Food & Family
By Chef Alan J. Ingram II
The fourth Thursday of April is “Bring Your Daughter or Son to Work Day.” This day became official in 1993 and as their official website states this day was intended to give children an insight to work and team work. Working together with employers, employees, parents, mentors and educators this day was created to strengthen the connection between education and work and relationships between parents and their children.
I have been blessed with three gorgeous daughters. Aiden & Amarie are my twin four year old daughters and Auna is 4 months. Obviously Auna won't make it to work with me this year, but I can honestly say the twins are extremely excited about it. Last year was the fist time I was able to bring them to work with me and they have asked when this special day was coming again more days than not in the past year. You see, they love to help me in the kitchen at home. They don their chef jackets and hats with excitement as they prepare to help 'Chef Daddy'. They are by my side for every meal we prepare at home and inquisitive about everything we make. They enjoy cracking eggs for breakfast almost as much as they enjoy licking the beaters after mixing batter for a cake. So when the fourth Thursday of April rolls around, I will be looking forward to bringing Aiden & Amarie to work with me so they can watch (from a safe distance and with supervision, of course) as I prepare the days meals. I am looking forward to Auna growing older so she can join in on the fun and sentiment of such a special time. So if it's possible for you, I recommend taking your child(ren) to work and just enjoy the quality time you get to spend with them.
On a recent trip to our local seafood store, Simply Seafood, to get some fresh basa for dinner, the girls were interested in the beautifully displayed fish and had lots of questions about the various types being displayed under the cases. I was impressed with their interest but abruptly realized they are still only four when their attention was diverted to the strategically placed gumball machine near the front door. Be it the assorted colors or just the fact there was a machine filled with candy, their interest in seafood was lost and the search for a quarter began. After patting me down and realizing that Daddy had no change, John, one of the owners, intervened and produced a quarter for each of the girls.
April 2nd, Good Friday, I will have the pleasure of hosting a Seafood Dinner event with John and Debbie Galeazzi owners of Simply Seafood in Dunnellon. I visited their store for the first time shortly after it opened in 2007 and countless times since. I am always impressed with their courteous service, their knowledge of their products and of the entire seafood industry, and most of all, the quality of the fresh seafood they carry. These facts, coupled with their hard working nature, have made their business a staple in our community. I find myself stopping by just to enjoy the elegantly arranged seafood and the starke cleanliness of their store. I spent quite a bit of time with John and Deb choosing the best seafood for the event. We worked together to ensure a menu filled with fresh seafood of the highest quality.
For those of you who cannot attend, the evening will start with two delicious appetizers, Amarie's jumbo crab stuffed mushroom wrapped in filo and Simply Seafood's very own fish cakes. The soup of the day will be a lump crab and lobster bisque, a recipe I created some twenty years ago, but seems to get better each time I make it. The salad is a simple spring mix with cherries, pecans and walnuts tossed in our very own honey raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Each guest will be given a choice of grilled salmon or my personal favorite, stuffed basa. These entrees will be accompanied with an endless array of delicious side dishes, such as shrimp fettuccini alfredo, mussel salad, linguini with red clam sauce, stuffed crab, hushpuppies, clams, vegetables and more.
Tickets began selling immediately after publishing our 'save the date' in March. I would like to personally thank John and Deb for all of their help in making this menu a success and I would also like to thank each of you who will attend. I am looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
I would like to leave you with a simple but delicious recipe for our crab stuffed mushroom wrapped in filo and a great marinade and recipe for grilled salmon. The next time you are planning a dinner that includes any type of seafood, be sure you stop by Simply Seafood and talk to John, Deb or Dianne Munn (John and Deb's sister-in-law). And as always, enjoy the recipes and God Bless.
CRAB STUFFED MUSHROOMS
One and one half pounds of large mushrooms
¾ pound Simply Seafood of Dunnellon's fresh made crab stuffing (call ahead it's made to order)
1/8 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup melted butter
½ package (16 oz.) frozen phyllo dough sheets, thawed
Paprika
Preheat oven to 375.
Remove stems from mushrooms. Spoon out gills and the base of the stem, making deep cups. Discard gills and stems. Fill mushroom caps with crab stuffing. Unwrap the phyllo and cut the stack in half lengthwise. Reserve one stack for later use. Cover the phyllo with a damp towel to keep it from drying out. Take one sheet and brush lightly with some melted butter. Sprinkle with some parmesan. Place one mushroom in the center of the sheet. Wrap upward and twist to form a purse. Place each mushroom on an ungreased baking sheet, purse up. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
GRILLED SALMON
3 - 8 ounce salmon fillets
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Preheat grill to a medium heat.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together soy sauce water, brown sugar and vegetable oil, until sugar is fully dissolved. Place fish in a large resalable plastic bag (freezer bag) with the marinade, seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place salmon on preheated grill, and discard remaining marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
You can contact Chef Alan at Amarie's Banquets and Catering at (352) 465-6555 and Simply Seafood at (352) 465-7887.
