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Sweet, Savory, AWESOME Vegetable Hash

5/21/2015

I love Spring. It is like Christmas for a chef because fresh, local ingredients start to blossom and the farm markets begin to open up with a beautiful bounty.

Asparagus is the key introduction to what will be months of colorful flavor to be displayed on tables all over this country. The recipe I will be providing below started percolating in my mind like an old coffee pot. I looked at the beautiful Asparagus from West Michigan Farm Link. Crisp, green, smelling of Spring. What really got my brain bubbling with excitement.....some FRESH Duck Eggs! I LOVE Duck eggs. Rich flavor that I use to make mayonnaise or just fry up while leaving the yolk extra runny. The mental cylinders started churning and I settled on adding parsnips and sweet potatoes. The final piece to complete this puzzle....something to add some richness to this hash.....Epicurean Butter. I looked through my stash and stopped at a great choice. The Caramel Sea Salt butter! With that figured out, I created what you can enjoy yourselves. An incredible Sweet and Savory Vegetable Hash.

Vegetable Hash
1/2 cup diced Parsnips
1 cup diced Sweet Potatoes
1/2 cup diced Onions
1/2 cup Diced Green Peppers
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
6-7 Stalks Asparagus Sliced Thin on a bias
1 TB Copped Fresh Dill
1 tsp crushed Pickling Spice
1 1/2 TB Caramel Sea Salt Butter
3 Eggs fried (Chicken, Duck, if using Ostrich, 1 Egg)
2 TB Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
2 Tsp fresh dill, not chopped (optional)
1 tsp fresh sliced chive (optional)

Directions: Heat Oil in a saute pan or cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Add Onion and bell peppers. Stir and cook until they begin to brown. Add Parsnips and Sweet potatoes. Stir and cook for 5 plus minutes until vegetables are cooked through.

Add garlic, dill, pickling spice and dill. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add butter and stir until melted. Plate up hash and top with egg. Garnish with fresh dill and chives.

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Tilapia.....Make it a Star on your Plate!

5/11/2015

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Tilapia is a great fish with no flavor. What? I say this is a good thing due to the fact you can season it the way you want without compromising your plan. I consider Tilapia the true chicken of the sea. Sorry Tuna...but it's true. Using Beer and butter make this dish so appealing to me. Hops, malt, butter...It truly is a delight. I always like to remind people....cook with what you drink. If you don't drink a macro lite beer, do not cook with it! Enjoy the recipe below!

Tilapia
4 Tilapia Fillets
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
Oil
1/2 bottle of beer
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp Honey
2 TB Tomato Chipotle Butter

Directions: Heat saute pan to medium high, add 2 TB vegetable oil. Coat tilapia with flour, tap off excess, divide salt, pepper and chili powder and add to 4 fillets of tilapia, Place face down and cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Finish cooking for 2 minutes, remove from heat.

Add beer, garlic and honey to pan. Scrape up bits of tilapia left behind in pan. Cook until reduces by half. Add butter and stir until incorporated. Place tilapia on plate with corn stir fry, top tilapia with beer butter sauce and serve.

Corn Stir Fry
1 ear of corn, remove corn from ear
1 Zucchini diced small
1 Red bell pepper diced small
3 Cloves of garlic sliced thin
1 TB Olive Oil
2 TB chives sliced thin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 lemon
1 TB Lemon Pepper Butter

Directions: Heat oil in pan at medium high. Once hot and oil is shimmering, add vegetables and garlic. Stir often. Saute for 5 minutes, add juice of 1/2 lemon, salt, pepper, chives and Lemon Pepper Butter. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat and serve.

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Shrimp Scampi...OH YES!

4/29/2015

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I won the butter lottery this week. So many tasty compound butters to choose from. I had no idea where to begin until I ran to the Downtown Market to Fish Lads to pick up some incredible shrimp. I am lucky that I have some wonderful wild spring onions growing in my backyard. Adds a spicy garlicky onion flavor to this. What is to follow is one heck of a great recipe. It serves as a salad/appetizer for 1 to 2 people. All I have to say is....ENJOY! I sure did.

Salad
6 Asparagus Stalks cut diagonally, 2" long
1/3 cup diced orange bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 TB Scampi Epicurean Butter
2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil split
2 TB Lemon Juice split
2 cups loose pack organic Spinach with Arugula
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a bowl, whisk lemon juice and 1 TB of olive oil. Place Loose Pack spinach and Arugula in a bowl, drizzle 1 spoon full of vinaigrette and mix thoroughly and place on serving plate.

Heat Pan with 1 TB of Olive oil. Set at Medium High Heat. Add bell peppers. Stir until lightly browned. Add Asparagus, cook for 1 minute, add tomatoes, remove from heat. Add 1 TB of Lemon Juice and Scampi Butter, sprinkle salt and pepper. Pour over greens. Top with half of Lemon Zest. Reserve other half for later.

Shrimp Scampi
4 U15 Shrimp, shells removed but saved, Butterfly the Shrimp
1 TB Green Onion cut diagonolly
1 TB Chopped Parsley
1 TB Lemon Zest
Salt and Pepper
1 TB Canola Oil
2 TB Epicurean Scampi Butter
Juice of 1 Lemon

Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Pour oil and make sure in covers whole bottom of pan. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Add to pan butterfly section down first. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes then flip on one side. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, flip to other side. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until pink. Remove. Add shells to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and butter. Mix with pinch of salt. Let butter lightly brown. Place shrimp on top of salad, drizzle butter sauce over shrimp. Garnish with parsley, green onion, and lemon Zest. Serve.

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Making the Table the 2nd Star of the Night

4/26/2015

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I have two lady friends who get together with me to cook some fabulous food. We spend a week planning the theme and then picking the recipes we want to make. The ladies always create stunning table settings. Indoors, outdoors, we would make Ina Garten proud.

This past fall we had a great evening for our annual Farm Market Dinner on a crisp fall night on my porch. The fire was part one of the table display. The rest came together with things I had around the house. I took a stroll through my yard to find fall foliage to place in a center piece and to spread around the table. To keep things rustic I place candles in little Cast Iron Skillets and used mason jars for our beverages of choice. I strung some Christmas lights above our heads and viola. We had a wonderful table that matched our menu.

Now, what does that mean for you and YOUR dinner parties. When each season arrives, there are a host of ideas for your table. in the Spring, a brighter table cloth, just budding leaves from your trees, spring flowers blooming. In summer, fresh herbs in vases, flowers, rustic tins filled with ice for your beverages. When winter arrives, holly berries and evergreens make a nice touch with classic winter colors. Whatever you do, have fun with it and do not over think it. Have a great time and a great party!

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Slow Cooker Beer Baked Beans

4/20/2015

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I love baked beans. Especially when they are made from scratch. I found this great slow cooker recipe from the Beeroness that I love. i did make some tweaks to it but who doesn't do that with recipes? What I love is how this will take 6 to 8 hours to cook. That means when you have a brisket smoking you might as well make a side that also cooks low and slow. I feel like Julia Child since one beer in the pot, 1 beer for the cook. Enjoy.

1lb Navy dried navy beans
1 dark beer, stout or porter
8 strips thick cut bacon see note below
1 medium onion diced
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 TB balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 tsp soy sauce
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 TB Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 cup hot water

Directions: Place beans in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit in fridge overnight. OR place in a pan and cover with enough water until there is a 2 inch gap between water and beans. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain after hour.

Heat oven to 400, place bacon on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes or until crisp. Drain on a paper towel, chop.

Place beans and all ingredients into a crock pot and set on high. Stir, cover and cook for at least 6 hours or until beans are soft. Remove rosemary and serve.

Note: To make this into a vegetarian option, use vegan bacon, omit the Worcestershire Sauce and add an extra tsp of soy sauce.

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A Chef, his steak and of course, Fire.

4/12/2015

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The warm weather brings the distinct pleasure of firing up the grill and cooking up a steak. When I have guests over they always ask..."What did you season this with?" My answer is generally....Salt and Pepper! Nothing more. This seasoning works great whether you are smoking the meat or using a gas grill. Every time....the steak tastes amazing.
I do, however, follow a few key points.

No matter if you go to a butcher or a large grocery store, the cut of meat is essential. If you get a basic chuck steak, be prepared to get what you pay for. Lack luster flavor and some tough chewing. My pic to the left is a Porterhouse. It is a wonderful cut of steak. It has nice marbling (streams of fat in the meat areas). This is key. Those flecks of fat mean flavor and help keep that steak nice and juicy. Other great cuts for a wonderful steak would include Rib Eye, T-Bone, NY Strip, and Flank Steak.

Seasoning is key. It is necessary to be liberal with the salt and the cracked pepper. Do Not Skimp! Proper seasoning brings out the flavor of Bessie. Of course, where the piece of meat came from does help. The best places to shop are the local butcher shop. They have the best quality hands down. They also generally have grass fed beef. Nothing can beat that.

Cooking method does have an effect on how the steak will taste. If using a gas grill, get it ripping hot, then turn down the middle burner. Place steak on and begin cooking. If using charcoal, again get it good and hot, spread the coals evenly around and then place the meat on the grill grate and let the magic happen. Both of these methods give the steak some smokey char. I do prefer to cook the above cuts of meat to Medium Rare and do not recommend going past the Medium stage. The meat gets tough after that. Have fun and enjoy the warmer days ahead.

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Corn Relish....Simple way to add sizzle

4/10/2015

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Great tasting food can be difficult and labor intensive. This may surprise you but it does not have to take all day to make amazing food.

Simple with zing. I love finding ways to make food pop with only a few ingredients. The picture to the left is a Shrimp Tostada with a quick Pickled Corn Relish. A total of eight ingredients makes this incredible condiment. It can be used to add pop to your tacos, make a tantalizing salad and turn a basic grilled chicken breast into a masterpiece. Enjoy.

Pickled Corn Relish
2 ears of corn, kernels removed in a bowl
1 small jalapeno, minced
2 cloves of chopped garlic
3 stalks of green onion sliced thin
1/2 red bell pepper diced fine
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 TB salt

Place first 5 ingredients in a bowl. In a sauce pan, bring vinegar, salt, and sugar to a simmer. Once sugar and salt are dissolved, pour over relish ingredients. Let cool on counter then place in fridge. Let ingredients pickle for 1 hour to 24 hours. Serve.

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Forward>>

Simple Musings

Sweet, Savory, AWESOME Vegetable Hash

Tilapia.....Make it a Star on your Plate!

Shrimp Scampi...OH YES!

Making the Table the 2nd Star of the Night

Slow Cooker Beer Baked Beans

A Chef, his steak and of course, Fire.

Corn Relish....Simple way to add sizzle

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