Thursday, March 31, 2011

Ceviche


This Ceviche was very delicious. So I cut some Tilapia (1/2lb), Pollock (1/2lb) and Scallops(1/4lb) into bite sized peices then marinated them in a combination of the juice of Limes, Lemons, Meyer lemons and Oranges with chopped Red onion (1 large), chopped Serrano peppers (2), minced Garlic (2) and some salt (3tsp). After about 8 hours (in the fridge) I tossed in some salad shrimp (1/2lb) chopped Tomatoes (3) and Cilantro. Then let the flavours blend for 10-15 minutes, topped it with some fresh cracked pepper and served it with chips.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Steamed Mussels, Vegetable Stirfry and Israeli Couscous

I scrubbed and debearded the Mussels then steamed them with finely chopped Lemon grass, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 Seranno chile, shallots, a little fish sauce and the juice of 1 lime for 5-7 minutes in a skillet with a tight fitting lid. Then topped them with fresh cilantro and green onions.
For the stirfry I used 2 Tbs each Sunflower seeds, Pumpkin seeds and Sesame seeds toasted in a skillet. Then I added minced garlic and a 1" piece ginger very finely minced. cooked til aromatic. then added Oyster mushrooms, Zucchini and carrots. To this I tossed in 1 bunch coarsely chopped Mint and 1 bunch coarsely chopped Watercress. topped it all with a sauce made from Black bean paste, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and brown sugar since I was unable to find Jaggery. The contrast between the seeds and veg was wonderful. The sauce was nice and rich.
The Couscous I just cooked in mushroom stock...
The meal as a whole was fresh, crisp, earthy, rich and spicy. All in all quite delicious.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Adventure Eating - Alpine Deli

My concept of adventure eating is going somewhere you have never been before and eating something you have not tried before. This qualifies in the new place instance but not in the meal... So I was walking along on my lunch break trying to find a place to eat and I stumbled on the Alpine Deli. Thinking I would check it out I found they have all sorts of imported foods, fresh baked breads, meats, cheeses, beers, wines etc. and, they serve lunch. I settled on a couple of Brautwurst with Kraut and Warm German Potatoe Salad. Delicious I tell you. Oh yeah, I just had to pick up a Wendler Schicht Nougat Barren. It was creamy, smooth and all around amazing!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Morrocan Chicken Israeli Couscous and Beet Salad

Let me say that I have hated beets with a passion since I was a child. I am sure it has something to do with those nasty pickled things from a can that tasted like sour dirt and somehow grew in size once you put them in your mouth. Now that I am older and have more discerning tastes I thought I should try them again.



Ok so I boiled them rubbed the skins off under cold running water and threw them in the fridge to chill. Then I sliced them, tossed a sprinkle of some nice kosher salt, some minced garlic, a little minced fresh Mint and Thyme, added a little olive oil and balsamic and then topped it with a nice Gorganzola. I must say this is nothing like that nasty stuff I remember from my youth. I might even be willing to taper off all the other stuff and let the beets show thru a little more in the future.

So I finally found Israeli Couscous and did it up in chicken stock with Tomatoes, fresh sliced sweet peppers, olives, green onions, minced parsley and a sprinkle of Black Lava Salt

A nice 2003 Syrah kept it all company.

Rounded out by a little grilled Chicken with a nice morrocan rub.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Kicking steamed chicken

I have not posted a real home cooked meal in a while so I figured I had better...
Ok this was real easy. I took a frozen chicken breast sprinkled a little water on it (so the rub would stick) and the rub of my choice. "Kickin chicken". put it in the steamer for 40 min. I added the Swiss chard for the last ten minutes. For the Couscous I used Chicken stock, Salt, pepper Goat milk butter, Green onions and Banana Peppers. The Couscous takes about 6 min and the steamer is a set it and forget it situation. It was simple and delicious

Monday, March 7, 2011

Adventure Eating - The Monte Cristo

So, I never had one before. It sounded interesting. It was delicious. The fresh fruit was wonderful and the sorbet toped it all off delightfully.

Friday, March 4, 2011

classic pizza with awesome-sauce


Pizza is always the right decision for dinner. I'm sure I've posted the dough recipe before, if you want it.