Monthly Archives: December 2020

So many fish in the sea…

I made a great lightly creamy seafood pasta the other day that was, according to my hubby, “the best meal ever”. Wow. Considering how easy it was, I was very happy that it was so delicious. For the seafood I used little neck clams, shrimp and a lobster tail but you can use whatever looks good a the fish monger. I bet mussels and crab would be great in this dish too.

To start I sauteed the shrimp and lobster in a little EVOO, a dash of truffle oil and butter until just about cooked. Then I added 2 cups of chicken broth and let that heat up. When broth is hot (almost boiling) I tossed in the clams and steamed until they opened up. I added 1/2 cup of frozen peas just for color too. Next, I reduced heat to low and added 1 cup of heavy cream and a ton of fresh cracked pepper and parsley. You can thicken up the sauce with a tablespoon of mascarpone if you like.

Cooked linguine (al dente of course) was then transferred into the pan with this yummy sauce, mixed around so every piece of pasta was covered, then plated with a shaving of … wait for it … fresh truffle! (On sale at Eataly this week by the way.)

Feast of the seven fishes….

Leave a reply

There is no meal in life for me that is more of a competition in both creativity and stamina than Christmas eve and the seven fishes. This year, because of stupid COVID, it was only my hubby, daughter and me. Seven fishes, cooked in various ways is A LOT for three people. I won’t lie, the whole snapper (who premiered this year) didn’t make it to the table last night. It will be a great Christmas day lunch though.

Where do I even start here? We had my hubby’s famous stuffed artichokes (my daughter’s favorite!) stuffed clams, Alaskan king crab legs, stuffed calamari, fried baccala (cod), whole lobsters, dungeness crabs, shrimp, broccoli rabe, mushrooms. rainbow cookies, butter cookies, chestnuts.

This is no small amount of prep. The entire house is consumed by Christmas eve. Our place in NY has a very small kitchen (I refer to it as a one person kitchen) so we have to plan out who’s doing what and in what order. This is essential for harmony…

I really missed having a houseful this year and while it was great, it just wasn’t the same without my parents and our close friends. Hoping that 2021 bring better things.

If you’re interested in any of the recipes, inbox me and I’ll share. The batter for the baccala is particularly good and surprisingly easy to make and can be used for onion rings or fried zucchini.

Merry Christmas to you all and here’s to a (MUCH) better 2021.

BUON NATALE!!

Dedicated to my sweet mother-in-law who we lost this year. Miss your crazy laugh!

Cravings…

2 Replies

What can I say? I’m a sucker when either my daughter or hubby have a craving for a dish that I can make. I fuss and make like I’m too busy but truth is I love it (don’t tell them!) Yesterday, the princess was craving a pasta salad…so I starting prepping and this is what happened:

I had some good fresh stuff waiting to be used in the fridge. No two of my pasta salads are ever the same. For this particular salad I tossed in: feta cheese, chopped mixed bell peppers (mostly for color), chopped red onion, chopped soppressata, chopped olives, chopped marinated artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, and fresh parsley.

It’s so easy to pull together: boil you choice of pasta till al dente (about 8 minutes), drain and rise under cold water. Toss in a few drops of EVOO and stir around. In a large bowl add all freshly chopped ingredients and cooled pasta. Add salt, pepper, oregano and a bit more EVOO and toss well. Voila!

Note: Any fresh veggies work in this. Basil and mint are great adds too if you have them. Mozzarella or goat cheese or pana grano could replace the feta. Also, in place of adding your own seasoning you could add in an envelope of dried salad dressing mix (italian, ranch, whatever) with the EVOO and a little white vinegar if you like.

This is a great side dish or even a quick main dish.

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy…

Leave a reply

Chicken Piccata aka Lemon chicken – Just love this dish. It’s got a fresh, satisfying taste, fills you up and isn’t terribly complicated to prepare. The chicken can be served over rice, polenta, zucchini spirals, you name it. I prepared mine in our large electric skillet (this allowed me to cook all the cutlets at once versus a few batches in a saute pan). Preparation for this dish is everything.

To prepare:

Juice three lemons and slice one lemon. Chop up one leek (white part only), strain about 1/4 cup of capers, soften 2 tablespoons of butter and chop some fresh parsley. Salt & pepper both sides of boneless chicken breasts that are of similar thickness (this recipe is best with thinner pieces). Dredge chicken lightly in seasoned flour and place on wire rack. Next, heat EVOO in skillet or saute pan and saute chicken until cooked (cook time will vary on thickness). As pieces are cooked remove chicken and place on a warm plate. (This is where the magic happens.) Deglaze pan with about 2 cups of chicken broth and freshly squeezed lemon juice. After warmed through add butter, capers, chopped leeks and if you like some minced garlic. Cook an additional 5 minutes. I served this dish over rice. To plate it, add rice to center of plate, center a chicken breast on top of rice, spoon the lemon sauce over chicken and garnish with a slice of lemon and a dash of fresh parsley.

Snowstorm soup…

2 Replies

Sometimes a pot of soup cures you. It makes the house warm, smells great and soothes weary bones. Being 2020, we were expecting a major storm yesterday. Only six inches and 3 loaves of bread later, all we have is this great soup. My basic chicken soup starts with the trilogy (diced carrots, celery, onion) sauteed in EVOO and seasoned with a ton of fresh dill, thyme, salt and pepper. After trilogy is sweated (about 5 minutes) toss in the whole chicken, fill pot with water and cook for about 90 minutes. Turn flame off, let cool enough to handle and then carefully remove the chicken from pot (some folks like to wrap the chicken in cheese cloth to easily remove without the chicken falling apart). I use a large spider strainer and just scoop that birdie up (see pic below of this strainer). Let chicken cool then remove bones & skin from meat and toss bones & skin. Put meat back in pot and return to heat. I add more seasoning (dill, salt, pepper, thyme) and let it cook for about another 20 minutes. Serve with crusty buttered bread.

For this dinner we had some leftover appetizers from a dinner a few days ago. Some prosciutto, mortadella, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers and kalamata olives made for a perfect starter.

Spider Strainers:

Happy Humpday

Leave a reply

Occasionally, I come across something in a store that is just so stupid or gaudy or ridiculous that I just cannot pass it up, particularly if I know my husband will despise it (adds an extra element of hilarity). Let me introduce you to my recently acquired butter dish. Need I say more? He can’t break it, it’s pewter – he can hide it, but it’s sort of large (it actually takes up a good amount of real estate in the fridge). What do you think?

Totally shellfish…

Leave a reply

What to cook on a cold night with only a few ingredients? Shrimp! Super versatile, quick and yummy. Tonight I simply sauteed these jumbo babies in a little EVOO and butter with whatever fresh herbs I had on hand (today it was fresh sage) a little diced onion and of course minced garlic (to taste).

I also prepared a creamy polenta garnished with fresh chopped basil and mint. Pro-tip: use a chicken stock base to make the polenta, it adds a deeper flavor. You can also add either a drop of heavy cream or mascarpone to enhance the flavor.

As a starter I prepared a creamed cauliflower soup. In boiling water add a cut up head of cauliflower (core removed), cook until soft (about 10 minutes). Drain. Warm up about four cups of chicken stock, add cooked cauliflower, salt, pepper. Using an emulsifying blender, blend until soup is creamy smooth. Now add either 2 tablespoons of mascarpone or 1/4 cup of heavy cream. You can add more broth to thin or more mascarpone or cream to thicken. I topped with a handful of cooked, diced bacon. This was a winner! Pro-tip: you can make a soup like this with almost any vegetable. We often make zucchini soup, mushroom soup, butternut squash…etc.

Raising the steaks

Leave a reply

I love me a good, marbled, thick, rare steak. No steak sauce, just some salt & pepper (and if I’m going to be fancy, maybe a little bearnaise on the side). I’m not a great BBQ cooker (I leave that to my hubby) so I employed my old fashioned, well-loved and seasoned cast iron skillet to do the magic. I get why folks are scared to get a cast iron skillet I was too. I thought I’d end up with a rust filled pan that would surely kill me. After watching many YouTube videos on how to care for this now kitchen essential, I have to say I love it. The more you take care of it when you first get it, the easier it becomes. It cleans easily, cooks evenly and is really an asset to the kitchen, sort of like a pizza stone. If you need some advice on how to take care of your cast iron skillet, inbox me and I’ll send you some suggestions.

It’s super important to take your steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you cook it (helps the steak cook more evenly). You don’t want to cook a cold, straight from the fridge piece of meat. For this solo meal I sauteed some mushrooms in a little EVOO and butter (salt, pepper, garlic, and some red pepper flakes). I also made my almost nightly broccoli rabe and a baked potato, a treat for me. Then I just sauteed the steak in my skillet (prepared rare and with a little fight left in it). I put a drop of EVOO in the pan before settling in the steak. After flipping the steak, I put a pat of butter on the cooked side. Let the steak rest for a few minutes on a cutting board before cutting into it, this will preserve the juices. This steak was entirely too big to finish for dinner, but the steak and eggs the next morning was epic.

The fish that didn’t get away

Leave a reply

A friend of ours, that used to be a boat captain in Brooklyn and now lives in Florida, brings us the most amazing gifts. A few times a year he is hired to captain a small fishing boat in Alaska (!!) The pictures of the gigantic, beautiful fish they catch under his care are amazing. When he returns to Florida, he brings a bounty of fresh halibut and salmon (flash frozen and sealed up). The color of the salmon is not like anything you’ve seen in your local supermarket or fishmonger and the taste reflects that. Last night I seasoned a piece of the salmon with pepper and a little lemon butter, placed it skin side down on top of a little EVOO to prevent sticking and baked it for about 20 minutes at 350 (cook less for thinner pieces). I plated this simply on a bed of fresh sauteed spinach (of course with a bit of garlic, salt & pepper). It was delicious and a testament to how super fresh, simply prepared dishes are always the best.

Pro-tip: Don’t over cook the salmon (your not at a wedding!) Serve medium rare.

Stuff It…

Leave a reply

I love the mixed textures of stuffed cabbage. The almost crunchy texture of the lightly boiled cabbage leaf leading into the tender, flavorful meat inside. At first I was intimidated that the leaves would fall apart, the meat would fall out and I’d have a big goopy mess on my hands. The key is to not boil the cabbage leaves too long and to not overstuff them before cooking. My recipe is very untraditional and changes depending upon what I have on hand, so don’t be afraid to switch it up. I also prefer a savory stuffing versus sweet (no raisins in my dish).

Here’s the how to: Remove about 10 of the larger outer leaves from a head of cabbage and boil for about 8-10 minutes (leaves should be pliable but not too soft). Let cool in glass bowl. Meanwhile make a meatball mixture (whatever your traditional mixture is). A nice touch is to add about 1/4 cup of uncooked rice. Once the cabbage leaves have cooled, stuff each leaf with about a tablespoon (more for larger leaves) of meatball mixture that has been rolled into a log. Fold in sides then roll to close. You can use a toothpick to secure. Repeat until all leaves are used. (You can freeze leftover meat mixture.) Then place stuffed cabbage leaves in a saute pan, add about 1 cup of tomato sauce, season with salt, pepper, sazon and cover. Cook on low for about 45 minutes. Serve with a side salad and enjoy!