Monthly Archives: January 2013

Tomato Confites

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  • ripe roma tomatoes (or similar variety, firm with little juice)
  • fine sea salt, freshly ground pepper
  • chili pepper, ground or in flakes (optional)
  • dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano… (optional)
  • olive oil

Preheat your oven to 210°F.

Halve the tomatoes, and run your thumb in the cavities to remove the juice and seeds (save and filter the tomato water for drinking). Roma tomatoes have a very thin stem that you can leave in, but if the tomatoes you’re using have a tougher stem, carve it out.

Place the tomato halves, cut side up, on a well oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, ground chili pepper, and dried herbs if using. Drizzle with olive oil.

Put into the oven to bake, keeping an eye on them, for 2 to 3 hours depending on the variety and the desired consistency. Use warm or cold in pasta, salads, sandwiches, spreads, etc.

To freeze without clumping, arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a clean baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place the baking sheet in the freezer. After a couple of hours, you can transfer them to a freezer-safe container. (Save the parchment paper for another use.)

BBQ Halibut

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  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 (1 pound) halibut steak

  1. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.

  2. Place butter, brown sugar, garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, and pepper in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved.

  3. Lightly oil grill grate. Brush fish with brown sugar sauce, and place on grill. Cook for 5 minutes per side, or until fish can be easily flaked with a fork, basting with sauce. Discard remaining basting sauce.

 

Second option:

  • 2 tbsp of honey
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic

Broiled Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce

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2 Tbsp (30g) light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp (30mL) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tsp (5g) Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp (1g) dill weed, dried
1 tsp (4g) freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs (680g) salmon steaks, (four 6-ounce steaks)
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat oven using the broiler setting.

Sprinkle pepper evenly over both sides of salmon.

Prepare sauce by combining mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and dill weed in a small bowl; stir with a wire whisk until blended. Set sauce aside.

Place salmon on a broiler pan coated with vegetable oil spray. Broil 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily.

Portion steaks on plates and spoon sauce over salmon. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Chicken Chili

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  • 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
  • 1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
  • 1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
  • 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
  • 2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for chicken
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
  • 4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

Rice Krispies Fish

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  • 2 pounds fish
  • 3 cups Rice Krispies
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tbsp. dried parsley
  • ½ cup butter

Bake at 375 degrees

Pineapple Salsa

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  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped purple onion
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped green onion
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped red bell pepper, optional
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • dash ground red pepper, cayenne or chipotle
  • 2 teaspoons finely minced jalapeno pepper, optional
  • juice of 1 fresh lime, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients; cover and refrigerate for an hour or more to blend flavors. Serve with grilled or broiled fish, chicken, or pork. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

Blueberry Muffins

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  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/4cups 2% plain yogurt
  • 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

  1. Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin (or 36 cup mini muffin tin) with paper liners (alternately, tins can be greased).

  2. Whisk oil, honey, eggs, yogurt and orange zest to blend. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

  3. Add to yogurt mixture and stir just until blended. Add blueberries and spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

  4. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until muffins spring back when touched. Muffin will keep 2 days in an airtight container, or can be frozen.

Pad Thai

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Soak pad thai noodles in water to soften.

Heat oil in wok until almost smoking. Add 1 tsp. of minced garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken (4oz cut into ¼” strips) and cook 30 seconds. Add tofu (4oz cut into ¾” cubes) and 8 large shrimps and stir fry for 1 minute. Break 2 eggs into wok and let fry without breaking them for 1-2 minutes.

Drain noodles and add to work. Fry 1 minute. Add juice (3 tbsp. fish sauce, 2 tbsp. sugar, 5 tbsp. tamarind paste, 2 tbsp. lime juice) and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add some ground peanuts, 2 green onion stems, and 2/3 cup bean sprouts. Fry 30 seconds and then remove all from heat.

Transfer to dish. Sprinkle with roast chilis, ground peanuts, sprouts, red pepper strips and fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Teriyaki Salmon

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  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 (6 ounce) salmon steaks

In a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container, combine the first six ingredients; mix well. Set aside 1/2 cup for basting and refrigerate. Add salmon to remaining marinade; cover and refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours, turning once. Drain and discard marinade. Place the salmon on a broiler pan. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 5 minutes. Brush with reserved marinade; turn and broil for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Brush with marinade.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

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  • 1 pound dry spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian “al dente.”) Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.