Maryland Crab Soup

One of the best parts of a Maryland summer is crabs and one of my favorite activities is sitting around a table picking them with friends. You can't beat the satisfaction of cracking one open and pulling out every last piece of meat you can get with your hands covered in Old Bay while talking about anything and nothing with some of your favorite people. It's a thing only a true Marylander can understand.

When it isn't possible to pick fresh crabs, there's an abundance of things you can make at home to satisfy the craving. I personally could eat a crab cake every single day of my life and never get sick of it. This time though I wanted to make one of my dad's favorites, Maryland Crab Soup.

I spent a fair amount of time looking for a recipe that came from either a Marylander or a local restaurant to stay as authentic as possible. For example, no offense to my mom's family in New England, but they've butchered crab cakes so I was sticking with my end of the country. However, if you want the best lobster roll, fried clams, or New England Clam Chowder you've ever had they've got you covered.

The recipe I found is entitled Charlie's Maryland-Style Crab Soup and is a mixture of recipes from several Chesapeake Bay cookbooks and the blogger's husband's own personal touches.

You will need:

1.5 - 2 cups celery, sliced
1.5 - 2 cups carrots, cut in small pieces
1 medium onion, diced
3 cups potato, diced in small pieces with skin on
1 28oz can of whole tomatoes, with juices/water
Corn, peas, lima beans, green beans (if you like)
14.5oz can of beef broth
1/2 lb of beef bone (I used 2 neck bones)
1 lb of crab (at least), lump and claw
2+ tbsp of Old Bay
1 tbsp dried parsley
2-3 bay leaves
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
2 tbsp of olive oil or canola oil (preferably something flavorless)

To start, prep all of your vegetables. This can be done the night before or the day of depending on how much time you have.

Next, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot (I used my cast iron Dutch oven) and add the beef bones. Once the bones start to sizzle, add in the celery, carrots, and onion and saute until they start to become translucent and the meat becomes slightly browned around the edges.

Cover the mixture with water, no more than one half inch above the meat and veggies. Add in the bay leaves and most of the parsley and lightly salt. Turn up the heat so that it comes to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While your stock is simmering parboil your potatoes. Place them in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium for about 5 minutes. Remove and drain.

When your stock is done cooking add in the can of tomatoes and the can of beef broth, then dump in a heaping tablespoon of Old Bay. Add in the corn and potatoes and any other veggies you'd like as well as try to break up the tomatoes while they're cooking. Bring the heat up to just under a boil. Let this cook for about 15 minutes.

Add in the crab, then another tablespoon of Old Bay, more parsley, and black pepper. Let the soup cook for another 30 minutes or so, stirring often. Remove the beef bones and taste test before serving to make sure you have enough seasoning.

Maryland Crab Soup is often spicy but no one in this house likes things too hot so I took care to put enough seasoning in so that you could taste it but prevented it from having too much bite. It ended up being a major hit! I had two large tupperware containers of it stored in the fridge and when I came home from hanging out with friends one of them was already gone! I really felt like this recipe had the authentic taste to it I was looking for and both my parents agreed. I think it's going to be made a lot this summer :)

Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini has to be one of my favorite summer vegetables and I'm so excited that the warmer weather is finally here! I've made zucchini many ways in the past, including but not limited to pizza crust, burger seasoning and stir fry, but today I thought I'd try a recipe for a skinny zucchini casserole. It's extremely easy requiring about zero prep work and you probably have a lot of the ingredients already in the house.

You will need:

3 1/2 cups grated zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper
2 tablespoons of cornmeal
3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater. It's the easiest thing you'll ever do! You only need about 2 average-sized zucchini to get the amount you need. Once grated add them to a medium sized mixing bowl and pat dry with a paper towel. You don't want any excess water in the mixture.

Add in the eggs, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir, then pour it into a greased baking pan. Top with the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and cheese and bake for 30 minutes covered in foil. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the top becomes golden brown. Serve hot!

Mine didn't turn out quite as fluffy as the one in the picture from the recipe despite following the ingredients to a T. I'm thinking maybe they used an even smaller casserole pan. Despite being on the thinner side this turned out really well. My only adjustment would be to cut back just a twinge on the black pepper, it was a tad much but not enough to ruin the dish. I think this works best as a breakfast item because of the egg and would make a good brunch dish but I think it also works as a side for dinner. And I love not feeling guilty eating it!

Pork Two Ways

I realize it's been a ridiculous amount of time since I last posted but when you're busy with nonstop work and just running around being happy sometimes it's hard to squeeze in those posts, let alone have the time to make anything that's worth posting. Last night I was on call and while waiting and hoping for my phone not to ring I decided I would make dinner for my dad and I since my mom had an appointment around dinner time. I perused my favorite site, Giada's website, and found Herb-roasted Pork Loin with Gremolata and Peas, Bacon, and Prosecco. Umm yum?

My plan was a bit of a failure in that I didn't realize my dad wouldn't be home until almost 2000 and my mom had already eaten dinner out after her appointment but really then more for me right?

I started with the pork loin so I could make the peas while it was roasting in the oven. You will need:

For the pork: 

One 3lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/4 cup of fresh rosemary, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of fennel seed
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
3 tablespoons of EVOO

For the gremolata

1 cup of fresh packed parsley leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of EVOO

To start, preheat the oven to 400. Lay the pork tenderloin on a rimmed baking dish and cut 10 one inch slices into the tops and sides of the meat. Then rub the rosemary, garlic, fennel seed, salt, and EVOO mixture over it, being sure to get it in the cuts you've made. Place in the oven and roast for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 145.

While the meat is cooking make your side. You will need:

4 ounces of chopped bacon
2 shallots, minced
One 10.8 ounce bag of frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup of mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup of freshly grated pecorino
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 cup of prosecco

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook for about 5 minutes until crispy, then drain all but two tablespoons of fat. Add in the shallots and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Then add in the peas and heat through. Once the peas are hot raise the heat to medium-high and add in the mint, pecorino, and salt. Stir well, then pour in the prosecco. Remove the pan from the heat, give it another stir, and serve!

Once the roast is done let it sit for about 10 minutes, then carve it into half-inch thick slices and place on your favorite serving platter. Serve it with the gremolata for dipping. All you do is mix the ingredients together and place it in a ramekin or another other serving bowl you have for sauces. I found rather than dipping it was easier to pour a little over the meat.

My mom came home while I was in the middle of cooking and couldn't resist grabbing a few bites of both dishes. She loved them! I like how lean pork tenderloin is and there are so many variations you can do with it. See http://cupcakesandcrabcakes.blogspot.com/2014/11/cocoa-rubbed-pork-with-chocolate-tomato.html. 

The peas were delicious, but really if you add bacon to anything it won't taste bad. The mint gave it a hint a freshness, the cheese some bite, and the prosecco was an interesting addition. It wasn't an overpowering alcohol taste but you tell it was there and helped bring everything together. Plus who doesn't like having a little prosecco left over for a glass?