48: Steamed Mussels / White Wine Garlic Broth / Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes / Capellini Pasta

Yum. You may notice that I cook back-to-back meals with mussels when I do cook mussels. This happens because I can’t turn down the affordability of fresh PEI mussels at $3/lb at Eastern Market. I usually pick up two pounds, and you must use mussels within a couple days before they lose flavor. Everybody must be in the mood for mussels because all three of my previous mussels recipes were viewed this weekend. You can't go wrong with mussels, especially when the weather warms up.

Tonight’s dinner features slow roasted cherry tomatoes with an elegantly simple white wine broth with butter and garlic. I steamed the mussels ahead of time in water, and then I removed them from their shells to make an easy-to-eat meal. Prep goes pretty quick with two people. The roasting of cherry tomatoes brings out their bright flavor and adds a distinct flavor. Plus, they help with texture. I roasted the tomatoes after breakfast because I knew I had a couple hours to kill. Capellini pasta is all I had on hand, and the lighter nature of the pasta pairs well with the overall delicate nature of the dish. Capellini also cooks rather quickly once in the water, about 3-4 minutes for al dente texture.

We drank a soave from Italy with dinner. Soave is an excellent warm weather white wine with its vibrant and citrusy appeal with a crisp finish.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb pound of mussels

Enough pasta for two people

1/4 cup shallot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 cherry tomatoes, halved and insides removed

2 tbsp of fresh basil, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 stick of butter

Olive oil

1 lemon wedge

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly toss tomatoes in olive oil, and then lay them out in a single layer in a baking dish with the open part facing up. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the tomatoes. Roast in oven for 2-2.5 hours. You want them to be really wrinkled looking but not burnt. Let cool and store at room temperature until ready for us. You could make a huge batch of these for future use as they keep incredibly well.

Soak mussels in cold water for 10 minutes, rinse and repeat. Discard open mussels as these are dead. Quick tip: Tap mussels to see if they will close. They are still alive and good to use if they close. Yes, the living mussels with close their shells when tapped. Pretty cool, I know. Anyways, boil 1 cup of water in a pan to steam the mussels. Drain mussels and add to pan when water is boiling, and then place the cover on for 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, start water for pasta, and cook according to package. Remove mussels from heat, and then remove them from their shells, set aside. Discard shells. Dump out the water from the pan, but don’t wipe it clean.

Add butter to the pan you cooked the mussels in and cook over medium heat. Let butter melt and cook for additional minute. Now add the garlic and onion, and sauté until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add white wine and reduce by half, about 5 minutes, by cooking on high heat. Zest the lemon wedge into the white wine. Add mussels and cherry tomatoes to this broth and cook for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Plate your food and garnish with fresh basil and fresh squeezed lemon from the wedge.

Enjoy!

47: Steamed Mussels / Thai Coconut Curry Broth / Lemongrass & Kaffir Lime / Jasmine Rice

Here’s another installment of cooking outside the box of my normal heavily French- and Italian-influenced American style. The deep, rich, awesomely good mushroom taste and texture of mussels is contrasted against a well balanced sweet and spicy coconut curry broth. The broth is elevated by lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. The citrus element of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves tantalize the palate and add an amazing aromatic flare to this dish, while fragrant jasmine rice adds to the olfactory delight. What about the texture you say? Jasmine rice takes care of that with its natural grain state as well as a nutty flavor.

I couldn’t quite get away from the French influence, for we drank a vouvray with dinner. Vouvray is a common French white wine with fantastic minerality, or stone-like qualities, and citrusy flavors that allow the wine to complement the nutty nature of jasmine rice and tart fruit infused broth.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb of mussels, cleaned and debearded

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 chili pepper, finely chopped (can substitute good pinch of chili flakes)

2 teaspoons of ginger powder

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1/4 cup of chicken broth

1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 a stalk of lemongrass, minced

2 kaffir lime leaves (can substitute juice of 1 lime)

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice (prepare according to package)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Place your debearded mussels (Googling it will save some page space here) in a bowl of cold water. Tap the shell of mussels with your fingernail if they are open. If they close, they are still alive and thus good for use. Discard if it does not close after tapping because it is already dead. Let them sit for 10 minutes, drain and repeat soaking. This process allows for the mussels to “spit out” dirt or mud inside them. Keep in cold water until ready for use. Hopefully you have started your rice before re-soaking the mussels. The rice should take about 18-20 minutes in a rice cooker.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté onions with pinch of salt and pepper until they become soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Don’t forget to stir occasionally or the onions will burn. Now add the chili pepper, ginger, and curry powder and mix into onions to cook for one 1-2 minutes to release aromatics.

Add the chicken broth and reduce by half, 2-3 minutes. Now add the coconut milk, another pinch of salt, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves and bring to a boil. Drain the mussels while waiting for a boil, and add the mussels once drained. Reduce heat to medium and cover with a tight fitting lid to steam the mussels for 6-7 minutes until. Discard any that don’t open during steaming process. Spoon mussels into bowls over rice, pour some broth over the dish, and garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy!

46: Flat Iron Steak / Caramelized Fennel & Bell Pepper Relish / Green Beans / Crispy "Bacon Fat" Potato Spheres

Oh, yes, indeed – another fine steak dinner! A perfect plate of food has three successful elements in color, taste, and texture. Keep these three things in mind when cooking, and you should be able to produce amazing plates of food all the time.  Does this dinner live up to that billing? Try the preparation, and let me know!

My good friend Jen was in town from Chicago, and she asked me to cook her some of the food she has seen in my tweets and Facebook posts. I tweet the photos and blog titles after each meal, and it’s usually a couple days before I get around to posting the recipe. I thought about the vegetables I had in my refrigerator, and then we picked up the meat from the butcher.

Getting a good cut of meat is always important to having a great steak dinner. While I usually go for the filet mignon, I opted for flat iron steak this time for its deep, rich flavor and tenderness like the filet mignon cut. To complement the flavor, I topped the steak with a relish of caramelized red bell pepper and fennel to bring out a little sweetness. I added lightly sautéed green beans and crispy potato spheres cooked in bacon fat for texture and to round out the flavor profile of the plate.

We drank GD Vajra’s Langhe Rosso (Italy, 2007) with dinner. GD Vajra’s wines are top notch.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 half pound filets of flat iron steak (aka top blade steak)

1 smallish-medium potato, sliced into 8 spheres

1 medium bell pepper - seeded, cored, ribbed, and then diced

1 small fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise and diced

10 green beans

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

Olive oil

Bacon fat (can sub olive oil)
Balsamic Vinegar

Minced rosemary and sage for garnish

Boil the potatoes in well salted water until they are almost easily pierced with a fork, drain and set aisde. While potatoes are boiling, preheat broiler and dust steaks with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides, and use your press seasonings into each side.

Here’s where things get tricky because your task will be to cook everything at the same time from here on out. I will separate the remaining steps to make it easier. Add salt and pepper to each pan from here on out, except for the cast iron plate because you already seasoned the meat.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat in a 10” pan over medium-low heat. Heat an additional 2 tablespoons of oil in another 10” pan over medium-low heat as well.

Place potatoes in bacon fat in a single layer, turn once after 7 minutes. Add diced fennel and bell pepper to the other pan, stirring occasionally. Stick a cast iron plate under the broiler for 10 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to another pan over medium heat two minutes prior to the 10 minute cooking time of cast iron plate.

Remove cast iron plate from broiler (careful, it’s hot!), place the steaks on them, and put them back in the broiler for 5 minutes. Add green beans to the last pan now as well, stirring occasionally. You can add a little garlic powder to the beans if you like.

Raise heat on potatoes and relish to medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to fennel and bell pepper relish. Potatoes are done when they have a nice golden brown edge, about 2-3 minutes. Similarly, the relish is done when they take on a slightly charred look, about 3-4 minutes.

Turn off heat on all the pans, remove steaks from the broiler and cast iron plate to cool on a cutting board while you plate the potatoes and green beans. Add your steak to the plate, top with relish, and garnish the whole plate with herbs.

Enjoy!

45: Carrot Soup w/ Curry & Ginger

It’s pouring rain in DC with wind gusts up to 60mph, so I did my thing with another soup while Mother Nature did her thing outside. Truth is, I received a pound of carrots in my farm club delivery this week, and I had just bought a bag of carrots earlier this week. I now have two quarts of soup in my refrigerator, this soup and the roasted butternut squash soup from yesterday (see next post down).

This is quick (with a food processor), delicious and incredibly healthy. Carrots are one of those super foods you hear people talk about. They are rich in beta-carotene for the eyes, help keep the arteries clear and are also considered an anti-cancer food. Yup, start eating more carrots. I heaped two tablespoons of curry powder in this, and I think it was a tablespoon too many. Still, there was a nice balance of flavors, and I garnished the soup bowl with a little bit of greek yogurt. The yogurt helps with the spiciness. 

Ingredients and Directions:

1.5 lbs of carrots, diced

1 liter of veggie stock (can sub chicken stock)

1 medium onion, diced

1 tbsp of curry powder

1 tbsp of ginger powder

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp of parsley, minced

Olive oil

Salt to taste

Rev up that food processor! It will make the prep goes much quicker. Heat olive oil over medium heat, and then sauté the onions for 5-7 minutes once the oil is heated.  Add the spices, cook for a couple minutes to meld the flavors. Now add the carrots and stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat, and puree until creamy with a hand blender. Add salt as necessary at end to bring out flavors.

Enjoy!

44: Roasted Butternet Squash Soup

This is the 44^th recipe I have shared with you! It’s hard to believe I have made that many different things in just a few short months. Check out the blog archive on the right side, just below the top recipes, for a month-by-month archive of the recipes.

I originally wanted to make something President Obama would eat as my 44^th recipe. He’s the 44^th president, get it? Yes, I’m a dork like that. While I think he would eat this soup, I was going to make something more along the lines of his guilty pleasure food such as a burger and fries. C’est la vie.

My farm club, Arganica, sent me butternut squash as part of this week’s delivery. I decided to do something fairly quick and easy that I could enjoy more than once with it. Here we have a soup that I didn’t do too much to in order to preserve the delightful flavor of the squash. There are many ways to make this soup that would have required much more time, but I think this came out rather nicely. Roasting the squash adds depth to the flavor. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients and Directions:

1 two or three pound butternut squash, halved

1 large onion, diced

3 cups of chicken stock

2 tbs of chopped sage

1/4 stick of butter

2 tbs of olive oil

Nutmeg and/or cinnamon to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast halved squash flesh side up for one hour. Scoop out seeds and discard when roasting is complete. Spoon out the pulp of the squash into a bowl, set aside.

In a large pot, heat oil and butter on medium heat. Add onions and sage after butter has melted, reduce heat to low. Stir often until onions become translucent, a good 10 minutes. Now add the stock and squash pulp, bring to a boil, and cook for a few minutes to meld the flavors. I used a hand blender to puree my soup in the same pot. Reduce heat to low and puree to your liking. Now adjust seasoning with nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper to balance the flavor out. It will probably be a little starchy tasting before you add any seasoning. Garnish with minced sage or a dollop of mascarpone cheese.  Serve warm.

Note: The soup will thicken while refrigerated, so you may need to add a little water when/if reheating the soup.

43: Pork Tenderloin / Roasted Tomato & Apricot Chutney / Garlic Bacon Green Beans / New Potatoes

I must have successfully willed spring to come because today was a beautiful sunny day in the low 60s. It was only fitting, then, that I made a light pork dish topped with the classic bistro pairing of roasted tomatoes and apricot to tantalize the palate, lightly sautéed green beans and rustic potatoes to round it out. Lots of action in the cooking process.

The bright and smoky tomato flavor, produced by roasting them, blend effortlessly with slightly sweet and hearty apricots. Use roma tomatoes for this recipe. Other tomato types will not stand up to the roasting process. Pork always goes well with some type of fruit. The garlic and bacon provide a rich yet subtle kick to the green beans. I debated whether to add a starch, but then I did because, well, it makes for a rounded meal.  I decided against wild rice because I felt the flavor may have been too strong. Brown rice, which is more subdued in flavor, would probably work well. Red potatoes are a staple in my kitchen, however.

We drank this with Panthers Creek Pinot Noir – delightful dark berries with good toast and smoke on the finish. I have not had a bad pinot noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon yet!

Ingredients and Directions:

2 pork tenderloin filets, about 1 lb of a thicker cut preferably

4-5 medium roma tomatoes

About 1/2 cup chopped apricots

Juice of half a lemon

1 clove garlic, minced

Garlic powder

1 medium red potato, halved and quartered lengthwise

2 pieces of bacon

14 fresh green beans

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

5 sprigs of thyme, chopped for garnish

Preheat your broiler. Lightly brush olive oil onto the tomatoes, and place in cooking dish under broiler. Roast under broiler until charred, making sure to turn at least once for even cooking. Remove to tupperware, cover, and keep at room temperature for about 35-40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start well salted boiling water for potatoes when tomatoes are ready to be cut, and cook bacon at the same time. While water boils, remove charred skin from flesh of tomatoes. Now dice tomatoes and set aside.  Cook bacon until crispy; wrap in paper towels until later. Boil potatoes until they are almost easily pierced with a fork; drain, set aside. Pour out bacon grease, but do not wipe out the remaining grease. Add 3-4 tablespoons of oil to pan the bacon was cooked in. Add potatoes to this pan on low heat.

Dust pork with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides while heating 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Brown pork chops 4-5 minutes on each side; set aside in baking dish, cover to keep warm. Add roasted tomatoes, apricot, and lemon juice to same pan pork was cooked in and cook over medium heat until you have chutney (sauce has thickened a bit), about 5 minutes. Spoon chutney over the pork, and place the dish in the oven for 10 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat for the green beans. Turn heat on potatoes to medium, cooking for 8 minutes more, turning once. Add green beans and garlic to the pan, add healthy pinches of salt and pepper, and sauté until pork is done. Potatoes should be nicely browned 2 minutes prior to pork being done.  Drain oil through a sieve and set aside until pork is done. Arrange everything on a plate and garnish chutney with thyme.

Enjoy!

42: Chicken & Asparagus / Lemon Tarragon Sauce / Basil Infused Couscous

Describe this meal in four words: Simple, elegant, delicious, and light. I’m not the biggest fan of chicken, but the chicken comes out tantalizingly moist. The basil infused couscous comes out pretty strong, but adds a nice herbaceous element to the dish. The white wine sauce proudly exhibits lemon and tarragon in a manner that pairs well with shallots and asparagus.  I don’t think the gruyere adds much to this because it was plenty delicious before I remembered to top it with cheese – your choice. Don’t you love freedom? This is my attempt to will spring to come sooner.

Drink with a French chardonnay.

Ingredients and Directions:

For chicken and sauce-

2 chicken breasts, about one pound

1 cup asparagus, cut in one inch pieces

2/3 cup chicken broth

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup shredded gruyere (optional)

Flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

For couscous-

1.5 cups pearl couscous

1.5 cups water

2 tablespoons basil powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

Lightly cover chicken breasts in salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge each breast through flour, shaking off excess.

Boil one inch of water in a small pot. Add asparagus, cover, and steam for three minutes. Drain, set aside. While waiting for water to boil, whisk chicken broth and a good pinch of flour in a small bowl until smooth, set aside.

Heat oil in large saucepan for chicken over medium heat as well as boil all the ingredients for the couscous. Add chicken to pan, cooking each side until browned, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Reduce couscous to medium and simmer uncovered for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from pan when done, cover and keep warm. Remove couscous from heat, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.

Now add shallots, wine, and broth mixture to the pan that had the chicken. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream, tarragon, and lemon juice. Add chicken back to the pan, turning to coat in sauce, cover and cook on medium low heat for 4-5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken on a plate with a slotted spoon. Garnish with cheese if you like.

Enjoy!