It's been one of those weeks. . .

Hi all,

If I could tell you about some of the stuff I had to deal with this week . . . well, it's probably no worse than anything you had to deal with!  But on Friday I got to go to the MPC Farmers' Market and buy some Corralitos Sausage (one package of ostrich and one of venison) and Tassajara steak. 

And on Thursday I stopped by Frank's in Salinas and bought some clams and fresh shrimp.  I started some black japonica rice in the cooker.  Then I diced up some really pretty peppers and zucchini (red, green and yellow), and when the rice was just about finished, I tossed them into a pan with hot olive oil and let them cook until they were soft.  I added the shrimp and clams along with about 1/2 cup of vermouth.  After letting the alcohol bubble off for a couple of minutes, I lowered the heat and covered the pan. 

Within 5 minutes the shrimp were cooked perfectly and the clams were all open.  Of course they all opened - they came from Frank's!  I finished the dish by putting the peppers and seafood on top of the black rice with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.  Delicious!  And the shrimp brought enough salt to the dish that no additional seasoning was necessary.

If you're unfamiliar with shellfish cookery, a clam, oyster or any other shellfish that won't close its shell when you tap on it lightly (this is before cooking, of course) is dead and should not be added to the pot.  Once they are cooked, their shells should be open.  Anything that doesn't open should also be discarded.  I have read recipe-writers who disagree with the latter notion, saying that those are the healthiest shellfish because they're the strongest, but having had food poisoning, I'm sticking with what I know.

As far as shrimp go, please devein them before you cook them, or else buy them deveined.  Running down a shrimp's back is something euphemistically referred to as a "vein".  It's not.  It's the digestive tract, and what's in it is exactly what you'd think.  Gross.  Shrimp are cooked when they form the shape of the letter "C" and are no longer gray and transluscent, but white and pink. 

What is black japonica rice?  Here's the description (from the Lundberg Family Farms website):  A Gourmet Field Blend of Black & Mahogany Rice

Lundberg Family Farms proudly presents Black Japonica, a unique field blend of medium grain black and short grain mahogany rice. This delicious, healthful, whole grain rice is grown in California's fertile Sacramento Valley.

I hope you'll give seafood a try soon.  If you're in an area where you can get fresh seafood, you owe it to those who can't to eat some for them!  Until next time, I'll see you at the market!