Instead of remaining on the plate after the shrimp have been zealously consumed, it clings to each delicious bite. Shrimp served in this style is often paired with slices of crusty bread to mop up the sauce, but here it is unnecessary. I served it over rice making it more of a meal than tapas. Not a piece of shrimp, drop of sauce, or grain of rice remained, it is that good. Don't let the long list of ingredients deter you from giving it a try. It goes together quickly and easily, and is well worth every minute of your time. Paired with a salad of mixed greens and a good white wine, this would make an exceptional Christmas Eve dinner. 

One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar’s

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp 

Recipe by One 19 North’s Christopher Delgado, 

as appeared in Sauce Magazine, November 2013

 6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided 
Half a yellow onion, diced 
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika 
1 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning  
1 tsp. cayenne pepper 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
½ lb. butter, cubed 
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce  
1 lemon, sliced 
2 bay leaves 
¾ Tbsp. whole black peppercorns 
2 to 4 sprigs thyme 
1 to 2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped 
20 tail-on Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined, divided 
1 cup 40 percent heavy cream, divided 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
Chives, green onion or parsley, finely chopped, for garnish 

• In a 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the smoked paprika, Old Bay seasoning and cayenne pepper. Cook until fragrant. 

• Add the garlic, butter and Worcestershire sauce. Stir. Reduce heat to medium-low. 

• Make a bouquet garni by placing the sliced lemon, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme sprigs in a cheesecloth. Tie closed with butcher string. Place the bouquet garni into the sauce, reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

 
• Remove the sauce from heat, add the rosemary and let cool. Remove the bouquet garni and squeeze any remaining juices from the bouquet into the sauce. 

• In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Working in batches of 10, sear the shrimp in the oil for 20 seconds, then flip the shrimp and add a 2- to 3-ounce ladle of the sauce to the pan. Drizzle ½ cup of heavy cream over the shrimp and reduce heat to medium. Simmer the shrimp in the sauce 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp and place on a serving dish. Continue to simmer the sauce in the sauté pan until thickened, another 1½ minutes. Pour the thickened sauce over the cooked shrimp. 

• Repeat the above step with the remaining 10 shrimp. 

• Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with chives, green onion or parsley. Serve with slices of toasted ciabatta. 

One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar, 119 N. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, 314.821.4119

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Be Inspired Friday

Foodie Friday

Grow Your Own Leeks

As soon as I was old enough to pop a seed out of an orange and into the ground I became fascinated with gardening.  It was often to my mother’s dismay, as I had the windows and ledges in my bedroom full of little pots of dirt with various things growing in them.  The pots were small, so the cantaloupe vine, the pineapple top, the sprouted avocado, and the tiny little orange tree had no chance of bearing, but I stuck with them all the same.

When I moved into my own place the day after I graduated college I started digging an herb garden.  In the center of the garden I grew leeks.  Back then no one knew what a leek was, much less grew them, but they were easy to grow, heat tolerant, withstood my clay-like soil, and looked great in the center of my herb garden; I was the neighborhood pioneer!

I still grow them (thankfully they self-seed).  If you’ve ever found yourself shopping for them at the market and seen the high prices, you should consider growing them too.  They can be grown successfully from seed, but impatient gardener that I have become, I look for trays of leeks already sprouted, and well on their way.

I was thrilled to find these two six packs of leek plants when we went to historic Soulard Farmer's Market over the weekend. Those I planted years ago always come back, but I find myself using more and more with each passing season, and consequently needed to double my plantings. One of these six packs will go into the ground, the other into a container. 

If you’re a gardener and enjoy using leeks, I can’t encourage you enough to give them a try.  As with all homegrown vegetables, the fresh taste unsurpassable.

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 Seasonal Sunday

Iron Horse Steak Chili

Locally owned Sauce Magazine – the only independent culinary publication in St. Louis – has been one of my favorite food information sources since its inception in 1999.  Featuring articles, reviews, and interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, purveyors, mixologists, sommeliers, culinary innovators, and home cooking enthusiasts, it also contains a wide variety of interesting recipes.  A lover of chili from my youth, this months (November 2011) issue featured a recipe from Mile 277 Tap & Grill that called my name: Iron Horse Steak Chili.

I’ve made a lot of chili in my day, but surprisingly never made a variety containing stew meat, so I thought I’d give this a try.  I followed the directions as written, with one exception.  Since I’ve never known stew meat to tenderize in less than an hour this seemed off to me, so I made the entire recipe and then poured it into the Crockpot and cooked it on low for two hours and high for one hour.  Perfect!  The meat (that I cut into ¾-inch pieces) was tender and flavorful.  The mixture of spices was well suited to my taste; the ratio of tomatoes to beans to meat was just as it should be.  I will certainly make this again, but since old habits die hard, I’m going to try it with ground chuck rather than stew meat.  Who knows?  I may end up with chili perfection.

Iron Horse Steak Chili 
Courtesy of Mile 277’s 
Jason Tilford and Chris LaRocca 
2 lbs. beef stew meat 
1 small yellow onion, minced, plus ¼ cup minced for garnish 

¾ green pepper, minced 
1 jalapeño pepper, minced 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 10-oz. can diced tomato, including juices 
2 15-oz. cans kidney beans 
½ cup barbecue sauce, preferably Bull’s-Eye 
2 Tbsp. chili powder 
1/5 Tbsp. cayenne pepper 
1 Tbsp. ground cumin 
1 bay leaf 
1 cup beef broth 
Salt to taste 
Cheddar cheese to garnish 

In a large stockpot, cook the beef until browned and cooked through. Remove from the heat and drain half of the grease. Return the stockpot to the heat and, using remaining grease, sauté the onion, green pepper, jalapeño and garlic for 10 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients, except cheddar cheese and reserved ¼ cup minced onion. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, adjusting seasoning as needed.  Garnish each serving with grated cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of onion.

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Foodie Friday

"Le Coq" - A Rooster Tale

There is a Chickens & Roosters party going on at Note Songs blog today, so I thought I'd join in.  My entry is probably a bit different than most as I'm showcasing an event rather than an item, but since it does indeed surround a picture of a rooster, I thought it would fit right in.

Read on...

When people learn that I live in a house that is 119-years-old, one of the first things they ask, usually with a look of intense curiosity, is if it's haunted. I always hesitate before responding. I think the answer is a resounding "No!" and yet a number of strange incidents have occurred during our 16-year residency that defy explanation. One such event concerns this picture.

A particular favorite of mine, it hangs in the kitchen just over the door that leads into the dining room. It was rather late in the evening on the night before my annual Thanksgiving dinner many years ago, and I was busily working in the kitchen doing as much advance preparation on the meal as possible. My husband was seated at the counter in the kitchen with his back to the dining room door, so was unable to witness the strange phenomenon that occurred. I was stirring a large pot of leek and potato soup on the stove when I heard a sort of swishing noise. Swish...swish...swish. I turned to see what he was doing and immediately looked over his head. The picture was violently rocking from side to side, swinging back and forth on the nail on which it had been hung. The lower right corner swung way up to the right, and then back again bringing the lower left corner way up to the left. I stood gaping at it for a while, the hairs raising on the back of my neck. Before I could get the words out to my husband to turn and look, the picture stopped and leveled itself perfectly. That alone was strange since nothing in this house is level. I immediately ran upstairs to see if either of my boys were doing anything that might have caused this most unusual and, I might add, creepy occurrence. Christopher was quitely sprawled on his bed reading a Jeffery Deaver novel; Andrew was sitting in front of his TV blasting something on a video game. Neither one, they said, had done anything other than what they were currently doing for the past half hour or so.

It was a quiet night. There was no traffic on the street. No high winds were blowing, in fact there was no wind at all. The weather was cold but clear, so no thunder to rattle things hanging on the wall. There was simply no cause for the picture to move an inch, much less rock back and forth, and yet it did that one night, never before and never again.

I've never looked at it in quite the same manner since that night, and it took me a long while before I could even take it down to clean it. Occasionally while in the kitchen I'll glance at it over my shoulder, and I still get goosebumps when I do.


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Amaze Me Monday

Tornadoes of Beef? No, tornadoes of the EF4 Variety

Christmas.  That was the first thing I thought of after the sirens had ceased and we began the crawl up the narrow concrete steps from the cellar beneath our 119-year old house after the storm had passed.  Christmas.  The neighbor's 40' fir had come down onto our driveway blocking any hope of an exit, and crashed into our 20' redbud that, in turn, landed on what was once our patio furniture, taking our planters and my much beloved Buddha Birdhouse, currently providing sanctuary to a houseful of sparrows, with it.  Where were they?

Our near 50' blue spruce had come down as well, as had all of our trees, revealing a root ball exceeding my 5'7" height by about 8 inches.  Closer examination revealed four uprooted trees, all leaving gaping holes beneath them.  The rest had been stripped, ripped, debarked, and twisted into unusual angles, some sporting siding, shingles, and one waving an American flag.

It smelled so fresh and pine-y and as if I'd just entered a Christmas tree lot.  The rain had stopped, the power was out, and all we could hear were the gasps of neighbors as they surveyed the damage that was once their houses and yards.

We were lucky, our house was still standing.  The shutters (original to the house) were long gone, bits and pieces of them scattered everywhere.  The fence panels had been blown out, latticework at various bent angles around the yard.  The garden bench was peaking out from beneath the 50' walnut tree on top of it.  Where was the sundial? 

It was dark and with our flashlights we weren't quite able to get the full impact until morning.  The deck is crushed, the pool is gone, and I can see the houses of neighbors I never knew I had, and in some cases, can see inside their houses, one had been cut in half.

These pictures don't tell the story.  I'd shown them to my parents who uttered solemn phrases of concern and sympathy, and then came by to view the scene; their mouths dropped open. It can't be captured on film.  It looks like a war zone without the bodies.  We now have power, but no phone, cable, or Internet.  (I'll never bundle again).  We're having lunch at St. Louis Bread Company (Panera to those of you not in the St. Louis metro area) and trying madly to catch up with email and get in touch with friends and relatives who may not have heard.

We're also trying madly to get back to normal hence this blog post with the promise of more.  I am cooking.  It's my therapy, and soon, very soon, hope to have more fun posts with colorful (almost edible) photos and delicious recipes.  For now I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here, just a little worse for wear, but looking on the bright side and thinking with all of the trees gone, I'll have sun.  With sun I can grow vegetables! It's too soon to shop for seeds, but I'm thinking about it...and you.  Stay with me!

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Steak 'n Shake Chili

Founded in 1934 when Gus Belt of Normal, IL converted a gas station/chicken restaurant into a hamburger stand, Steak 'n Shake has become a Midwest institution.  Most widely known for their Steakburgers, a trademarked name for a hamburger that was a combination of round, sirloin, and T-bone steaks ground into burgers in full view of customers, and their "hand-dipped, real-milk" milkshakes. My first experience with a fast food hamburger came at the hand of Steak 'n Shake.  McDonald's?  Never heard of them.  Not, at least when I was 6 years old.  Steak 'n Shake was the place to be.  It continued to be "the place" when I was in high school and throngs of teenagers descended upon it on Friday nights.  This was back in the days of car hops, trays attached to partially rolled down car windows, and people visiting from car to car while chomping on a steakburger.  It was so crowded on Friday nights that getting a parking space was pure serendipity, but that didn't stop kids from "driving through Steak" to see who was there and what was going on.  Those were good, innocent times.

My boys know Steak 'n Shake like I do, but not in the same way.  By the time they were old enough for fast food the car hops were long gone and it was a dine-in restaurant.  We all continue to dine there to this day, and all look upon it favorably.  The place and food are unique, the shoestring fries, the thin, crispy-edged burgers, and chili mac keep us coming back.


So when I found this recipe for a copy cat version of the chili I couldn't wait to try it.  What an uproar it caused!  I like it just the way the recipe is written, though I will defer to my youngest son's observation that it isn't as "juicy" as the restaurant version.  I did think the taste was there, however, but he and his older brother disagreed on the taste, both of whom tackled the recipe themselves adding what they thought it needed to suit their remembrances of what it did/does/should taste like.

So give this a try and add what you like to suit your tastes.  As for me, it's perfect the way it is, and made even more so with my recent eBay score of a set of authentic chili bowls.  Does life get any better?!

Steak 'n Shake Chili

2 tablespoons oil 

1-1/2 pounds ground chuck 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can onion soup 

1 tablespoon chili powder 

2 teaspoons ground cumin 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

2 teaspoons cocoa 

2 cans kidney beans 

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 

1 cup cola 

Brown ground beef and salt in oil. Put soup in blender, blend for 1 minute. Add all to Crockpot. Drain beef and beans before adding to Crockpot. Let simmer on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours.

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Tasty Tuesdays

Tuesdays at the Table

Delicious Dishes

Tasty Tuesday

Tuesday Night Supper Club

Made From Scratch Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday with Dr. Laura

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday

The Scottish Arms' Cock-A-Leekie Pie

I don't know what it is about the month of March, but it always finds me seeking out recipes that remind me of the British Isles.  Perhaps it's because I've spent a number of Marches (not to mention Aprils and Mays) over there in the past, but I find myself craving pies, tarts, jacket potatoes, and Banoffee pie.

After a lengthly vacation in Scotland a number of years ago (during which I took copious notes), and night after night of delicious food, I came home armed with enough information and cookbooks (Some of which were purchased from The Cooks Bookshop, once owned by "The Two Fat Ladies," but that's a story for another time.) to recreate much of what we'd eaten and enjoyed.  Much to our surprise however, upon our return, we learned of a new area restaurant called The Scottish Arms, specializing in fare from the area from which we'd just come, deliciously delivered by kilted waiters!  Off we went for a visit and wonderful meal.  This was just the beginning of what has now become a intimate relationship.  

One of my favorite dishes on their menu is Cock-a-leekie pie, so I was delighted when the recipe appeared in a local food magazine called Sauce.  I often make it during the summer when I can harvest my own leeks, but it has also become a March tradition and so I made it tonight.  It's always delicious!

Cock-A-Leekie Pie 

Courtesy of The Scottish Arms' Carl Hazel 

2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

1 tsp. salt 

1 tsp. white pepper 

2 cups chicken stock 

2 cups white wine 

12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, divided 

2 leeks, cleaned and chopped 

1 cup flour 

2 1/4 quarts (9 cups) heavy cream 

1 box frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed 

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. 

In a large stock pot, combine the chicken stock and white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the chicken breasts and poach for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid; reserve the liquid. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken. 

In a large saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the leeks and sweat until just tender. In a large saute pan, make a thick roux by melting 8 tablespoons butter, then adding the flour and stirring constantly until lightly golden. Add the cream to the poaching liquid and bring to a boil. Whisk in the roux and reduce to low heat. Add the leeks and shredded chicken and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to the called-for temperature on the box of puff pastry. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Fill soup bowls to within an inch from the rim with hot Leekie. Top each bowl with a square of puff pastry and brush each with melted butter. Bake per the instructions on the puff pastry box or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve hot.

10 servings   

The Scottish Arms

6-10 S. Sarah St.

St. Louis, MO 63108

MEATLOAF from Soulard's Restaurant

As you can well imagine, anyone who lists cheeseburgers among her favorite foods would also like meatloaf. It's true, I do, as much for the comfort factor as for the nostalgia. The first wafts of the marriage of baking beef and bacon and I'm back in my mother's kitchen, a bottle of French's yellow mustard in hand, waiting for it to come out of the oven.

This recipe is yet another winner from the St Louis Post-Dispatch cookbook, Special Requests, that I am slowly cooking my way through. It's easy, tasty, and one I'm sure you'll enjoy.

MEATLOAF from Soulard's Restaurant

2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 pound pork sausage

2 eggs

2/3 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon steak sauce

2 teaspoons ground green peppercorns

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup ketchup, divided

6 to 8 slices bacon

Brown gravy, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, sausage, eggs, oats, steak sauce, green peppercorns, onion powder, parsley, seasoned salt, pepper and 1/2 cup ketchup. Mix gently but well  shape mixture into a loaf about 4-1/2 inches wide, 2-1/2 onches thick and 11 inches long.  Put in a shallow baking dish; top loaf with remaining ketchup  Arrange bacon slices on top. Bake 35 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with brown gravy.

Served with a mound of mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, no meal has a greater comfort factor than this one.

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