Filling The Craving

Ah, cravings. I wish I could say that I'm a stronger man than I am, armed with the ability to fight off the flavours that roll through my memory as I picture a dish in my head. It's sort of a catch 22 I suppose, to give in to these things so desired by the palette. I mean, on one hand I get to enjoy some often times delicious culinary endeavour, but at the same time I often delve further into the pocket book than I probably should; but that shouldn't always be the case. As I think about it, there's no reason you need to spend a ton of money to eat a delicious, bountiful, satitating plate full of that which you long for, and while splurging can, in itself, be an occasionally fun thing to do, I try hard to keep things within a budget without sacrificing flavour.

That being said, when I get a craving for, say, oysters Rockefeller, how do I keep the price tag reasonable? I get creative, and I put my own spin on a classic.

Oysters Rockefeller, Phil Bean style:

Before I get too far in here, I would like first to state that, though I absolutely love raw oysters and all their fresh sea goodness; those of you worried or leery on oysters should fear not, these are oysters of the cooked variety. And while they are tasty in their own right, there should really be no fear of digesting them straight from the shell. Go ahead, give it a shot, get to know your food at every step of the way, shuck 'em open and sip 'em back, it's really quite a treat.

6 fresh oysters

1 bunch fresh spinach, finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp bread crumbs

3 slices of bacon

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (ideally I'd use Parmesan, but that costs $$$)

1/2 tsp anise extract (traditionally you would use Pernod, but, again, because we are keeping this on a budget and good Pernod is $100+ per bottle, I have chosen to use what's in my cupboard)

1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

4 cups sea salt

Oven to 350 degrees

Rinse the oysters well and place into a sauce pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and then immediately drain and allow the oysters to cool. This process will make your job of opening the oysters a lot easier, as well as lessen the cooking time in the next step.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat fry the bacon until fully cooked and crispy. Lower the heat slightly and return the pan to the heat and add onions and spinach (stand back, spinach is full of water and, as well all know, oil and water don't like each other very much). Once the spinach has wilted and cooked add in the garlic and saute for a further 1-2 minutes.

In a large bowl crumble the bacon, add in the bread crumbs, cheese (reserving a tbsp or so for garnish) and spinach mixture, stir well and season to taste.

Open the oysters carefully, separating them gently from the muscle. Line the bottom of a baking dish with sea salt, place oysters (in a half shell) on top of the salt, spoon 1 tbsp of spinach mixture onto each oyster, top with a little more shredded cheese and bake for 10 minutes. Switch the oven over to the broiler setting until the cheese has melted and turned a slight golden brown. Garnish each oyster with a lemon wedge and serve immediately.

Total cost = less than $15.00

Enjoy!

Phil