Corn Salad with Avocado, Red Onion and Tomatoes

A very simple Summer salad, great for bringing to BBQs.

4 ears of corn
2 avocados
1 red onion
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (for a hint of spice, you can leave out if preferred)
2 tbsp parsley or cilantro
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Cut the green ends off the ears of corn. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and drop the corn ears into the water. Boil the corn for 5 minutes then remove and let cool on a paper towel. While the corn is cooling, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, finely slice the red onion and then slice in half again, score and chop the avocado and the parsley.

Hold each ear of corn upright and slice the kernels off into a bowl with a sharp knife. Toss the corn with the avocado, tomato, red onion, parsley, lemon juice, and sriracha sauce. Season with salt to taste and enjoy!

Zucchini Roasted with Thyme

Does it get any easier than a 4-ingredient recipe? This is a real quick, healthy side dish for weeknight meals or alongside something more complex.

Serves 2

4 Zucchini
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a baking sheet with pam or drizzle olive oil.

Thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise and toss with olive oil and salt. Sprinkle with thyme and roast for about 30 minutes or until desired softness. Enjoy!

Ribeye Steak with Rosemary Porcini Rub and Sweet Potato Fries

Now that July 4th is here I’m finally getting on the ball and posting this ribeye recipe which goes great with sweet potato fries. If you’re looking for a last-minute barbeque dish for the weekend, this is it. I sauteed the steaks but you can easily throw them on the grill instead. Soy sauce and porcini mushrooms sound strange to you? Trust me, it makes the steaks incredibly flavorful. I made this for E’s birthday with some sesame asparagus and he loved it.

Serves 2

Steak:

Ingredients:
2 2-inch-thick boneless rib-eye steaks (about 3 pounds total)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms* (half of 1/2-ounce package)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:

Place steaks and soy sauce in large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag, releasing excess air; turn to coat. Let steaks marinate at room temperature 2 hours or up to overnight.
Process porcini mushrooms in spice mill or food processor to fine powder. Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons mushroom powder, rosemary, and pepper in small bowl.
Drain steaks; pat dry. Sprinkle mushroom-rosemary rub generously over both sides of steaks, pressing to adhere.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Fry steaks until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 8 minutes per side for rare, adjusting heat to medium if browning too quickly.

Transfer steaks to plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Let rest 10 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve.

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic and Herbs:

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices, then again into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray large baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Toss sweet potatoes with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sweet potatoes to platter.

Mix parsley, thyme and garlic in small bowl. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.

Oven-Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Goat Cheese and Chili Oil

This is actually a Bobbly Flay recipe that I stumbled upon on GroupRecipes.com.

It’s a wonderful mix of earthy, spicy, and rich flavors and it’s quite simple to make. If you’re short on time or don’t have a blender, buy some chili oil at the store which will work just as well as making your own.

• 8 cups mushrooms (I used cremini, oyster, shitake, and hen of the woods), stems removed and cut into sizeable pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1/2 cup chile oil, recipe follows or use store bought
• 8 ounces goat cheese, cut into 8 slices
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  Chile oil:
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 ounces dried New Mexico peppers
• 1 ounce dried arbol chile powder
• 2 tablespoons ancho powder (or regular chili powder works fine if you can’t find arbol or ancho, like me)
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Place all chili oil ingredients in a blender and puree. Strain mixture through a fine strainer. Reserve. This may be done up to one day in advance.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mushrooms with the olive oil, and shallots, then season with salt and black pepper.
  4. Arrange the mushrooms evenly in one layer in a heavy roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes or until tender. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of chile oil and top with the slices of cheese. Bake until hot, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, garnish with thyme, and drizzle with the remaining chile oil. Serve with lots of crusty French bread or as a side dish.

Penne with Artichokes and Parmesan

I’ve been loving artichokes lately and this dish is a delightful and healthy way to enjoy them. It’s just as nice served cold for barbeques or hot for dinner indoors with a hearty protein dish.

3 tbsp lemon juice
4 artichokes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
6 cloves garlic, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
1 lb penne pasta
3 tbsp shaved parmesan
1 tbsp chopped chives

Pour lemon juice into a bowl. Prep the artichokes by removing the tough leaves on the outside, stop removing at the place where the leaves turn from yellow to green. Slice the top of the leaves off at the point where the color changes. Then quarter the artichokes and scoop out the furry inner roughage. As you complete each artichoke, drop into the bowl of lemon juice.

Place artichokes in a saucepan with vegetable stock, parsley, garlic cloves, a drizzle of olive oil and salt to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for 12 minutes or until tender and until the liquid is reduced about halfway.

Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes or until ‘al dente’ and set aside.

Spoon the artichoke mix on top of the pasta and top with parmesan and chives. Toss, and salt to taste.

Paella with Chorizo and Shrimp

This paella dish is very simple but the end result is hearty and flavorful. This can serve as a perfect one-dish meal or can be served along side some bread and salad for something more robust. I adapted this recipe my favorite cookbook, Coast, which oddly enough is Australian, not Spanish. See, anybody can make paella! The prep work is rather minimal, but allow plenty of time for the rice to absorb all of the wonderful saffron.

Serves 4

5 0z chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
10 frozen, cooked shrimp
Olive oil
2 red onions, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, cut into large dice
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups chicken stock
pinch of saffron threads
8 oz rice (plain white rice is fine)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly shopped flat-leaf parsley
lemon wedges

Place frozen shrimp in a colander and run cold water over them for some time, to allow them to defrost and remove the tails.

Place a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and throw in the sliced chorizo. Allow the chorizo to release some of its own oil and color slightly. When the chorizo is almost ready, toss in the shrimp to cook briefly, then remove the prawns and chorizo from the pan and set aside.

Put the chicken stock in a saucepan, add the saffron, and bring to a boil.

While the chicken stock/saffron is boiling, add some olive oil to the large pan and fry the onion and green pepper for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook until the vegetables are completely soft.

Add rice to the pan and mix well. Increase the heat and add the white wine, then the hot stock, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper to taste. After adding the seasoning, do not stir the rice again. Gently shake the pan from time to time to be sure the rice isn’t sticking.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the paella for about 15 minutes, return the chorizo and prawn to the pan and allow to cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is almost cooked. Expect this to take at least another half an hour.

Let the paella rest a bit after the liquid has been absorbed and then sprinkle with a lot of fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges along the rim. Enjoy!

Turkey Saltimbocca with Fennel and Peas

This is an interesting take on saltimbocca as we use turkey here instead of chicken or veal. It yields a juicy yet lean meat dish that can be served with a myriad pasta dishes or on its own with extra fennel/peas. I made a spinach ricotta gnocchi with it and it was a delightful match.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 turkey breasts, pounded thin with a meat mallot, or purchased as scallopine
12 thin slices prosciutto
24 sage leaves
salt and pepper
3 bulbs fennel
2 tablespoons olive oil
flour for coating meat
2/3 cup clarified butter
2 cups frozen shelled peas
3 oz dry marsala
3 oz dry white wine
2 oz cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
squeeze of lemon juice

To make the clarified butter:
Clarified butter is essentially the butter fat exclusively, with the milk fat and water removed from the butter. Because it has a higher smoke point than regular butter, it is less likely to burn. When making dishes that require high heat, like a saute, clarified butter can be useful.

Heat your butter in a sauce pan slowly, until the milk fat rises to the top. Skim the milk fat off with a spoon and then slowly pour the remaining butter through a sieve on top of a liquid measure. Be sure that the sieve is trapping any solids and you just have pure, clarified butter remaining. Set aside for future use. I found a great video that shows you how to make it, it’s quite simple actually, it just requires a bit of care. If you need a bit of clarified butter assistance, check it out.

Season turkey breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay two pieces of prosciutto and a couple of sage leaves on top of each turkey breast and press in so that they stick. Set aside.

Cut each fennel bulb into four thick slices but leave attached at the base. Blanch the bulbs in lightly salted boiling water until just tender. Be careful not to overcook. Drain thoroughly and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and saute the fennel slices for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to a baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Take out your frozen peas and pour them into a bowl to thaw. If they become too watery, pat them dry with a paper towel. Place fennel in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the turkey.

Lightly dust each turkey slice with flour. Heat the clarified butter in a pan and quickly add the slices of turkey, prosciutto side down, and allow to cook for 3 minutes on each side. Combine the marsala and wine in a bowl. Turn the heat for your pan to high and pour the marsala/wine mixture into the pan. Remove the turkey slices and add butter and lemon juice to the pan with the marsala/wine. Taste for salt. Warm up the peas in the microwave for about two minutes.

Arrange a platter with a bed of peas and place the turkey breasts and warmed fennel on top. Spoon the sauce on top. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from my favorite cook book, Coast: Seaside recipes from Australia’s leading chefs.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Porcini Mushrooms

For some reason I’ve been geeking out on brussel sprouts lately. I see them on a menu and can’t wait to order them. Perhaps it’s because I never had to eat them as a child, I feel as if I’ve been cheated of some childhood rite of passage. Make me eat those sprouts, darnit! Anyway, I felt it was high time that I prepped some at home and I was very pleased with how this recipe turned out.

Think brussels sprouts are gross? Wait until you try this deliciously simple recipe, perfect for weeknight meals. After roasting in the oven for under twenty minutes, the sprouts will be soft to the touch and the outsides should peel off, while the insides remain tough and crunchy. You can make a bunch of these in advance and then keep them in your refrigerator, like I did. They actually soak up additional flavor over time.

Ingredients:
20 brussels sprouts
2 tbsp olive oil
2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F. While the oven is preheateing, fill a small bowl with hot water and soak the porcinis in the bowl. In a larger bowl, toss the brussel sprouts with olive oil, salt, and garlic powder.

When the oven has reached 400 degrees, place brussel sprouts on a baking sheet and roast for approximately 16 minutes, depending on your desired level of softness.

When the sprouts are done, pour the porcini and water mix on top of the sprouts in the pan. Dump the sprouts and porcinis (with water) into a bowl, and toss to coat. The porcini water will soak into the sprouts, giving them a delightful earthy flavor. Serve now, or place in your refrigerator for future enjoyment.

Wasabi Edamame with Black Sesame Seeds

Here is a fast way to jazz up some frozen edamame for weeknight meals. This dish is inspired by the edamame with lime oil that I had at Kuma Inn.

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen, shelled edamame (16 oz.)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lemon
1 tsp wasabi paste (or more if you like extra heat)

Place the bag of frozen edamame in a bowl and in the microwave for 3 minutes. (Yes, the microwave!) In the meanwhile, whisk together soy, sesame oil, and wasabi paste in a small bowl. Juice the lemon into the small bowl.

When edamame is finished, add sesame seeds and sauce from the small bowl. Ey Voila! A protein rich, delicious, healthy side dish

Arugula Salad with Tomatoes, Avocado and Pine Nuts

A very simple, savory salad with a dijon vinaigrette that I whipped together a few days ago. I think it might become one of my staples. Maybe yours too?

Serves 2

Salad Ingredients:
3 oz arugula
6 on-the-vine, roma, or plum tomatoes
1 avocado
1/2 cup pine nuts

Heat a small pan over low heat. Add pine nuts and toast for 2-3 minutes, until slightly brown.

While the pine nuts are toasting, halve and score avocado, then cut into thin slices. Slice tomatoes into thick cuts then slice in half again. Prepare the vinaigrette.

Dijon Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (use the lemon in risotto dish if preparing it also)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl then season with salt and pepper.

Add arugula, tomatoes, avocado, and pine nuts to a large bowl and then toss with your homemade dressing.