Love Life, Hate Kittens

I finally learned that mussels are easy to make.

Made a seafood-centric dinner on Sunday and had enough for leftovers tonight. Mmmmm. Truthfully, seafood looks way more impressive than it really is. All it takes is careful watching and timing. You can put together a 4 course dinner in less than 30 minutes. Yes, you want to date me. I know.

Note: All seafood was purchased from Santa Monica Seafood on 10th and Wilshire. 2lbs of mussels, 12 oysters (kumamoto, hama hama, malpeque), 4 jumbo scallops, a shucker, cocktail sauce = under 50 bucks. Such a great deal and super helpful and fresh. The guy that worked there was super nice! He took time to teach me how to shuck oysters :D (it’s hard! and dangerous!)

I’m only putting up the recipes for the mussels and scallop recipes cuz even retards know how to make garlic fries.

Sunday menu: Fresh oysters, scallops with tarragon butter, mussels with saffron cream, and garlic fries.

Mussels with Saffron Cream (adapted from epicurious)

• 1 large onion, halved lengthwise
• Rounded 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lb cultivated mussels, rinsed well
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbs of garlic, minced

Cut onion halves crosswise into less than 1/16-inch-thick slices with slicer.

Cook onion and garlic with saffron and 1/2 teaspoon salt in oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and bring to a boil, then stir in cream, pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mussels. Cook, covered, checking after 4 minutes and transferring opened mussels to soup bowls with a slotted spoon. (Discard any that remain unopened after 8 minutes.)

Stir parsley into broth and pour over mussels.

Seared scallops with tarragon butter (adapted from gourmet)

• 4-6 large sea scallops, tough ligament from side of each discarded
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (total).

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sear scallops, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.

Add shallot, wine, and vinegar to skillet and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Add juices from platter and if necessary boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Reduce heat to low and add 3 tablespoons butter, stirring until almost melted, then add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and swirl until incorporated and sauce has a creamy consistency. Stir in tarragon and salt to taste; pour sauce over scallops.

Enjoy!

Tuesday chef. Pan Seared Duck + Truffled Potatoes.

Did you know that duck is as easy to cook as steak? I never cooked duck before in my life (although I love  it) and it turned out to be the easiest alternative to a quick steak. I never cook chicken because a) it’s bland b) it’s boring. Who eats chicken besides nursing home folks? (No one.)

So he had four duck breasts left over from his cooking club and I decided to play Top Chef last night and whip up a casual Tuesday meal.

Menu: Pan seared duck breast, truffled potatos and asparagus lightly sauted in duck fat.

Truffled Potatos (20 minutes / 5 portions)

6-7 baby gold potatoes

Truffle cream

Rosemary Garlic Seasoning

Salt/Pepper

Whipping cream (half a small carton)

Butter

5 Ramekin dishes

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Slice the potatoes into thin portions and layer a single layer on each ramekin dish. Season as you’d prefer. Spread a thin layer of truffle butter on top of your potatos. Repeat potatos + seasoning + truffle layer. Fill the dishes halfway with whipping cream. Top each dish with a bit of butter and additional salt and pepper as needed.

Bake for 20 minutes or brown and toasty. :D

Seared duck (20 minutes / 2 portions)

Personal note: I had planned to make an orange sauce that went with it but it was way too sweet and wouldn’t boil down. Fortunately the duck itself was well season and could do without a sauce.

2 1/2 lb duck breasts

Thyme, Rosemary, herbs, etc

Salt and Pepper

Let duck breasts come to room temperature. Season both sides well with herbs and salt and pepper. Prepare a heavy skillet to medium high. It’s like cooking a steak. The pan needs to be super hot to get that good sear. Make sure your windows and doors are open at this point cuz duck has a lot of fat and fat burns.

In the mean time, using a sharp chef’s knife, etch the duck’s skin but don’t pierce the meat. When your pan is hot enough, place your duck skin side down and sear for 8 minutes or until golden. Use your judgement.

Like steak, you only want to turn ONCE. When you deem your duck cooked on the skin side, flip and turn the heat down just a bit to medium and cook for 10 minutes for a medium rare.

IMPORTANT: I learned this recently with steak (and watching Top Chef). You have to let your meat rest. Let the duck rest for 6 minutes so that the juices remain intact.

Asparagus (10 minutes / 2 portions)

Half a pack of Trader Joe’s precut asparagus

Salt/Pepper

A tbs of duck grease

Boil the asparagus for 7 minutes. Transfer to small skillet and cook with duck fat and seasoning. Do not overcook like I did last night :(

If you time everything correctly, everything should be done in under 30 minutes. Not bad for a nice weekday dinner :) Clean up is super easy too.

Enjoy!

Crispy Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce.

[^ not my picture. pic and recipe via epicurious.com]

Fish + Batter

• 1 pound sea bass fillets, cut into 3/4-inch-wide slices
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips

• 4 cups vegetable oil (for deep frying)

For frying the fish:
Toss fish pieces with 2 tablespoons cornstarch in medium bowl to coat. Mix flour, 3 tablespoons oil, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in small bowl. gradually add water, whisking until batter is smooth. Pour batter over fish and stir to coat. Let stand 15 minutes - Mandatory!

In the meantime, let’s make the sauce:
Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, hot pepper sauce and 1/8 teaspoon salt in small bowl to blend. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and lemon peel and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and stir-fry just to heat through, about 30 seconds. Add pineapple juice mixture and cook until sauce is thick and clear, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Finally! Frying the fish:
Heat 4 cups oil in wok or deep medium saucepan to 375°F. Add batter-coated fish pieces to oil in batches and fry until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fish to paper towel-lined dish and drain. Reheat oil if necessary between batches.

Verdict:

It’s actually a whole lot easier than it sounds. Prep work is simple. Aside from cutting the fish into nuggets, you are basically cutting up one veggie and grating some ginger and lemon. Love the flavors. I used Sriracha and Chipotle pepper for a milder kick. The batter on the fish came out really well though I probably wouldn’t use sea bass next time. A cheaper fish would suffice - even catfish.

Made this with some packaged asian rice - horrible and black bean edamame. Tip. If you are making black bean edamame. Make it last. If you make it in the beginning, it’ll dry out.

Gorgonzola butter! + Packaged Risotto

[pic via epicurious.com]

Gorgonzola butter

• 2 heads of garlic, top 3/4 inch cut off to expose cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

For gorgonzola butter:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place garlic on piece of foil; drizzle with olive oil. Enclose garlic in foil. Bake until garlic is very soft, about 1 hour. Cool. Squeeze garlic cloves out from papery skins into medium bowl; mash garlic with fork. Mix in butter, cheese, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer Gorgonzola butter to sheet of plastic wrap. Using plastic wrap as aid, form butter into 1 1/4-inch-diameter log, wrapping plastic tightly around butter. Chill until firm. (Can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled.) Cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds.

Verdict:

I like it! Made this to top steaks last night paired with asparagus + wild mushroom risotto (from Alessi. Good as a rice, not as a risotto. We added shiitake mushrooms and grilled shallots. Possibly should have upped the amount of water more)

Prep work is simple. Just make sure you have a good hour to roast your garlic heads. Yes, it seems like a lot of garlic and time consuming but its necessary. Make sure you use unsalted butter. I was considering using smart balance at one point but I’m sure the texture won’t be as creamy.

Recipe Challenge 5/12/09: Eggplants are my best friend.

[My rendition of a healthy turkey burger! My phone camera is crappy.]

Originally this recipe was inspired by Rachel Ray’s Eggplant sub. But ewwww. Eggplant is pretty weird in texture and with bread? Yuck. It’ll become a soggy mess. So I decided that I would use the eggplant as the base and make real turkey burgers with a tomato basil compote to top it. Use the American eggplants for a big base or use the smaller eggplants for mini appetizers!

Eggplant Turkey ‘1/2 Burgers’ with Tomato, Basil Compote

Ingredients

• Olive Oil
• 1 tsp garlic
• 2 Roma Tomatos
• 1 lb of either ground turkey/chicken/pork
• Black Pepper
• Steak Seasoning
• 6-7 basil leaves
• 1 large eggplant (the American ones)
• 1/2 cup of green onions chopped
• Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs or panko

Directions

Cut stem and bottom of eggplant. Cut horizontally in 1/3 - 1/2 inch slices. These will be the base for your turkey ‘burgers’. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan to high and grill eggplant for apprx 8 minutes (4 on each side).

As your eggplant is grilling, mix ground turkey, bread crumbs, green onions, and garlic in a bowl. Salt and pepper to your liking (ideally 1 tsp of each). Form 4-5 patties. Set aside.

Remove eggplant from grill pan. Set aside to cool. Cook burgers 4 minutes on each side for medium.

As the burgers are cooking, dice your tomatos and slice your basil into small strips. Mix in a bowl with olive oil and black pepper. If you’d like you can use some steak seasoning in this too. Set aside

Now the fun part! Arranging your burgers. Use the eggplant cylinder as base. Spread ricotta cheese on it liberally. Top with turkey patty. Garnish with a spoonful of tomato and basil mixture. Enjoy!

Verdict

I love it! The eggplant was just the right consistency and way healthier than bread. The burger was slightly charred and delicious with the tomato and ricotta cheese. Must make again! First recipe in the Ronnie Cookbook!

Two week Rachel Ray Challenge: Low Fat/Healthy Meals

[my shrimp tortilla soup!]

Fitness Challenge as inspired by Risa Y. Risa went vegan for two weeks and posted pics on facebook of her daily meals. So inspiring.

I got a new recipe book this weekend and as much as I hate Rachel Ray, her book was really neatly organized with simple receipes. I planned out my meals for the whole week according to the book and here is my first recipe.

Shrimp Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• Vegetable or corn oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons — 2 turns of the pot in a slow stream
• 1 red bell pepper, split and seeded
• 1 pound shrimp
• 2 tbs of thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and pepper
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken stock, available in re-sealable paper containers on soup aisle
• 4 cups white corn tortilla chips broken up into large pieces
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack

Directions

Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium-high. Cook shrimp with thyme, coriander, and salt and pepper. Remove from heat (don’t want to overcook!). Add onions and jalapeno. Char vegetables 7 minutes, total, turning occasionally.

While vegetables are cooking. Heat chicken stock. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.

Add tomatos to vegetable mixture along with the shrimp. Saute on high for 4 minutes until slightly charred. Add mixture to chicken broth and let simmer for 15 minutes. While soup is simmering, add chips to soup in handfuls and fold in. Serve soup immediately with scatter of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Verdict

Too brothy! Not creamy like chicken tortilla soup should be. I blame this on Rachel Ray. During this process. Something should have went through the blender or had some thickner to add consistency. Boo :-/

How is my diet going? It’s going.

I just weighed myself and I lost a pound. I feel a bit healthier. and my boobs look a bit bigger. 

So I’ve been really conscious about what I eat lately so I do try to cook every night. I actually like cooking a lot so it’s no big deal. I usually go with rice dishes or seafood. I’ve been trying to cut down on eating grits. Luckily I found a good alternative.. couscous! I haven’t checked the nutritional facts yet but it seeeeems light :(

I feel obligated to share this recipe with you guys cuz it looks/tastes amazing and its so easy to make.

Mediterranean Snapper [got this from chowhound. but i revised it a bit]

• 2 long red snapper filets, roughly a pound

• 3 roma tomatoes

• 1 small zuchinni diced about 1 cup

• 1 small can 4 oz of sliced of halved black olives

• 1 teaspoon capers

• 1/2 cup sliced or diced white onion 

• 1 cup feta cheese crumbled

• 1 cup bread crumbs

• 3 roasted red peppers sliced

• 1 cup white wine

• 1 lemons. Half the juice for the veggie, half to slice.

• 1 teaspoon each thyme and oregano (1 tablespoon of each if fresh herbs)

• 3 teaspoons of butter

• Olive Oil

• Garlic, Tony’s seasoning, salt, and pepper for taste

• 1 box of plain couscous

• Vegetable broth [optional]

1. Preparing your fish, in a pyrex baking dish, make the sheet of foil large enough to wrap around the fish with extra room for the vegetables. Lightly drizzle just a little olive oil on the bottom so it won’t stick. Place each filet on the foil and top with a little salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 375 and let the fish come to room temperature.
2. Making the veggie mixture. In some olive oil, saute garlic, onions, tomatos, and zuchinni until slightly soft. Then add wine, seasoning, capers, olives. Cook another 3-4 minutes until everything it cooked but not too soft. Add the lemon juice at the last minute. 
3. Now, back to your fish. Top it with a little butter, then a generous scoop of the vegetable mixture with the sauce. Distribute it out evenly. Top with some feta cheese, then with a spoon or two of bread crumbs, 2 slices of lemon per filet, then with a drizzle of olive oil. Wrap up but not too tight and bake for 20-25 minutes. 
4. When your fish is almost done you can cook your couscous. I used tri color couscous cuz it looks really fancy. Boil your broth or hot water. Remember couscous is one cup to one cup. When your water is boiled, pour in couscous. Cover and take off heat. It only takes 5 minutes for it to cook. Fluff with fork.
5. Serve fish topped with veggies with couscous on the side.