Roasted Stuffed Tomato

Tags

beef, roasted, stuffed, tomatoes

I love variety in a meal.  It’s a bit more effort, however I prefer to have 5-6 small appetizer portioned accompaniments rather than large entrée foods.  It keeps the palate entertained and leaves you wanting more at the end.  That was my grandpa’s motto to always eat to the point where you want just a bit more and stop – then you’ll have just as much enjoyment the next time.

I like the tomatoes well roasted and soft when I cut into them.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 medium-sized tomatoes, cored
1/6 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato pulp, chopped
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons egg, beaten
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon double concentrated tomato paste
4 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated (Set aside 2 tablespoons to top tomatoes)
1 large pinch salt
1 large pinch pepper
1 teaspoon Worchestire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon basil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Slice the tomato tops off and set aside to use as a top – makes for a nice presentation.  Core tomatoes, remove seeds and discard.  Keep pulp and set aside.  Take care not to puncture the skin when cutting and scooping the tomatoes.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining the ingredients.  Set aside 2 tablespoon Parmigiano Reggiano to top.  Gently work mixture until just combined – do not overwork meat.  Fill each tomato with stuffing, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and cover with tomato tops.  

Bake for 60-75 minutes until softened.

Enjoy!

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Chicken Noodle Soup

Tags

broth, chicken, noodles, soup, vegetables

Very rarely do I turn down a bowl of piping hot soup, even in the midst of summer.  Chicken noodle soup loaded with garden fresh vegetables was on my mind, especially since it had been a chilly day out.  I figured Lolo wouldn’t mind some soupy goodness to warm the soul for dinner.  I complimented the fresh vegetables with a nice light chicken stock with loads of noodles – an extra bit of comfort never hurt anyone. 

Ummm….I could taste it already.

To give the broth a taste of homemade goodness, I made a small batch of a quick stock from scratch and added some additional store bought chicken broth.

Oh how I do miss the soups my mom used to make.  They would take all day to cook.  I should have written down the recipes when I had the chance.

Serves: 2 

Ingredients:

Chicken Stock:
1 ½ lbs chicken back, skin and fat removed
3 cloves garlic
3 stalks celery
½ onion, halved
2 teaspoons dried thyme
10 whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
6 cups water

Soup Ingredients:
2 small carrots, sliced
1 small zucchini
1 leek, white parts only
2 cups egg noodles
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 lb ground chicken
1 tablespoon egg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh pepper
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon half and half
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Clean and remove all fat and skin from chicken backs, cut into small pieces.  In a medium stock pot, add all ingredients for the stock into pot.  Heat pot on high until it comes to a boil.  Then turn down to a low and let cook for 1 ¼ hours.

In a small bowl add chicken, salt, pepper, soy sauce, egg, half and half, garlic and onion powder.  Mix together.  Set aside.

Cut leek in half lengthwise and submerge into a large bowl of water in loosen trapped dirt in between leaves.  Rinse a few times to ensure all dirt has been removed and then slice into thin half-moon circles.  Set aside.

Thinly slice carrots on a diagonal.  Cut zucchini into bite sized pieces.  Set vegetables aside.

After broth has simmer for 1 ¼ hours, discard chicken and all aromatics.  I have a strainer spoon that I use to remove all of the unwanted bits from the broth.  Add the additional 2 cups chicken broth and carrot and cook on high until the pot comes to a boil, then again turn to low until carrots become tender.  Then add zucchini chicken, and leek; cook on high until it comes to a boil.  Turn down heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.  Then add noodles and cook until noodles are cooked through.

Enjoy!

Radicchio Apple Endive Roquefort Salad

Tags

avocados, endive, Radicchio, Roquefort, walnuts

As a child, I was not a fan of nuts or fruit in a veggie salad. Now that I’m all grown up – where did time fly, I love texture in my salads. Although I never tire of a simply tossed green salad, tonight I wanted something more. I had a taste for some sweetness with my veggies, and figured apples would hit the spot!

To make things a bit more indulgent, I turned to my “go to” ingredients of avocado and Roquefort. They never let me down.

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Salad:
1/2 lb of radicchio, cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 endive bulbs, thinly sliced
1/4 small apple, sliced paper-thin
1 avocado, cubed
¼ cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled
¼ cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Roquefort Vinaigrette Dressing:
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Roquefort crumbles
Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste

Wash radicchio leaves and dry in a salad spinner. Cut radicchio into bite sized pieces and set aside. Cut the endive bulbs in half and wash. I put them in the spinner too to remove excess water. Place the halved endive on a cutting board. Cut to remove stem in center of bulb and toss. Then thinly slice endive about 1/8” thick, and set aside. Also thinly slice apples. I like the apples cut paper-thin.

In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients and set aside and dress just prior to serving.

In a small bowl, combines all dressing ingredients and mix. I cream and completely incorporate the Roquefort into the dressing.

Dress salad just before serving. Carefully toss salad, take care not to mash the avocados in the process.

Enjoy!

Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp

Tags

Eggs, Shrimps

Eggs and shrimp are two of my many favorite foods!  There’s something about the creaminess of soft-scrambled eggs paired with a firm crunchy bite of shrimp that makes it an all-time comforting dish.  When I want a quick and light meal, this is so easy to whip up.  I usually serve this up with a side of steamed rice.  This dish is very popular in Cantonese-style Chinese restaurants – Note this dish can be quite greasy in restaurants.

Ingredients:

Shrimp:
7 whole medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt, pinch
White pepper, dash
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
Sugar, pinch
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oil + 1 tablespoon oil for cooking
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Eggs:
6 eggs
1-2 green onion stalks, thinly chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Remove shell and devein shrimp.  Rinse and dry shrimp well with a paper towel.  Cut each shrimp into 3-4 bite sized pieces.  Marinate with seasonings noted in shrimp section.  Set aside.

Thinly slice green onions.  Set aside.

Scramble eggs and season with salt.  Set aside.

The whole dish cooks up in about 2-3 minutes, tops for soft scrambled eggs; otherwise cook for 5-7 secs longer for firmer eggs.  The green onions can also be added while sautéing the shrimp. 

I will let the pictures do all the talking! I’m not sure why the gas flame didn’t show up in the pics while cooking…???

 
Enjoy!

Spiced Turkey Wings

Tags

Spiced, Turkey, Wings

With the exception of Thanksgiving and the occasional turkey sandwich throughout the year, turkey is not a protein I have often.  I approached the meat counter at Whole Foods, and scanned the case from end to end.  As soon as I locked eyes on the turkey wings, I knew what I wanted.

Lately I’ve been eating tebasaki-style fried chicken wings every chance I get.  I just can’t get enough of these little guys.  If you haven’t had them, give them a try.  I could have settled on chicken wings – but oh… SUPERSIZED wings were way more exciting!  It seems the craving has NOT weaned itself out of my system – please let it happen soon, it definitely rings havoc on the waistline.  I quickly had the butcher wrap up two of the biggest turkey wings he had before I changed my mind.

I wanted umami deliciousness to dance in my mouth, so the wings were immersed in a rich soy based marinate.

Since frying was out of the question, I decided to bake them to a nice crisp.  I should have had an ice cold beer to go with the them… next time.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 whole turkey wings (2 lbs)
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon togarashi chili pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Preparations:

Rinse and dry turkey wings well.  Fold them and lock the tip behind the big joint.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl or Ziploc bag, combine all seasoning and marinate turkey for 35-40 minutes.  Be sure to occasionally turn meat in marinade to coat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place turkey in a shallow glass large baking dish large enough to lay wings flat.  Add ¼ cup water to dish to provide added moisture.  Reserve marinate.  Spoon a bit of marinade over top of turkey and bake uncovered.  After 20 minutes, turn wing over in dish, spoon a bit more marinade all over.  Bake another 20 minutes, turn one last time to until cooked through.  Bake 60-70 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Soup

Tags

Mushrooms, Onions, soup

The whispers of mushroom soup were calling to me. Indeed, a hot bowl of soup sounded good as a starter. I was envisioning a thick puréed soup. Since I’m not a fan of potato laden soups, the heartiness from the mushrooms and onion were going to give me the satisfaction without the addition of any other filler.

Mushrooms are great to have on hand. Each month, mushrooms always seem to make their way into my grocery cart. I usually pick up three to four different types varying from shiitake, maitake, bunashimeji, enoki, king oyster or oyster – mostly the commonplace Asian varieties rather than the familiarly cultivated brown or white. I stow them away in the fridge in deli meat drawer to be used for quick and easy dishes. I think they are a fantastic substitute for meat.

In the pantry, I also keep dried porcini and shiitake in air tight containers to be used on a whim. I so love these little fungi in soups – they are packed full with flavor! I’m all about flavor and enticing the palate.

For this recipe, I decided to keep it simple – crimini, porcini, and onion.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
3/4 pounds crimini cleaned and sliced
1 oz. dried porcini, reconstituted
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons if needed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon pepper paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sherry
10 whole peppercorns
Salt and pepper to taste
Dollop creme fraiche, optional

Preparation:
Soak porcini mushrooms in just enough hot water to cover, about 15 minutes until soft. Reserve liquid and add to soup. Strain liquid through a coffee filter in case of sediment on the bottom of bowl.

Clean and slice mushrooms and chop onions. Set aside.

In a sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until hot on medium-high heat. Add crimini and porcini mushrooms and allow moisture to evaporate and brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add sherry, stir to allow for sherry to evaporate, then season lightly with salt and add garlic powder. Add onions and additional oil to pan if needed and continue to cook until they become light and translucent, about 5-7 more minutes. Take off heat and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, add broth, water, mushroom liquid, bay leaf, peppercorns, pepper paste, tomato paste, and mushroom and onion mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Discard peppercorns and bay leaf. With an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Enchiladas Especiales Tacuba Style

Tags

cheese, chicken, chiles, enchiladas, green sauce

On most weeknights, I am left to make the executive decision as to what we warm our bellies with.  Since I was craving chicken enchiladas – that’s what we were having, especially since I had some tortillas at home waiting to be consumed. 

I was visualizing something comforting and soothing to the soul – with lots of sauce and cheese melted all over the top.  Darting between a red vs. a green sauce, I opted for a white sauce with some green mixed in.  That was easy enough.  

This particular recipe was different from others that I’ve had or come across.  It was a take on the bechamel sauce – how can you go wrong with one of the “mother sauces” of French cuisine?  What I didn’t want was a dish that left us feeling heavy, the recipe sounded perfect.  I lightened the recipe a tad more and my expectations were met.  I did decide on butter to give the dish a hint of richness…    

Serves 3-4

(Adapted from Rick Bayless’ Enchiladas Especiales Tacuba Style)

Ingredients:
1 bone-in chicken breast (1 – 1.25 lb.), steamed and shredded
1 fresh Pasilla chile, roasted
1 fresh Anaheim chile, roasted
1 cup (lightly packed) spinach leaves
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/3 cup flour
8 corn tortillas
1 cup Mexican melting cheese (Chihuahua, quesadilla, asadero or the like) or  Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar
Salt
1 avocado, sliced
Cilantro for garnish

Preparations:

Sauce:
Roast the chiles directly over a gas flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly, until the skins have blistered and blackened on all side, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes under the broiler.

Place in a bowl, cover with a wrap.  Let rest until cool enough to handle.  Remove blackened skin, cut open and pull out the seed pod and stem.  Put chiles and spinach leaves into blender and blend until smooth.

In a small saucepan, combine the milk and broth, set over medium-low heat to warm.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter (or heat the oil) over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute to release its aroma, then add the flour and stir the mixture for a minute.  I reduced heat to low, and continued to stir and cook flour mixture until browned to give more flavor to flour mixture, about 5 minutes.  Then raise the heat to medium-high.  Pour in half the warm broth mixture and whisk until smooth, then pour in rest of the liquid, stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Pour the blended chiles and spinach into the hot sauce, and stir.  Season to taste with salt, about 2 teaspoons.  

Chicken:
Bring water to a boil in a steamer.  Put chicken onto a plate and lightly salt and place in steamer.  Steam for 25 minutes on a low simmer until lightly pink.  Remove from heat.  I usually transfer chicken to a clean plate to prevent further cooking.  Once cool enough to handle, shred chicken about 1/3 inch thick and discard skin and rib bones.  Set aside.

Assembling Enchiladas:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of each of three to four 9-inch individual ovenproof baking/serving dishes or pour about 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking dish.  Stir 1 cup of the sauce into the chicken.

Bake tortillas just to warm through and soften, about 2-3 minutes in oven.  Stack the tortillas and cover with a towel to keep warm.  

Working quickly so that the tortillas stay hot and pliable, roll a portion of the chicken up in each tortilla, then line them all up in the baking dish(es).  Set the edge side down on baking dish to prevent them from unraveling.  Evenly pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the cheese. 

Bake until the enchiladas are hot through and cheese is bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.  Garnish with the cilantro and avocado.

Enjoy!

Tomato-Occoli Orzo Salad

Tags

broccoli, Orzo, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salad, tomatoes

I’ve grown bored of Chinese vegetables and enjoy few vegetables from winter’s bounty.  I do however love salads and never seem to tire of them.  Many times, the best salads have evolved from rummaging through the veggie drawer and throwing together my finds.  I’m always looking for new and different ways to prepare a salad.

I decided on an orzo side salad for dinner.  Although I don’t make pasta often, orzo is the one most frequently used in my pantry – I just bought another bag today.  It is lighter and less filling than most other pastas.

For this dish, I did not want the grain to dominate, but rather showcase the vegetables and have their beautiful bright colors dance on the dish.

I served this side dish with a grilled rib eye steak, tossed green salad with avocado, and toasted baguette.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 broccoli stalk, chopped into bit size pieces
1 scallion, green part only thinly sliced
1/4 cup orzo
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
1/8 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparations:

Grate cheese in a bowl.  Set aside.

Fill a small saucepan with water.  Salt water and bring to a boil.  Add broccoli and bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Cook broccoli for 5 minutes.  Drain and put veggies into an ice bath to stop cooking process.  Once chilled, remove and drain.

Quarter tomatoes and thinly slice scallion.  Set aside.

Fill a small saucepan ¾ full with water.  Salt water heavily and bring to a boil.  Add orzo and stir.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Cook orzo about 9 minutes until al dente.  Drain – do not rinse.  Immediately pour orzo into the cheese and mix to incorporate.  Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Prior to serving, add remaining lemon juice and olive oil to broccoli and tomatoes, lightly toss.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Combine orzo, broccoli, tomatoes, scallions, shaved cheese lightly toss together.  And there you have it.

Enjoy!

Walnut Turtle Bars

Tags

bars, chocolate, Dessert, walnuts

The holidays seem so long ago.  I closed out the year with a bit of last minute holiday baking the final afternoon before bidding adieu to 2011; and wanted to share what I had made.

The morning before, Danielle and her husband Josh decided to have some people over at the last minute for a casual NYE dinner and a pool soirée.  Lolo and I had planned to stay home while ringing in 2012, plopped out in the comforts of our uncomfortable couch, and watch Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve.  However, we happily obliged Danielle and Josh’s offer and were very glad we did – they are always such gracious hosts; and we met great people, most were transplants from back East.

As a rule, I do not like to go places empty-handed, and it was afterall for New Year’s Eve!  As usual, many different ideas began racing through my head – What to take, what to take…?  I had come across a fabulous Turtle Bar recipe from La Tartine Gourmande and knew it would make for a perfect dessert that would be easy to devour, especially poolside.  I finally decided on a couple of blue cheese logs (oh, how I do love blue cheese and Roquefort), the indulgent dessert, and of course champagne.

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with lots of hugs.  People slowly began trickling in, while others were getting picked up from the airport.  The house was filled with warmth and illuminated with flickers of candle, lighting up the Hollywood Hills.  The grazing and flow of alcohol soon began.

Eventually folks lazily migrated to the pool level for a swim.  It was actually quite warm and a perfect night to spend outside in the pool under the palm trees – life in Southern California is tough.  Josh had been slowly heating the pool for three days.  He wanted to insure all his guests were kept comfortable.  It’s not uncommon for him to warm the pool to 102 degrees – yes you read that right, 102! But for this evening he kept it to a balmy 95 degrees.  It was a relaxing evening filled with good food, drinks, and great friends new and old.

Walnut Turtle Bars (Adapted from La Tartine Gourmande Nov 2008, Turtle Bars)

Ingredients:

Base:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

For the topping:
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cups walnuts, chopped
1 cup dark chocolate — I used 72% dark chocolate squares, chopped coarsely

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 350 F. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough to hang over the edge and act as handles to remove bars after baking. Grease foil with butter.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and blend briefly to combine.  Cut butter in small pieces and sprinkle over flour mixture.  Process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and firm and dry.  Leave oven on at the same temperature.

Combine the cream, butter, salt, and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil for about 1 minute.  Spread the walnuts over the top of the crust.  Pour the hot caramel filling evenly over the walnuts.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the caramel topping darkens.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate pieces over the hot topping.  Let sit for a few moments and then use a knife or offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate evenly over the top.

Chill the bars in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until the bars have fully set before slicing them.

Using foil as handles, pull bars from pan and place on cutting board.  Cut long side into 6 strips, then cut 4 strips across the short side, creating 24 bars.  Wipe the knife clean between cuts.

I kept the bars refrigerated until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

 

Shiso Tomato Avocado Salad

Tags

avocados, salad, shiso, tomatoes

Light and healthy eating is generally our way of living.  With the festivities and hoilday bingeing behind us, getting back to our “norm” feels good.  Recently, we ate out consecutively for 4-5 days – which was beyond my limit.  Now, I am ready to get back into the kitchen, amongst other things.  

Although I am not as diligent as Kathy is with her Crossfit (she’s a mad woman and looking rock solid), it is time to hit the gym again – time to get my arms and shoulders tank top ready!  The last time I worked out was in Mallorca – yep, many, many, many months ago.  I took a Crossfit class with Kathy, and couldn’t move for days.  If anyone wants a challenge, Crossfit would be it.  BTW… does anyone know how to get rid of batwings?  

Ok, back to food.  I was craving a simple salad, one of my many staples are tomatoes and avocados.  I decided to add shiso to the pairing to give an added dimension of flavor and a pop of freshness.  Shiso is a leafy herb commonly used in salads, sushi and sashimi.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Salad:
1 tomato, sliced
½ avocado, cubed
2 shiso leaves, chiffonade

Dressing:
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ponzu dressing
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon grape seed oil
1 small pinch sugar
Fresh black pepper, to taste

In small bowl, combine all ingredients for dressing.  Set aside.

Slice tomatoes, cube avocado, chiffonade shiso leaves, and plate.  Dress salad just prior to serving.  Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

Enjoy!