Roasted Vegetables

There is still a little bit of winter left and roasted vegetables are great on a cool night. Common root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, turnips and potatoes are perfect, these are firm vegetables that will get golden brown and hold there shape with out becoming mushy. The flavors become concentrated and the natural sugars caramelize when roasted. My first choice would be a wood burning oven for cooking because of the smoky flavors and high heat. Just cut all vegetables about the same size so they cook evenly, then toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and maybe fresh herbs, into a hot oven to cook. I added asparagus because my kids love them. Its a great with a chicken or beef roast.

Carne Asada Tacos

Ready to eat Carne Asada Taco

Carne asada is simply Mexican beef steak, its most often thin cuts of beef such as flank, skirt and hanger steak. I like to make a quick marinade with salt, pepper, chili powder and fresh lime juice, after a brief period to let the meat absorb the marinade flavors its on to a hot grill to quickly cook, when done it comes off the heat and rests for a few minutes. When cutting its best to have thin slices cut across the grain, next the meat is piled into a waiting warm tortilla. Mine will always have plenty of Guacamole and hot sauce. Now wheres the cold beers?

Five Ingredients for Dinner

After a long day of cooking for others it is time to relax and cook one last meal, I quick trip to the store and in my bag is a nice piece of sea bass, brussel sprouts, pancetta bacon, potatoes and a good bottle of chilled white Burgundy. With just these few ingredients it will not take long to get from pan to plate. The new potatoes are cut and simmered in salted water, in another pan small pieces of pancetta are browned and shaved brussel sprouts go in to cook, the Sea bass is seasoned with kosher salt and pepper and goes into a hot pan with a touch of olive oil. When all the ingredients are cooked they come together on a warmed plate with a waiting second glass of wine. I offen avoid using a sauce with fish because I want to taste it by itself. Simple, uncomplicated and Delicious.

Duck Breast on Corn Pancake

On one of my recent trips to my local farmers market I came across a stall selling fresh duck breasts from California, its rare to find local duck at a farmers market so I had to get some to try. The duck breasts were small at around 6 ounces each (186.62 G) I marinated them over night in red wine, garlic and fresh thyme. The next day I scored the skin which helps render the fat and make it crisp, the breasts then go into a pan on very low heat, propping up one side so the fat drains away from the duck, after most of the fat melts away and is drained, the pan goes into a hot oven and the duck breasts cook till medium rare. While the duck was cooking a batter for fresh corn pancakes is assembled. Small pancakes are made using a hot nonstick pan and kept warm. A chutney like condiment of slow cooked sliced red onions with vinegar and sugar is made. The duck breast is sliced thin and placed on a corn pancake with a dollop of the red onion jam.

Fresh Corn Pancake Batter

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 ears of corn kernels
3/4 cup whole milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 stick melted butter cooled

Method:

1. Combine all dry ingredients.

2. Blend half the corn kernels in the milk.

3. Whisk all wet ingredients and corn kernels slowly into the dry ingredients.

4. Place small spoonfuls of batter on a hot oiled pan or griddle, flip when golden.

Note: This recipe is great in the summer when corn is at its peek, not to worry because frozen corn kernels work really nice too.

Mac & Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is considered a comfort classic, I consider it a fast and easy dinner to make for the kids which they love it. The classic version uses just three basic ingredients, elbow macaroni and a milk based yellow cheddar cheese sauce. Lots of variations to this basic recipe can be made such as using a different pasta shape, choice of cheese and additives like ham or vegetables. Sometimes I will sprinkle Panko bread crumbs on top to give it a golden color and crunch. I like to serve it in small individual Spanish cazuela pots.

Pot-au-feu

Another rainy week approaches and with that in mind I decided on doing a long and slow braise of Beef and vegetables. The classic name for this dish is Pot-au-fue which translates to pot on the fire. I started by taking a large cut of beef and seasoning it with Kosher salt and pepper, into a hot pot with a touch of olive oil to brown on all sides, this will give great flavor and nice color to the cooking liquid. I deglaze with red wine and add water to cover the meat. Fresh thyme, bay leaf, diced carrot, diced celery, diced onion and garlic are added, this is brought to a boil then turned down to a simmer, after a few hours the meat is getting tender and the vegetables are removed with a slotted spoon. A new bunch of peeled and cut carrots, onions and celery go in, these will cook for about half an hour and will be served along side the meat. At roughly the three hour mark, everything comes out onto a serving platter, the beef is sliced and the liquid is spooned over, Grain mustard and horseradish on the side. Other root vegetables could have been added as well as potatoes and that bottle of wine that was opened at the start can be served if there is any left.

Chicken and Rice

Chicken & Rice

I had the idea of making slow simmered chicken served with rice pilaf, I really didn't have a plan about what was going in it, I just used ingredients that I have on hand. I started by cutting up the whole chicken into eight pieces and seasoning it with salt and pepper, next I browned it in a hot pan with a touch of olive oil. Next sliced onions and garlic go in for a few minutes to sweat, I then added a touch of smoked paprika, saffron, cooked chick peas, pitted green olives and enough water to cover chicken. This was brought to a simmer and cooked covered for about a hour, a couple of cups of the cooking liquid was removed and used to cook rice. Fresh chopped parsley goes into the finished chicken and it is served along side the cooked rice. It turned out great for a made up recipe.

Pear & Almond Strudel

I am attending a big crab feed at my daughters high school tonight, I have volunteered to help out by making a strudel for dessert. For the filling I chose to use bosc pears to be a little different from the normal use of apples, I added raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and toasted almonds. The filling is placed in a roll of puff pastry and scored for looks and to release steam from the filling, also the use of egg wash on the puff pastry forms a golden color when baked. With the strudel done its now time to go eat local dungeness crab!

Easy Dinner at Home or To go

A really fun idea for feeding kids with out all the mess is to make a simple stir fry using lots of vegetables and either steamed rice or noodles, adding meat like chicken or pork is a option as well. These quick and healthy meals go into little to-go boxes served with a pair of chop sticks, the kids love it and think its a cool way to eat. Leftovers go right into the fridge or the boxes can even be packed for school lunch or after school sports. The meal is over and you have only one or two pans to clean. The boxes can be found at Asian markets or warehouse restaurant food & supply stores.

Yellow Beet, Orange and Apple Salad

With all of the rain we have been getting this week a bright and colorful salad is in order. Very simple with only a few ingredients and the time it takes to cook the small beets.

Ingredients:

1 Fuju apple, washed and sliced lengthwise

3 small beets, simmered unpeeled till tender

1 orange, zest and segments removed

1 dash extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon good white vinegar

1 pinch Parsley, rough chopped

Pinch of kosher salt/fresh cracked pepper

Method:

1. Start by cooking the beets in simmering water, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Prepare the rest of the ingredients while the beets cook.

3. Peel and slice the beets, allow to cool before adding to the salad.

4. Toss all ingredients together and check for additional seasoning

Yield = 2

Soy Glazed Pork Belly with Miso Risotto

I had a piece of long simmered pork belly, cooked till falling apart tender. I had the idea of cooking thick slices of this pork belly till crisp, then coated with a rich glaze of soy sauce. In keeping with the use of Asian flavors I made a simple risotto using miso paste as the principal flavoring. It turned out good and I will make it again with the addition of maybe stir fried bok choy.

Wine Library TV, really cool wine video blog

In the world of food, wine is standing right up there with it, enhancing and adding to its pleasure. Wine is ancient and its mystic is just as old, most people are intimidated by wine when they shouldn't be, the best advice with wine is "If you like it, then its good". Enter Gary Vaynerchuk, who is a unconventional New York wine expert who created "Wine Library TV" which is a daily webcast of all things wine, his blue collar approach breaks down the barriers keeping people from enjoying wine, very entertaining and you will learn a thing or two.

Wilted Mustard Greens

Braised or wilted greens are a nice side dish to serve with a variety of cold weather foods and also very healthy to eat, high in fiber and Vitamins A and K . The Mustard plants scientific name is Brassica Juncea and is often found in African, Indian and Chinese cooking. In the United states its a common ingredient in Southern Soul Food cooking. Slowly cooked for a long periods of time and flavored with smoked ham hocks. I chose to simply saute the washed leaves in extra virgin olive oil with a sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Boxing Day Dinner

Boxing day? yes that's right, the English holiday held on the day after Christmas. On this day at my moms house I helped prepare dinner, I chose to cook Swordfish which I brought with me from a San Francisco seafood vendor. The fish was long line caught in the waters off of Santa Barbara California. To start I crushed fennel and coriander seeds in a stone mortar which I sprinkled on the Swordfish loins with salt and pepper. Next I pan seared the fish with extra virgin olive oil till golden and then placed in the oven to finish cooking, but not for too long, because overcooked swordfish can become tough and dry. While the fish was being prepared a relish of red onions and capers was made with the addition of vinegar and sugar for a sweet and sour flavor. After the fish came out of the oven it was sliced and placed on a platter with the relish on the side. I liked it a lot, juicy and firm with a mild meaty flavor.

Iceland Memories

I went to Iceland a few years back and really liked it, I liked being in a part of the world that a lot of people haven't visited yet, lucky for me it was not winter yet and the weather was good. This Nordic country is surrounded by the Icy North Atlantic ocean is famous for its seafood. The thing to eat in Iceland is the famous Icelandic lobster also known as Norway lobster or Langoustine. You will get a huge platter of them and simply prepared is the best way. They are like giant prawns with a sweet lobster flavor. A great restaurant to try is Humarhusid Restaurant, Amtmannsstigur 1, 101 Reykjavik, (+354) 561 3303. So you will have to stop in Reykjavik next time you are crossing the pond.