Taco-style BLT on a Hot Dog Bun

Serves 1

Very good, quick (especially if you have left over cooked bacon), easy, hand held, version of an all time favorite food. To make it even more taco-like try adding avocado or guacamole on top. The bun can be toasted on the inside only on a grill, a griddle or dry flat pan. This eliminates the cut the roof of your mouth syndrome sometimes associated with traditional BLTs. The recipe can be multiplied as many times as you have need for.

1 hot dog bun
1 slice thick cut bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
1 oz. shredded lettuce
2 tbsp. diced fresh tomato
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. minced red onion, optional

Lightly toast hot dog bun, spread mayonnaise over the bun, top with bacon, lettuce, tomato and onion if using, fold up taco-style and enjoy.

TG
10/09

Uncle Tom's Ribs

Serves 4

These aren’t the ribs the famous uncle Tom from the cabin would have served, in fact these aren’t BBQ’ed as most people in this country imagine. If you had a uncle in Tuscany, these are the kind of ribs he would probably cook. They are good and you’ll get rave reviews.

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¾ tbsp. kosher salt
¾ tbsp. fennel seeds
½ tbsp. rosemary, chopped
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. chopped sage
1 tsp. chopped thyme
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. allspice
6 lb. pork sparerib rack
¼ cup balsamic vinegar, preferably not a cheap one

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, kosher salt, fennel, rosemary, black pepper, sage, thyme, paprika, coriander and allspice. Rub the spice paste all over the spareribs and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Arrange the ribs on a large, rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, meaty side up. Roast the ribs for 2 hours, or until tender.
Preheat the broiler. Brush the meaty side of the ribs with the balsamic vinegar and broil until browned, about 2 minutes.

TG
08/09

Teriyaki Marinade

Yields: about 2 cups

I had the “best” teriyaki steak I in Hawaii 35 years ago, and I have been trying to duplicate it ever since. Well I think I finally have come as close as I am going to get, with this marinade and I’m glad to share it with you. The marinade can be strained, boiled and thickened slightly and used for a dipping sauce or thickened more and used as a glaze. It’s good for marinating chicken and pork also. Please do NOT substitute the mirin, most large markets have this sweet, rice wine for cooking. It’s a key ingredient.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1/4 cup sake
1/4cup mirin
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. dry Chinese mustard
1/4 tsp coarse-ground pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until all the sugars are dissolved.

Chef’s Notes: Put the marinade in a large zip lock bag, add the steaks, seal and refrigerate over night, then grill on a hot BBQ. Chicken and pork don’t need to marinade as long, maybe 2-6 hours respectively.

Yields enough for 2 steaks, a whole cut up chicken or a couple pork tenderloins.

Cocktail Rye Encrusted Pork Chops

Serves 6

Center cut pork chops are the meat of choice for our Octoberfest. Buy the normal thickness cut, not the thick cut for this, they’ll cook quicker and the coating won’t get too dark. Use your favorite rye bread, I used little cocktail rye slices and they made great crumbs. The mustard of choice should be a good granny German style, not common yellow. Sorry French’s.

6 center cut pork chops
12 slices cocktail rye slices
6 tsp. mustard
canola oil for frying

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees. Place half of the rye slices in a food processor and process to fine bread crumbs, remove to a flat bottomed dish or bowl and repeat with remaining slices. Make 3 or 4 quarter inch slashes on the outer edge of each chop, so that it will stay flat when cooking, sharp kitchen or poltry shears work well for this. Rub each chop all over with one teaspoon of mustard. Coat each chop on both sides in bread crumbs and set aside in a single layer. Heat about 1/8 inch of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Pan fry half of the chops until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Don’t over cook, 140 degrees on an instant read thermometer will be fine. Remove first batch to oven and repeat with remaining chops.

Serve with Braised Red Cabbage, Beer Boiled Spaetzle an good cold beer.

Beer Boiled Spaetzle

Serves 6

This is the second post of our Octoberfest and beer is the issue here. Use your favorite for the dish and what your going to drink with the meal. It would also be nice if it were German. My choice was Bechs and I drank Dark Becks with the meal.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs
¾ cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 quart beer
¼ cup melted butter
chopped parsley for garnish

Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl. Mix eggs and milk; stir into flour. Bring beer to boil in a large pot. Place a colander with large holes over boiling beer, pour dough into the colander. Press the dough through the holes with a rubber spatula. Cook and stir until spaetzle floats, about 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and toss with melted butter. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Braised Red Cabbage

Serves 6

2 slices thick bacon, cut crosswise into ¼ inch strips
1 med. onion, chopped
1 med. red cabbage, very coarsely chopped
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup beer
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
½ tsp. caraway seeds
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup red current jelly

In a non-reactive pot large enough to hold the cabbage, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve for a later use. Add the onions and sauté until golden. Add the cabbage and apples, then pour in the beer and vinegar. Add the caraway seeds and brown sugar, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and simmer another 20 or 25 minutes, again stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the cabbage is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the jelly until it melts and coats the cabbage.

Marinara Sauce

Serves 4

The lack of meat and the sheer simplicity, speed and fresh taste of making tasty homemade marinara sauce, makes me wonder why there’s so much of sold in stores. Perhaps the increased popularity of marinara sauce is due to recent research which revealed that cooked tomatoes are rich with lycopene, an antioxidant which may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. The versatility of marinara sauce is also no doubt a factor in its popularity. It’s a popular dipping sauce for finger foods like fried mozzarella cheese sticks and calzones. Marinara sauce can also be used to add a little zest to meat dishes such as chicken, veal parmigiano, pork steaks, and grilled seafood. One can even spice up a burger or a chicken filet sandwich with it.

Marinara Sauce
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes .
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 fresh basil leaves, julienne
salt & pepper to taste

Place the olive oil in a non-reactive sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic, cook until aromatic but not brown. Add the tomatoes, and simmer 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and add the fresh basil and stir. This is as much as the basil needs to cook.

Fire Roasted Red Peppers

Pimientos Morrones
Serves 4

Healthy and great tasting don’t always go together but in the case of red bell peppers they do. Raw they’re wonderful, however roasting them makes them even better and sweeter. Pimientos morrones are what they use to stuff olives with. They are sweeter with a smother surface and thicker flesh than regular bell peppers but either one will work in this recipe. Try to pick bell peppers that are smooth as they roast and peel easier than ones with deep crevices.
Enyoy with a loaf of good fresh bread, some cheese (Fontenella would be my pick and a bottle of good red wine (from Full Bodied Cellars ), if you can find it.

2 red peppers, preferably Morrones
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. minced fresh parsley, preferably flat leaf
freshly ground sea salt to taste
pan spray

Spray the pepper with pan spray and place over fire. I use my gas grill. I remove the grill and put the peppers right on the grill bricks. The can also be done right on the stove top of a gas oven. Rotate the peppers until they are blackened and blistered all over. Place in a paper bag, fold the top closed and let steam until cool. Peel the skin off the peppers, cut the stems off, cut peppers in half lengthwise, core and remove the seeds. Cut into ½ inch wide strips. Place then in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well with a rubber spatula to mix. They get better if they sit a day or two in the refridgerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Great Guac

Serves 4

I had a great little Mexican cook that worked for me by the name of Argelia. She showed me how to make many Mexican dishes. Her Taquitos & Guacamole were a huge hit. This is my take on her wonderful guacamole.

2 ripe Hass avocadoes
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped finely
1/3 bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped finely
1 sm. Serrano chili, minced, optional
1 lime, juiced
¾ tsp. salt

The key players here are the Avocados, cilantro and limejuice, so adjust those to your liking; if your lime is not juicy, it may take two. It takes a fair amount so salt, depending on how flavorful your Avocadoes are.

Mash the Avocadoes in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Adjust seasonings and enjoy.

Pimientos de Padrón

Serves 4

Where have they been all my life, their so easy, so great tasting, so much fun and so hard to find. My daughter Lindsay lives in San Francisco. Three years ago, on a Saturday she took us to the farmers market at the Ferry Plaza. One of the booths we stopped at was Happy Quail Farms. She suggested we buy some Pimientos de Padrón and have them as a appetizer with dinner. Hooked! Now every trip to the city we have to buy some. She also mails us some occasionally. I’ve taken it one step further and now grow them in our garden.
The easy part; you don’t need a recipe. I just put about 1/8 inch of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, throw in some peppers (about two dozen) heat and stir until the peppers are blistered on all sides. Remove them from the pan and sprinkle with some good salt. Hold them by the stem, bite and enjoy the great tasting part.
The fun part; most of those pepper will be sweet and mild but one or two may be real zingers. The problem is you can’t tell which ones are going to be hot, it’s kind of chili Russian roulette. Lindsay cheats by biting the tips off before eating the whole pepper. Enjoy as an appitizer or tapa, as a side dish to grilled meat or steaks. Drink any thing from cold beer, to red wine, Spanish Cava or last but not least Coke
The hard to find part; I’m going to help with this part, I’m giving you two possible links for peppers and one for seeds. Peppers: Happy Quail Farms and La Tienda.com. Seeds: Local Harvest.
For more information visit:Other Spain.

Picnic Spot

We just ended a six-week, 5,000-mile driving trip to northern and southern California and a tour of Arizona. One highlight was a day trip to Napa Valley and a picnic at Diamond Oakes Winery. We made a stop at Dean & Deluca’s and picked up some picnic goodies and drove to Diamond Oaks, we bought a bottle of their 2006 Chardonnay from the Chalk Hill vineyard and enjoyed a great picnic with the best view of Napa Valley in their oak shaded picnic area. If you go to Napa, the Oakville grocery is another long time favorite spot to pick up sandwiches or supplies for your picnic, but get your wine at the winery as the grounds are for their customers. One word of caution, lots of yellow jackets, so bring a peace offering for the yellow jackets and set it about 10 feet from your table, preferably something smelly and damp. Ours was the container for our marinated shrimp and a few shrimp tails, they loved it.

Cherry Time

Cherries are available year round, enjoyed dried, frozen or as cherry juice. They are used lots of ways in: smoothies, desserts, salads, granola and entrees. The benefits of cherries include: one of the highest levels of powerful antioxidants compared to other fruits, cherries appear to aid in diabetes control, arthritis sufferers routinely consumed the fruit to help soothe their symptoms and they may play a role in reducing inflammation and risk factors for heart disease.

This year the cherry blossoms were a great treat for the senses, both sight and smell, but now the cherries are ripe and it’s time to really enjoy this super food. I’ve included a couple of recipes and the USDA’s nutritional chart. A great web site for lot’s more recipes and information is; http://www.choosecherries.com

Cherry/Mango Salsa
Try over grilled or broiled chicken breast, salmon or venison steak for a healthy entrée.

Ingredients:
1 ripe mango seeded, peeled and chopped
1 cup cherries, pitted
1 tsp. ea. chopped fresh mint, basil and cilantro
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
jalapeno, to taste, minced
Directions
In a mixing bowl toss all the ingredients together.

Cherry Sauce
Try over roast pork tender loin or duck breast.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup cherries
2 tbsp. orange marmalade
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Put oil in a skillet and sauté onions in until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, cherries, orange marmalade, and vinegar and. Bring to a boil; boil rapidly on medium heat until broth is reduced by half.

Cherries (sweet, edible parts)
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) Energy 60 kcal 260 kJ
Carbohydrates 16 g
- Sugars 13 g
- Dietary fiber 2 g
Fat 0.2 g
Protein 1.1 g
Vitamin C 7 mg 12%
Iron 0.4 mg 3%

Source: USDA Nutrient database

Salsa Fresco

Yield: 2 cups


This ain’t no canned “made in New York city” salsa, and it ain’t made for “women, kids or sissies”. Forgive me ladies, I was just using a couple of my favorite lines, the latter from a brown bagged chile mix that I use by Texas chicken farmer and former race car builder and driver Carroll Shelby. Kids probably won’t like it and I’m not worried about sissies and besides which salsas should never be canned or jarred for that matter. Salsa is quick and easy, it only has five basic ingredients and no cooking involved. Conclusion, forget the canned stuff. You can make this salsa as hot as you want it by increasing the amount of chiles or variety, some are hotter than others. An excellent read and information source on chiles is “The Great Chile Book” by Mark Miller. Hint: I use canned tomatoes for their good red color, consistency and juiciness, unless I have peak of the season, vine ripe, home grown ones.



1 can(14.5oz. ) tomatoes
1 cup onion, chopped small
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, leaves only no stems
1 or 2 serranos, jalapenos or your favorite chile, stemmed and quartered
2 tbsp. lime juice, about 1 lime
salt, to taste



Place the chile(s) in a food processor or blender and process until the chiles are minced. Add the tomatoes with their juice and process until chopped finely, but not smooth. Remove the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the cilantro, onions and lime juice. Stir to blend and season to taste with salt.

TG
06/89

Leg & Thigh Cacciatore

Serves 4
Chicken “cacciatore” [kah-chuh-TOR-ee] is Italian for "hunter," this American-Italian term refers to food prepared "hunter-style," and indicates the chicken is simmered in a well seasoned tomato sauce with onions, bell peppers, various herbs and sometimes wine. My version is made with legs and thighs so the meat is moist and tender. Too many times in restaurants I’ve had this served with dry, overcooked breast.

I could watch Giada de Laurentiss cook any thing, so I’ve included a link to a video of her cooking chicken cacciatore at the food network.

2 med. onions, sliced vertically about ½ inch wide
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 chicken legs and thighs
1 can (16oz.) tomatoes, chopped
1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
1 med. green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 stalk celery, sliced in ¼ inch slices
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp, dried rosemary, crushed
¼ cup dry white wine, Pinot Grigio would be a good choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large, oven proof skillet cook the onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until onions are tender. Remove the onions and garlic; set aside. Add more oil if needed to the skillet, place the chicken skin side down cook until nice and brown. Remove the chicken and set aside. Return the onions and garlic along with the tomatoes and their juice, plus the remaining ingredients to the skillet, stir to mix. Add the chicken, skin side up on top of the mix. Bake for about 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked and skin is crisp. Serve over pasta, rice or polenta and with a glass (or two) of the same type wine you cooked with. Also pass a good crusty, rustic bread for sopping up the sauce.

TG

06/09

Nicoise Salad

Or as the French would say Salade Nicoise (pronounced nee-swaz)

The salad is named for it’s city of origin Nice, France. It was made famous in the USA by the host of the 1960’s TV show “The French Chef”, Julia Child. The ingredients can very, but typically include: new red potatoes, haricots verts (small thin green beans), hard-cooked eggs, canned tuna, olives (nicoise olives), capers and optional anchovies, lettuce is a debated, but some times included ingredient. The ingredients are arranged by group, like a Cobb salad. The salad is served with a classic Dijon vinaigrette.

Our version makes one notable change, the tuna is fresh seared Ahi.

Serves 2

Salad

2 Ahi tuna steaks, about 6 ounces each, seared to your liking

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and either halved, quartered, or sliced

2 small new red potatoes, boiled and sliced
2 small ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into quarters

¼ small red onion, sliced very thin, or chopped

4oz. fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed and blanched, tender crisp
4oz. salad greens
6 olives, your choice, but pitted

2 tbsp capers, rinsed
several anchovies (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Have all the ingredients prepped and ready to assemble. Divide the salad greens on two individual plates, arrange eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, onion and green beans artistically by groups. Top the salad with tuna steaks, olives, capers and anchovies( if using). Season with salt and pepper. Pass dressing on the side.

Dressing

4 tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ cup wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. juice from capper jar
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/8 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. thyme
1 ½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients, except the oil into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, with the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

TG

06/09

Scotch Eggs

Serves 6

File this under traditional Scottish pub food and quick &

easy favorites. Scotch eggs make a great brunch item, equally great for picnics, tailgates or whenever. Serve them warm or cold, with mustard, catsup or any of your favorite sauces. I like mine with a blend of catsup and A-1. Thank you flickr for supplying the picture.

1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, Tip: medium size eggs work best
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
½ tsp. ground sage
1 tbsp. mustard, preferably Dijon
salt and pepper
flour, for dredging
3 raw eggs, divided use, 2 beaten
breadcrumbs, dry are traditional but fresh, multi grain even panko
are good alternatives
vegetable oil (for deep frying)


Mix sausage, parsley, sage, mustard and 1 raw egg in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place flour in a mixing bowl. Place beaten eggs in another mixing bowl. Place bread crumbs in yet another mixing bowl. Divide the sausage mixture into 6 patties. Roll the hardboiled eggs in flour. Using wet hands completely wrap and cover an egg with a sausage patty, trying to retain an egg shape. Make sure you have no holes and the seams are sealed. Repeat with remaining hardboiled eggs and patties. Roll and coat wrapped eggs first in the flour, then in the beaten eggs and then in the breadcrumbs. Press crumbs firmly into the sausage. Deep fry the scotch eggs at 325 degrees until the coating is deep brown, about 6 minutes. Remove eggs from oil and drain on paper towels. Enjoy!

TG
06/09

The Beauty of Catfish

Dirty, ugly, bottom feeder (wild) vs. farm raised? Go for the farm raised, not any better looking but a whole lot better and safer for you. Pluses: mild sweet flavorful taste with a flaky texture, inexpensive (compared to some other fish), healthy, only about 100 calories per 3 ounce serving and provides about 25 % of your daily protein requirement, considered eco-friendly and sustainable. I love the traditional southern fried version but I'm supplying a healthier recipe here. The Catfish Institute has a hundred more flavorful recipes that prove their slogan “ The real beauty is in the taste”.

Broiled Catfish
Serves 4

3tbsp. Maggi or soy sauce
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring
¼ tsp. garlic powder
4 farm raised catfish fillets
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your broiler. Combine Maggi, lemon juice, liquid smoke and garlic powder in a small bowl, add fillets to marinade and let sit for 5 minutes. Place fish on broiler pan, season with pepper and broil 3 inches from heat for about 5 minutes, basting frequently until fish flaks easily.

TG
02/88

Bistro Fare

Serves 2
This meal will make you think you should me dining in a cozy Parisian bistro, not at home cooking a 300’ish total calorie complete meal. No diet fare here, beats cottage cheese and celery sticks any day. I first made this meal in April of 1986, so the origin of is obscure to me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Sunset magazine
Menu
Poulet au Poive
Potato-Broccoli Mash
Glazed Carrots

Potato-Broccoli Mash

1 lg. (8oz.) potato, peeled and cubed
4oz. broccoli florets
¼ cup plain low fat yogurt
1 tbsp. minced green onion
salt and pepper to taste
Place the potato in a sauce pan and cover with water, bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, and cook until nearly tender. Add broccoli and cook an other 5 minutes. Drain and put in a food blender along with remaining ingredients, pulse to a mash, but not a completely smooth puree. Return to pan and keep warm until chicken is cooked.
Glazed Carrots
6 oz. baby carrots, peeled
2 tsp. low-sugar apricot preserves
1 tsp. butter
2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
Place carrots in a pan and cover with water, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender. Drain carrots and return to pan. Add preserves and butter: cook to glaze carrots. Keep warm until chicken is cooked. Just before serving toss with parsley.
Poulet au Poive
8 oz. chicken breast, boneless & skinless
½ tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
½ tsp. dried tarragon, crumbled
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
1 tsp. butter
1 tbsp. Cognac
Cut the chicken diagonally into 4 pieces and pound them into medallions. Combine thyme, tarragon and pepper and sprinkle over both sides of chicken. Heat butter in a large sauté pan over med-high heat. When the foam subsides, add chicken and sauté until lightly browned on bottom, 2-3 minutes. Turn and cook the other side the same way. Remove the chicken to serving plates. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the cognac, deglaze and scrape any browned bit form pan. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve with potato-broccoli mash and glazed carrots.

TG

04/86

Spinach & Sprout Salad

Serves 4

This is a another very easy and fast salad to make, especially if using pre-washed and packaged spinach and have hard boiled eggs on hand. Fresh bunches of spinach invariably are loaded with sand or dirt and require a thorough washing. Choosing “baby” spinach will give you smaller, tenderer leaves. The dressing is very good also, in fact my wife is always pleased this recipe makes extra dressing, just to have some on hand.

2 bags ( 6oz. ea.), packaged baby spinach
½ lb.fresh bean sprouts
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
5 strips bacon
2 eggs, hard boiled and roughly chopped
Dressing
2/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup catsup
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup minced onion
2 tsp. Worcestershire
salt and pepper, to taste

Slice the bacon into ¼ inch slices crosswise and fry until crisp, drain on paper towels. Divide the spinach between four individual salad plates. Top with bean sprouts, water chestnuts and bacon. Drizzle about an ounce of dressing on each salad. Garnish with chopped egg.

TG
06/91

Orange and Red Cabbage Salad

Serves 4 to 6

This is a very good salad I first served about 15 years ago and I can’t remember where I got the idea or the recipe. The whole family like so much we had it two nights in a row. I’ve included a poppy seed dressing from cooks.com that goes well with the salad

2 cups shredded red cabbage
4 lg. oranges, peeled and sectioned
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
¼ cup chopped green onions
poppy seed dressing, recipe follows


Place cabbage on individual plates; top with orange sections, pecans and green onions. Serve and pass dressing on the side.


Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
4 tsp. sugar
2/3 tsp. dry mustard
2/3 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. poppy seeds

Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt in blender or processor; mix well. Add lemon juice. With machine running, gradually add oil. Stir in poppy seeds. Pour dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately. About 6 servings.

Tarragon and Cheese Omelet

Serves 1

Tarragon and cheese, to use an old phrase is “a match made in heaven”. The French have a love affair with omelets. French tarragon is the tarragon of choice as it has more flavor than Russian or winter tarragon. The cheese in this recipe is going to be your call, but it should be mild, soft or semi-soft, made with goats, sheep or cows milk. Cottage cheese, ricotta, yogurt cheese or cream cheese would all be good choices. Accompany this omelet with a tossed salad and you have a nice, quick lunch or lite evening meal.

2-3 eggs (your call again)
1 oz. cheese
1 tbsp. milk
1 sprig fresh tarragon
1 tsp. canola oil, olive oil is great but too heavy for this
salt and pepper to taste

Remove the leaves from the sprig of the tarragon and julienne. Scramble the eggs with the milk and tarragon. Hear the oil in a non-stick frying pan, pour in the omelet mixture and cook until eggs are set but not brown on the bottom. Now the tricky part, flip the omelet over. Spread the cheese on one half of the omelet and fold the other the half over the cheese. Slide out of the pan onto a plate and serve. Multi-grain toasts, a mimosa or a glass of champagne and you have a great brunch.

TG
06/09

Easy Fried Rice

Serves 2

This recipe uses leftover brown rice, which I believe should be one of those convenient foods you keep on hand in your refrigerator or freezer. Brown rice takes about an hour to cook so it saves a whole lot of time to have it on hand. It freezes in 1 cup, 2oz. portions nicely and very conveniently. Reheat it in the microwave, steam it or stir fry it, as in this recipe. I usually thaw it first before stir frying, but for the microwave or steaming from frozen works just fine.

1 cup cooked brown rice (white rice is traditional and substitutable but brown is healthier)
½ cup frozen stir-fry vegetables (for connivance but use what ever you want or have on hand)
2 strips bacon, sliced into ¼ inch strips
2 eggs
2 tsp. Maggi or soy sauce, preferably Maggi it has more flavor


In a non-stick pan fry the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels and set aside. Meanwhile scramble the eggs into curd size pieces, reserve. Drain all but a tsp. 1 tsp. of the bacon fat from the pan. Coarsely chop the vegetables and blanch if using fresh. Add the rice, vegetables, bacon and eggs to the pan, stir-fry one minute. Add the Maggi and stir-fry until very hot, about 2 minutes.

TG
6/08

Cucumber/Feta Salad

Serves 6

1 large cucumber
12 oz. Feta cheese, packed in brine not dry crumbled
½ cup finely chopped shallot
¼ cup lemon
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
mint leaves
salt and pepper

Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, score the flesh of the cucumber lengthwise with the tines of a fork and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile break up the Feta into pop corn size pieces and mix with with onion, lemon juice and olive oil.
Drain, rinse and slice cucumber crosswise into ¼ inch half moons. Combine with cheese mixture. Season with pepper. Chill about 30 minutes. Serve garnished with mint.

TG
7/90

Homemade Hummus

Serves 4

Let’s see, better and cheaper vs. more expensive and OK? I checked the local market today and a 7 ounce container of prepared hummus was $ 3.99, while the major item in hummus, garbanzo beans (15oz.) was only $.99. Choice? no-brainer and its easy to make. This recipe is an adaption from the South Beach Diet. cookbook.


1 can (15oz.) garbanzo beans, drained
¼ cup lemon juice, aproximately1 juicy lemon
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
½ cup tahini. (sesame paste), available in most quality supper markets
1 tbs. Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


In a food processor or blender, puree all the ingredients. If the mixture is too thick, thin with water. Season with salt and pepper.


TG
04/09

Sea Scallop Ceviche

Serves 4

The South Beach Diet is a great way to loose weight and improve your cardiovascular health. This recipe is a variation on Cherry Snapper Ceviche by chef: Roger Ruch.

½ lb. sea scallops, medium dice
3 Roma tomatoes, medium dice
½ red onion, medium dice
3 tsp. finely chopped, fresh cilantro
¼ cup lime juice, approximately 3 limes
½ tsp. sambal oelek, red chili garlic paste
sea salt to taste

Soak the diced scallops refrigerated in ¾ of the lime juice for 3 hours. Drain off the liquid and discard.
Mix the scallops with the sambal oelek, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and the remaining lime juice. Season with sea salt.
Cheviche is often served saltine crackers. In the interest of eating healthy try serving it on, sliced jicama, daikon radish, harts of palm or my favorite, reduced fat Triscuits, it adds a nice crunch.

TG

06/09

Sea Scallop Ceviche

Asain Salmon Patty

Serves 4
First things first; I have to say salmon is my absolute favorite fish. I am also a salmon purist. A salmon fillet grilled med-rare is perfect as is, or maybe garnished with a little dill-butter melting on top, but that’s it. That said this recipe is a nice use of my favorite fish.

1 lb. salmon, cut into 1” cubes
1 tbs. Dijon mustard, preferably Mallies
1 tbs. lime zest
1 tbs. fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. Maggi or soy sauce
2 tsp. fish sauce, preferably 3 Crabs brand
In a food processor, pulse salmon, until coarsely ground: transfer to a bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 patties.

TG
05/09

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

Serves 2
Very good, very fast, particularly if you have left over pasta.

8 ounces linguine
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (6 ½ oz) cans chopped clams in juice
2 anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste
¼ cup whipping cream
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. fresh parsley (preferably Italian flat leaf), chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to package directions, but just until al dente. Drain and reserve the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium- high heat. Add the garlic and anchovy and sauté until fragrant but not browned. Add the clams with juice, oregano, cooked (or left over) pasta and whipping cream. Toss until the sauce is thick enough to coat the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate the linguine and garnish with parsley. Lower the lights, put on some Italian music. Serve with warm Italian bread and a dry white wine. Delizioso!

TG
10/08

Tom Jones Chicken

Serves four

Thighs are my very favorite part of the chicken, except maybe for the oysters. Someday I may have to write a cook book with just chicken thigh recipes.
8 chicken thighs
2 cans white beans (15oz, ea.), your choice, drained
1 can whole tomatoes (28oz.), chopped coarsely
2 tbsp. evoo, (thank you Rachel), extra virgin olive oil if you’re still wondering
6 fresh sage leaves, thinly shredded
garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pre heat your oven to 350degrees.
In an oven proof pan sauté chicken, skin side down in the olive oil until browned. Remove the thighs from the pan, drain off and reserve the oil. Add the tomatoes, beans and sage to the pan, stir to deglaze and mix. Place the chicken, skin side up on top of the bean mixture. The chicken needs to sit on top so the thighs stay crisp. Spoon some reserved oil over each thigh, salt and pepper to taste. Bake approximately 1 hour, until the chicken registers 170 degrees. Serve with some good bread for sopping up the juices and a glass of your favorite wine.
TG
12/06

Sesame-Peanut Noodles

“This speedy dish makes an excellent snack, or light lunch, especially quick if you use already cold, leftover noodles. You can use whatever noodles you like, I would suggest Japanese soba noodles or, if you can't find soba noodles, just use spaghetti.”
15 min 5 min prep
SERVES 2

7 ounces noodles
2 tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
2 tsp. peanut oil or canola oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. smooth peanut butter
1 tsp, Maggi or soy sauce
sambal oelek to taste
basil and cilantro julienne to taste for garnish, optional

Cook the noodles 7-8 minutes, or until tender. When the noodles have cooked, plunge them into a bath of ice water to cool them down and stop the cooking. In a small bowl, mix the oils, peanut butter, Maggi and sambal oelek. Mix the sauce with the cooked and cooled noodles and toss in the sesame seeds.

TG
5/09

Salsa de Aceitunas-Olive Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
4oz. mixed pitted green & black olives
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 firm tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the olive oil in a bowl and whisk in the sherry vinegar. Put the olives in a processor and blend to chop into small, evenly sized bits (not a puree). Put in the bowl with the oil mixture, add the rest of the ingredients, and season lightly.

From: Spanish country kitchen by Linda Tubby

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