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. 

Mothers Day Meal, with Birds

We went on a hike to view the lilies in the Catawba River, and had a Spanish picnic (Salpichon, Jamon Iberico and Chorizo with Manchego sandwiches).  We saw rare Prothonotary warblers along the river.

By dinner time, the weather had turned to rain, so Sherry decided to roast a whole chicken with Indian spices.  I grilled vegetables, so decided to roast whole eggplants to make a Baignan Bharta (Roast Eggplant curry).  We had a wonderful Mothers Day meal.

ROASTED EGGPLANT CURRY (Baignan Bharta)

2 eggplants (or 5 asian eggplants)

1 cup non-fat yogurt

1 Tbsp cardamom

1 Tbsp curry powder (or turmeric)

1 Tsp. ground chili (or cayenne)

1 Tbsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. garam masala

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

¼ cup minced garlic

1 Tbsp. grated or chopped ginger

½ chopped tomatoes

Fresh cilantro, chopped

1.       Roast the eggplants over a gas grill or in an oven for 15 minutes, turning frequently, until charred.  Place in Ziploc bag until cooled.  Peel and place in bowl.  Chop eggplant.  Add yogurt and mix well.

2.       Mix spices together. 

3.       Heat the oil in a saucepan over moderate heat and cook the onion, garlic and ginger until soft.  Add the tomatoes and spices, stir well, cook for 1 minutes, then add the eggplant mixture and cook for 5 minutes until all the flavors are combined.

4.       Add the cilantro and cook until wilted.  Serve immediately (or in the next hour).

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH GARAM MASALA AND CHIPOTLE PEPPERS

½ tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp garam masala

½ tbsp ground black pepper

½ tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp sweet paprika

2 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded and finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 roasting chicken, about 4 pounds

1. Combine dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well with a fork.   Make a marinade paste by combining the rub with the chopped chipotle peppers, a teaspoon of adobo sauce from the can, and the olive oil.

2. Rinse and dry the chicken.  Rub the spiced chipotle paste all over the chicken, including the cavity.  Seal the chicken in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate, preferably overnight but at least 3 hours.

3. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting, so that it can come to room temperature.

4. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

5. Place chicken in a small roasting pan.  Roast for 50 minutes, then checking for doneness.

6. Once the chicken is done, let rest for 5-10 minutes, before carving.

WORLD’S GREATEST VEAL CHOPS (with local vegetables)

The local outdoors Farmer’s Market opened in April.  We have been away on the annual Passover pilgrimage to Vermont, and have not had the chance to pick up fresh vegetables on the weekend until yesterday.  We decided to cook a meal based on the vegetables and herbs available in Charlotte, using Veal Chops as the base protein. I used a marinade from the Janos cookbook (Janos is an elegant restaurant in Tucson Arizona – Sherry and I ate there on a business trip years ago, and the food was SO good that we bought the cook book as a guide). We grilled the chops over a charcoal grill to create an incredible taste.  The combination of sweet, salty and spice make the most amazing taste off the grill.

Sherry found small fingerling potatoes (red and white) and fresh spinach at the Farmers’ Market, which served as the accompaniment to the Veal.  While the cuisine was remotely Southwestern, it’s a totally worldly meal, and exquisite at that!!

VEAL CHOPS

2 veal chops

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. chile powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. chipotle chile powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix rub together.  Rub over veal chops and refrigerate for 6 hours.  Leave on when grilling.

Heat charcoal grill.  Grill 3-5 minutes each side, and then let rest for 5 minutes until cooked through.

SPINACH WITH SAGE

Olive oil

1 lb. fresh spinach, stems trimmed, washed until no grit remains

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. sage leaves, minced

Sauté garlic, salt, and sage in olive oil.  Add spinach and cook until wilted.

BABY POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY

1 lb. baby potatoes, sliced in half

Olive oil, to coat

1 tsp. Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, leaves taken off stems

Mix well together. Place on baking sheet. Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook for 30 minutes, until browned.

Serve veal chops, spinach and potatoes together, and Enjoy.

THAI INSPIRED SHRIMP STIR FRY

We had a bounty of shrimp this week, and wanted to use them in a delightful mix of flavors.  We do much of our shopping at a World market, with great asian, hispanic and european food selections.  Sherry decided to make a thai-inspired stir fry, with sweet, hot and vinegary flavors. It's easy to prepare, once you've done all the prep work.  Served over medium grain brown rice, it was as inspiring as its name!

Thai-Inspired Shrimp Stir-Fry

Ingredients

Half of a 4-inch-long fresh red chili, or 4 small thai peppers

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

A 1-inch piece fresh lemongrass

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh gingerroot

1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20)

3 medium carrots

2 medium zucchini

1/2 english cucumber

3 scallions

1/4 cup packed fresh coriander leaves

1/4 cup salted peanuts (about 1 ounce)

3 tablespoons peanut oil

Accompaniment:   cooked rice

Preparation

Wearing rubber gloves, cut chili crosswise into thin slices and in a small saucepan stir together with vinegar and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer 30 seconds. Remove chili vinegar from heat.

Remove and discard tough outer layer of lemongrass if necessary and finely chop enough to measure 1 teaspoon. In a small bowl stir together lemongrass, garlic, and gingerroot. Peel shrimp and devein if desired. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to lemongrass mixture, stirring to coat well, and marinate at room temperature 15 minutes.

While shrimp are marinating, diagonally cut carrots into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Halve zucchini lengthwise and diagonally cut halves into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Halve cucumber lengthwise and seed. Diagonally cut cucumber halves into thin slices. Diagonally cut scallions into thin slices. Chop coriander and coarsely chop peanuts.

Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until a bead of water dropped on cooking surface evaporates immediately. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirling wok or skillet to coat evenly, and heat until hot but not smoking. Add carrots and stir-fry until barely crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to wok or skillet and heat until just smoking. Stir-fry half of shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes, and transfer to bowl of vegetables. Add remaining tablespoon oil and stir-fry remaining shrimp in same manner.

Return shrimp-vegetable mixture to wok or skillet and stir-fry until combined and heated through. Add chili vinegar, cucumber, scallions, coriander, peanuts, and salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.

Serve stir-fry over rice in bowls, garnished with mint, coriander, and lime wedges.