Bison Bean and Barley Chili with Pearl Onions

This is a rich hearty chili with a sweet surprise of pearl onions.
2 cups water plus 1 tsp salt
1/4 cup pearl barley

1 lb ground bison (or beef, preferably grass fed)
1 16-oz bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (or powder)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 can Navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
about 2 more cups water
palmful cilantro, minced

Bring the salted water to a boil in a small pot. Cook the barley in the water for about 15 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Brown the ground bison in a soup pot or Dutch oven with a dash of olive oil until well browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set browned bison aside in a bowl.

Add a dash more oil to the pot and add the pearl onions. Allow to brown slightly, about 8 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, jalapeño pepper and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Return the bison to the pot.

Add the tomato paste, chili powder and turmeric. Cook the mixture down for another 5 minutes or so to darken the paste and develop its flavor.

Add the beans and the barley and enough water to make a thick chili. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes to develop flavor. Adjust consistency with water as necessary. Serve in bowls, garnished with cilantro.

Serves 4-6.

Chicken Piccata over Zucchini Caper Ragu

Cutting chicken breasts into thin 'paillards', as the French call them, allows them to cook quickly, pan seared over high heat. This keeps them tender, yet browned on the edges.  The sauce comes from a much slower cooked ragu of Mediterranean vegetables, and of course some lemon and white wine.
Ragu:
3 small zucchini, cut lengthwise then into coarse half moons, about 3-4 cups
1 yellow pepper, coarsely sliced
1 small purple Bermuda onion, sliced into half moons
1 tsp dried herbes de Provence, or Italian herbs
4 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup white wine

Piccata:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup stuffed green olives, drained
1 tsp capers
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp pickled jalapeño peppers, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Make the Ragu: in a large skillet, sauté the zucchini, onion and pepper in bit of olive oil. Season with the herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 10minutes, then add the tomatoes and capers. Cook another 10 minutes, then add the wine and cook a final 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the chicken: thinly slice the breasts on a bias to make about 2x2-inch paillards. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet until almost smoking. Quickly brown the chicken on one side for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the chicken, and add the olives, capers, garlic and jalapeños.

Cook another minute or two, then add the wine and lemon juice. Cook another minute, then remove the chicken to a platter. Heat the sauce to a boil, then whisk in the butter to thicken the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

To serve, plate the Ragu with the chicken paillards on top.   Garnish with parsley.

Serves four.

Fingerling Blue Cheese Gratin

I once lived on the edge of a small potato farm in the rich Connecticut River Valley.  Under the moonlight, after the harvest, we would step sideways from our house and pick up the tiny potatoes the farmers left behind and could not be bothered with.  Little did the farmers know that someday these would end up most prized fingerling potatoes, fetching high prices.  But already we knew,  because they were tender and delicious.  Now nothing goes to waste and farmers are reaping these rewards as well.  Good for them - they grew them and they deserve it.

Cook them with cheese, cream and herbs and you can't go wrong.
About 2 doz small fingerling potatoes
1 cambray spring onion, diced
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375F. Cover the potatoes with a half inch cold water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Salt generously and simmer until potatoes are just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and slice in half lengthwise.

Toss potatoes gently together with the onion, cheeses, garlic, parsley and red pepper.

Season lightly with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Tip potato mixture into an oiled gratin pan or casserole.

Pour cream over potatoes and bake for about 15-20 minutes, covered.

Uncover and continue baking another 10 minutes or so, until the dish is browned and bubbly.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts with Craisins and Almonds

I think it is a welcome transformation that I no longer need to be afraid to say "Oh, l love Brussels sprouts." Twenty years ago you would have been considered nuts.  And not surprising because of the way it used to be so typical to overlook Brussels Sprouts.  It was not uncommon to boil them whole until they were completely fork tender, almost a mush - the long drawn out boiling breaking down and releasing malodorous sulfurous compounds that would never see the light of day with a more rapid cooking touch.

Today, even a relatively quick pan sear can blacken the sprout a bit to give it a smokey tone while caramelizing and sweetening but retaining a nice crunch. Cooked only until just 'crisp-tender'.  Oven roasting at high temperatures for relatively short times can also achieve a similar depth of flavor.

These days Brussels sprouts are all the rage and you can hardly find a restaurant that doesn't feature them somewhere on their menu.  What's next, the turnip, perhaps?
2-3 Tbsp canola oil
4 cup Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 cup slivered carrot
1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, salted

Heat a large skillet (NOT non-stick, unless ceramic) to high. Add canola oil and heat to shimmering - you want this baby HOT. Carefully add the Brussels sprouts and carrots and allow one side to brown for about 2-3 minutes.

Don’t stir too much or you will not get a good browning. But the trick is not to allow the sprouts to burn. This takes attention!

Stir when the first side is browned and continue in total for about 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the cranberries, nuts and seeds and heat through.

Serves 4-6 as a side.

Steak Jeannot

My uncle Jeannot (Johnny in French) made this fantastic, elegant, yet simple dish of grilled London Broil steak over tarragon butter jus for our 5th wedding anniversary, and I have been making it ever since.
1-1/2 lb London Broil steak
3 Tbsp butter, cut into 6 thin pads
1 Tbsp tarragon, minced (I used dried here)

Heat grill to high. Season stake generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.

Lay butter on a serving platter and top with tarragon.

Grill steak about 4-5 minutes on each side, just until the steak is medium-rare.

Remove steak from grill and place hot onto the butter in the serving platter.

Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest 5-8 minutes. Remove steak to a cutting board and slice on the bias. Return the slices and all accumulated juices to the serving platter. Serve steak slices with tarragon jus.

Serves 4.

Singapore Noodles

East meets West in this Asian curried noodle.  Recipe following soon.

Baked Swai with Lemon Balm Gremolata

Infused with lemon, this light, fast fish dish is kicked up a notch with red pepper.  Serve with your favorite hot sauce on the side.
2 swai or other white fish fillets, about 1 lb

Gremolata:
palmful fresh lemon balm leaves, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black sesame seeds
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 425F. A small food processor makes mincing the lemon balm and garlic quick work.  Mix together the gremolata ingredients in a small bowl.

Place fillets on an oiled baking sheet and lightly oil the top surface. 

Scatter gremolata about the surface of the fillets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, just until the fish is cooked through.

Serves 3-4.  Serve with lemon and your favorite hot sauce.

Cook’s note: You could use many other white fish fillets such as flounder, catfish or tilapia, for example.

Lemon balm grows profusely in my garden in the mid-atlantic, and is popping up bright and green this early spring. It is wonderfully lemony and makes a great gremolata - an Italian herb condiment comprised of lemon, parsley and garlic. It is served on meat and fish dishes. Here I substitute the lemon zest and parsley with the lemon balm.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Throw together your favorite spices and sauces with some pork into a crock pot, cook it up while you're at work, pull it apart and lay some on your favorite buns, with your favorite slaw.  Epic.  And Easy.
3-5 lb pork Boston Butt (shoulder), the higher, depending on amount of fat and bone
8 hard roll or favorite buns

1 8-oz jar favorite BBQ sauce
favorite hot sauce, to taste
1 cup cider vinegar
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced

Spice rub:
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar

The night before, bone the pork and remove the skin and major visible fat from the meat. Cut the meat into three pieces. Rub the spice mix all over the pieces of pork. Salt and pepper the pork and place in crock of slow cooker. Cover and refrigerate. Mix together the BBQ sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, onion, garlic and jalapeño in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

The next morning, pour the BBQ sauce over the pork and cover the crock.

Place crock in slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours. If you are around, turn the pork over once or twice. Otherwise, don't worry - I'm never around, and it turns out fine! When you return from work, turn the pieces over in the sauce. Then remove them onto a cutting board and pull pork apart with two forks.

Split buns and spread 1-2 tablespoons sauce on the base of each bun. top with pork. Serve pork sandwiches with your favorite cole slaw. Serves 8.

Cook's Note: reserve the remaining sauce; it's packed with flavor. You can use it to bake BBQ chicken. Place about 2-3 cups sauce into a 13x9-inch casserole. Lay pieces of a whole cut-up chicken (about 8-10) on top of sauce. Spray chicken with oil, salt and pepper, and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Done.

Shellfish and White Beans over Asian Greens

1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch fresh ginger, minced
1 lb mixed shellfish, shelled (I used shrimp, scallops and calamari)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 fresh tomato, diced and drained
1 can Navy or cannellini beans, drained

8 cups spring green mixed salad greens
2 green onions, sliced

Wasabe Sesame Dressing:
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp wasabe powder or paste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil

Melt the butter in the olive oil in a skillet. Toss in the garlic and ginger and cook about 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Tip in the shellfish and sauté, with stirring, until the shrimp turn pink, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove shellfish mix to a bowl.

Turn heat to high and add second portion of olive oil to pan. Add the tomato and cook, stirring regularly for about 6-8 minutes.

Allow the tomatoes to sizzle and begin to caramelize just a bit. Then add the beans, and fold in gently to heat through. Return the shellfish to the pan and heat through.

Whisk together the dressing and toss with the greens. Distribute the greens among four plates. Distribute the shellfish mixture evenly on top of the greens and scatter the green onions on top. Serve with Zucchini quinoa fritters, or toasted bread on the side.

Serves 4.

Asian Savoy Slaw

Slaw goes with so many dishes.  I love cabbage and love this dish.

1/2 head savoy cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, grated
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
2 Tbsp shelled sunflower seeds

Sauce:
1/3 cup good real mayonnaise
1 rounded Tbsp Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper

Toasted sesame seeds

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and toss together with the veggies in a large bowl. Allow to marinate for at least half an hour in the refrigerator. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Mediterranean Macaroni Primavera

Here is a Mediterranean inspired primavera loaded with veggies. The more you read about the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, or cuisine - as the Italian foodies would rather have you say - the more you want more of this.
2 medium zucchini
4 plum tomatoes
2 cups cauliflower
1/3 lb ribbed macaroni
6 fresh sage leaves coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock
black toasted sesame seeds

Slice the tomatoes about 1/2 inch. Slice the zucchini in coarse chances, rotating the zucchini 45 degrees after each slice.

Break the cauliflower into bit-sized pieces.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and salt generously for the macaroni. Stir in the macaroni and return to a gentle boil. After about 6 minutes, as the macaroni approaches al-dente, add the cauliflower and cook a final 2 minutes. The cauliflower should be just crisp tender and the macaroni al dente.

Meanwhile, sauté the zucchini in large skillet with a dash of olive oil, allowing the cut sides to brown nicely. Season with black pepper. Watch carefully and cook only until the zucchini browns a bit but remains crisp-tender.

Remove zucchini to a bowl. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook about 2-3 minutes. Then add the stock to skillet and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce volume in half.

Heat another skillet to high and add a dash of olive oil. Add the tomatoes and the sage allow them to sizzle a few minutes per side. The tomatoes should just soften and caramelize a bit, but don’t cook them to a pulp - they should maintain their individual integrity.

When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup cooking water, drain and pour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the stock and the zucchini and gently fold together. Adjust sauce consistency with pasta cooking water if necessary. Tip out onto a serving platter and scatter the tomatoes, along with all their cooking juices, on top. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Nut Mix

At some point in the day you might need something to just pick you up a bit - make it healthy and delicious.  Make it this.
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup salted pecans
1/2 cup salted pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup salted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup Trader Joe’s cocoa nibs
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Store in a tightly sealed container. Makes 3-14 cups nut mix.

Creamy White Bean Sausage and Escarole Soup

Escarole is a great way to get your greens.  It's been used in soup in France for ages, and is a great accompaniment cooked with fresh peas and spring onions - a favorite dish of my Mother's.  But with the heyday of baby spinach and all the other great baby greens you can get at the market these days, it seems we might have forgotten this great leafy green.  I cook it up here with a big pot of Great Northern beans, from the dried bean.  This makes a nice creamy soup, cooked up very quickly in a pressure cooker.

I used a flavorful Italian sausage prepared by Zingo's, a very nice small local market I especially like.  But you could use whatever your favorite sausage, kielbasa or ham.
1 lb dried Great Norther Beans
1 tsp salt
1 lb Italian sausage, uncased
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
1 heat escarole, chopped, cleaned and drained

Soak beans overnight. Drain them and place in a pressure cooker. Cover with cold water to 1/2-inch above the beans. Add salt and a dash of canola oil. Cover and bring to high pressure. Time cooking at 6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cooker to depressurize naturally.

Alternatively Cook beans in water just to cover in a Dutch oven for about an hour and a half, until beans are cooked through.

Sauté onion in a Dutch oven or large pot. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until softened and beginning to sweeten. Remove to a bowl. Add sausage and brown well, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Return onion to pot with sausage and add the cooked beans and their cooking liquid. Bring to a gentle boil and stir in the escarole.

Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the escarole has cooked down and the flavors in the soup have blended well.

I like it served with plenty of red pepper flakes.

Serve 6-8.

Baked Macaroni Shrimp and Salmon

More than just your average tuna noodle casserole.  But equally comforting, and fast.
1/2 lb large ribbed macaroni
1 dozen medium shrimp, peeled and cut in half
1/4 lb salmon fillet, skinned
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 lb Jalapeno Jack cheese, cubed 1/4-inch

Béchamel sauce:
1 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup flour
2+ cups milk
1/2 tsp dried dill weed

1/2 cup panko crumbs
palmful fresh parsley, minced
dash garlic powder, about 1/4 tsp
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Bring 2 quarts of water in a medium pot to a boil for the pasta. Season generously with a tablespoon of coarse kosher salt. Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile prepare the Béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in the oil in a small sauce pan. Add the flour and cook for about 3-5 minutes until smelling a bit nutty but not darkening much. Add the 2 cups milk and turn heat to high. Whisking every once in a while, allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil and thicken. Add the dill and season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust thickness with a bit more milk if necessary. The pasta will absorb a lot of the moisture, so the sauce should not be too thick - it should just coat the back of a spoon well. A slightly thinner sauce will keep the dish moist and creamy.

Toss the shrimp, salmon, peas and cheese into a large mixing bowl.

Add the pasta and the sauce and mix well. Turn into an oiled casserole.

Mix together the panko crumbs with the parsley, garlic powder and oil.

The crumbs should just be moist. Scatter the crumbs on top of the macaroni and bake for about 30 minutes, until nicely browned and bubbly.

Serves 4.

Cook’s Note: I used leftover previously poached salmon in this case, but you could just as well use fresh uncooked fish. You could also substitute many other varieties of fish such as grouper or cod. I also tossed in a few leftover sautéed zucchini I had hanging around. This is the perfect dish to rescue lonely leftovers. Waste not, want not.