Tag Archives: lime

Pan-Seared, Blackened Flounder

Posted on March 20, 2013 by | 2 Comments

Blackened flounder

The secrets to a really tasty piece of blackened fish are 1) a really tasty Creole seasoning, and 2) not overcooking the fish.  I use a slightly modified version of  Emeril’s recipe for Creole Seasoning – because he should know, right?  The seasoning is easy to make fresh with your own spices, and it’s really good on chicken, steaks, pork, or fish.  I have used it with tuna and flounder – both were incredible!  I think most mild fish will work – red snapper, catfish, grouper, cod also come to mind.

In a restaurant setting, blackened fish is cooked in a red-hot skillet, with plenty of accompanying smoke.  Cooking in your home, you might want to avoid this.  Chef Paul Prudhomme recommends “bronzing”, rather than blackening the fish at home.  This still means using a very hot skillet, but not so hot that it produces smoke.  He recommends cooking at 350F.  Although I did not take the temperature of my pan, it’s helpful to realize this is the temperature generally used for deep frying – - still pretty darn hot!

Our blackened flounder, shown here, was served with oven-roasted potatoes and avocado.  The cool and creamy avocado, with a squeeze of lime, really helped cut the heat from the spicy fish.  This is a delicious and simple meal that we will do again!

Note: I’ve provided links to the products that I used from The Spice House.  I like The Spice House because their herbs and spices are really fresh and high quality, plus they have a decent selection of organic products.  I also like that you can buy refills that come in bags, and that saves money.  I do not have any business relationship with The Spice House.

Creole Seasoning (Makes about 2/3 cup – Store in glass jar with lid):

Combine all ingredients for the seasoning, thoroughly.  (You will not need all of it for this recipe; store extra in a sealed jar.)

Rinse the fish fillets and pat dry with towels.  If necessary, cut the fish in portions that will fit in your skillet.  Coat the fish on both sides with seasoning mix, pressing it onto the fish to get a good layer of seasoning.

Heat a large skillet over high heat and add a thin layer of oil to the pan (suitable for high-heat cooking).  When very hot, and without crowding the pan, place seasoned fish in the skillet and cook without moving the fish for 3-4 minutes, until nicely “bronzed”.  Flip the fish over and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the fish is done (opaque in center).  Repeat for the rest of the fillets – adding oil as necessary and keeping the skillet very hot.

Serve it hot, with a squeeze of lime juice!  Enjoy!

moonYou’ll need something to calm you down after the Blackened Flounder…so let’s try some ballads from two of the giants of jazz! First up, the incomparable Bill Evans with Moon Beams. Evans was one of the greats, performing with everyone from Miles on Kind of Blue to Tony Bennett. His piano is moody, introspective and always interesting here, on such numbers as “If You Could See Me Now” and “I Fall in Love Too Easily”. A classic record.

Nobody is more classic than John Coltrane, and on Ballads he slows the tempo balladsdown, without losing any depth of passion. His interplay with McCoy Tyner’s piano on cuts such as “All or Nothing At All” or my favorite, “Nancy (With The Laughing Face”) is almost telepathic. Sublime stuff!

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Chicken Tamale Casserole (with Roasted Tomatillo, Cilantro and Green Chile Sauce)

Posted on February 21, 2013 by | 4 Comments

Chicken Tamale Casserole with Roasted Tomatillos

When we are in Santa Fe, I like to attempt at least one Southwestern-inspired dish, and with that, hopefully add an ingredient that is new to me.  This recipe for Chicken Tamales sounded interesting and included tomatillos – a tart little tomato-like fruit that I have not cooked with before.  However, I didn’t want to expend the energy to actually try making tamales, so I decided on making a casserole with a cornmeal topping, using this recipe as a base to get started.

Even though this is not as complex as making tamales, there are quite a few parts to this recipe that can be time consuming.  The good news is it can be separated into sections, and prepared ahead of time.

As always, I recommend seeking out non-GMO, organic corn.  I found frozen sweet white corn at Whole Foods (WF 365 Everyday Brand, organic and certified non-GMO).  Bob’s Red Mill carries organic corn meal and flours.

[Here's a small disclaimer - I've made a few, untested changes in the recipe from what I prepared.  First, I was cooking at a high altitude (around 6000 feet), so I had to modify ingredients and cooking times to compensate.  The instructions and ingredients I listed here are my approximations of what would work for cooking at a lower altitude.  Next, after eating the casserole, we decided it needed a little more of this and less of that, so I also made those adjustments.  Please send me feedback on how it works for you!]

Ingredients  (serves 6-8):

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, mashed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried, Mexican oregano
  • 8 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 small can fire-roasted Hatch Green Chiles, drained (3 chiles)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ~ 1 cup cilantro (leaves and small stems)
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 cup sweet white corn kernels (organic)
  • 4 ounce log of soft goat cheese
  • 4 ounces cotija (whole milk), grated (or Monterey Jack cheese can be substituted)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup organic corn meal or flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth (reserved from cooking chicken)

Cooking the chicken:  Place the chicken in a saucepan with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and oregano.  Add enough water to cover the chicken well, and bring to a boil.  Simmer, partially covered, for about 35 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow the chicken to cool in the broth.  When cool enough to handle, transfer the chicken to a bowl, and shred to bite-sized pieces using your fingers.  Strain the broth into another container and reserve for making the corn meal crust.  Refrigerate chicken and broth until ready to assemble the casserole.

tomatillos

Preparing the tomatillo, cilantro, and green chile sauce:  Preheat the oven to 400F.  Place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in a baking dish large enough to hold everything in one layer.  (Note: you can use the same baking dish, unwashed, to assemble the casserole later.  Less cleaning!)  Toss with enough EVOO to coat the dish and the ingredients.  Roast at 400F for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft and starting to caramelize around the edges.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool somewhat.  Transfer to a blender or food processor.  Add the green chiles, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro.  Process until well-blended.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan.  Add the shredded chicken, corn and cheeses.  Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese has melted.  Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.  (The cotija is pretty salty, so you may not need much, if any, salt.)  Spread the mixture evenly in an oiled casserole dish (such as the one you just used to roast the tomatillos).

chicken tamale casserole

Preparing the corn meal crust:  In a medium-sized bowl, combine the corn flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the cold butter pieces, and using your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until there aren’t any large pieces of butter left.  (You do this by rolling the butter and flour between your fingers, squeezing to break up the butter pieces until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Alternatively you can melt the butter and stir it in, but cutting cold butter into the flour makes a better crust.)

Add the beaten egg and broth to the mixture, and stir until everything is just moistened (do not overmix).  Spread the corn meal crust mixture evenly over the chicken mixture in the pan, taking care not to disturb the chicken layer too much.

Bake at 400F for about 45 minutes, until the topping is browned and crispy.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and dig in!  Serve with avocado, limes, and/or a dollop of sour cream on the side, if desired.

birdAnother good find in Santa Fe, this time at a Goodwill store…Andrew Bird! I’ve been a fan of his from way back. A dazzling instrumentalist, a quirky, beguiling songwriter, he makes a world all his own. Found Noble Beast, and it was a hit here at the Rockin’ Frog. Some folks call it “chamber pop” and that will do as well as anything. Bird’s violin starts the mood, and his sophisticated and witty looks at love and life are spellbinding.

His latest release, the 2012 Break It Yourself continues his masterful way of making music his own. Try Andrew Bird…you won’t be sorry!bird2

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Grilled Chicken Wings Mole

Posted on February 11, 2012 by | 6 Comments

Greetings Huffington Post readers! Join us on Facebook for more treats!

Always on the lookout for another way to serve chicken wings, I read quite a few recipes before the “big day”.  I am of course referring to Superbowl Sunday, unquestionably the biggest day of the year for chicken wing consumption.  According to the National Chicken Council‘s 2012 Wing Report (really, I am not making this up), more than 1.25 billion wing portions will be consumed during Super Bowl weekend in 2012, totaling more than 100 million pounds of wings.  That’s a lot of freakin’ chicken wings!

Chipotle hot wings sounded interesting, but I decided to take that idea a step further with a nod to mole sauce.  Technically this marinade is not even close to the depth of flavor you would experience from an authentic Oaxacan mole, but it does have discernible elements of chile, cocoa, cinnamon, and honey – - mild heat, sweetness, and smokiness.  This is my “first draft” of the recipe, and it may need to be tweaked a little to get just the right balance.  If you give it a try, I welcome your suggestions to take this recipe from “tasty” to “killer”!

I used apple cider for the base of this sauce since I have a lot of it in the refrigerator, but other fruit juices could potentially be substituted.  I recommend marinating the wings overnight, if possible, or for at least 6 hours.

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 pounds chicken wings (either whole or separated)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Lime quarters, for squeezing (optional)

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all the ingredients (except the wings and limes) until well-mixed.  Place the wings and marinade in a large resealable bag; shake and squeeze the bag to coat the wings thoroughly.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.  Turn bag occasionally.

Prepare a grill for indirect cooking at 375-400F.  (If using a Big Green Egg with inverted plate setter, add a drip pan to help with clean-up.)

When coals are ready, grill the wings for 15 minutes, then flip the wings and grill for another 15 minutes.  Move them around as necessary to cook the wings evenly.  Keep flipping them until the skin is crispy and they are done  – around 45 minutes for wing portions, or around 60 minutes for whole wings (when they start getting loose at the joints, they are usually done).

Serve with a squeeze of lime and Citrus and Avocado Salad.  Enjoy!

My goodness that’s a bunch of wingless chickens wandering around…but I digress. Couple of new releases this morning. First is a guy I saw perform in a small record store to about 10 people several years ago, and I was struck by his unique sense of place and language, and his haunting, sparse style. His name was Jim White, and his new album, Where It Hits You is a barren, emotional landscape of despair, based on the end of a relationship. Sounds like a downer, but it grows on you.

Mark Lanegan, formerly of the Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age has a new album, Blues Funeral and its already being touted as the album of the year. It’s moody, provocative rock with an edge. Fans of Nick Cave and Tom Waits will dig this.

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London Broil with Lime-Garlic-Ginger Marinade

Posted on January 9, 2012 by | 4 Comments

Last year we bought a 1/4 grass-fed cattle share – most of which has been consumed.  There were a few odd cuts of steak remaining, like this large package labeled “London Broil”.  Now best I can tell, “London Broil” is not the name of a cut of meat, it is more of a preparation method.  My guess is this piece of meat is a top round steak because it is very lean and it is pretty large (around 2 pounds).  Top round steak has a nice beefy taste, but it can also be chewy and tough unless prepared correctly.  You could also use flank steak, sirloin, or skirt steak for this recipe.

I marinated this steak for about 6 hours for additional flavor, using a marinade recipe with lime, garlic, and ginger slightly modified from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything.  He suggests leaving the meat in the marinade for 1 to 2 days to really soak up those flavors, which I would recommend.  At six hours, the garlic and ginger flavors were there, but subtle.  However, I probably overcooked our steak a little, trying to photograph it in the dark by lantern light.  Even so, the steak turned out pretty well and was great with grilled multi-color bell peppers and eggplant slices!

Since this is not a tender cut of meat, it should be sliced thinly across the grain when serving – this keeps it from being chewy.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 pounds top round steak, flank steak, sirloin, or skirt steak
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon coconut aminos (gluten-free, soy-free sauce)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 heaping teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine lime juice, fish sauce, coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, and honey.

Make shallow slashes across the surface of the steak with a knife.  Place the steak in a resealable bag or shallow glass dish.  Pour the marinade over the steak and rub it into the surface well.  Marinate, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.  Turn occasionally so that all surfaces of the steak have good contact with the marinade.  When near the end of the marinating time, remove from the refrigerator and allow to return to room temperature.

Prepare a grill for direct cooking at 450-500 degrees.  Dry the steak well with paper towels.  Season with freshly ground pepper and salt.  (Go lightly on the salt since coconut aminos and fish sauce may be salty.)

Grill the steak for approximately 5 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 125F.  Let steak rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing, covered, to allow the meat to relax.

Went to Memphis a few weeks ago- talk about food!- but in between bouts of ribs, saw some local history at the Stax Museum. Fascinating place, with loads of exhibits and music of one of American’s foremost and influential labels. For a great look at its history and the legendary artists who recorded there- Otis, Booker T and the MGs, Isaac Hayes and more, I recommend Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story. Vital. America wouldn’t be the same without it.

Before Stax, future members of Booker T. and the MGs- Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and Booker T, hooked up with high school classmate Charles “Packy” Axton and cut a bunch of sides to regional success. Packy was the son of Estelle Axton, who would go on to found Stax with Jim Stewart. These early southern soul sides have been collected on Late Late Party, and it’s great. Raw, gritty blues and soul, and you can tell future Hall of Famer Steve Cropper’s stinging tone early on.

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Curried Sweet Potato Gratin

Posted on August 28, 2011 by | 7 Comments

A gratin is a dish typically prepared using ingredients of thinly sliced and layered potatoes and cream cooked in a buttered dish.  Well….yum!  This preparation method originated in France (of course); the name gratin dauphinois refers to the Dauphiné region of France, where this method of preparing potatoes is a specialty (according to Wikipedia).  Here’s another blog post where I’m going to bastardize the French method, yet call it a gratin anyway.  Heresy, I know…  This recipe is inspired by the flavors of African sweet potato soup, with hints of nut butter, lime and spicy cayenne pepper, and it has a touch of Asian/Indian flavors with the sweet curry and coconut milk.

I have been wanting to make a potato gratin for a while, but I hadn’t really considered using sweet potatoes until recently.  If you don’t have a mandoline (or have lost a finger tip in the past to one and hesitate to try again), the potatoes could be cut into chunks and be cooked together on the stove top with the other ingredients, then blended into a killer soup!  Also, this is one of the few entries here on she cooks…he cleans that could qualify as vegan!

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1/2 sweet onion
  • oil of choice for coating baking dish (I used butter)
  • 1 can coconut milk, shaken well to mix
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons sweet curry powder (I used The Spice House Sweet Curry Powder)
  • 3 tablespoons almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons coconut butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons honey (or sweetening of choice)
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • chicken or vegetable broth, as needed to adjust thickness and volume

Preheat oven to 350F.  Peel potatoes.  Using a mandoline slicer (or patience and a sharp knife), slice the potatoes and the 1/2 onion into thin slices.

Grease up a gratin dish or medium sized baking dish.  Layer the potatoes and onions together in the dish, overlapping slightly while making concentric circles.

Heat the coconut milk over medium heat in a heavy saucepan.  (Do not allow to it to boil.) Whisk in the curry powder, almond butter, coconut butter, 5-spice powder, cayenne pepper, honey, fish sauce, and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Add approximately 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (to reduce thickness and give the sauce enough volume to cover potatoes in baking dish).

Pour the coconut milk mixture over the potatoes.  (If it is looking “short”, add a little more broth to the mixture still in the saucepan to compensate.)

Pictured with pan-seared filet mignon…nommers!

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil, and bake for 30-40 additional minutes, or until potatoes are tender and the gratin is bubbling and starting to lightly brown on top.  Serve hot.

As we say “Goodnight, Irene…” (that could be a song! ) it wouldn’t be proper to not mention it as the soundtrack, don’t ya think? First is the 1979 Neil Young masterpiece Live Rust with the awesome “Like a Hurricane”.

Did you say “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”? Thought you did, with Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin Bob Dylan (Reis). Landmark record, and boy, did a hard rain ever fall!

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Red Curry Poached Cod

Posted on August 18, 2011 by | 21 Comments

Sometimes dinner is born from what’s on special at the market – and often those dishes turn out to be the most interesting because they are unplanned and must be created from ingredients you have on hand.  We try to have some type of seafood at least once a week, and this week Whole Foods had wild-caught, Alaskan cod on sale.  Cod is a nice, mild, flaky fish that adapts well to different flavors.  I had some coconut milk and limes that I needed to use, so I decided to try to poach the fish in a Thai-style broth.  It was very yummy, but turned out a little spicier than I intended.  However, James thought it was just the right amount of heat.  When we try this again, I think some toasted cashews would be a great addition, and I’d also like to try basil instead of cilantro.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter (preferably from grass-fed cows)
  • 1 medium sweet onion, cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
  • 1 small red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 14 ounce can coconut milk (unsweetened), shaken well
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste (I make mine from The Spice House Thai Red Curry Powder, mixed with fish sauce to a paste)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla), if not used to prepare curry paste
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar, to taste (optional)
  • ~ 2 or 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 cup roasted cashews (optional)
  • 1 to 1/2 pounds wild-caught cod fillets
  • kosher salt

Heat butter in a heavy saute pan over medium heat.  Saute the onions and red bell peppers until they are very soft, 5-10 minutes.

Add Thai red curry paste to the onions and peppers and stir well over the heat to mix.  Pour in the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce (if not used to make curry paste), and palm sugar (if using).  Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for around 10 minutes so the flavors can blend and the broth can reduce slightly.

In the meantime, rinse the cod with cold water, pat dry, and lightly season with salt.  Fold the thinner parts of the fillets underneath, so the fish is relatively of the same thickness.  Place the cod fillets in the saute pan, and nestle them into the broth as much as possible.  Simmer on low, covered, for 8-10 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.  During the last minute or two of cooking, add chopped cilantro and toasted cashews (if using).  Serve hot, with a spoon to capture all of the broth.  Enjoy!

Very spicy…and wonderful, as are the musical selections! First up, Luiz Bonfa Plays & Sings Bossa Nova. I love bossa nova, and his guy is one of  best. He wrote “Black Orpheus”, and is a legend up there with Jobim and Joao Gilberto.

David Bowie, bossa nova? Yes! The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions with Seu Jorge will make a believer out you- might even pick up some Portuguese!

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Tri-Tip Roast with Tequila-Lime Marinade

Posted on July 28, 2011 by | 4 Comments

Modified from Bon Appétit via Epicurious

Here’s another cut of meat that I was unfamiliar with – the beef tri-tip roast.  It’s a small triangular muscle cut from the bottom sirloin, hence its other name, the “triangle roast”.  Although a very flavorful piece of meat, it is pretty lean and should be served cut into thin slices across the grain to preserve the tenderness – at least that’s what I read about it.  Everything I read seemed a warning that this could turn into a chewy hunk of meat if you don’t treat it just right.  Scary!

I decided to marinate it to infuse more flavor, and to cook it at high heat for a short amount of time to keep it moist and tender.  I was apprehensive, I admit…but man-oh-man, this turned into the best roast beef!  It was tender, juicy, and had the most wonderful flavors from the lime, garlic, and cilantro – plus a nice crust on the outside.  To accompany it, I made a “relish” of caramelized onions, red bell peppers, parsley, and sun-dried tomatoes – with a little harissa stirred in for a touch of heat.  A few slices of oven-roasted zucchini completed the meal.  I love it when a meal that I felt daunted by transforms into a medley of tastes that seem born to be together.  This was one of those meals!

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  • a handful of fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
  • 1/4 cup tequila
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled
  • grated lime peel from 2 limes (about 2 heaping teaspoons)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or pepper blend
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 pound grass-fed beef, tri-tip roast, trimmed

Place all the ingredients, except the roast, in a small food processor or blender.  Process until well-blended.  Place the roast in a resealable bag.  Cover with the marinade and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but preferably 6 hours, turning the bag occasionally (you probably can do this overnight, but I didn’t try it so can’t recommend doing that).

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Allow the roast to come to room temperature in the marinade before cooking. Remove roast from bag, and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat a heavy skillet (cast iron is good) to a searing heat (hot hot hot!).  Add a thin layer of oil to the pan, then sear the roast until well-browned on the underside, about 4 minutes.  Turn the roast over and transfer the skillet to the oven.  Roast until the center of the meat registers 125F on an instant-read thermometer (20-25 minutes).  Remove from oven and let meat rest on a cutting board for about 15 minutes.  The internal temperature of the meat should rise to 130-135F during this time for medium-rare.

[Alternatively, the meat can be grilled at medium-high heat (around 400F) for 10 minutes on each side, or until temperature in the center of meat reaches 125F as above.  We may try this next time, but this week we were too weary to fight the hordes of blood-thirsty mosquitoes.]

To serve, slice thinly across the grain of the meat.  Serve with or without onion relish – it’s all good!  Enjoy!

Let’s rock the Fillmore, shall we? One of those places I wish I could have visited, but alas, I was but a wee lad when they closed, but luckily, recordings remain, such as The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East. Improvisational rock at it’s live best, the pride of Macon GA created magic, and this is one of those live album benchmarks of all time. Duane, Gregg, Dickey and the rest…well, smokin’ indeed.

Humble Pie might not be as noted as the Allmans, but what a band. Featuring the leather-lunged vocals of Steve Marriott, and a young Peter Frampton proving that he could actually play rock and roll, something lost in the “Comes Alive” days. But the star here is clearly Marriott, whose legendary career went from The Small Faces to blistering pub rock, the pint sized Brit sang like an angry Aretha Franklin, and wrote some incredibly forceful material. Give “I Don’t Need No Doctor” from Rockin the Fillmore a spin and if you aren’t bobbin’ along…YOU might need a doctor!

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Churrasco Skirt Steak with Cilantro Pesto

Posted on June 26, 2011 by | 16 Comments

Inspired by Three Guys from Miami: Churrasco Estilo Cubano

Churrasco is a Portuguese/Spanish term referring generally to grilled beef, a popular ingredient in the cuisine of Argentina, Brazil, and other Latin American Countries (according to Wikipedia).  If you have ever been to a Brazilian Steakhouse, you certainly are familiar with this concept.  It is a meat-lover’s dream, with “gauchos” swarming about you with skewers of different cuts of meat fresh off the grill, offering as much as you can eat.  One of my favorite steakhouses, Fogo de Chão, also boasts the most beautiful salad bar, filled with salads, fresh vegetables, cheeses, and cured meats.  It is a wonderful dining experience!

Although we don’t have gauchos here at the house, we did want to create a dinner with Latin American flavors.  I selected grass-fed inside skirt steak for the grill, which has a little more fat than regular skirt steak, and has a loose texture that is perfect for marinating.  Churrasco is often served with or marinated in chimichurri, a green sauce traditionally made with parsley, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar.   Instead of using parsley, I took a few pointers from Three Guys from Miami and used cilantro to make more of a Cuban version of chimichurri – then I added pepitos (roasted pumpkin seeds) which made the sauce more the consistency of pesto.

As you can see from the photo, the churrasco was served with grilled vegetables and guacamole, and was topped with the intensely flavored, garlicky cilantro pesto.  It was delicious!  What you can’t see is in the middle of grilling the peppers and eggplant, yet another huge thunderstorm blew in unexpectedly leaving us both under the “grilling umbrella”, which provided little shelter from blowing rain.  We were soaked by the time the meat came off the grill, and didn’t get a single photo of our food that night.  These are the leftovers on the next day!  (The eggplant, all gone…)   Ah, the joys of summertime living in the southeast.

Ingredients for Marinated Skirt Steak:

  • 2-3 pounds skirt steaks
  • 6  cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Florida Seasoned Pepper, or ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup lime juice)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Cut the skirt steaks in half, so they will fit better on your grill.  Place in a glass baking dish or resealable plastic bag.  Process the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Pour over steaks and allow in marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.  When ready to grill, remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before cooking.

Ingredients for Cilantro Pesto (Chimichurri):

  • 1 large bunch of cilantro leaves, large stems removed
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • several dashes of red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitos)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Put all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor; pulse on and off until mixture has a consistent, but still chunky, texture.  Place mixture into a small glass bowl and stir in olive oil.  (If you process it with the oil, it will become paste-like, you don’t want that.)  You will need to adjust the seasonings by taste – so add salt, pepper, vinegar, lime juice, and/or more olive oil as needed.  It should have an intense garlic and cilantro flavor.  A little bit will go a long way!

Check the local weather report for sneaky thunderstorm activity.

Set up the grill for direct cooking at around 500F.  Grill the steaks for around 4 minutes on each side until nicely seared, but still pink inside (medium rare to medium).  Place steaks on cutting board and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice into thin strips across the grain.  Serve with chimichurri sauce!

Gettin’ mighty tired of this cooking in the rain business! But when the results are as tasty as this, it’s worth it! Two new arrivals to share, the first being some perfect music to accompany a rainstorm, Relax Your Ears from Joel Styzens. Styzens had been a drummer in Chicago until he came down with tinnitus, potentially ending his musical career. But lucky for Joel- and us- he found an outlet in acoustic guitar. This album, recorded with cellist Katinka Kleijn, is a gorgeous piece of work that truly does “relax your ears”, but not in that mushy, aimless way of “new age” stuff, but with engaging, dynamic pieces. And I’m sucker for the combination of cello and guitar anyway. Give this a try!

We saw the Flatlanders a few months back, and I was glad to hear Joe Ely tell of an upcoming solo album, and here it is- Satisfied at Last. And if you’re a long-time Ely fan as I am, you’ll be satisfied indeed. His trademark storytelling style, along with a few Butch Hancock tunes makes this a welcome release from the Lubbock troubadour. His version of Billy Joe Shaver’s “Live Forever” is just wonderful.

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Posted in Beef, Entrees, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs

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Lime in the Coconut Cheesecake

Posted on June 21, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Gluten-free, baked cheesecake… Modified from A Meandering Mango’s Baked Citrus Cheesecake

It’s been a while since we’ve indulged in a decadent dessert -  we unanimously voted for cheesecake!  It is rich and satisfying, and goes well with the fresh fruit that is available in abundance this time of year.  However, we didn’t want to derail our healthy diet with cheesecake loaded with sugar or with a gluten-filled crust.  Browsing about the internet, I found an inspired recipe for baked cheesecake with very little added sugar at A Meandering Mango.  I slightly modified the filling (changing it to lime), and replaced the butter-cookie crust with a crust of nuts, unsweetened coconut, and organic coconut butter.

If you’re looking for a cheesecake that oozes with confection…just keep clicking because this isn’t it!  The simplicity of these ingredients allows you to savor the richness of the cheese (so use the best ricotta and cream cheese you can find).  I found the lime to be very subtle, so if you’d like more of a lime taste you may want to add more zest.  The coconut in the crust stands out nicely and is wonderful with the macadamias and walnuts.

Served simply with a scattering of  ripe berries from the farmer’s market and a drizzle of honey, this cheesecake is a sophisticated and sweetly delicious dessert.  I’m looking forward to having more!

Ingredients for Crust:

  • 130 grams (about 2 cups) mixed nuts and shredded unsweetened coconut (I used approximately equal portions of macadamia nuts, walnuts, and shredded coconut)
  • 2-3 tablespoons unrefined coconut butter, softened

Ingredients for Filling:

  • 1 package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 3 eggs
  • Zest from one lime
  • Juice from one lime
  • 2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 325F.  In a food processor, pulse the nuts and shredded coconut to a coarse meal.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of unrefined coconut butter, one spoon at a time, and process until the mixture starts to adhere together and form large balls of “dough”.

Line the bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan with parchment paper.  Spread the nut mixture evenly in the pan, pressing the crust down firmly using a fork.  Bake for 5-10 minutes until slightly toasted.  Allow to cool.

To prepare the filling, mix the cream cheese and ricotta using an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time and mix between each addition.  Add lime zest, lime juice, and honey.  Mix until smooth and well combined.

Pour filling onto the cooled crust in the spring-form pan.  Cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove foil, then bake for 15-20 minutes longer, or until the cheesecake is no longer jiggly in the center.

Allow to cool a few minutes, then run a knife around the outer edges to loosen from the pan.  This will keep the cake from cracking as it shrinks and pulls away from the side of the pan.  When cooled off enough to handle, remove edges of spring-form pan and slide cheesecake onto a serving plate.  Refrigerate until well chilled.  Serving suggestions:  Sliced fruit or fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries)…and a drizzle of honey!

Hmm…Lime in a coconut…that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Oh yeah! Because its from a major house favorite, Nilsson Schmilsson! We love us some Nilsson around here, and this classic, with “Coconut”, “Gotta Get Up” and the last song LCD Soundsystem played at their last show, “Jump Into The Fire”, its in regular rotation here.

A part of our musical past left us last week, with the death of “The Big Man”, Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band. Nobody who ever saw Springsteen will forget it- and Clarence was a big reason why. So put on Born to Run and listen to that gorgeous sax on the title cut and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”…a change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band…”. We’ll miss you Clarence.

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Lime-Curry Pork Skewers

Posted on June 14, 2011 by | 5 Comments

Lime Curry Pork Skewers (1)

We enjoyed the chicken satay so much last week, we decided to skewer some pork tenderloin!  The Lime-Curry marinade was wonderful with the pork tenderloin, adding multiple layers of spicy flavors to what tends to be a relatively bland-tasting cut of meat.  The recipe for this marinade was inspired by an Epicurious/Gourmet recipe, “Grilled Lime-Curry-Rubbed Hanger Steak with Fresh Melon-Cucumber Chutney“.  Incidentally, we have prepared that recipe a couple of times and it is wonderful.  The Melon-Cucumber Chutney would be great with the pork skewers also, but I didn’t have the ingredients on hand.  Next time I will!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • juice from 2 limes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet curry powder*
  • 1/2 tablespoon hot curry powder*
  • 2 teaspoons honey (or sweetener of choice)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)

* The Spice House has a nice selection of curry blends.  Check it out here.

Lime Curry Pork in marinade

Butterfly the pork tenderloin to bring it all to a relatively even thickness.  (I did this in two parts:  first by cutting the tenderloin lengthwise about 3/4 of the way through into 2 joined sections.  Then slice about 3/4 through the center point of each of the 2 sections so that the meat opens up like a book.)  Cut the tenderloin, lengthwise, into long strips about an inch wide. Place the meat in a resealable bag or glass dish.

Puree the remaining ingredients in a small food processor or blender.  Pour the marinade over the pork strips and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours.

When ready to grill, thread the pork onto the skewers.  Set up a grill for direct cooking at around 400F.  When coals are ready, grill the pork skewers for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Take them off the grill and garnish with chopped cilantro, if you wish.

We served these curried pork skewers with oven-roasted sweet potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are a great match for curried dishes because the flavors are so complementary.  Another good choice would be roasted or grilled cauliflower.  A mango chutney or the melon-cucumber chutney from Epicurious would also be a refreshing addition – and one that I will include next time I make this!

Enjoy!

First up, a new release (and band) from some long time favorites- the Tedeschi Trucks Band with Revelator. This would be Susan Tedeschi and husband Derek Trucks. Now I saw Derek play when he was around 12 or 13 years old- and he was jaw droppingly amazing then, and has only gotten better as a solo artist and as a member of the Allman Brothers. His wife sings with a soulful, bluesy style ala Bonnie Raitt. They’ve joined up and released a great album, very funky and blues filled. Love it!

And speaking of Bonnie Raitt, this first solo record might sound a bit raw to fans of her later, more pop-oriented material, but she’s the real deal. Great vocalist, brilliant slide guitarist, just great. Get funky people!

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Posted in Entrees, Meat on a Stick, Pork, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs

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