Thompson’s Clam Bar – Harwichport, MA

 

Update – 8/22/2008 – A reader (Steve) sent this link to the Thompson’s Clam Bar Jingle – enjoy – its great !!

http://odeo.com/episodes/44481

 

 

Back in the 1960s and 1970s we used to have a house in Wrinkle Point in West Dennis, MA.  From time to time Dad would take us to dinner at Thompson’s Clam Bar in Harwichport at Wychmere Harbor.  I loved going there.  My sisters and I would beg for a Shrimp Cocktail and lobster.  Dad would usually give in.  Back then it seems a shrimp cocktail cost a fortune, but its rather reasonable to have one these days.

 

8 large shrimp, peeled and cleaned

crushed ice

1/2 cup of Ketchup

1 TBS Hot horseradish

teaspoon of lemon juice

dash of hot sauce

1 Tbs shrimp boil seasoning

 

Cook the cleaned shrimp just until they turn pink in four cups of water adding the shrimp boil seasoning just prior to putting in the shrimp.  Remove/drain the shrimp and place in an icewater bath to stop the cooking.  Combine the other ingredients in a bowl for the shrimp sauce.  Fill shot glasses with the shrimp sauce and place in the middle of serving glasses filled with crushed ice.

Hang the shrimp on the edges of the glasses.  Garnish with lemon wedge and some watercress if desired.

Enjoy!

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Green Bean and Potato Salad

I got this great recipe from About.com:Southern Food and it worked out very well – although I did make a few adjustments to the recipe.

My recipe is as follows:

3 lb new (red) potatoes – cooked in salted water until just tender
1 lb fresh green beans that have been trimmed, cooked for 5 minutes in boiling salted water, and rinsed in ice water
1/2 a medium red onion – slivered
1/4 of a vidalia (sweet) onion slivered

The Dressing consisted of the following:

In bowl big enough to whisk in:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
a few turns of fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Whisk all of the ingredients and pour over the potatoes, green beans, and onions all of which have been combined in a large mixing bowl.  The flavor is wonderful!  Hope you enjoy.  Write if you have questions.

Farmer’s Market

Saturday we went to the Winter Park (FL) Farmer’s Market.  Early in the morning the market area was teaming with people and vendors.  We wanted to get there early since it was supposed to be a very hot day – and Mother Nature didn’t lie.  By 9:30 AM it was really getting steamy.  I had my camera and camera/backpack on and it got uncomfortable fast.  The older I get – the less I can stand the heat – it really bothers me.

OK, if you’re anything like Donna and I, we start eating with our eyes.  The market had so many beautiful veggies, flowers, cheeses, plants, shrubs, herbs, breads – you name it.  Here are a few shots from the market.

We bought peppers, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, radishes, lemons, and red potatoes.  So far I’ve used the lemons, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, green beans and potatoes.  I’ll have a few dishes to post soon.

Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Pasta

Sunday I made Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Pasta. I looked around for an easy lemon pasta recipe and found Giada De Laurentis had one that was easy and looked great – check out her Lemon Spaghetti.

For the shrimp I made a marinade as follows:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
two garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tsp of Old Bay seafood seasoning
a few turns of fresh black pepper and a pinch of sea salt
Some fresh chopped basil to sprinkle

I whisked this all in a medium bowl and then tossed in a half pound of large de-veined shrimp. Let that marinate for about an hour; then placed the shrimp on skewers that were soaked in water for about a half hour.

I grilled the skewered shrimp on high on an electric grill for about three minutes each side. Only turned the skewers once. Enjoy. Write if you have questions.

Friday Pizza

Another Friday pizza tonite.. this time I just took from what I had on hand.  Leftover meatballs, sausage, and eggplant Parmesan.   Very good.

See my other pizza postings for instructions on dough and sauce.

I used shredded mozzarella cheese with some good Parmesan cheese on the top.  The sauce was just a simple tomato sauce.

LaSpadas

From my other blog at:

http://sorrentolens.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/laspadas-original-hoagies/

Cheez-It Chicken and Broccoli

Scott McKenzie on MIX105.1 in Orlando was talking about Cheez-It Chicken this week. I couldn’t get it out of my head – so I searched around and found a recipe. This was great. Easy to prepare, and I think it would be something kids would like. For kids (especially little one – try using chicken tenders – finger food).

Two skinless/boneless chicken breast – pounded to a consistent thickness
1 cup of crushed (very fine) Cheez-It crackers (use a baggie)
Dabs of butter for the top of the chicken
1 egg beaten with a teaspoon of water to loosen it up
Non-stick spray for a 9×9 baking dish

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk the egg with the water until its very loose. Dip the chicken – both sides – in the egg and then dredge in the crushed Cheez-Its and then place in the sprayed baking dish.

Place three tabs of butter on each piece of chicken.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes in the center of the over on the middle rack.

Cook frozen broccoli according to package directions, drain any water and toss with low-fat butter/margarine. Good stuff !!!

(I was in meeting after meeting today – around lunch – so I ended up at McDonalds and had a BigMac and a 1/4 Pounder with cheese, small fries, and med coke… – which I had to eat in my PM meeting) after all that I felt pretty good about this dinner.

Good luck fine people. Write if you have any questions: dadcooks at reciperedux dot com

Eggplant Parm Sandwich

I’ve mentioned before how my eggplant casserole is not really a vegetarian dish. I use meatballs and sausage from a large pot of spaghetti sauce and crush the meat in a separate bowl for the eggplant.

Wife is out shopping today after work, so I’m just eating alone tonite (Sadie’s here). TV, newspaper, Hurricane guide and Eggplant Parm sandwich. Its great!!!!

Guac-a-mole

Hey everyone. I haven’t posted anything on this blog in ages. Some people fans have asked why. I guess I’ve been devoting more time to my photography blog. Anyway, I’ve been inspired by my blog friend Greg Bardsley (a famous writer) – for some months now – and I’ve been begging him for his famous guacamole recipe but he’s has staunchly rejected my request. He has though, said he would divulge this treasure at the end of “guacamole season” (I didn’t know there was a season). I wanted guacamole, so I searched for a recipe, but modified it and below are the instructions. It tasted great. My wife didn’t pass out or faint after tasting it – so I think it is OK to serve to someone outside of the family.

Today in Florida it was a bazillion degrees out as I tried to hit some golf balls at the Links at 434 . My son Mark is taking me out for 18 holes in Oviedo, FL tomorrow for Father’s Day (such a nice boy). I figured I better hit some balls, take some Advil and get ready for tomorrow’s round with the other “Dads” in the family.

Guac-a-mole

2 Avocados
Juice from 1 1/2 limes
2 Tbs diced shallot
1 clove garlic chopped fine
1 Tbs cilantro – chopped
3 large leaves of mint – chopped
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 dashes of your favorite hot sauce

Slice open the avocados removing the pit and scoop out the green flesh into a glass mixing bowl. Juice the limes and add to the avocados and toss with a fork to prevent the avocados from turning brown/black.

Add the rest of the ingredients folding it all together – garnish with lime and mint if desired – and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.

This guac tasted lim-ee  but I liked it. Back off on the lime if needed. But its tasted pretty darn good.

So, Mr Bardsley, am I getting close?????

Best wishes all.

Spaghetti Sandwich

Scott, Erica, and Jay on MIX 105.1 (Orlando radio) WKMG CBS radio were talking about making sandwiches from leftover spaghetti this morning.  Last night Jay scooped up a heaping wad of cooked spaghetti (with sauce I assume) and dumped between two pieces of bread and it made a tasty meal.

I called into the show this morning and offered this:

Spaghetti Sandwich

Two pieces of good bread (Italian bread, or hoagie roll)
1 Cup of cooked spaghetti (packed) with some tomato sauce – from leftover spaghetti dinner
1 TSP of butter or margarine

Put butter or margerine in a small frying pan (preferably non-stick).  Dump the glop of spaghetti into the pan and fry until just a tad golden on each side.

Pour the fried spaghetti into or onto two slices of good bread or into a sliced hoagie roll.  Grab a beer.  Delish!

ENJOY!

Mexican Pork Chops for Two with Pan Fried Potatoes and Cheddar Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 boneless pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-15oz. jar of salsa (medium or hot – you decide)
• 1 teaspoon powdered cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
• 4 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Combine cumin and chili powder; rub over both sides of pork. In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil on both sides over medium heat.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the salsa, cocoa and cinnamon; and pour it over the pork. Bring sauce to a simmer uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until meat is tender, turning chops once and stirring sauce occasionally. Sprinkle with parsley and green onion.
3. Serve with pan-fried potatoes

Pan-fried potatoes

4 Russet potatoes (sliced thin or shredded)
1 medium onion sliced
1 clove garlic sliced
¼ cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper

1 Cup of White Cheddar Cheese – shredded
1 green onion – chopped

Heat the oil in a large frying pan – medium/high heat. Add the potatoes and fry until almost golden. Then add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Fry until potatoes are darker and onions are cooked. Divide the cheddar cheese over both servings of potatoes – garnish with the chopped green onion and serve with the Mexican Pork Chops.

Friday Pizza – Carmelized Sweet Onion, Sauted Baby Portobellos, Sweet Italian Sausage

This pizza – from the bottom up was: olive oil, marinara sauce, provolone cheese, carmelized sweet onions, sauted baby portobello mushrooms, sweet Italian sausage. I

• 1 dough (from supermarket bakery – ask them for one of their Italian or French bread dough – tell them you are going to use it for pizza. Here in FL I can get it at Albertsons or Publix.
• Shortening
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• ½ lb sliced provolone cheese
• 1 large sweet onion – slivered
• 1/2 lb of sliced baby portobello mushrooms
  
• 1 link of sweet Italian sausage left over from spaghetti and meatballs supper last weekend
  
• Garlic powder
• Dried oregano

Grease your pizza pan with shortening (omit if you are using a non-stick pan or a pizza stone). On a floured board or counter top spread or roll the dough (from the center outward) until it is the right size for your pizza pan. Place on the pizza pan and make your crust edges.

Drizzle the dough with olive oil and spread it out evenly with your hands – then sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper.

Spread marinara sauce over the dough almost to the edges.

Lay on the provolone cheese evenly.

Next add the carmelized onions, then the sauted mushrooms, and then the sausage (sliced into thin circles. You want the sausage to be on the top so that it cooks thoroughly.

Drizzle over the top with more olive oil, then shake on some garlic powder, and dried oregano.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven

for 20-25 minutes or until crust is desired color and the bottom is well done. Serve with your favorite beer or red wine and a nice salad.

Enjoy!

=Dad

Nice Anitpasto !

Romaine lettuce, salami, provolone, green olives, black olives, red onion, provolone cheese, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, artichokes, ham, salami.

Eggplant Parmesan

Note: My Eggplant Parmesan is NOT a vegetarian meal. It is a wonderful blend of Italian meatballs, sausage, cheese, eggplant, and home made sauce.

4 Medium/Large Firm Eggplant

4 Eggs – beaten with a little water

3 cups Italian seasoned bread crumb

Kosher Salt

1 cup Olive Oil

1 cup Vegetable Oil

Left-over meatballs (4), left over Italian sausage (3), and about two cups of left over spaghetti sauce.

½ lb sliced provolone cheese

4 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese

Peel the eggplant and slice them a little more than ¼ inch thick.

Lay the sliced eggplant out on a large platter and generously salt them with kosher salt. Layer the slice and salt them until all of them are sliced and salted. Let them set for about an hour. A lot of dark liquid will come out of the eggplant. Be sure and drain the liquid.

After an hour, rinse all of the eggplant under cold running water, and then pat them all dry.

In a medium bowl, beat 4 eggs with a tablespoon of water. Pour out 2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs onto a large plate. You may need to use more bread crumbs or eggs depending on the size of your eggplant.

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

On a large sheet pan (it helps to have two pans) blend the olive oil and the vegetable oil.

Dip sliced eggplant in egg and then in the bread crumbs and place on the oiled sheet pan. Do this until the sheet pan is full. If you have another pan, do the same process.

Bake the eggplant until golden brown on both sides (about 10 minutes each side). When done, lay the fried eggplant on a large platter lined with paper towel to drain the excess oil. Put paper towel between layers of eggplant to ensure proper drain.

Repeat this until all of the eggplant has been fried and let them cool a bit.

In the meantime, using a fork or potato masher, break up the meatballs and sausage with some sauce. Then add the rest of the sauce and mix.

In 9 X 9 baking dish – spread some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.

Line the pan with the first layer of eggplant. Next put down three slices of provolone cheese and a little of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Next, spoon on some of the meat/sauce mixture. Repeat these steps until the baking dish is full, or you’ve used up all of the eggplant. Top with any remaining sauce and cheese.

Bake –covered (I use a sheet of parchment paper covered with aluminum foil) for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

(ok, it’s not a perfect picture, I had to try some!!)

My family loves to make eggplant sandwiches using Portuguese Rolls. Sometimes I will cook angel hair pasta and top with a nice square of eggplant parmesan and extra sauce.

Enjoy. If you have questions, write me at dadcooks at reciperedux dot com.

Perfect BBQ Ribs Every Time

Follow these instructions and don’t fool around with it and you’ll have the best BBQ ribs you ever tasted.

Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce

5 TBS Paprika

5 TBS Brown Sugar

3 TBS Salt

2 TBS Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 TBS Garlic Powder

1 TBS Ground Cayenne Pepper

1 1/2 TSP Onion Powder

1 TSP Marjoram (or Oregano)

1 TSP Mustard Powder

1/2 TSP Fresh Ground Nutmeg

Put all of this in a jar with a lid, and mix/shake thoroughly so that it’s all blended. For two large slabs of ribs I shake the entire contents onto the MEAT side of the ribs. Leave the bone side alone. Place in a large baking pan large enough to hold the ribs (the big pan that comes with your stove will do nicely) and refrigerator for a day, or overnight so that all of the spices can soak into the meat.

Ribs have been rubbed

Next day, place about a quart of water in the bottom of the pan, and slow-bake the ribs COVERED WITH FOIL for 4-5 hours at 275 degrees. The bones should start to pull away from the meat, but the meat should remain moist and not burned and still stick to the bone.

GENEROUSLY slather ribs with BBQ Sauce (recipe follows) and place on your grill BONE SIDE DOWN on a low or medium grill. I prefer not to grill the meat side, but let the BBQ sauce thicken on the ribs while they are on the grill. Grill until the meat is hot all the way through.

BBQ Sauce

1 LARGE (64oz) Bottle of Ketchup

One 2 LB Box of brown sugar (light or dark – doesn’t matter)

1 TBS liquid smoke

1/2 tsp of dried basil

1/2 tsp of dried oregano

1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp (or more if desired) of ground cayenne pepper (I keep adding this until I get where everyone can deal with it… for me, a little more is better and I end up adding about 2 teaspoons and its very warm – not hot, but very warm and still has lots of flavor)

1/4 cup any white wine

juice from half a lemon

In a large pot, blend all of the ingredients (you’ll need to get all of the brown sugar dissolved into the mixture) and simmer very s l o w l y for an hour and make sure that it “blubs” with bubbles. Bottle it up. I use quart canning jars that have been sterilized with their caps and rings.

Ribs cooked and sauced

Good Luck !!! Email me if you have any questions. dadcooks at reciperedux dot com