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- Grilled Wahoo with Green Remoulade
- Grilled Garlic Scapes
- Lamb Shanks Braised With Garlic Bulbils
- Chocolate Cherry Clafoutis
- American Carbonara
- Gotta Getta Goetta
- Rice, Corn & Feta Stuffed Peppers
- Cream of Fennel Soup
- Red Chili
- Turkey Tetrazinni
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Aug
29
Wahoo, also known in Hawaii as Ono, is a fantastic fish for grilling, with its rich, flaky, super-succulent meat. It’s found all over the world, in warm water, and is generally not susceptible to overfishing because it doesn’t swim in tight schools and is usually caught only via hook & line. This also tends to make it a scarce offering at most seafood markets, but ask around & you may get lucky. Remoulade is a family of sauces originating in France, but appropriated and amended by culinary cultures everywhere. My version for this recipe borrows a bit from the New Orleans tradition, but I think I can safely say you’ve never had anything quite like it. Green and tart and creamy and piquant, it is a dashing accompaniment to the grilled wahoo.
Grilled Wahoo with Green Remoulade
serves 2
1/3 cup (firmly packed) flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded, pithed & chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 hard-boiled egg, peeled & chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons creole mustard
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 half-pound wahoo steaks
Purée all ingredients in blender or small food processor (this one
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Jul
25
More of an idea than a recipe, here’s another one for all of you garlic lovers out there. A scape is the green stalk that rises from a garlic bulb. Although they’re usually cut to avoid depleting the bulb of its mass, if scapes are allowed to grow unmolested, they will become long, curling tendrils before eventually straightening out and producing a flower. This flower matures to create garlic bulbils, featured in my last post, Lamb Shanks Braised With Garlic Bulbils. Scapes are tasty when raw, but even more so when grilled; their tender texture and mild, sweet flavor suggest a cross between asparagus and Chinese long beans. Serve them as a nice side for grilled meat or fish, or as part of a grilled vegetable platter. Scapes can be hard to find, but they keep for 2 weeks or longer in the fridge, so if you see them for sale, snap them up, even if you’re not going to use them immediately.
Grilled Garlic Scapes
olive oil
garlic scapes
salt
Rub olive oil into scapes until well-coated, then grill over hot fire until tender & slightly browned. season with a little salt.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Jul
13
No, that’s not a typo. Bulbil: “In botany, tiny secondary bulb that forms in the angle between a leaf and stem or in place of flowers on certain plants. Bulbils, called offsets when full-sized, fall or are removed and planted to produce new plants. They are especially common among such plants as onions and lilies.” The definition is from Encyclopædia Britannica. The actual articles are from Russian Red garlic plants, proudly sold to me by a farmer at the Del Ray Farmers’ Market in Alexandria, Virginia. This recipe is a more conventional version of my pressure cooker lamb shanks recipe, and one perfectly suited for those of my readers who have yet to pick up their very own pressure cooker.
Lamb Shanks Braised With Garlic Bulbils
serves 2
2 lamb shanks
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup veal or chicken stock
1 cup diced tomatoes
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 garlic bulbil heads, large husk removed, but unseparated (unpeeled garlic cloves may be used instead)
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
Salt and pepper shanks, then dredge well in flour. In French oven, heat olive oil over medium heat until almost smoking. Add shanks and brown well on all sides, about 10 minutes. Stir in onions and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, scraping bottom of pot to release fond, cover, and bring to boil. Reduce fire to low and simmer very, very slowly, for two hours, turning shanks once or twice. Uncover, increase fire and simmer quickly, until sauce reduces a bit, about 30 minutes. Serve with some good bread, a lemon-scented salad, and a nice Amarone.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Jul
5
Chocolate Cherry Clafoutis
Filed Under dessert
Fresh sour cherries are not something you can usually find at your local grocery store. They are delicate, spoil easily, and do not suffer long truck rides well. Their season, a maddeningly brief interlude at midsummer, is, however, the occasion for many a farmers’ market zealot’s bright-eyed happy dance. In the DC metro area, each farmers’ market may have only one or two vendors selling them, and the harvest is usually just enough for a lucky (early) few to score enough for a pie or two. I try to make one cherry pie every summer, using Martha Stewart’s excellent recipe, and this year’s was especially good. I found some more cherries this past weekend, and decided to try something a little different. Clafoutis is a French dessert, a crustless fruit custard in which cherries are often added, unpitted, so some claim, because of the richer flavor imbued by the pits. Though that seems to me somewhat unlikely, the pits of sour cherries are quite small, and easy enough to eat around, so I leave them in. I suspect that without them the clafoutis will taste quite similar, but the resultant collapse of the spherical structure of cherries may make the appearance less dramatic. Most cherry clafoutis are flavored with almonds and lemon, but I think chocolate makes a wonderful addition.
Chocolate Cherry Clafoutis
1 pound fresh sour cherries
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cocoa
Toss cherries in 2 tablespoons sugar & cornstarch. Place in buttered deep-dish pie pan. Whisk eggs, milk, & vanilla, then whisk in butter & remaining sugar. Separately, whisk flour & cocoa, then whisk into egg mixture until well combined. Pour over cherries. Bake 1 hour at 325º. Serve room temperature or chilled.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Apr
10
Spaghetti Carbonara, the famous Italian pasta dish, has a somewhat murky origin (here’s a little discussion, as a well as a more traditional recipe), but one thing is certain: When it came to America, some of the versions ended up a bit heavy. Cream, I believe, is the culprit, and though some genuine Italian recipes do include cream, I think that creamless Carbonara is the way to go. Pancetta, the traditional meat in the dish, can be hard for some Americans to find, so bacon is commonly used; the smokiness of bacon turns off some purists, but I think it’s perfect to represent the Yankee spirit in this Old World dinner. Use the best eggs you can find, and fancy applewood-smoked bacon
American Carbonara
serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound dried pasta
In a medium nonstick skillet, sauté bacon & red pepper flakes in olive oil over medium flame until bacon is barely crisp. While bacon is cooking, bring salted water to boil in a large stock pot. Cook pasta according to al dente; drain, then return to stock pot and stir in bacon, accumulated oil, and parsley. Whisk eggs & Parmesan in medium bowl, then stir into pasta. Serve in warmed bowls.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Mar
20
I only recently learned about goetta, courtesy of a Clevelander with an appreciation of this Cincinnati treat. Although I am, technically, a Buckeye by virtue of my birth in the state, I haven’t been in Ohio since I was 3 years old. But after my newly found love of goetta, I feel a closer connection with my native state. As a bit of research, including the wonderfully informative Country Scrapple: An American Tradition,
Goetta
makes about ten 1-pound loaves or logs
5-pound pork butt
3/4 pound celery, roughly chopped
3/4 pound yellow onion, peeled & roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 fresh bay leaves
8 cups water
5 cups steel-cut (pinhead) oats
2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons sage
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
In large stockpot, bring pork, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, & water to boil over high flame. Reduce flame to low, cover, and simmer 2 hours. Remove pork from stockpot (leave water in pot) and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Cut pork into chunks & grind. Discard bay leaves from water, then remove other vegetables and feed them through the grinder as well. Return ground pork & vegetables to stockpot and add remaining ingredients. Bring to simmer over medium-high flame, stirring often; reduce flame to low, cover, and simmer 2 hours, stirring often. Remove pot from flame, allow to cool, and pour into greased mini loaf pans or roll into 1-pound plastic-wrapped logs. Refrigerate if using within a week; freeze for up to 3 months. To cook, cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch slices, then fry in a small amount of butter in a nonstick skillet or griddle until nicely browned.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Back to Hungry Again
Feb
25
Bell peppers, sweet, juicy, beautifully sculpted, and painted in a palette of vibrant colors, are abundant year round in the U.S., thanks to our southern neighbor Mexico, which grows them in great profusion. Often chopped or sliced and used as a flavoring or garnish, they are also excellent as the centerpiece of a dinner plate. This recipe sidesteps a ground-meat stuffing, aiming instead for a rich vegetarian filling guaranteed to satisfy the heartiest appetite. Enjoy!
Rice, Corn & Feta Stuffed Peppers
serves 4
4 bell peppers
2 tablespoons bacon grease or vegetable oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups frozen corn
6 ounces goat’s milk feta, crumbled
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Carefully cut a hole in the top of each pepper and remove seeds, core, and pithy ribs (a melon baller works well for the last). Cook peppers in boiling water for 2 minutes; drain. Sauté onion, garlic, & corn in bacon grease over medium-low flame until softened, about 5 minutes. Combine onion/garlic/corn mixture in large bowl with feta, rice, & black pepper. Spoon stuffing into peppers and top with Parmesan cheese. Lightly oil a baking dish that will hold the peppers comfortably, place peppers in dish, and bake in 375º oven for 30 minutes.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Jan
31
Cream of Fennel Soup
Filed Under All, creamy, dinner, meatless, soups & stews
And you didn’t know you needed another excuse to eat fennel, did you? Well, here it is. As an astute diner at my table recently pointed out, it’s kind of like a fennel vichyssoise. Creamy and smooth, rich with the exotic aromas of my favorite vegetable, Foeniculum vulgare, this soup is a perfect start to a fancy dinner. Top it with a little bacon if you dare. For wine, I recommend a nice Erbaluce, a fine Italian white from the Piedmont.
Cream of Fennel Soup
makes a bit more than a gallon
1/4 cup butter
1/4 pound shallots, peeled & minced (about 1/2 cup)
3 pounds fennel bulbs, quartered, cored, & diced 1/2 inch (about 3 bulbs; 8 cups)
3/4 pound white potatoes, peeled & diced 1/2 inch (about 2 cups)
2 quarts not-too-salty chicken stock
1 cup cream
3 teaspoons Absinthe
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, sauté shallots in butter over medium-low flame until a little soft, about 5 minutes. Add fennel, potatoes, & stock and bring to a simmer over high flame. Reduce flame to low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes. Puree in batches in blender or food processor or food mill & return to (wiped out) pot. Add cream, Absinthe, & white pepper and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for salt and serve.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Dec
21
Red Chili
Filed Under All, dinner, meat, soups & stews
Football kicks off the decisive match-ups this time of year, and in honor of that, I present my latest chili recipe, Red Chili. This one focuses on the flavor of beef and tomato, adding just enough spice to make things interesting. And red it is: red tomatoes, red meat, red peppers, red beans . . . . McCarthy might not have liked it, but I guarantee you will! Great with Cheesy Buttermilk Corn Sticks or Indian Corn Cake. Oh, and here’s the pot you want to use: French Oven
Red Chili
makes about 3-1/2 quarts
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 pounds coarsely ground beef chuck
2 medium yellow onions, diced (about 3 cups)
3 medium red bell peppers, diced (about 3 cups)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Mexican hot chili powder
2 tablespoons oregano
cayenne to taste
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 16-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup water
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
In large French oven, heat oil over medium-high flame until smoking. Drop half of beef into oil and spread evenly. Allow to cook without stirring for 3 minutes, then stir occasionally until fully browned, about 2-3 minutes more. Remove with slotted spoon and repeat with remaining beef. After removing second batch of beef, add onions & pepper to pot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, oregano, & cayenne and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add reserved cooked meat, tomatoes, beans, & water. Bring to simmer, cover, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in vinegar, cover, and simmer 5 more minutes. Taste for salt and serve.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
Dec
11
Turkey is certainly a common sight at holiday dinner tables this time of year, but there’s really no reason we shouldn’t be eating it year-round. Properly prepared, turkey breast is a versatile, low-fat meat whose subtle flavor and healthiness is easily reversed by comfort-food recipes. As an example, I offer my version of Tetrazinni, a dish named after an opera star (how can you go wrong) and chock-full of creamy, cheesy, pasta-y goodness. Pass the statins, please!
Turkey Tetrazinni
serves 8
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup half & half
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved
1 pound cooked turkey breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
1 cup almonds, toasted
2 ounces finely grated (using this kind of grater
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium flame; whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes, until raw flour aroma goes away. Whisk in wine, cook for 30 seconds, then whisk in stock & half & half, & salt. Bring back to simmer. Remove from heat and cover.
In large nonstick skillet, sauté onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium flame until just softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring often, until mushrooms are slightly browned, about 5-8 minutes.
Combine cream sauce, mushroom-onion mixture, turkey, spaghetti, & almonds in large bowl and stir well. Place in buttered 13×9-inch glass baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake in 400º oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Download or View PDF of recipe for printing.
