Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna with Lime Ginger Vinaigrette

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I love meals that are quick to fix and taste like you spent way too much time preparing them. Tuna steak is one of those things. It is very versatile and is like a blank canvass able to take any flavor combinations you can think to use. It tastes great with a simple salt and pepper to spicy Cajun. Tonight I prepared it by covering it with sesame seeds and then drizzling a lime and ginger vinaigrette. Here’s what I did.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons sesame seeds (approximately)
2 Ahi tuna fish steaks
Wasabi paste
2 or 3 tablespoons light cooking oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (or other vinegar)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Place sesame seeds in a shallow bowl or pie pan. Pat the tuna very dry. Smear a bit of wasabi paste on both sides of the fish. Don’t be shy with the wasabi. The cooking will tame it’s intense heat and really add to the flavor profile. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Then cover all sides of the tuna with sesame seeds. Place the steak in the bowl of sesame seeds and gently press to coat.

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the cooking oil. When the oil is shimmering, carefully lay the tuna fillets in the pan, not touching. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes then flip the tuna and cook 2 additional minutes Take care not to burn the sesame seeds. If the seeds start turning brown too quickly, lower the heat. Remove the fish to a plate.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, ginger and the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle some of the lime-ginger vinaigrette over the fish and serve with salad greens.

Look at my mussels!

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I made Susan a special treat for her birthday: mussels in a creamy, garlic sauce. This is another one of those dishes that looks a heck of a lot more complicated than it truly is. The hardest, most time consuming part is de-bearding and cleaning the mussels and even that is not totally daunting. I won’t go into the process here but this site gives a pretty good tutorial on cleaning mussels.

Here is what I did to cook the mussels.

Ingredients

¼ cup butter
2 shallots, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cup white wine
½ cup cream
3 lb fresh black mussels, cleaned
fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Melt butter over medium in a large sauce pan with a lid. Saute shallots and garlic in butter for about 3 minutes or until soft. Add wine and cream and bring to a boil. Boil to reduce liquid until thick, approximately 10 min. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed.

With sauce boiling add mussels, cover and cook 5 additional minutes. Once mussels are fully cooked and open divide among bowls and ladle cream sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley.

Tonight I served the mussels with pasta and crusty bread along with a nice Sauvignon Blanc.

Happy birthday Susan!

Chili — Nothing like a good bowl of red on a cold winter day

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You can’t have just one bowl of this chili. I use shredded chuck roast and shredded pork roast instead of the ubiquitous hamburger. The beef and pork compliment each other and gives chili a flavor and mouth feel you just can’t get with ground beef. This is how chili should be made.

Chili

Ingredients

1.5 lbs Combination of shredded chuck roast and pork butt roast (Recipe follows)
1 T Olive Oil
1 Onion
4 T Hot Mexican Chili Powder
1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes with garlic
1 Can Mexican Styles Stewed Tomatoes
2 Cans Red Kidney Beans (Optional)
1 46 oz Can Tasty Tom (Spicy V8 will also work but Tasty Tom is better)

Directions

Heat olive oil in large stew pot. Add onion and chili powder and sauté until onion just begins to get tender. Side Note: Sautéing the chili powder along with the onions brings out a somewhat smokey flavor to the powder. Add shredded beef and heat until warm. Add tomatoes, beans and Tasty Tom. Heat until chili begins to bubble. Reduce heat and simmer for as long as you like.

Shredded Beef or Pork

Ingredients

beef roast or pork butt roast – trimmed of fat approximately 2 to 3 pounds
1 onion – coarsely chopped
4.5 oz jar minced garlic – unless you want to mince all that garlic
1 to 2 bay leaves
Oregano
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Cumin
olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325F. Rub the beef thoroughly with olive oil. Generously season both sides of the roast with the salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Spread entire jar of minced garlic on top side of roast. Top with onion. Add bay leaves and wrap the meat in heavy-duty foil sealing the edges all around with tight crimps. Place the meat in a baking dish and bake for about 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until the beef is tender enough to fall apart. If you hear much sizzling as the meat cooks, turn the heat down.

When the beef is fork-tender, unwrap the top of the foil package, push aside
the onions, and cook another 5 to 10 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and let the meat cool. Shred it into long shreds with a fork. Beef may be stored in the refrigerator (for up to a week) or frozen. I use this style of shredded beef and pork for tacos, burritos, chimichangas, chili, shepherd’s pie or any other recipe in place of ground meat.

But Chickens Don’t Have Lips!

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Here is a recipe for Chicken Lips that I received from Peter Harman, chef and owner of Martini’s Grille in Burlington, Iowa many years ago. Peter also started a carry out store called Lips To Go and a restaurant in Iowa City, Iowa called Graze.

Here is Peter’s fantastic Chicken Lips:

Ingredients

2 pounds voluptuous chicken breasts
2 pounds flour
1 quart buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons black pepper

Directions

Buy fresh boneless chicken breasts, big, jumbo babies, wash thoroughly then place on a cutting board, use a sharp knife to remove any fat or skin. Cut chicken into long strips about as thick as your thumb. Put the flour into a bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Pour the buttermilk into a bowl. Make sure the bowls you use are large enough to handle the chicken when it is added. Dip the chicken a few strips at a time into the flour, then buttermilk, then back to the flour. Coat well in each stage. Place them on a platter as they are breaded and reserve until cooking.

Heat frying oil in a large skillet or pot, fry daddy or outdoor cooker to 350 degrees. Fry the lips in batches and place them on a platter lined with paper towels. Dip the lips into the hot lip sauce and put onto a serving platter. Serve immediately with Budweiser Blue Cheese Dressing on the side.

Hot Lip Sauce
1 pound butter
2 cups hot sauce
1 tablespoon granulated garlic

Melt the butter in a pan large enough to hold it, do not allow it to boil. Pour the butter into a blender. Turn blender on to high, hopefully remembering to put the cover on first. Slowly pour in in hot sauce until it is incorporated, the sauce should be bright orange and become emulsified or slightly thick, add garlic and blend for about 30 seconds. This is Hot Lip Sauce.

Peter’s Budweiser Blue Cheese Dressing

1 pint heavy mayonnaise
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 large swig of Bud Fat
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 pound Maytag blue cheese crumbles

Put everything except the blue cheese into a large bowl, mix well. Add the blue cheese and lightly stir in. Some recipes are just that simple.

A Different Flavor of Pesto — Linguine with Walnut Pesto

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Most people think of a green sauce made primarily of basil when they hear the term pesto. Pesto is a generic Italian term for anything that is made by pounding and hence pesto can be made from a wide variety of base ingredients. Another favorite of mine that I may have to blog about at a later date is red pesto made with a base of sun-dried tomatoes. Here is a very simple, very tasty pesto made with a base of walnuts.

Ingredients

½ cup walnut pieces
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp walnut oil (or extra-virgin olive oil if walnut oil is not available)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
1 cup whole cow’s milk ricotta cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb dried linguine

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.

While the water is heating, put the walnuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor and process to a coarse paste. With the motor running, dribble in the olive oil and walnut oil and process just until combined. Transfer the puree to a bowl and stir in the parsley, Parmigiano, and ricotta. Add a few grinds of pepper and stir the mixture until it is well combined and creamy.

Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir to separate the noodles, and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and spoon in about three-fourths of the pesto. Add a little of the cooking water and toss until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.

Transfer the dressed pasta to warmed shallow individual bowls, top with a dollop of remaining pesto and sprinkle a little Parmigiano and black pepper over each serving. Serve immediately.

Fried Green Tomatoes

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It’s the end of Summer and a killing frost is going to wipe out your garden however your tomato plants still have several little jewels of deliciousness on them. You could pick them and place them in a sunny spot to let ripen, and as a matter of fact you should, but I also recommend taking several of them and making fried green tomatoes.

What’s not to like about fried green tomatoes? My recipe makes them crispy, saucy and very cheesy. Here’s what I do:

Ingredients

1 Cup buttermilk
1 Egg
8 slices green tomato (completely green if possible), approximately ¼-inch thick
1 cup Panko bread crumbs, lightly seasoned with salt, and black or white pepper
Shortening

1 Cup Marinara
8 oz Fresh Mozzerella Cheese
Fresh shredded Parmesean Cheese
Fresh chopped basil

Directions

Preheat oven broiler.

In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg. Heat shortening in a large saute pan over moderate heat.

Meanwhile, dip tomato slices in egg mixture, then Panko bread crumbs. Place tomato slices in pan in a single layer. Do not crowd. Cook over moderate heat until golden brown on bottom. Turn and brown on other side. (Total cooking time is 3 to 4 minutes.) Tomato should be cooked all the way through but not mushy. Exterior should be golden brown.

Remove tomatoes place on wire rack to drain excess oil. Then place slices in single layer on flat baking sheet. Top each tomato with one slice of mozzarella and broil until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.

Place hot marinara on serving plate. Place four tomato slices on top and garnish with fresh chopped basil. Repeat with remaining slices and serve immediately.

Fall is the perfect time for comfort foods

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I love fall. I love the cooler weather, football, the colors, my birthday and most of all, all the wonderful comfort foods. This past weekend, Susan and I hosted the Eastern Iowa Wine Club at our home. It was an enjoyable evening with good friends, food, and really good wine. It was also an opportunity for me to cook some of these comfort foods that I really enjoy. The night’s menu consisted of a Roasted Butternut Squash Chipotle Soup, Wine Braised Short Ribs, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts. The hit of the night was the soup.

I am of the opinion that people need to eat more squash. It is versatile, delicious and so very good for you. There isn’t too much you can’t do with squash. Here is a Roasted Butternut Squash Chipotle Soup creation I came up with for the night. Please bear in mind that I was cooking for 16 people. If you half this recipe you should be good with plenty left over. It is every bit as good warmed up.

Ingredients

Approximately 8 pounds of roasted butternut squash
Three carrots
Three stalks celery
Two small to medium sized onions
Several cloves of garlic
8 cups chicken broth
Olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
Two canned Chipotle peppers.

Directions

Roasting the Butternut Squash
Preheat oven to 375° F. Slice squash length wise in half and scoop out seeds. Rub olive oil over cut side of squash and place face up on baking sheet. Season with kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and fresh ground nutmeg. Roast until squash is fork tender, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Making the soup
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in large pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and salt and sauté until soften, about 10 minutes. Scoop flesh from roasted butternut squash into pot. Add chicken broth and diced Chipotle peppers along with some adobe sauce from peppers. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Working in small batches, transfer soup to blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Stir in cream and serve.

Here is what I did for the Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs. I served them over a Rosemary Thyme Whipped Potato. Again, the following recipe was for 16 people. You will want to cut this recipe down.

Ingredients

Approximately 16 pounds of beef short ribs
6 carrots thickly sliced
6celery stalks thickly sliced
2 medium sized onion coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
Fresh ground black pepper
Kosher salt
olive oil
2 750ml bottle of decent hearty red wine
Rosemary
Thyme

Directions

Preheat oven to 325° F. Season ribs with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Heat a large dutch oven or similar heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides. Remove ribs and clean out pot. Add the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until onions are softened; about 4 minutes. Add the Rosemary and Thyme and pour in the bottle of wine. Brink to boil. Add ribs back and cover pot with lid. Place into oven. Let braise for 3 hours.

Serve with potatoes, rice, noodles or some other starch.

I know, I know, most people turn their nose at Brussels sprouts. That is more than likely because all they have ever eaten are bitter, boiled sprouts. Roast these puppies until they begin to caramelize and you have a totally different and delectable treat. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients

Brussels spouts
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano (aged at least 18 months)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut the stem end off of each sprout and remove the outer leaves. Add enough olive oil to evenly coat the sprouts. Season sprouts with Kosher salt and pepper. Then drizzle Balsamic vinegar over sprouts. Roast sprouts for about 40 minutes stirring about every 10 minutes until they are evenly brown. Shred Parmigiano Reggiano over sprouts and roast for an additional 5 minutes. Remove and serve.

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese — Why Didn’t I Think of This?

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Sometimes you run across and idea and you can’t help but wonder aloud, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I read another food blog written by Kevin Flinch called Closet Cooking: Cooking in a closet sized kitchen in which he described a jalapeño popper grilled cheese sandwich. He has several “different” grilled cheese sandwiches that sound very good. This one, in particular, caught my eye as Susan and I had just happened to have had jalapeño poppers as a snack that evening. I changed the amounts of the ingredients just slightly and changed the assembly some but the idea for this sandwich is Kevin’s. Here is what I did.

Ingredients

2 Jalapeño peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
2 Slices sourdough bread
Butter (Approximately 2 tablespoons)
Cream cheese, room temperature (Approximately 1 tablespoon)
¼ cup Cheddar Jack cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips

Directions

Roast the jalapeño peppers by placing the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil peppers until the outer skin of the peppers has blistered and turned black, about 15 minutes. Place the peppers in a zip-lock type bag and let them cool until you can handle them. After peppers have cooled, about 20 minutes, remove the skins from the peppers. They skin should pinch off relatively easily.

Next, assemble the sandwich. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Spread the cream cheese on the opposite side of one slice of bread. You may find it easier to wait to butter this slice of bread until the sandwich is on the grill with this slice on top. Next, layer the slice with tortilla chips. Then place the jalapeños on top of the chips followed with the shredded cheddar jack cheese. Place the last slice of sourdough on top and grill the sandwich until golden brown and the cheese is melted. This should take about 3 to 4 minutes per side depending on hot the grill is.

This sandwich was very tasty. The chips provided an extra crunch and flavor that added to the overall texture of the sandwich. I can’t wait until spring to try another of his grilled cheese sandwiches: a grilled asparagus and Gruyere cheese sandwich.

Want the best meatballs you’ll ever eat? The secret is to bake them!

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Here is a meatball recipe that is a little out of the ordinary but is my absolute favorite. It is based off Alton Brown’s Baked Meatball recipe. My version strays the most because I do not use ground lamb in mine like he does. It isn’t that I am opposed to eating lamb; rather, I live in Vinton, Iowa. Ground lamb just isn’t readily available to me.

The sauce for tonight’s dinner is from Coralville, Iowa based Galassi Foods. Susan and I have been wanting to try the sauce for some time. We tried the Sweet Tomato Basil. Although we found this sauce just a little too sweet for our liking, we will definitely try their other varieties.

Both were served over Barilla pasta. Barilla is another Iowa made product. What can I say, we try to support our local producers as much as possible.

Here is tonight’s recipe.

Ingredients

¾ pound ground pork
¾ pound ground round
5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly
½ cup finely grated Parmesan
1 whole egg
1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup bread crumbs, divided

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, ground round, spinach, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and ¼ cup of the bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Use immediately or place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Place the remaining ¼ cup of bread crumbs into a small bowl. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1.5-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds, roll in the bread crumbs and place the meatballs in individual, miniature muffin tin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

This recipe will make approximately 20 to 24 meatballs. I like to make a whole recipe and then freeze uncooked the ones I will not eat that day.

Scampi – Quick, easy and deceptively elegant

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It seems shrimp was put on this earth simply for those nights when you need to whip up something quick and shrimp scampi has to be the easiest ways to cook shrimp. A little butter, a little lemon juice, garlic and parsley and in minutes you have a dish with a deceptive, light elegance. Here is what I did tonight:

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
1 to 1 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 to 8 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 red onion sliced thin and halved.
Juice from ½ lemon (Approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons)
Salt to taste

Directions

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat and sauté garlic until aromatic and just begins to soften. Add shrimp and cook until it begins to turn pink about two minutes. Turn shrimp and cook additional two to three minutes. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Add onion to pan and sauté until soft and almost translucent. Return shrimp to pan. Add lemon juice and parsley and season with salt. Stir well. Remove pan from heat and serve immediately over angel hair or similar pasta or simply just eat.