11 June 2010

Bacon Wrapped Bluefish

Bulgar Salad

Sauteed Baby and Mustard Greens

Idea taken from Saveur June 2010
Removed skin, good idea, folded length wise and the tail in to make a log, then laid over four strips of bacon and lots of sprigs of thyme, wrapped and held with toothpicks. Seasoned with Finessence and salt.

Grilled on Weber, two zone fire, off direct heat for about 25 minutes. 

Heated pan for greens, added olive oil and garlic, then lowered heat and tossed greens until wilted.

Bulger Salad was from another meal recently.

(and 29 January 2010)

Smoked Fish Chowder

(Finnan Haddie)

With Acme Smoked Whiting from MB, $7.99 a pound, 1 1/4 lbs. Used edamame again instead of Lima beans.  Lots of printouts, followed Gourmet 3/94. Bacon, Onions, russets, celery, frozen edamame, frozen corn, half and half and milk.

With a green salad with pear, pistachios, champagne vinegar and Sicilian olive all. Pears bathed in lime juice.

Irony Chardonnay, Napa 2008, Hannaford $10. Portuguese rolls.

Asado de Puerco

(Pork Braised with Ancho Chiles)

Peas and Rice

Ensalada de Nopalitos

Pork from the 9th and the Pigeon Peas and Rice, or Arroz de Grandules made on the 12th was from TV-Web printouts 1/12/2011, it was probably the Tyler Florence recipe I followed the closest. That used achiote oil that I made to dress the peas and rice.

Salad used jarred nopalitos drained, lime juice, garlic, oil, scallions, plum tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos.

Asado de Puerco

Asado de Puerco

(Pork Braised with Ancho Chiles)

over warm Polenta

Carrots in Mole

Spinach in Wine Sauce

Pork was based on Saveur #76 but used a 4 1/4 pound pork butt and doubled the sauce. First made this 12/11/2005. The carrots from Border Cooking, but using Donna Maria Mole, whole baby carrots. Kathy called them, “Carrots in Mud.” But they were good. The spinach if the Rachael Ray recipe.

Had 6 cups of liquid at the end. Saved some of the “venom.”

15 April 2011

Sautéed Duck Breasts

with

French Kiss

and

Bronco Bob’s Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Leeks and Fine Herbs Risotto

Wilted Spinach with Wine and Butter

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Start the risotto early! Takes over an hour to cook. I could not find the pancetta, so used bacon. Gives it a smoky flavor. Short on fine herbs so just used this and that, and the parsley. Made only 2/3 of the recipe.

Cut slits in the fat on the duck breasts and then dusted with French Kiss. Sautéed in the All-Clad fat side first, then poured off most of the rendered fat. Then sautéed meat side down till done. Removed to a warm plate and then added Bronco Bob’s to the pan to make a warm sauce.

Spinach was the usual. Very good with this.

Wine: Natura – Organic Carmener 2009. Self described as “Dark Chocolate, Spiced Currant, Warm Toffee.” From Chile. Was very good with this.

14 April 2011

Steamed Mussels in Chipotle Chile Broth

Crusty Bread

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mussels from BA June 1999 filed under TAPAS.

Forgot the tomatoes unfortunately, they are a good addition. Could add chorizo or other sausage. Maybe fresh jalapeños.  Do not salt at the end! Plenty from the other ingredients.  Two pounds is good for two, four pounds is a bit too much for the big Calphalon pot, but can be done.

Make sure you have good bread.

Salad would be good.

28 March 2011

Bacon & Leek Risotto

with

Poached Egg

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Recipe from Bon Appetit April 2011

I reduced the recipe slightly, to 1 cup rice an 3 cups broth. Used the big Calfalon skillet which was a bit too big.

Next time do the whole thing, its really delicious and I doubt it would serve six as they say. Maybe with a salad.  Really yummy.

I chose to soft fry the eggs in my CI omelet pan, on very low heat in olive oil, with a tight fitting glass lid, came out perfect and was easier than poaching. Might do poaching if I was doing many servings, and this could certainly be a meal for four or more.

Needs a good salad.

20 February 2011

Braised Lamb Shanks

with

Swiss Chard

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Bon Appétit 2/2011, pg 77

Two shanks, see A-Z

was delicious!

Do for company, but should give each person one shank each, for presentation.

26 March 2011

Chicken Salpicón

Chicken salad topped with avocado, radishes, spring Vidalias, green chilies and chipotle chilies.

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Excellent! I did it once before with beef, but was not too impressed. See A-Z for references.

For the dressing I used oil and vinegar with diced up adobo from Chipotles en Adobo, minus the seeds.

Strips of chipotles, minus the seeds, were a great addition on the salad. A lot of the heat is in the seeds.

Cooked my own garbanzos, took a long while.

Great Company meal on a big platter. Maybe start with nachos or sopes.

2 February 2011

Herbed Chicken Breasts

with

Tomatillo Salsa and Queso Fesca

Crispy Angel Hair Pasta

Wilted Spinach in Wine and Butter

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chicken recipe is in A-Z, our favorite quick ones with sauces from Cooking Light. But used Rosa Mexicano Salsa Verde de Habanero. Quick and very good. Real, fresh queso fresca that I get from Mexican Grocer makes a big difference.

Pasta was left overs, crisped up in the pan with a bit of oil.

Rachael Ray’s Wilted Spinach with Butter and Wine was a very good side.