Asian Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Healthy, colorful and flavorful, root vegetables can be used many different ways. In this case, I decide to roast, then cool them to be used in an Asian-themed salad. The earthy flavors of the root vegetables, contrasted with the tart vinaigrette, and the salty masago really were a wonderful opening for an Asian-themed meal I was preparing. Frankly though, this salad can be used as an eye-popping beginning to a great number of meals.

Ingredients

• 1 package enoki mushrooms
• 1 package radish sprouts
• 2 links Chinese sweet sausage
• 1 medium beet
• 1 large carrot
• 1 yellow yam
• 1 daikon radish
• 4 tablespoons masago (flying fish roe)
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger

Start by making the vinaigrette. in a small container, like a squeeze bottle, combine 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil, the rice vinegar, the ponzu, and the minced ginger. Shake to mix ingredients, and allow to sit for at least an hour to allow the ginger flavor to become infused. Of course, you will need to shake again when ready to serve !

Cut the yam, carrot, beet and daikon into 1/4 inch dice. Coat them lightly in sesame oil and a little salt, and place on a well oiled baking sheet. Keep the vegetables separate from one another on the sheet, especially the beets, unless you want all your vegetables to look beet red ! Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Slice the Chinese sweet sausage into 1/4 inch slices. If your sausage was uncooked, cook it by boiling it for about 10 minutes, and let it cool, prior to slicing.

Plate a thin layer of enoki mushrooms, topped by another thin layer of radish sprouts. Arrange equal amounts of the roasted carrots, yams, daikon radish, beets and Chinese sausage on top of the mushroom/radish layers. Drizzle with about a tablespoon of the well shaken sesame-ginger vinaigrette, then top with 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of the masago. I used red masago in this presentation, by any color will do. Serve cold.

Patatas Bravas

In keeping with my last post, I decide to continue with the ‘simple is best’ philosophy and go with a classic Spanish tapas dish – Patatas Bravas. Ok, so big French Fries don’t sound that creative, but, if you have ever had these, you know they really are a treat. An even better treat is just how simple they are to prepare. Especially when you use whole canned white potatoes. There really are only a few canned vegetables I ever use for anything – normally they are just awful. But in this case, they work perfectly, and in this case, there is no loss of quality at all. By themselves, or a a part of a meal, Patatas Bravas hit the spot. I served mine with a quick chipotle mayo.

Ingredients

• 2 cans whole white potatoes
• salt
• paprika
• oil for frying
• 4 tablespoons mayonaise
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

Open the canned potatoes and drain them. Take the  larger potatoes and cut them in half, so that you end up with uniform sized pieces, around 3/4 of an inch chunks. In oil heated to about 350 degrees, deep fry the potatoes for about 10 minutes, until the outsides are very crisp and golden. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. While still hot, sprinkle on salt and paprika to taste. Serve as hot as possible. The crispy outside will contract well with the soft inside of the potatoes !

For the chipotle mayo, simply combine the mayo, tomato paste and chipotle pepper, and mix well. Serve in a small bowl with the potatoes.

Smoked Mixed Crudo

If you know me, you know I enjoy any number or ‘raw’ foods. I’m not talking about fruits and vegetables, of course, but raw meats. When I am in Boston, and eating at Bokx 109, I will frequently order the ‘raw surf-and-turf’ – a combination of 2 appetizers, steak tartare and tuna tartare. I like the pleasing texture, and subtle flavor of raw food.

This has not always been the case. Frankly, as a kid growing up in middle Georgia, raw meat and fish was, to say the least, completely unheard of. Even after moving to Tallahassee, raw meat and fish were nonexistent in the 70s and 80s. But one day, during the formative stage of my cooking life, I wandered into a bookstore to search for cookbooks. I chanced upon a book titled ‘The Art of Sushi”. After looking at the pictures, I decided 2 things: 1) Anything that looks that good must also taste that good, and 2) I was definitely going to try it. One big problem – there were no sushi restaurants in Tallahassee at the time. Serendipity intervened, however, and I soon found myself heading to California to help my brother move back to Florida, after leaving the Air Force. He picked me up, and before we even had a chance to get back to his place, we had stopped at a sushi bar. As I expected, it was delicious, and I never looked back.

Crudo is a mediterranean-style of serving raw fish. Rather than dipping it in soy sauce,  a crudo, is normally flavored with salt, olive oil and something acidic like vinegar or citrus juice. Unlike the latin ceviche, there is not enough citrus juice to ‘cook’ the fish, nor is the citrus flavor as pronounced as in a ceviche (try my version of ceviche). Instead, there is a blend of the 5 tastes (excepting bitter) in the dish. In this crudo, I have used a little sea salt, as well as green olive and salmon roe to feature the salty taste, but balanced it with red grapes for a sweet element, grape tomatoes for a little sweet and acid flavors, lemon juice and peel for even more of the sour flavor, and finally by smoking the fish and shrimp to enhance the umami flavor. The only problem with this preparation is that I should have made a lot more !

Ingredients (per serving)

• 4 small shrimp
• 4 sashimi style pieces of raw white fish
• 1 heaping tablespoon salmon roe
• 5 grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 5 small green olives, sliced in half lengthwise
• 5 red grapes, sliced in half lengthwise
• zest of 1/4 a lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1 pinch of black pepper

First, we have to cook the shrimp, since it is not actually served raw. For each shrimp, insert a toothpick or small bamboo skewer lengthwise through the shrimp, along the shell. This will keep the shrimp form curling up while cooking. Place the shrimp in boiling water, sweetened with a little sugar, and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain the shrimp and allow them to cool. When cool, remove the shell and slice each shrimp lengthwise, almost completely through. Open the shrimp, and flatten them under a plate, while cooling.

Now, as previously mentioned, I smoked the shrimp and fish to add more flavor. To do this, I used a ‘smoking gun’, a small, handheld device which generates cold smoke. You can omit this step, or purchase such a utensil. This is the one I bought. DO NOT hot smoke the fish – you do not want to cook it at all, just give it a smoky taste. So if you can’t cold smoke it, just omit this step.

After that, it is all about arrangement. In my presentation, I staggered the fish and shrimp around the sides of a small bowl. In the center, I placed the salmon roe, sliced grapes, tomatoes and olives, then put the lemon zest on top. Dash it all with the olive oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle a little sea salt and black pepper on top.

Pig Week: Bacon Wrapped Fruits

Ok, maybe the focus of this dish is not necessarily the pig, but when a dish includes bacon, you have to count it !

Over the years, I have learned that you can wrap pretty much anything in bacon ( bacon wrapped tater tots , bacon scotch egg ) and end up with a great final product. OK, I have not tried ice cream yet, but anything is possible in the future !

Very simple to make and prepare in a hurry, this is a perfect starter for many a meal, and is great for cocktail parties as well.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces thin sliced smoked bacon
• 1 large red delicious apple
• 1 large ripe bartlett pear
• honey (for garnish)

Halve the apple and pear from top to bottom, then quarter it, and finally slice into eighths. Remove any seed or pulp from the center part of the sections.

Tightly wrap each section of fruit with a slice of bacon. Placed the bacon wrapped fruits on a wire baking rack, and place in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the bacon is golden brown. Note that when the top of the bacon is browned, you may want to flip the fruit over so the botton side browns equally well.

To serve, place on a platter or small plate, and drizzle with a little honey. For mine, I also prepared a simple smoked Gruyere dipping sauce, as follows:

Ingredients

• 6 ounces smoked gruyere cheese
• 5 ounces dry white wine
• 1 ounce cooking sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon groung nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon flour

Grate the cheese into a bowl, and add the tablespoon of flour. Toss the cheese to throughly coat it with the flour.

In a small saucepan, heat the wine and sherry until near boiling. Add the white pepper and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium low, and begin adding the grated cheese, a litlle at a time, stirring to allow the cheese to melt and incorporate with the wine. Continue adding cheese until the desired consistency is achived – not too thick, or the sauce will re-solidify too quickly after it is placed in a bowl for serving. When the sauce is ready, pour it into a bowl and using it for dipping the bacon wrapped fruit.

Seared Scallops with Bourbon Beurre Blanc

As some of you are aware, I was recently invited to be a guest chef at the BOKX 109 restaurant in Newton, MA. This was a very special event for me, a dream come true, some of the pictures which can be seen here. Chef Jarrod Moiles suggested we prepare scallops, and we both did. Here is the recipe I created for my scallop preparation, a southern-inspired version of a traditionally French dish. Above, it is shown as an appetizer, but Julia and I recently feasted on a plate of these.

Ingredients

• Large fresh sea scallops (as many as you want!)
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup Kentucky bourbon
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 pound of butter, very cold
• 1 cup heavy cream, reduced to 1/3 cup (optional)
• Salt and black pepper
• Cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (to finish)
• 2 ounces white wine (to finish)
• Coarse ground pepper (to finish)

Start by making the beurre blanc sauce. In a small sauce pan, add a tablespoon of butter, the minced shallot, garlic and the black peppercorns, and sauté until the shallot is translucent. Add the white wine, lemon juice and bourbon, and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Strain the sauce to remove the shallots and pepper and return the sauce to the sauce pan.

Now, remove heat from the sauce pan. It and the sauce should still be warm. Begin adding the very cold butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time, and stirring it into the sauce, slowly incorporating it, so the sauce remains smooth and the butter does not separate. Keep doing this until all the butter is used. You may occasionally need to add a little heat to keep the pan warm enough to melt the butter, but mostly, only patience will be required. At this time, the sauce is ready, but it may be stabilized and kept for a couple of hours by adding 1 cup of heavy cream which has been reduced to 1/3 cup. This is optional, and is not required if you are using the sauce right away.

We have talked about cooking scallops before. They must not be overcooked – ever ! Really – never ! Fortunately, this is easily avoided. Lightly salt and pepper the scallops. In a heavy skillet, heat a 50-50 mixture of canola and olive oil until it is very hot, but not smoking. Add the scallops to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd them. Allow them to cook on one side until quite seared, about 1 minute. Flip them over and do the same to the other side. At the last instant, splash the pan with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 ounces of white wine, and remove the scallops after about 10 seconds.

Your scallops are ready. Simply plate them and top with the beurre blanc. I added a little coarse ground pepper to the top, just for a little extra taste and visual appeal.

Carpaccio Piccata

• I have always loved the simple flavor of an Italian piccata dish, as in a veal piccata or chicken piccata. And I was pleasantly surprised just how nicely these flavors played with another favorite, beef carpaccio. Easy to make, this dish is wonderful as an appetizer or to supplement an Italian meal.

Ingredients

• 8 ounce beef fillet or strip steak (Prime quality)
• 2 lemons
• 1 jar of large capers
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Start by zesting the 2 lemons, and reserving the zest for topping the carpaccio. Also reserve half of a lemon for its juice.

Next the capers. They can be drained, and used as is, but I deep fried mine for about 1 1/2 minutes in 350 degree oil to crisp them up, and make them ‘bloom’ a little. This worked really well and delivered a great texture to the finished dish. Please do this !

The key to very thin carpaccio is slicing the steak thinly to begin with. The best way to do this is to partially freeze the steak prior to slicing it. This firms up the meat so that it does not squash down under the knife blade during slicing. About 1 hour in the freezer should be enough to accomplish this – do not let the steak freeze all the way! Slice the steak as thin as you can, probably about 1/16th of an inch thick. Place each slice on a cutting board, cover with a small piece of plastic wrap, and then, using a kitchen mallet, pound the beef until it is paper thin. Arrange the thin slices of beef on a large plate.

Evenly drizzle the olive oil over the the arranged beef slices. Then squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon evenly over the meat. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the beef, and then scatter the deep fried capers over the beef as well. Grate some good parmesan cheese over the dish (to taste, but not too much) to finish the dish.

The Pork Explosion

OK. If bacon makes everything taste great, then certainly adding not one, but two more types of pork to it will make it transcendentally better ! You end up with the wildy popular (at least on the internet) Bacon Explosion. In my version, I substitute pork tenderloin for the core, instead of using more bacon, and use Italian sausage instead of country sausage, to add nuance to the dish, and, frankly, reduce some of the fat. Hence, the Pork Explosion.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean center cut bacon
• 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
• 1 8 oz. pork tenderloin
• salt
• black pepper
• Coarse grain brown mustard (for serving)

Perpare the tenderloin. Trim it down until it is about 7 inches long, and about 1 inch in diameter. This is very important, so that your pork explosion does not actually unravel and ‘explode’ ! Salt and pepper, to your taste, the tenderloin, and in a samll amout of butter or oil, in a hot pan, sear the tenderloin until it is browned, about 5 minutes. This will add to the flavor, and ensure that your pork is fully cooked at the end.

Next, thightly weave, in an over-under fashion, strips of the center cut bacon to form a mat. Make sure the weave is very tight, so the bacon, which will shrink during cooking, does not alow the rest of the meat to pop out during cooking.

Now spread the Italian sausage over the bacon mat, about 1/3 inch thick, covering all but about the last inch of the mat.

Center the seared tenderloin on the mat.

Carefully roll up the mat, keeping the tenderloin in the center of the roll. Use the bacon which was not covered with sausage to overlap and help seal the roll. The roll should be very tightly wrapped to prevent the roll from coming apart whnhe cooking. Wrap in plastic wrap very tightly, and refrigerate about an hour to help all the meat bind together.

Now it is time to cook. Place the roll on a baking rack and place in a 350 degree oven. Allow to cook for about 30 minutes, until the bacon is golden brown and a little crispy, as much of the fat cooks out of the dish.

Your pork explosion is now ready to serve. I can be sliced and eaten hot, but I have found that I prefer to let it cool, then refriferate it, and then slice it into 1/2 inch slices. It serves more like a terrine or country pate when done this way. Serve the slices as an appetizer, with some coarse grain brown mustard on the side.

Marinated Sardines with Olive and Sun-dried Tomato Brushcetta

As most of you are aware by now, I have no aversion whatsoever with strong tasting foods, and this Mediterranean-inspired combo is no exception. Either item can be made separately, but together, they really compliment each other.

For the Sardines

• 1 tin of Sardines, skin-on, in olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion
• 1 hot pepper (Jalapeno,Habanero, Serrano)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• paprika (for garnish)

Start by preparing the onion/pepper pickle. Thinly slice a peeled red onion, and a hot pepper, into rings. Place in a container, and cover with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the sugar, and the 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Allow to pickle, refrigerated for 3 hours.

Remove the sardines from the tin, being very careful not to break them up. Arrange in a single layer in a shallow dish, and top with the minced garlic and the other tablespoons of olive oil and vinegar. Allow to sit, refrigerated, for about an hour.

When ready to serve, remove excess oil and garlic from the sardines, and carefully place a couple of the sardines on a plate. Drain the onion/pepper pickle, and and top the sardines with a few rings of onion and pepper. Spinkle with a little paprika, and serve chilled.

For the Brushcetta And Tapenade

• 4 tablespoons finely minced black olives
• 3 tablespoons finely minced sun dried tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped pepperoncini
• 1 large finely minced garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 baguette
• butter
• Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Combine all the finely minced ingredients in a small bowl, with the salt, garlic, and olive oil. Mix thoroughly, and allow to sit, refrigerated, for about an hour.

Slice the baguette on the bias, and butter one side of each of the slices. Light toast the bread, butter side up, on a baking sheet, in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven, and top with the tapenade. Place the sheet back in the oven, and let warm for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

Baba Ganoush

Everybody eats or makes the most popular of Mediterranean dips, hummus. But for a far more interesting flavor, the eggplant based Baba Ganoush is hard to beat. More delicate in texture and more subtle in taste, this great dish can also be used as a spread on sandwiches.

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 2 medium eggplants
• 2 medium green bell peppers
• 4 tablespoons of tahini paste
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves roasted garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Chopped parsley (for garnish)
• Pita bread, cut into wedges for dipping.

Totally peel both eggplants. Rub olive oil over the peeled eggplant, wrap each in aluminum foil, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Now the messy part. Unwrap the eggplants, and slice them lengthwise down the middle. You need to remove as many of the seeds and as much of the seed pulp as possible. This stuff is slimy, and will do nothing to enhance the texture or taste of the dip. You are after as much of the flesh as possible, expecting to yield about 2 cups worth.

Place the eggplant flesh in a food processor or blender, along with all ingredients, except the parsley, pita, and green peppers. Blend until very smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to combine thoroughly.

Cut the bell peppers in half, remove seeds and pulp and then spoon the dip into each pepper half for serving. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve with warm, toasted pita wedges for dipping.

Maguro Ikura Tartare

I love raw fish, but it does not always have to be eaten as a part of sushi or a traditional sashimi. Another way to do it is as a tartare, much as a traditional steak tartare. And as in a steak tartare, it is as much about the flavorings added to the raw meat as much as it is about the meat itself. This is no exception. The use of the ikura (salmon roe) to add a salty element as well as a texture component to the maguro (tuna) yield a great base for this tartare. Adding the other traditional Japanese components do the rest.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb sashimi grade tuna (maguro)
• 2 ounces salmon roe (ikura)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons furikake OR 1 teaspoon shredded seaweed and 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dashi kombu soy sauce OR light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced green onion
• 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste

Actually, this is pretty easy to make because, after all, you don’t really end up cooking anything – it’s all just prep work.

Start by cutting the tuning in to small 1/4 inch cubes, and place in a bowl. To this, add the salmon roe, and fold in gently to avoid breaking the fish eggs. Next add the other ingredients and again fold them all together very gently. Transfer to chilled serving bowls, and enjoy this healthy dish.