A Holiday and Some Peppers

The kids are off school today so I had some plans, get the oil in my car changed and get to the grocery store then I had planned to spend most of the day playing in the kitchen.  I had baking bread and making cracklins on the list (yes Camilla the day before I read your comment I decided to give them a go).  However, last night Mr, Man got quite a bit of a fever and hadn't quite recovered as of this morning.  When we saw my beautiful wife off to work today Mr. Man and I were sitting on the Sofa watching Phinaas and Ferb after a couple of hours of that we have moved on a bit.  We all had lunch with Kris, Mr. Man feeling better, but not 100% Miss Lu,  and the Neighbor kids are doing what they should do, carving their initials in the freshly laid sidewalk that the city poured today.  OK, seriously, pouring cement on sidewalks all over town on a school holiday is just asking for that.

So plans change, the down side of not being able to blog much lately is that I have missed out on something that I enjoy so much; the up side is that I still cook so I have a camera full of pictures.  So I am going to draw on some stuff from the last couple of weeks.

These two dishes started the last time I was doing my regular produce shopping I had picked up beets, zucchini, Valida onions, cilantro, green beans, fresh basil, limes, pluats and ginger along with some other things.  I know it sounds like a casserole from foodie hell but the fridge was running on empty and I needed some stuff.  When I got to the check out lane I found a bag of Hungarian Chiles in my cart,  my first thought was, "why did I grab these guys?" but then realized that someone must have dropped them in my cart thinking it was theirs.  Scary thought considering what was in my cart...

I was about to give them to the cashier when I thought, "hey nerdy food blogger, take them home and do something different why don't ya?!?"  Sometimes I get in a foodie rut and have to try something new to fix it.  So these little guys came home for dinner twice...  I asked around the house what I should make with the Hungarian chiles and we had a consensus, something for me to eat.  Which is good and bad, good because I can make whatever, bad because nobody else tries it so you all have to trust my opinion.

First dish
Pan Seared Tuna Steaks with Hungarian Chile Slaw
Tuna Steak
Juice from one lime
Grated Zest from on lime
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove of garlic minced
Salt, Pepper

Let the tuna steaks marinade on the counter for about half an hour.

The slaw
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 Valida Onion sliced
1 Hungarian Chile sliced thin
2 TBS Chopped Cilantro
Salt and pepper

Put vinegar and sugar in a small sauce pan, heat pan until sugar dissolves set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.  As it cools mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl.  Add the vinegar then set aside for a couple of hours.  This can be made a day ahead if you like.

In a lightly oiled pan sear your tuna the way you like it, rareish for me then top with vegetable mixture and serve.

Second Dish
Stuffed Hungarian Chiles
2 Mild Italian Sausages cut up and browned
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 onion diced
Marinara Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
2 Hungarian Chiles slit from top to bottom seeds removed if you want a little less heat.

Mix the first 4 ingredients together and stuff into the chiles.  Place on indirect heat on the grill and cook for about 20 minutes then top with a little marinara and mozzarella and cook for another 5-10 minutes, serve with warm marinara sauce.

In my opinion both of these meals were great... but I guess you will just have to believe me or try them yourself

Grilled Slider Trio

We had our friends Rochelle and Dan over for dinner last night, just for a pleasant evening of hanging out with our friends.  Kris asked me to hold back with the menu, it seems that some people think that sometimes I go overboard with the dinner plans, I push everybody out of the way, spend way to much money on dinner then don't let any one else help.  Kris suggested something simple, hamburgers and hotdogs, perfect but then I think that maybe I can do a step better...

I called Kris about halfway through the day, "How about a grilled slider trio, with caramelized sweet potatoes?"  I mean every body loves a Tuna Bahn Mi right?
She paused for a moment, I am pretty sure thinking, why can't you keep it simple just once, but said, "Ok... just make sure that you have enough hamburgers for everybody and pick up some hotdogs."

Ok there is a lot of stuff to this meal so lets get going:


Tuna Bahn Mi with Carrot Daikon Slaw

The slaw
1 cup Champagne Vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup shredded daikon
1 TBS chopped cilantro leaves
1 TBS chopped mint leaves
light sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Heat vinegar and sugar until they almost boil then remove from heat and let cool for 10 or 15 minutes.  While that is cooling put the rest of the ingredients into a storage container and pour vinegar sugar mixture on top, seal the container give it a good shake and store in the refrigerator.  This can be made the day ahead.

The Tuna (about 5 burgers)
2 tuna steaks (about 4 ounces each)
2 green onions chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1 TBS bread crumbs
1 egg white
juice from one lime

Dice tuna steaks then coarsely chop in a food processor mix with the rest of the ingredients then form into about 2 oz patties (a little over 2 inches in diameter) put them on a plastic wrap on a plate then cover.  Refrigerate until you are ready to go, about 15 minutes before you grill them put then in the freezer so they hold up well.  Grill for a couple of minutes on each side, try to get these off medium so there is a little pink in the middle.

To assemble take your slider bun add a schmere of siracha mayo then your tuna patty and top with s TBS of the daikon slaw.

Chicken Parmesan Burger (made 8 sandwiches)
3/4 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 TBS olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together then form into about 2 oz patties (about 2 inch circles) place on plastic wrap on a plate then cover and refrigerate until you are ready to start cooking then pop into the freezer for about 15 minutes before you grill.  Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side

Other ingredients
3/4 cup marinara sauce (I used a sauce from a jar)
Mozzarella cheese
5-6 fresh basil cut into a chiffonade
french bread sliced then grilled with a little olive oil

To assemble, take one slice of french bread top with marinara, then a chicken patty,  top with a little more marinara sauce, fresh basil, mozzarella cheese then the other slice of bread.


The Hamburgers (made 10)
1 pound of hamburger
2 TBS breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
salt and pepper

Like above mix ingredients together then form into about 2 oz patties and refrigerate until you are ready to go then freeze for about 15 minutes before you grill.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Assemble like you would your favorite burger mine was with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard.  I put the pickle on a stick through mine for the picture... isn't it cute?

A couple of things to note all of these had bread crumbs in them, I find a little bit of bread crumbs will help hold moisture and flavors in.  I don't always do that but with these guys being so small I wanted to make sure they were juicy when it was time to serve.  I also popped them all in the freezer for a for a few minutes again that was because they were so thin I wanted to make sure they held together through the rigors of my grilling.

Over all the meal was a success!  The surprise to me was the Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches both Kris and I did a double take when we tried the little sandwich the first time, I expected them to be good but these were great!  The Tuna was a great mix of flavors and textures too!  the flavor of the slaw just keeps going.

Tuna Ceviche with Arugula salad

I have been using Arugula in recipes since the late 80s love to use it... my first experience with the vegetable was Grilled Salmon Steaks with Plum Tomato and Arugula Compote. A retiring Chef that I worked with gave me a recipe when I was the caterer for a small, slightly snooty, private Midwest college. I remember so many blushing brides with their leg warmers and teased hair saying “oh, that sounds so totally awesome!" and their future husband sitting next to them saying "whatever... I mean yes sweetie that sounds great, I love arugula."

Really, let’s face it there is only one reason that we use arugula... see if you can pick it out below:

a. Arugula is wonderful and healthy, jam packed with iron and vitamin A.

b. Arugula has a beautiful, gentle peppery flavor that I just love.

c. Arugula is really fun to say and when you use it in a recipe people are impressed with your foodie knowledge.

Come on you can answer, I won't tell...

That being said this is a fun, light, summer recipe easy to make and really refreshing! I was looking for a new twist on Ceviche and came up with this, really a perfect meal for the hot summer that we are living with now.

For Ceviche:

1 pound of tuna cut into a rough half inch dice

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

1 small onion cut into a fine dice

Juice from 1 lime

Grated zest of the same lime

Small splash of rice vinegar

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 TBS chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper

Ceviche isn't actually raw, not like sashimi; however it is "cooked" through a chemical process not by heat. With that in mind I tossed the first 7 ingredients together and put them into the refrigerator for about an hour then added the coconut milk. I put it back into the fridge until I was ready (a couple hours later). I wanted to make sure that the fish had some time in the acid to cook.

I see a lot of warnings whenever I read ceviche recipes "Never store more than 6 hours," "there are risks associated with eating raw and undercooked meat," "your children will instantly die if they even look at this food!" and the like; relax a little and try it you'll probably be fine. I like to soak mine for at least half an hour (longer if I cut the fish kind of thick) and I think it is best to serve it the day it is made. I will admit that I have had day old ceviche I didn't die from it, but the longer it soaks the more the fish "cooks." After an hour or so it tastes cool, bright and refreshing the next morning the fish takes on the texture of yesterday's gum soaked in lemon juice. Just my observation.

Ok, my mind is wandering a bit, when it is time to serve lay it on a bed of fresh arugula garnish with the cilantro and a little lemon peel. Looking at my picture I should have added a little something else for color, but the flavor was great, and it does play well with the peppery flavor of the greens.

Tuna Steaks

I went to the store with the kids on my way home from sledding  last weekend, I needed to pick up some cheese (Mr. Man likes Kraft Sharp Cheddar slices) and milk, really not a big deal at all... unless you are me, with a 3 year old an and 8 year old in tow.  I stopped at the only Grocery store between the park and our house it is a Polish Grocery store but tries to cover everything and the produce, maybe a little pricey but really good.  So we go into the doors, the Produce section is first and the questions come from the two kids both wired for sound...

"What is this?"

"Okra"

"Orka is Freaky!"

"Daddy this looks Gross"

"Some people like Cactus Leaves honey"

"Dumb People!"

That went on for a while until they both had me afraid for my life or the little scraps of sanity that I have left.  I start racing/shopping, I have seen the "super hyper kids in shopping cart" game go bad it isn't good, the screaming, the hitting, the yelling at innocent passers and it can go down hill from there.  I pick up the speed and just start grabbing.  My mind goes something like this... "Blood Oranges, Wow Martini recipe!  Lettuce, Kris likes that... be quiet you two you don't like Artichokes... Oh look Kumquats, need those... Rabbit Liver Pate, not going to happen, Oh Tuna..."

Anyway, those of you with kids get the picture, I was racing through this quaint little store madly grabbing things that I might need desperately trying to get out the door before the "super hyper kids in shopping cart" game gets us a police escort.  By the time I get to the car I realize that my trip to the store for Milk and Kraft Sharp Cheddar Cheese Squares has netted me:

3 Blood oranges

1/2 pound of Kerrygold Aged Cheddar Cheese

1 pound of Kumquats

5 Frozen Tuna Steaks

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1 head of Lettuce

2 bunches of cilantro

a double handfull of shallots

Oh and  1 gallon of milk

Real good, now my best bet was to get it all put away before I had to admit that I spent $45 on the Gallon of milk I was going to pick up plus a couple of "impulse items."  As I was putting things away I was trying to consider what to do with some of the stuff.  Ok Kumquats... they are funny Cherry Tomato sized citrus fruit but really how many of them am I going to eat 2 maybe 3 in the next several months.  I start to think they might work well a pickle, so the meal idea comes: Grilled Tuna Steaks with Pickled Kumquats and Shallots.

Ingredients for pickle:

Juice from 2 Limes

finely grated peel from one of them

2 tsp Brown Sugar

5 Kumquats sliced thin

4-5 shallot bulbs sliced thin

Juice the Limes into a small saucepan and add the Brown Sugar, you may want to adjust to suite your taste,  bring to a boil.  Grate the Lime Peel into a small dish thinly slice the Kumquats and shallots then add the hot liquid and set aside for at least 40 minutes.  I made it a day ahead and chilled.

Oh and for the love of God please don't go out and buy Kumquats just to make this.  This process is so forgiving, fruit and vegetables pickled this way are so great!  I could well have made a similar recipe with Red Onions, Orange Peels and Rice Wine Vinegar, or Vadalia Onions Cilantro and Lemon Juice... I was just using up my funny little fruit.  The pickled fruit adds such a light Spring like flavor to a meal.

The Tuna was easy,  I set a Tuna Steak in a dish on the counter with some Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and some Lime Juice.  I heated up the cast iron grill and put the Tuna on for about 3 minutes on each side, it is pictured here with French bread slices topped with a little garlic butter.