We invited our friends Jenn and Chris for late lunch-early dinner yesterday to join us in celebration of the First Day of the Chinese New Year.
Due to lots of rain lately, mosquitoes are having a very good time so we decided to set the table using the living room coffee table instead of our 'dining table' on the back lanai.
I wanted to use the Chinese dessert/salad plates, soup bowls and soup spoons that previously belonged to my mother and the silk table runner/shawl made by my friend Bren, which I felt went very well with the dishes.
The set has touches of orangy-rust, blue, green, yellow and white. The silk table runner/shawl has touches of rust and blue-green. The napkins mimick most of the same colors, including the bit of blue which can't be seen on the napkin on the left but can be spotted in the one above on right. Even the chopsticks mimick the colors...the flatware and charges are gold for wealth and prosperity.
The Chinese New Year celebrations are filled with symbolism and special foods. Although I love Chinese food, I am not an expert in this cuisine so instead of trying to share an authentic Chinese New Year celebration dinner with the requisite 8 or 9 courses filled with symbolism, I merely tried to use the colors and some of the tastes that represent Chinese cuisine.
The colors red, yellow and green are colors seen in much of Chinese food.
RED - traditional bridal colour, expansive, blooming, dynamic, enthusiastic, reaching upwards, good luck, celebration, happiness, joy, vitality, long life; red purple brings luck and fame, money, recognition, propriety, creativity, joy vs. over excitation.
YELLOW- nourishing, supporting, stabilizing, ripening, grounded, solid, reliability,
sunbeam, warmth, clarity, royalty, good faith, empathy vs anxiety.
GREEN - growing, generating, sprouting, striving, refreshing, balancing, calming, healing, self assurance, foundation, benevolence, health, harmony, sensitivity, patience vs anger.
BLUE - conserving, healing, relaxation, exploration, trust, calmness, immortality
Yellow or gold and green also symbolize money, wealth, prosperity.
Blue-green is still a symbol of spring when everything is filled with vigour and vitality. Therefore, someone that is hoping for longevity and harmony will decorate with blue-green colours.
Jenn and Chris brought appetizers...delicious bits of bacon wrapped water chestnuts and a wonderful dip made with Jarsberg cheese served with crackers.
The menu was a simple 4 course meal of Crab and Tomato Bisque, Cabbage and Carrot Slaw, Roasted Pork with Hoisin Sauce served with Noodlesand side dishes of Haricot Verts (the very tender, very thin almost-don't-need-cooking French green beans) served with homemade sweet pepper relish and Asparagus Poached in Meyer Lemon water served with Jalapeño Greek Yogurt Sauce. For dessert a very eggy Egg Custard served with a homemade sauce of Persimmon and Fresh Pears.
Crab and Tomato Bisque
1 pound fresh crab meat
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1
large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups
chicken broth
1 (18.7 oz) can tomato and basil bisque
Fresh ground pepper to taste
A soupçon or more of
dry Sherry
Smoked paprika
Sprig of
watercress
Put carrot and onion pieces in blender or food processor to
triturate as much as possible.
Melt butter in a heavy bottomed Dutch
oven or stockpot. Add the carrots and onions, cover and let them simmer for a
few minutes. Gradually add some of the broth. If the vegetables still have
little pieces, put back in the blender or processor with a bit of the broth, add
half the crabmeat.
Put back in the pot and add the tomato and basil bisque. Bring
to boil while stirring constantly then turn down to simmer. Season with the
freshly ground pepper.
Stir in the rest of the crabmeat and cook just
until it is heated through. Do not boil.
Serve in the individual bowls, add the soupçon of Sherry,
sprinkle with smoked paprika and add a sprig of watercress.
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 (18.7 oz) can tomato and basil bisque
Smoked paprika
Sprig of watercress
Put carrot and onion pieces in blender or food processor to triturate as much as possible.
Melt butter in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot. Add the carrots and onions, cover and let them simmer for a few minutes. Gradually add some of the broth. If the vegetables still have little pieces, put back in the blender or processor with a bit of the broth, add half the crabmeat.
Stir in the rest of the crabmeat and cook just until it is heated through. Do not boil.
I developed the above recipe from three others I found on the Internet. One called for carrots, onions and tomato paste and one called for Sherry, corn, evaporated milk and/or coconut cream. I liked the idea of the carrots and onions, but not corn, the evaporated milk or the coconut cream. Since I had some Tomato and Basil Bisque in our emergency food closet, I decided to go with that since it has no MSG and added no salt since the bisque already had salt. We found it creamy enough without adding milk or cream.
Cabbage and Carrot Slaw
I like to slice the fresh cabbage in very thin slices then cut again to make the pieces bite-sized. I 'shave' the carrot off with a vegetable peeler. The dressing is Greek yogurt with honey and white vinegar. Just mix amounts to taste.
This recipe is adapted from one I learned many years ago when then traveling cooking school teacher and cookbook author Shirley O. Corriher used to come to my cooking school in Orangeburg, SC
Pork Loin Roast with Hoisin Sauce
Melt the butter and add all the other ingredientsm cool a bit and pour over the pork roast to marinate. Better if done overnight.
Prepare the pork loin by poking a few deep holes with a sharp knife and insert garlic cloves all through it. Place in pastic bag, pour the marinating sauce over the pork, seal and refrigerate until needed.
To cook, turn over to 400 F. Place the marinated roast on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan. Roast until internal temperature reaches 160 F. Take out, cool and slice.
Before serving, boil the remaining marinating sauce long enough to kill any bacteria that might have developed; it will get thicker and concentrated. Serve alongside the meat in a separate bowl.
We served the pork and sauce with noodles.
The Haricut Verts were briefly and barely sautéed in a small amount of garlic infused olive oil and served with the Multicolored Sweet Pepper Relish.
Multicolored Sweet Pepper Relish