Shrimps and Scallops and Fettucine, Oh My!
For a while it was pretty rare that I blogged about food. And then I started throwing up the odd recipe here and there on my blog. And now? Now that I'm cooking for someone several times a week, I think about food and recipes and cooking on a regular basis.
You see, in exchange for living scott-free (does anyone know the origin of that phrase, btw?) at my dad's while I'm getting back on my feet and figuring out what I want to be when I grow up, I'm obliged to cook several meals a week. This is a bit more challenging than it might seem on the surface, because both Dad and I have food allergies. He's got sensitivities to tomatoes and peppers and other nightshade veggies along with soy, wheat, dairy and egg allergies. My body is not fond of dairy, eggs or lamb. So between the two of us we can eat a grand total of maybe 4 foods.
OK, maybe a few more than 4. But most of the time, while I'm digging through recipe databases, it feels as if hands are tied behind my back. I either have to start by finding recipes that don't call for the stuff we can't have, or figure out a way to alter the recipes that do include the offending ingredients.
A couple weeks ago, while at the grocery store, my dad paused in front of the meat case and pointed to the large shrimp (or 'swimps,' as a good friend of mine likes to call them :) and mentioned that they looked tasty. Although dad pays for (almost) all the groceries, I do try to make recipes with food that's fairly economically priced, and that often excludes seafood. But while planning menus on Sunday, I ran across a recipe called Linguine With Shrimp And Scallops In Thai Green Curry Sauce and remembering that dad had indicated interest in having some shrimp, I decided to give it a shot. Aside from the fact that I've never actually cooked sea scallops before, I was pretty confident I could do an OK job putting the dish together. So we bought our pound of scallops ($12 - ouch!) and our 3/4 pound of shrimp ($8.50 - ouch!) along with some chicken breasts and the roast for dinner with my brother, soon-to-be-sister-in-law (yay!) and her daughter on Saturday.
Well, I made the linguine tonight (with rice noodles, to avoid wheat), and it turned out SO well. In addition to using the rice noodles, I also substituted a jalapeno for the red chilli pepper to tone down the spice just a bit. Everything else I followed to a tee. I haven't been so happy with a recipe since I discovered the chicken & linguine recipe I wrote about last week. This recipe was really fast and easy and, best of all, would probably also taste really great with chicken instead of the seafood...
Comments
Here's what I found out about "scot free".
"Another variation: A scot is a payment or a charge, also an assessment or tax. To get off "scot free" means you get off without paying anything; no assessment, fine or tax. Check "scot" in any good dictionary.
Dr. Shelia M. Kennison wrote: I was under the impression that the phrase "getting off scott free" originated with the "Dredd Scott vs. Illinois" court case in the mid 1800s. Dredd Scott was a slave of a Missouri man who moved to Illinois, a free state at the time. Dredd Scott sued for his freedom. However, the court ruled against him. So there's a bit of irony in the meaning of the phrase, as Dredd Scott didn't become free.
Another comment: Refers to exemption from taxes (Scots) - probably medieval and originally referring to taxes to fund English wars against the Scots.
Steve asks: My family are all Scots and this is a question I have wondered about for years! I assume it has something to do with the "frugalness" (aw heck cheapskate!) characterization of Scottish folks."
BUT - this was the good one:
"We've all heard the phrase that something was done "half-ass," but few people stop to wonder what such a ridiculous expression could possibly mean. The term "half-ass" evolved from "half-adz." An adz is an axelike tool with a curved blade used for shaping wood. If you were wealthy and paid top-dollar for a new fireplace, the mantle would be shaped using an adz in the front as well as the back side, which isn't visible. However, if you weren't wealthy and wanted to save money, you could have only the front visible portion of the mantle shaped, this cheaper job being a "half-adz" job."
These are from http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/meanings.htm
Posted by: Aunt CJ | September 14, 2005 08:27 AM
I was salivating reading about that food! I don't think I can eat curries anymore though so I would have to try a variation of your suggestion.
Posted by: NML | September 14, 2005 04:04 PM