Crab Crusted Norwegian Salmon, Braised Endive, Crispy Potatoes, Scallion Brown Butter

It has been a while since I made a post.  Probably because I haven't gone food shopping since Hurricane Sandy.  Now that I have finally found some time on a Sunday, I decided to make myself a nice, protein rich lunch.  This take 30 minutes, costs $18 and feeds one.

Crab Crusted Salmon
6oz piece Norwegian Salmon
3oz lump crab claw meat
5 scallions, fine chopped
1/2 stick butter
2 tablespoon panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Add butter to a small sautee pan on medium and scallions.  Cook until the butter browns, the add the crab meat, bread crumbs and mustard.  Mix well.
Preheat oven to 350. Start a medium saute pan on medium heat.  Add 2 teaspoons of oil and sear salmon skin side down.  Place the pan in the oven, let cook for 7 minutes, then remove.
Top the salmon with the crab meat.  Use remaining brown butter to sauce the plate.

Crispy Potatoes and Braised Endive
1 small white potato, sliced into 1/4 rounds
1 small endive, halved
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons of olive oil

Small medium pan on medium heat, add butter and oil.  Place potatoes in oil and let cook on each side for about 7 minutes or until golden.  Once potatoes are done add in endive, cut side down.  Let cook 5 minutes or until carmelized.

Plate it all up and garnish with the remaining scallion tops.  Buon Apetito!

Roasted Pork Loin, Camembert-Spinach Smashed Potatoes, Raspberry Cilantro Gravy

A pork loin is a great way to feed a lot of people good protein at a reasonable price.  This was a store bought pork loin that was pre-marinated with honey mustard.  This recipe takes 1 hour 15 minutes, feeds four and costs about $30 dollars.

Camembert-Spinach Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes
6 medium organic yukon gold potatoes, large diced
1/2 organic vidallia onion, large diced
5 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon sugar
8 oz fresh spinach
1 wheel of Camembert Cheese, rind removed
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 cup cream
salt and pepper

Start diced potatoes in cool water on high heat and bring to a boil, cook them until tender.  Drain and set aside. In a separate sautee pan start onions and garlic on medium low heat in olive oil.  Let cook for 15 minutes or so until they get very soft and lightly brown, keep the heat low and stir often so you don't burn them.  Now add the sugar and let cook for 5 minutes. Next add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes.  Combine this mixture to the cooked potatoes, cheese, butter, cream, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and smash all ingredients together.  Bomb!!

Raspberry Onion Cilantro Gravy
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 organic vidallia onion, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
4 cups Kitchen Basics vegetable stock
1/2 container fresh raspberries, smashed
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon butter
salt and pepper

In a medium sauce pan start olive oil, onions and garlic and cook on medium until lightly golden.  Add stock and reduce to 1/2 cup of liquid.  Remove from heat and add raspberries, cilantro and butter, mix well and let sit for five minutes, season to taste.

Roasted Pork Loin
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sear pork loin on all sides on a roasting pan till browned.  Put on a baking rack and cook in the oven about 30 minutes or until 155 degree internal temperature.  Remove from oven and let rest ten minutes covered with aluminum foil.  Slice and serve over mashed potatoes and top with gravy.  I added some broccoli for some freshy greens as well. Thanks to Harout, Dre and Paula for coming to dinner.  Buon Apetito!

Chipotle Hanger Steak with Vegetable Mash and Spicy Apple Reduction

Hanger Steak is a cut of beef that is harder to find but very delicious.  It is like a cross between filet mignon and skirt steak.  The key with this cut is not to overcook it, so if you like medium rare or rare it is amazing, anything over medium and it becomes tough and chewy.  The sauce was an experiment that worked out awesome and is super easy to make.  This meal takes 40 minutes, feeds two and costs about $15.

Vegetable Mashed Potatoes
1 large Idaho baking potato, diced
1/2 leek, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small white onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons of goat cheese
1 tablespoon cream cheese
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Start the potatoes in cold water over high heat, bring to a boil and reduce to medium.  Cook until fork tender.  Start a sautee pan on medium high heat.  Add some olive oil and the leek, onion, pepper and zucchini and sautee at medium high heat until they begin to get golden.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of butter and keep cooking on high until vegetables are glazed.  Turn off the heat and add the cooked potatoes along with the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Move the mixture to a mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher.  Season and serve.

Spicy Apple Reduction
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
1 teaspoon diced shallot
1/2 teaspoon dry rub for the steak
1 teaspoon butter, cold

In a mini sauce pot or sautee pan start juice, vinegars and shallots over low heat and let reduce until a few tablespoons of liquid remain.  Add spice and let infuse for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in the cold butter.  Spoon over steak.

Chipotle Rubbed Hanger Steak
1 lb Hanger Steak
Dry Rub:
2 teaspoons kosher
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix spices and rub onto the steak.  Start a very hot sautee pan with some oil.  Once smoking hot cook steak on each side for about 3 minutes or until browned.  Place steak in the oven for about 8-10 minutes.  Remove and let rest at least 6 minutes.  Slice and serve.  Buon Apetito!

Prime Sirloin, Enoki Mushrooms, Leeks, Potatoes and Black Truffle

Its the end of the truffle season so I decided to get one more to enjoy before its over.  This dish takes 45 minutes, feeds two people and costs about $40.

1 - 12oz prime sirloin
1 - package of fresh enoki mushrooms
1 - organic leek, thin round slices
1 - package tricolor baby potatoes, halved
1/8 cup - real balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup - dry marsala wine
5 grams - Perigord Black Truffle

Potatoes, Leeks and Mushrooms
Preheat the oven to 350.  Toss the potatoes in salt, pepper and olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Cook for 30 minutes or until tender.  Place mushrooms and leeks on a oiled baking sheet and roast i the oven for 15 minutes.

Sirloin of Beef
Get a cast iron pan going for about five minutes on medium high heat.  Season steak with salt and pepper and sear in the pan for about two minutes on each side.  Remove from the pan and place on a foil lined baking rack. Glaze the steak with a teaspoon of the real balsamic vinegar.  Place it in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, glaze one more time with balsamic and let it stand for 7 minutes. Slice and serve.

Balsamic-Marsala Reduction
Place equal part real balsamic and dry marsala wine in a small saucepan on low heat.  Let it reduce for about 30 minutes or until about 2 tablespoons remain.

Shave the fresh truffles over the plated dish and enjoy!  Buon Apetitio!!

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!!

Basted Egg with Sherry Tomatoes and Potato-Onion Puree

This is a little play on traditional sunny side up eggs and breakfast potatoes. It takes about 10 minutes, feeds one and costs $3.

I used the potato onion puree from the previous recipe on the blog. I cut and pasted here just for reference. I also made a basted egg. This is an egg that is cooked in a saute pan with about and inch of water. You have to continuously "baste" the egg with the excess water in the pan using a tablespoon. Slowly but surely the top of the egg cooks and becomes a perfect cross between poached and sunny side up. I diced some tomatoes and tossed them with sherry vinegar and some fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Organic Potato-Onion Puree

4 small organic yukon gold potatoes, medium diced

1 medium organic vidallia onion, medium diced

5-6 cloves of organic garlic, halved

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons cream

2 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon cream cheese

Put the potatoes, onions and garlic in cold water in a medium pot. Start on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let cook until potatoes are fork tender. Strain the water off and place in a large food processor or blender. Add butter, oil, cream, cream cheese, and salt & white pepper. Puree until smooth. Add more olive oil as necessary to get a smooth velvety texture.

Pancetta Wrapped Veal Loin, Fennel Puree, Baby Potatoes and Braised Radicchio

This delicious recipe is taken from various items that I have seen done at the restaurant where I work. This way by far the tastiest dish done this year. This feeds 2 took 1.5 hours to prepare and costs $40.

Pancetta Wrapped Veal Loin
8 thin slices of pancetta, ask the deli guy
8 oz veal tenderloin, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 300. Season the veal loin with salt and pepper and sear in a medium pan on high until golden on each side. Place on an oven rack and place in the oven until 130 degrees in side, about 10 minutes. Take out and rest until cool about 15 minutes. Wrap with pancetta and pan sear again on medium until pancetta is cooked, about 3 minutes on each side.

Veal Jus
2 cups vegetable broth
1/8 cup veal trimmings
1/4 white onion
1 teaspoon rendered pancetta

Cook all ingredients in a sauce pan on medium low until reduced to 1/4 cup. Strain and reduce by half, let cool and add a teaspoon of butter.

Fennel Puree
1 organic fennel bulb, diced
1 organic leek, chopped
4 cloves organic garlic
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Boil fennel, leeks and garlic in a medium saucepan on medium high until tender, about 12 minutes. Strain an place in a food processor, add cream and blend, slowly add olive oil until puree is smooth.

Crispy Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 lbs organic baby yukon golds
Olive oil, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a sheet pan with olive oil and season. Place potatoes cut side down and spray with oil and salt and pepper. Cook for 25 minutes until golden. Turn off the oven and let stand in the oven for 15 minutes.

Braised Radicchio
1 head organic radicchio, julienned
1/8 cup pancetta, diced
1/4 red onion, diced

In a medium pan render the pancetta on low, once crisp and onion and cook 5 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium and add radicchio, let cook ten minutes and season.



I also seared some scallions in the same pan I used to finish the veal. I plated it all together and the flavor combinations were amazing. Buon Apetitio!

Pork Belly Hash Skillet

I had some amazing left over pork belly from dinner last night at my friends' place PubBelly. This one pan breakfast dish comes together in 20 minutes and really highlights the richness of the amazing porkbelly. It costs about $5 and feeds one.

Pork Belly Hash Skillet
1 small organic idaho potato
1/8 red bell pepper, julienne
1/8 white onion, julienne
3 oz pork belly (good substitutes are bacon, ham or turkey)
2 eggs
3 teaspoons of oil

Start a small saute pan on medium. Add oil and potatoes and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes brown. Add peppers and onions and cook 5 more minutes. Add chopped pork belly and cook a few more minutes. Top with two eggs and place it in the broiler on low for 5 minutes. Season and serve.




Buon Apetito!!

Scallops and Prosciutto on Whipped Potatoes with a Fig-Apricot-Mustard Vinaigrette

This savory and rich dish is a great lunch or early dinner combination. It whips up pretty quick and tastes amazing. The key to the dish is the quality and freshness of the scallops. These are u-10 scallops, or under 10 per pound so they are quite large. I also used fingerling potatoes for the whipped potatoes which gives them more body and a richer flavor than other potatoes. This take 1 hour, costs $20 and feeds one.

Pan Seared Scallops
3 u-10 sea scallops
1 teaspoon butter
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Score each scallops by cutting a 1/16 inch checker board pattern into one side of each scallops. Season with salt and pepper. Get a large frying pan very hot on medium high heat. Once really hot add the butter and then the scallops cut side down. Let them cook without moving them to 3 to 5 minutes or until a very golden brown. Turn them over and then place the whole pan in the oven for 7 minutes or until cooked to desired tenderness. Do not over cook them!

Whipped Potatoes
4 medium fingerling potatoes, sliced
1/8 of a red onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme

Start sliced fingerling in a pot of cold water and salt on high heat. Bring to a boil and turn to medium high for 25 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Start a small saute pan on low and add olive oil, red onion and garlic and let cook 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain cooked potatoes and place in a strong food processor then add cooked onions, garlic and olive oil, butter heavy cream, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth, about two minutes, adjust seasoning and add more cream if they are too stiff.

Fig-Apricot-Mustard Vinaigrette
1 teaspoon, organic fig jelly
1 teaspoon, whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon, dijon mustard
1 teaspoon, apricot juice
1 teaspoon, white balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl. Brush on scallops before placing them in the oven. Top scallops with this sauce when done.



To Plate this whole thing up I place three small mounds of potatoes, then topped that with the center portion of the prosciutto, topped it with a scallop and then some of the mustard sauce. My fresh marjoram is flowering so I added some fresh marjoram flowers to give the dish some added beauty. This is a great appetizer or entrée for a relativly small amount of work. Buon appetito!!

Huge Prime Rib-Eye with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Sunchokes and Shallots

It took a while to make this first post of the New Year so without further ado lets get it started. We got these two 38oz prime grade rib-eyes from Epicure. I also found some sunchokes, or Jerusalem Artichokes, which are a rare find. They are tubers that taste exactly like artichoke heats when roasted. Fingerling potatoes are a small finger sized potato with a creamy texture and a touch of sweetness. I also made a red wine - balsamic reduction to compliment the slow cooked steak. This takes about 2 hours, cost $150 (steaks are about $100 of that) and feeds 4 hungry people.

Red Wine - Balsamic Reduction
1/2 bottle of red wine, I used Valpolicella a light Italian red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup shallots, sliced
5 parsley sprigs
1 tablespoon of butter

Bring the red wine, balsamic, beef stock and shallots to almost boiling on medium high heat and then lower to low heat and let cook for 2 hours or until reduced to 1/2 a cup of liquid. Add parsley and let cook for 5 minutes. Strain shallots and parsley from the sauce and put back over low heat. Add some fresh cracked black pepper then whisk in the butter slowly and serve immediately.

Slow Roasted Rib-Eye
2 38oz Prime Grade Rib-eye steaks
2 teaspoons of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of butter

This slow and low steak cooking method is somethin I learned by watching an Alain Ducasse(one of the top US chefs) video on youtube. I have worked in steakhouses and have never seen this method used so I was skeptical at first. However after doing this technique a few times I don't think there is a better way to prepare a steak. The steaks must be at least 1 3/4 inches thick for this to work properly. The results are a through and through medium or medium rare depending on roasting time.

Start a large frying pan on medium low heat (2.5 of 10). Let it heat up for at least 5 minutes. Place the steaks in the pan without any oil or butter. Let them cook without moving them for 17 to 20 minutes or until a golden crust occurs. Now flip the steak and let it cook for another 17 to 20 minutes or until carmelized on that side. Now add the butter to the pan and turn the steak and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the steaks from the pan and place on a foil lined baking sheet on a baking rack. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Let the steaks rest for 20 minutes on the rack. Now place in the oven and let cook 15 for medium rare and 22 minutes for medium. I like rib-eye cooked to about medium to melt out the fat. Take them out and let it rest again for at least 7 minutes. Cut the meat off the bone and slice to serve. Top with the red wine - balsamic sauce.



Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Sunchokes and Shallots
1 lb, fingerling potatoes
1/2 pound sunchokes
1/2 pound baby shallots
olive oil, salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly wash the potatoes and sunchokes. Slice the potatoes on the bias (diagonal) and peel to sunchokes of the outter knobs and thicker skins. Cut the sunchokes into pieces about the same size as the shallots and potatoes. Peel the shallots. Place all of the veggies on a baking sheet and coat with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about an hour or until the potatoes, sunchokes and shallots are tender. Serve them up aside the steak for an earthy and delicious side dish.



My friends Ty, Alp and Ricky all joined me for this awesome early dinner and I appreciate their company and also appreciate them buying the food. This is a meat and potato lovers' dream and the sweet-rich sauce really brings it all together. Thanks guys!

Fontina Stuffed Chicken with Herb Roasted Heirloom Potatoes

The base recipe for this dish was given to me by my old friend Dennis, aka Dnas. So D this one is for you. I tweaked the provided recipe, Fresh Rick's Style, to make it easier to complete, look great and taste amazing. I found some organic heirloom potatoes at the Publix near my house. Heirloom potatoes are purple, red and yellow skinned potatoes that come from old seed stock and have never been chemically treated or scientifically altered. I also added some large cloves of organic garlic and pearl onions to the create the perfect side dish for this creamy chicken dish. This recipe feeds 2, takes 1.5 hours and costs about $20.

Fontina Stuffed Chicken Breast
Cheese Filling
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 red onion, thin sliced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
4 slices Fontina cheese, about 1 oz
1 tablespoon of panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Start a medium pan on low and add oil, butter and onions. Let it cook for ten minutes or until the onions are soft and lightly browned. Turn heat off and add Fontina and basil. Let that cook for a few minutes until the cheese melts, stir. Add bread crumbs and pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir into a single mass.



2 chicken breasts, medium sized free range
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
cooled Fontina cheese filing

Preheat oven to 375. Clean fat off of chicken breasts and trim off the "tenderloin". Use a pairing knife to cut a deep slit in the chicken breast by pressing firmly on the top of the breast and slicing from the center. You want to make a pocket so don't cut it in half, insert the knife and try to slice as deep as possible into the top and bottom so you can get a lot of filing inside. Stuff breasts with Fontina filing careful so you don't break a hole in the breasts, do not over fill. Mix the two kinds of bread crumbs and coat chicken on each side. Place on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler to low and broil the chicken on one rack from the top for about 5 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown. Take out and let stand for at least 5 minutes. Yum!



Roasted Heirloom Potatoes
2 pounds small organic heirloom potatoes (fingerling of dutch marble will work too)
1 bag of pearl onions about 1/2 lb, peeled
10 large cloves of garlic, whole
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, rough chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, rough chopped
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, rough chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, rough chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Toss potatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper and put on a large baking tray. Bake for 45 minutes. Take out and sprinkle the fresh herbs on top as well as some more salt and pepper. At this time also add the chicken to the oven. Let the potatoes cook for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is done.



This was the best meal I had in a few days and the best potatoes I have had in a long time. The chicken filling is creamy and delicious and acts as the sauce. Thanks for the recipe Dennis. If anyone else has a recipe they want me to Fresh Rick's up send it over, I can always use inspiration and love trying new stuff. Enjoy!

Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted Fall Veggies

I haven't made a meatloaf in years, maybe ever, because they are always dry, never quite that tasty and defiantly not very healthy. Then I had this idea to use ground turkey instead of ground meat to lighten the dish and increase the protein to fat ratio in my favor. This turned out soft, supple and very tasty meatloaf. Its very easy to prepare feeds 4 plus leftovers, takes 1.5 hours and is under $20 with the roasted veggies.

Turkey Meatloaf
1.5 lbs of ground turkey (1 package, not breast meat only)
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup carrots, diced
1 Anaheim chili, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup ketchup (they have ketchup without HFCS now!)
2 tables spoons BBQ sauce
1 table spoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sautee the onions, carrots, garlic and chili in a small pan on medium low until it softens, about 7 minutes. Set the mixture aside to cool. Mix the milk and the 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs in a separate bowl and let stand. Now mix all of the remaining ingredients including the milk soaked breadcrumbs and cooked vegetables with the turkey. I use a large fork and large glass bowl then kind of whip it all together. Scoop the mix into a loaf pan (9x4x4 high glass or metal pan). Spread the mixture even and top it with a bit more breadcrumbs. Place it in the oven on the middle rack and let it cook for 45 minutes. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes, slice and serve.



Pan Gravy
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon wondra flour or AP flour, mixed into 1 tablespoon of hot water
The pan juices from the meatloaf

Start a small sautee pan on low and melt the butter. Mix the hot water and flour until it forms a paste. Add the paste to the butter and let it cook for 10 minutes or until it gets lightly golden brown. Once meatloaf is done, carefully pour out all the juices from the pan and add them to the pan. Whisk this together and let it cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat until its gets to the desired thickness. Spoon over sliced meatloaf.

Roasted Fall Vegetables
2 cups okra, chopped
2 medium beets, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 large sweet potato, chopped
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup of dried figs, halved

Chop all the vegetables to roughly the same size. Put in a large baking dish and toss with some EV olive oil and salt & pepper. Let it cook in the same 350 degree oven as the meatloaf for 45 minutes to an hour or until the beets are soft. Scoop and serve.



The meatloaf should be super tender but stay together. Slice it and serve it over some of the veggies. Top it with the sauce and you have a pretty easy meal in about an hour. Plus those veggies and super healthy and the turkey is low in saturated fat. This may be a new dish in the rotation because both times I made it, it was delicious and mysteriously was gone the next day. Enjoy!

Egg with Zucchini-Potato Cake

This quick breakfast looks fancy but was really easy to make. All you need is a ring mold and a box grater. I used some of the tomato sauce I made for the clams the other day for a garnish and because ketchup wasn't sexy enough for this presentation.

Zucchini Potato Cake

2 oz vegetable oil
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 medium potatoes, peeled and grated
salt and pepper

Using a box grater, grate the zucchini and the potato. Use a salad spinner or lay the grated potato and zucchini on some paper towel to absorb the natural moisture. Once dried a bit mix the two together well. Start a large sautee pan on medium and add the oil. Add the zucchini and potato mixture and stir it up. Once cooked through a bit, form it into a single piece, like a hash brown, and let it get golden on one side. Flip it and let it get golden. Thats it.

I toasted a piece of rye bread and then buttered it. I used a ring mold to cut the bread into a perfect circle, this will be the base. I then used the same ring mold to cut a circle out of the potato and zucchini cake and placed that on the bread. Finally, I cooked an egg sunny side up and used the ring mold to cut a perfect circle from that as well. I warmed the tomato sauce and put two swipes on the plate. Add a bit of basil for garnish and you have a great looking breakfast in the same time as it takes to make a sloppy looking breakfast. Enjoy!

Country Fried Chicken with Rick's Famous Mash Potatoes and Green Beans

This dish has classic simplicity but I added some important techniques that make it taste extraordinary. These techniques are more important then the recipe itself. Once you learn the various cooking techniques you can apply them to any protein, vegetable, starch or sauce making new and unique dishes everyday. You start by using a base technique to create a familiar item and then set the stage by surrounding that item with the components that you enjoy. Edible art. Sometimes you make an great dish, other times you make a horrible dish, but you always keep refining your technique and changing the outcome. Anyway, enough of my cooking philosophy and on to the food...

This serves recipe 4 people

Country Fried Chicken Breast

4 free range chicken breasts, trimmed of the fat
2 cups buttermilk (or heavy cream)
2 cups of AP flour
2 eggs, scrambled and heavily seasoned with salt and pepper
2 cups of whole wheat bread crumbs
1 cups Panko bread crumbs (sub white or Italian)
3 oz of vegetable oil

Soak chicken breasts in buttermilk (or cream) for at least 10 minutes up to 1 day.

Then get set up for the breading process by laying out three large baking dishes, i like to use 9" round or square baking pans. Put them next to each other and fill the 1st pan with the flour, the 2nd pan with the eggs and the 3rd pan with the breadcrumb mixture. Put a baking sheet at the end, covered with wax paper for your completed chicken breasts.

Take the chicken breast from the buttermilk and let it drain off the excess liquid. Dredge the chicken breast in the flour and shake off the excess, dip it in the egg mixture and let, then place it into the bread crumb mixture making sure to press the breadcrumbs firmly into the chicken breast. Set aside on the baking sheet and finish the remaining breasts. Start a large frying pan on medium high heat (6 of 10) and add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the chicken breasts one or two at a time so you do not over crowd the pan. They are ready quickly, about 5 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. Place on a paper towel on the baking sheet.

Rick's Famous Mashed Potatoes

3 large baking potatoes, peeled and large diced
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and diced (1 jarred roasted red pepper, diced)
1/2 vidallia onion, sliced
8 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
3 oz olive oil
1 stick of butter
1/8 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon fresh black pepper

It works best if you do all the chopping first and then start all of the three steps in order because they all take about 30 minutes each to complete.

STEP 1 - Add the olive oil, 1/2 of the butter, the onions and smashed garlic to a small sauté pan and turn to low(1 of 10). Let that cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the onion and garlic start caramelizing. Add the heavy cream and some salt & pepper and let cook 5 minutes.

STEP 2 - Fresh Roasted Red Pepper - Turn your oven on broil with the rack at the top. Slice the red bell pepper in half and remove the seeds and white core. Place the halves cut side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place the pepper under the broiler. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the pepper skin has blackened. Put the two halves into a medium mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 15 minutes then open and peel the skin off of the pepper, it should be easy. It is worth the time and effort to do these fresh.

STEP 3 - Place the peeled and chopped potatoes in a large pot with cold water and 2 tablespoons of salt. If you put them in warm or boiling water you will ruin the texture. Turn the potatoes on high and bring them to a boil. Turn to medium and let boil for another 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain them and add to a large mixing bowl with the cream-onion-garlic mixture and the chopped roasted red pepper. Add the 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of black pepper and them remaining 1/2 stick of butter. Mash together thoroughly or mix with a hand blender for an even smoother texture. YUM!

Green Beans

1 lb of green beans, trimmed or the ends and washed
1/4 vidallia onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 oz olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
salt & pepper to taste

Blanching Green Beans (or any vegetable)- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Once the water is boiling add the green beans. Make an ice bath - get a large mixing bowl and fill it 1/4 with water then another 1/4 with ice so the bowl is now half full. After the green beans have cooked for five minutes, drain them and place them in the ice bath. Mix with your hands until the green beans are cooled. This sets the color and makes any vegetable crisp and colorful. AT HOME TIP: I add the green beans to the boiling water from the potatoes so I don't have to do another pot of boiling water, I just pick them out with tongs because they float to the top.

Start and sauté pan on low and add the butter, olive oil, onions and garlic. Let that cook for 20 minutes or until the onion start to get color. Turn up the heat to medium and add the green beans, mix well. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until the green beans get heated through, add salt and pepper to taste.


It sounds like a lot to do for one meal but if you do all the cutting prep work first, then go in this order it all happens very fast; Start the 3 step potato process, blanch the green beans, bread the chicken, mash the potatoes, fry the chicken and then sauté the green beans everything will be done at around the same time. Practice makes perfect. The three techniques to take from this recipe are blanching vegetables, making homemade roasted red peppers and frying up breaded chicken. Three basic but very important techniques. Good luck.

Steak and Taleggio Omelet with Breakfast Potatoes Confit

Labor Day weekend is here! I decided to kick it off with a dip in the ocean and an awesome breakfast. I had a bit of left over steak from the other nights dinner and some Taleggio (a soft Italian chesse) from when friends came over last week. Here is how I put it all together.

Breakfast Potatoes Confit
3 medium russet potatoes, large dice
1/2 a large vidallia onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 finger hot pepper, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano
1/8 cup duck fat
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Start the pan on medium and add the vegetable oil. Add the potatoes and let them cook for 15 minutes stirring every few minutes so they cook evenly. Then add the onions, garlic and hot peppers and let that cook for 7-10 minutes or until the onions get some color. Now add the duck fat and let it all cook together for 15 more minutes or until the potatoes are soft and golden. Add the fresh oregano(dried if that what you have), salt and pepper and remove it from the heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes,stir and serve

Steak and Taleggio Omelet
3 eggs
1 oz heavy cream
1/4 mined red onion
2 oz of skirt steak
2 oz Taleggio Cheese (sub anything you like here)
1 teaspoon fresh chopped marjoram
salt and pepper

Start the oven on 350. Whisk eggs and cream together until airy. Start a medium pan on medium low (4 of 10) and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, add the steak and cook for two more minutes. Then add your eggs. Let that cook for 3 minutes then remove it from the heat, top half of it with slices of the Taleggio cheese and add the fresh marjoram. Put the pan in the oven for 5 minutes or until the top is no longer runny. Remove it from the oven and fold it in half.

I put the two together with a toasted and cream cheesed english muffin and some fresh sliced roma tomatoes. I think this is going to be an awesome Labor Day weekend!

Sunnyside Up with Breakfast Potatoes

The fastest and easiest of all decent breakfasts, eggs and potatoes. Sunnyside up eggs can be tricky because if they are over cooked they are like rubber and if they are undercooked they have this nasty slime on top that is really offputting. Most restaurants mess them up to one side or the other, that is why I usually make them at home with this easy method.

Sunnyside Up Eggs:
Start the oven on 350. Start a medium sautee pan, non stick is best, on mid-low (4 out of 10) and put just enough oil to coat the pan. You can use any oil or spray of your choice. Then crack the eggs by striking it on a FLAT surface like the countertop. Hitting the egg on the edge of a bowl or pan increases the chance of breaking the yolk. Crack the egg open just above the preheated pan. Cook the egg for about 4 minutes or until white starts to set up. Then place the whole pan in the oven for 5 mintues or until the top of the egg is stiff, fluffy and the white is opaque. Perfect every time.

For the breakfast potatoes I diced up a left over baked potato from last nights' dinner. I started a sautee pan on medium with oil and butter then added some chopped red onion and red hot pepper and let cook for 5 minutes. I then added the diced potatoes and let it all cook together for about 15 minutes. I finished with parsley, salt and pepper.

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