I have been a fan of Cheryl and Bill Jamison for at least the last 15 years. When I lived in Pennsylvania, I discovered their book Sublime Smoke which started me on my BBQ adventures. It was their description of a smoker which moved me to order my own smoker and grill from Pitts & Spitts in Texas. My cookbook library boasts a number of their books--Smoke and Spice, Born to Grill, Texas Home Cooking, American Home Cooking and A Real American Breakfast.
So when I found out that they would be teaching a class at the Santa Fe School of Cooking based on their new book Around the World in 80 Dinners, I signed up in a hurry. The book tells of their adventures in traveling to 10 countries to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. As you might expect, they planned their trip around the food they wanted to eat. (I didn't know that there was any other way to plan a trip.) This was armchair travel at its best.
During the class Bill talked about their travels and Cheryl demonstrated recipes from some of the places they visited. My favorites were the Bahian Deviled Crab from Brazil and the Wok-Charred Long Beans with Black Olives from China.
BAHIAN DEVILED CRAB AND WOK0-CHARRED LONG BEANS WITH BLACK OLIVES
BAHIAN DEVILED CRAB
(serves 6)
Molho de Pimenta
- 4 to 6 pickled malagueta chiles, or other fresh or bottled tiny hot red chiles
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup can vinegar, rice vinegar, fresh lime juice, or a combination
Deviled Crab
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- 1/4 cup dende (palm oil) or vegetable oil in which 4 to 6 annatto seeds have been briefly sauteed until the oil has turned olden (seeds then discarded)
- 1 cup corase dried bread crumbs
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red-ripe plum tomato, squeezed of its seeds and watery liquid, chopped fine
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon Molho de Pimenta, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup grated aged grana cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil or butter six ramekins or scallop shells and place them on a baking sheet.
For the molho or sauce, mash together in a mortar or with the back of a fork, the chiles and salt until roughly pureed. Scrape out into a food processor or blender and add the other ingredients. Puree the mixture. Pour into a small serving bowl and let sit while you prepare the crab.
Warm 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet over medium heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs. Heat until the breadcrumbs just begin to crisp and color lightly,about 2 minutes. Spoon out into a small bowl.
Warm the remaining oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent and add the tomato, salt, coconut milk and molho. Heat until the milk bubbles, then gently stir in the crabmeat. The mixture should be moist but not soupy. If needed, cook just briefly, to eliminate excess liquid.
Spoon into prepared ramekins. Mix bread crumbs with cheese, and top each ramekin with a portion of the crumbs. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until medium brown and crisp. Serve immediately accompanied by dabs of the spicy molho.
CHERYL JAMISON
WOK-CHARRED LONG BEANS WITH BLACK OLIVES
(SERVES 6)
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh long beans or other green beans, tipped and tailed, and cut in 2-inch lengths
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 fresh small hot red chile, seeded and minced or 1 teaspoon dried hot red chile flakes
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons salted chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 cup halved, pitted dry-cured black olives
Blanch the beans. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, immerse the green beans and oil them for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Pour off the water and then plunge the beans into a bowl of ice water to set the bright green color. Drain when cool.
Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat. When hot enough to evaporate a bead of water, swirl the oil around in the wok. Add the pork and fry it, breaking it into tiny bits. When all the pork has lost its raw color, stir in the garlic, ginger, and chile and keep stirring for 1 minute. Add the green beans and stir-fry for several minutes until just tender. Pour in the stock, vinegar, and soy sauce, and toss the beans until the liquid is mostly evaporated. If the beans are not yet tender, add a little water or additional stock,cover them and reduce the heat to medium. Uncover again after several minutes, and if liquid is left, return the heat to high and toss the beans until they are nearly dry. Mix in the olives and heat through very briefly.
Turn out onto a platter and serve hot or at room temperature.
BILL WATCHES AS CHERYL DOES KITCHEN MAGIC
I love their cookbooks and I loved their class. Real people eating, enjoying and cooking real food.
Check out their website: www.cookingwiththejamisons.com
