Shaved Fennel and Golden Beet Salad

I made a simple salad using thinly shaved fennel and beets that were cooked and tossed in to a simple vinaigrette. The fennel was sliced very thin using a Madoline and placed in cold water to crisp up, then dried with a salad spinner. The beets were cooked whole till tender then peeled and diced, the dressing was made with just sherry vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Miso Cod with Mushrooms and Soba Noodles

One day I am cooking Latin and the next day its Asian, that's part of whats fun in cooking. Tonight I made a dish inspired by the cooking of the Japanese American Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, miso glazed cod is his signature dish and I recreated the cod with the addition of Soba noodles, mushrooms and bonito soy broth.
The glaze is simply made using equal parts of miso paste, sake, brown sugar and mirin rice wine, its simmered till thick and spooned over the fish before a few minutes under the broiler to cook the fish and caramelize the glaze.

Baja Fish Tacos

Baja Fish Taco
Tomatillo Salsa

Cabbage & Lime Slaw

A favorite food that I eat often are Baja style fish tacos. The Baja influence is that in the warm coastal region of Mexico, cabbage is used as a garnish for the tacos because it is a sturdy green that will stay fresh and crunchy in the warm environment. The city of San Diego in Southern California is famous for its fish tacos, but I stay away from the deep fried fish and spicy mayonnaise based sauce that is common there, I prefer using a lime vinaigrette to dress the cabbage and simply grilling or sauteing the seasoned fish. I used a spicy green tomatillo salsa and plenty of fresh avocado in mine. For the fish I recommend using Mahi because its firm and its meaty texture holds up really well on the grill as well as being delicious. These tacos are simple to make with only a few ingredients, you will be able to taste all the amazing flavors and textures.

Cabbage slaw

ingredients:

shaved green cabbage

sliced yellow onion

chopped cilantro

fresh lime juice

vegetable oil

salt/pepper

Method:

1. Make the lime vinagrette with he juice of one lime and 3 Tablespoons of oil.
2. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Mix all ingredients together.

Pan Seared Sea Bass with Wild Mushrooms

There is a common technique of cooking meats in most restaurants, you first sear your fish or meat in a hot saute pan, then put the pan in a hot oven to finish cooking. This is how you get a golden crust on the meat while retaining the moisture. I used this simple method of cooking for a beautiful fillet of Pacific sea bass. I poured a dash of extra virgin olive oil into a hot saute pan, when it starts to smoke it is hot enough, place a salt and pepper seasoned fillet gently in the pan, after about a minute or until you can see it starting to brown, flip over and place into a 400 degree oven to finish cooking. I served the fish on a mound of caramelized onions and spooned a quick saute of wild mushrooms and herbs over the fish. Simple and very good!

Post Number 200

I have reached two hundred posts on this blog, it is a lot of fun to write about the foods I discover and eat. I have been keeping track of all the places in the world that my readers come from and I want to thank you for following my all my food adventures. I am going to continue writing about food and plan on documenting more foods from my travels, Greg

Tropical Fruits

I got the urge for warm weather fruit in the middle of winter. I have tried star fruits a long time ago and decided to buy some again to show my kids, they have never seen or heard of it. I picked up a mango for them to try also, they love them and I wanted them to try a different variety called a Manila mango. The manila is a little smaller with a yellow coloring when ripe. The reason why people like this variety more is because it is less stringy in texture then the conventional mango's you will find in the store. The star fruit gets it name from its five long segments that form a perfect star shape when seen from the end. It has a smooth waxy skin with a taste very much like Asian pear, there is not much to eat on this expensive fruit and its use is more for its looks then taste.

Easy Crepes

Crepes are no longer difficult to make now that we have non stick pans, its really easy to make paper thin crepes that will slide right out of the pan. They can be made sweet for desserts with the addition of sugar or left savory with maybe a creamy and rich seafood filling.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 whole egg

milk as needed, to thin batter

dash kosher salt

dash sugar

powdered sugar

Maple syrup

Lemon wedge

Method:

1. Make the crepe batter by mixing the egg with the flour, then slowly whisking in the milk till smooth, season with the salt and sugar. (A blender works real well)

2. Heat a 6 inch nonstick pan and spray or brush a thin coat of vegetable oil on surface.

3. Pour 1 ounce of batter in pan, tilt the pan so that it coats the whole bottom of pan evenly.

4. After about 30 seconds, peel and flip the crepe over (you will see the edges start to brown when its ready to flip)

5. After cooking about 5 seconds its done and will slide right out the pan.

Serve hot with maple syrup and powdered sugar dusted on top, try with a squeeze of lemon, it is amazing.

Yield = 12 crepes

Chicken Noodle Soup, Asian Style

On a rainy winter night which has not happened much this year, I decided on making big bowls of steaming hot soup. It had all the components of a standard chicken noodle soup, but with a special Asian twist. I used lots of fresh grated ginger, soy sauce, miso paste and lo mein noodles.

This soup could be easily made without chicken if desired, some of the ingredients like miso, bonito and lo mein can be found at better stocked or Asian markets.

Ingredients:

2 whole organic chicken legs, skinless

1/2 onion, sliced thin

3 carrots, sliced

3 celery stalks, sliced

2 clove garlic, sliced

1 knob peeled ginger, grated

1 quart water

1 tablespoon dark miso paste

1 big pinch bonito flakes

1 tablespoon soy sauce

6 oz dry lo mein noodles, precooked

chopped cilantro and scallions for garnish

Method:

1. Make a broth with the chicken, water, soy sauce, bonito, miso, simmer till chicken is tender.

2. Remove chicken and shred the meat, strain broth.

3. Saute the vegetables, add the broth and return the chicken to the pot, simmer 20 minutes.

4. Divide the noodles into four preheated bowls, ladle the soup over and add garnish.

Note: Other soup options could be using crisp bean sprouts, fresh basil and chili sauce.

Yield = 4

Braised Beef Short Ribs

I saw some very nice beef short ribs in the meat case at my local market and I had to have them. Slow braised meat is great in the cold winter months, but right now its not much of a winter here on the West coast of California with record high temperatures. Here's how I made them.


Ingredients:

4 beef short ribs, 3 inch cut
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 bottle, dark beer
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 quart water
2 bay leafs
1 pinch saffron
kosher salt/pepper

Method:

1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and brown well in a heavy pot, drain fat.

2. Add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes, add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Bring to a boil then turn down to a gentle simmer, cook for about two hours while skimming the fat off the surface as needed.

4. Remove the meat and vegetables to a plate when done and tender, boil the braising liquid till it thickens, then return the meat and vegetables to the sauce. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Serve with buttered pasta or mashed potatoes, I used boiled potatoes and a garnish of fennel germolata for added texture and flavor.

Note: gremolata is a garnish of chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic

No Reservations, a Cool Food and Travel Show

Most cooks I know would give up professional cooking to be able to travel all over the world and hang out in cool places, then eat a lot of Pork products washed down with many cold drinks. Yes, we all want Anthony Bourdain's job! Imagine being paid to travel around the world and eat. Tony started out washing dishes and then cooking on the East coast, he ended up in New York city as the chef of a French Brasserie. Next came writing a book about true behind the scenes life in the kitchen, "Kitchen Confidential" it became a international best seller and if you ever worked professionally in a kitchen then you will relate to most of his experiences. Next came "A cook's tour" TV show followed up by "No Reservations" on the cable travel channel in the United States. I always watch it to see what kind of trouble he gets into and to see and get ideas on the amazing food he encounters.

Mediterranean Style Fish Stew

Some of my favorite flavors are fennel, tomato and saffron, so I made a fish stew incorporating them with the addtion of garlic and onions. All these flavors make a very intense and flavorfull soup, a nice addtion would be clams or mussels.

Ingredients:

6 ounces Sea bass, large dice

1 clove garlic, sliced

1/4 yellow onion, sliced thin

1/4 fennel bulb, small diced

1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced

1 pinch saffron

2 cups water or fish stock

1 teaspoon parsley, chopped

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Method:
1. Saute the vegetables in olive oil till soft.

2. Add the fish, saffron and liquid.

3. Simmer till the fish is cooked, about five minute.

4. Adjust seasoned to taste and garnish with parsley.

Yield= 1

Sea Bass Ceviche

I bought a really nice Pacific Sea bass fillet and had the idea to do ceviche with it. I like it because it tastes fresh and light with spicy citrus flavors. The fish cooks in the acid of the citrus juice and slicing the fish thin will speed up this process, I use fresh squeezed lime juice, chili peppers, thin sliced onions and cilantro. There are other components that can be added such as avocado or corn, but sometimes its just better simple.

The Swan Oyster Depot Restaurant

Crab & Shrimp Louie Salad

Fresh Shucked Oysters on Ice

New York has the oyster bar in grand central station, in San Francisco we have the legendary Swan Oyster Depot. It has a amazing selection of very fresh fish and shellfish available to eat in a variety of ways including salads, soups and raw on ice. The restaurant only has maybe twenty seats at a long counter where the guys take your order and prepare your food in front of you. I went with a dozen local oysters then finished with a cold local crab and shrimp salad, it was all locally fresh and very good.

Swan Oyster Depot, 1517 Polk Street, San Francisco, Ca. 415.673.1101

Wild Mushroom Ravioli

Tonight I decided on making fresh pasta ravioli, which I will stuff with ricotta cheese and a mixture of wild mushrooms. When using all fresh ingredients like pasta and mushrooms, the sauce should be of the same quality and made fresh too. To start I roast cherry tomatoes with garlic and olive oil. The cherry tomatoes are a good choice because they have a very intense tomato flavor, when the tomatoes are done roasting they are then blended till smooth. The next step is to make a basic fresh pasta dough using flour, eggs, salt and a little water, this is then rolled out thin using a pasta rolling machine. The third step is to make the filling, I used a assortment of wild mushrooms which are sauteed in good olive oil with a little chopped garlic, then hit with a splash of white wine at the end to finish. The mixture is then chopped fine and mixed with ricotta cheese and chopped parsley. To assemble the ravioli, small spoonfuls of the mushroom and cheese mixture are placed on to the pasta sheets, the sheets were then folded over, sealed and cut into individual dumplings. Next they go into boiling salted water to cook for a few minutes then drained and into the warmed tomato sauce. They are carefully spooned onto a plate and its garnished with fresh chopped parsley, which gives it a nice bright flavor, they light and delicate and very delicious. Give fresh ravioli a try with your favorite fillings and sauce.

One Paella with Everything Please

I needed to do food for a group of 8-10 people, so a big pan of paella came to mind. I chose to use a variety of ingredients including chicken, sausage, little neck clams, mussels and Maine lobster. The trick is to prep all ingredients ahead of time so they can be added to the rice in order not over cook, all the shellfish needs to be precooked and their liquid added to the rice cooking liquid. For 8 people I used two cups of rice in a 18 inch wide and shallow paella pan. First the short grain rice is toasted in good olive oil with shaved fennel, smoked paprika, sliced onions, chopped garlic, red and green peppers. Next the chicken and sausage go in and are browned. The next step is adding the cooking liquid which is made of chicken stock, white wine, saffron and the clam and mussel cooking juice. After the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, all the precooked shellfish are added to reheat and garnished with a squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley. The flavors are complex, rich and Delicious. Serve with a simple salad and crusty rustic bread, for wine which is a must, try a light red or white.