ANOTHER TEA PARTY

Considering the success of my new formula of having friends for the "five o'clock tea" , I gathered some friends this week end in the honor of some visiting colleagues. The success of the formula comes from a delicate balance between the different items of your menu: you can have some store bought, and others, the easy and fresh one prepared at home, preferably the night before. This time I tried something new, since I had some vegetarians in the group. I mainly decided to make a lot of salads: salsa, three beans and lentils. I opted for an easy pasta dish, and a baked chicken dish. I ordered a platter of beef and spinach empanadas from a store close to home, where two sisters from Latin America make them from scratch. I also prepared one platter of smoked salmon, with cream cheese, capers, chopped onion and toast on the side, and another platter of " viande séchée", Italian dried beef slices, that you can buy from specialty stores, actually I got mine at Costco. For dessert it was strawberry mousse, home made, and a chocolate mousse cake, store bought, don't be greedy!
                                                   

SHRIMP AND BEANS SALAD
                                            

You may find a similar recipe to this one on an earlier blog. In fact, the idea of this salad is very simple: just combine three kinds of beans with fresh ingredients and add, or not, some shrimp. Why not? Because I was not sure that my vegetarian guests would eat shrimp, so after making the salad, I kept some on the side before adding the shrimp. You'll need:

1 can each: chick peas, black beans and white beans,

1/2 can of corn, drained

1/4 red onion, very finely chopped

2 celery sprigs, finely chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro finely chopped

1/2 cup lemon juice, or to taste
1 bag (about 2 lb) cooked shrimp, medium, 31-34 count

1 to 2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Drain, rinse and drain the beans and transfer them into a bowl. Add the celery, onion, cilantro, lemon juice and spices. Mix, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove the tails of the shrimp, and make sure that it is well drained. Transfer to another bowl and sprinkle with some lemon juice and cumin. Just before serving, divide the shrimp in two parts. Mix the first part with the salad. Arrange shrimp around the edge of the serving platter, then fill the platter with the salad. Arrange some shrimp on the top, and add some green leaves, cilantro or mint, on top as garnish.

COOKED ANGEL HAIR PASTA
                                    

This is a very easy pasta dish to make and it is really a crowd pleaser. You really don't need a recipe for it, it all depends on the amount you need to make, and your preferences. It is basically angel hair pasta, with some onion and carrots. It takes minutes to make, so plan accordingly: if your guests are supposed to come at 5 pm, you can make it after everything is ready, about 4 or 4:15. Keep it in the pan until ready to serve. It will not need reheating and will be as delicious at room temperature as hot from the stove. You'll need:

2 packages of angel hair pasta, I used 2 each 8.8 oz, and it was a bit too much
1/2 medium onion
1 large carrot or about 7 or 8 baby carrots
Chicken or vegetable stock, or granules
1 to 2 tbsp canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In the food processor pulverize the onion, then the carrots and transfer to a large non stick skillet. Add 1 tbsp oil and cook on medium heat until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Then add the pasta, with an additional tbsp of oil, and cook stirring frequently to get an even color. Make sure that you stir the pasta from the bottom and sides of the pan so that part of it doesn't get burned. When the pasta is golden brown, add liquid to barely cover it. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat. When the liquid is all absorbed, reduce heat, add some more liquid and stir. Cover and let cook. Check on the pasta after a couple of minutes, if it is not done add some more liquid, stir and adjust the seasoning if need be. When all the liquid is absorbed and the pasta done, not al dente, turn off the heat and keep covered until ready to serve. You can top the pasta dish with some toasted almonds and pine nuts.