SALMON STUFFED WITH ASPARAGUS

This dish offers a beautiful presentation.  Asparagus spears are stuffed into the salmon.   The fish stays moist as it cooks.  It is a perfect dish to welcome spring.  It is adapted from Chef Michel Richard's cookbook, Happy in the Kitchen. http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Kitchen-Craft-Cooking-Eating/dp/1579652999/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331818487&sr=1-1#_

Salmon and Asparagus
2# of asparagus spears (about 24)

1 Tbs tarragon, coarsely chopped

1 ½ # of salmon, center cut, of course

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fleur del sel

1/8 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette

4 asparagus spears (from above)

¼ cup water

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, large grain

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp of granulated sugar

Touch of Fine sea salt – how much is a touch?  Well, we’ll say 1/16^th of a teaspoon…

Cut the rough bottom ends of the asparagus spears, keeping them the same length as the salmon fillet.  Set the trimmed ends aside for the vinaigrette. 

Peal the asparagus spears from about an inch below the tip to the end of the spear.  Steam asparagus for about 5-6 minutes, or until tender. 

Fill a bowl with ice water.  When asparagus are cooked, submerge in ice water bath to cool.  Drain and dry.

Sprinkle asparagus with Fleur del sel and tarragon.

Stuff the Salmon:   

Using  tweezers, remove pin bones.   Beginning one inch from the side of the salmon, using a long sharp slicing knife, cut a pocket in the center of the fillet through the length of the salmon, leaving an inch of the fillet uncut on either side.  Push the sides of the salmon together to help open up the pocket.
Line the pocket with a layer of asparagus, all tips facing the same direction.
Trim the fish, so all spears are flush with the ends of the salmon.
Brush a baking pan with olive oil.  Place fillets in the pan; drizzle the tops with olive oil; season lightly with salt and pepper.

Make the Vinaigrette:

Cut the reserved asparagus spears into 1 inch pieces.  Place in a saucepan; add water and olive oil.  Bring to a simmer.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
Pour asparagus and remaining liquid into a blender and puree.
Place salmon in the 500 degree oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, until done.
Remove from oven, blot the bottom, and place on a serving plate.  Serve hot or at room temperature with vinaigrette on the side.

CHICKEN FAUX GRAS

Another favorite recipe from Chef Michel Richard. He’s right. It certainly does taste like foie gras, for about one/tenth of the price. Fun to make, too. Here goes...

Mousse:

16 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup heavy cream
1 # chicken livers,  rinsed and dark spots removed
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp black ground pepper

Parsley Gelee:
½ English cucumber (about 7 oz), cut into 2” pieces
1 teaspoon gelatin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Pinch (1/16^th tsp) of sea salt
1-2 dashes of Tabasco sauce
2-3 Tablespoons of Italian parsley ( flat-leaf)

In a small saucepan, melt 2 Tbs of butter over medium heat.  Add onions and stir to coat with the butter.  Cover pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion are translucent.  Add garlic, then cream and ring to a simmer.  Cover, reduce heat to low, cook gently for about 6 minutes, or until onions are very soft.

Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 14 Tablespoons of butter.  Return to heat and stir until the butter melts and mixture is combined. 

Place raw livers in blender and add onion mixture, salt and pepper.  Blend until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.  Transfer to a measuring cup or bowl with a spout.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Bring a pot of water to a boil. 

Place 4 ovenproof bowls or crocks with about a 1-cup capacity into a large deep baking dish, arranging them so the bowls do not touch each other or the sides of the pan. Using a small strainer, strain the mousse into the bowls, dividing it evenly.

Cover each bowl with a piece of foil and place the baking dish on the oven rack.  Ladle or pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the bowls.  Cook for 30 minutes, or until the mousse is set.  Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate mousse for a few hours to chill.  After  the mousse is cold and set, make the gelee…

Place cucumber in a food processor and process until liquefied.  Strain.  You should have about ½ cup of cucumber water.
Combine the gelatin and ¼ cup of cucumber water.  Add lemon juice, sugar, salt and Tabasco.
Heat to melt the gelatin.
Stir in 2 Tablespoons of the parsley.  Add remaining parsley.
Remove faux gras from the refrigerator and spoon about 2 tablespoons of gelee on top of each container.  Refrigerate until the gelee is set, about 1 hour.

Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

OVEN ROASTED RED PEPPER - NOT ON THE FLAME

Most recipes—if not all—for roasted red peppers tell us to “roast/toast them” on a gas stove over a flame, then place the peppers in a brown bag to cool down.

Mine are not done that way.  I have a different approach.  And, after more than 15 years of my method—more like 25 years—and after receiving accolades from a grandmother Italian woman who was born and raised in Italy, and who loved my method of making roasted peppers, I can’t complain. It’s easy, simple and easy.  Did I say easy?

First, saturate the red peppers in the best quality of extra virgin olive oil on this planet.  I use my hands as a “brush”.  Then, place the peppers on a sheet pan.  Insert the pan into a 350 degrees oven.  Every 20 minutes, turn the peppers over, until about an hour has elapsed, and the peppers look charred and done (no gas stove flames in this scenario).  Turn off oven and let peppers sit and cool down… no brown bags here.  Let the peppers settle and cool down.  Eventually, remove from oven and let cool further.  When peppers are cool enough to handle, remove skins and seeds.  Shred peppers into strips, or keep chunky….whatever is your preference.  Now, the fun starts.  Add  herbs to incorporate flavor and to experience the best-tasting peppers of a lifetime.  Well, yeah…they are…..

First, garlic, minced… a lot (or a little)….
Then, freshly minced parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano (or herbs of your choice)
And, olive oil, of course…about ½ cup.
That’s it.  Let peppers and all of that love marinate for at least a day or overnight, and then enjoy. 

The recipes are endless as to what can be created using the roasted peppers:  Sandwiches, breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks.

HOT AND SOUR SHRIMP SOUP (TOM YAM GOONG)

This is a version of Tom Yam Goong, a popular Thai soup, from the Bangkok and Central Plains region of Thailand.   Each region of Thailand has its own individual variation of this recipe.  This one  uses a black chili paste, which, in my opinion, is the most spicy of all Thai chili pastes (red, green, yellow).   Using one of my 20-year-old  cookbooks as a guide, I've adapted and enjoyed both recipes over the years.

1  pound of colossal (U12-15) shrimps, head and shell on
3 1/2 cups of water
3 stalks of lemongrass
1 Tablespoon neutral-flavored oil (canola or grape seed)
2 shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon black chili paste (recipe follows)
5 slices of fresh ginger (or galangal)
5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded into strips
1/4 cup (2 fl oz) fish sauce (nam pla)
1 cup straw mushrooms,  sliced
1/4 cup (2 fl oz) fresh lime juice
1/2 cup bean sprouts (optional)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Shell  and remove heads from shrimps.   Rinse shells and heads and place them in a large pot with the water.  Heat to boiling, then lower heat and bring broth to a very low simmer.  Place the shelled shrimps in the fridge until about 5-10 minutes before you're ready to add to the soup.

Trim the lemongrass of its outer sheath and hard ends.  Whack it in a few places with a mallet (or back of a knife), then cut into 2 or 3 pieces.

In a medium saucepan, combine the oil, shallots, and garlic and turn heat to medium.  Stir for a minute.   Add the lemongrass, black chili paste, ginger (or galangal), and lime leaves.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes, then add the shrimp broth.   Reduce heat to medium and cook at a moderate simmer  for 15-20 minutes.   Add the fish sauce and mushrooms and cook gently for about 2 minutes.  Remove shrimp from the fridge and  add to the soup.  Reheat to boiling, or until shrimp are cooked through.  Add lime juice (and bean sprouts, if using) to soup.  Pour soup into bowls, dividing shrimps evenly into each one.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.*  Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course.
*Additional black chili paste, fish sauce, and lime juice could be served as a side in individual bowls.

BLACK CHILI PASTE (NAM PRIK POW)

This spicy chili paste will give any food a much richer taste.  I've also seen it used as a dip for fresh vegetables.  Used that way, it is one for the  very brave individuals with a strong, spicy pallet.  
I like to dry/roast the fresh jalapenos in the oven, which takes about 2 hours or so.  If there are time constraints to prepare them that way,  then store-bought, dried green jalapeno or serrano peppers could be substituted.  Either way, the paste, covered in a tight jar, will last in the fridge indefinitely.

Olive oil (to lightly drizzle on jalapeno peppers)

3 oz of fresh green jalapeno or serrano peppers  (or 2 oz dried, store-bought)
1/2 cup neutral oil (for frying the mixture)
1/2 cup shallots, chopped
3/4 cup garlic, chopped
4 oz dried shrimps/prawns
1 Tablespoon shrimp  paste, or a combination half mixture of anchovy paste and oyster sauce
1 1/2 oz fish sauce
1/8 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place the fresh peppers on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Turn over the peppers to ensure they are all covered in the oil.  Place sheet in oven.  Every 30 minutes, turn over and rotate the peppers, until they turn a dark brown.  This will take about 2-2 1/2 hours.   Check to ensure that they do not burn. Turn off oven and let peppers rest for about 20 minutes.  Remove sheet.

Heat a medium skillet with oil.  Add the peppers, shallots and garlic and fry until dark brown.

Remove fried ingredients.  Add hot water to the pan.  Place the fried ingredients into a blender with the dried shrimps, the shrimp paste (or anchovy and oyster sauce), fish sauce and sugar.

Start to process until a smooth mixture forms.  The mixture will be very tight, so add some hot water, at 1 oz. increments, to the paste, as you continue to process.  The blender will, most likely, need to be turned off several times so the mixture could be stirred and the water added.

Pour the mixture into a medium skillet and fry on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove, cool and place in a jar with a tight lid.  Yield is about 1/2 cups.

RED SNAPPER ROASTED UPRIGHT

Whole red snapper is marinated with a combination of lime juice, garlic, ginger and cilantro then roasted, upright, in an oven. The key here is to keep the fish standing upright so both sides of the fish cook evenly at the same time.  This is a take on those "beer can" chicken standing upright  recipes.

Ingredients:

One whole red snapper – about 2 pounds, cleaned and scales removed

Marinade:
¼ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
6 cloves of garlic
2” piece of fresh ginger peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup of cilantro leaves
Dash of salt
½ cup of olive oil
Combine above ingredients in food processor to make a marinade

To Prep and Cook the Fish:

First, score each side of fish with a knife to make 3-4 incisions on each side.  Spread marinade on both sides of fish and inside cavity.  Place fish in fridge marinade for about an hour.

Remove fish from fridge and stand “upright” using stainless steel round cutters or cans.  The key here is to keep the fish standing upright, so both sides could roast at the same time (one side not flat on its side).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Let fish rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes prior to placing in oven.
Let fish roast for 20-25.  Remove from oven.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Pour additional marinade on fish and serve standing upright.  Serves 2

This goes well with pearl couscous, jasmine rice, mashed potatoes, or whatever you like as a starch.

EGGPLANT MASHED POTATOES

EGGPLANT MASHED POTATOES

This  one of my favorite recipes for a spin on the "boring" mashed potatoes.  I've done the wasabi root (no pun intended), so here's another method to make the old-fashioned, classic potato root (again, no pun intended) into a more flavorful side dish.  Typically, most side dishes are ignored and they are treated like the girl (or guy) at the dance that never gets asked to dance. Not this side dish.  I really like the Mediterranean flair, different from the Asian wasabi version mentioned above.  This recipe was adapted from the Union Square Cookbook. http://www.amazon.com/The-Union-Square-Cafe-Cookbook/dp/0060170131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331948988&sr=1-1
  It goes really well with roasted chicken or any full bodied fish.

4 Japanese eggplants (about 2#), peeled
4 oz. olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon peeled and grated ginger
1 tablespoon tahini*
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 cups mashed potatoes (recipe follows)**

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the eggplants in half, then slice each lengthwise into quarters.  Slice across the quarters at 1/2-inch intervals.  Put the cut eggplant on a lightly oiled roasting pan.  Drizzle evenly with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cover eggplant with foil and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, until eggplant is tender.  When done, let eggplant cool down and puree in a food processor until smooth.

In a medium pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sesame oil.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add eggplant puree, tahini, and soy sauce.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the warm mashed potatoes and heat through.

*TAHINI is a white sesame paste found in most specialty grocery stores or Middle Eastern shops.  If tahini is not available, make your own using one part of toasted sesame seeds with one part water.  Grind into a paste.   

**MASHED POTATOES
2# of Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into equal parts
dash of kosher salt
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Place potatoes in a 2 quart saucepan and cover with cold water.  Add the salt.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until potatoes are completely tender, about 30 minutes.  When potatoes are tender, drain them.  Then, put potatoes into a food mill, or a potato ricer, or just use an old-fashioned potato masher to mash them.  After the potatoes are mashed, add the butter and milk and incorporate all.  Potatoes are now ready to add to something else (e.g., eggplant puree above), or just douse in gravy from another recipe, or just have by themselves. 

SHRIMP COCKTAIL

SHRIMP COCKTAIL

There is nothing better then a visit to my local fish monger--or  Lobster Place in the City--on the weekend and purchasing beautiful shrimps  in addition to the other fish proteins that look good that day.  I love to make a shrimp cocktail using the robust and flavorful U-10-12's whenever I get them (which is virtually "every" time).   I've devised a  method to make a Shrimp Cocktail/Court Bouillon for such.  The shrimps soak up all of the flavors that are incorporated in the court bouillon.  This, coupled with the tanginess of the shrimp cocktail sauce, it is a feast by itself and a great way to start brunch on the weekend.  Warning:  It does stimulate the appetite and makes one want  to eat more.  And later in the day there will be more food.  Fish, of course.

 

Shrimp Cocktail/Court Bouillon

1 large onion, cut into thin slices
1 celery rib, cut into thin slices
1 fresh bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of parsley
2 sprigs of fresh dill (or fennel fronds)
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1 tablespoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 lemon, halved
1/2 cup tarragon vinegar
3 quarts of water
1 # extra large shrimps in the shell

For Serving:
shredded lettuce
lemon wedges
Cocktail sauce, either purchased or home-made

Combine all ingredients (except shrimps) in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook at an active simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat.   Let mixture infuse for about an hour.  

Return to a boil.  Add the shrimps and bring back to a full boil.  Cover, turn off heat and let shrimps sit for about 4-5 minutes.  Drain shrimps and when cool enough to handle, peel  and devein them.  Trim off "excess skin" from the deveining area.  Make them clean.  When done, put shrimps in the refrigerator and chill until ready to serve.

To plate:  Fill chilled martini glasses with shredded lettuce.  Place 3-4 shrimps on the rim of the  glass.  Add a lemon wedge and dollop of cocktail sauce in the middle.  Serve with a Bloody Mary or....a Bloody Mary, or a Bloody Mary..