Flu Shot, Rust Control,

Thursday we dropped into the mall where we do our grocery shopping and I bumped into an acquaintance from our building who told me she had just had a flu shot at the pharmacy in the supermarket. We thought we would go and get ours done. Should have gone to our regular pharmacy, I had to fill in forms up the kazoo and when we went last year our regular pharmacy filled those in for us. However, it’s all done now and I have a sore arm. Matt never has a problem. We have been having flu shots for years. Of course we get them free. Last year in North Carolina I saw they were charging $20 for them. I wonder how many people bother – that would mount up for a family.

We needed our car undersprayed for the winter. However, they told us we had to have 3 dry days before they could do it. Friday Matt was finally able to go and much to his horror there were cars lined up all round the block.  I guess we weren’t the only ones waiting for the weather to dry up. This is, of course, very important in Canada because of our winters with lots of ice and snow on the roads and heavy doses of salt as well. When Matt phoned me to tell me he wasn’t sure how long he would be, he figured he might get home around supper time!! He actually got home shortly after 11 so it wasn’t that bad. Apparently they had 4 guys working at spraying and two at sorting out the cars and issuing them with numbers. $73.35 which is 35 cents up on last time. Not too bad. Matt was #32 by the way.

I have recently started a problem with flaky nails and checking on reasons, one possibility is that I am not getting enough leafy greens. Could be as I seem to have “gone off” those I used to love. Kale is touted as a miracle green these days and coming across this one I thought it sounded good. I have never heard of Cotija cheese so I have linked it to Wikipedia.

Shrimp-and-Potato Cakes with Kale Braised in Chile Broth

Food and Wine
Contributed by Silvia McCollow

SERVINGS: 6

 
Husband-and-wife team Cory and Silvia McCollow make this elegant dish at their Oakland, California restaurant using local ingredients. It's popular during the spring because the crispy cakes showcase seafood (eaten more frequently during Lent) and scallions or spring onions, as well as greens.

1. 2 baking potatoes (1 1/4 pounds), peeled and halved lengthwise
2. Kosher salt
3. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4. 3 scallions, finely chopped, plus 1 thinly sliced scallion, for garnish
5. 2 serrano chiles—stemmed, seeded and minced
6. 3/4 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
7. 1 large egg, lightly beaten
8. 2 tablespoons finely grated Cotija cheese, plus more for garnish
9. 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
10. Canola oil, for frying
11. Kale Braised in Chile Broth

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and simmer over moderate heat until the potatoes are just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the saucepan to dry and cool completely. Using a box grater, coarsely grate the potatoes into a large bowl.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the finely chopped scallions and the serranos and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the scallions and serranos to the potatoes and let cool.
3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Add the shrimp, egg, 2 tablespoons each of Cotija and chopped cilantro and 1 teaspoon of salt to the potatoes and fold gently to combine. Form the mixture into 6 patties, a scant 3/4 inch thick and transfer them to the baking sheet. Refrigerate the cakes until just chilled, about 20 minutes.
4. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/2 inch of canola oil until shimmering. Add 3 of the shrimp cakes and fry over moderately high heat, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cakes to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining 3 cakes.
5. Spoon the kale into shallow bowls and top with the shrimp cakes. Garnish with Cotija, chopped cilantro and the sliced scallions and serve right away.

Have a great day