Getting Back to Normal

It’s been quite a month. Typically in our house, December is a month filled with fun traditions that we look forward to all year long. However, this December turned out to be a stressful, anxious month, filled with more doctor appointments than I care to think about. Andy’s mystery eye swelling turned out to be a something called an Optical Pseudo Tumor. As the name suggests, it’s not actually a tumor, but a condition that causes severe swelling around and behind the eyes, which in turn causes double vision and a lot of discomfort. Since this is not a common thing, it took a while to diagnose, getting worse by the day. There were some very bad days. After more tests than I thought possible, and so many different doctors, Andy was finally put on steroids to reduce the swelling. Thankfully, they are working, albeit slowly, and he is still experiencing slight double vision and general tiredness of his eyes. Each day seems to be just a little bit better, and the doctors seem happy with the way things are going.

As you can imagine, cooking has been the last thing on my mind. After almost daily doctor appointments that lasted for hours, all I had the energy for was takeout and prepared foods. Actually, my appetite was nowhere to be found, and Andy ended up eating many meals solo. Finally, yesterday (four weeks later), I got back into the kitchen. I had fun, the dish turned out great, and it finally seemed like things are getting back to normal. Except I didn’t take pictures. Oops. So that dish will have to wait. But for now, this is a dish that I made for a Thanksgiving appetizer that I’ve wanted to write about for weeks.

Shrimp Poached in Spicy Asian Broth with Braised Bok Choy

Makes 2 full size servings or 4 appetizer servings

Bok Choy:

2 heads baby bok choy, leaves separated

vegetable oil

splash sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green onion, chopped

white wine

Heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil in a saute pan. Saute garlic and green onions in oil. Add wine to cover bottom of pan and bring to a simmer. Put bok choy into pan and cover. Let simmer, tossing occasionally, until tender. When bok choy is done, remove from pan and roughly chop into bite size pieces. Return to pan and reserve.

Shrimp:

Vegetable oil

1 green onion, chopped

1 hot pepper, diced

2 fresh cayenne peppers, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 cups seafood stock (I use Penzeys Seafood Soup Base)

splash fish sauce

12 shrimp, peeled

In a little vegetable oil, sauté green onion, peppers, garlic and ginger. Add stock and fish sauce and bring to a simmer. Poach shrimp in broth until cooked through. When shrimp are cooked, add bok choy and braising liquid into broth. Stir to combine and simmer a few minutes longer.

This is a very flavorful, spicy broth that pairs well with the tender poached shrimp and braised bok choy. A bit of heat lingers in your mouth, but doesn’t knock your socks off. A small bowl of this makes a nice start to a meal.

It’s hard to believe this year is already over. 2010 went by so quickly, with the exception of December of course. It’s been a wonderful year full of amazing memories, fun trips, and fantastic food, but we’re both very happy to be moving forward from a very long month.  Thanks to all of you that wished Andy well over the last several weeks.

Here’s to a new year, good health, more amazing memories and fantastic food. And to getting back to normal…

Happy New Year!