Fresh Vegetables with Honey Vinaigrette

Mother's Day now has taken on a deeper meaning for me.  With my sons off to college and my mother passing away, I get very philosophical on Mother's Day.  I found myself rereading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.  I like to read it every so often to get a perspective on what's important in life.  Now that it is finally spring I thought I'd add this recipe I learned in Florence.   While I'm cooking I always choose music that relates to my mood and what I'm working with.  Today while making this dish I listened to John Mellencamp sing "Save Some Time To Dream".   I hope you enjoy this recipe.

What is so wonderful about this healthy vegetable dish is that it can be served warm or room temperature.

Experiment - if you have broccoli or cauliflower in your home add those as well.

Serves 8

3-5 potatoes, peeled and cup in 1/4

3-5 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

8-10 asparagus, discard bottom part and cut in 2” pieces

10 green beans, cut off ends and cut in 2” pieces

1 green onion, cut in 2” pieces

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey - the thick kind

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Boil water with some salt in it and throw in vegetables:

            Potatoes and carrots for 10 minutes

            Add asparagus for 5 minutes

            Add green beans for last 3 minutes

Strain vegetables until completely dry.

In a blender mix the spring or green onion with parsley, soy sauce, honey, oil, vinegar.

Blend until creamy - add salt only if needed.

Toss vegetables with this wonderful green dressing.

Low Country Seafood Chowder

I visited New Orleans for the first time this weekend.  What a sensual city, between hearing great jazz musicians, tasting delicious fattening food, and watching the degenerates like myself stumbling down Bourbon Street, man I had a good time!

This is one of the soups that they serve at Augusta with corn bread on the side - it’s so incredible.  I served this for a dinner party one night and I think I added too much sherry.  Between the sherry in the soup, the amazing wine we served, and cognac afterwards, we had the most hysterical game of Scattergories into the wee hours…

Serves 16-20

3 slices of smoked bacon diced

1 1/2 cups onions diced

4 stalks of celery diced

1 1/2 lb. fish fillets boneless and skinless (grouper or cod) cut in 2” pieces

1 lb. sea scallops (if large cut in 1/2 or quarters)

1 lb. shrimp peeled, deveined, tail off

1/2 lb. crawfish meat (or crab meat) (if you can’t find - leave out)

1/2 cup sherry (pale dry)

1 1/2 cups potatoes, Idaho, peeled and diced

1/2 quart fish stock (use chicken if fish is unavailable)

1 quart heavy cream

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon thyme (fresh)

2 tablespoons dill (fresh)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Cornstarch/water (as needed to thicken)

Sauté bacon in a heavy soup pot until very crisp but do not burn.

Add the onions and celery and sauté 5-8 minutes until onions begin to caramelize.

Add the fish fillets, scallops, and shrimp and cook until they just begin to turn opaque.

Add the sherry and ignite to burn off the alcohol residue.

Remove seafood with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Add the potatoes, fish stock, heavy cream, and bay leaf.

Bring soup rapidly to a boil then reduce to a simmer until potatoes are cooked (about 15 minutes).

Add crawfish (or crab meat) and the reserved seafood to the cream mixture and simmer until fish is cooked through and begins to flake apart.

Add fresh thyme, fresh dill and cayenne pepper.

Adjust seasoning to taste and thicken with a mixture of cornstarch and water. 

Rack of Lamb

This Easter I plan to make a Rack of Lamb.  Here is a killer recipe.

When my boys were little their Grandmother would watch them eat these and be amazed.  She would say to me, “Megan, your boys eat lamb chops like other children suck on lollipops!”

1 8-rib lamb rack

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 garlic clove, crushed

Fresh ground pepper

This is enough for 2 people - I find we can all eat about 4 per person and each rack comes with 8 ribs so increase your amounts according to your number of guests.

Always take your meat out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Whisk all ingredients together.

Coat lamb rack on both sides.

Broil 5 minutes each side.

Turn oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (for rare).  Turn over 1/2 way through.

Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before carving.

Careful not to make these too rare - I find if you are doing more than 1 rack in the oven you need to adjust this recipe.  For instance, I made 3 racks last night - I broiled on 1 side for 10 minutes - turned over and broiled on the other side for just 5 minutes and then turned oven from broil to 400 degrees and cooked another 10 minutes.  They were perfect!

Cream of Chicken Soup

Spring is here and it's time for the Augusta National Golf Tournament.  They serve this soup with corn bread on the side - oh, man is it good.

Serves 10-12 people

1/4 cup butter

1/2 small onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2  tablespoon flour

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock*

1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream

1/2 lb. (approx. 1 boneless chicken breast) cooked and diced

Kosher salt and white pepper

Sauté onion, celery, and carrot in butter until tender, do not brown.

Add Dijon mustard and cook for 1 minute - whisk.

Add flour and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat - whisk.

Add stock gradually, whisking until thickened and smooth.

Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Strain soup into another pot (this step is not crucial if you don’t mind vegetables in soup).

Finish soup with heavy cream and add chicken meat.

Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

*Of course, homemade chicken stock is the best but I don’t know many people who make their own chicken stock - hell, I don’t even do that!

Key Lime Pie

I have been watching the HBO mini series MILDRED PIERCE starring Kate Winslet.  Personally, I still prefer the black and white 1945 version with Joan Crawford.  But watching the show has inspired me to add a pie recipe to my blog.

Serves 6

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted)

4 egg yolks

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup Key limejuice

1/3 cup sour cream

Whipped cream (optional)

8” pie plate

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter in a bowl.

Press evenly on the bottom and sides of an 8” pie plate. 

Chill while preparing the filling.

Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl until thick and pale yellow - 7-10 minutes.

Add the milk, limejuice and sour cream and beat until blended.

Pour into the crust and bake for 20 minutes or until center feels set when touched.

Cool on rack and chill in refrigerator.

Serve with fresh whipped cream on the side.

Grilled Salmon with Ginger Sauce

REVISED APRIL 21, 2011
A friend made this and noticed there wasn't as much sauce and I realized being IRISH I always add more alcohol than a recipe calls for!  So feel free to add more WINE than my recipe shows.

Last night I watched the french movie MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON and loved it.  If you haven't seen it you should.  I've decided to post a recipe that I learned in Paris.

Guests love this dish.  I learned it in Paris from Chef Samira. What works so well for entertaining is you can make the ginger sauce earlier in the day.  

Serves 6

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup shallots, minced - about 4 shallots

1/2 cup white wine (could go up to 1 cup)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

5 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

2 tsp. garlic, minced - about 3 cloves

4-6 tablespoons ginger root, grated - about 4 inches of ginger root

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

6 salmon fillets, 5-6 oz. each

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in medium pan.

Add shallots and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add wine and cook another 2 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients except salmon and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Cover salmon fillets with some olive oil and grill for about 3 minutes on each side.

If not grilling you can sauté in olive oil in a sauté pan.

Place grilled salmon over sauce and cook a couple of minutes just to heat through.

Or you may prefer to pour the sauce over the salmon.  

Meatballs

My father, (Poppy) used only top quality ground beef not the combination of beef, pork, and veal.  Whenever I make these now I get a little teary eyed – I miss Poppy.

Makes 25 meatballs

2 slices white bread, stale

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated finely

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped finely

1-2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 small onion, grated or chopped very finely - approx. 1/4 cup

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/2 lb. ground veal

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 large egg, beaten

Fresh ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1 quart Tomato Gravy – see Fuggedaboutit Tomato Gravy

Spaghetti or whatever pasta you like

Pulse bread in Cuisinart - or chop in very small pieces.

In a small bowl toss breadcrumbs with milk, squeezing out excess.

In a large bowl combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, onion, and garlic.

Add the meat to this mixture.

Add the beaten egg and mix with your hands (if you can stand it) until all combined.

Season with fresh pepper and mix again.

Using your hands form the meat mixture into golf balls.

Place on a cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Heat 1/2 the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add meatballs not too many at a time.

Turn occasionally until golden brown on all sides about 6 minutes - do not over cook.  Make batches adding more oil if needed.  Drain on a paper towel.

Add your meatballs to your pot of gravy to finish cooking through another 30 minutes.

Serve with spaghetti or some other type of pasta.