Blackened Striped Bass
INGREDIENTS
6 (6 Ounce) Filets Striped Bass
½ Cup Blackening Spice or Cajun Spice Rub
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cups Fresh Baby Spinach
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly dust both sides of the fish filets with the blackening spice. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over a high heat. Carefully place 3 filets in the pan and reduce the heat to a medium heat. Cook for 30 seconds. Flip the filets and continue cooking for another minute. Transfer the cooked fish to a sheet pan and repeat the procedure with the remaining filets. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the desired doneness is reached. To serve place a handful of spinach leaves in the center of each plate and top with a fish filet. Garnish with fresh basil if desired. Serve 6
I love beets and I love cabbage. This dish is easy to make and a real winner. If you want to make this borscht completely vegetarian then use vegetable stock instead of the beef stock
Borscht
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Butter
¼ (2 Pound) Sliced Head Green Cabbage
2 Sliced Carrots
2 Sliced Celery Stalks
1 Diced Onion
1 Pound Peeled & Cut Beets
15 Ounces Tomatoes In Puree
15 Ounces Beef Broth
1 Tablespoon Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Celery Leaves For Garnish
In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cabbage, carrots, celery and onion. Cover and cook. Stir frequently until tender and browned. Cut the beats into small bits. Add the beets, tomatoes with the puree, broth, sugar, salt, pepper and 1 ½ cups of water. Heat to a boiling over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 50 minutes. Stir occasionally. Spoon 2 cups of the soup into a blender and blend at a low speed until smooth. You can also do this in a food processor. Return the mixture to the Dutch oven and heat through. Garnish with celery leaves and sour cream. You can serve hot or cold. Serve with pumpernickel bread. Serves 4
Pickled Red Cabbage
I find pickled cabbage is best eaten within a few days of being made as it does begin to lose its color and can become soft if kept too long. I love the fresh taste of newly pickled cabbage!
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Red Cabbage
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Water
2 Pints Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger (Bruised)
1 Ounce Whole Black Pepper
Take off the outer cabbage leaves and cut the cabbage into quarters. Remove the stalk, wash and then cut into very thin slices. Lay the sliced cabbage on a plate and sprinkle with the sea salt. Cover and leave sit for 24 hours.
After the cabbage has been sitting for 24 hours put the cabbage into a colander to drain. It may be necessary to wipe the cabbage clean. Place the cabbage into pickling jars and put aside. Now put the bruised ginger and peppercorns into a muslin bag and tie with a cooking string. Pour the vinegar into a saucepan along with the muslin bag and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Remove the muslin bag and pour the cooled vinegar into the pickling jars. Cover the jars with vinegar proof lids. Serves 4
Tomato And Arugula Salad With Portobello Mushrooms And Grilled Steak
An easy weeknight dinner. Add some roasted baby potatoes or grilled garlic bread to complete the meal.
INGREDIENTS
1 Large New York Strip Steak
2 Portobello Mushrooms (Stems Removed)
3 Cups Arugula (Remove Stems, Wash & Spin Dry)
2 Tomatoes (Cored & Cut Into Wedges)
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic – Divided
5 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Plus 2 Tablespoons
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/8 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Mix ½ Teaspoon of the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small bowl. Brush some of the olive oil on each side of the mushrooms first and then the rest on the steak. Sprinkle the mushrooms and steak with the sea salt and pepper. Set aside and start the grill.
In another bowl, mix the other ½ teaspoon of garlic with the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Whisk in 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add 2 pinches of the sea salt and pepper.
Grill the steak and mushrooms. When done remove from the grill. While the steak is resting, add the arugula to the small mixing bowl and moisten with some of the vinaigrette. Turn arugula out onto a serving platter. Top with the tomatoes. Slice the mushrooms thin, place throughout the salad. Slice the steak thinly and cut the pieces in half. Drizzle the steak tomatoes and mushrooms with additional dressing and sprinkle with a little more salt. Add to the salad and serve. Serves 2
Blueberry Avocado Smoothie
Adding avocado to this smoothie really thickens it up and adds healthy fats to the equation.
INGREDIENTS
1 Ripe Avocado
1 Cup Wild Blueberries
4 Ice Cubes
1 Tablespoon Agave Syrup
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Cup of Milk
Combine all of the ingredients into a blender or a food processor. Pulse for 1 minute and pour into tall glasses. If you do not want to use milk you can substitute with rice milk, soy milk or coconut water. Serves 2
Baked Pears With Marsala Wine
INGREDIENTS
1 Medium Lemon
8 Firm Bosc Pears
1/3 Cup Sugar Plus 2 Tablespoons
½ Cup Sweet Marsala Wine
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Take a small knife and remove the peel from the lemon in strips. Squeeze the juice from the lemon. With a melon baller, remove the cores from the bottom of the unpeeled pears, but do not remove the stems. With a pastry brush, brush the insides of the pears with the lemon juice, then sprinkle the insides of the pears with the lemon juice. Next, sprinkle the insides with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. In a shallow 2 quart baking dish, mix the lemon peel strips, Marsala and 1/3 cup of water. Place the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar on the sheet of waxed paper. With the pastry brush, brush the pears with the melted butter. Roll the pears in the sugar to coat. Place the pears, cored ends down, in the baking dish. Sprinkle with any remaining sugar. Bake the pears, basting with the syrup in the dish, for 45 minutes until fork tender. Slightly cool or serve warm. Serves 8
Summer Pasta Salad With Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Corn & Basil
A simple pasta dish that offers a winning summertime combination of tomatoes, corn, basil and fresh mozzarella. It is great for any backyard food affair because it goes with just about everything. Dress this salad just before serving as the pasta absorbs the dressing and you may need additional lemon juice or oil.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Penne Pasta
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 ½ Cups Fresh Corn
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 ½ Cups Fresh Mozzarella (Cut Into Tiny Cubes)
4 Tomatoes (Cored & Diced)
Zest From 1 Lemon
1 Cube Basil Leaves (Rinsed & Dried)
Dressing
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Aged Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Finely Minced Garlic Clove
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil For Pasta
½ Teaspoon Salt
Bring the water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the pasta. About two minutes before the pasta is done add the corn. Continue cooking until the pasta is al dente. Drain both the pasta and corn. DO NOT rinse. Add 1 tablespoons olive oil to the cooling pasta to keep from sticking. Shake to distribute the oil and set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, olive oil and salt. Before serving, combine the pasta and corn with the fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and lemon zest. Mix in the dressing and gently slice the basil into thin strips and add to the salad. Serve immediately. Serves 10
Cold Watermelon Soup
More and more farm stands and supermarkets have a variety of melons in the summer. Watermelon is one of the ultimate tastes of summer.
INGREDIENTS
4 Pounds Juicy Watermelon
½ Cup Chablis
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Mint
Lime Slices For Garnish – Optional
Cut off the watermelon rind. With a melon baller, but out 8 balls of watermelon fruit and reserve them for garnish. Remove all the seeds, cut the watermelon into rough chunks and spin them in a food processor. Add the wine, lime juice and chopped mint. Puree until smooth. Chill for several hours. Ladle into chilled bowls and garnish with reserved melon balls and lime slices. Serve 4
Haricots Verts, Almonds, Cherry Tomatoes & Goat Cheese Salad
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Pounds Haricot Verts
2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes
½ Cup Sliced Toasted Almonds
2 Thinly Sliced Shallots
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Minced Garlic Cloves
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
¾ Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese
Steam the beans over boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove immediately and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain well and lay on paper towels to further dry. In a large serving bowl combine beans, tomatoes and toasted almonds. In a small bowl combine shallots, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whisk well and pour over haricot vert mixture. Gently combine and top with goat cheese. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6
**To Toast Almonds – Toast In A 400° F. Oven On A Cookie Sheet For 4 Minutes.
Seared Yellowfin Tuna With Asparagus
Look for yellowfin tuna that has been caught by pole and line or by trolling. Either method is ocean friendly and results in little or no bycatch.
INGREDIENTS
2 Pounds Yellowfin Tuna (Cut into Portions)
3 Tablespoons Prepared Spice Rub (Lemon Pepper, Ginger or Tandoori)
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
2 Pounds Trimmed Asparagus
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds (White or Black)
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Grated Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Teaspoon White Miso Paste
2 Tablespoon Cold Butter
Coat the tuna with the spice rub. Heat the canola oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat. When the pan and oil is hot, place the tuna in the pan and sear for about 3 minutes to get a nice crust about ¼ inch thick. Turn the tuna over and sear the other side.
At the same time as you’re searing the tuna, heat the olive oil in another sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sesame oil followed by the asparagus. Sauté the asparagus for about 4 minutes until it turns dark green. Add the sesame seeds and remove the asparagus from the pan and turn the heat up to medium high. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and ¼ cup water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and whisk in the miso until smooth. Whisk in the butter until smooth. To serve, divide the miso broth among 4 plates. Place the tuna atop the broth and arrange asparagus around and over the tuna if you wish. Serves 4
