Sake Poached Sea Bass in Parchment
Brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things….
Aren’t these the cutest little packages? Can you believe you can actually eat them? This is why I love cooking with parchment paper. The easy clean up is just a bonus. It creates one of the most beautiful presentations when it is plated. Guests (or husbands) wonder what this little package contains as the rip open the contents. The steam rises, and juices flow out from the brown paper. It covers the plate, and beckons to be sopped up by some form of carbohydrate. Read the rest of this entry »
Lamb with Spaghetti Squash and Ripe Pears
Summer is over. Enter Spaghetti Squash.
I wait for that day each year when I see the first batch of Spaghetti Squash at my local market. My mom used to grow them in her garden in Virginia, and I took for granted not having to pay for them by the pound. But, even though they can get expensive as far as vegetables go, they are well worth the extra change!
I have rarely seen a recipe for spaghetti squash that does not consist of a red sauce, and turkey meatballs. Are we really trying to trick our taste buds into thinking that spaghetti squash tastes like pasta? I am not arguing with the delicious taste of those dishes, but I would love for the spaghetti squash to be a bit more showcased, without masking it’s buttery flavor with tomato sauce.
How do you like to cook spaghetti squash?
Six-Spice Hangar Steak
Erik, Cashew, and I have a frequent outing that we take most weekends. We walk from our house to Greenlake (1.5 miles), around Greenlake (3 miles), and back (1.5 miles) . The whole trip takes about two hours because we walk leisurely, but it is one of my most cherished times that I get to spend with my husband.
The first mile, or so, of our walk, we talk about what we are going to have for dinner, or maybe about our plans for an upcoming trip. But, as the time passes we get into topics of child rearing, what we want to be when we grow up, and what city to live in next. I find that walking is very therapeutic. I don’t think Erik and I would have enough patience to sit on the couch for two hours and have talks like these.
I think that my next step after dancing will be something with food. I don’t want to cook in a restaurant, or even own one, but I would love to be a personal chef. Of course my ultimate pipe dream is to be a celebrity chef on the Food Network. Dream big, right?
We ate this meal after our long, therapeutic walk, and it hit the spot. I served the steak with sauteed bok choy and snow peas, and sticky rice.
Cranberry Glazed Ribs with Wilted Spinach
This is a recipe I found in the November 2007 issue of my Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine. I liked this recipe because it encouraged me to use up the leftover cranberry sauce my Mom made for Thanksgiving.
Generally, ribs are made with barbecue sauce and you serve them with coleslaw and beans. Well..I do not like coleslaw, or baked beans…..so this recipe was just elegant enough to intrigue me. In addition to the cranberry sauce and wilted spinach (1 1/2 lbs.!!!), there are also prevalent flavors of sesame oil, ginger, and garlic that are in every aspect of this dish! I served this with a side of fresh cornbread and a glass of Oregon Pinot Noir.
Ginger Beef with Butternut Squash Salad
I got this recipe out of a cookbook that I got for my birthday, from my girlfriend Lindsi. It is another “Donna Hay” recipe that I have tweaked and recreated. It sounds odd, but the flavors are great! It also only takes about 40 minutes to make (most of which is marinating and roasting). You could also use an orange sweet potato in place of the butternut squash.
Asian Beef Kabobs and Cilantro Rice
Summertime is meant for Shish Kabobs. My mom used to make them all the time on her fancy metal skewers, but she would put mushrooms on them (and I don’t like mushrooms). Now, as an adult, I can put whatever I want on them! I found the marinade for this recipe on Epicurious.com. This is my recipe but feel free to use any type of protein (chicken, lamb, beef, or tofu) and you can also use different vegetables as well (zucchini, japanese eggplant, green bell pepper, yellow onion, or mushrooms).
Serves 2
Prep time: 30 minutes
Marinading: 1 hour or up to 1 day
Cook time: 25 minutes
For Kebabs:
4 (7-inch ) bamboo skewers (or fancy metal ones)
1/2 c. tamari or soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. grated ginger root (grate on a microplane)
1 thai chile, seeded (if preferred) and finely minced
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sesame seeds
2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 lb. top sirloin, cut into 1 inch chunks
10 scallions, thicker parts only cut into 2 inch slices (reserve thinner parts for rice)
1 large orange bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
For Rice:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 red bell pepper, finely minced
Kosher salt
1/2 c, jasmine rice
1 c. water
10 scallion tops (leftover from kebabs), finely minced
3 tbsp. finely minced cilantro
Directions:
Soak bamboo skewers for 1 hour in a Ziploc bag with water. In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, garlic, oil, ginger, sugar, vinegar, chile, sesame seeds and pepper. Add the meat, scallions, and peppers to marinade. Empty entire contents into a Ziploc bag. Remove all the air and marinate for 1 hour or up to a day.
Preheat broiler oven or grill. Remove marinade from fridge and skewer a piece or meat, scallion, and pepper. Repeat until all the contents are on the skewers. Pour leftover marinade in a small sauce pan. Bring marinade to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and reduce to desired thickness.
Meanwhile, bring another pot with the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Saute the red peppers for 2 minutes, season with salt. Add rice and saute 1 minute. Add water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 20 minutes.
When the rice has 10 minutes left, put skewers on a baking sheet or on grill or grill pan and cook, turning, for 8 minutes (4 minutes per side).
Remove the skewers from the oven or grill. Take the rice off the stove and fluff with a fork. Add in chopped scallions and cilantro.
Scoop rice on the bottom of a plate and drizzle reduced marinade sauce over top. Give each person 2 kabobs and enjoy!
