Pan Fried Swai Fillet with Avocado on Arugula, Tarragon Goddess Dressing

You can substitute catfish or whatever other fish fillets are fresh and good today!Tarragon Goddess Dressing:
1/4 cup good real mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic
Palmful fresh parsley
1 tsp dried tarragon, or 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon

4 Swai or catfish fillets
1 Tbsp butter plus 2 Tbsp olive oil
5 oz arugula
1/4 cup favorite balsamic vinaigrette
2 ripe avocados

Blend together the dressing - put the parsley, garlic and tarragon in a small food processor and mince finely. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Scrape sides down with a spatula to assure complete mixing.

Heat a large non-stick skillet and melt the butter in the olive oil. Place fillets in pan, rounder side down, and brown for about 2-3 minutes. Flip fish and cook other side another 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice each avocado in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds and peel each half. Slice each half lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices.

Toss arugula with balsamic dressing and divide among four plates. Place a fish fillet on each plate. Fan slices of a half avocado on each fillet. Finally place a dollop of dressing on the avocad. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

Serves four.

Tarragon Goddess Dressing

1/4 cup good real mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic
Palmful fresh parsley
1 tsp dried tarragon, or 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon

Put the parsley, garlic and tarragon in a small food processor and mince finely. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Scrape sides down with a spatula to assure complete mixing.

Sesame Noodles

1/2 lb spaghetti or other noodle
1 carrot, finely julienned
1/4 head savoy cabbage, shredded, about 4 cups
1 tennis-ball sized onion, thinly sliced into half moons
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced on a bias
1 Tsp toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2tsp chili paste with garlic, or equivalent hot sauce, to taste

Bring a 4 quart pot of water to a boil. While you wait, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Salt water generously. Add the pasta, stir and cook until just past al dente. Drain and toss with a teaspoon of sesame oil.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, sauté the onion for five minutes until just beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the carrot and cabbage, and cook for about another five minutes, until the cabbage is just crisp-tender, but not too soft.

Gently toss together the noodles, veggies and the sauce. Tip into a serving bowl and top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serves four as a side dish.

Cooks note: this is a great base for cooked chicken, and can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled. In fact, Hacked Chicken with Sesame Noodles is a classic Chinese dish, where the noodles are typically served chilled. This dish is also often accompanied by cold cucumber spears. I made a tofu version of this which is a great cool vegetarian summer meal.

Here I pair the noodles with rotisseried chicken, and served it warm, not hot. But these noodles also pair well with many other cooked meats or fish. My sister in law, Julie, cooks a mean sesame noodle served with Asian marinated grilled salmon - always a crowd pleaser!

Sautéed Baby Eggplant with Tomatoes Olives and Basil

6 baby eggplants, sliced lengthwise
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 Leek, cleaned and diced
1 cup black California or Calamata olives, pitted
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
palmful fresh basil leaves, julienned, 1 Tbsp reserved

In a large skillet, sauté the leek and the olives over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and basil and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes. Set aside off heat.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, place eggplants into oil and brown over medium heat. Watch eggplants carefully, and turn when browneed on one side, about 8-10 minutes. Cook skin-side for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Set eggplants aside on a paper towel, skin-side down.

Heat another 1-2 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Sauté the tomatoes over high heat for about 3-5 minutes, until they caramelize a bit at the edges as they sizzle. Salt and pepper to taste.

Briefly reheat olives. Arrange olives, eggplants and tomatoes attractively on a large serving platter. Sprinkle with the reserved basil.

Cook's note: You can use other eggplants for this as well, it's just that Italian baby eggplants are so attractive and tender, and not bitter. You can also use purple Asian eggplants which I love as well. They are very mild and tend to melt down to a soft consistency which marries well with the tomato.

Thai Pasta Salad

It's Father's day and actually we are having NY Strip with Wasabe Chili Mustard Cream sauce. Many of us Dads love a good grilled steak now and again. But many prefer either vegetarian or fish or something international. Here is a worthy alternative to grilling all American beef - a fusion of flavors for a well balanced meal fitting for Father's day. See Thai Salmon Cakes to serve beside this flavorful salad. Happy Father's day.Dressing:
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp garam masala
2Tbsp canola oil

1/2 half each, of yellow, orange and red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 Bermuda onion
1 large crown of broccoli, in bite sized pieces
1/4 wedge cabbage, finely shredded
3-4 cups cooked pasta (about 1/3 lb uncooked)
2 Tbsp peanuts, coarsely chopped

Marinate the veggies in the rice vinegar and soy sauce for at least 1/2 hour. Toss in the pasta and top with the peanuts.

Thai Salmon Cakes

2 green onions
Palmful cilantro
1 jalapeño
3 cloves garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger
2 slices bread, cut up into small pieces

1 lb salmon, skinless
1 egg
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/4 cup canola oil

In a food processor, pulse the veggies and the bread until chopped very finely. Add the salmon and fish and soy sauces, and pulse just enough so that there are still a few distinct pieces of slamon left. If you pulse to a smooth puree, the cakes are still good but can become too dense and not very fluffy. the 'crab cake' consistency is ideal. With wetted hands, form the mixture into 8 patties and place on a piece of waxed paper.

Heat the oil in a large Non-stick skillet until shimmering. Brown the cakes about 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 cakes, serving 4-6.

Asian Noodles with Beef Short Ribs

6-8 beef short ribs
1 leek, cleaned and diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced in half, lengthwise
1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups chicken (or beef) broth

1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp Black bean sauce
1 tsp chili paste with garlic (or to taste)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 stick cinnamon

8 oz dried Chinese noodles
1 bunch Chinese bok choy, chopped into 2-3 inch pieces
1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly, and crosswise about 1-inch in length
10-12 Chinese chives, cut into 2-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350F. In a small 4 quart Dutch Oven or tagine, brown the beef ribs for about 12-15 minutes in a bit of canola oil, turning every 2-3 minutes, to brown all sides. Then transfer the ribs to a bowl, and in the same skillet, lower the heat and sauté the leek, garlic and ginger, until the veggies begin to soften and brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add the broth and the next five Asian spices and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and transfer to the oven for an hour.

Meanwhile, bring a pot with 3- 4-quarts of water to a boil. Cook the noodles just before al dente. Add the bok choy, red pepper and chives. Cook just until the noodles are firm, but not mushy.

Drain noodles, and distribute among four bowls. Place 1-2 beef ribs on noodles, and spoon rib sauce generously over noodles. Serve with sesame seeds, and/or Chinese chives.

Golden Beet Grape and Grapefruit Salad, Walnuts and Gorgonzola

Dressing:
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced through a press
1/4 cup olive oil
fresh ground black pepper

2-3 whole golden beets
1/2 purple Bermuda onion, sliced into half moons
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1 pink grapefruit, sectioned
20 seedless red grapes
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Heat the oven to 375F. Place the beets on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Dress with a bit of olive oil and wrap well. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about an hour, until cooked through. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly. Coarsely chop the beets and toss with the onions and 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing. Reserve remaining dressing for another salad.

Meanwhile, layer a cup of spinach leaves on each of four salad plates. divide the beets among the four plates, distributing about the spinach leaves. Carefully distribute the grapefruit and the grapes among the beets in the four plates. Top each salad with walnuts and Gorgonzola.

Pork and Ziti Niçoise

This is a quick meal - pulled together in 20 minutes, impromptu for a good friend, Ian, leaving for a new job by surprise the next day. This is a great dish to sit and talk over old times.
I think a small pasta is very good here. In fact, we are trying to balance pasta, and are cutting down probably by half. You can swap pasta or olive types, or swap chicken or tofu for the pork - this is from the pantry so make it your own!

1/2 lb mini ziti pasta
About 1 1/2 lb boneless pork loin ribs, or roast, sliced on a bias into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced about 2 inches in length
2 crowns broccoli, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup black California olives
1/4 cup stuffed green olives, drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
1/3 cup dry sherry or white wine
2 Tbsp butter

Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain, toss with a bit of canola oil and keep warm.

Meanwhile, sauté the pork in a large skillet or wok, with a bit of canola oil, over very high heat, just until cooked through. Set aside in a bowl, just before fully cooked, because the pork will continue cooking off the burner.

Return skillet or wok to high heat and toss in the pepper, broccoli and olives. Sauté for about five minutes, and stir fry until the veggies soften a bit. Add the garlic and red chili flakes, and cook another two minutes. Move veggies to bowl with pork. Add sherry to the skillet and bring to a boil. Whisk in the butter to form a creamy sauce.

Fold pasta and the veggies into the sauce. Turn into a serving platter. Serves six.

Broccoli Carrot and Toasted Corn Slaw with Pecans

1 large crown broccoli
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 ear fresh corn, husked and kernels removed
2 green onions, sliced
Dash red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp chopped pecans

Juice of 1/2 lemon, just over 1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 generous Tbsp olive oil

Cut the broccoli floweret tips off, and into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. Peel stalk base if necessary, and dice all stalk pieces into 1/2-inch pieces. In all, you should have 3-4 cups broccoli. Tip stalk pieces into a glass bowl with a tablespoon water. Microwave for two minutes, covered. Toss in the flowerets, salt to taste, cover and microwave one more minute. Immediately transfer to a bowl with ice water and allow to chill thoroughly.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast the corn in just a bit of cooking oil. Allow kernels to just turn a bit brown then stir and repeat. Drain the broccoli (and I like to spin in a salad spinner to dry a bit; a kitchen towel will work too). Tip corn into a serving bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste, and toss to mix well. Serves 4.