Shirazi Salad - A Chef Favorite

After seeing my friend Ely’s Shirazi Salad video I did a little research as the name intrigued me. It turns out this dish is named after the city of Shiraz in southern Iran. Apparently it comes in many regional flavor pallets with varied ingredients and spices and has been a staple item there with many many meals since.... forever. After kicking around a number of flavor combos I settled on something I can call my own. I paired it tonight with my recipe for Grandma Inspired Fried Meatballs, and omg what a winner. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 plump tomatoes - diced

1 English cucumber - peeled and diced

½ cup finely chopped red onion

1 orange or yellow bell pepper - chopped

3 tbsp EACH chopped fresh parsley, basil and scallion

½ cup chopped fresh mint - or 1 tbsp dried

Salt and pepper to taste

Sumac to taste (very optional as it's not everyone's choice)

4 tbsp lime or lemon juice - chef's choice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - remember quality counts :-)

Preparation:

Cut up the tomatoes first and place in a colander to drain some of the juice.

Cut up all the other ingredients and toss together in a large bowl. Add oil, lemon/lime juice and season with salt & pepper to taste. Blend well.

Blend well and add the dressing.

Chill this salad for about an hour and toss again before serving with something like my Grandma Inspired Fried "Meatballs" or BBQed chicken.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Wondra Codfish - A Chef Favorite

Most people know that I idolize Chef Gordon Ramsey for his skill and success, but when it comes to actual daily cooking and dishes that I can make myself, Chef Jacques Pepin is my go-to hero. Chef Pepin shows us how to cook good food from the comfort of his kitchen right in his own home. You can tell by looking over his shoulder that his kitchen is his happy & safe place and that it is a place of creativity and joy. Chef Pepin says he is not looking for people to walk away from his table with a "culinary experience", but rather with the little voice inside their head saying "Damn that was good food!"

Chef takes simple ingredients that most of us already use and blends them in ways that I have grown to trust. My first experience where I was a bit leery was when I made his Chicken Lyon where he adds ketchup to the sauce. Yes... it definitely works and has become a family favorite. 

Having built trust in Chef Pepin's ingredient choices, I was intrigued when I watched his video where he added julienned radish to a cod dish. Carolyn was skeptical as well, but in the end, his understanding of blending flavors to create what I termed greatness for the common man proved to be absolutely outstanding.

He did not title the dish in the video, but because this was my very first introduction to Wondra Flour,

I have decided to name it: Wondra Codfish  :-)

Ingredients:

• 2  6oz Cod filets
• Half & Half (or milk or heavy cream)
• Wondra Flour
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt & Pepper
• 1-2 scallions -cut ~1/4" pieces
• ~1/2 cup mushrooms - cut up
• 2 radishes - julienned
• ~1/4 cup black olives - quartered or halved depending on size you have

Preparation:

Okay so one thing to know here is that Chef used "whatever was in the refrigerator"..... Quantities of each ingredient are pretty much your choice. Chef Pepin is very accommodating in his recipes and actually urges us to make his work our own. You can get a rough idea from the pic below. Get all ingredients ready before you start the fish. The actual cooking is rather quick.

Pat the filets dry with paper towel and season both sides with S&P. Dip the filets in half & half and then Wondra flour. Heat olive oil in a skillet that has a cover. Cook in fryer on both sides until golden brown... couple minutes each side on medium high. Then lower heat, cover and cook fish through... couple more minutes. Set the fish on a warm serving dish or plate both servings. I lay pieces of aluminum foil over filets to keep them warm.

Add butter and a little more olive oil to the pan on medium. Add the scallion and mushroom and sautee for maybe a minute. Then add the olives and radish and toss for about another minute. Don't overcook... crunch is your friend here. :-)

Top the filets with the garnish and serve with a green vegetable of your choice. Enjoy!

Here is Chef Jacques Pepin's original video: Wondra Codfish

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Chicken & Mushroom Madeira - A Chef Favorite

You know how much I love the ease of a one pot meal. Well, this one may seem really simple but it packs a whole boatload of flavor! Chicken and mushrooms with wine... How can you go wrong? 😊 

Ingredients:

• ~2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into stew size chunks
• ~2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion cut up, like bite-size
• 16 oz baby portobello mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size
• 1 bunch scallions - 4-6 stalks - cut in 3/8 - 1/2" sections
• 1 cup Madeira wine (Marsala works well also and is a lot cheaper)
• 2 10.5 oz cans unsalted condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tsp table salt for dish
• fresh ground black pepper to taste – I do 6 twists on my pepper mill
• chicken broth, white wine or more Madeira for thinning if needed

Preparation:

In large skillet or Dutch oven heat one tbsp of olive oil, sear chicken pieces and set aside.

Cut up onions, mushrooms and scallions and lightly saute in same Dutch oven with another 1-2 tbsp olive oil.

Add Madeira, blend and bring to a simmer. Add cream of mushroom and again bring to a simmer and blend.

Season with 1+ tsp table salt fresh ground black pepper to taste. Add chicken back into the pot and simmer for about 60 minutes.

Serve over egg noodles or pearl barley with a green veggie side.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Salmon with Lemon Butter & Dill - A Chef Favorite

There are versions to this recipe everywhere on the Net. A friend asked me what my version was, and I had to admit I had never put one together... I know, right? :-)

Needless to say... I grabbed some salmon and went to work. The end result made Carolyn smile and say: "Oh my... that's buttery!" Both of us made Yummy Noises as we ate the meal... 

Many similar recipes call for dried dill, but I think going with fresh dill was a better choice all around. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2  6 oz salmon filets
• 3 tbsp salted butter - melted
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 3-4 tbsp fresh dill - coarsely chopped

Preparation:

Preheat toaster oven to 350 F. Line a shallow baking dish or tray with aluminum foil, coat with cooking spray and add the salmon. Mix melted butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt & pepper in a small bowl and pour over fish.

Evenly spread the fresh dill on the filets.

Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on filet thickness.

Serve with a green vegetable and a tossed salad.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Chef Michael's Eggplant Moussaka with Venison - A Chef Favorite

As much as I appreciate good vegetarian dishes... I do like my venison... a lot! My Moussaka can, of course, be made with beef or lamb, but if you know me at all you'll know my go-to red meat is the venison harvested on my own land.

Adding venison to this already amazing dish adapted from a recipe by Ayla Clulee, owner of Cooking Gorgeous, took the dish to Next Level for me, making it my very own in the process. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground venison
• 2.5 lbs eggplant - peeled and 1" cubed
• good quality olive oil as needed (for eggplant and sautéing the onions)
• 2 onions - chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic - smash minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cups fresh tomatoes - chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper
• 1.5 tsp cumin - more if you remember Adam from Northern Exposure
• 15 oz chickpeas - drained
• ~1 cup water
• handful minced parsley - add last 10 minutes of simmer

Preparation:

Fry the venison chop meat in the Dutch oven you'll use for the whole dish. Remove meat and set aside. Drain the chickpeas at this time as well.

Preparing the Eggplant

Preheat the oven to 390 F and line one or two baking trays with parchment paper. Peel the eggplants and cut them into 1" cubes.  Place cubes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and some kosher salt. Place them on the baking sheet in one even layer. 

Bake them for 25 - 30 minutes or until they are slightly softened and brown. Remove the eggplant cubes from the oven and set them aside until the tomato/chickpea mix is ready. 

Preparing the Tomato Sauce

While roasting the eggplants, start making the tomato & chickpea mixture. 

Place a large Dutch oven on medium heat and add some olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until soft.

Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, and pepper, and give it a good mix. Add the chopped tomatoes, along with the Aleppo pepper and stir well. 

Add water to the sauce, depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes, ranging from ½ cup to 1 ½ cups. Give the sauce a stir. Next, add the chickpeas and roasted eggplants to the tomato sauce, give them a good stir. 

Finally, return venison to the pot, stir and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the eggplants are tender to your liking. Add minced parsley with 10 minutes remaining.

Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately. If so inclined, shredded parmesan adds to the overall delight. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!