Tilapia Baked with Pesto and an Almond Crust on Caramelized Peppers

1 Tbsp love oil plus 1 Tbsp butter
1 red pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 yellow pepper, cut into match sticks
1 purple Bermuda onion, sliced

4 Tilapia fillet, washed and dried
4 Tbsp pesto
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup sliced almonds
1 Tbsp black toasted sesame seeds
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Sauté the peppers and onion in a large skillet in butter and oil.  Let the veggies cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for about 30 minutes.  Allow the veggies to soften, color and caramelize, so they turn very sweet.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Heat oven to 375F.  Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Lay Tilapia fillets onto sheet and spread pesto evenly on top of the fillets.  In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs, almonds, sesame seeds and butter together.  Divide the crumbs evenly among the fillets.

Bake fish for about 15-20 minutes, just until the fish is cooked through and the crumbs begin to brown.  When the fish is ready, divide the peppers among four plates, laying a bed for the fish.  Lay each fillet on top of the peppers.  Serve with lemon wedges.  Serves 4.

Cook's Note: you don't have to use the black sesame seeds.  Use brown ones or none at all; you'll be fine.  You can use many different types of while fish such as sole, perch or snapper.  If you don't have pesto, you can use mayonnaise - this works beautifully.

Navy Bean and Barley Stew

1 cup dried shitake mushrooms
1 quart broth, chicken, beef or veggie
1/3 cup pearl barley
2 medium carrots, diced
1 leek, cleaned and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
2 cans Great Northern beans
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tsp Dijon mustard
A few shakes favorite hot sauce

Soak shitake mushrooms in warm water.  Heat broth in a 3-4 quart pot to a gentle boil.  Add the barley and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the barley is just tender.

Meanwhile, saute carrots, leek and celery in a skillet in a bit of olive oil.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until the veggies soften and begin to color.  Drain mushrooms and squeeze out the water.  Slice.  Add the garlic and rosemary and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Drain mushrooms and squeeze out the water.  Slice.  Add the sautéed veggies and mushrooms to the broth and barley in the pot, along with the beans, wine, and mustard.  Cook another 10 minutes or so, stirring every so often.  Serve in bowls, with a few shakes of hot sauce.

Serves four.

Cook's Note: You don't have to use shitake - you can use whatever mushrooms you have on hand - even canned.  If using canned, add the broth right to the soup.

Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus

1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces, 4 cups
1 purple Bermuda onion, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp Pimenton, Spanish smoked paprika
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Olive oil as needed

Preheat oven to 400F.  Toss the cauliflower in a large bowl with just enough olive oil to moisten.  Tip in the onion, the dill and pimenton, and toss together well.  Salt and pepper lightly.  Pour mixture out into a rimmed jelly roll baking pan.  Place in oven.

Snap the tough ends of the asparagus off, and cut off the top 2-inches of the tips.  set aside.  take the stalks and cut into 3 pieces.  Tip the stalks into the same large bowl, and toss together with a dash of olive oil, and the garlic.  Salt and pepper lightly.  Tip into another rimmed jelly roll pan, and spread about one half of the pan.  After the cauliflower has been roasting for 15 minutes, add the asparagus stalks to the oven.

Finally toss the asparagus tips into the large bowl with a dash of olive oil. Salt and pepper lightly.  After the stalks have been roasting 5 minutes, remove pan from oven and pour the asparagus tips into the second half of the pan with the stalks and spread evenly.  Continue roasting another 15 minutes.

By now, all the veggies should be soft and beginning to darken around the edges.  Then tip all the veggies together into a serving platter.

Serves four as a side dish.

Grilled Korean Pork Bulgogi Ssambap

I was recently quite surprised at 30,000 feet over the Pacific, in a good way.  The only way to be surprised at 30,000 feet.  Returning from Seoul, South Korea, I was offered a very interesting dinner choice.

Don't you hate the way steward/esses offer you the "chicken or the pasta" and when you ask for any details, all you get is "Its chicken with vegetables" or "Its pasta with sauce".   Thanks for that; now I can make a really fully informed choice.  I'm not really complaining - steward/esses have an awfully difficult job, but it is an American past-time to complain about airplane food.

Well I was surprised.  I was offered "the chicken" or the Bulgogi Ssambap.  Wow, you gotta be kidding me.  The Korean National Dish. How are you going to do Bulgogi Ssambap - this I had to see.  A fresh country dish of lettuce or lime leaves, grilled meat or fish, some rice, and an assortment of fresh condiments and bean pastes in small dishes scattered around the table - quite complex, and one of Korea's best dishes ever.  The diner wraps the rice and other offerings in the lettuce leaves and eats it like a taco or a wrap.

The grilled beef was served in it's own heated container, and all the other accoutrements were chilled and served in a pleasing arrangement around it.  They had little tubes of bean pastes - smaller and way cuter than travel sized tooth paste.  And way better tasting.  They had 2-3 different kimchis, they had lettuce leaves, they had rice; they even had a little quick-reference guide on how to eat this darn thing.  With diagrams! Fantastic.

And the beef really was very good.  Somebody really thought this through.  It was the best ethnic food I have ever had in the stratosphere.  It's gotta be easier at home, though, so I gave it a try in a simple way.  Go discuss with a real Korean if you want a more authentic approach.  Otherwise, give this a try for a fresh take on summer grilling.
Marinade:
1/4 cup Gochujang Korean red pepper paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp dry sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced

1 lb pork or beef, cut into strips about 1/2 x 2-inches
about 12 baby romaine lettuce leaves

1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 purple onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup kimchi, coarsely chopped

Whisk the sauce ingredients together and toss with the meat.  Allow to marinate at least an hour, or ideally overnight in the refrigerator.

Prepare the grill.  Heat a bit of canola oil in a small wok or in a skillet.  Sauté the pepper and onion for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the kimchi and heat through.  Remove from heat and serve in a bowl at the table.

Meanwhile, prepare the table, laying out the plates, the lettuce leaves on a platter, the kimchi mix and even a bit of Korean Ssamjang dark bean paste, if you have it.  Also offer some form of white rice (here I mix with red quinoa).  Grill the meat strips, pulling them out of the marinade with a bit of a shake.  Grill the strips on high heat, a minute or two per side - they cook quickly.  Serve on a platter amongst the other table offerings.

Diners can layer lettuce, kimchi mix, meat and bean paste.  Then wrap the lettuce and eat with their hands, or with a fork and knife.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note:  If Kimchi is new to you, give it a try.  It is a highly flavored Korean seasoned cabbage condiment, always served on the side.  You can find it in most grocers in the the fresh Asian or vegetarian sections.  Gochujang and Ssamjang are Korean bean pastes, hot and sweet respectively.

The Korean Bulgogi Ssambap table can be very complex, and this is in no way a description of an authentic presentation.  This is just a simple version that works in a straightforward way.  So try to get your hands on the Korean kimchi and bean pastes from a Korean or Asian grocer - well worth the effort.

Grilled Tuna on Greens with Yellow Squash

It is drop dead gorgeous this spring in the mid-Atlantic, and  I have one more day to say this.  On a crisp blue-sky day, nothing is faster following an after-work bike ride than grilling up some fish and veggies.  Just a couple minutes per side, throw them on some greens, and viola - dinner.

1 lb tuna fillets, cut into four portions

Spice rub:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp celery seeds
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

6 small yellow zucchinis, sliced in half lengthwise; enough for four people
1 fresh ripe tomato, diced
about 4 cups mixed salad greens
juice of 1 lime
1-2 Tbsp walnut or extra virgin olive oil

Prepare the grill.  Pat the tuna pieces evenly with the spice rub on both sides.  Spray the tuna and squash with canola oil.  Grill tuna and squash over medium-high heat, both about 3-4 minutes per side.  Better to leave tuna on the rare side; overcooked tuna can be so dry.

Meanwhile, divide greens and tomato evenly among four plates.  Sprinkle lime juice and oil evenly on top of greens.  Lightly salt and pepper to taste.  Top greens with a portion of tuna and yellow squash.  Serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Serves four.

Cook's note:  As you can see from the photo, I think this is a mild dish screaming for some excitement like a Fresh Field Potato Salad with a Wasabe Avocado Dressing, for example.

Fresh Field Potatoes with a Wasabe Avocado Dressing

I used to live in the gorgeous Connecticut River Valley, right next to a potato farm.  The farmer would harvest his potatoes, leaving the tiny little ones behind.  Who could bother?  Hungry college students that we were, and resourceful at that, we would scavenge the field with flashlights at night, and collect bags of 1-inch fresh field potatoes.  This was - ahem - a few years ago, shall we say; long before the gourmets of the world taught the farmer that these tiny little jewels are so much more sweet and tender than their fat bland elders.  Today, I am sure that farmer has a different, more lucrative harvesting policy, perhaps borrowed from recent educational policy - leave no potato behind.
1 lb tiny fresh potatoes - max - 1-inch diameter
1 avocado, diced
juice of 1 lime
palmful fresh cilantro leaves, minced

Dressing:
2 Tbsp mayonaise
1 Tbsp Greek Yogurt
2 tsp dried wasabe powder, or 1 tsp prepared wasabe paste, or 1Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp finely diced red onion
1 clove garlic, pushed through a press
1 tsp whole grain mustard

Cover the potatoes in a medium pot with cold water.  Bring to a  gentle boil, salt generously, and cook until the potatoes are just tender to the tip of a knife. Drain well, and leave uncovered to cool down.

Meanwhile gently fold the avocado with the lime.  Whisk together the sauce ingredients.  When the potatoes are still warm, but not far from room temperature, toss together with the dressing.  Then fold the avocado and cilantro together with the potatoes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves four as a side dish.

Cook's Note:  There is no correct answer for this recipe - use as much wasabe as you like flying up your nose!  Taste as you go along and adjust accordingly.

Butternut and Bean Soup

As spring turns to summer, I have to remind myself that the farmers need the rain.  So when it rains, I frown as I can't ride my bike, but smile and make soup.  This soup uses fridge and pantry staples, except the zucchini, which can be substituted with whatever you have - maybe green beans (fresh or frozen), edamame, broccoli or bok choy - whatever you have.  The beans can also vary; you could practically use whatever canned bean you have.  This is fast, flexible and flavorful with oh, so toothy a bite, for a vegetarian meal - don't overcook it!  So satisfying while you watch your wet garden grow.
1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 leek, cleaned and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced 1/2-inch, about 4 cups
1/2 cup white wine
1 quart stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 can light red kidney beans, drained
1 small or 4-5 baby zucchini, sliced
1 Tbsp pesto
shaved Parmesan cheese

Heat butter and oil in a 2 quart soup pot, and add the leek and celery.  Cook about 5 minutes to begin to soften the veggies.  Add the jalapeño, garlic and butternut squash, and continue cooking another 8-10 minutes.  Add the wine, stock and the beans to the soup and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes or so, just until the squash softens, but does not loose its shape.  Add the zucchini and pest and cook another minute.  The zucchini should remain very crisp-tender.

Serve soup in a bowl, topped with shaved Parmesan cheese.  Serves 4.

Lentil and Barley with Caramelized Fennel

This is a hearty, stick-to-your-rib dish; a complete protein with the barley complementing the lentils.  Sautéing the veggies to soften just a bit and caramelize, develops rich flavor - don't cut this step short.
3/4 cup black Puy lentils
1/4 cup pearl barley
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and finely diced, trimmings reserved
1 carrot, cut in quarters
1 stalk celery, cut in quarters
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and diced, trimmings reserved
2 carrots, finely diced
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter

2 cups Baba Ghanouj, creamy eggplant dip with tahini, made or bought

Bring one quart of water to a boil in a pot.  The trimmings will add a lot of rischness to the cooking water, but don't add the really small trimmings as they will be very hard to fish out afterwards. Add the lentils, barley, the cut carrot, celery and the larger fennel and leek trimmings.  Return to a boil, stir, and reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring two to three times.

Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet and add the fennel, diced carrot and the leek.  Sauté over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, to deeply color the veggies.  Slow caramelization will make them sweet and rich in flavor.  The fennel should still be a bit crisp tender.

When the lentils and barley are just cooked through, pick out the veggies with tongs and discard.  Drain the lentils and return to their pot.  Stir gently with a tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, a dash of salt to taste, and the cumin.  Tip the lentils into the skillet with the caramelized veggies, and fold together, gently.

Turn into a serving platter.  Top with Baba Ghanouj and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Alternatively, serve lentils alongside a dollop of Baba Ghanouj. In any case, serve with lemon wedges and some flatbread.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note: This is inspired by a lentil dish in "Plenty", a wonderful vegetarian cookbook by Yotam Ottlenghi.  I use Baba Ghanough as the accompaniment because I love it so much.  Yotam simply mixes the eggplant with some lemon and oil - simple and pure.  I don't find mixing up the tahini to take too much more time, and I feel the lentils can use the richness.  But it's a lot to cook - this is a Sunday meal for me.  But you can either buy Baba Ghanouj, or just top the lentils with some plain Greek yogurt, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a squeeze of fresh lemon; simple and pure.

Baba Ghanouj

This is a classic Middle Eastern dip of eggplant and tahini - a creamy sesame paste.  Eat with pita pieces or crackers, or use as a topping or side for lentil dishes.  It's a great accompaniment to vegetarian meals to add depth and richness, both for taste and texture.  There are many ways to cook the eggplant until soft - see Cook's note for options.  
2 medium eggplants
1/2 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon, about 1/4 cup
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Palmful fresh parsley (preferably flat-leaf), minced
1/2 tsp salt

The best way to cook the eggplants is on a gas burner, in the same way as you roast a red pepper.  Line your stove with some aluminum foil, because eggplant can drip.  Lay the eggplants each on a burner on high.  Turn with tongs every minute or two, and blacken the eggplants for about 15 minutes.  The skins should be crispy and blackened, and the eggplants should be deflating on their own weight. When they are done, cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and place cut-side-down, in a colander on a plate, for at least 15-20 minutes to allow them to drain.

Alternatively, slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, and  roast them on a jelly roll baking pan at 375F for about 30-45 minutes, until they are soft and wilted.  Lay them in a colander, cut-side-down, on a plate, for at least 15-20 minutes to allow them to drain.

Pour tahini into a large mixing bowl and whisk together with the remaining ingredients.  Place each eggplant half on a cutting board and slice thinly lengthwise and then once in half across the width.  Tip into bowl with tahini sauce.  Stir together all the eggplant with the tahini, whisking a bit with a fork.  You want to break the eggplant apart, and make a smooth mixture.  Turn into a serving bowl, swirling the top.  Pour a bit of extra virgin olive oil on top and dust with paprika or a bit more cayenne pepper.

Makes 3-4 cups eggplant dip.

Cook's note: Blackening the eggplants on a gas stove really imparts a smokey flavor to the Baba Ghanouj, but is time consuming and requires constant attention.  If you are busy, as I am often, just roast the eggplants in an oven - it will still be a great dish!

Galantine of Chicken with Kale and Chorizo

Here is a fantastic preparation of a whole chicken stuffed with kale and chorizo.  Boning a chicken to form a Galantine is a kind of art which has to be learned.  And there is no better person to learn this from than Jacques Pepin!  It is really not difficult and very much worth a try.

1 roasting chicken
2 links chorizo sausage, sliced
1 leek, cleaned and diced
2 cups shredded kale leaves, rinsed and spun dry
2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 tsp

Bone the chicken, carefully so as not to cut the skin.  Jacques Pepin has an excellent tutorial video here:

Preheat oven to 375F.  Sauté the sausage and leek with a bit of olive oil, in a large skillet, long enough to brown the sausage disks and soften the leek.  Add the garlic and nutmeg and cook together 2-3 minutes.  Add the kale leaves and cover skillet.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  Remove cover for last few minutes of cooking; the mixture should be dried out, without allowing to burn, so that there is no standing liquid.

Lay out the chicken on a large working surface, skin-side down.  Distribute the kale mixture evenly on top of the chicken.  Carefully fold the chicken legs and sides up over the kale, overlapping the skin slightly.  The chicken should resemble a stuffed roaster.  Carefully tie up the package - again, Jacques Pepin shows this delicate procedure very well in his video; this is best learned visually!

Place chicken roll in a non-stick skillet and brown both sides a bit to get a good color going.  Move to an oiled roasting pan and insert a digital thermometer probe halfway into the chicken.   Roast for about an hour.  Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches 160F.  Allow to sit covered with foil for 10 minutes, and then slice for serving, removing all the string.

Serves 4-6.

Tofu Noodles

Noodles, mushrooms and veggies.  Throw them into some flavored broth and viola - an Asian noodle dish in a flash.  Talk about fast vegetarian.
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup shredded, or sliced carrots
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1 quart chicken broth
1 Tbsp nam pla Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 lb dried noodles
2 links vegetarian Italian sausage - about 6 oz, sliced
5 oz smoked, pressed tofu, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated, sliced
2-3 cups baby kale (or kale), finely sliced

First soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of hot water.  When soft (about 10-15 minutes), squeeze gently of water and slice.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of canola oil in a soup pot and sauté the onions, carrot and pepper for 8-10 minutes, until the veggies soften and begin to color.  Add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, fish sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil and bring to a gentle boil.  Add the noodles and cook, stirring often, until the noodles soften, about 5-8 minutes, depending on the type of noodle.  Add the sausage, tofu, mushrooms and kale and cook to heat through, about 2 minutes.

Serves four.

Cook's note: I love Trade Joe's vegetarian Italian sausage, but you can use your favorite Italian or meat sausage.  If using a meat-based sausage, be sure to sauté it in a skillet until fully cooked through before adding to the noodles. You can find smoked baked tofu in Asian markets, or some supermarkets.  I used Asian pressed tofu above and used Trader Joe's baked pressed tofu below.

Above, I used baby kale leaves, which is a great new green I am finding in the markets. In Asia I often see choy sum used as a green, which I used below.

It softens up very quickly in the hot soup, so add it towards the end.  You want fast?  Don't use dried mushrooms, use whatever cool fresh mushrooms you can find.  Below, I used delicious, fresh Japanese Brown Beech mushrooms I found in a local Asian market.  I also added some sweet peppers.

Broccoli Cauliflower Tart with a Smokey Toasted Walnut Crust

I love savory crusts, and this one is no exception.  This crust is enriched with toasted walnuts and Pimenton, Spanish smoked paprika, for a smokey, nutty flavor.  Use any extra crust to decorate the top of the tart - none should go to waste!
Filling:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup half and half
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 cups mixed cauliflower and broccoli flowerettes
1 red chili pepper, minced

Crust:
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 1/2 cup white flour
1 tsp pimenton, Spanish smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
3/4 stick butter, cubed and chilled
4-5 Tbsp ice water

Topping:
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F.  Prepare the crust by adding the walnuts to a large food processor.  Pulse to form a coarse grind.  Add the flour, paprika and salt.  Pulse a few times to mix.  Add the butter and pulse several times to form a coarse crumbly mixture.  Then pule as you add the water, and watch for the dough to start to come together as a ball - this is your cue to stop adding water!  It should take 4-5 tablespoons. Tip the dough out onto some plastic wrap, form into a disk, wrap and refrigerate.

Next blanch the cauliflower and broccoli in a pot of salted, boiling water for about 2-3 minutes.  Tip out into a colander and drain. 

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out to a diameter sufficient for the bottom and sides of your baking container.  I used a 10.5-inch non-stick springform pan.  Lay dough into oiled pan.  In a small bowl, stir together the panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese and the olive oil.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half and cheese.  Add the cauliflower, broccoli and pepper, and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Pour cauliflower mixture onto crust and curl the edges of the crust around the edges.  Top cauliflower mixture with panko crumbs.

Bake 20 minutes covered, and then 20 minutes uncovered. 

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Cook's note: you could also add a bit of nutmeg to the veggie mixture.  Alternatively, add 1-2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes. Another rich variation is to substitute half the cheddar with blue cheese.