When Steve and I had our first date and were exchanging trivial information with each other I told him that I loved to cook. He said that was good, because he loved to eat. A match made in heaven, right? However, one of his more annoying habits is his compulsion to bathe every piece of meat he eats in ketchup. Doesn't matter what premium cut of meat he has in front of him, the Heinz 57 had better be close by. At the Capitol Grille, during a meal that cost almost as much as I make in a week, he had no problem asking the waiter for a bottle of the most plebeian condiment. I pulled the white tablecloth over my face and waited for the chef to come out in a homicidal rage, brandishing a meat cleaver at the insult. Needless to say, I keep copious amounts of the stuff on hand at home. I tend to bristle when he douses a well seasoned filet with it, but I've long given up any protestations.
During the holidays, I like to make shrimp cocktail. Steve loves it because the sauce is ketchup-on steroids.
Shrimp cocktail sauce
1 1/2 cups of Heinz ketchup
1 - 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish (not the creamy variety) found in the refrigerated section of your grocery.
1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely minced celery
Mix the above ingredients together well, adding horseradish to suit your taste. Serve with steamed, peeled and deveined shrimp that has been chilled.
