Black Bean and Chipotle Rice

I had to use up the tomato juice from my gazpacho but somehow and I was at a loss. Because of some good chowhound suggestions I decided to make a sort of pilaf (inspired by the cous cous idea). I have been catching up on my Top Chef and one of the things a contestant mentioned was that if you haven't tried raw fresh corn you are missing out so I wanted to incorporate that at the very last minute. It really is lovely just raw as it is. If you don't have scallions you could sauté some onion along with the garlic or even toss is some sweet onion I think. Serve this with other strong flavour as this is spicy and strong. (I served this with the Cilantro-Chile Salmon from last week.)

Black Bean and Chipotle Rice (serve 4-6)

1C white rice
2C tomato juice
1 chipotle in adobe, diced
1t salt

2t olive oil
1 clove of garlic minced
1 cob of corn
1 can of black beans, drained
2 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
2 scallions, finely sliced
1/2 bunch of cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
salt and pepper

1. In a small saucepan with a tight fitting lid add rice, tomato juice, 1t salt and chipotle. Give it a stir and bring it to a light simmer uncovered. As soon as it has started to simmer put on the lid and turn down to medium. Put the timer on for 20 minutes.
2. Do your vegetable prep. When there is 5 minutes left on the rice add the olive oil to a large skillet and the garlic, stir until garlic is just start to brown and add the black beans. Cook for 2 minutes. Toss in the remaining ingredients.
3. Meanwhile the rice should have finished so taste the rice to make sure it is cooked. Stir it into the beans and vegetables and taste for seasoning. Serve garnished with cilantro.

I also found this reheated pretty well and is a good solid leftover lunch with all the protein.


Tags: Rice, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Salmon with Black Bean Sauce

Cooking with fermented black beans has been on my list some time while and I have finally gotten around to it. My roommate in university used to make a black bean chicken that had real potential so I have been hoping to relive it a bit. I was able to find the beans in my local Asian grocery for about two dollars.

I wanted to try and use it with salmon since we have so much of it right now and it was a great combination. I found this post and used her recipe pretty faithfully. The only thing I might change next time is to hold back a bit of the cornstarch (maybe use a teaspoon?). I am quite excited to try these beans in beef marinades and maybe a sauce with some greens. Expect to seem them appearing again soon.

Salmon with Black Bean Sauce (serves 4)

4 salmon fillets
2 teaspoons oil
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed and chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 cup light chicken stock, or 2/3C stock plus 1/3C water
1 ½ tablespoons cooking sherry or rice wine
1 teaspoon sugar
2 scallions, finely sliced

1. Cook salmon by broiling or pan frying, set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a sauce pan and add garlic, ginger and beans. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Whisk together the corn starch, stock (or water if using), sugar and wine and add. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Spoon sauce over salmon and add scallions over top.

Tags: Salmon, Seafood, Fish, Main Dish, Chinese, Black Bean

Eggplant with Miso Sauce

It is always fun to rediscover a cookbook and learn something. On Sunday I rediscovered the Moosewood cookbook and finally succeeded to cook eggplant. I love eggplant but when I have tried to make it it usually comes out too mushy or tough. This method is extremely easy and then you can dress it in lots of different ways. The Moosewood was actually the first cookbook I owned. I made a pasta from it when at my aunt's and she gave me a copy for that Christmas - when I was about 12. I received a copy of the Moosewood Cooks at Home book a few years ago but I have hardly ever opened it - until now, both sauce and method are adapted from it.

This is absolutely the time to eat eggplant I bought two beautiful local globe eggplants at the grocery store for $2.50 - a truly cheap eat. Eggplants are female\male and apparently one is better then the other but I have never been able to remember which is which. Make a bunch of the broiled eggplant and then you can use it with different sauces or on pizza the next day! For more exciting herb and vegetable dishes check out this week's Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Kalyn from Kalyns Kitchen. I will be hosting WHB in a few week's so stay tuned.


Eggplant with Miso Sauce (serves 4 as a side)

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2" rounds
olive oil
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons miso
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
½ lime, juiced
1 scallion, finely chopped

1. Soak the eggplant in salted water for 30 minutes. Drain and pat each slice dry.
2. Brush a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place the eggplant in one layer on the sheet and brush each slice with olive oil.
3.Broil for 7-10 minutes until cooked through and browned. No need to flip them. Sprinkle on fresh salt and pepper.
4. Whisk together miso and water. Whisk in vinegar, ginger and lime juice.
5. Drizzle sauce over eggplants and garnish with scallion.

Tags: Eggplant, Vegetarian, Vegetable, Side Dish, Aubergine

Cilantro-Chili Salmon

I am extremely lucky because J went on a very manly fishing trip with his family the other weekend and our freezer is now stocked with all manor of wild salmon and halibut. So this is my first, no doubt of many, preparations of salmon. I actually did this with a white spring salmon fillet and it was a little strong for this fish which is quite delicate. However I think it would work great on Sockeye.

If anyone has any fabulous salmon or halibut recipes - please share. For more great recipes using herbs check out Weekend Herb Blogging hosted at Real Epicurean.

Cilantro Chili Salmon (serves 2)

2 fillets salmon, patted dry on both sides
2t cilantro, finely chopped
1/4t chili powder
1/4t salt
1/4t freshly ground pepper
2T butter
1/2 lime cut in wedges

This is dead simple. After your fish is dry combine salt, pepper, chili and 1t of the cilantro and sprinkle over the fish. Allow this to sit while you heat up a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the butter, when the foam subsides put the fish in skin down. Allow to cook for 3 minutes then flip flesh side down. Depending on the thickness of your fish cook for another 2-4 minutes until still pink in the middle. Serve garnished with the remaining cilantro and a fresh squeeze of lime.

Tags: Seafood, Salmon, Fish

Blackberry Scones

I have recently become completely addicted to Cook's Illustrated. I bought a copy then within about a week I bought a subscription to the magazine and shortly thereafter the online site. Part of the reason I bought a membership to the online site was to be able to easily import recipes from the site into my recipe collection (Macgourmet). But since then I have tried several of the recipes and had none fail. It is nice having all those recipes at your finger tips. Plus there is something really comforting when you are trying to cook something brand new about knowing that your recipe is well tested. So, why am I pushing Cooks Illustrated? (For free might I add.) Because I used their recipe for blueberry scones to make blackberry scones and they turned out wonderfully. I froze most of them unbaked and have been eating them for the last week or so. So for anyone who has a membership I highly suggest trying out this recipe - with whatever fresh summer berry is in season where you are.

Tags: Baking,Blackberries, Fruit

Gazpacho

This is a quick weeknight dish especially in summer when it is nice to avoid the stove. To turn it into a meal try serving chopped hard boiled egg on top. You can also speed up he prep time by chopping up the vegetables in a food processor, just process them separately. However, I find it sort of therapeutic to try and cut everything in a perfect dice - maybe that means I am just a little OCD. Eh, either way.

This recipe was adapted from the Cook's Illustrated and Ina Garten versions.

Gazpacho (serves 4)
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4" dice
1 small red pepper, cut into 1/4" dice
1 small yellow pepper, cut into 1/4" dice
1 small cucumber, peel half, seed all and dice into 1/4" pieces
½ small sweet onion or shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
1t salt
2T white wine vinegar
ground black pepper
2 1/2C tomato juice
1t hot sauce
4 ice cubes

Combine the tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, onion, garlic, salt, vinegar, and pepper in a large tupperware or bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the tomato juice, hot sauce and ice and stir. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days. Taste for seasoning before serving.

Tags: Soup,Vegetarian, Vegetables

Grilled Corn with Basil Butter

What could say summer more then corn on the cob on the BBQ? Since getting my BBQ I have become absolutely addicted to corn on the cob done this way. I have had it almost every time my grill is available and I could always eat more. I have been experimenting with doing it in the husk and out of the husk as well with each having their benefits. The major plus of doing it with the husk off is that you can brush a fun butter on it while it cooks. To do this preheat your grill to medium, brush the corn with butter and grill for about 8-10 minutes rotating it to get nice char marks.

Basil Butter

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1t lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a bowl with a fork combine all ingredients until throughly blended. Drop onto a large piece of saran wrap and roll it up into a log. Twist both ends. Refrigerate for at least several hours. This will keep in the fridge for at least a week and in the freezer for months.

Tags: Grill, Herbs, Corn, Recipe,Vegetables

Summer Squash with Ginger and Chives

I know I just made squash the other day, but it is just so gorgeous this time of year I can't help myself it is too good. This is actually a totally accidental recipe. I had the cut chives and minced ginger left on the cutting board from making a seared tuna appetizer, and since I overcooked the tuna to medium rare rather then rare the squash was the winner of the night. This would work with any summer squash - I used a yellow crookneck but I think zucchini would work equally well. Anything you can saute and eat with it's skin on.

For more herb and vegetable recipes check out the weekly Weekend Herb Blogging round up, this week it is over at Kochtopf. I also just found out that I will be hosting it next month which is highly exciting!

Summer Squash with Ginger and Chives
(serves 2)

2T olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
1t fresh ginger, minced
1 medium summer squash, scrubbed (could be yellow crookneck or zucchini etc.)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1T tamari or Japanese soy sauce
1T fresh chives, chopped

Cut in half. With flat side down cut the squash into 3 inch long sections crosswise. Cut each section into 1/4" slices lengthwise. Set aside.
In a medium skillet add the garlic and the oil and bring up to medium, let garlic sizzle until a light golden brown. Remove from the olive and add the ginger. Cook, stirring for 1 minute then add the squash. Toss the squash to evenly coat with oil. Sprinkle with a healthy pinch of salt and a grinding of fresh pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-6 minutes or until just bite tender. Toss with the tamari and chives and serve immediately.

Tags: Vegetarian, Side Dish, Squash, Recipe,Vegetables

Blackberry Frozen Yogourt

It is blackberry season again and I couldn't be more excited about it. By far my favorite berry I intend to do lots of picking, baking and eating this season. This is what came out of my first blackberry crate and I will most definitely be making it again. I don't buy into that whole "straining" out of the seeds that you are supposed to do. They add texture and crunch and make it more natural seeming. Plus, I fully can't be bothered.


This recipe was inspired by the Perfect Scoop and a couple of recipes on Cook's Illustrated. Funny thing about blackberries is that in the Pacific Northwest they are naturalized, aggressive and really hard to get rid of - which means they grow everywhere. I didn't realize there was anything funny about this until I was reading a wikipedia article on blackberries and apparently this is the exception rather then the norm.

I admit that I didn't pick this batch myself but rather bought them from a farm stand where they had been picked locally - that said I have a yogurt container in the fridge waiting to turn into something fabulous, I am thinking either a batch of scones or a galette like this one.

Blackberry Frozen Yogourt (makes ~1.4L)

2 cups fresh blackberries, washed and drained
4 cups plain yogourt, at least 1% Butter Fat
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a bowl big enough to hold all the ingredients combine the blackberries and sugar. Using your clean hands squish the blackberries so that the biggest chunks are the seeds. You should have what looks like a liquidy jam now. Stir in the remaining ingredients until well blended. Cover and chill for at least an hour in the fridge. Process in an ice cream maker according to the ice cream makers instructions.

Tags: Dessert, Fruit, Ice Cream, Recipe

Why a Lamé is Useful..

No it is't a sea creature or a deformed rock. It is a loaf of bread of mine that exploded. I tried cutting a slit in the top of the bread before baking it with my chefs knife, but it simply wasn't sharp enough and I figured it was good enough. Ha, it looks like it was exposed to some sort of nuclear radiation in the oven. It really is too bad that I have to learn all these baking lessons the hard way, like the day I forgot to put the salt and in the dough.. so sad. So the lesson here is that you really should make sure you cut at least a 1/2" deep slit in your massive loaf of bread and that maybe the next time you are in a kitchen store pick up a lamé.

Rosemary Grilled Leg of Lamb

My little rosemary bush which I planted back in April is finally looking healthy enough for me to start harvesting from it. About time too, it has taken all my constraint to avoid cutting it before it got settled. Thank goodness for the healthy parsley, oregano and sage which I have been using to satiate my cravings in the meantime. So when I saw this reasonably sized bone in leg of lamb at the store I snatched it up. Of course.. I hadn't ever tried to make a whole leg of lamb before but a bit of research and a full propane tank made quick work of the lamb.



Check out some of the other recipes featuring rosemary on the blog: Rosemary Feta Spread, Rosemary Ragu, Lamb Shanks with Rosemary and White Wine, Focaccia Bagels, and Focaccia
For more great herb recipes check out this week's Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Melissa from Cooking Diva.


Grilled Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

1 bone-in leg of lamb roast
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4T olive oil
1/2t freshly ground pepper
1t salt

With a very sharp knife make 1/2" deep slits in the meat about an inch apart. In alternating slits put the garlic slivers and rosemary needles. Combine the salt and pepper with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and any remaining rosemary. Using your fingers massage this all over the lamb.
Preheat a grill to medium heat. Turn off one burner and put the lamb on the off burner and close the lid. Baste every half hour with the remaining olive oil and turn. Depending on the size of your roast start testing for doneness after about an hour. I like a medium rare meat so I was looking for about 135-145F internal temperature. But it should be 125F for rare and 160F for medium. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before carving, lightly tented with foil.

Try putting the leftovers into a sandwich with grilled zucchini and feta.

Tags: Lamb, Meat, Roast, Recipe

Spicy Grilled Summer Squash with Basil

This is a simple as it sounds, I had some beautiful summer squash and what I believe to be a fresh banana pepper from a farm stand. I used a bbq grill pan to hold everything and make my life a little easier. If you don't have that or a grill wok you can do it all right on the grill, just don't slice the pepper so small.


Spicy Grilled Summer Squash with Basil (serves 4)

2 zucchini, cut into 1/2" -1/4" discs
2 summer squash, cut into 1/2"-1/4" discs
1 fresh hot pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3T olive oil
1t salt
1/2t pepper
a dozen fresh basil leaves

Preheat a grill to medium. Toss together the squashes, peppers, seasoning and olive oil. Arrange on a grill pan. Grill for about 3 minutes or until lightly charred with a closed lid. Flip and toss around and grill for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Roughly chop the basil and toss with the vegetables, if you like a gentle spice remove the hot peppers they will have still given a bit of kick to the squash.


Tags: Side Dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Recipe

Turkey Sausage Lasagna

Last weekend amidst the dreaded hangover I made a big pan of Ina Garten's Turkey Sausage Lasagna. I always have high hopes for lasagna but I still haven't found a recipe that is quite right. I have made several of her recipes before with great results but this one kind of fell flat. It was far too rich for my tastes. Next time I would cut the tomato paste down to a mere tablespoon or so (from a whole can) and go a little easier on the ricotta. That said, it still made some great lunches at work this week too.

It has been really busy at work this week so the only thing I have done in the kitchen is melt cheese on bread, a shame truly because I have had some great recipe suggestions I am just itching to try. I will get to them I promise.

Mixed Bean and Goat Cheese Dip

My friend Sarah is extremely adept at her dips. She throws something together without measuring and it is always super fantastic. I watched her do it this past weekend using only what was available and it was pretty impressive. I would never have put a can of mixed beans in, but it was great!

Here is the gist. In a food processor blend 1 drained can of artichokes, 1 small package of chevre, 1 can bean medley, 1 clove of garlic, some lemon juice and lemon zest as well as some fresh herbs. The herbs used in this case were fresh oregano, chives and thyme. Add olive oil as necessary to get the right consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.

Tags: Appetizer, Dips, Vegetarian, Recipe