Grilled Chicken Salad with Papaya and Currants

Tonight I made a Chicken and Fruit Salad with Tropical Asian Flavors, Great on a warm evening.

Grilled Chicken & Papaya Salad

Ingredients:

3 Chicken Thighs

2 cups Mexican Papaya

1/2 cup Dried Currants

1 bunch Spinach, washed & Dried

1 bunch Arugula, washed & Dried

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1 small knob Ginger

1 T Soy Sauce

1 clove Garlic

1 T Lime Juice

2 T Rice Wine Vinegar

1 cup Olive oil

1 T Brown Sugar

Kosher Salt/Pepper

Method:

1. Make the dressing in a blender with the peeled ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce and a touch of brown sugar. Blend till smooth & check for proper seasoning. (Use some of this dressing to marinate the chicken, reserve the rest for the salad)

2. Clean and dice the papaya and add to a bowl with the washed greens; scatter with currants.

3. Cook the chicken on a hot grill till done; allow to cool the slice and add to the salad.

4. Toss the salad with some of the reserved dressing.

Yield 2-3

Note: Allow 1-2 Chicken Thighs per person, Toasted Coconut with be a nice addition giving a crunchy texture.

Grilled Chicken with Papaya and Currants

Ramps, A Spring Favorite

Washed and trimed Ramps ready for use

Ramps, or Spring Onions as they are also known, are here in season for a short time. These are a rare find in most common grocery stores but can be found if you look in upscale markets, and farmer's markets are a really good place to find them. These short, tender stalks have a strong onion-garlic aroma and flavor. Good in recipes to give a burst of flavor. I use them in Risotto with good results, try them.

Le Garage in Sausalito

Le Garage Menu

Awesome Marina View

Oeuf a la Coque on the Brunch Menu

Le Garage is a open-air French bistro housed in a converted garage at Schoonmaker Point Marina in Sausalito, California. The menu style is modern classic using lots of fresh local ingredients. I was impressed with the quality of the food and all the menu choices sounded really good. The attention to detail is what I really liked, such as heated frothed milk served along side the morning coffee; a nice touch. It's a great place to sit in the warm morning sun while eating and looking out at all the boats and activity on the docks. Somewhat pricey, but worth it.


Le Garage 
85 Liberty Ship Way
Sausalito, CA
415.332.5625

Shredded Pork Pho

A BigBowl of Goodness

This creation was the result of looking for something to eat with what I had on hand. I had a small amount of cooked pork and its broth leftover from a previous meal earlier in the week. With this I added cooked ramen noodles, asparagus from my garden, and some cilantro. When I heated the broth I added chopped garlic, ginger and soy sauce. Easy and good on a weeknight.

Note: Pho is a popular Vietnamese soup of noodles, broth, meat and herbs and other seasonings.

It's Artichoke Time

Fresh Artichoke Risotto

Grilled Artichokes tossed in Vinaigrette

It's that time of year when the local artichokes of Castroville, California start appearing at the markets. There's lots of cooking choices with the small young tender ones that can be eaten whole, or the bigger ones perfect for dipping and eating one leaf at a time. I did both this week. Large artichokes that were trimmed and steamed until tender, then finished on a charcoal grill for a charred smoky flavor perfect with Meyer Lemon Aioli. The young small ones are sautéed with garlic, onion and bacon before Arborio rice be added to start the risotto process and finished with garden fresh herbs and a pat of butter for added richness.

Posole soup to warm you on a cold day

Pork Posole Soup

One way to make daily cooking less of a chore, is to cook a big batch of something that can be transformed into another meal the next day. Think turkey sandwiches that are made from Thanksgiving turkey; that's the time-saving idea.  I often cook a big piece of pork shoulder and it can be tacos one night and another recipe the next. This posole soup is my second day meal using some of the cooked pork shredded into a pot with its cooking liquid and hominy.  Fast and really good.

Second Day Posole Soup

Ingredients:
Slow braised pork*, diced or shredded
Pork cooking liquid
Canned hominy
Chili powder

Method:
1. All ingredients go into a pot.
2. Bring to a simmer.
3. Serve in big bowls with your choice of condiments.

* Pork shoulder is slow cooking in a heavy pot with water, garlic, onion and orange zest till fork tender.

Note: Traditional condiments can include shredded cabbage, oregano, cilantro, avocado, lemon, chili flakes.

Curried Chick Peas & Chicken with Kale

Curry Chick Peas & Chicken

At the end of a long weekend the last thing I wanted to do is spend a lot of time cooking on a Sunday night, so I came up with this dish using only a few ingredients- quick and healthy.

Curried Chicken & Chick Peas with Kale
Ingredients:
Chick peas, cooked
Chicken thighs, boneless, diced
Kale, washed and chopped
Yellow onion, diced
Garlic, peeled and chopped
Mustard seeds
Turmeric
Olive oil
Cumin, ground
Chili Peppers, optional for more spicy
Curry paste or powder
Water or chicken stock
Kosher salt 

Method:
1. Saute the onion, garlic, mustard seeds till soft and light brown.
2. Add chicken, chick peas and spices, cover with liquid, bring to a simmer.
3. After about 30 minutes add the kale and cook till it wilts, check seasoning.

Note: Serve with a dollop of Nonfat Yogurt or Spicy Indian Pickle Vegetables

A taste of Spring at work

Spring Salmon Salad

This week at work I was inspired by all the Spring produce that's beginning to appear on the market now. I chose to make a salad using salmon because of its mass appeal and health benefits. Also in this recipe I prepared freshly shucked English peas, locally grown asparagus, orange segments and tender butter lettuce. The dressing that tied it all together, was a citrus and tarragon with shallots. The salad was very well received by all the guests, and that makes everyone happy.

Ingredients:
5 oz Salmon fillet, boneless, skinless
1 orange cleaned and segmented
5-6 English peas, shucked
3 medium asparagus, cut into bite size pieces 
1/2 head butter lettuce, washed and dried
Kosher Salt/Pepper
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1 dash Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Orange Juice
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
1 Pinch fresh Tarragon, chopped
1/2 Shallot, fine chopped

Method:
1. Season the salmon with the salt and pepper, Sear in a hot saute pan with a dash of olive oil.
2. Place pan in oven till just cooked through, remove and cool.
3. In lightly salted boiling water place the peas and asparagus in, cook till tender but firm, plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process, drain well*
4. Blend the bottom ingredients to make the dressing, a pinch of sugar can help if too tart.
5. Lightly dress the greens and place in center of plate, top with the Salmon, Orange Segments, Asparagus and Peas, drizzle more dressing over fish.

Yield=1
*Note: This method of cooking is whats known as "Blanching and Shocking"

First of Spring Asparagus from my Garden

Spring asparagus They are here and starting to emerge from the much warmer soil,  I have had a few fat ones coming up now and it looks like its going to be a good crop this year. For my first taste I just gently sautéed them with a dash of butter and olive oil and a shaving of Parmesan cheese, amazingly good.

First of the Season Asparagus

It's getting to feel a lot like Summer

The days are now longer and the sun is feeling warmer, with that comes the warm weather foods I like to make. This past weekend I made a few recipes with foods I bought from my local farmers market in Marin County, California. They included a variety of citrus fruits, fennel bulb and some amazing Gigantes beans. To start, I marinated organic boneless chicken thighs with fresh picked oregano, chopped garlic, Meyer lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. While the chicken absorbed the flavors, I slowly cooked the beans till tender and creamy soft. I then tossed in more extra virgin olive oil and then added olives and grilled red onions. A side salad was made of shaved fennel, parsley, grapefruit and tangerine segments. After the chicken is grilled, it's all arranged on a platter and served room temperature. Easy, with big bold flavors and a good start to the warm weather season.

Shaved Fennel and Citrus Salad

Gigantes Bean, Olive and Grilled Onion Salad

Grilled Marinated Chicken Thighs

Little Neck Clam Pasta

Little Neck Clams

Simple Clam Pasta

I had the opportunity to buy some beautiful Northwest Little neck clams the other night and I immediately thought of serving them simply in a pasta dish. There are many varieties of clams available but I like these best, they are small and tender with fast opening shells that release their briny liquid into a sauce. The whole cooking process is fast and can be done in the time it takes pasta to cook. The term little neck comes from the name Little Neck Bay in Long Island, New York, many years later the name became used more as a size category regardless of origin. Sadly that bay was closed to harvesting due to a increase in pollution.


Little Neck Clam Pasta

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh little neck clams, cleaned 
1/3 pound Spaghetti or linguine pasta
1 Roma tomato, diced
4 Cloves garlic, diced
3 Strips Smoked Bacon, diced
1 Splash White wine
1 Splash Extra virgin olive oil
A Pinch Chili flakes
Parsley, chopped

Method:
1. Scrub and wash the clams well till water runs clean, discard any open or broken shells.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season with kosher salt, add pasta.
3. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, add bacon, garlic and chili flakes.
4. After a minute or two add the tomato saute till soft, add the wine and the clams, cover.
5. Cook the clams till they all open, add parsley.
6. Drain the cooked pasta and add to the clams, toss to mix all the ingredients.

Yield = 2-3
Note: Serve with a extra bowl for the shells and crusty bread for the juices.

Simple Chicken Dinner

At the suggestion of my younger daughter tonight I cooked chicken legs for dinner, they were marinated with Meyer lemons that I grow in my backyard. I zested and juiced the lemons into a bowl along with the chicken legs. Crushed garlic and extra virgin olive oil is mixed in as well. While the chicken sits and absorbs the flavors I make a side dish of shaved brussel sprouts that are cooked with sliced onions and chopped bacon, as this slowly cooks I preheat a cast iron grill pan for the chicken. When the pan is hot the legs go in and cook till golden brown and crispy. It all comes together on a plate and is perfect with a nice glass of white wine.

Crispy Grilled Chicken Legs 

Chili -a classic for Football or any time

Smoked Pork Chili with the Works

There was a big championship game on TV a few weeks ago and with that comes the classic menu combination of beer and chili. My first choice was to use pork shoulder with red beans; they will not get as mushy when cooked as other beans. It was an all day project smoking and cooking, but was well worth it.
My beer pairing was a tasty Tiburon Blond Ale from my friends at the Marin Brewing Company in Larkspur, California.

Smoked Pork Chili

Ingredients:
3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch thick slabs
4 dry Ancho chili pods, cleaned of seeds
1 T smoked paprika
1 T ground cumin
kosher salt
1 large red onion, char grilled then diced
2 Poblano chili, roasted, peeled then diced
5 garlic cloves, diced
1 can or three fresh diced tomatoes
1 small bag small red beans
1-3 T tomato paste
2 Quarts Water or chicken stock

Method:
1. Slice the pork into thin slabs and rub with smoked paprika, cold smoke for 2-3 hours in a smoker or your BBQ with wood chips. Dice into bite size pieces.
2. Cook the beans in water till tender, drain, cool and reserve.
3. Char the red onion and chili on the same grill. Peel, clean and dice.
4. Heat the water or stock, rehydrate the dry chili pods, and carefully blend till smooth.
5. Saute the vegetables, garlic and spices in a large heavy pot, add the meat and Ancho chili water,
bring to a simmer.
6. After about 30 minutes add tomato paste to help thicken the liquid, simmer another 15-20 minutes.
7. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.

Great served with diced white onions, chopped cilantro, avocado and your favorite hot sauce

El Huarache Loco Mexican Restaurant

Funny or Scary?

Simple Open Kitchen

The Pork Carnitas Huarache 

A new restaurant in my area that has three locations open in the San Francisco Bay Area is El Huarache Loco. Started by Chef Veronica Salazar cooking and serving authentic Mexican from her home kitchen to locals in San Francisco's Mission district, that grew into a popular catering business that then expanded into two farmers market stands which are still open. The next step was a real restaurant which thankfully is real close to me in Marin County. The name Huarache is Spanish for sandal or shoe sole and also the dish which resembles it. The food at this bright and clean restaurant is really good with the use of high quality ingredients, in addition to the popular huarache that comes with lots of toppings are very good enchiladas and chicken mole too. I like it and you should try it if you are in the area.

El Huarache Loco
1803 Larkspur Landing Circle
Larkspur, CA 94939
415.925.1403

One Market Restaurant, a San Francisco Landmark

Many years ago, twenty to be exact, I worked at One Market Restaurant as part of the opening team. The Chef/Owner was Bradley Ogden who is considered one of San Francisco's original celebrity chefs. After passing a written and practical cooking test I was hired. I learned a lot working side by side with him and it was a real experience cooking in a Bradley's dream kitchen with layers upon layers of cooking and prep areas with a separate pastry kitchen and even a refrigerated room to butcher meats and seafood. We were cooking amazing food with some of the best local ingredients to be found. The menu listed what farm or ocean the food was sourced from- another first which would become main stream with most restaurants today. Congratulations One Market Restaurant on your first twenty years in business.

One Market Restaurant
1 Market Street,
San Francisco, CA
94105
415.777.5577

Chef Bradley Ogden and Me