Home made Banh Mi

I know, I know, the seedy baguette isn't right but it was what I could find. I made home-made Spicy Lime Mayo, Do Chua and Black Pepper Marinade Pork Loin. Incredibly delicious. In the future I am hoping I can get the "right" bread at the best asian market.

Beefy Beef and Vegetable Soup

1 lb Tri-Tip steak cut into 1/2" cube
2 Tbsp Soy or Tamari Sauce
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion chopped
1 lb Mushroom chopped
2 clove Garlic minced
2 Tbsp Tomatoe paste
1/2 cup red wine (perhaps a nice Beaujolais Villages)
4 cup Beef broth
1 3/4 cup Chicken broth
2 Carrot chopped
2 Celery chopped
1 Bay leaf
1 Tbsp Gelatin
1/2 cup cold water

Bloom Gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water

Marinate Beef in Soy sauce

Chop Onions

Mushrooms

Carrots & Celery


Saute Onions & Mushrooms well in 1 tsp Olive Oil. (8-12 min) Remove from pot.


Sear Beef until well browned. (6 minutes ish)

Add in Minced Garlic, Tomatoe paste, Red Wine, Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, Carrots, Celery and Bay leaf as well as the Mushrooms & Onions. Bring to a light boil and simmer for 25 Minutes. When soup is ready remove from heat and stir in Gelatin until dissolved. This step is essential in creating that smooth mouth feel... Garnish with fresh chopped Parsley and serve.

Enjoy!

Greek Style Steaks with misc. Grilled Veggies and Herbed Goat Cheese

Slice assorted summer veg into 1/4 inch thick slabs for the grill.

Baste with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and minced garlic using a sprig of fresh Rosemary as your brush, topping with a sprinkle of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper as they cook.

Remove from grill and allow to cool.

Rub steaks with a mix of 1/3 cup Oregano, 2 tbsp Dill, 1/3 cup Salt, 1/3 cup cracked Pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil. this makes enough for 8-10 lbs meat. save what you dont use in a jar in the fridge.

Grill.

Allow meat to rest.

Slice Baguette.

Spread Goat Cheeseinside Baguette.

Stuff Baguette with misc. grilled summer veg.

Allow veg juices to soak into bread.

Squeeze fresh lemon on top.

Serve with Greek style steak

Goat Cheese and Lemon wedges.

Marinated Sweet Onions and Tomatoes

Get some good sweet onions.
I chose Walla Walla's.

Slice your onions up. I like the greens too, that's just my preference.

The view from the countertop.

Arrange your onions in a shallow dish so you can dump the marinade over them.

The marinade is:
1 cup mild olive oil
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a blender...

Blend all of the marinade ingredients for 30 seconds in a blender, or beat well with a wire whisk.
It'll look like this.

Dump the marinade over the onions and chill for 1-2 Hours.

To serve, arrange some tomato wedges in a salad bowl. Layer the onions on top and pour extra marinade over. Easy enough. Goes good with Mozzarella too.

Quick pasta

Boil some noodles, fry some minced garlic in olive oil, add chopped tomatoes and chopped fresh basil, allow to warm thru, top noodles with warm tomatoe mixture and top with fresh basil. Fresh Basil cannot be beat!

Medicinal Mojito

Start this recipe by picking a warm summer day. 88° is good. I think today was around 90°, which is even better.

Go out and wipe yourself out. Yardwork is always good for this. Especially on the warm day. My example would be weeding and tilling the garden. I'm dirty, hot, and sweaty.

Go shower and get cleaned up. Then find some fresh mint and cut several sprigs.

If you know where the cheese store is, pick some up. A little good cheese never hurt anybody.

Pour out some Oil and Balsamic for dipping the crusty sourdough bread that I know you bought when you bought the cheese and crackers...

Next, get a tall glass, throw in a generous pinch or two of sugar, the juice of half a lime, about ten mint leaves that you cut earlier, and some ice. Then muddle the mint leaves into the sugar and ice to release the mint oils. Top off with a couple ounces of white rum, and then fill with soda water.

It's a Mojito, and if it's before noon, it's medicinal. If it's evening... you've earned it.

And let the porch creeping commence!

Done right, this recipe will last well after sunset.
It's all about quality of life.

**Author Update**

Everybody knows how to make "a" mojito right? But "a" mojito isn't really useful for most occasions. So I've been tweaking my recipe, and here it is... for a decent amount.

Use a pitcher... throw in 20 Mint Leaves, a couple handfuls of crushed ice, and 12 tsp Sugar, Muddle that. Add 3 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice, 10 oz of White Rum, and top with 22 oz of Club Soda!

Sandwich

Take a hollowed out Sourdough round, brush it with E.V.O.O. then stuff it full of pickled garlic cloves, roasted red peppers, Gypsy Salami, shavings of Sharp Provalone, a bunch of Arugala and what you have is a pretty tasty sandwich.

Chicken Korma, Tadka Daal, Onion & Garlic Kale with Jasmine Rice

Chicken Korma (sort of authentic but not really)

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, chopped
6 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mango chutney
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, chopped
1/3 cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish.
Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions in oil until soft.
Place onion, yogurt, mango chutney, garlic, turmeric, chili powder and garam masala into the bowl of a food processor. Process into a smooth sauce; it should be about the consistency of thick cream. Add a bit of water or yogurt to thin it if needed. Spread chicken into prepared baking dish, and pour the onion sauce over the chicken.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top, and serve.
OR

Sear chicken in cast iron skillet to seal in flavor. Cook onions and garlic in a pot with a little olive oil. Toast spices if needed. Add yogurt, mango chutney, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala. Place chicken in pot on top of onions and garlic. Top with spiced sauce mixture and thin with water as needed. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer til chicken is cooked thru and sauce thickens.

Indian Dinner

Marinate some Shrimp This had Lemon juice, Brown Sugar, Salt, Cilantro, Garlic, Olive Oil and Chili powder If I remember correctly...

Fry some cumin seeds and cloves in oil til seeds start to sputter. Add 1 large sliced onion and 1 large cubed potato, fry some more. Add some turmeric and salt with rinsed basmati rice and rinsed red lentils, fry some more. Add water, bring to boil and simmer. (Oh yeah, soak rice first, 15 minutes or so, or it will be crunchy since it doesn't cook as fast as the dhal)

Grill Shrimp on a bed of sliced Onions, sliced Tomatoes and sliced Peppers. (all I could find were Seranos, not quite the same but nice heat...) Basting every so often with marinade


Serve it up with a nice herb and mixed green salad and the beverage of your choice.

Curry Dijon King Salmon on a Bed of Sautéed Onion Ginger Cabbage, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Brown Gravy, with Steamed Green Asparagus on the Side

IMPORTANT NOTE:

THE FOLLOWING POST IS BEING POSTED ON DAD'S BEHALF
THIS IS HIS POST!

Preheat your oven to 400° and then focus on this, your ingredients.
Slice your onions and cabbage, grate your ginger, etc.
Begin by heating your oil and sautée onions until tender and golden.

With your other hand, remove skin from Salmon and place in a prepared roasting dish with the fish's rounded side up.
Mix curry powder, and dijon together with two tsp water. Brush this mixture evenly over Salmon.

Hit it with Dill!
Roast appx. 15 min until opaque through.

While Salmon is roasting, your onions will be done. Add ginger and cumin to skillet. Cook, and stir, 1 minute. Then add cabbage and salt. Cover and cook 10 to 12 minutes until cabbage is just tender and begins to brown.

Spoon Cabbage and onion mixture onto plate and top with Salmon.
Dad's Special Plate

Chris Cracked Pepper and He Don't Care.

Done!

Cumin-Pepper Flank Steak with Red Quinoa Swiss Chard and Chimichurri

Rub your flank steak with Cumin, a little salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.

Make a nice Chimichurri, think Parsley, Garlic, Green Onion, Horseradish, Salt, Pepper, Vinegar and a little Olive Oil. puree till thick and pungent. Steam some Chard. Cook up your Quinoa. Grill your Flank Steak.

Eat.

Marinated Steak with steamed Swiss Chard

Marinate a nice Steak in 2 tbsp Vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar), 1/2 tbsp E.V.O.O., 1/2 tbsp Toasted Sesame oil. Throw in some minced Garlic, chopped Scallions and Toasted Sesame seeds. let sit for as long as you like. (maybe 1/2 hour or so cuz I was hungry)

Grill Steak maybe 5 min a side or to desired doneness.

I like 5 min because I steamed the chard stems for 5 min then added the leaves for 5 min more.

works nice with the 5 min a side on the steak.

Top the Chard with a little Salt and Pepper to taste.

Tasty goodness filled with vitamins!

Pan Grilled Yellowfin with Bok Choy

Cover a beautiful piece of Yellowfin Tuna with Sesame Seeds.

Us a grill pan to sear on both sides. Tuna steak should be pink in the middle and taste sweet.

Nothing like that crap in a can.

Serve on Grilled Bok Choy drizzled with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Salt and Pepper.Top with scallions.

Garlic Shrimp and Wilted Spinach Salad

Fry 1 lb fresh veined, shelled Shrimp in a high quality E.V.O. Oil(think fruity) with Garlic, Kosher Salt and fresh cracked Pepper to taste.

Drizzle hot oil on Fresh Spinach. Toss. Top with Garlic Shrimp and fresh Grape Tomatoes.
Serve with Crusty Whole Grain Bread

Tapenade

1/2 pound black olives, pitted, drained of their liquid
4 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
8 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
4 tablespoons olive oil

Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse to blend. Add the oil and pulse a few more times to form a cohesive but still coarse paste.

Marinated Walla Walla Sweets with Tomato Wedges

One of my favorite summertime salads...