My new issue of bon appe'tit came in the mail. It's the July grilling issue and I found a great salad side dish. It's definetly a keeper and I did not make enough! It's very quick, easy, and from now on will be a summer staple.
Sugar Snap Salad
The recipe says it serves 8-10 but I doubt that. My son who is 10 even loves this.
1 1/2 lb. sugar snap peas trimmed, and or cut in half and diagonal (I didn't do this).
Kosher or sea salt
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp or more lemon juice fresh
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sumac plus more for garnish I didn't use this I used fresh lemon zest
1 bunch radishes trimmed, thinly sliced
4 oz ricotta salata or feta crumbled
fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
Ricotta salata is a salted, hard, aged ricotta cheese. Sumac is a lemony spice. Both can be found at specialty food stores or like Whole foods, New Season's etc.
Cook or blanch peas in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1-2 minutes. Drain and chill with cold ice water. Let dry and chill.
Whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar and 1/2 tsp sumac or fresh grated lemon peel. Toss peas, radishes, and cheese in bowl.
Do Ahead: Can be made one day in advance but store dressing and salad separately and chill.
Add dressing to salad and toss to coat. Season salad with salt, pepper, more lemon juice, mint and sumac.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Dinner!
I have been so lame and have not done one entry for forever! I have done some good dinner's and with fabulous recipes. I first tried this first recipe when I was a personal chef. It was found in fine cooking magazine. It's another lamb dish but it is great and my son loves it! It's a good dish for an alternative meat choice other than the standard red meat or chicken.
Greek Spiced Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and Feta
Of course with all recipes you can make adjustments! First for the sauce, it called for 8lbs fresh tomatoes but I did change that.
8 lb ripe tomatoes (about 40) I used 2 cans 1 crushed and 1 whole tomatoes (San Marzanos worked good too!) They are just from a region in Italy and give great flavor. Anyway....
1/4 cup olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp. kosher salt or a great sea salt
If your going to use fresh tomatoes bring a large pot of water to a boil. Rinse tomatoes and cut an x at the bottom of each one. This will make it easier to peel after they are blanched. Once the water come to a boil drop about 10 of the tomatoes in the water and cook for about 30 seconds. Do this in bathces. After each round transfer them with a slotted spoon to ice and let cool.
Once cooled use a pairing knife and your fingers to peel the skin from the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes, core, and remove the seeds. Toss in a bowl.
Heat the oil and the garlic in a heavy duty pot large enough to cook the sauce over med low heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle and lightly brown 3-4 minutes carefully put in the tomatoes. If your cheating with canned like I have done then pour in your 2 can or more if you want of tomatoes. Raise the heat to meduim high and bring to a boil. Add your salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickend, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and the original recipe says discard garlic, but I just leave it in because I chop it! Still taste the same! Now for the meat balls and kicking up the sauce.......
1 cup fresh bread crumbs, fresh is best they make every recipe taste better. Especially for this recipe I would Not use canned. I like to buy a good loaf of bread just for stuff like this and just make my own . Cut it up and just dry it all out size or shape does not matter. anyway side tracked once again...
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 lb. ground lamb or more which I do because these are good
1 large egg or 2 if you add more meat
2-3 tbs. mince red onion
1 tbs. chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tsp or so fresh oregano
1or 2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp or so chopped mint
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
kosher salt and pepper
For the sauce again...
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 cup or so chopped red onion
2 tsp. or so fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup red wine dry
2-3 cups of your basic red sauce you made earlier
salt and pepper
feta cheese
Make the meatballs
Heat oven to 400 and lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. You can also line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and coat. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and milk. Let sit until the bread absorbs the milk about 10 minutes.
Put the lamb in a meduim bowl. If you have excess milk in the bread crumbs squeeze the excess and discard. Add the bread crumbs to the lamb. Add the egg, onion, and all the spices to the lamb and mix with your hands. Using your hands shape mixture in so golf size balls and arrange on your baking sheet.
Bake the meatballs until cooked through and browned about 20-25 minutes.
Make the sauce
Heat oil in a pot large enough to hold your 2-3 cups sauce and warm over oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring often and onion is soft, about 8 minutes or so. Stir in your oregano, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and allspice. Raise the heat to medium high heat and add the red wine. Simmer for a minute or 2 until slightly reduced and then add the simple sauce and a 1/2 cup water. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add more water if it seems to thick.
Add the baked meatballs to the sauce to coat them. Cover the pan partially and cook until the meatballs are heated threw about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Add salt and pepper if necessary. Sprinle with the feta cheese.
I like to serve this with pita bread and you can also throw it over cooked pasta. My son loves this and it's a repeat dinner!
Greek Spiced Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and Feta
Of course with all recipes you can make adjustments! First for the sauce, it called for 8lbs fresh tomatoes but I did change that.
8 lb ripe tomatoes (about 40) I used 2 cans 1 crushed and 1 whole tomatoes (San Marzanos worked good too!) They are just from a region in Italy and give great flavor. Anyway....
1/4 cup olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp. kosher salt or a great sea salt
If your going to use fresh tomatoes bring a large pot of water to a boil. Rinse tomatoes and cut an x at the bottom of each one. This will make it easier to peel after they are blanched. Once the water come to a boil drop about 10 of the tomatoes in the water and cook for about 30 seconds. Do this in bathces. After each round transfer them with a slotted spoon to ice and let cool.
Once cooled use a pairing knife and your fingers to peel the skin from the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes, core, and remove the seeds. Toss in a bowl.
Heat the oil and the garlic in a heavy duty pot large enough to cook the sauce over med low heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle and lightly brown 3-4 minutes carefully put in the tomatoes. If your cheating with canned like I have done then pour in your 2 can or more if you want of tomatoes. Raise the heat to meduim high and bring to a boil. Add your salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickend, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and the original recipe says discard garlic, but I just leave it in because I chop it! Still taste the same! Now for the meat balls and kicking up the sauce.......
1 cup fresh bread crumbs, fresh is best they make every recipe taste better. Especially for this recipe I would Not use canned. I like to buy a good loaf of bread just for stuff like this and just make my own . Cut it up and just dry it all out size or shape does not matter. anyway side tracked once again...
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 lb. ground lamb or more which I do because these are good
1 large egg or 2 if you add more meat
2-3 tbs. mince red onion
1 tbs. chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tsp or so fresh oregano
1or 2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp or so chopped mint
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
kosher salt and pepper
For the sauce again...
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 cup or so chopped red onion
2 tsp. or so fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup red wine dry
2-3 cups of your basic red sauce you made earlier
salt and pepper
feta cheese
Make the meatballs
Heat oven to 400 and lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. You can also line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and coat. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and milk. Let sit until the bread absorbs the milk about 10 minutes.
Put the lamb in a meduim bowl. If you have excess milk in the bread crumbs squeeze the excess and discard. Add the bread crumbs to the lamb. Add the egg, onion, and all the spices to the lamb and mix with your hands. Using your hands shape mixture in so golf size balls and arrange on your baking sheet.
Bake the meatballs until cooked through and browned about 20-25 minutes.
Make the sauce
Heat oil in a pot large enough to hold your 2-3 cups sauce and warm over oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring often and onion is soft, about 8 minutes or so. Stir in your oregano, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and allspice. Raise the heat to medium high heat and add the red wine. Simmer for a minute or 2 until slightly reduced and then add the simple sauce and a 1/2 cup water. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add more water if it seems to thick.
Add the baked meatballs to the sauce to coat them. Cover the pan partially and cook until the meatballs are heated threw about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Add salt and pepper if necessary. Sprinle with the feta cheese.
I like to serve this with pita bread and you can also throw it over cooked pasta. My son loves this and it's a repeat dinner!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Tuna Salad
I have been wanting to go to Ping for dinner since it opened and I finally went there. The food was delicious and I can't wait to go back and take my son. I love spicy ethnic food and love their other restaurant Pok Pok. The last time I went to Pok Pok I tried their Yam Tuna salad. I wanted to come home and make the salad myself thinking it would be a great summer dish. Well I finally came home and tried to make the salad myself. I think it turned out pretty good. I didn't measure anything and just went off the spices that was described on the menu. Well here goes!
Yam Tuna/ Tuna Salad
1 can Albacore tuna in water
2 garlic cloves
1/4 thinly sliced red onion
1 fresh stock of lemon grass
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1/2-1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 lime squeezed
and a guess of 1/4 cup or less of fish sauce
Thai chilies or a jalapeno chili I am sure would work too! chopped cilantro
I put the tuna in a bowl, threw in the sliced red onion, halved the tomatoes and chopped cilantro. I decides to mix the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and thai Chile's in a separate bowl and then pour over tuna mixture. I think this turned out pretty good and a great alternative to ceviche in the summer. I did add red onion and cilantro which the restaurant used green and no cilantro. I think this is a keeper and am sure I will make quit often this summer!
Yam Tuna/ Tuna Salad
1 can Albacore tuna in water
2 garlic cloves
1/4 thinly sliced red onion
1 fresh stock of lemon grass
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1/2-1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 lime squeezed
and a guess of 1/4 cup or less of fish sauce
Thai chilies or a jalapeno chili I am sure would work too! chopped cilantro
I put the tuna in a bowl, threw in the sliced red onion, halved the tomatoes and chopped cilantro. I decides to mix the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and thai Chile's in a separate bowl and then pour over tuna mixture. I think this turned out pretty good and a great alternative to ceviche in the summer. I did add red onion and cilantro which the restaurant used green and no cilantro. I think this is a keeper and am sure I will make quit often this summer!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Greek Night
My son was in the mood for burgers and I wanted something else other than the traditional. I decided to do some research thur all my food magazines that I have saved for the past 15 years. I finally found one worth trying or I was in the mood to taste I should say. It reminded me of some greek meatballs with tomato sauce and feta cheese sprinkled on top, served with pita. That dish is to die for! So we had greek lamb burgers with spinach salad. Easy and took less than 30 minutes and I just used my panini machine, to grill the burgers, so need for an outdoor bar-b-que.
greek lamb burgers with
spinach salad and red onion
4 servings
1/3 cup fresh mint
2 tsp paprika( I used smoked paprika because it's what I had @ home)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 1/3 lb ground lamb ( I found this at Whole Foods or you can buy @ Zupans)
4 hamburger buns or ciabatta rolls
1 1/2 cups baby spinach ( I used way more for salad on the side)
1 1/3 cups feta cheese ( I recommend Israeli feta from Pastaworks, it's my favorite, great taste)
thin sliced red onion ( use as much or as little as you like)
cherry tomato's
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Mix first 4 ingredient's and a 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl with the lamb. I also added some feta in this point but you don't have too, and I let this mixture sit for a little while to absorb some of the flavor. Make 4 patties and cook in a non stick skillet over medium high heat about 4 minutes per side. I used my panini machine and it took 5 minutes.
While those are cooking I put the spinach in a bowl with the sliced onion, cherry tomato's, feta cheese, and tossed with the balsamic vinegar and about a tbls olive oil. Mix together and use a little salt and pepper. Place salad atop the burger's and some on the side! It was a hit and will do again. So fast and easy it can be done on a school night!
greek lamb burgers with
spinach salad and red onion
4 servings
1/3 cup fresh mint
2 tsp paprika( I used smoked paprika because it's what I had @ home)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 1/3 lb ground lamb ( I found this at Whole Foods or you can buy @ Zupans)
4 hamburger buns or ciabatta rolls
1 1/2 cups baby spinach ( I used way more for salad on the side)
1 1/3 cups feta cheese ( I recommend Israeli feta from Pastaworks, it's my favorite, great taste)
thin sliced red onion ( use as much or as little as you like)
cherry tomato's
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Mix first 4 ingredient's and a 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl with the lamb. I also added some feta in this point but you don't have too, and I let this mixture sit for a little while to absorb some of the flavor. Make 4 patties and cook in a non stick skillet over medium high heat about 4 minutes per side. I used my panini machine and it took 5 minutes.
While those are cooking I put the spinach in a bowl with the sliced onion, cherry tomato's, feta cheese, and tossed with the balsamic vinegar and about a tbls olive oil. Mix together and use a little salt and pepper. Place salad atop the burger's and some on the side! It was a hit and will do again. So fast and easy it can be done on a school night!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Shrimp and Polenta
I have been dying to make this shrimp and polenta recipe for a week or so. So disappointed it was not what it seemed. Even after I tweeked it! Not worth posting, When I find a good one I will!
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Start of Something New
Last night I got together with a few friends for dinner. We had not hung out in a while, but we love to get together drink wine, cook, and talk food. A little history about myself is that I have worked on and off for a small resturant distributor for 16 years in Portland, Oregon, I was a flight attendant for 11 years for Delta Airlines, and most recently was a Personal Chef/ Assistant. I do love the hobby of cooking and am always looking for new recipes to try, make my own, or just create a new one. So this is how this starts, my friend Chris last night created this great soup recipe. As were were talking I was sharing ways to bump up the recipe for final touches, alternate ways to serve, and creating a menu plan. We then came up with this idea and I decided I was going to start a blog. This is also for you Chris and Dennis. Since this is the weekend Saturday is a day I love to cook so I will start posting recipes as I try them, change for personal preference, and post the old tried and true. Bon Appetite!
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