Cote de Boeuf with incredible wine!

That is a piece of Meat!

Wines 41 years old!

Our friend John came down from San Francisco to spend the weekend with us. He brought some fantastic wines that were 41 years old. We decided to have Cote de Boeuf. What a piece of meat we purchased from McCall's Meat and Fish. It was enormous. The recipe for Cote de Beouf is a winner. They were perfect with the steak. It was an amazing meal. You can find our recipe for Cote de Boeuf on our blog of: March 10,  2018. Click the date to get the recipe.

Scallops with Orange Butter Rice

Since we had left over Orange Butter Rice with sautéed Sea Scallops With Brown Butter, Capers and Lemon from McCall's Meat and Fish to make a wonderful dinner. You get the recipe for Orange Butter Rice on our blog of: May 23, 2019. Click the date to get the recipe. The recipe for Sautéed Scallops can be found on our blog of: May 25, 2017. Click the date to get the recipe.

Teriyaki Salmon and Orange Butter Rice

We like our Donabe Pot. It is a Japanese vessel that is used to cook on top of the stove. It is unique in that it has two lids to keep the heat and steam in. It is made of quite heavy ceramic material. We made a new rice dish for us, that was terrific: Orange Butter Rice. After the Rice is cooked in the Donabe, butter and orange zest are added. It really tastes good! We wonder if you can just make make this dish in our Rice Maker. I see no reason why we can't try it. There is something nice about cooking the rice in the traditional method, so maybe we will continue using the Donabe.

The Teriyaki Salmon with Pickled Vegetables and Sesame Seeds went perfectly with the Orange Butter Rice. 

Teriyaki Salmon with Pickled Vegetables and Sesame Seeds

A Change of Appetite

Diana Kennedy

I could live on this. It’s so easy and yet utterly beautiful looking. I always feel better after eating it. The pickled vegetables are a great thing to know about. Make extra and keep them in the refrigerator for eating at lunch. You can make this dish with mackerel and checken breasts, too (Chicken needs to be cooled for 20 minutes).

SERVES 4

For The Salmon

¼      cup soy sauce

1       tablespoon sugar

2       tablespoons mirin

2       tablespoon dry sherry
4       salmon fillets

2       teaspoons black sesame seeds

For The Vegetables

½      cup rice vinegar

1       tablespoon superfine sugar

½      cucumber, halved and seeded

2       small carrots, peeled

4       radishes, trimmed and cut into wafer-thin slices

½      daikon radish, peeled

½      teaspoon salt

1       tablespoon pickled gingerc(p us whatever liquid clings to it)

1/4    cup microgreens

For the salmon, mix the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sherry and stir to dissolve the sugar. Put the fish in the marinade, turn to coat, cover, and put in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.

To make the vegetables, heat the vinegar and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Set aside to cool. (Or, if you are in a hurry, you can just whisk together the vinegar and sugar in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved.) Keeping them separate, cut the cucumber, carrots, radishes, and mooli into matchsticks, each about 2 inches long. Sprinkle the salt on the cucumber and put it into a colander for 10 minutes, Rinse and pat dry, then add all the vegetables to the vinegar mixture and toss to combine.

When you’re ready to cook the fish, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the salmon, in its marinade, for 12 minutes; it will remain moist and only just cooked in the middle. Sprinkle with the black sesame seeds. Add the pickled ginger and microgreens to the vegetables, toss, and serve with the salmon. Offer rice on the side.

Orange Butter Rice

Donabe Cookbook

1          medium orange (such as navel)

3          rice cups short-grain white rice, rinsed

2-1/4   cups water

3          tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 slices, at room temperature

3          tablespoons usukuchi shoyu
(light-colored soy sauce)

Freshly ground black pepper

It may be hard to imagine how the flavor combination of steamed rice with orange, butter, and soy sauce could work, but it’s delicious to the point of being irresistible. While this dish is good on its own. Smoked duck and orange butter rice brilliant pairing! It’s also great as a side dish for grilled meat or fish.—Naoko

Using a paring knife or a peeler, slice off the zest from the orange in long strips 34-inch wide. Be sure to remove just the top layer of the skin, not the white pith. Cut crosswise into very finely julienned pieces. Set aside. Reserve the peeled orange for another use.

In the donabe, combine the rice with the water. Let the rice soak for 20 minutes. Cover with both lids and cook over medium-high heat for 13 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest undisturbed for 20 minutes.

Uncover and add the butter, usukuchi shoyu, and orange zest. Gently fluff the contents and serve in individual bowls at the table. Grind some black pepper on top and enjoy.

Cherry Salad

There were fresh Cherries in the market. We couldn't resist making a salad with Cherries, Burrata Cheese and Hazelnuts. It was yummy!

Fava Bean Pasta

From farm to table lived with this dish! Our neighbor Tom grows Fava Beans. We went over to his house and picked them ourselves while he was in Europe. I LOVE Fava Bean Pasta with the Bacon, Onion and Sage. It is delicious! We started with Asparagus topped with Brown Butter, Burrata, and Hazelnuts. A great way to serve this spring vegetable. You can find the recipe for Fava Bean Pasta on our blog of: April 30, 2008, Click the date to get the recipe. Then make it!

Char Sui Pork Lo Mein

We had left over Char Sui Pork Chops and decided to make Char Sui Pork Lo Mein with with the meat. Who knew we could cook Chinese so well? It was good, would make again. 

Char Siu Pork Lo Mein

Omnivore’s Cookbook

This recipe uses plenty of fresh herbs and a rich sauce to bring you the best pork lo mein in 20 minutes. It’s even faster than takeout!

Ingredients

½     pound (230 grams) angel hair spaghetti

2      tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

1      thumb ginger , sliced into thin strips (*see footnote 1)

4      cups chopped napa cabbage (or other veggies of your choice) (*see footnote 2)

½     pound (230 grams) char siu pork , shredded

2      tablespoons homemade chicken stock (or boxed chicken stock)

Sauce

1+½   tablespoons oyster sauce

1         tablespoon dark soy sauce (*see footnote 3)

½        tablespoon soy sauce

1         tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or Japanese sake, or water)

¼        teaspoon sugar

¼        teaspoon white pepper powder

½        teaspoon salt

Instructions

1.   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to instructions. Drain and rinse with tap water. Set aside.

2.   Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Mix well.

3.   Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add ginger. Stir a few times until fragrant.

4.   Add napa cabbage. Cook and stir until it starts to turn tender, 1 to 2 minutes.

5.   Add char siu pork and pour in the sauce. Mix a few times.

6.   Add noodles and green onion to the skillet.

7.   Toss with a pair of tongs, until the sauce is fully absorbed.

8.   Serve immediately.

Notes

1.   The recipe calls for a lot of ginger to boost the flavor of the noodles. The ginger will be cooked thoroughly, so you won’t really taste it while eating. If you do not like the idea of sliced ginger, use can use 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger instead.

2.   Napa cabbage works very well in stir fried noodle dishes because it turns tender and sweet and absorbs flavor very well once cooked through. Alternatively, you can use Chinese bok choy, mustard greens, bell peppers, and carrots. Please note, the cooking time will vary depending on the veggies you are using. You want the veggies half-cooked-through in this step.

3.   The dark soy sauce adds brown color to the noodles and the way it caramelizes makes the dish look very appetizing. If you do not have dark soy sauce, use normal soy sauce instead.

Char Sui Pork

Char Sui Pork is one of our favorites! We served it with Japanese Sweet Potatoes. Of course we got the Pork Chops from McCall's Meat and Fish. This is a go to dish for us. It is easy, but takes planning because the pork chops need to marinate for a couple of days. You can find this great recipe on our blog of: August 22, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe.

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Cabbage, Bacon, and Dill

This is a fabulous recipe for: Slow-Roasted Salmon with Cabbage, Bacon, and Dill. Bacon of course is my favorite seasoning. It goes so well with cabbage. You really need excellent fresh caught salmon to make this dish come alive. We love it. You can find the recipe on our blog of: May 31, 2014. Click the date to get the recipe.

Lobster Fried Rice

When you see a picture on our blog of a bowl with Lobster and Rice, you can rest assured that we recently ate at Newport Seafood our favorite Chinese Restaurant and there special Lobster! We always bring home the leftover Lobster an make Lobster Fried Rice. You can get the recipe for fried rice from our blog of: April 4, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

Chicken Tagine with Rhubarb

Chicken Tagine with Rhubarb

New York Times

The idea was to make something resembling a classic Moroccan chicken tagine with green olives and preserved lemon, but to swap out the salty, tart preserved lemon for sweeter, tart poached rhubarb. My idea worked; the dish has been a great success at more than one dinner party, and it will be a standby as long as the rhubarb lasts.

Ingredients

1                whole chicken, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds, cut into 10 pieces

Salt and pepper

2                tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1                small onion, finely chopped

1                medium carrot, diced

2                leeks, white and light green parts, chopped

2                garlic cloves, minced

½               teaspoon turmeric

1                teaspoon sweet paprika

2-½           cups chicken broth or water

1                3-inch cinnamon stick

½               teaspoon sugar

12 to 16    pitted green olives (optional)

1 to 2        tablespoons rhubarb syrup

¼               cup chopped parsley

Poached rhubarb

Rice or couscous for serving

Preparation

1.   Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, brown chicken pieces, in batches, on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a sheet pan.

2.   Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the Dutch oven and add onion. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze, until onion begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add carrot and leeks. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute. Season with salt; add turmeric and paprika and stir.

3.   Return chicken to Dutch oven and add chicken broth, cinnamon stick, sugar and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 35 minutes.

4.   Add olives, if using; cover and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is fork tender. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons rhubarb syrup. Taste and adjust seasoning.

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5.   Before serving, stir in parsley and poached rhubarb and heat through over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with rice or couscous.

Brown-Butter Salmon With Lemon and Harissa

Brown-Butter Salmon With Lemon and Harissa

New York Times

More put-together than thrown-together, this weeknight salmon gets an upgrade with a tangy and spicy brown butter-harissa sauce. To make it a complete meal, serve the fish with a simple lemony salad and maybe a bowl of grains or roasted or boiled potatoes. This salmon is meant to be enjoyed on the medium-rare side. If you prefer your fish more well done (or if the fillet is especially thick), increase cooking time by a few minutes.

Ingredients

1-½   pounds skin-on salmon fillet (or use 1 1/2 pounds of individual fillets)

Kosher salt and black pepper

4        tablespoons unsalted butter

4        garlic cloves, sliced

2        tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

2        tablespoons harissa paste

4        tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving

1        small shallot, thinly sliced into rings

2        heads Little Gem lettuce or 1 head butter lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

¼       cup dill leaves, finely chopped, plus more for serving

4        thick slices of country bread, toasted, or boiled potatoes (optional)

Aioli or mayonnaise (optional)

Preparation

1.   Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place salmon in a large baking dish skin-side-down and season with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, use a rimmed baking sheet.)

2.   Heat butter in a small pot or skillet over medium heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, until butter foams and browns, about 5 minutes. (The whisking will help release the brown butter bits from the bottom of the pot, and those are the bits you want.)

3.   Add garlic slices, letting them sizzle and brown in the butter for 30 seconds or so, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot and whisk in harissa. Give it a minute or two to sizzle and toast a bit in the butter mixture. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water to the pot, whisking to incorporate.

4.   Season the brown butter-harissa sauce with salt and pepper and pour over salmon.

5.   Place in oven and roast until the salmon is just cooked through, but still nicely pink and medium-rare in the center, 12 to 15 minutes for a whole fillet, or 8 to 10 minutes for individual fillets. (If you prefer your fish well done, cook the whole fillet for 15 to 18 minutes, or individual fillets for 12 to 15 minutes.)

6.   Meanwhile, toss shallot with 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add lettuce and dill and toss to coat; drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

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7.   Once salmon is just cooked through, remove from oven. Use a large serving spoon to scoop large chunks of salmon onto a serving platter or individual plates, leaving the skin behind in the baking dish. (No need to worry if you get smaller chunks too, but try to get the largest pieces you can.) Spoon any remaining brown-butter sauce from the pan over the fish and squeeze lemon over the top. Sprinkle with a bit more dill, if you have it. Serve with dilly lettuce alongside, and, if you like, potatoes or toast and aioli.