The Marvel Menu: Three Dishes For Bernard Stark

With the explosive arrival of Agent Carter the fandom has rallied around it’s best gal Peggy, Mrs. Ana Jarvis, and the newest member of the Stark family, Bernard Stark the Flamingo.  We here at the Marvel menu welcome the opportunity to cook for new people and offer entertainment suggestions to some more – unusual patrons.  Bernard is no exception and after some research we’ve come up with three dishes that we’re sure will tickle his delicate palate – and yours as well.

First however, we wanted to think about what would make him tick.  Just who was the bird behind the flamingo, the fella behind the feathers, the creature lurking in the Jarvis family’s backyard? In order to write a menu we wanted to look at the Bernard Stark – from the feathers up.  What followed were some surprising revelations.

FLAMINGOS ARE NOT ACTUALLY PINK:  they are in fact born gray.  They eventually turn pink thanks to a diet of algae and brine shrimp – aka sea monkeys.  As a matter of fact we here at the Marvel Menu have turned up this surprising picture of Bernard Stark as a baby:

THERE ARE SIX RECOGNIZED SPECIES OF FLAMINGO: according to a quick search on Wikipedia there are six different species of Flamingo recognized by many sources.  While we’re not one to speculate on the nature of Mr. Stark’s parentage, the amount of flamingos is simply staggering.

(Ed. Note: there is a species of Flamingo called James’s Flamingo found in Brazil.  While Howard is a member of the Stark family, does Mr. James D’Arcy have a little Flamingo in his ancestry or own a Flamingo himself?)

FLAMINGOS WERE ONCE WORSHIPPED AS GODS: Bernard – rightfully – expects to be treated with royal dignity as his ancestors were worshipped in Egypt as living embodiments of the Egyptian God RA.  On the opposing side of the fence however their tongues were considered a delicacy in Rome.  Flamingos have been featured in art all over the world and they are the national bird of the Bahamas. It’s also believed that their fat is a cure for tuberculosis.

We found Bernard fascinating (as any Stark should be) and we wanted to prepare a menu suitable for his palate.  Here are the top five dishes, as selected from The Marvel Menu staffers. We promise you won’t turn pink (and we sincerely promise they don’t contain brine shrimp or algae)  We hope that Mr. Stark will approve.

(We’d like to thank cookinglight.com for it’s shrimp recipes.  They’re delicious, nutritious, and healthy and this writer can’t get enough of the seviche tacos.)

SEVICHE STYLE SHRIMP AND AVACADO TACOS.

A must for any southern californian, these tacos are sure to delight the tastebuds. A seviche is a popular Latin American dish made with fresh seafood cured in citrus, almost like a salsa.  For this  recipe you will need:

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound cooked peeled medium shrimp

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

PREPARATION:

Finely grate rind from limes to measure 1 tablespoon; juice limes to measure 1/4 cup. Place rind and juice in a large bowl. Add tomato and remaining ingredients except tortillas; toss well to combine. Cover and chill for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/2 cup shrimp mixture down center of each tortilla; fold in half. Serve immediately.

SRIRACHA SHRIMP ROLLS

An almost hot-dog like dish involving pure deliciousness, be warned – it’s spicy.  Don’t forget to butter and/or toast your rolls either. It adds tons of flavor.  We recommend adding a little bit of salt to your butter to give it an extra kick.  For this recipe you will need:

4 cups water

1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1/4 cup canola mayonnaise (such as Hellmann’s)

1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped English cucumber

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 green onions, chopped

4 New England–style top-split hot dog rolls

5 teaspoons butter, melted

PREPARATION:

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until done. Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain well. Discard tail shells; coarsely chop shrimp.

2. Combine mayonnaise and next 6 ingredients (through green onions) in a large bowl. Stir in shrimp; toss well to coat.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush cut sides of each hot dog roll evenly with butter. Add rolls to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted and golden. Fill each toasted roll with about 3/4 cup shrimp mixture.

SHRIMP, AVACADO, AND GRAPEFRUIT SALAD

Here at the Marvel report we always strive to eat healthy, and we’re sure that Bernard would approve of that as well. On that note we close out our special Flamingo flavored menu with this final dish – a fresh shrimp and avacado salad. All the tastes of California and all of the health conscious options California is famous for! To prepare this you will need:

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

12 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 grapefruit

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon chopped shallots

6 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 peeled avocado, cut into 12 wedges

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Remove from pan; keep warm.

2. Peel and section grapefruit over a bowl, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Combine grapefruit juice, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, tarragon, brown sugar, and shallots in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add lettuce; toss. Arrange 2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 3 avocado wedges; divide shrimp and grapefruit sections evenly among servings.

 This concludes our offerings to Mr. Bernard Stark! From all of us here at the Marvel Menu, thanks for stopping by True Believers.  Remember to check out cookinglight.com for more healthy recipes and share your photographs of you guys trying our choices! Happy eating and Excelsior to you!