This dish has been a fun go to that I’ve posted before. Search the site for the how to’s. Each time I make this, I change it up a bit this one was a base of arugula with jalapeños, avocado, salmon & tuna topped with a few sesame seeds. Super fresh, satisfying and low carb!
I will say upfront that I did not make this delicious corned beef hash, this was all the hubby (except for the poached eggs, which I whipped up). Corned beef hash is one of those dishes that you can really modify to your liking. In his recipe he uses (obviously) a corned beef, which he cooks overnight in the crockpot (could that be easier?) Just add water and spices, and set up crockpot – 8 hours low). Then he sautés cubed potatoes, onions, carrots, green, red and yellow peppers seasoned with salt, pepper, sazon. Once these goodies are cooked through, he mixes in the shredded corned beef. That’s it! You can top this with eggs, any way you like them, hollandaise sauce or salsa.
This is a dish that I have not made in about thirty years. The reason for that is I was asked, thirty years ago, to make several trays of eggplant parm for my best friend’s engagement party. I was up literally all night and my kitchen was completely trashed for about a week. I think that experience gave me eggplant parm PTSD.
The only time I will ever use a jar sauce is for pizza or parm. My Sunday sauce is too rich (due to all the pork and beef that I add). The richness would take away from the flavor of the eggplant. That said, the sauce that worked for this is Michael’s of Brooklyn.
To start this dish, peel your eggplants (I leave just a few strips of peel on) then slice thinly into circles, about 1/4 of an inch thick. Then dip slices into well beaten egg, followed by breadcrumbs. I place breaded slices on a wire rack until all of my eggplant has been breaded. Then in a shallow fry pan, heat canola oil. When the oil is hot, add eggplant and fry until slightly browned on both sides (should take about 3 minutes per side). I return the fried slices to the wire rack so any excess oil drains off.
Next step is to prepare the layers in your baking pan. I start with a healthy amount of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Lay down a layer of eggplant followed by as much mozzarella as you like and some fresh ricotta and top with some more sauce. Repeat layers until you are out of eggplant. Make sure top is mozzarella and sauce.
I baked mine for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. That’s it! Enjoy this delicious dish.
I always say, the freshest ingredients simply prepared is the best way to cook.
For this meal I had some amazing, colossal shrimp which I butterflied and seasoned with EVOO, pepper, and Slap ya Mama. I also had sushi grade tuna which I cubed (large cubes) and dredged in black pepper.
The shrimp, I simply grilled them for about 2 minutes (or until they turn pink, depending on how hot your grill is) and that’s that. For the tuna, I sautéed the dredged cubes in a little EVOO until just the outside is charred and the inside is still bright pink (you could also do this in a cast iron skillet on the grill). I served the tuna with a wasabi/soy slurry.
I served grilled eggplant with the shrimp. To do this, first peel the eggplant, leaving some strips of peel on the fruit. Then simply slice the eggplant in circles, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with EVOO and season with salt & pepper. Throw the eggplant on the grill about 5 minutes before the shrimp and remove when they are tender and charred. The center will be soft and very tasty.
I know I cook a ton of seafood, but this particular dish was amazing. A friend of mine just got back from the glorious Keys and brought back her bounty of snapper (the filets were cleaned, packed, flash frozen and shipped).
I kept the recipe super simple so not to take away from any of the naturally delicious flavor of the fish. I lightly dredged the fillets in some seasoned (salt, pepper) flour and sautéed it stove top in a little EVOO. Depending on the thickness of the filets, it should not take more than about 3-4 minutes per side.
In a separate pan, I sautéed fresh spinach seasoned with crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper.
I plated this gorgeous dish on top of creamy polenta – can it get any easier?
Literally nothing could be easier than cooking super fresh, simply prepared seafood on the grill. I just soak the clams to get rid of any sand they might be holding onto, scrub the mussels and toss them all right on the grill. As soon as they pop open they’re ready to eat. Hubby makes a butter dip with garlic, lemon and parsley (or cilantro) and that’s it! I also sprinkled a little Slap Ya Mama seasoning on the mussels just to spice them up a bit.
Great as an appetizer or a main dish, clams, mussels, and a side of Shishito peppers!
This simple, one pot meal is a real crowd pleaser. Cheap & easy (like some people I know) you’ll have this prepared in no time. Step one is to coarsely chop a ton of fresh garlic and a bunch of fresh broccoli rabe (if you find yellow flowers on the broccoli rabe, it’s not fresh). Bring about 5 inches of water, with one bullion cube added, to a boil, add the the broccoli rabe and cook for seven minutes. Strain and refresh with cold water (to revive that gorgeous green color). Next, in the same pot, add a little EVOO, fresh sausage meat (uncased), red pepper flakes, and garlic and cook until all redness is gone. Toss this on top of the broccoli rabe that is sitting in the strainer. Now fill, the same pot, with water seasoned with kosher salt (don’t clean it, let all those yummy flavors season the water – work smarter, not harder!) When rapidly boiling, add orecchiette and cook until al dente – depending on the brand of pasta (I use Barilla) about 9 minutes (taste it before you strain it). Before straining, reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Now strain the pasta and return to pot, add the broccoli rabe and sausage meat with a little EVOO, black pepper, 1/2 of a freshly squeezed lemon and if you want to loosen up the sauce some of the reserved pasta water. Plate and add a ton of grated cheese (no one is judging!) more red pepper flakes to taste and freshly chopped parsley. Boun appetito!
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