Broccoli Fifi

This is a quick broccoli prep that our daughter's good friend, Fifi really loves. Its faster than roasting broccoli - and another way to get a rich browned-flavor out of broccoli.
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 crowns broccoli, trimmed and chopped

In a large non-stick skillet or wok, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and garlic. Cook for about a minute, until fragrant. Add 1 Tbsp water, the Balsamic vinegar and the broccoli. Cook an fairly high heat, stirring often, until the broccoli browns at the edges and is just crisp-tender. Tip into a serving bowl.

Pasta Bastille

Whole Poached Salmon

1 5-6 lb salmon, cleaned and scaled

Court Bouillon:
About 8 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
1 lemon, cleaned and sliced
Palmful parsley
Palmful other fresh herbs such as sage, oregano or thyme

Put water and wine in a fish poacher or other pot large enough to fit the whole fish, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, add the vegetables and herbs to the water.

If you are using a pot you may want to wrap the fish in cheesecloth for easy removal after cooking. When the water comes to a boil, add the fish and return to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes.

Carefully remove the fish - with the insert rack if you are using the poacher or by grabbing the ends of the cheesecloth if younger using a pot. Let the fish cool to room temperature. Serve with Aioli sauce or mayonaise.

Cool Herb Tsatsiki Aioli
Mayonaise
Sundried Tomato Pesto Aioli

Cool Herb Tsatsiki Aioli

If you don't have Greek yogurt you can strain regular yogurt through a coffee filter for about an hour to remove a lot of the whey and get the thick consistency of Greek yogurt - so good for sauces. You can use any fresh herbs you have around the garden.

½ cup good real mayonnaise
½ cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, minced
½ Tbsp fresh lavender, minced
½ Tbsp fresh mint, minced
Juice of ½ lemon
Dash salt and ground white pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and allow flavors to infuse for at least an hour.

July 4th Grilling - Smokey Pimenton adds Flavor Depth

Pimenton, a smokey Spanish paprika adds a deep flavor to grilled foods, and a simple rub with it goes a long way. You can use this rub on most anything - chicken, pork, shrimp; the rich smokey flavor of pimenton cannot be realized with standard paprika, unless maybe you get fresh paprika from Hungary directly, maybe.

Smokey Pimenton BBQ Rub
2 Tbsp Spanish smokey pimenton paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried Italian or Provence herbs
1 tsp ground white pepper

Stir everything together and rub onto food to be grilled.

Here are some examples of grilled foods with this rub:
Chicken thighs.Mixed grill: chicken cutlets and shrimp kebabs.Grilled pork chops.

Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and White Beans

Another great visit from Thierry and Julie accompanied by great food and conversation. Julie brought the most delicious fresh mozzarella from a small family-run Italian shop on Long Island and made a delicious classic salad with fresh tomatoes and basil. She left behind delicious freshly made bulk Italian sausage and some broccoli Rabe sauteed with roasted garlic, giving me instructions on a dish she regularly prepares with these ingredients. Since the rabe was store-bought, I extrapolate it's preparation from imagination. I substituted some white beans for some of the sausage Julie left me because we love white beans so much and this leaves us a portion of sausage for latter use :-) I am sure the purist will prepare their own roasted garlic from scratch, which is not that hard to do, but you can also get pretty good roasted garlic these days in the olive/condiment bar in the market.

1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 large bunch broccoli rabe
1 can Cannillini or other white bean, drained
1 pkg mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup roasted garlic cloves
2 cups good low salt chicken
1/2 lb rigatoni or ziti
Dash red pepper flakes

In a big fry pan, sauté the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil until they have released their water and have browner bit. Add the sausage and sauté until the sausage is well browned. Add the broccoli rabe and chicken broth, cover and cook about 10 minutes, or until the greens are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the garlic and beans to the sausage mixture along with the red pepper flakes. Add a bit more stock as needed to have a nice saucy consistency.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with the sausage mixture in a large bowl. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Rice Primavera with Pimenton

You can used mixed frozen veggies or whatever leftover veggies you might have. This is a great dish to add a can of beans (drained) to, for a complete meal. You can also use leftover rice for even a quicker preparation.

1 cup rice (I especially love Jasmine with this because of its aroma)
2 cups water
½ tsp salt
2 tsp smoky Spanish Pimenton paprika
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 cups blanched mixed vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, zucchini
dash red pepper flakes

In a pot with a tight-fitting lid sauté the rice in a bit of canola oil, stirring constantly over medium heat. Let the rice turn white (from translucent) and become aromatic – about 5 minutes. Add the water and salt, cover and cook 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet and add the seeds. Shake for a few minutes until they become aromatic. Add the veggies and pepper flakes and heat through. Fluff rice with a fork and fold into the vegetables.

Pimenton is a smokey paprika from Spain - very rich, deep flavor.

Fast Salmon and Scallops Fins Herbes

This is incredibly fast and delicious. These days you can get outstanding quality frozen seafood, certainly suitable for fast weeknight dinners, if not for the ultimate special guest occasion. I like Trader Joes's frozen seafood, but there are many, many other sources as well.

4 ¼ lb frozen skinned salmon fillets
1 lb frozen sea scallops
4 pads butter
2 Tbsp minced red Bermuda onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
Palmful fresh mint, minced
Palmful fresh oregano, minced
About 6 fresh sage leaves, minced
Other minced fresh herbs that you like
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup dry white wine
juice of ½ lemon

Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange the salmon fillets on top of a pad of butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Scatter the scallops about the fillets. Stir together the onion, garlic, herbs with the oil and top the seafood evenly with the herb mixture. Pour the wine and the lemon juice over the fish. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes or just until seafood is cooked.

This is great served over cheese ravioli.

Thai Fish Noodles

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch fresh Ginger, minced
1 can coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
1Tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 leek, cleaned and diced
juice of ½ lime
1 lb cooked lo-mien noodles
8 baby bock choy buds, base sliced off to release individual leaves
1 lb haddock or other favorite fish, cubed (I used Trader Joe's frozen Haddock pieces)

In a soup pot, sauté leek for five minutes in a bit of olive oil. Add the garlic and ginger and cook another one to two minutes. Add the stock, coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce and lime juice and heat through.

Gently fold in the lo-mien noodles and bock choy and heat through. Finally, fold in the haddock and heat through. Serve in bowls.

Summer is Coming: Burgers Rule

Whether you like bacon cheeseburgers, or black bean and quinoa burgers, or grilled mahi-mahi burgers, the combinations are endless as we approach summer, here in New England.

We have been grilling burgers inside, but as the weather changes we are moving outside to cook. Bean burgers are done very well in a non-stick skillet on the stove, but apparently they can be done on a grill pan as well - that's for further study and reporting. But of course there are a million other ways and ingredients to construct a burger, and here is a collection of a few of our favorites we are finding along the way.

Brie Burger with Horseradish CrèmeBrie Burger
1 lb ground beef (grass-fed local, preferably)
1 tsp dried dill
1 Tbsp minced shallot
12 slices Brie cheese
4 hamburger buns
8 tomato slices

Horseradish Crème
2 Tbsp Greek lowfat yogurt
2 Tbsp good real mayonnaise
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish, drained
several dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tsp Marukan seasoned rice vinegar

Prepare grill. Gently mix beef dill and shallot and form 4 patties. Grill one side to taste - about 3-5 minutes. Flip and top with brie. Cover grill and cook another 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk crème ingredients together. Makes just over ¼ cup – enough for four burgers.

Spread horseradish crème on bun bottom. Top with burger and sliced tomatoes.


Bacon Blue Cheese BurgerSome cukes and fresh sage and you're good to go. We find the best burgers we make are with grass-fed beef. A bit more expensive, but much better for you and the globe.


Trader Joe's Mahi Mahi BurgerWant a burger but need dinner quick? We keep Trader Joe's Mahi Mahi burgers on hand - love 'em.