Chef Nick Mueller
Chef Nick Mueller & Company
 
Shrimp Provencal
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and de-veined
6 cloves garlic, sliced very thin
10 leaves fresh basil, rolled and sliced into ribbons
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chile flakes (optional)
3 tablespoons butter
 

Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in a large skillet .  Sauté garlic for 30 seconds; add shrimp.  Sauté until shrimp begins to turn pink.  Add white wine and tomatoes; bring to a simmer.  Add parsley and basil and remove from heat.  Stir in whole butter until fully incorporated; add lemon juice and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Serve in shallow bowls with thickly sliced French bread. Serves four for a hearty first course.

“We chose this recipe because of the fond memories that it holds for us. 

“It was one of the first menu items that we offered, and it always got rave reviews.  We do not offer it as often now because our repertoire has grown so much, but it is still a hit when we bring it back.  This recipe is my tribute to a dish that the Bass family at Spanish Hammock used to make when I was a kid growing up in and out of the creeks of the Back River of Tybee Island.  We hope that you will enjoy it.” -- Nick and Tracy Mueller

 
 
Christopher Glover
Jazz’d Tapas Bar
 

Pan-seared Swordfish with Mediterranean Braised Fennel 

and Wild Mushroom Sauce

2  7- to 8-ounce swordfish filets

1/2 cup olive oil
1 fennel bulb, cut into medium-sized matchsticks
1/4 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/8 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/8 cup calamatta olives, pitted and chopped
1/8 cup caper-berries, halved
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
 

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and sear both sides of swordfish filets, then remove from pan and set aside.  Add remaining oil and braise fennel and wild mushrooms until fennel is translucent, stirring constantly.  Add tomatoes, olives and caper-berries and continue to sauté.  Add the butter on medium heat, stirring until butter is melted and combined with olive oil forming a sauce.  Place fish in a 500-degree oven for five minutes.  When fish is cooked, place it on the plate and spoon this chunky vegetable mixture over half of the fish, ladling butter sauce over all.  Garnish with lemon wedge and fresh fennel frond. 

Serves two.

“This is one of my favorite original recipes influenced by my years cooking on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza.  It is fresh and brightly flavored in a Spanish sense, yet the fennel adds a heartiness in the French tradition.  I have trained 20 years in many styles, most notably Spanish, Pan-Asian, and Japanese sushi preparation.  Moving to Savannah approximately one year ago from my longtime home of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, I have found a new home in the kitchen of Jazz’d Tapas Bar.

“This dish will be appearing on our new menu this summer.”
 
 
Susan Mason
Susan Mason Catering
 
Tomato Sandwiches
 8 ripe tomatoes, in season
80 slices white sandwich bread
3 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
 

Peel the tomatoes by first cutting Xes across the bottoms, then dipping into boiling water until the skins pop (about one minute).  Slice each to yield five slices.  Put the slices on a tray between paper towels and refrigerate them overnight to drain.

Cut the bread into rounds with a 3-inch biscuit cutter.  Mix together the mayonnaise and seasoned salt in a small bowl until evenly combined.

Spread bread rounds with the mayonnaise mixture, place a tomato slice on one piece of bread and close with the other.  Repeat until all bread rounds and tomato slices are used.  Garnish with a dab of mayonnaise and a piece of watercress.  Arrange on a tray lined with dollies.

“My most requested recipe is tomato sandwiches.  I have seen grown men stuff them in their pockets leaving a party.  It is my favorite because it is my mother’s recipe and reminds me of my childhood.  I have been in the catering business in Savannah for 20 years.”

 
 
Chef Debbie Reid
Executive Chef
Savor Savannah Catering
 
Shrimp and Crab Salad
1 pound of jumbo lump crab meat

1/2 pound of fresh medium-size shrimp, cooked, peeled and de-veined
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
2-3 heaping tablespoons Hellman’s Mayonnaise
Fresh lemon
Fresh ground pepper
Lawry’s Season Salt
 

Pick through crab and remove all shell or cartilage; chop each shrimp into four pieces.  Mix crab and shrimp in bowl and squeeze a quarter of the lemon on top.  Season with Lawry’s Season Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Add two tablespoons mayonnaise, chopped celery and red onion and mix lightly.  Adjust seasoning to your liking. 

Serve on a bed of butterleaf lettuce with hardboiled eggs and Davis Produce tomatoes.

Serves 6.

“This is one of my favorite recipes  because it allows me to use local sustainable seafoods.  Seafood is so delicate that it is important not to spoil it with too many ingredients.  I always try to keep seafood simple, fresh and tasty.

“The preparation of food has always been important to our family.  With a mom, dad and two grandmothers that were excellent cooks, it was natural for me to consider a career in the food industry.  The kitchen was indeed the heart of our home.

“In my 20s, I enlisted in the Army and was sent to Germany for three years.  After I served in the Army, I used my educational benefits to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.  After graduating, I looked for someplace to use my culinary skills.  Savannah was very attractive to me, and a city I could see as my home.  After moving here, I served as the chef at 17Hundred90 for seven years.

“Since January 2004, I have been executive chef for Savor Savannah Catering. I have prepared food for a group as small as two people and a group as large as 5,000.  No matter who I am preparing food for, I always find it challenging and exciting.  We are a growing catering company, and it is a pleasure to be a part a community that is growing as well.”

 
 
Cynthia Creighton-Jones
Creighton-Jones Catering
 
Asian Crab Slaw
2 pounds special crab
2 leaves bokchoi
2 leaves Chinese cabbage
1 English cucumber
1 medium carrot
1 medium zucchini
2 medium yellow squash
1 medium red pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Cut the cucumber in half and remove seeds.  Peel the carrot; wash the zucchini and squash.  Using a mandolin, julienne the cucumber, carrot, zucchini and squash.  Discard the part of the zucchini and squash that have the seeds.

Julienne the pepper by hand.  Chiffonade the bokchoi and cabbage, including the white parts.  Chop cilantro.

Toast the sesame seeds in the oven (350 degrees F) until golden brown. 

Toss all ingredients together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Chill for at least two  hours. 

“I like to serve this salad in little Chinese take-out boxes with chopsticks.  Do make sure the take-out boxes are food-service safe.

“I enjoy this recipe as it is fun.  People comment on the novelty of the take-out boxes and chopsticks.  I so enjoy the nuttiness of sesame oil and the crunchiness of the fresh vegetables, which act as the ‘noodles.’  The cilantro brightens the whole dish, and who does not love crab?

“I have been a professional chef for 20-something years.  I have worked in South Africa, the Middle East and around the United States.  In 2005, I left the Chatham Club to open Creighton-Jones Catering Inc.  This venture has given me the opportunity to cook the way I love to eat.  We often cook Mediterranean-style — lighter fare using olive oil, but we never hesitate to use delicious butters, creams, cheeses and chocolates.”