fried onion

These are a great garnish for a steak, good on a sandwich, atop a salad or by themselves with some sauce for dipping them in. The recipe is very simple, only 4 ingredients, and fairly quick. The only hassle is the oil but you can use it several times before disposing of it. the recipe follows;

(first mix these together and place in the fridge)
1 yellow onion (julienned)
a few pinches of salt

(you'll use these next)
.5 cup self rising flour
fry-daddy or pot with 2 inches of vegetable oil (heated to 350°)
salt and pepper

You want to salt the onions at least 4 hours in advance, preferable a whole day. When you are ready to start preheat the oil to 350° and toss the onion in the flour. Place the onion in the oil, making sure not to crowd the pan, and fry until golden brown and crispy.

bacon and garlic croutons

(first you'll need theses items)
stale bread cut into 1'' cubes (enough to cover a 10'' by 10'' pan)
6 cloves of garlic (peeled and smashed just a little)
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves (loose)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
some black pepper
1 T extra virgin

(next)
3 slices of bacon (cut into 2'' pieces)

(last)
some butter

Preheat you oven to 325°. With the bread cubes and garlic in a large bowl, toss in the olive oil, oregano, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Place the contents of bowl on a sheet pan and put it in the oven. Let the croutons cook for about five minutes, take them out, lay the bacon on top, rotate the pan and return it to the oven for ten more minutes. Now add the butter, in three or four small dollops around the pan, once it's melted toss the bacon and croutons in it. Place them back in the oven, checking and flipping them every two minutes, until the bacon is brown and crisp.

These were served with bibb lettuce, blue cheese, boiled egg and buttermilk dressing. You should toss them with the lettuce and fix'ns while still warm.

spinach risotto with meyer lemon

I saw Meyer lemons at the store... they made me make this dish. Check this link for more info on the Meyer lemon.

Making risotto seems like it would be pretty simple. Some rice, some stock, cook it till its soft... but to make a truly amazing, super creamy, risotto takes a bit of technique. I have made a some in my time. These are a few things I've learned...

1. Always cook risotto in a thick bottomed steel or enameled pot. Reactive metal will turn your rice gray.
2. Stir it with a wooden spoon. It's easier on your pot and it just feels right.
3. Make sure the stock you will be cooking with is hot. This will make for a creamier risotto.
4. Most recipes will tell you to stir the rice constantly. That is true, in the first steps of preparation, when you are toasting the rice in butter or oil. Once you've started adding stock you should stir it initially, then let it start to stick a bit before adding more stock and stirring again to loosen any grains from the pot. This will make your risotto even creamier.
5. Make sure you find the right balance of salt and acid.
6. Don't over cook the rice. It should be al dente. Mushy risotto = no good.
7. Be patient. Good risotto will take you around thirty minutes on the stove top.
8. Always add any cheese right before you serve it and make sure you finish it with a bit of cold butter.
9. Serve it immediately after stirring in the butter and cheese.

Apply these techniques to any risotto recipe and it is sure to come out very nice... the recipe is as follows;

(first)
2 T butter
4 cloves garlic (diced)
2 shallots (diced)
1 2/3 cups Arborio rice

(next)
2 oz white wine
6 cups veggie stock (you may not need all of it)
2 springs of thyme
1 piece Meyer lemon peel about 2 inches long and .5 wide

(last)
4 oz spinach (blanched, chilled, squeezed of excess water and pureed)
2 T crème fraîche or cold butter
4 T grated Parmesan
juice from Meyer lemon to taste
salt and pepper

(for the garnish)
Meyer lemon zest
Parmesan
extra virgin
Meyer lemon wedges

To start bring your veggie stock to a simmer. On low heat, sweat the garlic and shallot with the butter until they soften up just a bit. Add the Arborio rice and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the rice becomes translucent on the edges but is still white in the center. Now pour in the wine and let it evaporate. Start adding the stock, four or five ounces at a time stirring in the method I describe above. once you are halfway through the stock add the lemon peel and thyme leaves, continue adding the stock a bit at a time until the rice is al dente and the risotto has the consistency of a stew or creamy polenta. Stir in the spinach, Parmesan and crème fraîche. Now its time to season... do this carefully. Add some Meyer lemon juice (the juice of one lemon to start) then add some salt. Continue alternating until you can taste the lemon and the risotto is salty enough.

Zest some lemon on top, through a lemon wedge on the plate, a little olive oil, some pieces of peeled Parmesan and a twist or two from the pepper mill... I also put some oven dried tomatoes on mine. Now you can eat it.

roasted red pepper soup

The ingredients
(first these ingredients)
1 oz extra virgin
1 T butter
2 celery branch (rough chop)
4 cloves garlic
1 small spanish onion (rough chop)
2 carrots  (rough chop)
1 tsp salt

(next these)
2 large red bell peppers (roasted, peeled and diced)
1 T tomato paste

(then these)
1.5 qt of chicken or veggie stock
1 russet potato (peeled and chopped)
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
a pinch of cumin seed
a pinch of fennel seed

(and last)
4 oz cream
1 oz lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

First, how to roast the peppers. The easiest way to do this is simple. Turn on two of your burners and place a pepper on each one directly in the flame. Rotate the peppers every minute or so until they are charred all over then through them in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Remove them from the bowl after about fifteen minutes, the charred skin should slide right off. Rinse them to get off any remaining burnt bits and simply pull the stem and seeds out.

Start the soup by heating the butter and olive oil in a large pot. Once the butter starts to brown add the celery, garlic, onion, carrot and salt and cook on low until soft. Now add the tomato paste and roasted peppers, cook until the tomato paste gets stuck to the pot a bit. Deglaze the pot with your stock, make sure to scrape it with a wooden spoon, and add the potato, thyme, fennel, cumin and bay leaf. Let the soup simmer for an hour, puree in the blender or with a stick blender, and stir in the lemon juice, cream and season with salt and pepper.

I garnished this soup with bacon, blue cheese and crème fraîche....

pickled cabbage

This is great with chicken or fish, on a sandwich or taco, or by itself. 

The ingredients:
(mix the next three ingredients together and stand for at least 5 hours)
4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
.5 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
2 T salt

.5 cup thinly sliced shallot
1 small carrot peeled and shredded 
.5 cup flat parsley leaves
.5 cup cilantro leaves
1 tsp chili flake
.5 tsp crushed coriander seed
.5 cup pickling liquid from my recipe

Preparation steps

After the green and red cabbage have "cured" in the salt overnight submerge them in cold water and drain to rinse the salt off. Repeat this step two times. Next you need to expel the excess water... you can either squeeze it out with your hands or place the cabbage in a kitchen towel and twist it until no more water comes out. I find the second method to be more effective.

Once you've done that simply mix the remaining ingredients with the cabbage. You should let it sit for an hour of so before you eat it. You will find that the longer the vegetables marinate in the pickle the more delightfully pink it all turns. The cabbage will keep in the fridge for at least a week.

blood orange & oil cured olive relish

I made this today for a snack... it was delightful. The recipe follows.

First smash and pit the olives, dice the roma and garlic. Put these ingredients in a mixing bowl. Now segment the orange and juice the skeleton. Add the supremes, o.j. and the (italian) parsley chiffanade. Season the mixture and mix with a fork to mash the blood orange just a bit.... done.
This was really damn good too.
I served it with broiled ciabatta, shaved pecorino, citrus salad and fresh grapefruit juice. It was refreshing... nice for a spring afternoon.

spinach and garlic soup

This was good and easy to make. The total preperation time including knife work, cooking, pureeing and storage was just a bit more than an hour. I recommend trying it.

First dice and sweat these items in 1 tb olive oil and a knob of butter.

a pinch of salt
1 medium yellow onion
1 carrot
.5 bulb fennel
5 cloves of garlic

Then add the following elements and simmer for about an hour

2 peeled and diced russet potatoes
1 cup cream
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
20 coriander seeds

Next put all of the above in the blender with the ingredients listed below and puree. This will take 2 or more batches depending on the size of your blender.

10 oz spinach
2 clove garlic
4 oz frozen peeled edamame

Now put everything back into the pot and season with salt and pepper to your liking. This soup was a lot better the second day after the garlic had time to blossom.
I garnished it with crème fraîche and mosta olive oil... i think that some smoked bacon would have been a good addition as well.

goat cheese mousse packed cherry peppers

I bought pickled cherry peppers (approx 24) from the olive bar at Whole Foods. I know that lots of gourmet food stores carry these. They are sweet and slightly spicy which goes great with the goat cheese mousse.

For the mousse you need the following:
1 pastry bag (small tip required) or a ziplock
3 oz goat cheese
3 0z heavy cream
1 tbs chives sliced thin
1 tsp thyme fresh leaves
sea salt
black pepper

1. put everything but the cream into your kitchen aid fitted with the paddle attachment
2. mix on low until cheese is softened
3. remove contents from bowl
4. put cream into mixing bowl with the whip attachment
5. whip until it has stiff peaks
6. fold the goat cheese mix into the whip cream with a spatula
7. fill pastry bag or ziplock (is using ziplock, just cut the corner off making a hole the size of the end of your pinky finger)
8. fill peppers with mixture
9. i garnished the finished platter with olive oil and fresh parsley

green bean and fresh mozz salad

This is a great salad for summer time when many different types of fresh beans are available. In this recipe I used green beans but you can use whatever kind you want. I made a sherry vinaigrette to go with it. Marty loved it! The recipe is as follows:

vinaigrette(this makes more than you will need but it will keep for a week in the cooler)

1 shallot diced
2 oz sherry vinegar
2 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme
mix it all together

the salad(for four)

1/2 baguette
a bit of olive oil(for brushing the bread)
1 pound green beans
8 oz fresh mozz
15 leaves flat leaf Italian parsley
salt and pepper(to taste)

First, blanch the green beans in some very salty water until they are slightly softened then drop them in ice water to cool. Next, slice the bread about half an inch thick and brush it with olive oil then put in your broiler until it is very dark. After that, chop up the parsley and mix it with the green beans, salt and pepper. Then add about 2 tablespoons of  vinaigrette and put about 2/3 of the salad on the plates. Put a piece of toast on top of that then some mozz. Repeat layering once more and drizzle a bit of vinaigrette on top.

then eat it.