Anise Infused Pearl Couscous

  

    
Sometimes you're the bride and sometimes the bridesmaid.  Ok, for me that's never the case since I'm a guy, but the point of this recipe isn't the grilled Mahi-Mahi seen here, but instead on making a new and interesting side dish.  Pearl couscous is a fun side.  It has a slippery consistency that's fun in the mouth and not as dry or sticky as rice.  It also supports different flavors well.  I have a Mediterranean preparation I do with a tomato coulis and pan seared tilapia.  But this evening, I wanted to inspire an Asian flavor.  To cook couscous, it's always best to use a stock to help impart flavor.  For this preparation I didn't want to overwhelm with a chicken stock, so I used vegetable stock.  I added turmeric for color, and to inspire an Asian feel I used a little ginger and an anise pod.  This recipe does reflect a weeknight fatigue and lack of patience.  Instead of toasting the couscous in advance, or softening the onion, bell pepper in advance, or infusing the herbs into the ingredients before adding the stock, into the pot it all went.  Feel free to follow those more traditional cooking techniques, but I also hope you value this recipe for its midweek ease and convenience.  About the Mahi-Mahi in the picture, I finally tried cooking it with an agave nectar glaze as has become somewhat popular.  I just topped the fish with the nectar and brushed it across the fish and grilled.  The result was a mildly sweet but still interesting taste.  And hey, it's what tequila is made from, so it has to be good.  Serves 2.
     
Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup pearl couscous
1/2 an orange bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 garlic clove, minced
1 dollop minced ginger
1 anise pod
salt/pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
      
Directions:
In a medium pot over medium high heat, add all of the ingredients except the salt, pepper and cilantro.  Stir and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cook until the couscous are al dente, perhaps 8-10 minutes.  Allow the mixture to cool if desired.  Season to taste and mix in the cilantro.  Serve.
    

Mixed Greens with Pomegranate-Cumin Dressing and Grilled Lamb Sausage

  

    
We all have our exotic sides, or at least we wish we did.  Travel has taken me to exotic locals such as Morocco and Bali.  Cooking helps me reconnect with the passions I feel there.  They say the sense of smell and taste are some of our strongest.  Certainly, cumin and lamb inspires that for me, whether its the grilling smoke wafting over the Dajeema El Fna, Marrakech's center market square, or the spice and meat sellers throughout the medina of Fez and elsewhere.  Pomegranate also has that inspiration for me, bringing to mind Lebanese chicken and yogurt with pomegranate seed recipes.  And so, when I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit this month I thought immediately of making it.  The pomegranate cumin dressing is a two-fer, and combined with a grilled lamb sausage is positively transporting.  Figs and feta cheese along with red onion add to the multiple layers of bliss in this recipe.  Enjoy.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
1 cup pomegranate juice
7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar (white if available)
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 tbsp minced shallots
2 links fresh lamb sausage
1 red onion, sliced 
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
4 fresh figs, quartered
mixed greens for two
     
Description:
In a small sauce pan over medium high heat boil down the pomegranate juice to 2 tbsp.  Allow to cool.  Whisk together with the olive oil, vinegar and cumin.  Brush the sausage and red onion with some of the dressing and grill in a grill pan over medium heat, approximately 10 minutes for the onions and perhaps 15 minutes for the sausage.  Add the shallots to the dressing and rewhisk.  Add the onions and figs to the mixed greens and toss with an amount of dressing to taste.  Slice the cooked sausage into 1" pieces.  Serve the greens mixture and top with with the sausage pieces and feta.
     

Chorizo Stuffed Veal Chop

  

  
While the last recipe I posted came from Twitter, this came from a more 20th century source of a food magazine.  This Food & Wine recipe actually appeared in October 2005.  I clip recipes I like and put them into a binder (three actually at this point).  In this case, I am now just getting around to making this recipe.  Tastes come and go and moods evolve with the seasons.  I do have several stuffed veal recipes and I finally focused on this one last weekend.  They are all similar, with a green base, in this case spinach, mushrooms, cheese, and herbs.  Many include a pork product like pancetta or prosciutto.  This recipe is unique in its inclusion of chorizo.  The recipe write-up describes it as luxurious and indeed, how could a recipe with veal, pork and cheese not be?  The original recipe suggested a crispy fried polenta.  I paired it with a traditional polenta.  I think either is a nice balance to the veal versus potato as the starch.  Serves 2.  Enjoy!
    
Ingredients:
2" length of thick Spanish chorizo
4 tbsp olive oil
2 white mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
salt/pepper
1 medium leek, white parts only, sliced thinly crosswise
1 cup baby spinach
2 tbsp pecorino cheese, coarsely grated
2 thick veal chops
1/2 cup Pinot Noir
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
    
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil.  Add the chorizo and simmer over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Transfer chorizo to a plate and let cool.  Chop the chorizo into 1/4" cubes.  In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the leaks, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the chorizo, stir and cook a minute longer.  Add the spinach, stir, and allow to wilt, about 3 minutes.  Transfer the stuffing to a bowl and let cool.  Stir in the cheese.
Cut the veal chops horizontally from the outside edge toward the bone to create to flaps.  Use a mallet to pound the flaps to about 1/4" thick.  Place portions of stuffing between the two flaps and then close the edges and seal with toothpicks pinned on the edge.  Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the stuffed chops and brown on one side, about 5 minutes.  Turn the chops and put the skillet in the oven to finish cooking, 5 to 8 minutes.  When the chops are done, remove to a plate and discard the excess fat from the skillet.  Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping up any browned bits.  Bring to a boil and reduce to 1 tbsp.  Add the chicken stock and simmer down by half.  Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter.  Plate the chops and drizzle the sauce on top.  Serve. 
      

Grilled Portobello Burger with Onion Jam

  

    
New ideas for recipes come in many different forms these days.  In addition to cookbooks, we have cooking magazines and newsletters.  We've gone digital with cooking websites and blogs.  Now add to that Twitter where in addition to the latest celebrity news we can get a recipe from our favorite celebrity chef.  One the one hand, it is another example of our abbreviated and dehumanizing modern existence when the recipe comes to us as: Rst 1#tomtllos,1 on,3 grlc,3 serranos;puree;sear n oil 2 thkn;simr w 2c broth,.5c crema.Oil,micrwv 12 torts,roll w rstd veg,sauce, chs, bake (Roasted Vegetables with a Creamy Tomatillo Sauce, Rick Bayless).  On the other hand, it is nice to get just a single idea that can pique our curiosity and fit into our busy modern lives.  The recipe below came from the Food Network's Twitter with the admonition that it was so good it made them cry (and not from the onions)!  By this time of summer, I'm tapped out of burger recipes and looking for something different.  I've gone through fish recipes too, so now a portobello mushroom recipe is timely.  Also, using red onions in the summer months and knowing that caramelizing onions brings out their sweetness plays on the wine sauce/jam this recipe suggests.  Food Network suggested a yogurt/mayo spread for the bun.  I omitted that because the onions in wine sauce would be more than enough to help the burger go down.  Besides, why add unnecessary fat?  I paired this with green beans in pesto (ok how about why eat fat as mayo when you can have it as pesto?!), a preparation I use sometimes with steak and is a decadent way to get your veggies.  Try this for a quick and different summertime meal.  Serves 2.

    

Ingredients:

4 tbsp oil

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

salt/pepper

1/2 cup red wine

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove crushed

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 portobello mushrooms, stemmed

2 hamburger buns

    

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pan over medium-low heat.  Add the onions, 1/4 tsp thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and cook to soften the onions but not brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the red wine and simmer until the wine is reduced to about 2 tbsp total.  Add the honey and vinegar and continue to simmer gently until the onion mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency.  Meanwhile, preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Brown the hamburger buns if desired.  Whisk together the remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, 1/4 tsp of dried thyme, salt and pepper.  Coat the mushroom caps on both sides with the olive oil mixture.  Grill the mushrooms, turning as needed about 3 minutes per side.  Place on buns with onion jam mixture spooned on top.  Serve.
    

Yellow Pea Soup

  

    
Mmm, comfort food.  Last night, I was actually in a good place and wasn't thinking I needed a boost from the inside out, but I came across a package of yellow split peas and my inner blanket reflex kicked in.  All of these split pea recipes are similar, and I posted one last year on split green pea soup.  Yellow peas have a little bit different flavor.  I actually love yellow peas cooked in an Indian curry.  Either way, they are less grassy than green peas.  I also love Indian dal that uses the little black french lentils, another good ingredient presented as lentil soup.  The French sometimes serve their lentil soup with a traditional pork sausage.  I think kielbasa works best here with its smoother flavor.  I like to brown the kielbasa first and then finish cooking the onions and eventually the soup in that oil. In this recipe I also added a bay leaf and herbs de provence.  You can substitute your own spices, in addition to adding celery and carrot if you like.  As always, make it your own and enjoy.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
8" long link of polish kielbasa, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces 
1 tsp herbs de provence
1 bay leaf
8 oz or half a standard bag of yellow peas
3 cups of chicken broth
salt/pepper
     
Directions:
Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot.  Add the onion and soften for 4 minutes.  Add the kielbasa and brown, approximately 4 minutes.  Add the garlic, bay leaf and herbs de provence and allow the flavors to release, approximately 1 minute.  Add the peas and broth, stir and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  If needed, add more broth or water if too much liquid boils off.  Season with salt and pepper.
     

Shrimp, Squid and Avocado Salad

    

  
I have a cookbook I received for Christmas entitled Big Small Plates by Cindy Pawlcyn of Mustards Grill in Napa, California.  I haven't heard of her or the restaurant, but the small plate idea seemed both fun and appropriate for summer when smaller, lighter meals might be better.  This weekend was hot and I had Tex-Mex, so I was in no mood for a large dinner.  I also am trying to continue a seafood theme through the summer months and take advantage of summer produce. This recipe is based on Pawlcyn's Shrimp, Crab and Octopus-Stuffed Avocado with Cilantro-Caper Mayonnaise.  I have never had octopus, so I thought I'd give it a try.  However, my local Whole Foods didn't have it and wasn't in the mood to drive across town to a fish store.  So, I substituted calamari squid.  I also had a container of these cute little orange tomatoes, so I used those.  Pawlcyn also emphasized more of the mayonnaise and less lettuce.  That's the beauty of cooking - you can can shape a recipe to your own tastes and needs.  I thought of this as a dinner meal, so I added lettuce, and who needs a cup of mayonnaise for any reason?  Also, she recommended boiling the octopus 45 minutes to an hour in salted water to make it tender.  With squid and not wanting to take that long, I instead sauteed the squid and shrimp in olive oil and garlic for a very nice effect.  So, for a fun summer salad, try this recipe.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
1 tsp capers, rinsed
2 clove garlic, minced
salt/pepper
juice of 1 lime (about 1-2 tbsp)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz shrimp, peeled
1 squid body (sliced into rings) and several tentacle pieces
1/2 cup cooked crabmeat
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced into wedges
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved if needed
2 cups shredded lettuce
      
Directions:
Make the cilantro-caper mayonnaise by combining the mayonnaise, cilantro, capers, 1 clove of minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste.  Keep chilled until needed.  Make the vinaigrette by combining the lime juice, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.  In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tbsp of garlic and let the flavors release a few seconds.  Add the shrimp and saute for two minutes.  Add the squid and mix, to coat the squid and to turn the shrimp.  Cook for 2 minutes longer and remove to a plate.  Take care not to overcook the squid.  Toss the lettuce with the vinaigrette, tomatoes and salt and pepper.  Plate the lettuce mixture.  Arrange the avocado wedges on top of the lettuce.  Mix the squid, shrimp and crab meat in the cilantro-caper mayonnaise and spoon on top of the avocado.  Serve.
     

Grilled Swordfish with Mango and Pineapple Salsa

    

    
Tropical fruit salsas are a mainstay of summer fish grilling.  Once you know the basics, the combinations are nearly limitless.  The basics are diced fruit, lime juice, onion of some sort, cilantro, and spice like cumin if desired.  For this recipe, I had already cut up a pineapple for breakfasts, so I added that to the mango I bought.  I like to keep cilantro and green onion on hand, which I used here.  Another option is red onion, which also works well.  I was feeling it tonight, so I added in some cumin, but that is not necessary.  Salt and pepper and a squeezed lime and you are ready to go.  Serves 2.
     
Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 swordfish steaks

1/2 cup pineapple, diced
1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 red onion, diced or 2 green onions, diced white and light green parts
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin (if desired)
salt/pepper
        
Directions:
Preheat a grill pan to medium.  Season the sword fish steaks and brush the olive oil on both sides.  Apply to the grill pan and cook approximately 4 minutes on each side, until the steaks are just cooked through.  Meanwhile, combine the pineapple, mango, onion, lime juice, cilantro and cumin (if desired).  Mix and season gently.  When the steaks are done, serve topped with the salsa. 
    

Crawfish Etouffe

  

  
We all have to admire our Cajun brothers and sisters for their love of life, music and food.  Gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffe all lead to good places and happy stomachs.  What can you say about a group and a cuisine where sucking the juice out of the head (of a crawfish) is the best part?!  Here in the Mid-Atlantic, where crab is king, crawfish awareness is starting to creep into our palate.  Some suggest it as a safer alternative to gulf shrimp after the oil spill.  Others see it as a new delicacy of choice.  I was on a flight to Europe last year where the business class flight served crawfish choices in three different meals.  However, aside from the occasional crawfish boils where homesick Louisianans ship in fresh crawfish, you will rarely see it at your local supermarket.  Nevertheless, I did come across a packet of frozen crawfish at my Whole Foods and decided to make crawfish etouffe.  The recipe on the package was less than inspiring, perhaps reflecting its North Carolina importing from China.  The sauce made from water, not stock, and no creole seasoning.  My kicked up version, as Emeril might say, is below.  All etouffe recipes are relatively simple: start by softening bell pepper, onion and celery, create a roux, add the stock and spices and simmer.  Serve over rice to complete your trip to the bayou.  Serves 2.  
    
Ingredients:
1/2 pound crawfish tails
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 diced green bell pepper
1 celery stick, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp creole seasoning
2 tbsp flour
1 cup shrimp or fish stock
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
salt/pepper
    
Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium heat and add the onion, celery and bell pepper.  Saute until the butter is softened.  Add the garlic and creole seasoning and simmer a minute more.  Whisk in the flour and allow to cook a couple of minutes while stirring.  Add the stock slowly, while whisking, to mix and prevent/remove lumps.  Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add more stock or white wine if the sauce needs loosening.  Add the parsley and crawfish and cook for another 5 minutes.  Season to taste and serve.