Fun with Carbs - Batter Bread

Tom is back in town for a while which means he cooks.  Well he decided to play a nice game with me in the food store the other day.  He came up and asked me if I would like grits or cornbread with dinner.  Without thinking I said cornbread and without hestitation he says "great you're making it".  At that point I couldn't take it back :-(.  Cornbread is something I have not tackled yet so I had to start looking up recipes.  We found a few options and made sure we had ingredients.  

When we got home we actually looked on the back of the Beattie's corn meal and found a recipe for batter bread.  Tom thought it would work and I went to work.  

I followed the recipe as directed due to my inexperience with batter bread.  

Ingredients

2 cups boiling water

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups corn meal

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Beat eggs, add buttermilk, then sift into corn meal, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well add boiling water.  

Pour batter into well greased 7 inch Pyrex dish and bake 20 to 25 mins.

When the bread came out we were somewhat concerned it was a bit soft.  However, it sat for a bit prior to dinner and when we served a slice underneath porkchops, mushrooms, with greens it was a great addition to the meal.  

Red Snapper Bake ...

I am going to just start this post off by saying that I went a little bit too far with this one ... sometimes it happens, and it's ok ... so this post is going to be a little bit about what worked, and a bit about what didn't.

I started with a whole red snapper that I had cleaned, deboned and the head removed.  I opened the fish up and put a layer of shredded cheese on either side of the fish followed up a layer of sausage (case removed and made into a thin layer).  I then folded the fish back over.  This is where I started to make a mistake.  Instead of a standard salt crust, I added a number of whole hot peppers to the baking dish and then poured a mix of diced tomatoes and shredded cheese over the fish.

I roasted the fish in the oven for 30 minutes at 425F and then broiled it for 5 minutes at the end to create a crust on the top.  Once I was done I pulled the fish out and realized I had created a number of tasty layers, only one problem, there was a layer of skin in there too.  In order to salvage the dish I gently moved the cheese and tomatoes off to the side and removed the fish.  I opened it up and scooped out the fish and sausage and spooned it onto the plate ... topping it with the cheese and tomato mix.  All in all, not terrible, but I won't be making this specific iteration again.

Taco night ... two different ways

I always try and make taco night fun in our house, and tonight was no different.  Shells came home with some fresh tomatillos and peppers (hot and sweet) from the Farmer's Market and challenged me to figure out what to do with them.

I started off by marinating some skirt steak arrachera style (black pepper and Jugo Magi) and de-shelling and de-veining some large shrimp.  I fired up the grill and then put the peppers and tomatillos (removed from their husks) on the grates.  I turned the peppers and tomatillos every few minutes allowing them to char on the outside.  After they were charred evenly I removed them from the grill and added the skirt steak.  After flipping the skirt steak I added the shrimp to the grill.

While the steak and shrimp were cooking I roughly chopped the tomatillos and added them to one bowl and then the removed the outer skin from the peppers and roughly chopped them, added them to another bowl.  After the shrimp and steak were finished cooking I chopped up the shrimp and added them to the tomatillo mixture ... then I chopped up the steak and added it to the pepper mix.

I served the two meats with chopped avocado and a potato & black bean bake (recipe to be posted at some future point) ... Enjoy!

Scrambled goodies ...

In the US (at least in our house) eggs are often overlooked as a protein at dinner time.  I went out for a happy hour, but when I got home and went to cook dinner I realized that I hadn't planned out a protein for the evening.  I rummaged through the fridge for a bit and came up with a bunch of veggies and five eggs.  I chopped up the veggies (zucchini, yellow squash and yellow onion) and sauteed them on medium high heat for about 8 minutes, agitating frequently.  While the veggies were cooking, I cracked five eggs into a bowl and added a splash of milk, salt and pepper and then used a whisk to mix them.  

The key to good scrambled eggs is a lower heat, constant movement and ensuring they stay moist.  I reduced the heat on the pan to medium, melted about a tbsp of butter and then added the egg mixture.  I used a wooden spoon to stir continuously allowing the eggs to form fluffy curds and then added a little cheese right before spooning them on to the plate.

I topped the eggs with a little hot sauce and we were off and running!

Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash Goodness

Tom is back on the road again so I'm back on as head chef for the week.  I was perusing Pinterest the other day and happened upon a pin of a recipe that I thought was interesting.  I'm a huge fan of spaghetti squash and thought that a twice baked version was such an inventive way to enjoy the squash!

I actually didn't follow the recipe exactly and used more for inspiration.  Click the link to the recipe - Twice baked spaghetti squash recipe

Below are my modifications:

Instead of oven baking (because who has 60-90 minutes on a work night to wait for dinner?) I chose to use the microwave to do the initial cooking of the squash.  I only need a half of the squash so I cut in half, removed the seeds, and placed center side down in a pyrex dish with some water covered with cellophane.  Microwave for 10 minutes until soft.

I decided to use the variation suggestion from the recipe to make the dish as a meal.  While the squash was in the microwave I uncased a chicken sausage and put it in a small sauté with a sliced banana pepper.  I also prepared black beans and rice.

When the squash was prepared I followed directions of removing the squash from the casing with tongs and put into a large bowl with butter.

I then mixed in the sausage and pepper mixture to the squash, added some garlic, pepper, salt and oregano.  I lined the bottom of the squash casing with two spoonfuls of black beans and rice then added my sausage and squash mixture and topped with shredded cheese.

I then put the final product pictured above into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese melts.  I served with a chopped salad.  This is a very versatile recipe so be creative!

A seafood evening ...

It's been a while since I was able to post ... travel will do that to me.  I've been home for a few days now, so I have a bit of content that I can start posting again.  For this dinner, I decided to have some fun with seafood thinking that it would be a healthy option ... then I fried the first half and covered the second half with cheese ... whoops!

For the first course I made a panko fried shellfish dish.  For Shells I went with 16-20 count shrimp and for myself a softshell crab, both panko crusted and fried!

I served both of them over sweet chili sauce and added a roasted hot chili to the plate.

For the main course I broiled a piece of red snapper and topped it with a slice of mozzarella cheese at the last minute.  I served it with an awesome bean and rice mix as well as some sauteed zucchini squash.

Saffron Rice and White Beans
1 package Saffron rice (5 oz)
1 14.5 oz can cannellini beans
6 large spoonfuls petite diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 roasted red pepper (seeded)
1 1/2 cup veggie stock
Salt & Garlic Pepper to taste

Put the beans (with juice), rice and veggie stock in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Stir often while bringing to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and add the diced roasted red pepper and the tomatoes. Cook, covered, until all of the liquid has been absorbed into the rice. Add the salt and garlic pepper to taste and enjoy!

Carpaccio Sandwiches

This is a dish that I adapted from something similar that Shells and I ate years ago in Prague at La Degustation.  I love good beef carpaccio, and this was a fun way to serve it and for folks to enjoy it.

The trick to carpaccio is fresh meat (preferably fillet steak) that is prepared almost immediately before consuming.  I like to shave the sides and top and bottom from the filet to ensure that none of the meat I am using has been exposed to air before I prepare it.  Traditional carpaccio adds a raw egg yolk to the top of meat, but I don't go that far with these.

Carpaccio Sandwiches
6-8 oz filet
8 wafer crackers (the thinner the better)
1 tbsp capers
3 tbsp roasted red peppers (chopped)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

Chop the beef into chunks and place into a food processor with the capers, roasted red peppers, salt, pepper, oil and mustard.  Pulse in the food processor until the mixture is smooth (add a little extra olive oil if needed, but not too much).  Using a knife spread the mixture between four of the crackers and then top with the other four.  Apply a little bit of pressure to the crackers to even the mix out, and then use the knife to remove any excess from around the edges so that the crackers are flat.  Plate with accompaniments of your choice (I use sriracha and caper berries usually) and enjoy!

Bastille Day ... a little late

Since I was traveling during the actual Bastille day, Shells told me that I needed to turn a nice "French" dinner out as part of my return to cooking.  I decided to take a little bit of a liberty with what I was going to serve this year.

I led in with an old favorite, an ice cold vodka martini and some roasted oysters.  For this dinner I roasted the oysters with chopped wild mushrooms and topped them with a triple cream cheese.  Roasted at 425 until the cheese was bubbly ... perfect!

After enjoying the oyster course, I served up a nice 09 Grand Cru Chablis for the next two courses.  The next course I served up was a recreation of Louis Outhier's great creation (and one that has been continued by Jean-Georges Vongerichten) the caviar egg (and yes, I will be the first to admit that my first attempt at this course needs some work on presentation).

This course encompases three of the greatest delacacies ... perfectly scrambled eggs, stiff fresh cream and caviar.  It was tasty.  Next I served up a batch of squash blossoms that Shells had found at the farmer's market.

I stuffed the squash blossoms with a lobster and cheese stuffing and then dredged them in a flour, garlic and pepper batter before frying them.  While this was wrapping up, I tossed some popper potatoes in a 425F oven to get started for the final course.

For the final course I cracked open an 06 1er Cru Red Burgundy and then Shells and I got to shucking ... black eyed peas that is.

I cooked the peas in a covered saute pan, adding white wine and water (alternating as needed) to allow them to continue to poach a bit.  While those were cooking, I heated a saute pan to medium high heat.  I added a dab of butter, and then laid down the veal rib chop that I had selected for the next course.  I allowed that to cook for about 8 minutes (it was about 1.25 inches thick).  I then removed the potatoes (and covered them) and then turned the oven on to broil.  I cut into the chop from the non-bone to the bone side to create pieces that we would be able to cut off the bone and then flipped it, topped it with a little butter and transferred it to the broiler.  About 5 or so minutes in there (it took me 7) and then take it out and rest it.

I plated the potatoes on one side and the peas on the other then topped that with the veal.  Over the veal I layered a red wine shiitake sauce, but you could use whatever you like ... enjoy!

Another quick & easy pasta - Spicy Cavatelli with Zucchini & Leeks

As I have mentioned before my creativity in cooking is lacking so I usually spend time the weekend before I will have to cook to research some recipes for inspiration and direction.  I have been pleased so far on the recipes I have found!  This one was so easy almost as easy as the Pasta with tomatoes & mozzarella!  I found the recipe on Bon Appetit.com, Spicy cavatelli with leeks & zucchini.

I followed the recipe other than making less as I was cooking for myself and adding garlic :-).  I could not find cavatelli so I ended up using campanelle.   This recipe was so easy and very quick.  I highly suggest reading through the recipe a few times and have your ingredients prepped and ready to go.  You don't want to overcook the leeks or the zucchini while you are still waiting for the pasta to finish cooking! 

You could easily get creative with this recipe and add in a protein of your choice, tomatoes, artichokes or any other vegetable that you enjoy!  Be creative! 

See recipe below or follow links above!

On another note - Tom is back from traveling so he will be cooking for a few days until we head to the pacific northwest for a wedding!  

Ingredients

• ½ pound cavatelli
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large leek, white and pale-green parts only, chopped
• ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large zucchini, grated
• ⅓ cup grated Pecorino

• Instructions
• Cook cavatelli; drain, reserving ¾ cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leek and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Toss in pasta and reserved pasta cooking liquid; cook until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. 
• Toss in Pecorino.

Source - Bon Appetit.com

Israeli Coucous Tabbouleh!

As I still have limits to my creativity I still depend on some weekend scrolling of Food & Wine and Epicurious while at the pool.  This weekend I found a recipe for a tabbouleh made with Israeli coucous.  I'm a big fan of israeli coucous so thought it might be fun to try out.  I followed the recipe from epicurious.

I followed the recipe to make a day in advance and waited to add the herbs until I served.  The herbs were fresh and flavorful by delaying the addition of them to the tabbouleh.  The recipe was very easy to make and could easily be a side to take to a party!

I served with a lamb sausage and a side salad.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 English hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, finely chopped
3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Cook couscous according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well.

Whisk shallot, oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a large bowl. Add couscous, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and mint; season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired, and toss to combine.

DO AHEAD: Israeli Couscous Tabbouleh can be made 1 day ahead (omit herbs). Cover and chill. Fold in herbs just before serving.

Tasty oysters & tilefish

I decided to have some fun with seafood for this dinner, which we enjoyed outdoors.  I decided to start with some oysters and then move on to some grilled fish.

For the oysters, I got a mix of: Olde Salts, Battlecreek & Rappahannock.  I topped the oysters with an avocado champagne sauce.

Oysters with Avocado Champagne Sauce

9 oysters

1 avocado (very ripe and soft)

1/3 cup champagne

Truffle salt

Mash the avocado and then add the champagne to the bowl.  Whisk until smooth (adding small amounts of water as needed) and then pour over the oysters.  Sprinkle truffle salt over the oysters, serve and enjoy!

In addition to the oysters I grilled up a beautiful piece of tile fish that I served over shiitake white beans and sauteed kale.

Sausage stuffed peppers (again) and salad!

Just a quick blog to remind everyone to definitely take advantage of the summer season and the fresh peppers that are available.  As you have seen we tend to love our stuffed peppers.   I went back to my old stand bye after I bought Santa Fe chicken sausage and couldn't decide what else to do with them.

I did not have black beans and rice to stuff along with the sausage so I used shredded cheese and panko to hold together the mixture.

I personally prefer the black beans and rice but this worked just fine.  I still roasted in our small oven at 450 for ~45-50mins.  I served with cheese quesadillas and a salad.

A quick note about the salad.  We normally buy a lot of the Dole Chopped salad mixes as they are so easy to bring out and add on to any meal.  Yesterday, I was at Whole Food's shopping and they do not have salad kits.  I chose a romaine salad and decided to make my own from what I had around the house!

Don't be afraid to go against the norm when making a salad.  I went with what I thought would taste good to me and compliment the peppers.  I chose artichoke hearts, avocado and roasted garlic with a sun dried tomato & artichoke dressing (not pictured).  I have to say it was fantastic and I realized that I do not need to depend on the pre-made salad kits all the time!