Udon Soup

Udon Soup with Salmon, Vegetables and Spring Onion


Fresh Udon Noodles – Original Flavor

Fresh Asparagus Tips (first two sections of the top of the Asparagus)

Cauliflower Floweret’s

½ cup Frozen Green Peas

4 chopped green onions

1 Jalapeño thinly sliced

½ Red Pepper slices

10 Large Button Mushrooms (cut in 4th)

7 to 8 ounces Wild Salmon in bite size pieces

1 TBS Chicken Base

3 ½ cups water

Pepper

Soy Sauce (optional)

Add Water seasoning packet and Chicken Base to a pot and bring to a boil. Add Cauliflower and mushrooms to the boiling broth and simmer for a few minutes then add Asparagus, frozen peas, Udon Noodles and Salmon and bring back to a boil. Once boiling and fish is opaque add green onion, red pepper and season with pepper and soy sauce (optional) and serve. Garnish with thin sliced Jalapeno.

Enjoy

Maple and Black Walnut Ice Cream

This recipe is entirely sweetened with Agave Maple Syrup and contains no sugar, so it’s much better for you since it won’t raise your blood sugars like traditional ice cream. See the following link for details http://www.allaboutagave.com/agave-nectar-and-the-glycemic-index.php.

1 cup Trader Joes Agave Maple Syrup
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a pot on medium high heat boil Agave Syrup and reduce by 1/3rd. Add heavy cream and ilk and bring up to a boil then immediately remove from heat. In a bowl whisk eggs together and slowly add warm cream mixture constantly stirring until it’s all incorporated. Add the mixture back to the pot and bring up to 170 degrees (just before a boil when custard starts to thicken).

Strain mixture to remove any custard lumps and chill in the refrigerator until ready to freeze. Add to any ice cream maker and toss in the nuts at the end. Serve immediately or scoop in bowls and freeze until ready to eat.

Yummy!

Dungeness Crab topped Halibut with Hollandaise

I was lucky enough to get close to 30 lbs of Halibut from Alaska which we’ve been eating for months now and not one recipe has made it on my blog. When preparing Halibut I always go back to my Caper Lemon Butter sauce from an episode of Wolfgang Puck, but last night I was in a hurry and threw this recipe together and it was worth sharing. I even ate it for Breakfast this morning with a poached egg and fresh baked croissant; it was like a buttery Crab and Halibut Benedict, Yummy!

1 ¼ lbs halibut filets cut into 4 or 5 pieces
½ lb fresh Dungeness crab meat
2 TBS Butter / ¼ cup Olive Oil
½ cup grated parmesan
½ cup flour
Salt
Pepper
Trader Joes “Fresh” Hollandaise
White Wine or Lemon Juice (1 to 2 TBS)

In a small sauté pan place Trader Joes Hollandaise and heat on medium adding 1 to 2 TBS White Wine or lemon juice stirring occasionally till combined and starts to boil and then reduce to low or remove from heat entirely. Water could be substituted in lieu of wine or lemon juice. Do not microwave this as the butter instantaneously separate from the solids.

In a large sauté pan place Olive Oil and Butter and heat on medium to medium high. In a pie pan or shallow bowl place parmesan, flour, salt and pepper and dredge halibut filets in this mixture and pan fry until golden brown. Depending on thickness of the halibut the total fry time should be around 7 or 8 minutes. If you are using larger thicker pieces, you can place the sauté pan directly into a 350 oven until cooked through. This prevent the over browning of the fish as the oven cooks it from all sides.

Place the Halibut Filet on a plate, top with crab meat and drizzle hot Hollandaise sauce over it.

For those without access to Trader Joes you can always make a hollandaise sauce from scratch (butter, egg yokes, etc.) but it’s work. If you must use a mix, McCormack’s brand is way better than Knorr, but a little white wine is the ticket.

Many thanks to Deb for the fresh Dungeness crab and of course Howard for the abundance of Halibut.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Broccoli Parmesan Pesto

Chicken:
3 or 4 Organic boneless / skinless chicken breasts
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Lemon Pepper
Olive Oil
Citrus Mrs. Dash
2 cloves crushed garlic

Broccoli Parmesan Pesto:
2 cups broccoli
1 handful flat leaf parsley
3 cloves Garlic
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tbls Lemon Juice
Zest of one lemon
1/3 (+ / -) cup extra virgin olive oil

Garnish: Shredded Parmesan cheese

Place chicken on cutting board between two pieces of saran wrap and pound out chicken. Remove top saran wrap and spread garlic, olive oil and sprinkle both sides with dry seasoning until evenly coated. Let rest at room temperature till grill pan or barbeque is at temperature.

Blanch broccoli in heavily salted water for 2 minutes drain / rinse. In a food processor place garlic cloves, flat leaf parsley and broccoli until smooth. Add almonds, salt, lemon juice and zest, parmesan and EVOO till desired consistency.

Grill Chicken on grill pan and serve broccoli pesto on top of chicken topped with additional parmesan cheese.

Picture seen with Honey Roasted Dijon Potatoes and Pineapple Spinach Salad with Cranberries (see previous postings).

Enjoy!

Artichoke, Zucchini & Butter Bean Salad

I frequent Whole Foods on my lunch hour and typically go through the salad bar. I just can’t resist a salad bar especially the ones in gourmet grocery stores and don’t forget the olive bar! My three favorite ingredients are Butter Beans marinated in olive oil, Roasted Zucchini and Artichokes. Here’s my own rendition I made at the office. Typically I would have had Kosher Salt, Fresh Ground Pepper and used some fresh herbs but we have a limited supply of seasonings at the office.

1 can butter beans drained and rinsed
1 can small artichoke hearts sliced in half
6 compari tomatoes sliced in half (could substitute large cherry tomatoes)
4 green onion finely chopped
1 small zucchini cut into cubes
1 TBS Red Onion finely chopped
3 TBS Olive Oil
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1 TBS Red Wine Vinegar
1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
Pepper to Taste

Salt to taste
Pinch of Sugar
Season Salt (a couple shakes)
Crumbled Feta Cheese (optional)

In a medium size bowl combine all the ingredients and season to taste. This should be served immediately or prepare everything except omit the butter beans until ready to serve.

I was half way through and remembered I had feta cheese crumbles and added this to at the end, truly Yummy.

Enjoy!

Muffaletta with Olive Salad

We had a Mardi Gras theme “Pot Luck” party at the office this week and we had quite the Cajun feast. My contribution was the famous New Orleans Muffaletta knowing most would have never tried this unless they visited this fine city. Serves 12 to 18 depending on other sides.

Olive Salad Mixture:

2 Green onions finely diced
Celery heart with leaves
1 large handful of Fresh Parsley leaves
1 10 oz Jar of Queen size Green olives with Pimento
1 cup Nicoise Black Olives
10 cloves roasted Garlic
3 TBS capers
2 Fire Roasted Red Peppers
3 TBS olive oil
1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBS White Wine Vinegar
Pepper

Finely dice green onion and the heart of celery using only the tender stalks inside including chopping the leaves. Place this in a mixing bowl. In the food processor add parsley until it’s finely chopped and empty into the bowl. Add olives, capers, garlic and pulse till coarsely chopped empty into the bowl. Last add the fire roasted peppers to the food processor until coarsely chopped. After adding the roasted peppers to the bowl dress with oil, vinegar and pepper to taste.

Sandwich fixings:

Small Wooden Skewers
3 Large Round Italian Loaf Bread
½ Pound Genoa Salami Sliced
½ Pound Ham (I used nitrate free from Niman Ranch)
½ Pound Mortadella bologna
½ pound Mozzarella cheese sliced
12 oz Provolone cheese sliced

Assembly:

Cut large round loaf in half horizontally and add olive mixture to the bottom. Layer meats followed by cheese and top with more olive salad. Place short wooden skewers into 4 to 6 sections and cut with a bread knife.

Assemble on a serving tray and cover with plastic wrap for at least an hour, preferably two. These should be served at room temperature and is excellent with an assortment of salads.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Thanks Auntie Tam for the Lamb Bone!

I like lamb but have always been intimidated by preparing it. My girlfriend Tamera raises Icelandic sheep and we were lucky enough to get one of her legs of lamb this fall. It’s been sitting in the freezer and she’s always asking “have you cooked your leg of lamb yet?”. I’ve planned to prepare it several times but finally decided Valentines would be the day.

After a conversation I had with my uncle yesterday, he mentioned a method of deboning and removing a gland which I now know is a popliteal gland. Apparently removing this is supposed to cut back on the gamey taste of lamb however many critics disagree. I’m ambitious so I sharpened my deboning knife and went for it, only referring to the internet mid stream twice for some visual aids.

I’m not sure if I found the gland or not but I removed everything that resembled glandular matter as well as any excess fat and surprisingly had a nicely butter flied leg of lamb. I’ve slathered it in Garlic, Rosemary, dried lemon peel, mustard seeds, olive oil and some of my home made seasoning mix. I call this mix my “friendship spice” which we will cover under another posting. Marcie, this is the spice you love on your pork chops!

It was getting rather late on Valentines day so we decided we would wait till Monday afternoon to roast this delicious meat and have ourselves a belated Valentines dinner. Robert decided to chew on the last of the left over vegetarian chili (below on my blog) and french bread pizza. What a combo, but now I have extra room in the fridge.

However Pumpkin wants to thank Auntie Tamera for the tasty bone. I slathered the bone just as I did the meat and roasted this early this morning. My house smells divine and Pumpkin is grinding away on the bone.

Tam, thanks for the lamb and can’t wait to help make cheese this spring.

Teri