Thousands of the world’s top chefs, food manufacturers and retailers will gathered in Washington, D.C., for the 57th Fancy Food Show, the annual expo that sets the trends for what you’ll soon see on the aisles of your local grocery store, on the shelves of your favorite kitchen store and, retailers hope, on your kitchen table.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Recipe File: Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon
Few things are as simple and satisfying as a great piece of grilled fish. I find salmon fillets particularly appealing because of the creamy texture, mild flavor and lack of bones. However, I’ve made grilled teriyaki salmon too many times to count-and it was time for a change. I made this dish for the first time about four years ago, loved it, and ultimately…forgot about it. Or, more accurately, lost the recipe.
I’m so glad I finally found the recipe. I had purchased a beautiful piece of salmon at Whole Foods the other day and couldn’t wait to make it for dinner. The brown sugar glaze added a sweet, crisp crust to the top of the salmon that would create a perfect introduction to fish for a child or fish skeptic.
My husband was blown away by this dish, and that’s saying a lot-we cook nearly every night. We’ll definitely to our regular rotation, long after the grill has been put away for the winter. It’s such a simple recipe-and took a total of about 20 minutes, most of the time spent grilling.
It’ll make a great simple dish to add to our weeknight menu rotation-and a great dish to make on those fall evenings when school and fall sports are on the menu.
Ingredients
1 salmon fillet (1 lb)
salt and pepper
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2.5 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp rice vinegar
Yes, that’s it!
Directions:
Preheat broiler.
Salt and pepper the salmon.
In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard and vinegar, bring to a boil and stir until ingredients create a glaze. Remove pan from heat, set aside.
Grill the salmon until 3/4 of the way done. Place grilled salmon on a baking sheet and brush with the glaze. Broil salmon 1-2 minutes or until the glaze begins to caramelize. Enjoy with vegetables or a salad.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Ingredient of the Day: Tomatoes
Rule No. 6
If you planted it…Or raised it, or harvested it-even if it’s just a twig of thyme-it’s going to taste better than if you’d bought it.
Rule No. 6
If you planted it…Or raised it, or harvested it-even if it’s just a twig of thyme-it’s going to taste better than if you’d bought it.
Rule No. 6
If you planted it…Or raised it, or harvested it-even if it’s just a twig of thyme-it’s going to taste better than if you’d bought it.
I’ve indulged in the organic heirloom tomatoes at Whole Foods more than a few times already this summer, making salsa, salads and countless tomato basil flatbreads (another recipe post that’s in the works). But I simply can’t wait until we can harvest our own Romas, San Marzanos, and Better Boys (See Rule No. 6).
Bon Appetit just published a remarkably simple “Summer Meal Manifesto” in its June issue, and not surprisingly, the two rules that made my mouth water involved the tomato prepared simply using few other ingredients. Read on for the Perfect Tomato Sandwich and No-Cook Tomato Sauce…
Rule No. 7
No one is going to improve upon the tomato sandwich.
No one—not Alice Waters, not that Danish guy whose place was voted Best Restaurant in the World, maybe not even God. Put a few slices of the juiciest tomato you can find on your favorite toasted bread with mayo, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a couple of grinds of pepper. Eat open-face.
Rule No. 26
One of the best things you’ll cook this summer requires no cooking at all.
It’s called no-cook tomato sauce, and here’s how you make it: Cut up a bunch of tomatoes, mince a garlic clove, roll up a handful of basil leaves and cut into a chiffonade, and add salt, pepper, and olive oil. Put it all in a big jar or glass bowl with a lid and let sit in the sun for a few hours. When you’re ready to eat, toss it with your favorite pasta; add grated Parm.
Read More at:
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/slideshows/2011/06/summer-cooking-manifesto#slide=1
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Recipe of the Day: Grilled Chicken Bruschetta
Tomato, basil, onion & garlic make me incredibly happy. As in, I took a hundred pictures of them happy. Throw in some amazing cheese, a loaf of crusty bread and balsamic vinegar, and I could eat for a week.
Eventually, we’ll have all of these fresh from the garden, but I haven’t been exactly patient this year…right now I’m anxiously awaiting having fresh tomatoes on our vines. In the meantime, we have so much basil in the herb garden that I’m always looking for ways to use it. This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite appetizers-traditional Italian bruschetta, usually served on crostini.
Ingredients:
For the bruschetta:
2.5 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp Girard’s Italian Dressing
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions:
Prepare the chicken breasts by making 1/4 inch deep cross-hatch slices on both sides of the chicken (or on one side if the chicken is thinner).
Combine balsamic vinegar and next seven ingredients in a mixing bowl. Place the chicken breasts and balsamic vinegar marinade mixture in a gallon ziploc bag, and refrigerate for up to one hour.
To cook the chicken, first preheat the grill. Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Coat the grill rack with cooking spray, and place chicken on the grill. Grill six minutes on each side or until chicken is done.
To make the bruschetta, pour 2 tbsp Girard’s Italian Dressing and 1/2 tbsp olive oil into a shallow pan and turn heat to medium-high. Add the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning. Cook for 2 minutes or until the bruschetta mixture is hot but the tomatoes are still firm.
Top the grilled chicken with the bruschetta and enjoy.
Bonus Points: Top the chicken and bruschetta with slices of buffalo mozzarella!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Debut of Lucky Peach: A reader's cooking magazine
There are two things in life I find as essential as air and water-and those things are cooking and reading.
They say any true artist, or chef, or any other creative personality, in order to survive, simply MUST practice his craft. It’s not a moneymaking proposition, or the ambition of fame-that drives these people. It’s the sincerest form of expression, and going without that expression makes one less than whole.
I picked up a new magazine the other day. Daunted a bit by the price ($10) and lack of hundreds of glossy, stylized images-I almost didn’t buy it. But after reading only two articles, I get it.
It’s irreverent. It’s fun. And unlike any other food magazine I’ve ever read-it’s truly for the person who equally loves to cook and loves to learn. It’s not about page after page of recipes, rather, it’s about in-depth study and richness of content. This issue, part of which is focused on ramen and its many incarnations-really challenged me to look at food, and cooking, through a new lens. I not only learned a lot about ramen, but about why, as a creative being, I (and many others) simply MUST cook.
Created by Momofuku’s David Chang, and featuring contributors like Anthony Bourdain, the premiere issue of the magazine is on sale now. (And yes, they are both rich AND famous. But I don’t begrudge them-they’ve worked hard for it.)
Friday, July 1, 2011
Spaghetti Hot Dog Calamari
I saw this picture posted on a blog a few days ago and was intrigued. Spaghetti + hot dogs? What child wouldn’t love this?
So…I made it. And they loved it :)
Simply put…
Insert dry spaghetti into cut ends of hot dogs. Boil for 18-20 minutes. Spaghetti Hot Dog Calamari! I served this with Ragu cheese sauce and ketchup.
Recipe of the Day: Shrimp Boil
Dustin, my older stepson, turned 19 yesterday, and his favorite food is shrimp. For a few months I tried to think of a unique way to have a birthday party featuring shrimp, and came up with a shrimp boil. I think it was probably my family’s favorite dinner yet, and we’ll definitely be doing this again.
The recipe is simple and can be tweaked to your taste. I’ve adapted this recipe to feed 10 people, but it would be easy to scale up for a party or down for a weeknight meal.
Ingredients:
4 packets of shrimp boil seasoning
2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
10 medium red potatoes, cut into quarters
2.5 large vidalia onions, cut into quarters
3 lb smoked sausage, cut into two inch lengths
16 small ears frozen corn on the cob (do not thaw)
4 lb frozen white shrimp in shells (do not thaw)
Directions:
Fill a 16 quart stock pot with about 10 quarts of water. Add the four packets of shrimp boil seasoning and 2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and onions, cook on high for 8 minutes.
Add smoked sausage, continue boiling for 5 minutes.
Add corn, continue to boil for 8 minutes.
Add shrimp, continue boiling for 4 minutes.
When complete, drain cooking liquid and serve the shrimp boil in pails or large serving dishes. I served this with a variety of hot sauces, butter for the corn and potatoes, and cocktail sauce for the shrimp. Enjoy!
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