When I worked at The Greensheet in Houston, there was a very good Chinese restaurant a few blocks away and we ordered food from there all the time. They had the best crab Rangoon appetizers. I’ve seen a lot of recipes lately for Crab Rangoon Dip and it sounds like it would make a good Easter appetizer. Most of the recipes call for frying wonton wrappers for dipping, but I’d be too lazy for that nonsense, especially since you can’t get them in Rockdale. I’d use crackers, toasted bread, chips or vegetable sticks. I know Brookshire’s has sweet chili sauce. This recipe calls for lump crab meat, but any kind is fine including imitation crab.
Hot Crab Rangoon Dip
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature 1/4 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s 1/4 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon Sriracha 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from 1 lime 1 clove garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste 8 oz fresh lump crab meat, well drained 3 scallions, white and dark green parts separated 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided 1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce, at room temperature 1 tablespoon cilantro (optional, for garnish) Preheat the oven to 350 and set an oven rack in the middle position. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the dark green portion of the sliced scallions to use as a garnish on the finished dip.
Whisk the cream cheese until completely smooth in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, Sriracha, lime juice, garlic, salt, and sugar; whisk to combine. Add the crab meat, scallions, and ¾ cup of the cheese. Using a rubber spatula, fold to combine, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab meat too much.
Spread the dip evenly into a 1-qt baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the crab dip is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the Thai sweet chili sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the reserved dark green scallions and cilantro (if using). Serve with a spoon for scooping the dip onto the wonton chips, as the chips are fragile.
—kwc— Save this recipe for the next time you go to Austin, because you’ll need to go to Central Market for the main ingredient, although it would be good with tasty summer tomatoes too. If you’re not a bleu cheese fan, substitute with feta or a cheese you particularly like. I made this recently and mom, dad and I really enjoyed it.
Heirloom Tomato Salad 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cores removed 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Good red wine vinegar 8 ounces good Roquefort Fresh basil leaves, torn or julienned Good olive oil Slice the large tomatoes and arrange them on a platter. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half through the stem and arrange with the tomatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt and drizzle with vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Cut the cheese in slices and break into rough pieces, distributing the cheese over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature.
—kwc— Here’s an easy pasta dish to make when you don’t really feel like cooking.
Easy Pesto Pasta
6 ounces spaghetti, reserve 1/2 cup starchy pasta water 1/3 to 1/2 cup basil pesto Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Fresh lemon juice, as desired 4 cups arugula 2 tablespoons pine nuts Pinches of red pepper flakes Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Freshly grated Parmesan or vegan Parmesan In a large skillet over very low heat, add the pesto, 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir to combine. Add the pasta and toss to coat, and more pasta water as needed to create a loose sauce. The amount of water needed will depend on thickness of your pesto.
Turn the heat off. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper, to taste. Then, add the arugula and toss to barely wilt. Garnish with the red pepper flakes and pine nuts and serve.
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