A LUCKY SUPERMARKETS CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER

SHARK STEAK WITH PINEAPPLE-PERSIMMON SALSA

We were having a quiet Christmas Eve dinner, with food supplied by our local Lucky Supermarket (and one of the Lucky execs).  Thresher Shark fillets (although more like a steak in thickness) were on sale, so Sherry decided to marinate them in an Asian marinade, with roasted Brussels Sprouts and a Persimmon-Pineapple salsa. We have been eating persimmons donated by Woody Hunter, who grows the Fuyus on his property.  We’ve now gone through about a ½ bushel of them, and they are amazing fruits for the winter season.

Sherry made a salsa from canned pineapple, several persimmons, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and chopped red onion.  It had a superb balance of flavors, just perfect for the fish.

For the Shark, Sherry marinated the fish steaks in olive oil, Teriyaki sauce, Five Spice powder and garlic powder.  Place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 24 hours.  I grilled the fish on the grill until almost cooked through, then served the fish with the salsa and Brussels sprouts.  All in all, an amazing dinners, with thanks to my friends at Lucky!

IS IT BETTER TO ASK FOR PERSIMMON THAN FORGIVENESS?

PORK CHOPS WITH SPICY PERSIMMON CHUTNEY AND ROASTED POTATOES

Winter in California is persimmon time.  They are the latest fruits to ripen and in November and December are ubiquitous at Farmers’ Markets.  One of our executives has a persimmon tree in his yard, and brought us some persimmons (Fuyu variety) for Thanksgiving.  I used some of them in an apple Tarte Tatin, and the sweet taste (pear-like) was delightful.  Unfortunately, I mentioned my enjoyment of the persimmons to him, and he said: “I’ll bring you some more.”  That turned out to be a large bag of persimmons!  The good news is that as they continue to ripen, they just soften.  I used a number of them (unpeeled, although peeling is okay) in a spicy chutney, which was amazing!  It has the combination flavors of sweet, sour and spicy, and was great served over grilled pork chops.  I’d use it over grilled fish as well.

Sherry roasted some sliced red potatoes, drizzled with Ranch Powder and olive oil, and sautéed fresh spinach with cur cherry tomatoes and lots of garlic.  An exquisite meal, thus proving that it is better to ask for persimmon than ask for forgiveness.

SPICY PERSIMMON CHUTNEY

4 Tbsp. canola oil

1 chopped onion

2 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

2 tsp. mustard seeds

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 large apple, peeled, cored, chopped

3 cups chopped peeled Fuyu persimmons (about 5-6 medium)

1 cups raisins

3/4 cup sugar

1 chipotle in adobo, chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

In heavy medium skillet over moderate heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add mustard seed and ginger.  Cook 1 minute, then add vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, apple, persimmons and raisins, and cook for 15-30 minutes over low to moderate heat, until fruit is soft and most liquid has been removed and mixture has thickened.  Add chipotle, cardamom and coriander.  Cook for another 5 minutes. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

WOK-STIRRED CARAMELIZED CHICKEN LEGS WITH ASIAN SPICES

So, we finally moved into our house in the Bay area, but none of our regular cookware made the trip – the movers left 4 boxes of stuff behind!  We had planned to cook some chicken, so Sherry made up an Asian-inspired dish, cooked up in the wok.  We served this wonderfully spicy dish with the all-time local favorite – Rice-A-Roni – which had been given to us as a gift.  Perfect timing!   Enjoy!

WOK-STIRRED CARAMELIZED CHICKEN LEGS WITH ASIAN SPICES

2 chicken leg quarters, skin removed

Soy sauce

Sambal oleck (chili paste)

Minced garlic

Ginger paste, or minced ginger

Vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

Bunch of baby carrots

Hoisin sauce

Sambal oleck

Unsalted cashew pieces

Tangerine pieces (or sections of an orange)

1.      Marinate chicken leg quarters in first five ingredients, in Ziplok bag, for 2-4 hours in refrigerator.

2.      Sauté onion and carrots in wok with vegetable oil until soft.  Add the chicken pieces and marinade liquid, along with hoisin sauce and a little more sambal oleck (for spiciness).  Add the tangerine pieces and cashews. 

3.      Cook for 40-50 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is done and the sauce is caramelized.

4.      Serve with rice or Rice-A-Roni.

Mt. Lassen Rainbow Trout!!!

Last week, our local Save Mart (purveyors of fine foods across Northern California and my favorite place to shop) was offering Mt. Lassen rainbow trout, and I have to say that it was one of the most delicious trouts I have ever had.  I used a coarse corn meal as the base, with cumin, paprika and chipotle pepper powder mixed in, as the coating, then pan-fried until done.  Served with our own cassoulet, it was a memorable meal.

CASSOULET

·         Olive oil, to coat skillet

·         1/4 pound turkey or regular bacon, cut into small pieces

·         2 shallots, minced (you can also use red onion instead)

·         3 Tbsp. minced garlic (from jar)

·         2-3 cans (15 oz) cannelli (white) beans, drained

·         1 bunch swiss chard (any type, although Bright Lights looks prettier), washed 3 times and chopped

In large skillet, add olive oil.  Over low-medium heat, add bacon, and cook until rendered (fairly well cooked), stirring frequently.  Add chopped shallots and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

Add chopped chard and drained beans.  Stir to mix well.  Cover for 3-4 minutes, until chard has wilted.  Remove cover, and cook, stirring, until most liquid is evaporated (and when some beans stick to the bottom of the pan).

Serve.

BELATED JUNE-FEST

With all of the fuss and bother over our planned move to Northern California, I neglected to post a spectacular meal we had in June with the Deerys, before they headed to Northern Michigan.  I managed to take some photos of the meal, in preparation, but with the need to pack up the house, ship stuff out West, and tidying up the books, I was not able to put together all of the recipes. It was a doubly incredible meal – not only was the main course and accoutrements amazing, but we served an even more amazing dessert.

We had decided to prepare a great combo meal – Asian influenced.  Sherry marinated some pork tenderloin in a creative Asian marinade, which I then grilled a day later, and made some of her “Super Slaw”.  Sherry’s slaw has been a staple at summer holidays for years, and it complements a summer meal (which in Charlotte lasts from the end of May to the end of September!) quite well.  I added a flavored Smoked Paprika polenta to the dish, and it was incredible.  As amazing as it was, we had to remind our guests that the best was yet to come, and we were right!!

The dessert was based on a recipe from the Boston Globe magazine.  It used fresh strawberries, which were in season in the Carolinas.  What I mean is that you have no idea what a strawberry tastes like until you’ve eaten the fresh-picked (not shipped) strawberries grown locally.  Nothing like it (although the local peaches and apricots in California come close).  It used goat cheese to make a Strawberry-Goat Cheese Mousse, and the word “amazing” is not inappropriate for this dish.

PORK Loin Marinade

1 TBS Vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

5 TBS sugar

1 1/2 Cup dry red wine

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 1/2 TBS chopped Ginger

1 TBS cinnamon

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Heat oil in saucepan.  Add onion and sugar.  Sauté until onions are golden.  Mix in wine and remaining ingredients.  Cook for one more minute. Remove from heat and cool. Place pork loin in large resealable bag with marinade six hours or overnight.

Make salsa by cutting up peaches, mangoes, red onion, small piece of chipotle and adobe and a little lime juice and cilantro. 

Grill pork and put salsa over.

Super Slaw

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 5 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
• 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
• 2 large red or yellow bell peppers, cut into matchstick-size strips
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips
• 8 large green onions, cut into matchstick-size strips
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

preparation

Whisk first 7 ingredients in small bowl to blend. (Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.)

Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE AND STRAWBERRY PARFAITS

1½ pints strawberries, cored and quartered

½ cup sugar

Salt

1 cinnamon stick

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1¼ teaspoons plain gelatin

1 cup heavy cream, cold

6 ounces fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Chop 8 or 10 of the strawberries, toss with 1½ tablespoons sugar, and let macerate for an hour. Drain, reserve ¼ cup macerated berries, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, toss the remaining berries, 3 tablespoons sugar, a pinch of salt, and the cinnamon stick and cook, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, mashing, 5 minutes longer. In a bowl, stir the lemon juice and gelatin and set aside to soften, about 5 minutes, then stir in the hot strawberry mixture. Cover and refrigerate until just set (not hard), about 90 minutes. Remove the cinnamon, stir in the larger quantity of macerated berries, and refrigerate.

Up to 3 hours before serving, in a bowl, whip the cream with 1 tablespoon sugar to soft peaks. In another bowl, beat the goat cheese, remaining sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until very thick and smooth. Beat in a third of the whipped cream, then fold in the rest. Cover and refrigerate mousse for about 15 minutes.

To assemble, in each of 4 parfait glasses, layer the strawberry and mousse mixtures, beginning with strawberries and ending with mousse. Top with the reserved macerated berries and serve.

THE BEANS WERE LIKE BUTTAH!!!

Sometimes our meals are based on what we have available in the pantry and in the freezer.  Last night was no exception.  We had planned to cook veal chops with a caprese salad (Tomatoes, basil, mozzarella with olive oil and balsamic glaze).  But she wanted a starch as well, so she went foraging in the closet and found a can of butter beans.


Butter beans are basically large lima beans, so they are a little firmer than cannellini beans.  Sherry just made up an amazing little dish, with parmesan cheese, spices and sauteed mushrooms and garlic, a little red wine and baked it until done.  Oh, it was wonderful with the grilled veal chops.  

THE VEAL CHOPS (AND THE BEANS) WERE LIKE BUTTAH!!!

2 veal chops

1 can butter beans (large Lima, or Cannellini)

2 shallots, chopped

5 large mushrooms, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

½ tsp. parsley

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. oregano

Red wine

Grated parmesan cheese

Bread crumbs

1.                 Marinate the veal chops in olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano for 30 minutes.

2.                 Sauté the shallots and garlic in olive oil until wilted.  Add the mushrooms and cook until soft.

3.                 Add the spices, cook for 2 minutes, then add the cheese and red wine, bring to boil, then remove and place in small baking dish.

4.                 Cover with parmesan and bread crumbs.  Bake in 350º oven for 30 minutes.

5.                  While beans are baking, heat grill and cook veal chops until medium rare to medium, about 10 minutes.

Serve and Mangia bene!!

GRILLED ZUCCHINIS AND SUMMER SQUASH

It's a pretty remarkable experience to be blogging about a vegetable dish alone, but this one turned out to be very special.  The key is letting the marinade steep in the oil for an hour, then marinading the zucchinis for 1-4 hours before grilling.  The combination of flavors was amazing!!!  We served it with grilled chicken legs, rubbed with the same marinade as for the zucchinis.

GRILLED ZUCCHINIS, SUMMER SQUASH (AND SALAD)

• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon thyme or oregano
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lbs. zucchini/yellow zucchini/summer aquash, cut in half, then lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices

1. In a large bowl, mix rosemary, thyme, garlic salt, zest, salt pepper and oil. Let sit for 1 hour to meld.
2. Add zucchini to Ziploc bag, add marinade and let marinate for about 1-4 hours. 
3. Heat grill to medium high heat; grill zucchini for 4-5 minutes on each side.