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Candied Spiced Pecans

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This is one of my all time favorites, Candied Spiced Pecans. It is, after all, that time of year again and I’m looking for quick and easy as well as tasty and these are perfect. You can bake these up in under an hour and they will keep in a zip lock bag for a couple of weeks. I’ve tried a bunch of different recipes for spiced nuts over the years and this is a combination of several different ones I’ve tried. No need to saute and mess up a skillet or make a sticky syrupy sauce to pour over them before roasting. All you have to do is mix this up, spread it on a sheet pan and pop it in the oven. What could be easier than this?

I will say that you need to line your sheet pan or you will never get it clean. I  use foil, but parchment paper would work as well. When finished clean up is a breeze, just toss the foil and your done. You can also change this up with different kinds of nuts. I have made this using walnuts and cashews and they are great as well.

I just love this spice combination, cinnamon, sugar, cumin and cayenne. They’re sweet, they’re hot, they’re buttery, they’re crunchy. Put these out when the family gets together and  watch them disappear.

I have made these for years and they are just perfect for the holidays. I usually make up a couple of batches and use them as an appetizer, in salads, or place them in jars and give them as gifts to friends and family. I know that if you try them they will become a Holiday staple at your house as well.

 

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Candied Spiced Pecans

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 4 cups

Ingredients

1 large egg white

1/2 cup sugar

1t cinnamon

1t ground cumin

1t cayenne pepper

1 t salt

4 cups pecans

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl combine the egg white, sugar and spices and mix well. Add the pecans and toss to coat all of the nuts evenly. Line a 9 X 20 sheet pan with parchment paper or foil, very important, if you don't you will never get the pan clean. Bake in a preheated 225 degree oven for 40 minutes. Let cool and gently pull the pecans off the foil. Store in an air tight container or zip lock bag. These will keep for a couple of weeks.

Notes

You can  use any kind of unseasoned nut that you like. I have done these with walnuts and/or cashews as well. I just seem to like the pecans best.

Courses Appetizer

 

 

Cajun Shrimp Mac and Cheese

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I have a new Grand baby that”s due this week so I have been in the kitchen cooking up family favorites to freeze and take to the kids so that when they are home with the new baby all they have to do pop one in the oven and dinner is ready. I had already made their favorites, Tuna Noodle, Jambalaya, and Italian Beef, but I wanted something new and different to add to the rotation.

We were all in New York a couple of weeks ago for my nephew’s wedding and my son was raving about the Lobster Mac and Cheese he had at this little restaurant in Brooklyn. He just loves this kind of stuff and I thought it sounded good and different. At the same time I also thought Lobster, not on my budget, but I could do something good with Shrimp. That is how I came up with Cajun Shrimp Mac and Cheese.

Once again I turned to my tried and true ingredients. Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic and the seasonings from Aunt Marie’s Cheese Grits. When I find a really good flavor combination that works I have a tendency to use it over and over again in different variations and this recipe is a perfect example of this.  I already have a good feeling for what it is going to taste like and I know it will be good, I just switch things up a bit.

This recipe has too many steps for an easy week night meal but it would be great for a Sunday dinner or for company. The steps are worth it as the level of flavors and textures are what make it so good. You get the rich cheese sauce, the crispy salty bacon, the spicy shrimp and the crunchy buttery bread crumbs on top, it’s absolute heaven. The text I sent to my son after I sampled what I made for myself was, a picture and  “OMG!!!! You are going to love this!”

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Cajun Shrimp Mac and Cheese

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

For the cheese sauce:

1/2 stick of butter

1/4 cup flour

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 14.5 oz can chicken broth

1t Worcestershire sauce

1t Lawry's Season Salt

1t A1 Steak Sauce

1t garlic powder

8oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese

For the Shrimp and Bacon and Macaroni:

1/2 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined

4 slices bacon

2t Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic

8 oz elbow macaroni

For the topping:

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 T melted butter

Instructions

Slice the bacon in 1/4 in strips and cook on med low heat until crispy, drain on a paper towel and set aside. This will take about 10 minutes. You want to cook it low and slow so it gets crispy but doesn't burn. You want to make sure and get it good and crispy because it will soften up in the sauce and if you don't it will get soggy and no one likes soggy bacon.

Season the shrimp with the Seafood Magic and place on a sheet pan under the broiler on high for 3 minutes per side. You may want to cut them in half depending on the size of shrimp you use. I used 31-35 count per pound and I cut them in half.  You just want to barely cook them so that the spice adheres to them well but you don't want them over cooked. Take out of the oven and set aside.

Get your water boiling and cook the macaroni, when done drain in a colander and set aside. While the macaroni is cooking start your sauce.

In a sauce melt the butter then add the flour. Stir well and let it cook for a minute to get the raw taste out of the flour. Stir in the milk and chicken broth and simmer until it starts to thicken up, then add the Worcestershire sauce, Lawry's season salt, garlic and A1 and mix well. Add the cheese and stir well in incorporate. The sauce will seem to be thinner than than you think it should be and that is okay it will thicken up more in the oven.

Combine the macaroni, cheese sauce, bacon and shrimp in a well greased 8X9 casserole dish. In a small bowl microwave the butter for 30 seconds add the panko bread crumbs and mix well so that they are all covered with the butter. Spread the bread crumbs over the top of the Mac and Cheese mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until it is bubbling and the bread crumbs are nicely browned and crunchy. Don't skimp on the butter and the bread crumbs they really are the perfect finishing touch.

Notes

Can be made ahead, just give it more time in the oven if it's cold going in.

Courses Dinner

Cuisine Cajun

 

Nonna’s Minestrone

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The weather has turned cold, the fireplace is on and it’s time for SOUP!

I swear, my husband would eat soup twice a day, everyday during the winter, if I would make it, and I have to admit that soup is an easy one for me. I make a big pot on Sunday or Monday and we eat it three or four times that week before it’s all gone. It’s easy to heat up and put on the table when time is running short. It’s warm and satisfying and there are so many different things you can do with it. If you’re creative you can make soup from almost anything.

Now, I have had Minestrone countless times. Sometimes it has pasta in it, sometimes it has beans in it, sometimes it has both, or as in this case, neither. Let’s face it Minestrone is what all good Italian Nonna’s make when it’s time to clean out the fridge because you can throw just about anything you have on hand in it and somehow or another it comes out wonderful.

This is another one from the European Road Trip. While we were in Stresa, Italy we stopped by what was to become our favorite restaurant, Mama Mia’s, for dinner. We had had a big lunch so we weren’t really all that hungry but needed some thing to go with the wine, which we very much needed. On their menu they had Nonna’s Minestrone. The perfect light supper to go with our wine.

When I think of Minestrone, I think of a rich heavy tomato based soup with pasta, which is what you find most places in the states. What we were served was something quite different. It had a light chicken broth base that was loaded with cabbage, potatoes, vegetables and fresh herbs; not a tomato in sight.  I looked at it and thought, well, that’s not what I was expecting, but it smelled wonderful and I dug in and was not disappointed. The broth was flavorful, the vegetables tender and the combination of herbs and a little white wine put it right over the edge.

Pair this with some crunchy garlic toast and you have the perfect easy weeknight meal.

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Nonna's Minestrone

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1/2 med onion chopped (about 1 cup)

2 stalks celery chopped

2 large carrots chopped

2 large cloves garlic minced

3 cups shredded green cabbage

1 cup frozen lima beans or 1 can cannellini beans drained

1 cup frozen peas

3-4 med yukon gold potatoes cubed

6 cups chicken broth

1t marjoram

1t basil

1t rosemary

1/2 t thyme

1/2 cup white wine

Instructions

In a large soup pot saute your onion, carrots and celery in a little bit of oil with a pinch of salt until they start to get soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cabbage, chicken broth, lima beans, wine, and spices and simmer for 20 minutes until the cabbage starts to get soft. The cabbage takes longer to cook than the potatoes so I always wait to add them. After 20 minutes add the potatoes and peas and continue to simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top and some crunchy garlic bread.

Notes

When I make soup I use Jamison's soup base. This stuff is wonderful. It doesn't have as much sodium as bouillon. It has a wonderful consistency and gives great flavor to soups. Plus it's cheaper than canned broth and keeps on the shelf forever. 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of water.

When I made this I had some fresh fennel bulb in the fridge, so I used that instead of celery. You can substitute almost any vegetable you have on hand for this recipe (it's a a good way to use up those small portions of frozen vegetables you have in the freezer) but the cabbage is a key ingredient so don't leave it out.

Courses Dinner

Cuisine Italian

 

Cajun Grilled Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce

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Here’s a fun and tasty twist on regular ol’ cold shrimp with cocktail sauce. It was my turn to host Bunco again and I decided that Cajun Grilled Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce  would be a good choice. You can make them up head of time and all you have to do is set them out when your guests arrive. This would be perfect for game day or a tail gate party as well. Grilling shrimp is quick and easy and doesn’t leave the house smelling like fish. Just season them up and give them a couple of minutes on each side on the grill and your done. If you don’t have a grill or don’t want to grill them you can roast them in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 and it works just as well. When cooked, I pop them in a zip-lock bag and store them in the fridge until I’m ready to serve.

I keep frozen raw cleaned shrimp in the freezer all the time. You can buy them at the grocery store, Sam’s or Costco. They come in a zip-lock bag that is just perfect when you want to grab a dozen or so for pasta or in this case grill some up. Take out what you are going to use, zip the bag up and pop it back in the freezer. They thaw out really quick if you put them in a bowl of cold water and are ready to use in about 15 minutes.

The secret to this recipe is one of my favorite go to spice blends Paul Prudhommes Seafood Magic.

This stuff really is Magic. If you don’t have it on your self you should. I use it in all kinds of things, the spices are the perfect blend of Cajun goodness that’s perfect every time. It’s available at most grocery stores and I find it with the spices in the seafood section not the regular spice isle, or you can order it from Amazon.

Next time you need a fun and different appetizer I hope you’ll try Cajun Grilled Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce.

 

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Cajun Grilled Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

For the Shrimp:

1lb raw shrimp cleaned and deveined

1T Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic

For the Remoulade Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1T tomato paste

2t Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic

1t horseradish sauce

Instructions

For the shrimp:

Clean and devein your shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic all over the shrimp covering well. Grill on high heat 3 minutes per side or until done. Be careful not to over cook them. You want to take them off just before they are completely cooked through because the residual heat will complete the cooking process after you take them off the grill. If you don't want to grill them you can roast them in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes and they will come out just as well.

For the sauce:

Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic, tomato paste, and horseradish and mix well to combine. Salt to taste.

Courses Appitizer

Cuisine Cajun

 

 

Chocolate Covered Grapes

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This is one of the wonderful things I enjoyed while on my European Road Trip. We were in Stresa, Italy, a small resort town on Lake Maggiore in the Italian Alps. We had spent the day touring the islands in the middle of the lake and when it came time for dinner we found ourselves wandering around town looking for something good. We walked past this quaint restaurant where the chef was standing outside looking for customers and we decided to give it a try. Instead of taking us to the formal dining room they walked us back to this beautiful courtyard with grapes growing overhead that was the perfect setting for a causal dinner.

I would like to say that the food was spectacular, it was good but nothing more than average. Thanks goodness the wine made up for it.  After we finished our meal and declined desert they brought the bill on a tray with 4 little chocolate orbs. Being the adventurous person that I am I promptly popped one in my mouth and was I in for a surprise. They were chocolate covered grapes, picked from the vines hanging above us. It was another one of those moments when you have that “Blinding Flash of the Obvious” I had never thought to cover grapes in chocolate; strawberries, blueberries, nuts yes, but grapes had never occurred to me. They were incredible. I knew right then and there that as soon as I got home I would be making these.

These are so simple to make. All you have to do is melt your chocolate in the microwave and dip the grapes in it, place them on a sheet tray, pop them in the fridge to cool and your done. They can be made a couple of days ahead of time, just store them in the fridge and bring them out the next time you need a little something special for company. I made chocolate covered grapes when I hosted Bunco last week and they were all gone by the end of the evening.

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Chocolate Covered Grapes

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 40 Grapes

Ingredients

40 seedless

1 6oz package Nestle Toll House Morsels

Instructions

Wash your grapes and dry them really well. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on low power. Depending on your microwave this may take 1-3 minutes. Stir after 1 minute and then every 30 seconds after that until really smooth and completely melted. You want it to be almost runny. Depending on how fast you work you may need to reheat the chocolate halfway through to keep it runny enough to dip.

Take a tooth pick and insert it in the grape where the stem was attached and carefully dip it into the chocolate and twirl to make sure it's evenly coated. Take a clean tooth pick, place it on top of the grape and push down to slide the grape off and place on a sheet pan. Once all the grapes have been covered put the pan in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

May be made a couple of days ahead, just keep them in the fridge.

Courses Appitizer

Cuisine Italian

European Road Trip 2018

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Food Porn:

I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve been absent for the last few weeks. My husband and I took off for a 3 week road trip through Europe and what an adventure it was. Great food, wine and wonderful places to see. I’m calling this post Food Porn, because it is full of pictures and descriptions of the wonderful things I had to eat. If this doesn’t get you worked up and excited to try some new things I don’t know what will.

We flew into Frankfurt, rented a car and took off. First stop Wurzburg, Germany. This is a sleepy little college town about an hour east of Frankfurt. The perfect place to get over our jet-lag before we really hit the road.

At the St Louis airport waiting to take off we sat next to a woman who was heading home to Germany and she just couldn’t wait to get there and eat all of her favorite things. #1 being Curry Wurst. I have to admit that I had no idea what Curry Wurst was but as soon as we got to Wurzburg and I saw it on a menu I knew I had to try it.

Well, lets just say, I was not impressed. Curry Wurst is nothing more than a hot dog, covered in a catsupy tomato sauce with curry powder sprinkled on top. Granted it was a good hot dog, if there is such a thing, but it was still a hot dog. Having said that, this is not one you will see replicated in an upcoming post, but at least now I know what it is.

The next day I tried the Pork Knuckle. Now this is one I can’t wait to try at home.

The pork was fall off the bone tender, sitting on a bed of sauerkraut with a beer gravy that was to die for. The skin was crispy, the gravy rich and creamy and the sauerkraut with it’s tangy goodness was out of this world. I’ll figure out how to make it and you will see it in an upcoming post.

After Wurzburg we were off to the little Bavarian village of Bamburg. This place was like being in a fairy-tale storybook.

Gelato is everywhere in Europe and Bamburg was no exception. Take a look at some of these flavor combinations.

Orange-Basil, Lavender, Cucumber. So different from anything we have in the states and just wonderful.

From Bamburg we moved on to Vienna, what a beautiful city, the architecture is amazing. We visited the Belvedere museum and Schonburnn Palace. Beautiful gardens and a chance to see the Klimt’s.

I just wish I had something good to say about the food. It seems in Austria it is either breaded and fried, as in schnitzel or boiled.  Not much in the way of seasoning, pretty blan and so, so. I guess that is why they have an ice cream store on every corner.

From there we were off to Salzburg, I was hoping to recreate the scene from the Sound of Music where Julie Andrews is twirling on the mountain top, but no such luck, as these were the only two days of our trip that it was raining.

Slazburg is a beautiful little town that reminded me a lot of Aspen. If you had money you sure could spend it here. High end designer shops everywhere. Lovely hotels that carter to the rich and famous during ski season and some really wonderful restaurants and a lovely farmers market.

We stopped for a quick bite at a sidewalk cafe shortly after we arrived and ordered the bratwurst. Now, if your like me you would have been expecting Johnsonville, right? Wrong! This was nothing like what we have in the states. The flavor is very much the same but the consistency is so much more delicate. Add to that the wonderful rye bread and the mustard that they serve it with and you have something really special.

We also enjoyed a wonderful Cream of Mushroom soup that has this wonderful mushroom stuffing floating in the middle of it that I will defiantly be trying my best to duplicate later on this winter. It would be a great simple supper for a cold winter night. I’m sorry that I forgot to take a picture of it. I guess I just got caught up in the moment and was enjoying it too much.

After a couple of days in Salzburg we headed south across the Alps to Verona.

This is the little cafe where we had our coffee and cream filled croissant for breakfast every morning. Verona was probably my favorite part of this trip, it’s such a wonderful little city with great food and lots of history.

Our first night there we were tired after the drive and trying to find a place to park, so once we were settled in our little apartment we made our way across the street to this little restaurant because it was close and we were hangry. Yes, I have been told that “Hangry” is now a word. Boy were we in for a treat. We ordered the Venison with Foie Gras that was served with freshly foraged wild spinach and pumpkin. Before they served our entree’ they brought us a complementary serving of Ricotta Gnocchi with shaved truffles. I have never been a big fan of Gnocchi, they’re too heavy and I’m not not a big fan of carbs, but these things were heavenly. So light and airy, like little clouds of cheese. I have found some recipes on line I and will figure out how to make make these. I Probably won’t have the shaved truffles, $$$,  but a nice pesto would be lovely as well. This was the most amazing meal ever.

The next day we  dined at a restaurant that was in the courtyard of a 1500 year old palazzo in the middle of old town. The food was amazing. This was one of my favorite dishes. Rabbit Ragu with Cream.

The fried sage gave it a wonderful earthiness and the heavy cream was on the bottom instead of mixed in with everything else. A different presentation that worked really well.  Rabbit is hard to come by in the states so I think I will try this one with veal instead.

The waitress gave us an address to plug into our GPS so we could visit what she called one of the prettiest places near Verona,Valpolicella. This is where my husbands favorite wine comes from, Amerone. We drove up there and the drive was okay, took a few pictures and started to head out for Stresa when instead of taking us back the way we came the GPS told us to go around a different way and I am sure glad it did. What a view, and what a scary drive. I’m sure glad I don’t have to navigate these roads on a daily basis.

Stresa is a lovely little resort town located on Lake Maggiore, with small islands in the middle of the lake with beautiful palaces and gardens. The whole town is just beautiful and the food was fantastic. Our first night there we tried out a little restaurant named Mama Mia. The food was so good we returned 2 more times before we left. This is Nonna’s Pasta and it was delightful. Made with chunks of veal braised until it literally falls apart in a light sauce of fresh tomatoes, carrots, onions and garlic served over fresh made pasta. This one is perfect for the slow cooker on a cold winter day.

Then there was the Seafood Pasta, steamed in a light white wine and garlic broth with fresh tomatoes served again with fresh spaghetti it was heavenly. So simple and fresh. This will be a good one for date night.

From Stresa we traveled on to the south of France. Driving through Monaco and the Riviera was crazy. Nothing at all like I thought it would be, eight lane highways, huge big apartment complexes, the traffic was crazy. If I didn’t know better I would have thought I was in Southern California. We finally got through that mess to our planned destination Aix-de-Provence. Aix is a small city of about 140,000 steeped in history and lots of good food. I was surprised to see the Irish Pub on the main drag and found it interesting that there were more Italian restaurants there than French. One night we found a lovely little sidewalk cafe out side a small restaurant that had a wood oven and we enjoyed some of the best Pizza I have ever had, in France no less Who would have thought it possible.

The next day we did find a little French restaurant for lunch and had the duck. Once again it was a simple presentation just really good duck and some mashed potatoes, with a light dusting of a really good finishing salt. I have to admit that I have seen chefs talk about finishing salt on some of the food shows that I watch, but never really got it until now. The salt was the finishing touch and gave a bright burst of flavor that paired perfectly with the richness of the duck. I’m going to have to invest in some good salt.

 

After 4 days in Provence it was time to head back to Frankfurt, return the rental car and head home. It was a great trip, and now that I’m home I can’t wait to start replicating some of these dishes and sharing them with you on my blog. So, stay tuned for some really good stuff coming your way in the next few months.

Sugar Snap Pea and Fennel Salad with Spicy Chili Dressing

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It’s been hot, too hot to turn on the oven so I’ve been looking for fun and interesting salads to go with simple grilled meats and this one is a winner. The peas are sweet and crunchy, the fennel adds slightly licorice flavor, the dressing is spicy and tangy and then comes the explosion of mint, Wow! This salad would be great with almost any kind of grilled meat. I did it with a rack of lamb one Sunday afternoon and it was phenomenal. So bright and fresh and different. It was a great compliment to the richness of the meat. Sugar Snap peas have never tasted so good.

I found the original recipe in the New York Times cookbook, by Kim Severson. I just love Sugar Snap Peas and thought it sounded great but it called for Calabrian Peppers. Once again an ingredient that I didn’t have and I didn’t know where to find them. Should I let a little thing like this  stop me?  Heck No. So, I rummaged around the fridge to see what I had that I could substitute and found some Asian chili paste that I keep on hand. Sambal Oelek is the brand I used but you could substitute any brand you like. Guess what, it worked great. The dressing can be made ahead and it’s fast and easy to whip up, then all you have to do is assemble and your ready to go.

If you can’t find fennel bulb you could substitute very thinly sliced celery or just leave it out entirely. It won’t be quite the same but it will still be good without it.

Sugar Snap Pea and Fennel Salad with Spicy Chili dressing, a great salad for a hot summer evening.

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Sugar Snap Pea and Fennel Salad with Spicy Chili Dressing

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Chili Dressing:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 t mined garlic

2t minced shallot

2t chili paste

1/2 t lemon zest

1/4 t fresh thyme

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

pinch salt and pepper

For the Salad:

1lb Sugar Snap Peas

1/2 cup thinly shaved fennel

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 T chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup shaved pecorino or parmesan cheese

Instructions

Make the dressing:

In a small skillet or sauce pan heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil over low heat. When it starts to shimmer add the garlic, shallot, lemon zest, chili paste and thyme. Gently cook for 1 minute and remove from the heat to a small mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.

Make the Salad:

Wash the snap peas and remove the tough string that runs along the center. (The ones I bought were string-less which is nice if you can find them.) Julienne the peas lengthwise in 1/4 inch pieces. Thinly slice the fennel bulb and chop the mint. Toss to combine, then add the dressing and toss to coat well. Sprinkle the cheese on top and serve.

Courses Salad

Couscous Salad with Dried Apricots

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If I waited to try a new recipe until I had every single ingredient that was exactly what was called for in the recipe I swear I would never try anything new.  I improvise, and today’s post is a perfect example.

My niece was coming for Sunday Lupper. Sort of like Brunch but between Lunch and Supper. I was perusing recipes trying to come up with something fun and cool as it was 95 degrees with humidity hovering around 90% when I came across this one.  Once again my New York Times Cooking App had just what I was looking for, sort of. The original recipe was Couscous Salad with Dried Apricots and Preserved Lemon by Melissa Clark.

 The recipe called for fresh dill (mine had long since gone to seed and crapped out on me) and fresh mint (I was using mint in another salad and didn’t want to over do it). So I looked out at my herb garden and noticed I had Lemon Basil and lots of Parsley and figured that would work just fine. The recipe also called for chopped pistachios which I didn’t have, but I had some slivered almonds in the pantry so I toasted them up to use instead. Now, I happen to have Preserved Lemon in the fridge and you should too, but that’s for another post. If you don’t you can  use any kind of dried fruit, Crazins, Figs, Raisins, Pineapple, Mango any of these will work equally as well.  As for the fresh herbs, yes you need them but you can switch them up too, Mint, Parsley, any kind of Basil, Cilantro, use what you have I promise it will be great. This recipe calls for Pearled Couscous and depending on where you live it can be hard to find. I had to buy a package with a Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil flavor packet included, and I just threw out the flavor packet. But if you can’t find it just use regular couscous.

Couscous Salad with Dried Apricots is a wonderful and versatile summer recipe. Fast and easy to make with great flavors and a perfect compliment to any grilled meat.

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Couscous Salad with Dried Apricots

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 4.7 oz package Pearl Couscous (or 1/2 cup)

1 3/4 cup water

1t cumin seeds (or 1t ground cumin)

1T vinegar sherry, white wine or cider will work.

1/2t salt

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 preserved lemon diced

2 scallions finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup chopped basil, lemon if you have it

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

Fresh lemon juice to taste ( or use a splash from the bottle in the fridge)

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Instructions

In a small sauce pan bring the water to a boil and add the pearl couscous. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed. If using regular couscous follow package instructions. While that is cooking toast the cumin in a dry skillet until it's just fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and crush either in a mortar and pestle or with the back of a large knife on your cutting board. If you don't have cumin seed just skip the toasting part and use ground.  Add the cumin to the warm couscous with the vinegar and salt and toss well. set aside to cool or place in the fridge for 15 minutes. While the couscous is cooling toast your slivered almonds. When cool add the remaining ingredients and mix well, taste, and add more salt if necessary and lemon juice to taste. Serve cold.

Notes

You can change this recipe around depending on what you have on hand. Use any kind of dried fruit and/or nuts, crazins, figs, pineapple, mango, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, etc. You can also switch up the fresh herbs, with dill, mint, basil, parsley. Use what you have, I promise it will be great.

Courses Salad

 

Jicama Tomato and Cucumber Salad

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We’re having friends for dinner tonight and they wanted me to make the Snapper Vera Cruz from my last post and I am happy to comply. It’s such a great summer meal, not too heavy and yet very tasty. To be honest, this time around it will be Grouper Vera Cruz because the Grouper looked better than the Snapper. That’s the great thing about this recipe you can use any fish you want to and it will still be great.

I was thinking about a salad to serve with it and came up with Jicama Tomato and Cucumber Salad. If you’ve never tried Jicama I highly recommend it. My parents came back from a trip to Mexico years ago where they had Jicama and not long after they were serving it us. Dad would cut it up and sprinkle it with just a touch of Lawry’s Season Salt as a snack before dinner.

Jicama is a tuber that comes from Mexico, it’s crunchy, a little bit sweet, and has the consistency of a cross between a raw potato and a radish. It has a thick outer skin that you have to peel and the first time I did it it felt kind of weird. I’ve found the easiest way to do it is to cut it in half, place it cut side down and run your knife down the sides of it to get the skin off. You have to use a knife for this, a vegetable peeler just wont do it. Be brave and jump in there and just go for it. Once peeled it is very easy to work with. 

Jicama doesn’t have a lot of flavor to it so it’s great to mix with all kinds of things. I use it in slaw a lot and this time around I paired it with tomatoes and cucumber for a wonderfully crunchy salad to compliment the fish and black beans.

Jicama Tomato and Cucumber Salad is a great side dish for Mexican food, it’s easy to prepare and the cool sweet tanginess of it is a great compliment to spicy food.

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Jicama Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Prep

Total

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 of a small Jicama or 1/4 of a large one about 1 1/2 cups

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 cucumber

3 green onions

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

juice from 1 lime

a drizzle of olive oil

1 1/2 t salt

Instructions

Peel the jicama and then slice into matchsticks. Slice the tomatoes. Peel and seed your cucumber (if your using a big one, if you use and English cucumber you don't have to.) and slice. Slice the green onion in slivers. Chop the cilantro. Combine everything in a bowl and dress with the juice of 1 lime, a drizzle of olive oil and salt.

Courses Salad

Cuisine Mexican

Snapper Vera Cruz

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It was date night last night. I hadn’t been to the store in a couple of days so on my way out the door I asked my husband what he wanted to eat. To my surprise he said “How about some fish.” We don’t eat a lot of fish. Being in the middle of the US good fresh fish is hard to come by and I think the frozen stuff is, for the most part pretty yucky. But I thought that fish sounded good for a change and with any luck maybe they will have something good at the store. Sure enough it was a good day, as I approached the seafood counter they had fresh snapper, one of my favorites. I knew immediately what I was going to fix, Snapper Vera Cruz.

The first time I had this was over 25 years ago at a wonderful Mexican restaurant in Aspen. I wasn’t sure what it was but the waiter promised me that it was good and he was right. I loved it. Simple grilled fish with a wonderful spicy, tangy sauce. It was heavenly.

The first time I found tomatillo’s in the grocery store I knew I had to try to recreate it. It’s really pretty simple, tomatillos, onion, jalapenos, cilantro, and a little lime juice.  Don’t let the tomatillos scare you, they’re a little bit weird, sort of like a green tomato but not quite the same. You have to peel the paper skin off and wash off the sticky residue, then just chop them up. You do have to cook them though, unlike a tomato you can’t eat them raw or at least I wouldn’t want to.

Snapper Vera Cruz, some black beans and a crisp green salad. Pair that with a nice bottle of white wine and you have a prefect “Date Night” dinner.

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Snapper Vera Cruz

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 2 Servings

Ingredients

For the sauce:

3-4 tomitillos diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 jalapeno pepper minced

1 clove garlic minced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 t salt

1 t honey

1 T olive oil

Juice from one lime

For the fish:

1 snapper filet (about 3/4 lb)

Lemon pepper

Instructions

Peel the paper like outer layer from the tomatillos and rinse off the sticky residue, then chop in about in about a  1/4" dice. Chop up the red onion. Seed and de-vien the jalapeno pepper or it will be so hot it will set your mouth on fire. Jalapenos can be tricky, some are super hot while others are rather mild and you just never know which one your going to get, so I recommend that you take a small taste of the one your using and if it's supper hot use only half of it. Mince the clove of garlic. Add all of this to a small sauce pan with the olive oil, lime juice and salt and simmer for about 25 minutes. The tomatillios will break down and it will become saucy. When it has simmered for about 25 minutes add the honey and fresh cilantro. I make the sauce first and let it simmer while I get the fish ready to grill, it can sit on the stove ready for a quick reheat just before serving.

Season the fish with Lemon Pepper and grill for 5 minutes per side. Serve the fish with a generous helping of the Vera Cruz sauce on top.

Notes

You can use any kind of mild white flaky fish for this dish. I just happen to really like snapper.

Courses Dinner

Cuisine Mexican