Scallop and Sweet Cabbage Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Okay this has flat out turned into a flat out freakish obsession. I haven’t‘ been blogging much recently because I haven’t‘ been cooking much…other than salads. I fear there is danger I might turn into a rabbit. That said, it is that time of year and just like when I get the slightest hint of cool to the air, I whip out the stock pot for soup in summer I have a relentless obsession with salad, this year it is particularly bad.

Likely compounding the issue is that I have been starting to work Hubo‘s office which gets me out of the house for a change of pace and will (once he is done training me) get him more time with the kids, which is a win-win, but is SERIOUSLY cutting into blog time right now! It is also making throwing a quick salad together a necessary evil. Lucky husband is happy and Jillian (the 20 month) old loves her a salad (go figure?). Tristan…well he hasn’t been eating a ton of dinner recently, but he sure is hungry at breakfast!

There isn’t much of a recipe to this, so I will just break down what I did a bit. You can purchase a REALLY good cilantro dressing at Trader Joe’s. However, I just put a about a cup of cilantro, ¼ c. of vinegar and 1/8 c. of oil and slat and pepper and the food processor and processes until smooth.

The salad, put in what you like, peppers, onions, cucumbers. Whatever you love. I thought a little sweet cabbage sautéed would be good. Here is what I did


¼ of large head of cabbage
1 clove of garlic
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs brown sugar

I sliced up about ¼ c. of cabbage and 1 clove of garlic (I sliced the garlic into really thin pieces). Meanwhile heat oil and put garlic in and sauté for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Add cabbage and toss to coat. Sautee for about 3 minutes and add sugar. Cook until just tender but not too soft. Remove and let cool.

The scallops were easy as well. I heated about 1 tbs of sesame and 1 tsp of oil until smoking. Sear the scallops on both sides (about 2 minutes) and remove from heat.

I put the salad in the bowl and created a well and putting the cabbage in the well and the scallops on top. Dress with cilantro dressing (a ginger dressing would be awesome too). Enjoy!!

Ginger Shrimp Pasta

This recipe is a bit odd, but I do have to say came out really well. I will be making this pasta again. It all came about very haphazardly, I needed a quick dinner for that night, I saw the cilantro and that started it, I knew I had shrimp at home and that would be quick and I wanted something spicy. When I saw the coconut milk it all started to jell in my mind.



1/2 lb pasta
1 tbs oil
½ sweet onion
½ red pepper
2 small cans diced tomatoes
1 tbs ginger
2 tbs soy sauce
¼ c. red wine.
1 lb shrimp (cleaned, I used precooked because it is what I had, raw shrimp would be far better)
1 clove garlic
red pepper flakes to taste (I used about ¼ tsp)
salt
½ bunch chopped cilantro
½ can coconut milk

Add oil to skillet and heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes.

Meahwhile, put pasta on to boil.

Add the tomatoes, ginger, soy, red peppers and wine and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile coat the shrimp in salt and red pepper flakes.


Once pasta is done, drain and set aside.

Add shrimp and cook and additional 5-7 minutes. Add cilantro and coconut milk cook 2-3 more

Apple and Blue Cheese Coleslaw

In my mind this started as pear, blue cheese and walnut coleslaw, but something happened. The first, and most idiotic thing, was I simply forgot to ask hubby to get walnuts at the market. The second, my husband picked the very best pears the store had to offer and by golly you could play baseball with them. They were little and hard and I wasn’t about to use them. Luckily he got some wonderful cameo apples so I developed a plan B. I still want to try this with the pears, but that is for another day. However, the other thought I had was that it would be great with some pineapple and cilantro… just a thought folks.

1 bag of the coleslaw mix by fresh express (or about ¼- ½ a cabbage shredded and one carrot)
1 apple cut into small pieces
3 heavy tablespoons of blue cheese crumbled
2 tablespoons minced onion
5 sliced of bacon cooked and chopped
½ cup mayo
¼ white vinegar
1 tsp sugar
¼ c. sunflower seeds
Salt and heavy pepper

Mix all ingredients and let set for 1 hour.

New Website Devoted to Richmond Food Lovers

I have to share some really exciting news with everyone! So often in my life I find myself saying, “Greater minds than mine…(fill in the blank…there are many!).” This is yet another one of those times. Jason for Caramelized OpiNIONS has started a new blog that is a compilation of local Richmond food blogs. The new site is http://www.eatingrichmond.com/ I highly recommend you go check it out and see what other Richmonders are doing!Shortly there will be a button to the right you can click on to get there!

Later today I will be posting last nights dinner…. Scallop and crab cakes with goat cheese and capers. Yummmmmy!

Tuna and Fennel with a Lemon Dill Aioli and an Embarrassing Story

Every once in a while we all have to chuckle at ourselves. Hopefully that chuckle can be followed with a bit of relief at how far we have come. I used to not like sushi. I think in retrospect, the first several trys I had at it, just also turned out to be bad sushi. When we went to dinner with friends, who unwittingly, ordered a ton of sushi for us to share…I had little choice but to eat it. I waited anxiously for the sushi to come, not knowing how I would make my way through (the last sushi I had had, I couldn’t force myself to swallow…literally). Luckily for me (and several sushi restaurants near me), it turns out I love sushi if is good and now there is not a week that goes by I don’t indulge in some.

Prior to realizing raw fish could be good ,I went out to eat with a young chap I would later marry. He took me to a lovely restaurant in his town. We each got a salad and decided to split an entrée. It was a thia tuna dish. The waitress brings it out and we dig into the tuna, and it was rare!! Egad. We immediately called the waitress over and explained the obvious issue. God love her, with out bursting out laughing, she carried that beautiful piece of tuna back to the chef and had that man cook it within an inch of its life. Honestly, I just simply did not know you could eat tuna rare. I still like mine medium rare and not full on rare, but now a well done tuna steak, in my mind is ruined. It is dry and heavy. So to that chef and that piece of tuna who sadly gave its life to have me desecrate it… my humblest apologies. I hope this recipe offers some solace.

Fennel topping
1 fennel bulb sliced (tops removed)
½ large Vidalia sliced
1 tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Fish
4 tuna steaks
1 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
lemon

Aioli
2 tsp mustard
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp dill
1 tsp caper

Make the aioli, by combining mustard, lemon juice, dill and capers. Mix well and set aside.

In skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil to medium high. Add fennel and onion and sauté for 1 minute reduce heat to medium low and sauté for another 10 minutes until nice and brown.



Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in skillet over high heat. Add tuna and sear for 30 second on each side. Reduce heat to medium. I personally like my tuna medium rare, so I cooked it and additional 2 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other and let it rest, but it was a pretty thick steak. Unless you like it very well done, it is always better to pull it off early and put it back if need be than overcook it. Once you pull fish off squeeze lemon over.

Top tuna with a heaping spoon of fennel and onion and then top with a healthy spoonful of aioli.

Salmon Wrap

This weekend we went to a party and someone brought these amazing pork lettuce wraps. That is what inspired this dish.

½ lb salmon
4 Savoy cabbage leaves
2 tbs lime juice
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp fresh grated ginger
1tsp corn starch
4 tbs cilantro leaves
4 tsp chopped spring onion

In pan put, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and corn starch and wisk. Heat over medium low heat until thickened. Set aside and allow to cool.
Remove and clean cabbage leaves
Cut salmon into 4 equal pieces.
Salt and pepper salmon, and place in the center of cabbage leaf.
Spread a heavy teaspoon of the sauce onto the salmon. Sprinkle with teaspoon of onion and a tablespoon of cilantro, roll and place in steamer basket. Repeat for all four rolls.
Steam for 10-12 minutes.


I served this with a Asian inspired coleslaw. I used the remaining Savoy, 2 cups of carrots and put it in the food processor. I put in a bunch of spring onions, chopped (about 5) and a bunch of cilantro chopped, I mixed it all together and put a dressing of:

2 TBS lime juice
3 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp fresh grated ginger
2 TBS white vinegar (Asian would have been better)
4 TBS sugar
Zest of ½ of a lime

Mix together, pour over and let sit.

Bacon and Swiss Mac and Cheese

The Gourmet Gastronomer is having a Mac and Cheese off and I just had to get in on the action. Please go by the site and vote for my mac and cheese!!! http://www.gourmetgastronomer.com/ .



5 pieces of lean bacon chopped(I use one marketed as low fat, normal bacon just a lean cut)
3 tbs shallot
2 tbs flour
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. dry white wine or vermouth
2 c. swiss
1 cup (dry) macaroni cooked
½ tsp salt

Topping
2 hamburger buns
1 small clove of garlic
3 tbs parsely
2 tbs butter
Pinch of salt and pepper



Cook your one cup of dry macaroni according to package. Drain and set aside.
Heat over to 350 and put in hamburger bun and cook 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook chopped bacon until done.
Add shallots into pan with bacon. Sautee for 3 minutes.
Add flour and stir to coat.
Add wine and cook over low heat until sauce thickens.
Add heavy whipping cream. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Add Swiss cheese and salt. Cook until melted and sauce smooth.
Remove from heat.


In food processor add clove of garlic and 2 tbs of parsley and pulse about 10 times. Add butter and pulse another 5 times. Add toasted buns and pulse until mixture looks fine. Add last tablespoon of parsley and pulse 3 times.

Mix together macaroni and sauce and pour into a baking dish. Top with bread mixture and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Shrimp and Smoked Pork

If you have not been to Bende (to the right under “sites I love”) you really should check it out. They have lots of really lovely things. Among my many favorite is their smokes pork loin. It traditionally is sliced thin and served as part of a cold plate (with other meats and cheeses). I will often use it to cook with. It is super smoky and imparts a wonderful flavor, however it is a super lean cut of meat. I would tell you a really good smoky bacon would be a good substitute, but cook the bacon and blot prior to putting in the sauce.


3 tbs smoked pork lion (or smoky bacon)
½ onion sliced
2 tbs butter
½ lb shrimp cleaned and chopped into bite sized pieces
1tbs olive oil
1 red bell pepper diced small
1 cup dry white wine
2tbs flour
1 c. half and half
½ lb pasta
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of lemon (if you have it)

In a pan heat butter and oil.
Add onion and loin.
Sauté for 10 minutes.
Add flour and stir to coat, then add wine, shrimp and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add bell pepper and cook. It should be thick.
Add half and half , nutmeg, sugar, salt and pepper (I suggest a lot of pepper). Cook about 3-5 more minutes to heat half and half and thicken just a bit. Toss with pasta and squeeze a little lemon over.

Horseradish Crusted Salmon

1lb Salmon
1TBS horseradish
1 TBS course mustard
1TBS bread crumbs
3TBS sour cream
Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 350, salt and pepper salmon. Mix, horseradish, mustard, bread crumbs and sour cream together and spread on filet. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Herbed Goat Cheese Salmon

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 c. goat cheese
5 slices sun dried tomato
½ tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
½ tsp salt
1 lb salmon

Process first 5 ingredients. Salt and pepper salmon. Heat oven to 350. Smear fish with cheese mixture. Cook for 20 minutes. This would be great on pork too. Again, feta would work.

Navy Beans with Spinach

I think this could be good as a cold dish too. I would just forgo the bullion, water and wine, and use lemon and olive oil.

½ onion
6 1/8 inch slices of smoked pork lion ( I get at Bende.com) or 10 slices bacon
1 bag navy beans
2 chicken bullion
1 c. wine
1 cup frozen, 4 cups fresh spinach
Salt
Pepper
Marjoram
Tarragon
Soak beans overnight. Sautee onion and bacon or lion. In large corning dish add beans, soaking water, bullion and 2 c. water and wine. Add pork and onion, salt, pepper, tarragon and plenty of marjoram. Put in oven at 350 and cook for 45 min, when almost done, add spinach, let cook until just warm (5 min).

Creamy Chicken with Apple and Portobello

2 tbs Butter
½ Onion
1 c. vermouth
1Carrot
1 c. Portobello
1 apple
1 lb chicken breasts
1 c cream




In skillet melt butter and sauté onions for a minute. Add vermouth, carrots, apple and mushrooms, let cook until vermouth reduces to half. Add chicken and cream. Cook until done.

Snapper With Tomato and Cilantro Salsa

2 Lbs, Snapper
2-3 large tomatoes chopped up
½ onion chopped
½ C. chopped cilantro
½ C. green olives
2 TBS capers
Heat oven to 350. In bowl add, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and capers. Mix and season to taste. Season fish. Cover fish with salsa and bake for 30 minutes. Remove fish from the oven, and cover with olives.

Steak Enchilada

1.5-2 lbs flatiron steak cut up
2 cans rotel plus one can water
2 TBS cumin
2 packets of Sazon Goya Coriander & Annatto seasoning
1 tomato bullion (found in Hispanic food section)
red pepper flakes (depends on how much spice you like)
cheddar cheese


Add all ingredients (except cheese) to pot and cook on low, covered, for 3 hours. Pull meat out and set aside. In processor liquefy remains in pot.. Pour in a pan and reduce by half. Roll meat in tortilla, poor reduced sauce over and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes

Curried Mahi Mahi

This was born out of some leftover curry paste from the Thai Pork.

1 lb mahi mahi
1.5 TBS butter
1 shallot
1 can extra rich coconut milk
1 TBS green curry paste
2 TBS fish sauce
1/8 cup white raisins plumped
1 cup panko crumbs
¼ c flour
1egg
1tbs water
½ lb Acini di Pepe (no.70) pasta (couscous would work as well)
¼- ½ C oil (depends on pan size need to cover bottom)


Put water on to boil for pasta. Cut fish into 3-4 inch length strips. Season fish. Add 1TBS water to egg and beat. Combine Panko, and flour and season. Dredge fish egg mixture then in Panko mixture. Heat oil and fry fish. While fish is cooking, put pasta on to cook. Heat butter and sauté shallots for 2 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and curry and stir. Finally add raisins. Place two pieces of fish over ¼ C pasta. Spoon sauce over and serve.

Truffled Chicken

2 large shallots
½ cup wine
1 C. cream or half and half
1 tsp garlic (pre-minced)
3-4 chicken breast filleted and pounded out and seasoned
Asiago cheese
Truffle oil
Olive oil

Sautee chopped shallot in 1 tsp of oil for 1 minute. Add wine. Reduce to half. Add cream and salt, pepper, and garlic. Reduce to half. Line one side of chicken with cheese. Spoon 1TBS of sauce on top of cheese. Do this for each breast and roll. Set aside unused cream sauce. Secure with toothpick. Add TBS oil to pan and sautee breasts. About 7 minutes each side. Spoon remaining cream sauce over. Drizzle with truffle oil.

This would also be good with prosciutto and asparagus or substitute the asiago with gruyere.

Stir Fry Noodle Salad

¼ head of cabbage sliced
½ onion sliced
2 celery ribs sliced
3 carrots sliced
1 can of sliced water chestnuts
1 TBS oil
2 TBS soy sauce
1tsp sesame oil
½ tsp fresh grated ginger
1 10 oz. package udon noodle
½ red bell pepper


In wok heat 1TBS oil and 1 tsp sesame oil. Add veggies, ginger, and soy sauce and stir fry for 6 minutes or just until wilted a bit. Let cool. Cook noodles, remove and cool. Combine noodles and veggies, and add uncooked bell pepper. Stir. Poor dressing over and chill.

Dressing
½ C rice vinegar
1 TBS sesame oil
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp sriracha sauce

Thai Pork and Green Beans

Again, this is not an original. My parents had friends that are Thia and she learned it from her. That said, I have never seen it on a menu anywhere so, hopefully you have never had it either. It is my husbands favorite dish. I love it because it is great and quick and easy. The spice level can be changed with the addition of more curry. My mom always made it with red curry, I usually make it with green. Honestly I don’t know the difference. My mom never had measurements it was an "eyeball it" recipe. This is great if you are like we are and you love pork lion but if you make a whole one, you have 5 meals. Cut off a bit and set it aside for this dish.

1-1.5 lb pork, tenderloin is best but not necessary
3-4 handfuls of fresh green beans cleaned ( I know not very precise but I am thinking about 5 cups).
1/3 can of curry
¼ C. fish sauce
1 TBS oil
3-4 C. Rice


In wok heat oil and add curry. Sautee curry for 1 minute. Add pork, and fish sauce. Cook until almost done. Add green beans cook until just done but still firm. Serve over rice.

Perfect Summer Pasta

I will ,yet again, rely on Penzys for this. They make a Italian Dressing base, that I just love. I use Rice Wine Vinegar and ¼ of the oil it calls for though when I make it. I use that dressing for the marinade here, however, I double the amount of base used when making the marinade.

3 chicken breasts
3-4 zucchini sliced up
3-4 squash sliced up
2 tomatoes chopped up
1 onion sliced up
2 cups marinade (if you don’t have Penzys use your favorite Italian dressing)
1 small package of feta
4-5 leave fresh basil chopped up
1 lb pasta

Grilling is a must for this I think. I have never tried it not grilled, but I can’t imagine it would be near as good, but give it a try

The night before put chicken breasts in ziploc bag and one cup of marinade. In another Ziploc put the veggies and the other cup marinade. Right before your ready to cook remove the chicken and veggies from the marinade. If you have a veggie pan to go on the grill, grill the veggies as well, just save ¼ C of the marinade (from the veggies, not the chicken!!) for later. If you don’t have a veggie pan, just do it on the stove top, and there is no need to reserve some marinade since cooking on the stove top allows the veggies to juice. While chicken is cooking boil the pasta. Once chicken is done, cut up into slices. Add veggies, basil, feta, and marinade reserve (if needed) to pasta , mix in. You can either just add the sliced chicken to the whole dish or plate the pasta/veggie mixture and add sliced chicken to the individual dishes.

This would also be great with artichoke and asparagus. Also smoked mozzarella or goat cheese might be a good substitute for the feta. Fresh rosemary might also be good as well.

Kofta---Kind Of

I have to say, I did not invent this, I have augmented this with feta. My parents lived in Turkey and this is the way they were taught to make this dish. That said, it does not even remotely resemble what you would find in a cookbook other than it is lamb dish--so go figure.



½ onion grated (grating is key)
1.5-2 lbs ground lamb
5-7 leaves of fresh mint minced
2 eggs
2 TBS Penzys Turkish seasoning (or use salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder)
Feta (sorry guys, you will have to eyeball this, look for about a 3 meat to one part feta ratio)

Mix together and form into equal size ovals about the size of two eggs(don’t ask me why you don’t make the traditional meatball ball. I am sure it would work, it just wasn’t the way I grew up having it). I think these are best grilled; however a broiler will work in a pinch. These get dry easily (how I don’t know?) so I would really recommend a meat thermometer if you aren’t one of those few that have grilling down to an art. I would cook it to medium. Now, we always ate these with tzatziki sauce and Tabuli as a side. However it is awesome in a pita with tzatziki on it and little lettuce, tomatoes, and sliced onion. Below is how I make tzatziki

1 individual container of plain yogert
¼ cucumber grated
1 tsp minced garlic (pre-minced stuff not fresh)
½ tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Sometimes I put some feta in too, because I am a slave to all cheese, but that is your call.