Grilled Swordfish Steaks and Summer Vegetables

Summer is all about the grill.  This Sunday cook out included some fresh cut swordfish steaks that are about as good as it gets for fish on the grill.  Just be careful not to over cook them as it becomes very dry if not a perfect medium.  I also threw in a scallop salad appetizer to keep the seafood theme rolling.  This whole meal costs about $80 and feeds 6 people, total prep and cook time was about and hour and a half.

Swordfish and Grilled Vegetables
I simply coated the swordfish and vegetables in a mix of olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs including marjoram, parsley and tarragon.  Grill all veg and fish on high heat.  Let fish rest on the top rack for 5 minutes.

Scallop Salad
20 u14 sea scallops
1 head frisee lettuce
1 bag baby watercress
1 pint yellow tomatoes
1 jicama root, in batons
1 shallot, thin sliced
white balsamic vinaigrette

Toss all ingredients together.  Season scallops with salt, pepper and olive oil and sear on high heat for 5 minutes on each side.

I also threw in a vegetarian dish of grilled vegetables and portabello mushrooms for Michal.

Thanks to Danette, Harout, Michal, Linder, and Michelle for the company. Buon appetito!!

Big Eye Tuna, White Asparagus, Vegetable Strings, Pomelo Beurre Blanc

Big Eye Tuna is a little more pink in color and more fishy in flavor then its more popular cousin Ahi Tuna.  Im trying to keep the carbs down so this dish fit the dietary and taste requirements I had for dinner this evening.  This dish takes 30 minutes, feeds 2 and costs about $35.

Paprika Dusted Big Eye Tuna
3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon pink sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 dash cayenne pepper
2 6oz pieces sushi grade Big Eye Tuna

Pat Tuna dry with a moist paper towel.  Coat in spice mix.  Sear both sides in a medium high skillet for about 3 minutes on each side.  Let rest, slice and serve

Vegetable Strings
1 zucchini
1 squash
1 leeks
1 shallot

Julienne all the vegetables on a Japanese Mandolin.   Sautee on medium high heat in a skillet with a little butter and oil.

Butter Poached White Asparagus
Blanch asparagus for 4-5 minutes and plunge in ice bath.  In a smalll saucepan heat up half a stick of butter on medium low and add in asparagus.  Let poach for 15 minutes.

Pomelo Beurre Blanc
1 cup white vinegar
1 shallot, fine dice
1/2 pomelo, juiced
1/8 cup coconut water
3 tablespoon butter

In a small sauce pan start shallots and vinegar on medium heat.  Reduce until about 2 tablespoons of liquid remain.  Strain shallots from vinegar and set aside.  In same small sauce pan reduce pomelo and coconut water to half and then add reduced vinegar.  Put on low heat and slowly whisk in the butter piece by piece.

Pomelos are in season right now and the citrus flavor was a nice compliment to the rich and buttery tuna.  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!

Seafood Strozzapreti

Strozzapreti is a pasta that is rolled between the fingers to create a tube shape. Strozzapreti means "to choke the priest". There are dozens of stories of why it is called this but either way its great. This strozzapreti is store bought. This takes 30 min, cost $40 and feeds two.

Seaafood Strozzapretti
4 oz lobster meat, chopped
4 oz jumbo shrimp, halved
4 large sea scallops, halved
12oz Strozzapreti dry
1 shallot, diced
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
1 cup white wine
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of basil, torn into pieces
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and white pepper

Mix all the seafood with olive oil, crushed red pepper, salt and white pepper. Start water and salt heavily. Add pasta to the water. Start two sautee pans on medium heat. In one add shallots, garlic, zucchini and squash. Cook for 10 minutes. In the other pan start the seafood and cook for five minutes. Add the seafood to the vegetables and add the white wine. Once it cooks off add the tomatoes and the basil. Drain the pasta and add it to the veggies and seafood. Season to taste and serve with some toasted garlic bread. Buon Apetito!

Sockeye Salmon, Charred Zucchini, Shrimp & English Pea Cream Sauce

Wild caught Sockeye Salmon is at top of the chart on omegas and simultaneously tastes amazing. This feeds two people, costs $40 and takes 1 hour.

Olive Oil Roasted Sockeye Salmon
2 6oz fillets of sockeye salmon, sliced into 6 pieces
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and white pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Start a medium saute pan on medium high and add olive oil. Once very hot add all the fish, skin side down. Immediately place the whole pan in the oven and let cook for 7-10 minutes or until fish is no longer raw on top. Remove and let stand 4 minutes.

Pea, Pancetta and Shrimp Cream Sauce
2 jumbo shrimp, diced, shells reserved
1 cup fresh English peas, blanched
2 tablespoons diced pancetta
1.5 cups vegetable stock
1/8 cup heavy cream

Start and medium saucepan on medium low. Add pancetta and let render for 10 minutes. Turn up to med and add veg stock and shrimp bodies. Let cook until reduced to 1/2 a cup of liquid. Strain sauce and add cream. Let reduce to half, about 1/4 cup of liquid. Add diced shrimp and peas. Season to taste.

Charred Baby Zucchini with Red Onions
1/2 lb baby zucchini, halved
1 organic red onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 400. Brush a sheet pan with olive salt and pepper and place zucchini cut side down. Brush tops with olive oil, salt and pepper and topped with sliced onions. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until onions are soft andn zucchini are browned.

I have to thanks my friend Suzy for the inspiration in creating the dish and the help with eating it all as well, good times! Buon Apetitio!!

Alaskan Halibut with Wild Rice, Zucchini and Arugula Puree

I have really been getting back into eating fish. Its delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare. Halibut is a cold water fish that is very delicate. It can easily be over cooked and ruined so pay attention to the cook time and the fish itself while cooking. I had this beautiful organic wild rice also so I decided to make them a team. This dish takes 45 minutes, costs $20 and feeds one.

Pan Seared Alaskan Halibut
1 6oz Alaskan Halibut Filet
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
salt and pepper

Pre heat the oven to 350. Start a saute pan on medium high heat. Add oil and butter the season the fish with salt and pepper on each side. Once the pan is hot add the fish and let cook for 4 to five minutes or until golden. Turn the fish and place the whole pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and delicately serve.

Wild Rice Pilaf
1 cup long grain organic wild rice
3 cups cold water
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Rinse the rice well in cold water. Start a sauce pan with 3 cups of water and a cup of the wild rice. Bring to a boil then cover and turn down to simmer. let it cook for 45 minute to an hour or until rice grains have popped and are tender. Drain then add salt and the chopped basil. Serve warm or cold.

Butter Poached Zucchini
1/4 cup yellow squash, chopped
1/4 cup zucchini, chopped
1/8 cup red onion, chopped
1/8 cup fresh tomato, chopped
1/8 cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoon butter

Start a small saucepan on medium low. Add stock, butter, onions, zucchini and squash. Let cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add the tomatoes and let cook ten more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Arugula Puree
1 cup arugula, rough chopped
1/8 cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon onion, finely chopped

Add all ingredients to a small saute pan and turn to medium. Let cook ten minutes or until arugula is very soft. Puree in a food processor then strain. You as a garnishing sauce.

After putting this all together I was pleasantly pleased at how well it all worked together. The buttery vegetable with the buttery fish was rich and the earthyness of the wild rice made a great combination. Buon Apetito!!

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!