Korean Beef Ribs With Broccoli

This is reminiscent of Korean Bulgogi grill where beef trips are grilled fast and eaten with an array of veggies and savories.  Thin cut flanked beef ribs marinate quickly and cook quickly too.

Throw this in the center of the table and toss everyone some chop sticks and have at it.  In Korea everything is often shared from the center of the table and there's a unique feeling of community you get from that.

Share the love, and heat up the grill!
4 beef asian Flanken cut ribs
2 broccoli crowns, cut into flowerets, about 4 cups
3 large portobello caps, halved and sliced
3 dried porchini mushrooms
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes

Marinade:
1/4 cup gochujang bean paste
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup pale dry sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a casserole. Remove 2 tablespoons for later use.

Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a 2 cup measuring cup in the microwave. Place dried mushrooms in the hot water and allow to rehydrate, dunking them every once in a while. This will take a good 10-15 minutes. When soft, drain and slice mushrooms. Save the mushroom water for soup!

Meanwhile, lay the ribs in the marinade.

Turn over several times to coat well.

Allow to marinate at least an hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Bring ribs back to room temperature before ready to cook.

Combine the mushrooms and sauté in a large skillet, in a dash of olive oil and the red pepper flakes. Add the broccoli and continue to sauté for about 5 more minutes, until the broccoli is just crisp tender.

Season lightly with salt. Set aside and keep warm until the ribs are cooked.

While the broccoli cooks, assure the grill is heated to HI.

Mix reserved marinade with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Grill ribs over high heat, basting with reserved marinade glaze.

Allow ribs to char along the edges a bit. Flanken cut ribs are thin and should cook in about 10 minutes.

Lay ribs out on a sheet pan or serving platter. Scatter broccoli and mushrooms on top and serve.

Serves 4.

Minestrone with Lamb and Sausage

Soups are feeling so much better as fall sets in.  Save any leftover of roasted joints of lamb or beef, and make a wonderful soup with the leftovers.
1 lb leftover lamb, cubed 1/2-inch
2 Tbsp minced mint leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and diced1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1 quart chicken broth
2 cups water

1/4 cup pearl barley
1/2 lb polish kielbasa, diced 1/2-inch
1/2 lb small waxy potatoes, diced 1/2-inch
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 cups green beans, cut 1-inch
2 cups green cabbage, cut 1-inch
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Heat a dash of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the lamb and brown nicely on all sides. Add the mint leaves and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add the celery and carrots to the lamb and cook about another 5 minutes.

Then add the leek and cook another 5 minutes.

Then add the tomatoes.

Add the broth and water and bring to a gentle boil. Add the barley and simmer about 15 minutes.  Add the sausage, potatoes and the green beans and simmer another 5 minutes.

Then add the cabbage, peas and beans, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simmer another 10 minutes until all the veggies are crisp tender.

Serves 6-8.

Block Island Bluefish Rolls

My wife was just 'stranded' on Block Island for a few extra days this past week as bad weather stopped the ferry service.  I say 'stranded' - more like blessed...

This reminded me of spending a few weeks last year at my sister and brother in law's house on the island with my father in law.  My wife tended lovingly to his aging needs while I cooked up a storm for him.

On the island, needless to say we ate lots of fish, especially when another brother in law, Glen, came for a few days and cooked up many pounds of bluefish they freshly caught that day.

What to do with all the bluefish - not a great fish to stand leftover for more than a day or two.  Bluefish rolls for everyone.  What a great lunch the next day!
1 lb bluefish fillet, skinned
1/3 cup good real mayonnaise
1 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced
1 Tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp brined capers, minced
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 cornichon pickles, sliced in half lengthwise
1 fresh tomato, sliced
2 cups spring mix lettuce leaves
4 hot dog buns

Heat grill. Spray fish with canola oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill bluefish over medium heat about 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.

Shred fish with two forks Mix with mayonnaise, dill, chives, capers and lemon juice. Toast buns on grill if desired. Spread buns with a dash more mayonnaise, if desired. Lay a bed of lettuce leaves on each bun, followed by 1/4 of the bluefish salad and 1/4 of the tomatoes. Garnish with pickles.

Tomatoes, no tomatoes.  Grilled bun or not.  Make it your own.  Makes 4 bluefish rolls.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Cook’s Note: You can use many different types of fish, baked, grilled or poached - just cool at least to room temperature before shredding.  And if cooking on Block Island, you will find lots of choices at the fish markets there.

Point Judith ferry navigating Block Island sound

Having summered often in Block Island, it is known in our family for many things, if not lobster rolls.  And no one loved lobster rolls more than my late father in law, Bernard.  So it was more than appropriate that Marika and Gerald, catering Bernard's memorial service in Maine this past summer, offered lobster rolls.  A preparation probably very similar to this, though much, much dearer :-))

That's a lot of lobster!

Herbed Grilled Whole Porgy

Simply dressed with lemon and herbs, and basted with butter kicked up with hot sauce, whole fish is a simple wonder on the grill.
2 whole porgy, dressed and cleaned
palmful fresh dill, chopped
palmful fresh parsley, minced
palmful fresh cilantro, minced
1 lemon, sliced into half moons

2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp favorite hot sauce

Heat grill to high. Season the cavity of the fish lightly with salt and pepper. Mix together the dill, parsley and cilantro and stuff the cavity with the herbs. Insert several lemons into the cavity as well.

Melt the butter in a small dish and add the hot sauce.

Butter one side of each fish and lay on grill over medium heat, about 4-5 minutes.

Baste the fish with more butter and carefully flip the fish. Baste cooked side with more butter. Continue cooking fish another 4-5 minutes, until cooked through.

Carefully transfer fish to plates or serving platter. Serve with remaining lemon slices.

Serves 2.

Cook's Note:  Choose fish with clear bright eyes and little to no smell, or don't buy them.

Chicken Soup with Toasted Corn and Dill

Here's a light chicken soup using clear broth or stock and any leftover veggies you might have.  I flavor an otherwise light soup with sweet and smokey toasted corn which I cook on the grill and then freeze for future flavoring.
2 ears fresh corn
2 Tbsp butter plus 1 tsp favorite hot sauce

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups leftover cooked veggies, like carrots and green beans (or frozen)
2 cups leftover pasta or potatoes (I used pasta)
1-1/2 quart chicken stock
a few sprigs fresh dill weed

Heat grill and cook the corn over medium high heat. Melt the butter in a small gown in the microwave and whisk in the hot sauce. Baste the corn with the butter mixture, turning the corn often.

Slightly char the corn to taste. Allow the corn to cool to room temperature, and cut the kernels off the cob.

Distribute the pasta, chicken and veggies between four bowls.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of toasted corn in the center of the solids. Heat the chicken broth in a pot until steaming hot. Warm each filled bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Spoon about a cup and a half of hot broth over the solids. Garnish with dill.

Serves 4.

Clear Light Chicken Stock

After I looked at all the added ingredients in simple chicken stock at the market, I decided to make my own and freeze it - this way I know what I'm getting, and I know it will be good.  It's a bit involved, but well worth the effort.

I make below a very light clear stock with uncooked whole chicken.  I do a similar preparation with leftover carcases of roasted chicken to get a deeper colored stock.  In that case I sauté the veggies in the pot before adding the chicken and water, to caramelize and deepen the flavor.  Here I use fresh shrimp shells I just peeled, to add even more umami depth to the stock.
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 roasting chicken, cleaned and quartered
About 3-4 quarts water
1 tsp salt
shells of 12 shrimp (optional)

Place the chicken and the veggies together in a very large stock pot. I also add the neck and the gizzards, but absolutely NOT the livers. Cover with water and add the salt. Bring to a gentle boil, and reduce to a low simmer. Skim any scum that floats to the surface as the stick cooks.

Allow stock to simmer for about an hour, but not to boil. Boiling will make a cloudy stock. Add any leftover stems and/or cuttings from parsley or cilantro if you have them. And add the shrimp shells if you are using. The shrimp shells just add a bit of umami depth to the stock and are optional.

Allow the stock to simmer without disturbing it by stirring too much at all. A gently fold now and then is all you need to assure good mixing. Again, you don’t want to cloud the broth any more than necessary.

After the broth has cooked through and is aromatic, allow to cool to room temperature. Carefully strain the broth and allow it to rest in the refrigerator. The fat will rise to the top of the broth and can be skimmed with a slotted spoon after it solidifies in the refrigerator.

Whether you use the meat and veggies you made the stock with is up to you. They will be fairly low in flavor as they have rendered most of it to the stock. Many discard the solids. I tend to use them because they still have protein and fiber. Your choice.

The best thing to do is then to filter the stock with cheesecloth, heating up a bit if it has gelled in the refrigerator too much to pour this is a great result of cooking the bones. However, you could also either decant, or ladle stock out of the pot if not too cloudy and any cloudy material has settled to the bottom of the pot. For the clearest broth, you are best to filter - but if using for example, with a roux, you may not need to filter.

Store stock in tightly sealed jars filled no more than to an inch of the top (it will expand when frozen) in the freezer.

Makes about 3-4 quarts of stock.

Lamb Chops with Sherry Balsamic Glaze

I'm cooking my way through my cookbook collection, catching inspiration page to page.  What first inspired this dish was the beautiful loin lamb chops I found at the market.  Then I saw how chops were prepared with prosciutto in The Williams Sonoma Cookbook, a classic cook's resource.  And I took it from there.
1 cup beef stock
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

8 lamb loin chops

1 shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, minced
1 oz prosciutto, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
2 anchovies, minced
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup cream sherry
1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 150F and place a rimmed baking sheet in oven. Heat the stock and vinegar in a small pan, and reduce volume in half.

Meanwhile, brown the lamb chops in a dash of olive oil in a large skillet, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare (according to Mark Bittman, 135F registering on an instant read thermometer, not touching bone).

Remove chops from pan and keep warm in the oven.  Add the shallots, garlic, tomatoes prosciutto, anchovies and red pepper flakes to the skillet along with a dash more olive oil.

Sauté the aromatics for about 5-7 minutes, until the shallots are very well softened.

Add the reduced beef stock and vinegar and the sherry.  Bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.  Swirl in the butter.

Plate some sauce on each of four plates. Top sauce with 2 chops. Garnish with fresh rosemary or parsley.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note:  Ispiration:  Lamb Chops with Balsamic Sauce, The Williams Sonoma Cookbook, 2008, p. 283

I tried their sauce approach but found it far too vinegary, so I cut that back significantly, but added sherry.  I didn't have veal demi-glaze so I used the stock reduction approach.  I also used shallot and sun dried tomatoes, and an anchovy for deep umami flavor.

Green Apple Green Onion Chicken Burger

Say summer's not really over yet, by grilling another burger.
Burger mix:
1 lb ground chicken (I grind my own)
1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely diced 1/8-inch (about 1/3 cup)
3 green onions, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced through a press
1 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp asian fish sauce
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
dash salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 favorite hamburger buns
1 large fresh, ripe tomato, thinly sliced
good, real mayonnaise

Heat grill to high. Gently fold together the burger mix, preferably with your hands, without overworking the meat. Over-mixing will make a tight, dense and dry burger. Keep a light touch and form into 4 patties.

Grill burgers on an oiled grill for about 3-4 minutes per side, until good grill marks are formed and the chicken is cooked through (at least 165F internal temperature). Prepare buns with a slathering of mayonnaise and slices of tomato. Place a burger on each bun. Serves 4.

Bacon and Onions Make Everything Better Ramen Primavera Babette

Here is a really-gratifying, fast go-to prep variation when I don't have time for dinner fussing - maybe a late-night teleconference with China or something.  Right?

This is a prep which reminds me fondly of my most dear, wonderful sister in law, Babette, who often said in my defense - "Ramen noodles ARE NOT intrinstically bad for you; it all depends on how you prepare them."  And if you knew Babette - you'd know that was a real endorsement.

And yes, a nod to all those who propose (like Mark Bittman and others) to reduce the proportion of simple carbs, and substitute high fiber, high nutrition alternatives like veggies.

Babette and I discussed in great detail about how you can use Ramen noodles as a base for great nutrition, but that you had to add veggies and be wary of the ingredients in those silly little foil packets.  So as almost always, I pair the noodles with TONS of veggies, and toss the packet, and prepare in a self-flavored (and ingredient-understood) broth instead.

But also to the whimsical (sometimes wild :-)) side of Babette's sense of balance, I also season with a bit of bacon and onions - which many proclaim make everything better.  Everything in balance.

And have a great bike ride or jog before dinner :-))
1/4 lb bacon, diced
1/2 purple Bermuda onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

4 cups chicken or beef or favorite broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp asian fish sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

2 packets Ramen noodles, slightly crunched and cracked
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded Brussels sprouts, sliced
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1/4 cup corn kernels
2 green onions, sliced

palmful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Brown the bacon and onion in a small skillet with a dash of canola oil until just about, but not too crispy. Add the garlic and ginger and cook mother 2-3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

Bring the broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, and onion and garlic powders to a gentle boil. Add the noodles, cabbage, sprouts, carrots, corn and green onions and return to a gentle boil, stirring every once in a while.

Simmer gently until the noodles are just only al dente. Remember - they will cook stove to table.

Transfer noodle primavera mixture to 2 bowls and top with bacon mixture, cilantro and sesame seeds.

Serves 2.

Cook's Note:  OK, let's be even more real - after you seek your doctor's approval...  If you must, go ahead and use the flavor packet.  Your doctor may agree to stop bashing yourself and just make sure you have lots of veggies in there.  And drink plenty of water to hydrate away the salt and MSG, and get on with those most fantastic initiatives that are keeping you from taking too much time for cooking :-)) !!  I'm sure it'll taste really good.

Pan Fried Catfish with Baby Portobello Mushrooms

Sometimes the simplest prep is the best for fish.  Here's a great example.
10 oz fresh baby portabello mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 Tbsp canola oil plus 2 Tbsp butter

2 catfish fillets
1 Tbsp canola oil plus 2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried dill weed

2 green onions, sliced
lime wedges

Season both sides of each fish fillet with salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter in the oil in a large skillet. When almost smoking add the mushrooms. Sauté until they release what water they will and begin to brown nicely.

Meanwhile melt the second batch of butter in oil in a large non-stick skillet. Season fish with dill weed. Add the fish fillets and brown both sides nicely, about 8-10 minutes total.

Add the green onions to the mushrooms and cook about 2-3 minutes. Plate each fish fillet in a plate. Top with mushrooms and serve with lime wedges. Serves 2.