Category: Recipes

  • Alaskan Halibut on Hazelnut Gomashi Corn, Peaches in Wine

    Alaskan Halibut on Hazelnut Gomashi Corn, Peaches in Wine

    Halibut on hazelnut gomashi corn

    1lb halibut fillet, no skin
    5 ears fresh sweet corn (2 white 3 yellow)
    Gomashi (toasted sesame seeds and salt in a grinder, use a mortal and pestal lightly if you dont have one)
    Rainbow microgreens
    3 green onions/scallions
    Hazelnut Oil
    Sesame seeds
    Soy Sauce
    1T butter
    Olive oil

    Marinate the halibut in soy sauce, touch of olive oil, and sesame seeds for at least a couple of hours, but not more than 12.  Cook it in a nonstick pan just big enough for it, so it’s nice and tight. More on this in a moment.

    Cut the corn off the cob. Slice the scallions thinly into the green.

    In a large nonstick pan, heat 2 T hazelnut oil and butter (alternatively use a lightly flavored oil or olive oil and toast actual hazelnuts in it–crush them well first, use low heat for some time to infuse, but it’s just not the same) at medium heat, and add the corn. Add Gomashi mixture to add saltiness. Taste as you cook to add regular salt if needed, depending on proportion of your gomashi.

    In a small nonstick pan, cook your marinated halibut on medium, top side down first. Once getting opaque, flip it over and cover it at least loosely with a lid, reduce heat slightly and continue cooking through.

    When corn starts to color, add the scallions. Keep tossing until some kernels are browned and all are cooked. Place this on the base of your plate.

    Top with clean microgreens, then portion the halibut onto each plate. This serves four with an appetizer (we had some heirloom tomato sauce & red pepper linguini, very small amount).

    There is also now a Chilean Sea Bass & Spinich version of this dish.

    White and Yellow Organic Peaches, Sliced

    Peaches in Wine

    4-5 peaches (you can mix apricots too, and yellow and white peaches)
    White sugar
    Rose or dry white wine

    No need to skin them unless you don’t like the skin

    Slice evenly and toss in a bit of sugar, then cover in rose or dry white wine, most of the way. Cover and refrigerate for several hours at least. I served them on shortcakes and reduced the liquid to syrup in a pan, putting on top.

  • Snapper with Red & Green sauces, fennel, & israeli couscous

    Snapper with Red & Green sauces, fennel, & israeli couscous

    This was a weeknight meal, which, admittedly, didn’t flow all that well together (couscous vs fish & sauce), but was very tasty and healthy.

    Israeli Couscous (with amendment: pine nuts instead of almonds, though I prefer the latter almost, and this is also one of the most delicious and easy things you’ll ever make, and it’s surprisingly versatile)

    Snapper, dredged in flour and fried in butter (3 fillets) until cooked but definitely not over cooked

    Basil sauce (In the food processor, fresh basil, juice of one lemon, olive oil, two cloves garlic, puree until it looks like above)

    Roasted Tomato & Pepper sauce (Roast heirlooms with spring onions in olive oil, salt, pepper until soft and in their own liquid. Puree in food processor, add chunks of fresh gypsy peppers, add salt)

    Roasted fennel slivers (tossed in olive oil, cut cleanly and evenly, not too heavily coated, some salt, and into the oven for some color and texture)

  • Weekday Cheese Souffle

    Weekday Cheese Souffle

    I can’t remember who it was, but someone was talking to me about how effortlessly the French will whip up a souffle for dinner, something on par with opening a can of soup or mixing rice a roni in an American household.

    I do love a good souffle, and while I’ve been more partial to Alton Brown’s cheddar souffle (and sometimes adulterate it with blanched broccoli or asparagus pieces), I was inspired by Molly from Orangette‘s recipe in Bon Apetite, which I bookmarked some months ago (it uses gruyere–I used a combo of comte affinee, a more sweet gruyere very snack worthy and not stringy at all, and a 4 month cave aged gruyere). Granted, while I was making it I made some adjustments in line with my beloved Alton Brown recipe (like the mustard powder..), but I thought sharing both with you would make sense. I did use a 5 qt souffle dish and it serves 2-4 people depending on how much cheese your boyfriend likes to or is willing to eat.

    Alton Brown’s Cheese Souffle Recipe

    Molly Wizenberg‘s Everyday Souffle (maybe it was her story..)

  • Tri Tip Tacos with Cuban Black Beans

    Tri Tip Tacos with Cuban Black Beans

    I rushed home from a Saturday morning outing to cook dinner for two boys. We ate in the backyard, it was gorgeous and sunny, and I had very little time to prep. I bought some amazing artisinal corn tortillas (taco size, one pack in chipotle and one in white corn), some pre-marinated tri tip (a faux paus but a sometimes necessary evil–I did not prep the night before), shallots, etc and made a pretty grand meal of it all. They were satisfied, anyway.

    I got so excited, though, I failed to take a picture of an actual taco, instead only of the fixin’s. We had a size of grilled yellow squash, and cuban black beans too.

    3 shallots, sliced thinly on the diagonal
    4 radishes, sliced thinly
    1 lime, cut into 12 peices (in half as if juicing, and then into 6 slices each half)
    cilantro (washed, but let people pick off their own leaves to save time)
    tortillas
    1.5lb-2.5lb tri tip, marinated
    hot salsa

    Assemble as you please.

  • Pizza at Home

    Pizza at Home

    Pizza Margharita

    Pizza with Anchovies and Tomatoes

    I like to make pizza at home, but it’s almost always a ton of work. I haven’t made it in probably 18 months. Mostly, in the last year, I’ve been afraid. I have a small, electric oven. My pizza stone, upon moving in, took a spot next to the cleaning supplies under the sink–it doesn’t fit by a good four inches.

    But, tonight, I stomached it. I made it. I did it. I went back to my favorite recipe for pizza dough, followed it to a T, produced a tender and silky pizza dough, made the mistake of using fragrant chestnut honey (go with the stuff in the bear container), and then ate it up with sardines and basil. You can do that too.

    Wolfgang Puck's Pizza Dough Proofing

    Wolfgang Puck's Pizza Dough

    Let’s not reinvent the wheel. And by wheel, we mean the pizza.

    Use Wolfgang Puck’s recipe as linked above for your dough. I don’t use a mixer, I do it by hand, and it comes out just fine. And probably with less dishes.

    I like my pizzas lumpy sized. I don’t pride myself on the perfect circularity of my skins. It’s not important. Let’s talk about something more interesting…like salt. That sauce you’re putting on there? Why don’t you taste it and make sure you’d want to dip some boring bread in it before you put it on your pizza skin. And then add some salt until you think it is actually salty.

    I used some Pomi strained tomatoes and let them simmer a few minutes. Minimal work. This was a weeknight dinner. Press dry some fresh mozarella in paper towels, slice it up, get some fresh basil, some anchovies in oil. I think you can probably figure this out. Don’t overload it.

    Two main notations: Put your oven as hot as it will go. You will thank me later for the ensuing sauna of your studio apartment. And, use a pizza stone if you can. I tried to even cook mine crooked on it, but it would not fit. Too much slant, so I used my silpat. It was soggy in the middle, a problem I’ve never had before. So trust me, that $20 for a stone? Well spent. You can make scones, cookies, breads and more on it, too. And if all else fails, it makes most (uneven) ovens more evenly heated, just by leaving it in all the time. Souffle is happier.

  • Vinegar-based Egg Salad with Capers & Homemade Pickles

    Vinegar-based Egg Salad with Capers & Homemade Pickles

    6 hardboiled eggs (instructions follow)
    2 T capers, rinsed & drained
    1 carrot, small dice
    2 sticks celery, small dice
    1/2 red onion, small dice
    1/2 C homemmade or b’n’b pickles, small dice
    rice vinegar
    olive oil/macadamia oil
    mustard powder
    1 tsp sugar
    salt & pepper generously

    For hardboiled eggs: Put the raw eggs in a pot with water, not too large of a pot, and with a lid that fits. Start with cold water. Cover and heat to just under a boil, hold at that temp for about 1 minute. Turn off heat, leave covered. let rest until water cool enough to put hands in, then rinse eggs and peel (you can wait until cold if you want). The reason to use this method is so that the yolk is yellow and not grey, creamy and not too crumbly.

    In a bowl, mix 2-3 T of rice vinegar with 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, cracked pepper, 1-2 T macadamia or olive oil, 1-2 T mustard powder. The dressing should be thicker than vinaigarette and thinner than store bought creamy dressing. Reserve the prior ingredients in case you need more dressing.

    Dice the eggs into cubes as best you can. Don’t worry about the yolk falling apart, but be sure not to discard it. Put it in the bowl. Add the other diced vegetables, mix together with a spoon. Eventually, and over the following days, the egg yolk will blend into the dressing. From the beginning, it should be fairly dry, but flavorful. Will develop liquid over the next day. Serve on a fresh roll.

    This recipe was inspird by the egg salad sandwich available at Blue Bottle Coffee in SF.

  • Lipstick Peppers & Watercress

    Lipstick Peppers & Watercress

    6-8 lipstick or gypsy sweet peppers
    1 medium/small red spring onion (or shallots would do, etc)
    1 bunch watercress, cleaned thoroughly
    olive oil, salt, pepper

    Heat the oil at medium heat, add the diced onions when hot. When beginning to sweat, add the peppers in ring slices. Remove the seeds beforehand. When softened but not greying, add the watercress, turn off the heat, cover. Serve when wilted. Toss well. Add some lemon juice or zest if you feel up to it.

  • Troffiette with Pesto & Asparagus

    Troffiette with Pesto & Asparagus

    Do yourself a favor and make the pesto from scratch if you have access to a food processor. It’s soooo much better than that stuff you’re tempted to buy at trader joe’s. Shame on you.

    1/4 C pesto
    1 C troffiette (substitute a pasta of similar size if you must)
    1 bunch asparagus (~ 1/2 lb)
    olive oil
    salt

    Clean your asparagus and use a carrot peeler gently to remove the thick skin along the bottom. The result should not be white but a paler green from below the head down. Trim the ends off. Cut in pieces as in the picture.

    Heat olive oil in non stick pan (about 2 tsp) at medium heat. Add asparagus and cook until bright. Meanwhile, boil the pasta until al dente (very important not to overcook for this one). When done, drain and add to asparagus, turning to low. Add the pesto, mix, and turn off heat immediately. Serve by itself or with some meat or other dish.

    By the way, troffiette is a Ligurian specialty (as is Pesto aka “pesto genovese,” I’ve mentioned before basil grows like weeds in the seaside, Italian riviera hillside that is Liguria, let’s not even start to talk about the ligurian foccacia, lobster-like delicious seafood, or wines on this tangent), though it’s not impossible to find in the US or to make yourself. It’s a very easy to make shape, the hardest part is cutting the peice of pasta dough you’re going to work with small enough and using a fine enough ground wheat flour in its construction, as well as letting it rest long enough to cooperate with you. But I encourage you to try to find it or make it.

  • Chili Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Chutney

    Chili Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Chutney

    Fair Warning: I made this not once, but twice in the last week.

    The weekend before the one I’m enjoying right now was full of cooking. A friend and I spent a good amount of time together respecting each others’ skills, scheming up meals and projects, and visiting our friend across the bay, the Berkeley Bowl (at which I found out they now have a second location??!?!!?!!! Why is it not in SF!?!?!!).

    We were to make pesto and apricot chutney, together. We ran out of time, and I took on the easier project of pesto–my friend–let’s call her the “other C” took on the chutney. I’ll include both recipes, which were inspired from these blog entries.

    For the Pork:

    1 pork tenderloin
    1/4 C brown sugar
    juice 1 lime
    1 tbsp chili powder
    1/8 C olive oil
    several cloves garlic, minced
    salt & pepper

    Mix ingredients above, smooth over trimmed tenderloin and seal in container or ziplock to marinate at least 1 hr. The more thick you make (the more like a paste) the more the marinade will actually flavor the meat.

    When ready to cook, heat grill to high. Slap the puppy on there, reduce heat to medium, cover. Turn it ~3x, whatever it takes to get each side on the grill, until its mostly firm but not stiff. Take it off, let it rest, slice it up. Note that tenderloin is OK to cook medium (or less than well done) even though it’s pork, because it’s a single cut of meat that hasn’t been exposed to bacteria (the outside has, and it’s been burnt!).

    For the Apricot Chutney (with forthcoming commentary from “the other C”):

    2lb ripe apricots
    1 1/2 C brown sugar
    1 medium onion
    3/4 C golden (sultana) raisins
    1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
    1 T salt
    1 C or scant cider vinegar
    1 tsp coriander seeds
    3 cloves (or heck, I say more!) garlic
    cayenne to taste
    1 jalapeno, minced
    zest of 1 lime

    Rinse, halve, pit the apricots; slice the onion & garlic thin. Put all the ingredients but the cayenne in a large pan and boil until the apricots are very soft. Remove the apricots and reserve. Boil the remaining liquid until it is a thick syrup. Reincorporate it all, add & adjust the cayenne, serve it up or let it cool and seal it. Take steps you would in jam making for sterilization if you’d like this to last a while, otherwise use it within a few days.

  • Summer Vegetable Sautee

    Summer Vegetable Sautee

    A case of “there is a lot of stuff going bad in my refrigerator and we need to eat some vetatables. What goes with flank on the grill?” came up on me tonight.

    1 small white onion (top attached, ripped from the earth ala farm-fresh-to-you style)
    2 gypsy peppers (small sweet peppers)
    3 medium yellow flower squash
    1 small bunch spinach
    1 bunch beet greens
    Olive oil
    Salt & pepper

    Wash all your delightful veggies, and spin dry the greens. Chop the beet greens, take big stems off the spinach. Dice the squash into medium cubes, cut the peppers into small squares. Finely dice your onion.

    Heat olive oil in a nonstick. When medium hot, add onion, and 1 min later add gypsy pepper, salt, pepper. 4 more min, add squash, keep heat up. Let brown, tossing. When cooked, add the greens, cover, turn off the heat.

    I served it with my favorite marinated flank steak.