Filed under: Recipes
Just after I had posted that I was looking forward to a nice gloomy weekend, the sun came out in full force. It would have been a crime not to take advantage of a sunny Seattle weekend, so we decided we needed a nice springtime snack to celebrate the blue skies.
I’ve adapted this from Ina Garten’s recipe in the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook by altering the sauce and adding a bit more since I wanted a little more flavor. We usually have this as an appetizer or a side with sushi.
Tuna tartare
(serves 4 to 6)
1 pound sashimi grade tuna (I used ahi here)
3 limes, zested then juiced
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 teaspoons wasabi powder
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
Black pepper to taste
3 green scallions minced
1 jalapeno pepper minced (ribs and seeds removed)
2 ripe avocados
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Combine lime zest, lime juice, soy sauce, wasabi powder, Tabasco, pepper, sesame oil, and olive oil in a bowl and whisk together. If it needs more taste add more soy sauce.
Cut the tuna into a small dice and place in a separate bowl with green onions, jalapeno, and avocado (also cut into a small dice). Add the sauce and mix together.
Tip: I usually wait to add the avocado until just before I’m ready to serve, just to be sure that the color is bright and the texture holds.
Serve with water crackers a rustic Ciabatta bread sliced.
We eat a ton of salad every week, so here’s my favorite quick and easy recipe for a basic vinaigrette. If I’m really on my game I’ll triple the recipe so I have enough for a few days. (Just store in a mason jar or a leftover glass jar and it’s ready and waiting.)
I think a true basic vinaigrette would use regular dijon mustard and champagne vinegar, but for this go-round I used a coarse stone ground mustard with apple cider vinegar. So I don’t get bored, I’ll usually try to switch or add an ingredient here and there. Sometimes I’ll add a finely grated clove of garlic, or a diced shallot. These small changes make a big difference in the taste of the salad, so it’s a nice little cheat.
Basic French vinaigrette (Serves 2)
- 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- few dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, honey, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. (Or just add it in with everything else…I don’t really notice a difference.)
Toss gently with salad greens just before serving.
One of my favorite things to do after a long week is to spend a Sunday in the kitchen trying out a new recipe. It’s usually quite therapeutic, and does wonders for my overall outlook on life and work…that is unless something goes terribly wrong and I’m left scrambling to pick up the pieces in order to avoid a full-fledged culinary meltdown. My poor sweetheart, he’s stuck by me through more of these than I care to admit.
This particular Sunday wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but so much of me wanted the perfect meal to round out a not-so-perfect week. I wanted a nice full tummy so I could lay around, watch movies, and drift in and out of a nice cozy nap.
I had the best intentions starting out this recipe, but how was I to know that my trusty meat thermometer had died and my oven just wasn’t up to the task. I’ll chalk it up to the fact that we’re still feeling each other out; I think it’s that we’re not quite sure what to make of one another: I say 350-degrees, it’s thinking more like 325-degrees…maybe less, I’m still not sure. Ultimately, this was not the recipe to experiment with, and I’ll be honest here, pork is not my strong suit.
As dramatic as I’ve made this meal sound, it really wasn’t bad, it just took a few more steps and some creative thinking to get it right in the end (extra time in the oven, and a quick sear in a hot pan!). I adapted this recipe from Anne Burrell on her show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, and while I’ll reserve my thoughts on the Food Network for now, this meal really is good, and the cabbage slaw is awesome.
(No more meat thermometer…let the guessing begin.)
Roasted pork loin
I added a veggie mirepoix and potatoes since cooked veggies are often my favorite part of a roast.
- 2 sprigs rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
- 4 sage leaves, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1-3 lb piece of all natural pork loin
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 6 organic yukon gold potatoes, quartered
- 6-8 small organic carrots, quartered
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 quarts organic apple cider
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Slice the onions, carrots, and potatoes and place in the bottom of a roasting pan or dutch oven. Lightly toss with a touch of olive oil and salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves and 1 cup of apple cider. Place the pork loin on top of this bed of vegetables.
Roughly chop the herbs and add to a food processor with the garlic, crushed red pepper, a generous pinch of salt and enough olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste on the outside of the pork rib roast. Be sure to get all sides.
Place the pan in a pre-heated oven at 425 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pork has developed a lovely brown crust. Keep checking to make sure the crust is not charred. Stir the vegetables and add more cider if it looks like they are starting to burn. (As my oven was being a punk, I did not have a burning issue or a need to add any more cider.)
After you notice a nice crust or 20-25 minutes have passed, lower the oven to 375 degrees F and roast for another 30 to 35 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 150 degrees F. If the crust on the pork starts to get too dark, cover it with foil.
Let the pork rest for at least 15 minutes before carving into thin slices. Serve with the vegetables braised in cider and the warm cabbage slaw (recipe below).
Warm Cabbage Slaw
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into lardons
- 1 yellow onion, julienned
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 small organic carrots, julienned
- 1 medium head savoy cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons, mustard powder
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup apple cider
Coat a large wide pot or dutch oven with olive oil. When it comes up to temperature, add the bacon and render over medium heat. (I use an uncured bacon that naturally has less fat. If you’re using regular bacon, see if you need to remove some of the excess fat before adding the onions, but be sure to leave some of the fat for flavor.) Add the onions, season with salt, and sweat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the carrots and stir to combine. Add the cabbage, cider vinegar, mustard powder, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Note: This is a tart and vinegar-y taste, so if you’re not a fan, cut back on the vinegar. (I love vinegar!) Also, the salt and pepper, and fat from the bacon should help balance everything out.
Reduce the pot to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cabbage is very soft. Remove the lid, add the apple cider and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until most of the vinegar has absorbed but the cabbage is still moist but not soupy.
Note: This recipe is great served right away, but can be even better after it has sat in the fridge over night. I can’t often wait that long, so I make sure I have leftovers.
One of the first things I make when I feel a cold coming on is a big pot of Jok (pronounced joke). It is typically served as a breakfast and is basically rice that you cook the hell out of so that it becomes a wonderfully soft and silky porridge. With the addition of garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and a protein of your choice (pork, chicken, fish) you are on the fast-track to feeling better than ever. This is also a miracle cure for upset tummies and nasty hangovers!
I think pretty much every asian country has a version of this (the Chinese call in congee), but for me I’ve never had anything better than a piping hot bowl from a street cart in Bangkok. My awesomely wonderful and crazy Thai dad has a killer version of his own. This is one of those things that you don’t measure, you simply taste and adjust, so I did my best to write the recipe to share with you. It’s a wonderful way to become familiar with how you like to season your food, but just know that much of the details are in the instructions, so this isn’t a measure and move on type of thing.
Jok (Thai-style porridge)
Serves: 4-6
- 4-6 garlic cloves (there is no such thing as too much garlic)
- 2 –inch “knuckle” of ginger (scrape the skin off with the side of a spoon)
- 2 ½ cups rice
- fish sauce to taste (I’ll help you figure this out below)
- low sodium soy sauce to taste, preferably organic
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 eggs, organic
- fresh cilantro
- black pepper
- water, filtered
In a large soup pot (I used my 5-quart Le Creuset) add the rice and rinse until the water runs clear (usually 2-3 rinses will do), then add about 5 cups of water and place on stovetop on medium heat.
While the rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Meanwhile, add the garlic and ginger to a food processor and pulse until they are coarsely chopped bits. When the oil is up to temperature add the ground pork, garlic and ginger, 1 Tbs soy sauce, and 1 Tbs fish sauce. Saute until it is mostly cooked through.
Tip: Don’t break up the pork too much. You’ll want larger pieces for texture and flavor. If they are too small, they’ll be lost in the texture of the rice.
Add the cooked pork mixture to the pot of cooking rice and mix in well. At this point add 2 cups of water, 1 Tbs fish sauce, and 1 Tbs soy sauce. Reduce heat slightly, stir, and let simmer.
Keep checking the water level as the rice will absorb a lot pretty quickly. You can’t really overcook the rice, but it’s really about adding the right amount of flavor. It doesn’t have to be this exact, but as a guide at 30 and 45 minutes add 1 cup of water. At 45 minutes only, add 1 Tbs fish sauce, and 1 Tbs soy sauce and stir well.
Note: Remember, we have a huge pot of water and rice, and it needs to be seasoned, so don’t be alarmed at the amount of fish and soy sauces. If you are not using low sodium soy sauce, you will want to cut back on that measurement.
Texture at 30 minutes
Texture at 45 minutes
After about an hour the texture and flavors should be set. Try it and adjust as needed. Raise the heat back up to medium-high and add two eggs, one at a time, stirring to break up the yolk and incorporate well.
Let simmer for a few minutes to cook the eggs and prepare to serve. Top with fresh cilantro, fried garlic, and sliced ginger. I don’t always have it on hand, but I added some pickled garlic and added it as a garnish as well.
I realize the detailed instructions may be a bit overwhelming, but I wanted to give you an idea of how the flavoring part works. Please know that this recipe is really very easy, and the instructions are not as scary as they look. Please give it a try and let me know if you have any suggestions for revising the instructions.
Filed under: Recipes
The perfect start to a Sunday morning! Mom’s had this recipe in her collection forever, and it has gotten a lot of use over the years. I can still envision the butter and batter stained paper (I think it’s translucent at this point, almost like a piece of vellum), a true sign of a successful recipe.
This recipe is one of my favorites because the scones themselves only have three tablespoons of sugar, so when you add the sweet orange butter it makes for the perfect level of sweetness. Yes, there are times every now and again when a double-decker streusel coffee cake, or a nice gooey sticky bun is in order, but on this particular weekend I wanted something fragrant and subtle with a touch of sweetness. (This is also a great way to celebrate citrus season!)
Orange currant scones
4 cups all-purpose white flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into bits
3 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest (from about 2 navel oranges)
1 1/2 cups dried currants
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 egg slightly beaten for brushing on top of scones.
In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment stir together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter and zest and beat until mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat in currants. In a bowl whisk together buttermilk and eggs and add to flour mixture, beating just until a dough forms.
Preheat oven to 350°F. and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Form scone mix into two mounds slightly flattened. Cut dough into six slices and brush with egg. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overcook!!!!
Note: I like to soak the currants in the 2 eggs or in a liquor so they plump up.
Sweet orange butter
1 stick butter, softened
1 Tablespoon orange zest
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Cream butter until smooth, then add powdered sugar and zest and mix well. Pour into small serving dish and place in refrigerator to cool.
After a whirlwind trip to Seattle this past weekend, I managed to pick up a nice little head cold. Ugh, just thinking of all the microscopic monsters floating through the recirculated air is enough to make me cringe. I’m seriously considering wearing a face mask next time, but feel that it may be a bit dramatic—not sure I want to deal with all of the crazy stares from other passengers. Nevertheless, I had a great stay-at-home day and was able to catch up on some much needed sleep.
When we arrived home yesterday afternoon we walked down the street for some Pho. It was definitely a Pho kind of day: cold, windy, rainy, with a dash of sniffles and a cough here and there. Sadly, I realized that I’m not really able to enjoy it as much as I used to; all I can think about are the mounds of MSG I’m slurping up in every bite, I mean, no matter where you go, all Pho tastes pretty much the same, so that’s got to be the common thread, right? So, since I had met my Pho quota for the month, I knew that if I wanted a nice hearty soup to round-out my perfect recovery day at home I’d have to make it myself.
Luckily, I had everything I needed to make a great pot of Minestrone…thank goodness for the leftover veggies from detoxing last week! They all needed to be used, so in the soup they went. I make this soup often, and always switch-out a few of the veggies here and there depending what I have on hand: potatoes, cauliflower, and cabbage, are all great additions. For me, this recipe is more about ease (especially on a sick day), so I don’t usually splurge with homemade stock here, but if you have some on hand, it would only make it better.
Hearty Minestrone soup with Parmesan Croutons
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 4 carrots, diced
- 2 zucchini, diced
- 1 bunch kale, chopped
- 1/2 head of napa cabbage, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 – 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 – 16 oz. can Cannellini (white kidney beans)
- 1 – 32 oz. organic low sodium chicken broth
- Parmesan rind (about 2 square inches, or more!)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Mini french baguette, cubed
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus additional for topping
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees for the parmesan croutons.
2. Add the oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. After the onions have cooked for a few minutes, and start to turn translucent add the carrots, fennel, and garlic and season with a touch more salt and pepper.
4. After another few minutes, add the zucchini, continue to saute the vegetables. Have a taste, it should be tasty enough that you’d want to eat the veggies as they are. If not, add another pinch of the salt. (I’m adding touches of salt with each new addition so I can season each veggie and bring out its flavors. Keep tasting to gauge how you prefer the seasoning.)
5. Once the vegetables are lightly cooked-through, add the cannellini beans, and tomatoes. Stir to incorporate, then add the organic low sodium chicken broth.
NOTE: If you are not using low sodium broth, be sure to cut back on the amount of salt you are using to season the veggies.
6. Add the cayenne pepper and parmesan rind, stir to incorporate.
7. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover to simmer for at least 30 minutes.
For the parmesan croutons
1. While the soup is simmering, cube the french bread into 1-inch chunks and add to a baking sheet
2. Drizzle the cubes with olive oil, then season with the grated parmesan, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
3. Place in the oven on the top rack for about 10-15 minutes.
TIP: I’m notorious for forgetting about the bread, so I set the timer for 5 or 8 minute increments so I can remember to keep checking in. Once you get to know your oven, you can set it less often. No more burnt bread!
TO SERVE:
Ladle the soup into a bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Add a few croutons and some additional parmesan grated lightly over the top. (My favorite tool for lightly grating parmesan is my handy microplane.)
OTHER SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
- Add some pasta stars or alphabet letters.
- Top with homemade pesto.
- Add small turkey meatballs if you’re sweetie needs something more substantial
