TASTE
Sisters share some of their favorite recipes
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
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Here's a sampling of dishes from "The Family Chef" by Jewels and Jill Elmore (Celebra, hardcover, $27.95).
Jill's favorite thing about the following dish is the light and delicate egg noodle pasta. The brand we love is called Spinosi. We do not believe anyone should deprive themselves by cutting out major food groups. Instead, we believe in balance in the way we live and what and how we eat — so there's nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional pasta!
THE OCCASIONAL PASTA
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and sauté garlic for one minute, being careful not to burn it. Add shrimp and sauté for another minute or two. Add tomatoes and lemon zest and continue cooking until tomatoes are warm and shrimp has cooked through. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
By this time, the pasta should be cooked. Drain pasta and mix together with warm shrimp and tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper and mix in the fresh arugula, parsley and nuts. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4-6
Jewels said, "I first saw this recipe in an Italian cookbook and made it for a party of about 50 people, but substituted sweet potatoes for potatoes because I love the contrast of the sweetness with the saltiness of the prosciutto. A woman who was helping me that night thought I was crazy to actually serve them because I'd never made them before. For some reason, she was actually mad about it — and I couldn't figure out why. Maybe it's not so smart but I do stuff like that! The guests licked their plates that night and asked for more. I mean, who doesn't want prosciutto wrapped around potato? Come on, that's so yummy!"
She added: "There is often confusion between yams and sweet potatoes. I like to use the white sweet potato for this recipe. If you can't find sweet potatoes, use yams mixed with regular potatoes. You need two sheets of kitchen parchment for this."
PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED SWEET POTATOES
Put the sweet potato pieces in a pot and cover with cold water and a dash of salt. Cook the sweet potatoes until tender and drain any excess water.
In a mixer, or food processor, mix the cooked sweet potatoes with butter, dijon mustard and egg yolk, if using. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Let potatoes cool slightly before wrapping in prosciutto.
Turn the oven on to 375 degrees.
Lay a thin strip of the prosciutto, lengthwise, on a piece of parchment paper. Layer another next to it, overlapping slightly along the long side and continue until you have used about 4 to 6 pieces of prosciutto.
Generously spoon the mashed sweet potato horizontally across the bottom third of the prosciutto strips (the end closest to you).You should use about half the mixture when you do this.
Starting with the end nearest you and using the parchment paper to help you shape and hold the roll, roll up the prosciutto, rolling away from you. Shape the roll and pack the ends as you go to evenly distribute the potato mixture. Take care not to let the parchment get stuck inside the roll.
At this point, the prosciutto and sweet potato roll should be held together with the parchment wrapped around it.
Using a very sharp knife, cut four to six even slices while still keeping the paper wrapped around the roll. Take care not to put any pressure on the roll or you will squeeze out the sweet potatoes.
Gently unwrap the parchment from each piece of the sliced roll and dust a little flour on all the ends. Set aside.
Repeat steps 4 to 9 with the remaining prosciutto and sweet potato.
Heat a pan over medium heat until warm. Add a glug of oil and pan-fry both ends of each slice until browned, adding extra oil as necessary. Place on baking sheet.
When all pieces are fried, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Makes 6-8 servings.
The Elmore sisters have often visited Hawai'i and love it here.
Jewels said: "My close friend West and I cannot account for the intense love we have for each other because we're such completely different people. We both felt it the moment we met, before either had spoken. It was a friendship coup de foudre. We also both love Hawai'i — I mean LOVE those Islands — and share the same aching-heart desire to be a part of the Hawaiian culture. It's the only way we can explain our super-strong connection: We figure we must have shared a past life as Pacific islanders.
"We haven't gone to Hawai'i together yet in this life. But we have made this luscious dish for friends here on the beach in California with real aloha spirit. We still talk about the way our friends devoured multiple platefuls of everything we served them and had such a great time.
"This dish has a few special ingredients, including turmeric and lemongrass, that are worth the trip to a specialty market or buying online. But, if you can't find them fresh, you can certainly use the powdered versions as well. These spices have an exotic flavor that you and your guests will come to crave."
LIGHT CURRY LOBSTER TAILS
For the marinade:
Optional additions:
For the lobster:
Make the sauce: Combine all the ingredients (except the butter and the lime leaves) in a blender, mixing until you achieve a smooth paste. If you are using the butter: incorporate small pieces at a time, while blender is on low. Stir in lime leaves (if using). Set aside. Can be made a day in advance.
Prepare the lobster: Blanch the lobster: Fill a large pot (that can fit one lobster) with water and a small handful of salt and bring to a boil (you only need enough water to cover one lobster).
Get a bowl of ice water ready and set aside.
When water is at a full boil, plunge one lobster into the water for about 2 minutes, remove, then plunge immediately into the ice water (I use a cooler filled with ice water when I am doing a lot of these). Repeat with all five lobsters.
Remove lobsters from ice water when cooled. Remove the tail by twisting from the body. (Twist off the claws, too. You can use these later). Cut the tails in half, through the shell and down the center with a very sharp knife. You can do this ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to grill.
Rub a generous amount of the marinade on the lobster tails, pouring a bit in between the shell and flesh and being careful not to separate them.
Let them sit for at least 5 or 10 minutes.
Grill the lobster tails, flesh side down first, turning frequently and brushing with a bit of the extra marinade. They should be done in about 8-12 minutes. Serve warm, with rice.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Jewels said: "Back when we were dating, my husband Kiko said that these pork chops, in particular, got him thinking about what it would be like to share a family kitchen together one day. Yes, I did win my man's heart through his stomach! Now that we have cooked together for a few years, these pork chops have become one of his trusted standbys. I hate to admit it, but I think he makes them better than I do!
"The secret ingredient here is the Japanese pork or kurobuta pork. It is so moist and tender that once you eat it it will spoil you for any other kind of pork. If you do not find these chops, ask your butcher. He may be able to order them for you. I have also ordered them online. If you cannot get them, then use any other thick, good quality chop."
KIKO'S SUCCULENT PORK CHOPS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat an oven-proof pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, brown the seasoned pork chops on both sides. Remove and set aside.
Pour a glug of oil in the pan to cook the mushrooms, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Add squash and mix with mushrooms. Add about 1/2 cup of water and cook until evaporated, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan.
Return chops to pan.
If using the liquor, pour in pan and flambé. Cook until flame fully disappears.
Transfer pan to oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until chops are just barely pink inside and squash is soft.
Makes 4 servings.