Wild Rice with Pearl Onions, Dried Fruit, + Toasted Pecans

This past weekend we became a two car household. When we moved out of the city, I didn't think we'd need another car. We'd managed for years on one car and I thought it'd continue that way. The challenge is that my work takes me all over the place. Most of my clients are in Boston or Cambridge, accessible via public transportation. Recently, though, more inquiries have been coming in from restaurants in surrounding towns. In these instances, I've had to check in with Eric. Would he need the car that day? Can I take it? Is he able to get a ride home? Running your own business is chaotic enough and adding these logistical complications into the mix was creating more stress.

When my parents asked us a few months ago if we'd be interested in taking their old car if they got a new one, we said, "Of course! That'd be amazing!" So, here we are, the proud owners of a '97 Toyota Camry. It's a car I grew up with and have fond memories of. I'm feeling a bit liberated now that it's in our possession. My day to day routine will surely change because of it. I can run errands I wasn't able to before. I see other ways it's going to change my life... the spontaneous trips I can take to the Cape or to visit my family in New Jersey. Or if I just need to get out of the house, I can drive over to a local nature reservation for a walk in the woods with Maki.

After our trip to New Orleans, I was excited to get back into the kitchen. Following our return, we were hit with a pretty large snow storm, forcing us to hunker down at home for a couple of days. I used this time to do some recipe development, starting with a wild rice dish that I'd been meaning to prepare for quite a while. I'm not sure how it happened, but we have a massive quantity of wild rice in our cabinets. We don't cook with it all that often, so I can see how we'd have some... but there are multiple bags, some half used, that have piled up in there. I've never been a huge fan of wild rice, except in soups. How does one make it interesting? The answer, I've learned, is by loading it with exciting flavors and textures. A little sprinkle of salt isn't going to cut it. It needs something bolder. I took inspiration from an old recipe my mom had saved from, I believe, Bon Appetit, which utilizes pearl onions and dried cherries. I loved this idea, but I thought, "Why stop there? Let's run with this!" I took out a mixture of spices from the cupboard: cumin, cinnamon, cayenne (I add cayenne to just about everything), cardamom and cloves. Here are the flavors (and smells) of the season that I love so much. I'd imagine it goes perfectly with roasted meat (I've seen similar recipes used as stuffing) and salmon. It also works wonderfully on top of a salad of greens and cucumber with a light lemon dressing.

Wild Rice with Pearl Onions, Dried Fruit and Toasted Pecans

Yields: approx. 4-6 servings as a side

Ingredients

1 cup wild rice, rinsed 18 oz. pearl onions, blanched in boiling water 3 tbsp butter 1 cup dried fruit, such as dried cherries, cranberries and/or currants Kosher salt ½ tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp paprika 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring wild rice and 3 ½ cups of water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 40-50 minutes.

2. While the rice is cooking, bring another pot of water to a boil. Add pearl onions and cook for 2 minutes. Immediately transfer onions to an ice bath. Once cooled, transfer to a cutting board. Using a paring knife, slice off the root end of the onion. Using your fingers, gently pinch the other end of the onion, at which point the skin should separate from the rest of the onion.

3. Once the rice is done cooking, strain it in a colander. Set aside.

4. In a large sauté pan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add pearl onions and season with the spices and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until the pearl onions have started to caramelize.

5. Stir in cooked wild rice, dried fruit, chopped pecans and parsley. Season with additional salt.

Silent Sunday: A Trip to New Orleans

Shrimp Fritters with Chipotle Tzatziki

I can't even think about fried food right now. All I want is a big salad or a piece of poached fish. Simple, healthy, clean. Shrimp fritters are a no-go in my life. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy them. I'm sure at some point I'll recover from our trip to NOLA, but for the next few weeks, I'm keeping things light. That's what five days of shrimp and grits, fried oyster po' boys, beignets, and Sazeracs will do to a person. No regrets, though. None at all.

Our time in New Orleans was memorable and we left with a good feel for the city. When we travel, I like to do one activity each day and we managed to do that. On our first day, we took the trolley up to the sculpture garden, which is situated in City Park next to the New Orleans Museum of Art.  Entry to the garden is free, and one can easily spend an hour perusing the 63 sculptures.

Looking to get a bit more general history of the city, we signed up for a guided tour of St. Louis Cemetery 1. The hour and a half spent walking with our guide was packed with information (some of which I'm sure we missed since he spoke at a dizzying pace). Having now seen the above-ground vaults, I need to watch the infamous scene from Easy Rider again. Apparently (and not terribly surprising), part of the movie was filmed without permission from the city and, ever since 1969, no other films have been allowed to shoot inside the cemetery.

Our third day was a bit rainy, which made for the perfect museum day. The Ogden was down the street from where we were staying. A relatively compact museum, the exhibits gave us a great foundation on Southern art.

But the part I'll remember the most was what we did on our last day. A friend who lives locally offered to pick us up to drive around the Ninth Ward. While a few buildings have been constructed over the years since Hurricane Katrina (mainly those financed by Brad Pitt), not much has been developed in this area. There are huge gaps between the houses. Instead of a city, it resembles a more rural neighborhood. A number of these houses are in a state of complete disrepair and should have been demolished years ago. Yet they haven't been touched and just sit there. It's a sobering sight; one that anyone visiting New Orleans should see.

I'm not sure when Eric and I will have a chance to return for another visit, but we already have a list of eats, drinks and landmarks we missed on this trip. And speaking of dining, I'll be sure to share my recommendations later this week.

Back to these fritters! So, see that book down there? These fritters are a result of that beautiful book by Ashley Rodriguez (of Not Without Salt fame). I've read through Date Night In once already (a sign of a stellar cookbook is that you read it from cover to cover) and have already gone back through passages. I just love them so much. Now, shrimp fritters aren't in the book, but a tzatziki dressing is and I went off of that. Because a fried frittery thing, especially one with a bit of a kick, needs a yogurt dipping sauce to cool things down (I should note that I modified it a bit by adding some chipotle pepper to give it a little smokiness).

For other a multitude of wonderful recipes and deeply personal stories by Ashley, be sure to buy her book.Don't wait. Go. Now. 

Shrimp Fritters with Chipotle Tzatziki

Sources: Fritters adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe via Food Network; Tzatziki adapted from Date Night In by Ashley Rodriguez

Yields: approx. 2 dozen fritters

Ingredients

For the shrimp fritters 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/4 cup chopped green onion 1/4 cup chopped fennel 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tsp dried oregano 3 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cup milk 2 teaspoons baking powder Salt Cayenne 3 1/4 cups flour Corn oil, for frying

For the chipotle tzatziki 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar 1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped into small cubes 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint 2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced 1 tsp ground chipotle pepper

1. Prepare the chipotle tzatziki by mixing together all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and let sit in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve the fritters.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the green onion and fennel. Cook for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add the shrimp season with oregano and salt, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of cayenne. Add the flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, to the egg mixture. Once it is fully incorporated, fold shrimp mixture into batter.

4. Pour corn oil in a large, deep saucepan so it comes up 3 inches. Heat the corn oil to 360 degrees F. Drop the batter, a heaping tablespoon at a time, into the hot oil. When the fritters pop to the surface, roll them around with a slotted spoon in the oil to brown them evenly. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve with chipotle tzatziki.