Anyway.

I took these pretty little wonton cups to a cookie exchange last night, and everyone who tried one asked when said cups would be making an appearance on the blog.  Here you go my darlings!

This is the perfect use for the pre-cooked shrimp that are on sale this week, and the filling is a breeze to pull together.  The only slightly futzy putzy part is brushing the wonton wrappers with oil and working them into your mini muffin tins (this is a great job to outsource to any minions you have loitering around).  If you don’t have time for futzy putzy (and you’re short on minions), go ahead and use my friend Liz’s method of putting the filling in little phyllo cups.

Either way, you’ll be glad you have this recipe in your arsenal too.

Merry, merry! 

THAI INSPIRED SHRIMP IN WONTON CUPS
Makes 48 
SOURCE:  epicurious.com

48 wonton wrappers, thawed
Vegetable oil in a little bowl

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or mint is good too)
5 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons mango chutney
3/4 teaspoon Thai green or red curry paste
12 ounces peeled cooked medium shrimp, coarsely chopped (cooked CenSea Shrimp are on sale; it doesn’t matter what size you use)

Fresh cilantro or mint leaves

Preheat oven to 350.  Place wonton wrappers on work surface and brush them with vegetable oil.  Place the wrappers (oiled side down) in mini muffin tins, pressing wrappers to the bottom and sides of the tin.  Bake wrappers for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove wrappers from tins and cool to room temperature.  (You can do this step a day or two ahead of time; just wrap them up in an airtight containter and store at room temperature.)

Combine mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, mango chutney, and curry paste in a medium mixing bowl.  Add in shrimp and stir to combine thoroughly; season salad to taste with salt and pepper.  (You can make this a day ahead of time; cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.)

Place wonton cups on a serving platter. Fill each cup with a teaspoon of the shrimp mixture.  Top each cup with a small cilantro leaf and serve.

NOTE:  Find the wonton wrappers in the frozen foods case – they’re near the top shelf by all the egg rolls and other frozen Asian foods.  Find the curry paste and mango chutney in the ethnic food aisle with the Asian and Indian ingredients.  Call me if you need help, you know I live for this stuff. 

So, you know I’d be cooking if I could, but a dish from the archive will have to suffice. Hhhm, which meal to resurrect? Fiery Chicken Tikka…creamy Pasta with Tomatoes and Brie… crispy French bread pizzas? All of them sound good, but not as good as this one that I haven’t made in ages: Thai Style Beef Noodle Bowls. Protein, vegetables, and starch all in one dish – genius!

This recipe calls for cooking the steak and vegetables indoors on a grill pan. However, given the gorgeous 60 degrees we’re having today, were I to make this for dinner tonight, I would absolutely fire up the grill and cook the steak and vegetables outside. Fewer dishes to wash, right? Given my current condition, I’m all about keeping things easy.

For a Thai dish, I was thrilled (and slightly surprised) that my family gobbled up this dinner. I embellished the vegetables by adding a pound of asparagus, just to make it a little more substantial. I also added cilantro and basil because I had them on hand and of course, I adore them! Feel free offer your diners spicy Siracha sauce on the side (LOVE this stuff!). Based on the hit it was with my family, I would not hesitate to make it again, or recommend it to you, my ten faithful readers. Hope you all like it!

Thai Style Beef with Noodles

Serves: 4

Source: Gourmet Magazine, February ’08; and also available on Epicurious.com

• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. honey
• 2 T. Asian fish sauce, divided
• 1 lb. flank steak
• 3 T. vegetable oil, divided
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 T. finely chopped peeled ginger
• 1 1/2 t. green curry paste
• 1 3/4 c. reduced sodium beef broth
• 1 T. fresh lime juice
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4″ strips
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 3″ pieces
• 3/4 lb. dried Asian egg noodles (I used Udon because egg noodles were unavailable)
• Cilantro and basil to taste, chopped
• Siracha to taste

Mix together soy, honey, 1 T. fish sauce, and 1/4 t. salt in a shallow baking dish, then add steak and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature 20 minutes. (I let mine go two hours or so.)

While steak marinates, heat 2 T. oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until browned well, about 8 minutes.

Add ginger and curry paste and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute, then add broth and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice, remaining tablespoon of fish sauce, and salt to taste and keep warm, covered.

Heat grill pan over medium high heat until hot, then lightly oil.

Grill steak, turning once, about 8 minutes total (for rare). (I broiled mine on high for three minutes a side.) Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss bell pepper, scallions, and asparagus (if using) with remaining tablespoon oil, then grill, turning frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes (again, I broiled them until they started to char a little). Transfer to large bowl.

While steak stands, cook noodles in a pasta pot of boiling unsalted water until al dente, 4-7 minutes. Drain well, then add to vegetables and toss well along with the cilantro and basil (if using). Divide the noodles among 4 deep bowls and top with broth. Cut steak in half lengthwise, then thinly slice across the grain and serve on top of the noodles.