Herbed Chilean Sea Bass, Haricovert, Morels, Orange Pepper - Guava Sauce

Fish and vegetables is the ideal diet.  It truly doesn't get better and healthier then that.  This meal costs about $30 takes 30 minutes or less and feeds two.

Herbed Patagonian Toothfish
2 6-8oz pieces Toothfish
1 handfill parsley, chopped
1 handfill tarragon, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and white pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  Season fish with herbs, salt and white pepper. Sear on medium high heat in olive and butter on each side until golden.  Place the whole pan in oven for 5 minutes.

Orange - Guava Sauce
1 orange bell pepper, fine dice
1 shallot, fine dice
1/4 cup orangic guava mango juice
1 pat butter
Sautee pepper and onion in olive oil on medium low heat until very soft.  Add juice and let simmer 10 minutes.  Strain sauce and reduce until about 1/8 a cup.  Remove from heat and mix in the butter.

Crispy Morels
10 fresh morel mushrooms, halved
1 teaspoon olive oil
Coat morels in olive oil and roast for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Season with salt and pepper.

French Beans
Blanch beans for 1 minute.  Sautee with olive oil for five minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Risotto Milanese with Veal Osso Bucco and Gremolata

This classic Northern Italian composition is the definition of comfort food.  This dish takes 2 hours, costs $30 and feeds 2 very well.

Risotto Milanese - 1 hour
1/2 organic white onion, diced
1/2 organic leek, diced
1/4 cup shallots, diced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pancetta, diced (optional)
1 cup white wine, pinot grigio 
1 1/2 cups Arborio rise
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
1 teaspoon saffron
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoon of butter
salt and pepper


Combine water, stock and saffron threads in a medium saucepan and place on low heat. Start a seperate large high sided sauce pot or very large sautee pan on medium low heat (4 of 10) and add olive oil and butter. Then add the chopped onions, leeks and shallots and cook until the onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Now add the 2 cups of Arborio rice. Stir the rice and vegetables until it begins to toast a bit and becomes translucent, about 4 minutes. Now add the wine and stir until most of the wine has cooked off. Now add three ladles of the warmed stock. Stir the rice well until all of the liquid is almost all absorbed. Then add three more ladles of stock and stir it in again until absorbed. Stir the pot every 3-4 minutes or so, don't walk away. Keep adding the three ladles of stock every time the liquid is almost absorbed. It should take about 35 to 40 minutes for the rice to stop absorbing the liquid rapidly and begin to get tender. About 5 to 6 times of adding the stock. Once the rice is tender but with a little bite left, turn off the heat on the risotto and add the butter and Parmesan cheeses and mix well.  Let stand and mix again gentle, serve immediately. 

Veal Osso Buco - 1.5 hours
2 tablespoons pancetta, finely chopped
2 oz vegetable oil
2 veal shanks
1/2 medium yellow onion, rough chop
1/2 medium red onion, rough chop
2 celery stalks, rough chop
1/2 leek, chopped
2 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups stock (veg, chicken or beef) I used chicken stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme, parsley and oregano (optional)
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of pepper

Turn the oven on to 325. Start a large dutch oven (oven proof pot with lid) or enamel coated cast iron cooking vessel (ie. le crusset) on low heat. Add the pancetta and let that melt and render out the fat, about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked pancetta and reserve it for later. Salt and pepper the veal shanks and coat with a bit of flour. Add the veg oil to the pancetta fat and turn the heat to medium. Add the veal shanks and cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until they get a nice brown on them. Remove them from the pot and set aside. Turn the heat back to low and add the onions, scallions, tomato, garlic, carrots and reserved pancetta. Let that cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Now turn the heat to medium and add the red wine. Let that cook for about 5 minutes. Now add the chicken stock. Cook this for about 10 more minutes. Now turn off the heat. Add the reserved veal shanks to the pot, the liquid should be about half way up the shanks. Top the shanks with the fresh herbs. Cover the pot and place the whole thing in the oven. This whole technique is called braising.  Let that cook in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and throw away the herbs. Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside. Puree the vegetables and liquid using a stick blender or traditional blender, then strain the liquid from the vegetables. Using a small knife or fork, take out the cooked marrow from the bones and add it to strained liquid. Reduce the sauce for 10 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove the meat from the bone and fat and add the shank pieces back into the sauce to heat up. Remove and serve. 


Gremolata - 20 minutes
1/2 bunch of parsley, stemmed and fine chopped
1 garlic clove, fine dice
1 lemon completely zested, no juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Mix all the ingredients and let stand for at least 20 minutes up to 1 day.


Buon Apetito!

Chilean Seabass with Mashed Potatoes and Swiss Chard

Chilean Seabass has gotten very expensive due to high demand but when its fresh there are few fish that rival its buttery flavor and texture. This dish costs $50 ($35 for the fish) takes about 45 minutes and feeds two.

Pan Roasted Chilean Seabass

2 6oz pieces of chilean seabass

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and white pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 tablespoons of apricot juice

Preheat the oven to 350. Get a medium non stick sautee pan on medium high heat. Add oil and butter. Season the fish and place in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and then flip. Using a spoon baste the excess butter and oil onto the fish while its cooking. Do the for 3 to 4 minutes. Place the whole pan in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes and remove. Remove the fish from the pan and let rest. Add the parsley and apricot juice to the same pan and let heat up for 3 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the fish.

Mashed Potatoes with Green Chard

2 large white potatoes, peeled and diced

2 bunch green chard, de-stemmed and sliced into ribbons

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 white onion

2 tablespoons of butter

Start a medium stock pot with cold water and potatoes, garlic and onion and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and let cook until potatoes are fork tender. In a separate sautee pan cook the chard with some butter and olive oil for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. Mix butter, green chard and drained potato, onion, garlic mixture together and mash well.

This is still my favorite fish of all time. Be careful not to overcook it and Im sure you will agree. Buon Apetito!!

Cobia Ceviche

Part two of this three part series. Ceviche is awesome and I have never made or tasted cobia ceviche so I decided to experiment. It turned out great. This ceviche takes 10 minutes to make and 30 minutes to cure, costs $10 and feeds four.

Cobia Ceviche

10 oz of fresh line caught cobia, diced

2 limes, juiced

1 lemon, juiced

1/8 white onion, razor thin sliced

1 teaspoon fresh parsley, fine chop

1 jalapeno pepper, razor thin slices

1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

salt

Cut fish into small cubes, try to keep them close to the same size. Use a small pyrex bowl and cover the fish with the lemon and lime juices. Cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove and mix in the jalapeno, parsley, onion and ginger. Place back in the fridge for 10 minutes. Season with a touch of salt and serve in a martini glass.

Mahi-Mahi with Raw Kale Salad

Florida mahi-mahi, aka dolphin fish, is a clean tasting, firm white fish that is usually fresh and reliable buy from the grocery. I made a blackened style seasoning and coated the fish with it. I served it with some kale salad which has the highest vitamin and mineral content of any vegetable. Check out the link for more info. This meal cost $15 takes about 30 minutes to make and feeds 1.

Pan Seared Blackened Mahi-Mahi
2 oz vegetable oil
10oz Mahi-Mahi filet
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 chipotle pepper
1/4 sliced red onion
1 bunch of parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Turn a medium sautee pan to medium high heat and add the oil. Mix the seasoning together and coat the fish on each side. I like the taste of the fish so I didn't completely coat fish but you certainly can if you wish. Once the pan is very hot place the fish in and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Now flip the fish and let cook for 3 more minutes. Then add the red onions and parsley and place the fish on top of the onions and parsley. I do this to impart some flavor and to keep the fish from over cooking on one side in the oven. Now place the whole pan in the oven and let it cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and put it on the plate with the kale salad.



Raw Kale Salad
3 large organic Kale leaves, destemmd and leaves chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 red onion, thin sliced
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix lemon juice and oil with salt and pepper. Add red onion and lemon juice and toss well. Do this first and let it sit for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the fish. this will soften up the kale and make it much more palatable. Strain out the lemon juice and serve on the plate.

This was a really healthy lunch after a long workout and right before work. It is loaded with omega 3's, vitamins, minerals and protein. All part of a healthy diet and a step on the road to being in the best shape of my life. Enjoy!

Prime Roast Beef and St. Andre Cheese on Rye

This awesome sandwich was made with a few of my favorite ingredients. First, prime rare cooked roast beef from my local supermarket, Epicure, is the best roast beef I have ever tasted. Second is St Andre cheese. St Andre is a triple cream cheese, which means it has 75% fat content, which means it tastes amazing. You can usually find it in the grocery store cheese section. I also threw in some parsley for color and for a sharp contrast between the creamy cheese and rich meat. The bread was a whole wheat rye. For a dressing I made some creamy horseradish sauce which added spiciness and moisture. Overall this is in the top of the lifetime favorite sandwiches. Enjoy!

Creamy Horseradish Sauce
2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons of sour cream
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 dash white vinegar

Mix it all together and put on anything!

Cedar Plank Salmon

This is a really quick and easy recipe. It's kind of cheating but who said there were rules to this cooking at home blog anyway. I found this vacuum packed and frozen salmon on a cedar plank in my grocers frozen seafood section. I just saw a special on TV about how quality frozen and smoked salmon is because it is packaged immediately after being caught, directly at the source. I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised. This cost $10, takes 20 minutes and feeds 1.

Cedar Plank Salmon

1 10oz cedar plank salmon, defrosted overnight in the fridge
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 430. Open defrosted salmon and place on the middle oven rack. Let it cook for 14 minutes. While it is cooking; mix the sour cream (you could use yogurt or creme fraiche) lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the salmon and garnish with the cream sauce and some sliced lemon.

This is super easy and was one of the best tasting salmon pieces I have had in a long time. The salmon is wild (not farm raised) and meat had a great texture. I already stocked up on a few more so I have a great meal in a few minutes when I don't feel like going all out cooking. Enjoy!

Turkey Pastrami and Machego on Whole Grain

Another day another sandwich. Turkey pastrami is awesome and the salty richness of machego creates I good balance. I put some stone ground mustard and fresh parsley for bite and crisp, threw it on the press and viola. Dried plums and figs on the side made for a delicious and healty sandwich experience. Enjoy!

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Turkey and Smoked Gruyère Panini with Arugula Salad

Who doesn't love a salad and a sandwich for lunch? Here is a quick fix in 15 minutes. The parsley gives the sandwich a bright and fresh taste to compliment the bold cheese.

Turkey and Smoked Gruyère Panini

4 slices of onion multi-grain loaf
1/2 lb of Boarshead Cracked Peppermill turkey
1/8 lb Boarshead Smoked Gruyère Cheese
Handful of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, rough chopped

Mustard Aioli
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
1 drop of agave nectar

Dress all four pieces of bread with the aioli. Place turkey, then chopped parsley, then cheese. Spray or brush the top of the bread with olive oil. Put in on the panini press and cook for 5 minutes. Let it rest on a baking rack or it will become soft on the bottom.

Arugula Salad

1 package of fresh washed arugula
1 roma tomato, chopped

Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of EV olive oil

In a large bowl combine the vinaigrette ingredients except the olive oil. Once well combined, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Toss the tomatoes in with the vinaigrette and mix well, then add the arugula and toss. Add salt and fresh pepper to taste.

Slice the panini cross wise and stack, toss the salad and you have a quick lunch for a great price. Enjoy

Middle Eastern Plater

Some of the best tasting and healthy food comes from the middle east. I make many variations on this platter depending on what I have around the house and can get fresh that day. This one includes homemade hummus, homemade tabbouleh, Greek style yogurt, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, fresh mint and olive oil.

Hummus
1 can of chickpeas
3 medium cloves of garlic, smashed
3 oz of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Add 2 cups of water to a saucepan and add the chickpeas and the garlic, turn to medium high and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes and turn it off. Add the chickpeas to a food processor with a few tablespoons of water from the pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth. Chill and serve.

Tabbouleh

1/2 cup cooked bulgar wheat (1/4 cup uncooked #2 bulgar)
1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1/8 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/8 cup of onions, diced
3 oz of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of cumin

Start 1 cup of water on high in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add bulgar wheat and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir and then turn of the heat and cover. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Drain with a strainer. Mix bulgar wheat and all of the other ingredients. Stir to combine well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.


I plated up two servings of tabbouleh, hummus and yogurt, then chopped some cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. I finished the platter off with fresh chopped mint, paprika lemons and extra virgin olive oil. Finally I toasted up some whole wheat pita breads and had a healthy and delicious dinner.