This month the new recipes are Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Aioli, Cauliflower Pizza with a homemade Easy Pizza Sauce and Peach Cobbler. Feel free to click on these links to get the backstory and recipe.
I made Shrimp Cakes several times on our sailboat this summer. They are easy and delicious. I highly recommend the Lemon Aioli to accompany as a sauce. So, what is aioli and where did it come from? Before I looked into this, my understanding of aioli was that it is mayonnaise with minced garlic. But there is more to the story. Spain was one of the first countries to come up with their “alioli”, which is a mixture of garlic, salt and olive oil. The word differs slightly in France as “ai” is garlic and “oli” is oil. We know that mayonnaise is an emulsion of oil, egg yolk and acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice. So, I wondered, when did the egg yolk come into the picture? Apparently, this occurred later in France, where the chefs have the flexibility to make the aioli with just garlic and oil or add egg yolks for a creamier consistency.
I wasn’t sure in which category to put the Cauliflower Pizza recipe until I learned that pizza is considered to be a hot open-faced sandwich. This makes sense, so I stored it in my “Between the Bread” section. I added an Easy Pizza Sauce to this recipe as well. It is nice to have better control of the ingredients rather than using a pre-made sauce that may contain extra things such as sugar and lots of salt.
As I was making the Peach Cobbler, I wondered where in the world is the origin of the word “cobbler”. Cobblers originated in the British American colonies where the settlers were not able to make a traditional suet pudding or as we know it, the sponge cake. This was due to a lack of suitable ingredients and probably they did not have the right cooking equipment at the time. So the cobbler is just a batter that tastes like pie crust when baked. The only explanation I could find is the word not only means a “shoemaker who repairs shoes”, but also a “wooden bowl” which was probably used to mix the batter.
Because of the pandemic, it has been a time to stay home and not venture off to restaurants as we used to do. So where did the word “restaurant “come from? It is French and derived from “restaurer” meaning to “restore a former state of mind and body.” Another definition I came across was to bring people in and uplift their spirits through food, drink and service. These days we all need the uplift while getting a break from our kitchens and letting someone else prepare a quality meal for you. Seeking out safe dining situations can provide this avenue for all of us as we also help to support our local restaurants.
From my table to yours
Your galley guide –
