Low country cooking!

IThe low country! this an area along the South Carolina coast loaded with fresh vegetables and an abundance of fresh local seafood! 

This place is the birthplace of the southern culinarian! Many years ago my interst in culinary arts began here! I've decide to tell you all a little about this place to give you all somewhat of a better understanding about who the "southern culinarian" is! So let's get going! 

The particular areas I'm speaking on are located from charleston on up to myrtle beach. I have worked in many restaurants along this coast, and therefore I am very familiar with the local favorite eats!! 

From chicken perlo, to gumbo, to shrimp and grits are just a few to name! 

I have taken in many different values working here! One of which being pride! If you don't take pride in everything that you cook here, Trust you will know about it! Lol! Everyone takes pride in there food here! It's kinda like having bragging rights, not only in a functioning kitchens but amongst friends and family as well! There are numerous cook offs from winter to summer times! 

Being this close to the ocean provides us with so many different varieties of seafood it's crazy! You have the santee area, which in my opinion have some of the best oysters I've ever put in my mouth! Then if you continue north you come into Pawleys island where you will find crab traps and fishing boats out on the water daily! Something about that saltwater smell that traps people out in the ocean for hours at a time! Ahhhhh!! I'm getting homesick just thinking about it! lol! 

The low country is a very homey place! A place of appreciation, pride, and lots of southern hospitality! I have taken these things with me everywhere I've lived, and quiet frankly it's opened doors that skill alone won't! Some of the best chefs in the world have come from these areas! 

Those that know me, know for the most part that I'm pretty easy going and hard working! These are all things that I've picked up from working in the low country! 

With all this being said, I hope some of you who haven't visited there get a chance to very soon! 

Vegetable gazpacho with a cilantro creme fraiche and poached shrimp

Hey there! Today we have a more lighter fare for you all try at home! Along with being super healthy it's contents explode with nutritional  value as well! From the crisp crunch of the vegetables to the saltiness of the fresh shrimp followed by the smooth refreshing cilantro creme fraiche will surlely produce a flavorful taste to your taste buds!! 

Ingredients

Fresh corn on the cob

Red onion

Zucchini 

Summer squash

Roma tomato

Fresh chopped garlic

Sacramento brand tomato juice

Fresh lemon juice

Scallion

Creme fraiche

Cilantro

V8 juice 

Instructions

Very brief, very easy! First gather all vegetables with the exception of the scallions and fine dice them! Now grab your corn and begin to cut them off the cob. In a large mixing bowl combine your v8 juice and tomato juice. Place the diced vegetables along with the corn into the mixing bowl! Now add some chopped garlic, the juice of a few fresh lemons, salt and pepper to taste. It wouldn't hurt to throw some fresh cilantro inside either! Not required however! Now in a blender place the cilantro, creme fraiche, lemon juice, some fresh garlic, salt and pepper to taste and blend together! Let the vegetables sit for approximately 2-3 hours to let the flavors marry! When done sitting get a pan with salted water boiling and place the shrimp inside for 2-3 min pull them out and place into an icebath to shock them and stop them from cooking! Scoop a bowl of the gazpacho out,place a few shrimp over the top and drizzle a little creme fraiche over the top! A little cracked black pepper won't hurt at all either! And Bon apetit! Healthy eating in no time at all! I hope you all try this at home, and feel free to question or comment! Good day! 

Chorizo and shrimp stuffed cabbage rolls with crispy wontons

This particular appetizer is a wonderful addition to any meal!  Not only is it better for you on the calorie side of things, it's also  a gluten free option as well! The smokiness from the chorizo along side the shrimp produce flavors that will dance on your tongue in every bite! To pull an appetizer off such as this one you will need only a few items! To make it more efficient for home use we will use ingredients that you can find in your local grocery stores! With all that being said let's begin! 

Ingredients:

-1/2 lb fresh local shrimp (peeled and deveined)

1/4 lb chorizo sausage

1 head of green cabbage(napa, or purple cabbage are good substitutes)

1 bunch of scallions

1tsp of chopped fresh garlic 

1/2 lb of unsalted butter

1 bottle of your favorite teriyaki glaze

1 bag of fried wontons

Directions

First lets get a medium sized pot with water and a little salt to a boil. In the meanwhile you can begin to peel off your cabbage leaves! ( be sure to keep them whole or as close to it as possible). Next get a bowl of ice water and keep nearby! We are gonna use it to blanch our cabbage leaves! So once the water is at a rolling boil, let's place about 5 to 6 cabbage leaves in the boiling water for 4 min! You want to cook them long enough to where you can still handle them without them tearing! When they are done pull them from the boiling water gently and place into the bowl of ice water! This will shock the leaves and stop them from cooking further! Almost there! Now you want to use a food processer to chop your shrimp and chorizo. Together is fine because we are gonna cook them to blend the flavors! Once they are chopped and ready to go put the chorizo and shrimp, along with the garlic and scallions into a sauté pan with a little butter and cook until shrimp are done and the flavors have married together! Now we are ready to finish up! Pull your cabbage leaves from the ice water and drain until dry! Place  2 tbls of the mixture in the center of the cabbage leaf and roll them up! Please be sure all edges are tightly secured because you don't want your mix falling out! Once you have them all rolled up pop in the oven for approx 5 min on 350 degrees with a little butter and salt and pepper. When they come out you are ready to drizzle your teriyaki glaze over the cabbage rolls place some crispy wontons over the top and Bon apetit!