JBug's Kitchen Antics

Crab Cakes with Sun Dried Tomato Remoulade

What can I say except these crab cakes are wonderful. From Legal Sea Foods Cookbook, they're everything you want in a crab cake - lots of crab, limited filler, a little spice in the form of Dijon mustard, hot pepper sauce and horseradish too. Moist, flavorful - I mean really; how could they be better?  But they were.

Topped with a creamy spicy kinda' crunchy sun dried tomato remoulade sauce from The Northwest Best Places Cookbook they were stupendeous. Just make 'em OK. You won't be sorry, I promise.

So - now that I have your attention, I really need to start this day off with a good rant and the fact that I'm posting today about crab cakes is rather appropriate coming from someone that's really, really crabby. I had a miserable night and the morning hasn't been all that hot either, although Big Guy's tried his best to make it as good as he can by packing his own lunch, walking the dogs and buying breakfast on his way to work.

My constitution just can't handle super rich food in any quantity so a big piece of banana pudding resulted in raging heartburn all night. Yup, I know. I'm stupid but I really like the stuff. Not only that but I can't seem to eat salad any more either so the combination resulted in my beating a path to the ....well, let's just say it has been a really busy night. 

During the brief times I actually spent sleeping, Big Guy was dreaming about climbing out of the hole and kicking up a storm. Had he connected with Max or me, it's unlikely we would have survived without a broken bone or two. Course I'm not sure he would have either.

Oh and speaking of breaking bones, to top it all off once again our illustrious neighbors decided it was a great idea to water our bedroom carpet through the patio door which I had thoughtlessly left open at 6:30 A.M. to enjoy the cool 68 degree morning breeze. I mean, imagine me thinking I could do that when they had "weeds" to water on the other side of the 6 plus foot brick wall that separates our homes. They truly have to show some dexterity to hit the screen in the first place since it's farthest away from the wall but their aim keeps improving and "requests" for them to take better care obviously fall on deaf ears.  Geez, what do they think our carpet is - a chia pet? I think I might hate Mondays.  

Spicy Crab Cakes (adapted from Legal Sea Foods Cookbook)

1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Dash Hot pepper sauce

1/2 teaspoon bottled horseradish

1 large egg, beaten

Dash Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 cup finely crushed saltine crackers

16 ounces cleaned crab, fresh or good quality frozen or canned

1/4 cup dried Italian flavored breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine mayonnaise, dry and Dijon mustards, hot pepper sauce, horseradish, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and old bay seasoning together until well mixed. Fold in saltine cracker crumbs and crab until just mixed. Form into 4 patties, cover and refrigerate for minimum half an hour. Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle both sides of each crab cake with dry breadcrumbs. In an oven proof skillet, melt butter and oil together until hot. Cook crab cakes on both sides until golden brown, then transfer to oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until hot. Serve with remoulade sauce.

Sun Dried Tomato Remoulade Sauce (adapted from Northwest Best Places Cookbook)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Creole style or grainy mustard

2 tablespoons each minced celery, red pepper and green onion

2 tablespoons chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Dash salt and pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until needed.

Crispy Cod

Big Guy cooked dinner last night while I sat on my behind in my favorite bar stool and coached from the cheap seats. Quite honestly I'm not sure how he puts up with it but it is incredibly difficult for me to keep my mouth shut when there's someone else in what I consider to be "my domain". 

Last night's dinner menu included lovely pure white cod fillets that were oh so crisp on the outside and perfectly moist and delicous on the inside. Big Guy simply coated them in flour, then in a mixture of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and a beaten egg, and finally in panko crumbs before giving them a quick fry in a small amount of vegetable oil ...and all this while listening to me chirp. He just smiled and gave me the "look". It's amazing really.

He's leaving today for what he calls a "stroll in the hole" - a four day hike from the south rim to the north rim of the Grand Canyon accomplished while carrying a 41 pound pack on his back. It's certainly not my idea of a great vacation but he's been training, planning and anticipating for months and now it's finally here. He's going with the Zimmerman guys - 4 brothers he grew up next door to eons ago in Pendleton, Oregon so at least I don't have to worry about him hiking alone this time. Just imagine the stories! Yikes!

A year ago - Pork n Apple Sausage Rolls

Two year's ago - Buffalo Salmon

Antipasto in a Jar

Sorry I'm late today but as you know, we've been prepping for a big party here the past couple of days. It certainly has put my new kitchen to the test and I have to say it performed admirably. It's the bomb!

The following appetizer was a huge hit last night at the party and it had me wondering why I hadn't made it in a long time. Antipasto was incredibly popular in my old home city of Calgary in the 80's (likely before some of you were born - geez, I AM old) and was often an excuse all on it's own to gather some friends together, drink wine and make a huge batch of the stuff - especially a "long form version" that's loaded all kinds of veggies and takes hours and hours of hand chopping to get it right. 

Fortunately, this is a simplified version and we can thank the Ladies of Best of Bridge fame for this incredibly flavorful appetizer that's a cross between Italian giardiniera and a tomato salsa. Since the recipe makes about 1-1/2 quarts of the good stuff, it's perfect party food for a crowd and/or for portioning into zip bags and freezing for when a munchie fit hits. 

Simply made from hot ketchup, chili sauce, olives, relish and marinated mushrooms along with shrimp and tuna all simmered on the stove to blend the flavors then cooled quickly, it packs quite a punch to the tastebuds and is best served very, very cold. It is a visually appealing topping on assorted crackers, flatbread or even inside mini- pita pockets and trust me, it'll have everyone asking "what's in that stuff anyway?"

Incidentally, although yesterday's temperature (90's) was cooler than some of our past party days, just to be to be safe and not poison any of our guests I placed the container of Antipasto on crushed ice in a crystal champagne bucket my sister gave me eons ago. After all, I'd sure hate to be the reason one of our guests missed writing their final exams, ya know. Wink, wink.

 

Antipasto in a Jar (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Grand Slam, Recipes from the Best of Bridge)

1 – 15 ounce bottle hot ketchup

1 – 12 ounce bottle chili sauce

1 – 10 ounce jar pimento olive pieces, drained

1 – 16 ounce jar sweet green relish

1 – 8 ounce jar marinated mushrooms in garlic

1 pound tiny bay shrimp, or 2 – 7 ounce cans baby shrimp drained

2 – 7 ounce cans solid white tuna, drained

Tabasco sauce to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Move to a large stainless bowl and place into an ice bath to cook quickly, stirring occasionally. (Takes about 15 minutes). Place 1 cup portions into zip bags and freeze. (Will hold in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but make sure you place it in the coldest part of your refrigerator, and freeze any leftovers promptly.) Serve with assorted crackers, flatbreads or mini pita pockets. Makes approximately one and a half quarts.  

Last year - Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

Two year's ago - Tacos al Pastor

Shrimp Salad with Mango and Orange

After our pig out on the polenta lasagna the other night, I figured I'd best keep dinner a touch lighter last night so decided to change the menu at the last minute and did a quick thaw on some shrimp I had hiding in the freezer.

Considering how quickly this salad goes together, it packs an awful lot of flavor in large part because I roasted the shrimp rather than boiling them. A touch of olive oil, salt and pepper and 5 or 6 minutes in a 400 oven yields perfectly cooked shrimp with incredible flavor. Cooled and married with a little chopped sweet onion and a mayo/sour cream orange tinged dressing, the salad hit the refrigerator for a quick chill although quite honestly for the most flavor it is best served room temperature, especially along with some super cold mango chunks. Incidentally if you can't find mango, fresh, frozen or canned peaches would be wonderful too.

As you can see, we enjoyed our salad along with some crunchy parmesan cheese and sun dried tomato pinwheels made in a flash from Pepperidge Farm's puff pastry sheets. Fabulous little morsels they are!

Shrimp Salad with Mango and Orange (an original from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Ina Garten)

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

Zest of 1 large orange

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups very cold mango chunks

Assorted greens

Wash shrimp and dry very well. Preheat oven to 400. On a sheet pan, toss shrimp with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until shrimp is firm to the touch and pink in color. Do not overcook. Remove from oven and move to a plate. Cool till just slightly warm to the touch.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, orange zest and juice, vinegar and sweet onion. Fold in cooled shrimp. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum 30 minutes. To serve, line plates with greens and add very cold mango chunks. Top with shrimp salad.  Serves 2 to 3 as a main course.

A year ago - Make Your Own Canadian Bacon 

Two year's ago - Chile Rellano with Tequila Shrimp

Buffalo Salmon

Big Guy tried out the new kitchen again last night and cooked us up a lovely salmon fillet. I have to admit he spoiled me over the weekend by relieving me of the dinner cooking chores and I enjoyed every second of it. As you may know, we've enjoyed this salmon before but after 3 years worth of blogging, we just have to repeat some things and this one is well worth enjoying again.

Simply a salmon fillet brushed with a butter/hot sauce combination and topped with panko crumbs and baked for approximately 15 minutes, it comes out of the oven ready to perch on top of caesar or tossed salad or on a bed of sauteed vegetables. It really is a delicious way to enjoy what's quickly becoming our favorite fish. 

A few notes on how to select good salmon:

• look for bright pink color, firm flesh and a non fishy smell
• if you're buying a whole fish, the skin should be shiny, the eyes bright and clear (not cloudy) and the gills a deep red color
• when possible, buy fresh rather than frozen and for heaven's sake, look for wild not farmed. According  to Eating Well, while most Atlantic salmon is farmed, wild salmon comes from the U.S. Pacific Northwest, British Columbia Canada and Alaska.  There's a huge difference in flavor never mind that " In Alaska, the wild-salmon fishery is one of the world’s best-managed and populations are robust" so don't worry overly much about the supply running out.

Here's a few of our other favorite salmon recipes on this site, should you get a craving for this oh so good for you special protein.  

      Asian Glazed          Pesto Topped Plank Grilled    Maple Soy Glazed

    

with Red Pepper Salsa     Salmon Wellington       Salmon Club Sandwich

   

Buffalo Salmon  Adapted from Gourmet.com

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup hot sauce such as Frank’s Redhot

Salt & pepper

1/3 cup panko crumbs

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 – 2 lb. salmon fillet with skin

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray. Combine butter, hot sauce and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Microwave until the butter is melted. Whisk together to emulsify butter and hot sauce. Set aside.

Toss panko crumbs in oil. Place salmon on baking pan, skin side down and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Brush with half the sauce. Sprinkle panko evenly over top of fish then bake until fish is just cooked through and panko is golden brown. (About 15 minutes).

Serve with reserved sauce on the side.

 

Spicy Pan Fried Fish with Olives and Tomatoes

What do you call tilapia, sauteed quickly with a simple warm garnish of garlic, fresh tomatoes and olives? We would call it good - I mean really good.

Tilapia is such a mild flavored fish, in my opinion it needs something to elevate the flavors because unless you're the cook, if you close your eyes and take a bite you could be eating darn near anything. Once again, we can thank Bon Appetit for a recipe that's like a puttanesca sauce but without the anchovies and capers.  

It's the kind of thing you can make any time of year because thankfully cherry tomatoes are available year round, but imagine this sauce on a chunk of snapper or halibut fresh from the sea, and tomatoes right out of your garden. Why, it would be absolutely sinful and I for one am putting it on our summer menu rotation only I'll be grilling the fish instead.  

We enjoyed our fish beside some pan grilled asparagus garnished with bacon and polenta with spinach, courtesy of Trader Joe's freezer for an incredibly quick and delicious week night dinner. Just so you know, we kinda' sorta' cut the recipe in half so here's our version below, but be sure to hit the link and head right to epicurious for the official version.  

Pan Fried Tilapia with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes (from JBug’s kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetit)

1 pound tilapia fillets, rinsed and dried

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups cherry or mini plum tomatoes

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Rinse and dry tilapia fillets and season well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high until shimmering. Add fish and cook about 3 minutes a side or until just opaque in the center. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Add  pepper flakes and parsley to the pan and sauté for a minute. Add tomatoes, olives and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until tomatoes are just barely soft. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve sauce over fish. 

A year ago - Peccary Porchetta

 

Two year's ago - Pecan Crusted Cod with Dijon Sauce 

Cajun Jambalaya

Big Guy's been after me for a month now to make something with his homemade smoked Andouille sausage so last night I tried it out in a pot of jambalaya. I've got to tell you the sausage is really superb so he's going to have to make another batch and write down his secrets so I can share it all with you.

As for the jambalaya, an Emeril Lagasse recipe via foodnetwork.com, this version starts with the usual trinity of onion, celery and green pepper, and includes copious amount of garlic and bay leaves too along with shrimp and chicken as well as the Andouille sausage I bragged about above.

I know there's at least a b'zillion recipes for jambalaya but I have to say this may be one of my least favorite versions. I should have gone with my instincts and deviated from the recipe but hesitated to do so because after all this is EMERIL; however, the flavors would have been much better had I browned the Andouille pieces till they were kinda' crunchy on the outside and coated the chicken in seasoned flour and browned it too, never mind that I overcooked the darned rice to begin with. Perhaps I'm just being overly picky since Big Guy didn't seem to have an issue with any of his servings.

Anyway - here's the link to the recipe if you're so inclined. Personally, I'd much rather have a big pot of gumbo so I'll be putting it on the menu very shortly. In the meantime, it could very well be that I'm suffering from kitchen renovation "itis" so reservations may be the order of this day and several to follow. Oh well - I guess even food blogger's hit a funk every once in a while. 

For those of you that just dropped by for a look see at JBug's Kitchen Antics, I must apologize for the fancy dinner ware you see in the photograph but we're in the midst of renovating our kitchen and we're without a kitchen sink (among other things). Believe me using disposable plates while the kitchen's being renovated is becoming a life saver ....or should I say wife saver!  

A year ago - Meatloaf Panini with Crunchy Broccoli Salad

Two year's ago - Sloppy Joe's

Cajun Shrimp

When you're camping out at home with limited resources, simple food is the order of the day and this method of cooking shrimp is just the ticket. We've posted this here before a couple of times and there's certainly safety when you go with something you know. There's anticipation too because this is just so darn delicious.

The only trouble is - I should have thought about how difficult it would be to de-vein shrimp without the benefit of a working kitchen faucet; however, I got the job done, put the butter, ketchup, Worcestershire, garlic and spice sauce together and the oven did the rest. A salad, a good baguette for dipping into all that buttery spicy goodness and dinner was on the table. By the way, be sure to leave the shells on the shrimp because not only are they fun and kinda' messy to eat, but they taste a lot better too.

The guys from Mesa Fully Formed are coming this morning to draw a template for the granite we ordered and we'll be off to the races with a hurry up and wait for a few more weeks before installation. Yesterday was fairly uneventful, thank goodness other than Max becoming a potato thief and Finnigan trying to perfect his bark.

I unpacked and got the cabinets semi organized although I'll be fine tuning and changing things around over the next little while. Of course that'll keep the big guy on his toes finding out where everything is and just when he gets used to looking in one place for his barbecue stuff, string or bacon makin' supplies, I'll have to move it all again to keep him on his toes. I'm kind of a pain that way.

Cajun Shrimp Adapted from Southern Living Magazine, my recipes.com

2 pounds medium or large shrimp, shell & tail on

1 lemon, cut in wedges

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup Worcestershire

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1-1/2 Tablespoons Old Bay

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Remove veins from shrimp, then rinse shrimp and dry well. Place in pan with lemon wedges and bay leaf on top. Melt butter in small pot. Add ketchup, Worcestershire, garlic, old bay, rosemary and dried thyme. Mix well. Pour over shrimp. Bake in 400 oven 20 to 25 minutes, until shrimp is just cooked. Stir half way through cooking period. Recipe may be doubled or tripled as required.

A year ago - Spicy Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Mayonnaise

Two year's ago - Margarita Chicken Wings

Salmon with Bacon and Mustard

When they say that bacon's good with everything, they're not kidding. I mean who'da thunk that it would be so great with salmon, but believe me it is.

A recipe from Legal Seafoods Cookbook, I did what they didn't say to do and par cooked the bacon first. I mean 12 minutes in the oven isn't going to do it because I like my bacon crisp! By the way I tried to make it pretty by weaving it into a cross hatch style blanket but it didn't quite turn out the way I'd planned but who cares really (other than moi). 

While the bacon cooked I prepped the salmon by removing a couple of pin bones, then slathered it in a mixture of Dijon mustard and soy sauce. Topped with the bacon it hit a 400 oven for a mere 12 minutes and came out looking like this.

Perfectly cooked, incredibly moist and really delicious. I was afraid the bacon would take over the flavor profile, but I could taste everything - salmon, the spicy tart flavor of the Dijon, the salty soy and of course the BACON. 

Served along with some TJ's polenta from their freezer section, it was a quick dinner that got Big Guy's vote for the third great meal of the week. Isn't he something for keeping track?

As for an update on the renovations, the fur kids and I survived although I'm thinking it would have made sense for all of us to vacate the premises ...like maybe head to Oregon until the job is done. I'm sure the neighbors would have appreciated it too since I can't keep the boys from yapping their disapproval of all the doin's. Anyway, the AC guys will vacate the premises approximately noon today and the Kitchen guys have pushed their arrival off until tomorrow morning which works out just lovely. As for me, I'll be renting a u-haul to make a wine run later today. 

Salmon with Bacon and Mustard (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Legal Sea Foods Cookbook)

1 small salmon fillet (approximately 1 pound)

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

5 slices lean bacon

In a large skillet, partially cook the bacon until just barely crisp in over medium low heat. (Pressing the bacon down with a heavy pan on top while it’s cooking will keep the bacon from curling up.) Drain bacon on a paper towel, reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 400. Wash and dry salmon fillet leaving skin on. Check for bones and remove as necessary. Combine mustard and soy sauce and coat flesh side of the salmon fillet. Coat an oven proof pan with reserved bacon fat and place salmon in pan, skin side down. Top salmon with bacon, place into preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.  Serves 2.

A year ago - Cajun Shrimp with Foccacia

Two year's ago - Salmon with Double Horseradish

 

Pan Roasted Swordfish Steaks with Peppercorn Butter

After spending most of the day in the kitchen, a simple no fuss dinner was the order of the day. Another recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, swordfish steaks are simply seasoned well with salt and pepper and sauteed on one side in a hot cast iron pan. Three minutes later the steaks are turned and hit the oven for another eight. 

After plating they're finished with a sauce made of a compound butter loaded with garlic, lemon peel, fresh parsley and pepper. I took the liberty of adding white wine to the pan first as an aid to getting all the lovely browned bits off the bottom, then the butter's added and when it melts the sauce is ready. 

The resulting flavor is quite wonderful, never mind how easy the whole thing is to put together but to be perfectly honest we found the swordfish very dry and that was after I cut the cooking time recommended in the recipe by a full 2 minutes. 

A firm very meaty non-fishy fish, I discovered in research after the fact that it needs to be seared quickly and cooked only to a medium rare. I guess I did the searing part but could have cut the oven time by about half. Needless to say I'll be doing that next time and have adjusted the recipe below to show the corrected time. 

By the way, in case you're wondering how the Big Guy's andouille sausage turned out, get a load of this. We'll be talking about the process in a post in the near future.

 

Here he is showing the andouille right after it comes out of the smoker.

Using pecan wood chips, he smoked the sausage in his Big Chief for about 5 hours.

Then the links are cooled quickly in an ice bath to prevent the casings from wrinkling up, and then they're hung to dry briefly before hitting the freezer. The color of the finished product deepens to a rich mahogany red  as they cool. 

He's very proud of his first sausage making attempt and you can be sure he'll be making more very soon. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pan Roasted Swordfish Steaks with Peppercorn Butter Sauce (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine Sept. 2005)

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (or mixed peppercorns)

4 half inch wide strips of peel from 1 fresh lemon

2 swordfish steaks – about 1 inch thick each

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and coarse ground pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

 

 

For butter – combine butter, parsley, garlic, pepper, and lemon peel in a small food processor and process until a smooth paste. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400. Heat a cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Meanwhile season both sides of swordfish liberally with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to pan and when oil is very hot, add swordfish steaks. Allow to sauté for 3 minutes until browned – do not move fish during this period. Flip swordfish over and immediately place into oven for approximately 4 minutes. Check after that time – fish should be a medium rare, so return to oven if more time is needed. It is important not to overcook the fish or it will be very dry.

When just cooked (to a medium rare), remove pan from oven and plate fish. Place pan over medium high heat and add white wine, stirring pan to get all the browned bits off the bottom. Allow wine to reduce until almost entirely evaporated – about 1 minute. Add half of the compound butter, stirring until butter has melted and bubbles. Pour butter over fish and serve. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining butter for another use).  Makes 2 servings.

A year ago - Make your own Chorizo

Two year's ago - Salmon Wellington with Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes

Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with Basil and Prosciutto

The thing I love most about Saturdays is 9 times out of 10 I get to share the kitchen with my Big Guy. We're a team, I mean a real mean team machine in the kitchen let me tell ya'. 

Case in point - yesterday's weekly shopping excursion yielded some absolutely gorgeous wild jumbo shrimp so while the Big Guy shelled and de-veined the beauties, I mixed up a marinade of white wine, olive oil, Dijon, fresh basil and lemon juice. While the shrimp marinated for the better part of the afternoon we went our merry ways and reconvened to complete the dinner preps as the sun was setting.

Big Guy wrapped the shrimp in fresh basil leaves and prosciutto then threaded them onto skewer's before grilling them on our little red gas grill supplemented with some maple and apple wood chips that he'd soaked and then wrapped in foil. While he was taking care of that, I whipped up a simple pasta sauced with pine nuts, tomato and garlic breadcrumbs and half an hour and some laughs later, dinner was on the table and we were moaning and groaning about our good fortune. We really are lucky aren't we?

By the way, the shrimp's from one of my favorite "go to" books, The Silver Palate and it's an old favorite from way back when during my single days in Calgary. As for the pasta, we can thank Fine Cooking for its existence. I've listed the shrimp recipe below, but hit the link and head on over to Fine Cooking for the pasta. It's a real keeper and from such simple ingredients - I left out the raisins just so you know.  

Grilled Shrimp with Basil and Prosciutto (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Silver Palate Cookbook)

Marinade:

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined with tails left intact (we used 16-20 shrimp)

Large whole fresh basil leaves

Thin slices of prosciutto

Skewers presoaked in water for minimum 2 hours

Combine wine, oil, lemon juice, mustard, basil and pepper together. Place prepared shrimp into a large zip bag and add marinade. Chill for a minimum 3 hours, turning the bag every once in a while.

Remove shrimp from marinade and discard marinade. Wrap each shrimp with basil, then with a slice of prosciutto. Thread 4 or 5 shrimp onto skewers. Grill shrimp until pink – about 3 minutes a side depending on how hot the grill is. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

 A year ago - Poppers in a Blanket

Two year's ago - Chocolate Chip Cranberry Nut Cookies

Bloody Mary Shrimp Sauce with Lobster Ravioli

This might be one of those times I could stop talking and let the picture speak a thousand words but honestly, why deprive you of my scintillating conversation - right? That said, there certainly wasn't much conversation going on last night when last night's creation hit the plate. Sometimes JBug's antics produce near perfection, if I do say so myself.

Such is the case with this rosy pink shrimp and vodka sauce created to dress some purchased lobster ravioli. I racked my brain all week trying to figure out a sauce to accompany said ravioli from Trader Joe's refrigerator because, while I would have been satisfied with a little browned butter and maybe a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, I knew the Big Guy'd be looking for some "meat". A compromise was in order. 

Remembering a rosy vodka sauce tasted a long, long time ago I simply sauteed some onion and garlic, deglazed the pan with vodka, added marinara sauce, a touch of heavy cream, a dash of cayenne pepper and a little dried tarragon, then finished up with some pretty little bay shrimp that were already cooked and simply needed warming. The result - an incredibly edible celebration worthy dinner that was ready in the time it took to boil the water and cook the pasta. Yup - you got it. Quick and impressive too. Oh, and dare I say modest?  

Now about that pasta; poor you if you're not anywhere near a Trader Joe's so you can take advantage of all the wonderful products they have available. Fortunately our closest TJ's is a mere 6 miles away but if you're not as lucky, simply substitute a spinach ravioli, tortellini or even a plain penne or shell shaped pasta for the lobster ravioli. Of course you could make it yourself. I didn't but I could've although I've already been accused of being much to gourmet for every day. I'm really just trying to keep it real here, ya know? 

Bloody Mary Shrimp Sauce with Lobster Ravioli (an original recipe from JBug’s Kitchen)

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1/3 cup vodka (or white wine)

1 cup marinara sauce

1/2 cup cream

1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 ounces cooked bay shrimp, well rinsed and drained

1 – 9 ounce package lobster ravioli, cooked per package directions

Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil over medium high heat in a heavy skillet until shimmering. Add garlic and onion and cook stirring constantly until onion is transparent. Add vodka and cook until reduced to approximately 2 tablespoons. Add marinara sauce, dried tarragon, and cayenne and black pepper to taste. Lower heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in heavy cream and well drained bay shrimp. Heat until shrimp are warmed through. Serve over cooked pasta. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese. Makes 2 to 3 servings.   

A year ago - Cheater Chili 

Two year's ago - Easy Creamy Tortellini Primavera

Salmon with Bacon and Lentils

I find it very hard to resist a perfect sockeye salmon fillet so yesterday's purchase became last night's dinner. Simply cooked in the bacon leavings in a hot cast iron pan, and brushed with some Kicky Kumquat Marmalade before hitting the broiler the real story of the evening is the bed of lentils.

Simmered with onion, carrot and orange peel, they can be prepped in advance and finished just prior to plating which is what I did just to make life a little easier - plus I had no idea exactly how long the darn things would take to cook. Anyway, after they're cooked, the lentils are spiced up with lots of salt and pepper, chopped fresh parsley and chives along with dried tarragon, finished with a touch of cream and garnished with crispy bacon.

A word to the wise - watch your lentils to make sure you don't over or under cook them because undercooked they're like pellets and overcooked they're mush. Dah - now that's a profound statement isn't it?

If you're interested in the real source, check out the recipe on epicurious.com; however, I made some changes to suit our tastebuds. I'm not a fan of rubbery undercooked bacon, so I cooked it until crisp, crumbled it up and used it as a garnish rather than wrapping the salmon fillets with the rashers. Also, heeding the advice of some of the comments, I ramped up the flavor of the salmon by glazing it with our homemade habanero kumquat marmalade but you could achieve almost the same thing by mixing minced hot peppers into store bought orange marmalade. 

Give this one a try next time you've a yen for salmon. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Salmon with Bacon and Lentils (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from epicurious.com)

Lentils:

1 cup lentils

1 onion, minced

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

4 – 2 inch long orange peel strips (pith removed)

2-1/2 cups water

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

In a medium sized pot, combine lentils, onion, carrot, orange peel and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until lentils are just cooked. Drain well reserving liquid. Remove and discard orange peel. (May be made to this point, covered and cooled). Just before serving reheat lentils over medium heat. Stir in whipping cream, parsley, chives, and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add reserved liquid if lentils are dry.

Salmon:

3 slices bacon

1 – 12 ounce sockeye salmon fillet skin on

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

3 tablespoons Kicky Kumquat Marmalade or 1/2 habanero pepper minced and mixed into 3 tablespoons purchased orange marmalade

 

Cook bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels, then cut into small pieces. Set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat and return pan to heat and increase to medium high.

Preheat broiler. Cut salmon fillet into 2 serving pieces and season well with salt and pepper. Place into hot skillet, skin side down and cook for 2 minutes. Top salmon with marmalade and place under broiler for additional 2 to 3 minutes or until salmon is cooked. Serve on a bed of lentils garnished with bacon.

Two year's ago - Fried Eggplant with Sausage Ragu 

Fried Fish Sandwiches

Dinners around here on Wednesday nights are way past the usual time because the Big Guy's got a late class this semester. It means that dinner and bedtime are but a short hour apart so by necessity we need something lighter.  I suppose given enough time I could convince myself this monster double barrel fish sandwich was lighter, but who the heck would I be kidding. It was sure good though. 

It's funny how many different methods there are for coating and frying fish but I've got to tell you I'm not sure I'll ever find a better coating than this one. A mixture of flour, cornmeal and baking powder mixed with egg and beer, jazzed up with some Cajun spices and deep fried about covers it, and boy does it ever! Light, crisp, flavorful with extra moist flaky cod on the inside - what can I say.

Piled on top of a soft potato sandwich bun along with some slaw, sliced tomato and tartar sauce, it was the first time in my life I've ever seen the Big Guy eat a sandwich like this with a fork. Ya' think I might have gone overboard?

Fried Fish Sandwich (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by myrecipes.com)

1 pound fish fillets (I used cod)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 cup beer

Hamburger buns

Tartar sauce

Packaged Slaw mix

Tomato slices

Place vegetable oil into heavy pot to a depth of approximately 1-1/2 inches and heat over medium high to 375 degrees. Meanwhile cut fish fillets into 3 inch pieces, wash and dry well with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt and baking powder until light and well combined. Whisk in egg and beer and mix until smooth. Dip seasoned fish into batter and fry in batches in hot oil without crowding pan for 4 minutes total or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to drain and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining fish. Place fish onto warmed buns along with tartar sauce, slaw and sliced tomato. Makes 4 servings.

 A year ago - German Potato Pancakes

Two year's ago - Chicken with Mint

Lemon Risotto with Seared Scallops

Risotto is an incredibly easy and versatile dish to make for one, two or tons of people. While some cooks are put off by the amount of time it takes to make, I on the other hand look at it as an opportunity for greatness. I mean isn't that what cooking's all about - taking simple raw ingredients, adding a smidgen of imagination, a little time and love and coming up with a delicious result.

I'd made this lemon risotto before when the Big Guy was out of town so he hadn't had the pleasure of enjoying its subtle creamy lemon flavors before. Made the usual way, this one includes shallots, the juice and rind of a lemon, a little wine - vermouth in this case because we didn't have any white wine in the cupboard, good quality chicken stock and time. Finished with a couple of pats of butter and slivers of fresh basil and parsley, it is a sight to behold.

Of course I could eat it just as it is, but the resident carnivore would be complaining somewhat so I sauteed some scallops to garnish the bowl of creamy splendor. Simply sprinkled with salt and pepper, the key to getting a good sear other than a hot pan, is to make sure the scallops are dried off before you even begin. Left to their own devices a mere 2 minutes on each side is all it takes - and for heaven's sake don't touch em' before the two minutes are up. Just let 'em be. When I flipped these big beauties over, I dropped a tiny bit of butter on top of each scallop so it could melt through and add flavor and moisture.

They needed nothing - not even a squeeze of lemon because we'd taken care of all of that in the risotto. It's a superb combination and totally worth doing again. 

Lemon Risotto (inspired by Nigella Lawson)

4 cups low sodium chicken stock

Water (if needed)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Juice and rind of 1 large lemon, or 2 small

2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Salt and coarse ground pepper to taste

Heat stock in a medium pot and keep at a low simmer.

In a large flat bottomed pan, heat olive oil. Add shallots and cook until softened – about 3 or 4 minutes. Add Arborio rice and stir well to coat with oil/shallot mixture. Sauté for about 1 minute. Set heat at medium low and add white wine and stir until evaporated. Set timer for 18 minutes - add stock a ladle full at a time, stirring constantly. Continue to add stock by the ladle, stirring constantly as rice absorbs the liquid. After 18 minutes, the rice should be cooked to al dente and will stop absorbing liquid. (If stock runs low, add hot water as needed). Stir in lemon rind and juice and butter. Add grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add chopped basil and garnish with additional grated cheese. Makes 2 main course servings.

Sauteed Scallops:

Spray a cast iron pan with cooking spray and place over medium high heat until almost smoking. Wash and dry scallops (I used 5 for the two of us) and remove and discard abductor muscle if not already done. Season lightly with salt and coarse ground black pepper. Place scallops onto hot pan and cook without touching for 2 minutes. Leave the scallops alone - do not touch! After 2 minutes they should be a deep golden brown - flip them over. Place a small "pearl" sized piece of butter on top and let them cook for another 2 minutes  - or until firm to the touch. Top serving of risotto with the scallops and dust lightly with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with basil and/or fresh parsley.

 A year ago - Tourte Poulet Indienne   Two year's ago - Braised Shortribs with Polenta

Maple Glazed Cedar Planked Salmon with Dijon Mashed Spuds

Boy sometimes I even surprise myself with my stupidity. Yesterday's shopping trip yielded some beautiful salmon steaks, all plump and glistening. The problem is I forgot how bony the darn things are even though the flavor's great. I really should have listened to the "look" I got from the Big Guy when I picked them up and bought fillets instead - but oh no. Sometimes I think I need to exert my independence but it's no surprise that I should have saved it for another time.

No problemo though because I'm thinking we'll be making this one again. Notice I use the term "we" - which is meant as a collective "we" since the Big Guy did all the work yesterday and cooked up the salmon. A recipe from Gourmet via Epicurious.com, the glaze is a combination of reduced maple syrup, lemon juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger and garlic. It's really simple enough but in combination with cedar smoke the end result is absolutely not to be believed.

The Mustard Mashed Potatoes, also from Gourmet via Epicurious are really the icing on the plate - creamy yet chunky unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed along with butter, milk and Dijon mustard and paired with the salmon, it is without a doubt a match made in heaven. Who knew?

We changed not one single thing other than the Big Guy cooked the salmon outside on the Weber, so I'm sending you directly to the source of this blissful more than company worthy dinner. Hit the button here and you're on your way to Epicurious!

A year ago -  Chicken Paillards Cordon Bleu  Two year's ago - Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Bacon

Cod with Andouille and Shrimp Sauce

I'm reading a book by Erica Spindler that's based in NOLA and it seemed like as good an excuse as any to cook a dinner to fit that particular scenario. Hey, any excuse to enjoy Cajun flavors is the right reason in my book.

We've had this particular dish before although last night we'd intended enjoying it with halibut instead of cod. Unfortunately the halibut wasn't looking too great so we made the necessary adjustments and picked a fish that looked more appetizing.

Notice I say "we". This is a perfect dish to cook with your significant other - mine prepped the fish as I put the rice on to cook and got the sauce ingredients together, and in 20 minutes after much laughter we were sitting down to dinner. I'm darn lucky that my Big Guy loves to cook and likes my company too.

While the dish is supposed to be about the fish, in my opinion it's all about the sauce. Chunks of smoked andouille sausage, browned until crispy in a little butter, joined by a few gorgeous shrimp, a touch of Old Bay seasoning and finished with cream ...well, what can I say? It's absolutely to die for. Placed on top of a mound of rice, the sauce soaks down through it making every single solitary bite an explosion of flavor. There is absolutely nothing boring about it!

Cod a la’ Cajun (from JBug's Kitchen inspired by Legal Seafoods Cookbook)

2 – 6 ounce cod fillets

1/4 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)

2 Tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce

1/4 cup dried Italian flavored bread crumbs

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

Vegetable oil

 

1 tablespoon butter

4 ounces smoked andouille sausage, diced

4 ounces medium shrimp cut into half inch pieces

1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Fresh ground black pepper

Wash and dry cod fillets. Combine mayonnaise and hot sauce and coat fish on all sides. Combine bread crumbs, cornmeal and Cajun seasoning. Coat fish, pressing crumbs onto all sides to adhere. Place fish on rack to dry coating mixture for a few minutes.

Heat cast iron pan over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil to just cover bottom. When shimmering add fish and cook for approximately 4 minutes a side, or until fish is firm to the touch. Remove from pan and keep warm (uncovered) in the oven. Wipe pan out and return to heat. Add butter and when melted add andouille sausage. Cook for 2 minutes or until just beginning to brown, stirring constantly. Add shrimp and old bay seasoning. Cook for 1 more minute or until shrimp is just opaque. Add cream and lemon juice and cook until cream is slightly reduced. To serve pour sauce over fish and garnish with parsley and fresh ground black pepper.  Serves 2

A year ago - Turkey and Brie Panini    Two year's ago -  Minty Lamb Meatballs

 

Asian Glazed Salmon

Some things are worth having over and over and over. Such is the case with the Asian Glazed Salmon we had last night.  The glaze is made up of brown sugar, soy and hoisin sauces, fresh ginger and lots of garlic and it's sweet, salty gingery flavor is a perfect topping for a lovely salmon fillet.

The Big Guy cooked the salmon on a gas barbecue, but one could certainly achieve the same results using a broiler - particularly for those of you that would need to dig your barby out of a snow bank. Actually the glaze would be great on almost any kind of fish, and lovely on pork or chicken too so be adventurous and use your imagination.

We had our salmon on a bed of soba noodles topped with some Asian flavored veggies courtesy of Trader Joe's freezer, but it would be absolutely delicious on salad greens or a bed of fluffy rice or even some couscous.

So what's in store for today? The Big Guy has the day off work and is heading out shortly for a little fun at the shooting range. As for me, I'm going to give our little Maxer dog major cuddles because speaking of bullets, he dodged a bunch yesterday but seems to be recovering from his latest medical crisis - pancreatitus. He was one very sick puppy.

Asian Glazed Salmon (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Legal Seafood’s Cookbook)

Glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Dash of dried red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients together in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened to a thick syrupy consistency – about 9 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

1-1/2 pound salmon fillet

Check salmon for pin bones and remove as necessary. Wash and dry fillet well. Baste with half the glaze and let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil fillet for 4 minutes, remove and coat with more glaze, then return to broiler for additional 4 minutes or until cooked through. Baste with remaining glaze before serving.  Serves 4.

A year ago - Cod a la Cajun

Shrimp, Andouille and White Bean Stew

Last night's shrimp and andouille filled stew has all the flavors of gumbo without the time and frettin' of making a roux. Loaded with the trinity including onion, celery and green pepper, the basics are gumbo's twin - fraternal of course because the addition of white beans takes it into a new realm entirely.

It's low on fuss, fairly moderate in calories and extremely filling which were all requirements after our busy Saturday. And there you have it! It's not very often that I'm at a loss for words at least not in the written form but today's one of those days, so I'll just head right to the recipe and leave you to enjoy your morning coffee.

Creole Flavored Shrimp and Sausage Stew (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Cooking Light)

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces smoked Andouille sausage, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1 teaspoon oregano

1-1/2 cups ounce can low salt low fat chicken stock

1 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 15 ounce can great northern beans

8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp

Parsley

Hot sauce

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add sliced Andouille sausage and cook until browned. Remove from pot and add bell pepper, onion and celery. Cook until vegetables are soft. Add garlic, Creole seasoning, cayenne and oregano and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove cover from pan, return Andouille to pot and simmer additional 10 minutes or until desired consistency. Just before serving add great northern beans and shrimp. Cook for 4 – 5 minutes until shrimp are just cooked. Garnish with parsley and pass the hot sauce. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Hoppin' John

Pan Fried Tilapia with Romesco Sauce

Sometimes simple needs a quick pick me up, which was the case with last night's dinner of fried fish. Tilapia is a warm fresh water fish that has become more and more available in our markets mostly because it is very fast growing which makes 'em rather popular and therefore lucrative to fish farmers. It is also one of the most affordable of the finny varieties for those of us who are on a budget.

Personally I find the flavor to be so mild as to be almost nonexistent, which can be a good thing if you're not into fishiness. It also makes it an ideal candidate when you want to showcase a particular flavor - like this Romesco Sauce.

To continue your edumacatin', Romesco is a sauce that's common to Catalonia, Spain and consists of toasted almonds, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar and roasted red peppers. In this instance it also contains fresh bread crumbs (for body), and a little spice in the form of chili powder and cayenne along with some sweet paprika. I whipped it up about an hour before we were due to sit down to dinner because as with most sauces that are uncooked, it needs a little time to ruminate so the flavors can develop. It's lovely made with fresh roasted red peppers but if time is a consideration, the jarred version work just fine too.

It's mildly spicy, kinda' sweet, definitely garlicky and wonderful with fish, chicken or pasta. It is also absolutely divine as a vegetable dip too, so don't worry about having some leftover. You can even use it as a "schmear" on a nice crisp crustini and serve it as an appetizer along with a glass of wine. 

We had our saucy fish along with an orzo spiced up with lemon, capers, dried oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and a touch of garlic and a nice green salad on the side. It was quick, satisfying and flavorful - what more can you ask for? By the way, that bright neon yellow wedge on the bottom right is one of our Meyer lemons and holy cow are they ever sweet this year. Sorry people - I just had to get that "brag" in!

Pan Fried Tilapia with Romesco Sauce An Original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics

Romesco Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I used 1 slice of Texas toast)

1 cup drained jarred roasted red peppers or 1 large red pepper roasted, skinned and seeded

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pinch salt & black pepper

3/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

In bowl of food processor combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Set aside for a minimum 1 hour at room temperature to allow flavors to develop. Store any leftovers in refrigerator.

Tilapia:

1 pound tilapia fillets, washed and dried

Kosher salt and Lemon Pepper Seasoning

All-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Season tilapia with salt and lemon pepper. Coat in flour and shake off excess. Fry for 6 to 7 minutes, turning fish half way through. Serve with Romesco sauce and garnish with lemon wedges. Makes 2 to 3 servings.

A year ago - Chocolate Gelato Two years ago - Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower

Lobster and Shrimp Coquille

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's wishing you a day filled with love and laughter.

It's the crack of dawn on Christmas morning and we've been up for hours and hours. Georgie the cat (the feral wannabe) announced Santa's arrival at 3:30 outside the patio door and Max wanted to check out the happenings at 4:30. There was no talking either one of them out of it. Kids will be kids, whether the 2 legged or 4 legged variety.

While it wasn't exactly peaceful this morning, it was quite the different story with last night's dinner because it was so tasty, there were more groans of delight than there was conversation. Inspired by a traditional Coquille St. Jacques, I lightly sauteed pieces of lobster tail and some gorgeous shrimp in butter then transferred the just barely cooked pieces to a couple of shell shaped gratin dishes called a coquilles. Hey, we can thank the French for the name!

Joined by sauteed onions and quartered mushrooms, each little shell shaped casserole was lapped with a rich sauce - heavy on the butter, cream and more importantly medium dry Amantillado sherry from Spain via Trader Joe's. Hey my friend Lea mentioned Amantillado a while ago and I just had to go get me some. It's absolutely superb and proved there's a lot more to sherry than just old Bristol cream... but I digress.

Topped with some buttered cracker crumbs and a touch of fresh tarragon, the coquilles hit the oven for a grand total of 15 minutes and voila' ... an elegant and delicious dinner more than suitable for a very special Christmas Eve.

Lobster and Shrimp Coquille (a JBug’s Kitchen Antics original)

1/3 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

4 medium sized mushrooms, quartered

3 tablespoons butter, divided

2 – 5 ounce lobster tails

8 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Spray 2 shell shaped casseroles (coquilles) or a gratin dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms to pan and sauté until onions are transparent and mushrooms are slightly golden in color. Remove to prepared casseroles. Return sauté pan to heat and melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Using kitchen shears, but down the underside of the lobster tails and remove the meat from the shells. Slice into half inch coins and add to sauté pan. Cook until lobster is just firm to the touch and opaque. Remove to casseroles, splitting evenly between the two. Add shrimp to sauté pan and cook until pink and firm to the touch – approximately 2 minutes. Transfer to casseroles.

Sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup half and half

1/3 cup medium dry sherry

Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and whisk together, cooking for about 2 minutes until mixture is bubbly and slightly golden in color. Whisk in cream and half and half and cook until mixture is thick. Remove from heat and stir in sherry. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary. Pour sauce over seafood in casseroles, splitting evenly between the 2 dishes. (May be prepared up to this point, covered and refrigerated).

Topping:

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon (optional)

1/2 a sleeve of Ritz crackers

1-1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

Transfer crackers to a small zip bag and crush to fine crumbs. Add butter and mix till well combined. Preheat oven to 425. Cutting a corner from the zip bag, sprinkle crumbs around edges of casserole dishes. Top with fresh tarragon. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crumbs are browned and casseroles are bubbling. (Do not over cook) Serves 2.

 

Salmon with Crispy Horseradish Crust

We love salmon around here with wild sockeye a top contender oh and horseradish is right up there too. Last night we combined the two along with some butter and fresh bread crumbs and it resulted in an incredibly fast, easy on the cook and company worthy dinner entree.

A recipe from Cathy Lowe at Foodnetwork.com, this preparation has exactly 7 ingredients and 2 of them are salt and pepper. Hit the link above and it'll take you right to the recipe but before you go, here's what I did.  I checked the 12 ounces of salmon fillet for bones and managed to find a couple to remove, then I washed and dried my sockeye well and dusted it in salt and pepper. I combined room temperature butter, horseradish and soft breadcrumbs together and piled it lightly on top of the salmon pieces, then sauteed them skin side down until golden on the bottom, before they finished cooking under the broiler (4 minutes). The result is delightful combination of salmon flavor and spicy assertive horseradish - amazing really, because one flavor doesn't cancel out the other and together they're blissful, especially with a little squeeze of lemon on top.

By the way I learned something I didn't know before as we watched Top Chef last night, and that is about albumin or the white stuff that comes out of salmon as it cooks. Albumin is a protein in the muscle of the flesh, and as it's warmed the fibers contract and push the moisture rich albumin to the surface of the fish causing a white film to form. It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't look pretty. Apparently the key is to cook the salmon at a lower temperature so in this instance, it means I should have sauteed the fish at a lower temperature for a longer period, then kept it farther from the broiler flame instead of right directly under the darn thing.  It still tasted fine, just didn't look as pretty as it would have otherwise.

As you can see we had our salmon along with some steamed asparagus with a lemon butter sauce and oven roasted butternut squash kissed with salt, pepper and a touch of honey. Yum! If by any chance you're stuck with what to cook for Christmas Eve this would be a great contender. It really is special and doesn't take much more than 30 minutes to put together, from start to finish.

Oh one more thing - that horseradish, butter and breadcrumb combination would be fabulous on a hunk of beef tenderloin or a rack of lamb. Just sayin'.

A year ago - Honey Baked Drumsticks

Fish 'n Chips

We (meaning me) had a craving for some good old fashioned fish and chips last night but there was one little issue to deal with. They couldn't be deep fried because I was out of oil and had absolutely no intention of hitting the grocery store the day before our typical shopping day. The resulting panko coated fish and oven fried chips made it evident there's no need to stink up the house with the smell of boiling oil when you can get the job done just as well without it and sans the ton of calories too.

Cod fillets cut into fingers, coated with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning, then dipped in flour, an egg wash with a touch of hot sauce then coated in panko crumbs and fried in a smidge of vegetable shortening took care of the fish. The oven did the trick on the fries - yukon gold potatoes sliced into chips and soaked for a half hour in water, then drained, dried and coated with cooking spray. Baked for 25 minutes in a 500 oven with a toss half way through, then dusted with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper and that was it!  You could call it dinner, but we'd call it delightful.

Moral of the story - who the heck needs a recipe when you've got an imagination.

A year ago - Smoked Salmon Pasta

Pear and Blue Salmon

Imagine a stuffing of maple smoked bacon and beautiful firm fresh pears, gussied up with onion and garlic and moistened with white wine or vermouth in our case, and sweetened with maple syrup all sittin' pretty on a salmon fillet. Topped with slices of mild and flavorful triple cream Cambozola that melts and darn near disappears into the stuffing as it bakes, the end result is incredibly moist and full of flavor.

Another winner from the Canada Dairy Counsel, I made a some changes to their suggestions which turned out very well if I do say so myself. Instead of placing the stuffing between 2 large skinless fillets I used just one left the skin on for easier serving, and placed the stuffing on top. After all there's just the two of us and even then there was certainly enough for 4. I also replaced the salmon with steelhead; it's not easy to find down here in the desert so when we see it available and on sale, we try to take advantage of it.

I really wanted the flavor of the stuffing and the fish to stand out, so exchanged a mild and creamy Cambozola for a sharper blue cheese. The rich creamy flavors of the cheese really complement the subtle flavor of the pears and it doesn't overpower the flavor of the fish one bit.You'll notice I left the rind on the cheese - it's perfectly edible after all and I knew when the cheese melted the rind would be left as a varigated garnish.

Oh, one more thing - if you're not familiar with the herb "summer savory" and don't want to jam another bottle into your spice cupboard that you'll rarely use, substitute a pinch of sage or even a teaspoon of Herbs de Provence instead. You'll be just as pleased with the results.

I bet you're wondering if you know who liked it, aren't you? I can honestly admit the silence at the dinner table broken by the odd ecstatic moan was proof we've found yet another winner winner salmon dinner.

Pear and Blue Stuffed Salmon (adapted from Dairy Goodness)

1 salmon or steelhead fillet, skin left on (about 1-1/2 pounds)

3 slices maple flavored bacon, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pears, peeled, cored and diced

1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (no substitutions)

1 teaspoon dried summer savory (or Herbs de Provence)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 slice Texas toast, made into crumbs

4 ounces Triple Cream Cambozola (or Saga Blue)

Wash salmon or steelhead fillet well and dry both sides. Remove any pin bones. Place onto parchment lined baking sheet, skin side down. Refrigerate until needed.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook bacon until fat is rendered and bacon is just starting to crisp. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is softened. Add pears, vermouth, maple syrup and summer savory. Season well with salt and pepper and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. (Stuffing may be prepared in advance and refrigerated).

Preheat oven to 375. Place stuffing on fillet and spread evenly. Slice Cambozola thinly with a sharp wet knife and place cheese in a diagonal on top of stuffing. Bake fish, uncovered for 20 to 23 minutes or until fish is done to your preference. We like ours slightly opaque in the center.  Slice fillet into 4 servings.

A year ago - Duck with Pomegranate Chile Sauce

 

Coconut Lime Shrimp with Peanut Sauce

Perfect for entertaining; perfectly good for you; perfectly delicious - I could just end this post now, show you a pic, give you the recipe and I swear you'd be convinced....but I won't.

Although this has to be one of our very favorite methods for grilling shrimp, we haven't made it in a long time but not because we don't think of it often. The problem with blogging on a daily basis is that I never want to repeat things very often for fear you'll get bored but honestly, this shrimp is so darn tasty we probably don't have to worry about boredom.

Lovely 16-20's marinated in a Thai flavored mixture of fresh basil, coconut milk, lime juice and the usual garlic, ginger and soy, then skewered and grilled until just cooked through, these shrimp are perfect sprinkled with a little fresh lime juice but dip 'em in a creamy, mildly spicy peanut sauce and you'll think you've hit nirvana. We could eat them by the bucketful.

Served along with another favorite because as the Big Guys says, it goes with everything - our Soba Noodle Salad chock full of buckwheat noodles and fresh veggies including zucchini, red pepper, grated carrot and sliced green onions, in an Asian flavored vinaigrette provided color and texture to the plates. Accompanied by some crunchy little Vietnamese spring rolls, our catch up dinner with the Big Guy's sister Susan and her husband Scott was a relaxed, fun filled evening full of laughter and reminiscing.

By the way, stay tuned and I'll fill you in on our dessert menu a little later because honestly, I don't want to baffle you with B.S. too much on this lovely Sunday morning. Have a great day everyone!

Coconut Lime Shrimp with Peanut Sauce (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Shrimp:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

4 teaspoons soy sauce

4 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)

1 tablespoon honey

3 pounds large 16-20 shrimp

Skewers soaked in water

In a food processor or blender combine basil, coconut milk, garlic, lime juice, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce and honey. Process until almost smooth. Clean and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Wash and dry well. Place in a container and cover with marinade, moving shrimp around to make sure all surfaces are coated with marinade. Cover and refrigerate a minimum 2 hours. When ready to grill, remove from marinade (discard marinade) and thread 6 or 7 shrimp on soaked skewers and grill over medium heat until just cooked (about 5 minutes).  Serve with fresh limes and peanut sauce. Serves 4 to 6.

Peanut Sauce:

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Juice of half a lime

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Store well covered in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature  or heat in microwave for 20 seconds before serving. Download Coconut Lime Shrimp with Peanut Sauce

Soba Noodle Salad:

 4 ounces soba noodles cooked per package directions and well drained

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 small zucchini, cut into julienne strips

1 red pepper, cut into julienne strips

2 green onions, sliced

Combine ingredients below in a screw top jar and shake until well mixed.

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (sambel olek) optional

Toss soba and vegetables together with dressing and serve.  Serves 4

A year ago - Bittersweet Chocolate Sour Cherry Bread Pudding

Cedar Plank Steelhead with Potlatch Seasoning

Grilling fish on a cedar plank has got to be the most brilliant thing, but make that fish steelhead trout coated with potlatch seasoning and you're really on to something. Last night's dinner was absolutely incredibly perfect and that's from someone who rarely admits that perfection exists.

Steelhead is a rainbow trout that can't decide if it prefers salt water or freshwater so usually returns to freshwater to spawn after a 2 or 3 year frolic in the ocean. It's enough like salmon that it could be salmon, honestly and we love it for its mild flavor and moist tender flakey flesh, never mind the lack of bones.  Slapped on a cedar plank that soaks in water for a minimum of 12 hours and grilled, it is about as good as it gets, especially flavored with potlatch seasoning.

Potlatch seasoning is a spice rub named in honor of the ceremonial feast held by what we Canadians call the First Nation tribes of the Pacific Northwest who I might add have been cooking on cedar and alder planks for centuries. This particular seasoning is a combination of salt, chili powder, black pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, celery salt, garlic and onion powders as well as oregano. You may think it's going to be incredibly spicy, but trust me it isn't. What it is though is a very well balanced blend of seasonings that is enhanced by the flavor of the cedar planks and smoke and the fish of course.

We had our plank grilled steelhead along with assorted vegetables (mini potatoes, cauliflower, baby carrots, green and yellow beans) in a light creamy dill sauce. I thought it was quite honestly our best effort of the week so far.

Incidentally, if you're unable to find steelhead, just use a nice salmon fillet. Also, be sure to soak your cedar planks in water for a minimum 12 hours before putting them on the grill, and if you're using a little gas grill like the one we have with a heat source really close to the grate, be sure to use the indirect method or your planks will go up in flames.

Cedar Plank Grilled Steelhead with Potlatch Seasoning  (adapted from Foodnetwork.com)

Potlatch Seasoning:

4 teaspoons kosher salt

3 teaspoons chili powder

3 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine ingredients together in a small jar and seal tightly.

 

Cedar planks

1 pound steelhead or salmon fillet, skin on

Soak cedar planks for a minimum 12 hours in water before using. Check fish for bones and remove as required. Sprinkle steelhead liberally with potlatch spice mixture and refrigerate for a minimum 1 hour before grilling. To cook – place cedar plank on grill, close lid and heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Place seasoned steelhead on plank, skin side down. Cover and cook for 7 to 9 minutes or until cooked as desired. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Tuscan White Bean Salad with Spinach

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp a la Mr. B's Bistro

Did you know barbecue shrimp to a New Orleans native doesn't involve a grill or a bag of charcoal? Never mind that unlike another version of Cajun shrimp we've enjoyed here before, this one doesn't have a spec of tomato anywhere in it. My friend Lea is doing the happy dance as we speak! One thing both versions do have in common though is butter and when I say butter I mean butter and lots of it.

Now before you take a look at the picture, I need to make a confession. You'll notice we cleaned the shrimp completely leaving only the tails on and while I wouldn't normally recommend it because the shells hold an incredible amount of flavor and the shrimp although messy, are a lot of fun to eat - we ate dinner in front of the television last night. Had we left the shells on not only would we have required a table, bibs and finger bowls but there would have been butter swinging from the ceiling fan and I'm not nuts about that kind of a cleanup job. There - so now you know why we, actually the Big Guy, peeled and cleaned all the darn shrimp.

I'm not sure there could possibly be a simpler method of preparing something that is so delicious because our fabulous dinner took absolutely no time to cook. Loaded with worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, tons of black pepper, Creole seasoning, garlic, and the aforementioned dairy product, the result is lovely, tasty perfectly wonderful shrimp in a bread dipping sauce par excellance - as in "being the best or truest of a kind; quintessential". (I've recently been accused of using too many fancy words, so there's a definition for ya'.)

By the way, we rather like the other version too so next time we're in the mood for a simple, quick Saturday night dinner with a fabulous bread dippin' sauce, we may just have to make both kinds and hold a NOLA shrimp off ...once our cholesterol levels return to normal that is.

Mr. B’s New Orleans BBQ Shrimp (Adapted from Mr. B’s Bistro)

1-1/2 pounds unpeeled jumbo (16-20) shrimp

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

French bread

Lemons and parsley for garnish

In a large skillet combine shrimp, Worcestershire, lemon juice, black pepper, creole seasoning and garlic and cook over medium high until shrimp just start to turn pink. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in butter, a little at a time. Continue to stir constantly, adding butter slowly. Remove pan from heat and serve shrimp in bowls with sauce poured over top. Garnish with lemon and parsley. Serve with lots of French bread for dipping. Serves 2 as an entrée or 4 as appetizer.

A year ago - Magic Banana Caramel Pudding

 

 

 

Salm 'n' Clam Chowder and Shaker Lemon Pie

We work on real time here so what you see is what we actually had for dinner last night. That leaves little if any room for error so when I scope out a recipe to make, I have to trust my instincts and experience that it will be a good one. Unfortunately, every once in a while the old instinct fails, at least that's what my opinion is of last night's chowder. The other member of our little family thought it was quite good, but I found it rather fishy if you know what I mean.

It's got good bones though - no pun intended. Bacon, chopped onions, celery and garlic make up some of the flavor base along with sweet potatoes which I thought would go very well with the clams and salmon in a broth made creamy with the addition of creamed corn along with the usual half and half. Sounds alright doesn't it?

If you enjoy a strong fishy flavor in your chowder, then this would be the one for you but personally I think there's several other great chowders on this blog that you may want to give a go before you make this one.

Fortunately dessert made up for any foibles of the main course. First introduced to this exceptional pie by Tom at Tall Clover Farm, we've made it several times in the past because our Meyer Lemon has been prolific to say the least. I had put aside some of the pie base in the freezer (lemon slices macerated in sugar) and this is the last of it. Boo hoo, because last winter's exceptional cold snap really took our citrus crop out of the picture for this year and we'll be lucky if we get a dozen total out of our 4 trees (lemon, grapefruit, tangerine and lime).

As you can see, this version of lemon pie is a double crusted wonder filled with the tart marmalade like flavor of whole meyer lemons with just enough sugar to take the edge off. It has serious lemon flavor so if you're a fan, then this is the one for you. It is without question, one of our favorites. 

Salm ‘n’ Clam Chowder (Adapted from Food Network Canada)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 slices bacon, finely chopped

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 cups peeled, cubed sweet potato

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1 – 14 ounce can creamed corn

1-1/2 cups chopped uncooked clams plus juice or 2 cans baby clams, undrained

8 ounces boneless skinless salmon fillet, cut into chunks (I used Coho)

1-1/2 cups half and half

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add oil and bacon. When bacon starts to crisp, add onions, celery and garlic. Cook until vegetables are softened – about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato and thyme and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth and Old Bay seasoning, bring to a simmer and cover pot. Cook for 10 minutes or until potato is cooked. Stir in creamed corn. Whisk together half and half with flour until smooth. Add to soup along with salmon and clams. Cook, stirring often until fish is done and soup thickens – about 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Makes 8 servings. Download Salm 'n' Clam Chowder

Shaker Lemon Pie (Adapted from Saveur)

Note – start the preparation of this pie 24 hours in advance because the lemons have to macerate in sugar for at least that long.

Pastry:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 ounces cold butter cut into pieces

4 ounces cold vegetable shortening cut into pieces

6 tablespoons ice cold water or more as needed

Place flour, sugar and salt into a medium sized bowl and whisk together to combine. Using a pastry blender cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Using a fork, mix in water a tablespoon at a time, tossing liquid into flour mixture just until mixture holds together. Remove dough to a board and knead slightly just until it holds together. Divide in two and flatten to discs. Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

Filling:

2 large lemons (I used Meyer lemons)

1-1/2 cups sugar (if using another type of lemon increase sugar to 2 cups)

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 2 tablespoons Heavy Cream & Sugar for garnish

Wash lemons well using soap, rinse and dry. Grate lemon zest into a bowl, and then slice whole lemons very thin. Remove seeds and discard. Add lemon slices and any accumulated juice to sugar and salt in a medium sized bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours.

To make pie preheat oven to 425. Roll one disc of pastry out and place in bottom of 9 inch pie pan. Place in freezer to chill briefly while you make the pie filling. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter and flour. Add eggs and whisk until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Stir in macerated lemon/sugar mixture. Fill pie. Roll second disc of pastry out and top filled pie. Fold edges under and crimp. Decorate top as desired, then brush with heavy cream and dust with sugar. Bake pie for 25 minutes or until golden brown, then reduce heat to 350 and bake another 30 minutes. Cool and serve at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers. Download Shaker Lemon Pie

A year ago - Bacon and Tomato Risotto

A Perfect Menu for Entertaining

We love to entertain although I admit we're a tad out of practice because we just don't do it often enough. If you find yourself in the same boat, the wisest thing you can do is to "go with what you know". That's what we did last night. Dinner included:

• Sundried Tomato and Spinach Parmieres (served with pre-dinner drinks)

• Asian Glazed Sockeye Salmon

• Soba Noodle Salad with Fresh Vegetables

• Vegetarian Pot Stickers with Sweet Chile Sauce

• Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Our menu was made up of some tried and true favorites, but as usual, we neglected to take pictures of everything so I'll tell you about what I can show you, but I'll have to tell you about the parmieres some other time. Too bad, because they're really easy to make and rather impressive too. Sorry about that!

As for the main course, we've had the Asian glaze before on steelhead, but this time I used sockeye salmon. I prepped the glaze in advance so I wouldn't have to worry about it after our guest arrived which made cooking the main course a breeze. I can say that because the Big Guy grilled the salmon which took a grand total of about 6 minutes from start to finish - just enough time for me to cook up some purchased pot stickers and put the finishing touches on our soba noodle salad.

The salad's a breeze to throw together with julienned red pepper, grated carrot and sliced green onions along with lovely Japanese buckwheat noodles (soba) in a sweet spicy Asian vinaigrette. Although the whole thing can be put together in advance, yesterday afternoon I prepped the ingredients separately and had 'em all ready to toss together at the last minute so the vegetables would maintain their color. The salad is an interesting and fresh tasting accompaniment to any grilled entree, but particularly delicious with salmon.

It's hard to come up with an Asian style dessert so I went a different route and picked an autumny one instead. Dorie Greenspan's version of an Apple Cake is absolutely without question the best cake you'll ever make. It's rummy flavor really showcases the apple in all its glory. This time I used 3 different kinds of apples (Granny Smith, Red Rome, Gala) and served the cake with a homemade caramel sauce at the Big Guy's request. He can take some bows for his ingenuity because it tasted just like a caramel apple only much, much better.

Asian Glazed Salmon with Soba Noodle Salad

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoons peeled and minced ginger

1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic

Dried red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

 

1-1/2 pounds sockeye salmon, (skin on) cut into serving pieces

Place sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and lime juice in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 9 minutes, or until sauce forms a glaze. Watch closely to prevent burning.

Clean salmon well under running water and pat dry. Leave skin on but check fish for pin bones and remove as needed. Dry fillet well. Baste with some of the glaze and let sit for 15 minutes.  Grill for 6 minutes or until cooked through. Baste once more with glaze before serving.

Soba Noodle Salad:

 4 ounces soba noodles cooked per package directions and well drained

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 small zucchini, cut into julienne strips

2 green onions, sliced

Combine ingredients below in a screw top jar and shake until well mixed.

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (sambel olek) optional

Toss soba and vegetables together with dressing and serve.  Serves 4 Download Asian Glazed Salmon with Soba Noodle Salad

 

Apple Cake (adapted from Dorie Greenspan) 

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 Granny Smith apples

1 Red Rome apple

1 Gala apple

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 inch spring form pan with cooking spray and line sides and  bottom with parchment. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Peel and core apples and cut into one inch chunk. Set aside.

In medium sized bowl whisk eggs until light and frothy. Add sugar and whisk for 1 minute until well combined. Add rum and vanilla and mix well to combine. Stir in half the dry ingredients then add half the melted butter. Mix until combined, then finish with remaining flour and butter. Fold in apple pieces until they’re well coated with batter and turn into prepared pan. Level top with spatula. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown on top and knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Turn onto serving plate when cool enough to handle and remove parchment. Serve with caramel sauce. (Store cake at room temperature, lightly covered).

Caramel Sauce:

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons water

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place sugar in a medium sized saucepan with a wide heavy bottom. Add water but do not mix together. Place pot on medium high heat and cook without moving or stirring until sugar is amber colored. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn and it is important not to move the pot. When sugar is caramelized and amber, carefully stir in butter (it will foam up, so be careful). Stir until butter is melted, then remove pot from heat. Carefully stir in heavy cream. When mixture stops foaming, add vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Download Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

 

Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Teriyaki Glaze

We're loving our new little Coleman Roadtrip gas grill and no, they're not paying me to say it. I'm just tellin' ya - it's perfect for our needs because the Big Guy uses his choice of  one of three charcoal grills he has in his outdoor kitchen to barbecue anything that requires lower and slower cooking and we needed a solution for the grillin' stuff. Our little red grill is really the little engine that could and does work perfectly for quick grilling because it heats up in a flash. For example, between the little red number and the Big Guy we had perfectly cooked salmon last night.

I prepped the glaze in advance - a simple combination of pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange zest and a dash of salt all cooked down to a syrupy consistency and used to top the salmon fillets at the very end of their 6 minute cooking period.

As you can see, we had grilled fresh pineapple with our salmon as well as a Spicy Noodle Salad that adds a couple of veggies to the mix for good health, all disguised in some Chinese noodles with a kinda' sweet, kinda' spicy definitely Asian flavored dressing. It's one of those "withs" that go with anything and can be made well in advance - a definite boon to a busy cook (or just a lazy one).

Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon (Adapted from myrecipes.com)

2 – 6 ounce sockeye salmon filets with skin on

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Zest from 1 orange

3/4 cup pineapple juice

Dash of salt

Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, orange zest, pineapple juice and salt in a small heavy saucepan. Place over medium high heat, bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced to approximately 1/4 cup. Sauce will look syrupy. Set aside.

Check salmon for bones and remove as needed. Wash and dry on both sides, leaving skin on. Season with salt and pepper, then place filets on hot grill skin side down. Cook for approximately 6 minutes or until firm to the touch, flipping salmon over briefly to get char marks on top side. Finish with skin side down. Add glaze during last minute of cooking. Serves 2. Download Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon

Spicy Noodle Salad (Adapted from The Best of the Best, Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks)

Dressing:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Asian chili/garlic sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup oil

Place dressing ingredients into a 12 ounce jar and shake well to combine. Refrigerate until needed.

Salad:

6 or 8 ounces dry Chinese noodles (or spaghetti or vermicelli) cooked per directions and drained

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 cup sliced sweet onion

1/2 cup grated carrots

Combine noodles with vegetables and toss with dressing. May be made in advance and refrigerated. Download Spicy Noodle Salad

A year ago - Chicken and Mushroom Lasagna

 

 

Thai Shrimp Curry

When you're looking for something to soothe a sore throat, a bowl of hot thai curry will do the trick just perfectly. While we've done several different curries on this site before, this one is of the green curry variety which to my taste is a trifle sweeter and less hot than a red curry.

Simple and very quick to prepare, it includes sliced yellow as well as green onions, diced plum tomatoes and not a smidge of garlic or ginger in a coconut milk/chicken stock broth. Of course you can take or leave the tomatoes and add green or red pepper if you wish, but we found it to be rather lovely just as it is with one exception. We doubled the green curry paste because as you all know we like spicy heat, but you'll note that I've included the minimum quantity in the recipe below.

By the way this is the perfect dish to make when you've got to get dinner on the table in a hurry. Put your pot of rice on to cook first and by the time the rice is ready,  your curry will be too.

Here's a link to some of the other Thai curry dishes we've had here before, if you'd like to check 'em out. Now I apologize for such a short post, but I'm off to bed to hang out with the woofs. I'm suffering through what has become an annual October-itis of some kind and it serves me right too. Afterall, I'd just finished bragging that I rarely get sick anymore. LOL Download Thai Green Shrimp Curry

Thai Green Shrimp Curry (adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 or 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste (or more to taste – I used 4)

1 – 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (I used lite)

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup diced plum tomatoes

1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons chicken stock (optional)

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until softened – about 4 minutes. Add green onions and Thai curry paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, sugar and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. If you’d like a thicker sauce, stir in cornstarch. Bring sauce back to a boil, stirring constantly then remove from heat. Add shrimp; stir to incorporate with sauce then cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove cover and serve garnished with cilantro and fresh lime wedges. Serves 4. Recipe may be cut in half.

 Shrimp with Thai Red Curry               Thai Chicken Curry

A year ago - Apple Pear Cake with Hazelnuts and Butterscotch