Lemony Couscous with Lucques Olives and Ricotta Salata served with Romesco Sauce

Last year my mother, sister and I spent a week in New York relishing Broadway, the museums and of course eating amazing meals. One of these extraordinary meals was at a great little restaurant called http://prunerestaurant.com/ where Gabrielle Hamilton is the chef. I still remember what we ate that night: Roasted Marrow Bones, Grilled Octopus Salad and Whole Fish with Fennel Oil. That entire trip I was speechless about the amazing food we ate. That meal in particular has remained one of my all time favorites. So... you say what does this have to do with this entry. Well long story short Gabrielle Hamilton's sister Mellisa is partnered with Christopher Hersheimer in a venture called http://thecanalhouse.com/ They self publish seasonal cookbooks which are great. I was so excited to go to my mailbox today because there was a big brown package that I knew was my birthday gift to myself... The 4th volume of Canal House Cooking. Their recipe for Romesco Sauce inspired this dish.


Romesco Sauce
makes about 2 cups

1cup toasted almonds and hazelnuts
3 roasted tomatoes
1 bulb roasted garlic
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon pimenton dulce
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 0r 2 piquillo peppers
1 slice french bread toasted


Put nuts in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add peppers,tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, pimenton, wine, bread and vinegar and pulse to make a chunky mixture slowly add the olive oil. Let sit for 15 minutes to develop flavor. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.


This sauce is perfect for fish veggies or with french bread and olive oil. I used it to accompany the couscous dish here. Then I'll have it with fish tomorrow. It has a slightly spicy, nutty and smoky flavor that makes me think of Italy on a warm night.

I have to tell you this Lemony couscous is so creamy (yet cream free). It has this kind of velvety texture that plays off the crunch of the Lucques olives and then you have the tanginess of the cheese. All these great flavors playing off your tongue . You can eat it either warm or cold. It's one of those salads that really fills you up but won't bog you done because it really is fairly light.


Lemony Couscous with Olives, Basil and Ricotta Salata:


2cups Israeli couscous
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 zest of a lemon
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup Lucques green olives
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
Ricotta salata

Heat the chicken stock with bay leaf. Add couscous and bring to boil, lower temp to low and cook for 10 minutes or until all liquid is gone. reserve.
In skillet saute onions in olive oil until caramelized add garlic. Add couscous,lemon zest, lemon juice, olives, basil, and parsley. Stir and warm thru. Serve with strips of ricotta salata. Drizzle with good olive oil and serve.

This is super yummy enjoy!!

Caramel-Laquered Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Pineapple Honey Dip

Sunday is a great day. It's the time when after a crazy week at work I get a chance to work in my yard, relax with a glass of wine and read a book. Or, just think about what I might want to cook during the next week. When I was young Sundays meant: the whole day spent in the pool, my dad home all day and usually an al fresco dinner on the patio. Now that I'm grown, Sunday remains a day that I still like to have an easy meal that we can enjoy outside or relax with. This is one of those recipes. Easy, fun. Great to serve to family and friends. It is really a finger food that could easily be an appetizer but makes for a great summer meal if you add a few sides.

I have a love affair with sticky, spicy, rich, fingerlicken foods. When I saw the article in my new Food and Wine magazine about http://lanternrestaurant.com/ in North Carolina and the chefs recipe for Caramel-Lacquered Pork belly I thought what could be better...pork fat with all the above mentioned attributes. But, alas I will forgo the Pork belly and tweak the recipe to meet some semblance of health.

Enjoy this incredibly fun and sexy recipe and all the fingerlicking that goes along with it!!!!



Recipe for the Lacquer:

1/2 c sugar
2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 Thai or Serrano chili minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

In a sauce pan,cook 1/4 cup of the sugar over mod high heat until it starts to melt.Swirl the pan and cook over mod heat until it is completely melted about 5 min. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cook swirling until a richly brown caramel forms.








Turn off the heat and pour in 1/3 c water. Turn the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the caramel is smooth. Remove pan from heat and stir in the fish sauce, tamarind, chili, and the lime juice.


Recipe for the Coconut Shrimp:


15-20 lg prawns
1/2 c flour for dredging
2c sweetened shredded coconut
The Caramel Lacquer you just made.

1. Dredge the shrimp in the flour and shake off excess. soak in the Lacquer then dredge in the shredded coconut.

2.Place on a rack in a baking sheet.
3 Pre heat oven to 425 and cook for 15 minute until brown.

The Spicy Pineapple Honey Dipping Sauce:
One 20 0z can Pineapple chunks or half a Pineapple plus some juice.
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon corn starch
1 Jalapeno minced
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1.Blend all ingredients (except the vinegar and honey) in a blender. Simmer for 1/2 hour.Stain and stir in vinegar. cool

Enjoy!!!

I served this with some scallion rice and a Asian inspired slaw. We ate until we were stuffed and sat around smacking our lips and licking our fingers truly a sexy dish....

Meyer Lemon Sorbet with Blackberry Galette:

Where is the sun??? The mornings are so foggy lately on the coast it's making me long for the sunny summer days that haven't quite happened yet.
The last of my Meyer lemons are smiling at me with their sunny yellow skins and I have two full baskets of lovely blackberries suggesting a summer picnic.

HELLO SUMMER!! even if it's an illusion...

I seriously love to cook from things that I see that are appealing and bring me some sort of inspiration. Like something fresh from my yard, the farmers market or just an interesting picture in some food rag or blog.



This recipe for Meyer Lemon Sorbet makes enough for two but if your smart you will double it to share. Make just the amount below and you will regret it after the first bite. Fresh...Tart...Amazingly refreshing and goes fabulous with the Blackberry Galette.


Meyer Lemon Sorbet:

Ingredients:
1cup sugar
1cup water
1cup freshly squeezed juice from Meyer lemons
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Method:

1 In small pan on medium high heat, make a simple syrup by heating sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix the juice and the zest. Chill.
2 Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to instructions . If you don't have an ice cream maker you can freeze in a shallow pan until semi solid. Then take a fork and fluff returning to the freezer to freeze firm.
3 Scoop with melon baller and garnish with mint. Makes 2 1/2 cups

On a long road trip up the coast of Oregon my husband and I had a amazing piece of blackberry pie and ever since I tasted those blackberries i couldn't get them out of my head. Rich, dark and juicy.Deep purple and Luscious. After milling a few ideas in my mind I opt for the most rustic (another word for easy) Hello!!! it is me I'm talking about...



There are a gazillion flaky pastry crust recipes. This one is a little different because it has the addition of polenta. Guaranteed to be ten times better than store bought and even tho I'm not much of a pastry kind of gal this one is super easy. Just keep the ingredients as cold as possible and you cant go wrong. The filling is just as easy. The taste is juicy and buttery. Brought me right back to our road trip. Serve this with the Meyer lemon sorbet and you will be in summer Nirvana.
Pastry:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup polenta
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup buttermilk

Filling:
4 cups blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1. To prepare pastry, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 3 ingredients in food processor; pulse 2 times. Add butter to flour mixture; pulse 4-5 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly add buttermilk through food chute; process just until dough forms a ball. Gently press into 4 inch disc on plastic wrap; cover. Chill 30 min.
2 Preheat oven 350
3 unwrap and place dough on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll dough into 15 inch circle. Place dough and parchment onto baking sheet.
4 To prepare filling, combine the berries and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange berry mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a 2 inch border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal.
5. Combine the milk and egg; whisk. Brush dough with mixture; sprinkle with the sugar. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving; cut into wedges.
Enjoy!

Broccolini with Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic

I have been on a Broccolini tirade lately. It is a bit more delicate then it's cousin. A hybrid of Broccoli and Chinese Kale. It is a tender, slightly sweet vegetable. So when cooking Broccolini less is more. It needs very minimal cooking time. Which is probably why I like it so much for a quick side with a grilled steak or over some pasta. This is my favorite recipe that I've come up with so far. Slightly sweet from the red onions, spicy from the red pepper and fried garlic and tart from the fresh cherry tomatoes. This is also fabulous with Burrata!!!

RECIPE:

4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

8 Cloves garlic sliced thin

1/2 Lg red onion sliced thin

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tsp crushed red pepper

1 Cup sliced cherry tomatoes

1 Tbs Lemon Zest

pinch salt

Cracked black pepper to taste

Heat Olive Oil in large saute pan on low. Add sliced garlic until slightly browned.(very slightly browned or it will be bitter ) Remove onto paper towel and set aside.

Add onions to oil. Saute slowly until soft about 10 minutes. Add sugar to caramelize. Add crushed red pepper.

Set pan on stove with water to boil. Blanch Broccolini for 1 minute

Remove with slotted spoon and add to saute pan.

Add tomatoes, garlic lemon zest salt and pepper heat thru briefly.

That's it Enjoy!

Cornmeal Encrusted Talapia with Meyer Lemon Confit and Green Mango Salad

Wine pairing for this meal: A nice citrusy Itailian Pinot Grigio or a young Viognier







Well, we are finally having some sunshine after fog for what feels like an eternity. The first thing that comes to mind is to cook something light like fish. I know a lot of people think fish is boring or it smells up the house or a million other reasons not to cook it. But, what I can tell you is that this recipe is none of the above.

I first made Meyer Lemon Confit last year after we had an abundance of lemons on our tree. What an easy and wonderful condiment that basically keeps forever in your refrigerator. You can use this on all sorts of dishes: Crostini, a cold pasta salad, on top of homemade ricotta as well as any fish dish...The list goes on and on. I hope you enjoy it, I call it " a lil somethin somethin." to bring any dish alive. I like to serve this with a spicy Green Mango Salad.

Cornmeal Encrusted Talapia Recipe:



1 Lb Talapia Filet
Salt
1 C Cornmeal
1 Egg White
2 T Olive Oil

Coat Talapia with the egg white. Dredge in the cornmeal. Heat Oil in nonstick pan on med high heat. Cook filets 4 minutes or until browned flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Serve with Lemon Confit and homemade tater sauce.

Lemon Confit Recipe:

Sterilized Ball Canning Jar

4 Meyer Lemons
Kosher Salt to cover

Cut the Lemons into quarters place in jar until full. Cover with Kosher Salt and seal jar. Allow to sit in refrigerator for a week before using . Rinse well before dicing or slicing.

Green Mango Salad Recipe:

Now I have to tell you I am deathly afraid of my Mandolin because after one glass of wine, I inevitably cut myself. In fact I threw out my expensive one because it was just toooo much to deal with and I now have one that I paid 9.99 for which works like a charm. You cant use the food processor for this recipe because the ingredients get too wet. So be brave and use the Mandolin. I also am deathly afraid of Fish sauce but Ill tell you it just adds depth not fishiness to this sauce.

For The Dressing:
2 bird's eye chili's or Serrano, stemmed and chopped
1 clove garlic
4 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 1/2 fish sauce
Juice from a lime


For The Salad:
3 small shallots
1/2 c vegetable oil 2 green (unripe) mango's peeled and julienned
1 large carrot peeled and julienned
1/2 English cucumber seeded and julienned
1 1/2 c cellophane noodles soaked and cooled
3/4 c cilantro chopped
1/4 cup Asian basil chifinade
1 c salted peanuts diced

1. For the dressing: Crush chili's,garlic and sugar with a mortar and pestle to a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in fish sauce,lime juice,and 1 1/2 tbsp water.and set dressing aside.

2. For the Salad: Thinly slice shallots spread them out on a paper towel to air dry 30 min. Combine sliced shallots and oil in a small heavy sauce pan and bring oil to a rolling boil over med high heat. Reduce to low and cook shallots until light brown about 10 min.. Transfer to paper towel to drain and cool. Set aside.

3. Combine salad ingredients , dress with the dressing, toss. Top with 1 cup diced salted peanuts and the browned shallots.

Enjoy

Field Trip

One of the ways I find out about great suppliers is to look in the back of restaurateurs cookbooks for their sources. I happened to be reading A16 which is Nate Appleman's cookbook published by http://www.tenspeedpress.com/ and many of his sources where located in the ferry building.
So, we spent the day up at the ferry building in San Fransisco. Lots of good food and fun things to see and buy. First off we had an amazing breakfast at Boulettes Larder.



That's a yummy assortment of fresh fruit and buratta

Then on to http://www.pratherranch.com/ Which has a sustainable 40,000 acre cattle operation in Mt. Shasta California and supplies many of the bay area restaurants. They have a great meat counter full of dry-aged beef. Dry-aging not only concentrates the flavor but also makes the meat more tender. Next it was on to http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/ Sue Conely and Peggy Smiths Organic artisan cheese operation out of Point Reyes Station up the coast. YUMMY!!!!

Then we had a fab lunch at The Slanted Door which has inspired me to make one of the signature dishes from there. Shaking Beef. This restaurant first opened in 1995 in the Mission District of San Fransisco and has since moved to the Ferry building. Nice view, good service. We happened to sit at the bar. We could glimpse the kitchen. I always feel well taken care of at the counter anywhere Ive been. We started with the spring rolls then had the green papaya salad and ended with a outstanding pot de creme which was made with milk chocolate that I have to say made it taste much richer than it's counterpart made with dark chocolate. I'll have to remember that when I go to make one.
Shaking Beef
Charles Phan, The Slanted Door
The Meat:
2 T chopped garlic
1 t sugar
1 2/2 t salt
3/4 t black pepper
2 T neutral cooking oil
1 1/2 lbs filet mignon, cut into 1" cubes

The Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 T sugar

1/4 cup rice wine
4 T light soy
1 T dark soy
1 T fish sauce

The Dipping sauce:
juice of 1 lime
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t black pepper
The Stir-fry
4 T neutral cooking oil
3 stalks green onions

1/2 small red onion
2 T butter
2 bunches watercress, for garnish

1. Prepare marinade by combining garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and oil in a large nonmetal bowl. Add filet mignon, combine and marinate refrigerate for two hours.
2. Prepare vinaigrette by combining rice vinegar, sugar ,rice wine,light soy,dark soy and fish sauce. set aside.
3. Heat wok over high heat. Divide beef,green onions and red onions in half as you will cook in batches
4. Add 2 T oil to wok. When oil starts to smoke, add first potion of the beef in an even layer. Let it sit until it forms a brown crust, about t 2 min. With a spatula, flip the beef over and brown on the other side, about one minute.
5. Add first portion of the green onions and the red onion and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1/2 of the vinaigrette down the side of the wok. Add 1 t butter and continue to shake pan until butter melts. Remove the meat and onions from the wok and keep warm.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the second portion of the meat , green onions and red onions. Place the watercress in the middle of the serving plate and spoon the beef and onions on the top.
7. Prepare dipping sauce by putting salt and pepper in a small ramekin and squeeze lime juice over it. Serve alongside the beef.

This says it all.. At the end of the day we were all "Happy Campers"

Crispy Mister

Did you see the movie "It's complicated" Well, when I saw it all I could think about was Meryl Streeps' great and I mean GREAT house in Santa Barbara and her amazing bakery.

I guess I should also mention her garden to die for. Oh the life!!!

Croque Monsieur also known as "crispy Mister" happened to be in that movie so of course I wanted to try and make it. No major feet. It is quite easy. In fact it is the original fast food of France.

We had it as a casual week night dinner with a salad. I have to say it was very rich so nothing I would make on a regular basis. But boy was it yummy.

If you want to turn up your grilled sandwich experience this ones for you. Enjoy

Here is how to make it:

First make the bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan on low until it bubbles. Add the flour and cook, stirring until smooth. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, cooking until thick. Remove from heat. Add the salt pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the Parmesan and 1/4 cup Gruyere. Set aside.


Lay out the bread slices on a baking sheet spread with some butter and toast the in the oven, a few minutes each side, until lightly browned.

Lightly brush half the toasted slices with mustard. Add the ham slices and about 1 cup of the remaining Gruyere cheese. Top with the other toasted bread slices

Spoon on the bechamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle with the remaining gruyere cheese. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 3-5 minutes until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

Ingredients:

2tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

A pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, nutmeg

6 ounces Gruyere cheese grated

8 slices French bread

12 ounces ham, sliced

Dijon mustard