Basil squid
Smoked bluefish
Sweet potato salad
Hurricane risotto
Butternut squash soup
Margarita sorbet
Chocolate - grand marnier ice milk
Fried squid strips
Duxelles

For additional recipes, see Neurobiology Course Party 1997

Basil squid
ingredients:
as much basil as you can get your hands on
green pepper
green onions
anchovy paste
squid, preferably freshly cleaned
dried hot red peppers / flakes

procedure:
Cut everything up into stir fry type pieces
Stir fry everything together (ie at the same time)
It is done when the squid are cooked, in a minute or two.
contr. by M. Terasaki

Smoked Bluefish
ingredients:
About four bluefish fillets
white wine
water
salt
sugar
wood chips (mild, for instance apple, not hickory or mesquite: local sticks are OK)
Weber barbecue grill
charcoal

1. Build a small fire with about 12 charcoal briquettes in a pile at one edge of the Weber. Have the vents in the bottom of the Weber open about halfway.
2. In a large flat bowl, combine 1 part water, 1 part wine, salt and sugar to taste. Make enough to cover the fillets, and put them in.
3. Soak the wood chips in water.
4. When the fire is hot, put the grill on the Weber, with the hinged flap allowing access to the coals. Lay the fillets on the grill skin side down and away from the pile of charcoal.
5. Put some wet wood chips on the coals. Put the cover on, and open the vents in the cover about halfway. Rotate the cover so that the vents are opposite the fire. Adjust the vent opening until there is a slow steady stream of smoke.
6. Check periodically to be sure the smoke is still coming out. Add more wood chips if the smoke dies out.
7. The fish is done anywhere between 30 min and a few hrs after starting, depending on how dry you want it. If you want, you can leave the fire after 30 min and let it die out by itself - this often is convenient.
Contr. by L. Jaffe

Sweet potato salad
Ingredients
Sweet potatoes (about 3)
Mayonnaise
Lemon juice
Onions (1)
Relish
Mini-marshmallows aka pee wee marshmallows in my neighborhood
Chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper
Sprinkle of granulated sugar
chopped red pepper

1. Boil the sweet potatoes and cut them into potato salad type size.
2. Toss with the rest of the ingredients to taste
contr. by J. Galbraith

Hurricane Risotto
Note: Risotto can be cooked in a wok set in a Weber barbecue in your fireplace during a hurricane. It can also be cooked at other times in a pan on the stove.

Ingredients
Squid (optional). Before the hurricane, collect any remaining squid in MBL tanks!
Onion. Vidalia is good.
Olive oil
Arborio rice (Japanese rice also works. You want a short grain white rice)
Chicken broth (water, vegetable stock, white wine, or some combination can also be used).
Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, lemon and parsley optional
Tomatoes
Basil

1. Cut up onion (and squid if used) and saute in some olive oil until onion is becoming translucent
2. Add rice, and more olive oil if needed, and saute until rice is becoming white
3. Add enough broth to cover. Stir continuously (or often) as the rice cooks, gradually adding more broth (half chicken broth, half water is good). Continue until the rice is cooked, but still a little chewy. Liquid should be mostly absorbed, but the mixture should be creamy, not dry. Stir in grated parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. A little lemon juice and chopped parsley can also be stirred in.
4. Meanwhile, remove skins from tomatoes by dropping in boiling water for a few seconds until the skins start to peel off. Remove the skin, cut the tomato along the equator and remove most of the seeds. Cut the tomato into small pieces. Chop basil.
5. Put rice in bowls and put tomatoes and basil and parmesan cheese on top.

A good variation is mushroom risotto. Prepare the same way as above, but leave out the squid, parmesan, tomatoes and basil. While cooking the rice, saute cut up mushrooms (hen of the woods or other wild mushrooms are good) in olive oil and butter. Stir into the rice about half way through the rice cooking. Stir in chopped parsley at the end.
contr. by L. Jaffe

Butternut squash soup
1/2 butternut squash
2 cans chicken stock
1/2 onion
approx 36 fresh rosemary leaves
cooking oil

Cut the butternut squash into small pieces about 1/4 inch cubes
Cut the onion into saute pieces
Mince the rosemary leaves
Saute the onion in cooking oil
Add the chicken stock, squash pieces, and rosemary. You should be able to just smell the rosemary in the soup at this point.
Bring to boil then simmer until the squash pieces become soft
Use a potato masher or similar tool to mash the squash pieces.
contr by M. Terasaki

Margarita sorbet (still under development, but this is best try so far)
2 limes
1/2 cup of tequila and triple sec mix (2:1)
1 cup water

Mix the juice from the limes with the liquor and water
Freeze the mixture using liquid nitrogen technique (put mixture into round bottom plastic or metal bowl, pour in liquid nitrogen gradually while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. It is done when the mixture solidifies.
Contr by S. Tamm and LA Jaffe

Chocolate - Grand Marnier Ice Milk
chocolate bar
2 cups milk
splash of grand marnier liquer

Put milk and chocolate bar into a saucer and melt the chocolate
Put in some grand marnier to taste
Freeze the mixture using liquid nitrogen (see margarita sorbet)
Contr by M Terasaki

Fried squid strips
Squid mantles
Soy sauce
White vinegar
wood skewers

Put about 2 tablespoons vinegar into a small saucer, and add soy sauce gradually, tasting it as you go. If you have eaten Peking ravioli/ pot stickers / gyoza in a chinese or japanese restaurant, you want to reproduce the taste of the dipping sauce. Otherwise aim for a mixture that is not too sour and not too salty.
Cut the squid mantles into 1/4" strips
Heat cooking oil in a wok, cast iron skillet or frying pan.
When the oil is hot, impale the end of a strip with a wood skewer, then standing back from the spattering oil, put the strip into the hot oil and roll it around, letting it fry until whatever degree of doneness is preferable to you.
Take the strip right out of the oil and dunk it in the soy sauce vinegar mixture, then eat it.
from R. Llinas

Duxelles from The James Beard Cookbook, 1959 paperback, p. 474
"Duxelles is a cooked down mushroom puree that is used in sauces, for hors d'oeuvre fillings, and as a seasoning. It is delicious with vegetables, eggs, and many dishes. Duxelles may be kept in a jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.

2 pounds mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 pound butter
salt and pepper

Melt butter over low heat in a heavy skillet and add the mushrooms. Let them cook slowly, uncovered, stirring occasionally until they darken and the moisture seems entirely cooked out. It may be necessary to add more butter, for they must simmer, not saute. Salt to taste and spoon into a jar or crock.
Note: Duxelles used as a filling with crepes makes an unusual and delicious dish. Heat 1 cup Duxelles with 2 tablespoons flour. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup heavy cream and cook until thickened. Spread on unsweetened crepes."

further notes on Duxelles: shiitake or other gourmet mushrooms are best, but it requires quite a financial outlay to purchase 2 pounds of such mushrooms. The recipe works fine when scaled down several fold!