Lobster Cantonese

(Photos by Debra Samuels for The Boston Globe)

The classic method for Lobster Cantonese calls for chopping the raw crustacean - a scary proposition. Instead, start with a cooked lobster - unconventional, but perfect for squeamish cooks. This recipe is based on one from Irene Kuo’s “The Key to Chinese Cooking,’’ which does begin with live shellfish. Many markets will cook the lobsters for you. Once home, snap the claws and tails off the body. Stir-fry fermented black beans and ground pork with garlic and ginger. The liquid from the cooked lobster becomes part of the tasty sauce; the lobster in its shell protects the meat from turning chewy and still imparts flavor. Prepare ingredients in advance, line them up near the burner, and the cooking time is minimal. The results are frightfully good!

3 cooked lobsters (1 1/4 pounds each)
Juices from lobsters plus chicken stock or water to make 1 1/4 cups
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or sake
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
3 scallions, chopped
1 piece (1 inch) fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, soaked for 5 minutes, drained, and chopped
1/2 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Over a large bowl, snap off the claws and tails from the lobster (boil the bodies to make lobster stock for seafood stew for another day).
   
   
2. With a lobster cracker, hold a claw over the same bowl and crack down the middle, catching any liquid in the bowl. Twist off the base of the claw and crack in the middle. The meat should stay intact in the shell. Repeat with remaining claws. Hold a lobster tail over the bowl and twist off the base. Lay the tail on a cutting board and with a chef’s knife or cleaver, cut the tail into 3 pieces. Repeat with remaining tails.
   
   
3. Set a strainer over another bowl. Pour the lobster liquid through it. Measure and add enough stock or water to make 1 1/4 cups liquid. Add the rice wine or sake and pepper.
   
   
4. Heat a large wok or deep skillet over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the oil and when it is hot, add the scallions, ginger, garlic, and black beans. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the pork and stir-fry 2 minutes or until the pork loses its pink color.
   
   
5. Add the lobster liquid mixture. Bring to a boil. Add the lobster pieces, and cook, tossing with a wide spatula, until lobster is coated with sauce. Cover and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
   
   
6. Lower the heat to medium. Stir the cornstarch mixture. Drizzle it over the lobster mixture. Add the sesame oil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens.
   
   
7. Pour the eggs into the pan in a circular motion. Cook, stirring gently, for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for 1 minute more.
   

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

One potato Two potato

Photo by Debra Samuels for the Boston Globe

By Debra Samuels

Globe Correspondent / April 1, 2009

As Lexington resident Norma Currie explains it, she and her siblings did what many children do: "None of us would eat our vegetables," she says. But their mother was smarter than her kids. She cooked the vegetables and mashed them with potatoes. "And we loved them," says Currie, who still makes various versions of the spuds today. Sometimes it accompanies roast chicken or other meats and fish. It's a good way to have your mashed potatoes with less guilt and fewer calories. Carrots add volume and sweetness and their vitamins, of course. Spinach and mashed is another winning combination. Add rinsed spinach leaves to the hot potato water after cooking. Cover the pot and let the spinach sit for 2 minutes. The heat of the water softens the leaves, but they keep their vibrant green color.

Mashed potatoes with carrots

Serves 4

Salt and pepper, to taste
3 medium Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (about 3/4 pound), peeled and quartered
2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch rounds
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk

1. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, combine the potatoes and carrots and turn the heat to medium high. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender when pierced with a skewer.
   
   
2. Drain the vegetables and transfer to a bowl. Add the butter and milk. Mash with a potato masher until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper
   
   

Mashed potatoes with spinach

Serves 4

Salt and pepper, to taste
3 medium potatoes (about 3/4 pound), peeled and quartered
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk

1. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a skewer.
   
   
   
2. Turn off the heat and add the spinach. Cover and set aside for 2 minutes until the spinach wilts but is still bright green.
   
   
   
3. Drain the vegetables and transfer to a bowl. Add the butter and milk. Mash with a potato masher until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper.
   Adapted from Norma Currie
   
   
   

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Spicy Tuna Salad

photo for Boston Globe by Debra Samuels

Think spicy tuna and a sushi bar comes to mind. But there are other ways to meld rich fish and hot condiments. One is this composed canned tuna salad, made with the same spicy sauce used in those popular sushi rolls. You can make the same dish with shrimp, grilled salmon, smoked salmon, or leftover roast striped bass. The sauce begins with ordinary mayo, to which sesame oil and a few squirts of the Thai hot sauce sriracha are mixed in - enough to make a lip-tingling, faintly pink-colored sauce. Flake white tuna onto peppery arugula, garnish the plates with radishes for even more bite, and toss on a few cucumbers to cool the presentation. Then drizzle with spicy sauce. Not your mother’s tuna salad.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or more to taste
1 bunch arugula, stems removed
2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) solid white albacore tuna in water
1 bunch radishes, soaked to remove sand, trimmed, and quartered
2 Armenian or pickling cukes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 scallions, chopped
4 small whole-wheat pita, halved and toasted

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sesame oil, and sriracha. Taste for seasoning and add more sriracha, if you like.
2. On each of 4 plates, arrange some of the arugula. Divide the tuna among the plates, setting it in a mound on each one. Add radishes and cucumbers.
3. Spoon the sauce over the tuna and sprinkle with scallions. Serve with toasted pita.