Greek Salad with Sardines

I've never been a fan of sardines, but honestly, it's because I made my judgement based on how it looked in a tin - ick! I have never eaten them as part of a recipe before. But for the past year or so I've been hearing about how sardines are a healthy way to get omega-3-fatty acids. That and they are cheap. So I am on a quest to try, and learn to like, sardines.

This recipe for Greek Salad with Sardines which I found in the May/June 2010 issue of Eating Well magazine seemed like a good place to start. Greek salads themselves being one of my favorites, topping them with this fish seemed like a good idea. I used sardines packed in water which I purchased from Whole Foods. They looked really fresh when I opened the tin so I was kind of exicted to give them a try.

The dressing is super simple and healthy which was great. And the whole salad was made by things I already had in the house (except the sardines). I halved this recipe because I was eating by myself and didn't think the salad would preserve well for leftovers. It ended up being a super filling lunch! And I didn't really even notice the sardines too much - they added kind of a richness and nice balance. I will definitely make this one again.

Greek Salad with Sardines Makes 4 servings, about 2 cups each 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 3 medium tomatoes, cut into large chunks 1 large English cucumber, cut into large chunks 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 2 tablespoons sliced kalamata olives 2 4-ounce cans sardines with bones, packed in olive oil or water, drained

Whisk lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Add tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, feta, onion and olives; gently toss to combine. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top with sardines.

Roasted Tomato and Rice Soup

Now that fall is here, I'm into making a new soup every week. I love to make soup because it usually amazes me how flavorful soups can be. I grew up mostly on chicken, matzo ball and cabbage soup so I never really realized the possibilities until I started trying out recipes found in magazines myself.

I purchased the New England Soup Factory Cookbook a few years ago, but this recipe for Roasted Tomato and Rice Soup is the fist one I have tried. I guarantee I will be trying more recipes in this book because the soup was fantastic! I chose this one because of two things: 1) I wanted to try and make homemade tomato soup; and 2) I wanted a recipe with which I could use my immersion blender.

Roasting the tomatoes as specified in this recipe was great! The house smelled amazing and I think I will be making these in batches to munch on because they are so good on their own! But mixing them in with the sauteed carrots, celery and onion was pure heaven. Topping the soup with shredded cheddar and homemade croutons made it really elegant. Even though I have a enough for leftovers throughout the week, I know I will be craving this soup again.

Roasted Tomato and Rice Soup Makes 10 servings Roasted Tomatoes 12 plum tomatoes, cut into halves 3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Soup 3 tablespoons butter 3 whole cloves garlic, peeled 1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced 5 carrots, peeled and sliced 2 ribs celery, sliced Roasted plum tomatoes (from recipe) 6 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock 3 cups tomato juice 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 2½ cups cooked white rice 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 1½ to 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese Croutons, for garnish

For the roasted tomatoes: Preheat the oven 425 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a small roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 50 minutes, or until the skins look wrinkled but the tomatoes retain their shape.

For the soup: In a stockpot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the roasted tomatoes and continue to saute for 5 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, stock, and tomato juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the basil. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth. Place the soup back into the pot if using a regular blender. Add the rice and season with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir so that the rice is evenly distributed throughout the soup. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and croutons.

Spinach-Zucchini Soup

I made a batch of the Spinach-Zucchini Soup so I could have something healthy to take for work lunches during the week. I didn't have that much hope for this recipe which I found in Vegetarian Times magazine because it seemed sort of plain from the recipe list. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the mint and lemon flavors. And I'm not a big fan of lemon so that was even nicer. The soup is actually filling and refreshing.

I used a can of butter beans instead of cannellini beans. I thought the butter beans were a bit to large for the soup and they kind of fell apart over time. But it all tasted good together.

Spinach-Zucchini Soup Serves 6 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil 1 large onion, diced (2 cups) 1 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (2 cups) 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans, such as cannellini, or 1 15-oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained 4 cups baby spinach (4 oz.) 2 Tbs. lemon juice 2 tsp. grated lemon zest 4 tsp. finely chopped mint leaves

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion 3 to 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add zucchini, and cook 8 minutes more, or until vegetables are well browned. Add vegetable broth and 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Stir in beans and spinach, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Stir in lemon juice, zest, and mint. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Pan Roasted Line Caught Halibut with Soy-Lemon Sauce

I guess I'm into a bit of a Ming Tsai mood lately. Again, I saw a recipe that he prepared on Simply Ming which I needed to try. This time I was compelled by the browning then roasting of the fish and cherry tomatoes together. I like starting off in a pan and then finishing up in the oven.

However I has put off from making this because it called for preserved lemons. And of course Ming had a huge jar or preserved lemons with some jalapenos and lemongrass in there... but I was on my own. I couldn't find them at any of the three specialty stores I went to, but read how easy they were to make online. The problem is, they take about a month. It did seem that you could eat them after about a week so I decided to give them a try. I used Claudia Roden's recipe that I found online with Meyer lemons as a basis for mine:

Preserved Lemons
2 meyer lemons
1/3 cup sea salt
1/2 cup lemon juice

Scrub lemons very well and then cut up the long way into 8 wedges each (you eat the rind so make sure to clean them good). Cover them with 1/3 cup Coarse Sea Salt and 1/2 cup juice of a regular lemon. Stir well. Covered them up nice and air tight and let them sit out on the counter for a week. Stir them and re-cover every night for one week. On the 8th day add 1/2 cup of olive oil, stif and recover. Store in refrigerator for up to six months.

But after the first week I was ready to try this recipe. The rinds were soft so I figured they were ready. I was unsure about the lemons because they tasted so salty, but after a bit of research, I decided to give them a rinse and then trim that so that I was only using the peel. I used almost all of the lemons in this recipe, but the few that were left sat it the fridge for a few more weeks and I can confirm they get better with age. In fact, I'm getting ready to make another batch.

Pan Roasted Line Caught Halibut with Soy-Lemon Sauce
Serves 4

4 6-ounce center-cut halibut fillets, skin off
2 large minced shallots
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tablespoons white wine
2 Tablespoons low sodium organic soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped preserved lemons
1/4 cup chopped chives
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat over to 400 degrees. In an large saute pan or cast iron skillet, coated lightly with olive oil, season the halibut with salt and pepper and sear until brown on top side, about 2 minutes. Flip halibut and add shallots and tomatoes in between the pieces of fish, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top and place in oven. Roast for about 12-14 minutes until cooked through. Transfer fish to a plate and place pan on high heat. De glaze pan with win and add preserved lemons. Reduce by half and add soy sauce. Check for seasoning. Plate fish and encircle with sauce. Garnish with chives.

Garlic-Braised Chicken with Olives and Mushrooms

Can anything with at least 16 cloves of garlic be bad? I say no - especially if it's roasted. And even through it's braised, the garlic turn out soft and sweet, just like it was roasted. In fact, one of my family members said "I like the little white mushrooms" because they aren't used to eating whole cloves of garlic and didn't recognize them. But it was the garlic and I agree, it added alot of nice flavor. And of course the house smelled wonderful too.

I was a bit curious about this recipe because it is a braising technique but uses so little liquid. But it turned out just fine. I did end up having to cook the chicken closer to 30 minutes, maybe because I didn't have the burner turned up high enough.

The flavors are gentle but super tasty. I left the olives whole because it looked prettier that way. And there is a wonderful sauce so make sure to serve this with some type of side or crusty bread to soak it up. We ate it with farro.

Garlic-Braised Chicken with Olives and Mushrooms Serves 4 1 small chicken (about 2½ pounds), cut into pieces Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil 2 heads garlic (at least 16 cloves), smashed and peeled 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and halved ½ cup white wine ½ cup green olives (preferably picholine), pitted or left whole 1/3 cup chicken stock

Heat a large straight-sided skillet (about 12 inches) over medium-high heat. While it's heating, season chicken with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and swirl. Add chicken, skin side down. Let brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; set aside.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan, followed by garlic and mushrooms; let brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add wine to mushrooms and garlic and bring to a boil, then cook for 1 minute. Return chicken to pan.

Add olives and chicken stock to pan; bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Panko and Dijon-Crusted Trout on Cucumber-Quinoa Salad

I saw Ming Tsai making this recently on an episode of Simply Ming. I love how he instructs to pre-heat the cookie sheet in the oven before placing the fish on it. The fish cooks nice and evenly with this technique. I am a big fan of fish but don't always have success in cooking it. This was easy and very impressive. The crust on top made it turn out like a restaurant quality dish.

Also fun is that he serves it over a quinoa salad. This is becoming a popular grain and this salad is the first time I have prepared it. It is light and a great compliment to the fish.

The recipe on his site doesn't instruct you how to actually cook the fish so I have added that inline below.

Panko and Dijon-Crusted Trout on Cucumber-Quinoa Salad
Serves 4

¼ cup Dijon mustard plus 1 tablespoon for vinaigrette

1 cup panko on a plate

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 scallions, sliced thinly, white and green separated

4 skinless rainbow trout fillets

juice and zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons Wanjashan ponzu

¼ cup grapeseed oil

1 English cucumber, washed, mostly diced, a portion thinly sliced into coins for plating

1½ cup blanched quinoa

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to high broil and place oven-proof plate or cookie sheet in middle of oven.

In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup Dijon mustard with panko, olive oil and scallion whites. Season trout and spread seasoned panko mixture on top of trout. Place trout on heated cooking dish skin side down (it should be hot enough that the fish sears when placed). Broil about 8 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

Meanwhile, make vinaigrette by mixing lemon juice with ponzu and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Whisk in the grapeseed oil. Season and check for flavor. Add diced cucumbers and quinoa. Check for flavor and season.

To plate, arrange overlapping circle of cucumber coins, then spoon quinoa salad in center. Top with trout, drizzle extra vinaigrette around plate and garnish with reserved scallion greens.

Yangshuo Style Eggplant

I saw Ruth Reichl making this on Gourmet's Adventure's with Ruth recently and it looked so good I went straight out to the store to get me some eggplant! I experimented with Asian food quite a bit a few years ago and I still find it one of the most intriguing types of food to make. Partly because of the interesting and unfamiliar ingredients, but also because of the interesting cuts of the vegetables and how fast everything seems to cook. It's like 90% preparation and 10% cooking and I just find that neat.

You can find the recipe for Yangshuo Style Eggplant here.

It says it serves four as a side dish, but that's a really tiny side dish. I doubled the recipe for the four of us to enjoy as a side. I wish I quadrupled it. We couldn't get enough of it!

Pork Medallions with Miso-Mushroom Sauce

I thought this was going to have an Asian flavor since it uses miso, but this is not so. Too bad because I made a few Asian side dishes and they didn't really blend all that well together. No one complained though because all of the food was so damn good!

For some reason, this dish reminds me of a classic roast beef type dinner my mom usually makes - with browned mushrooms. It's a nice hearty meal for a cool winter night. I used some organic, local, humanely killed pork I got from the farmer's market but you couldn't really tell with this one because the sauce is so heavy. At least it feels good to use those types of meats even if you can't always taste it.

Pork Medallions with Miso-Mushroom Sauce Serves 4 ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch-thick slices 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 14 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (6 cups) 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (3 cups) 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth ¼ cup sake, (see Ingredient notes) 2 teaspoons rice vinegar ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 4 scallions, sliced 1 tablespoon miso

Place 1/4 cup flour on a large plate and dredge pork slices in it, shaking off the excess.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until golden, crispy and just barely pink in the center, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add shiitake and white mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons flour over the mushrooms; stir to coat. Add broth, sake, vinegar and pepper and bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in scallions and miso. Return the pork to the pan, turn to coat with the sauce, and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve the pork topped with the sauce.

Spring Chicken & Barley Soup

There is snow on the ground but the sun is out. That's Spring in Chicago! So today I made a batch of this Spring Chicken & Barley Soup for lunch. This is definitely one to make on the weekend because it too about 90 minutes from start to finish. But it is really flavorful and I have a batch of leftovers that I can take for a healthy lunch throughout the week.

I love the ideas of fresh asparagus and crisp peas in this soup. It is different that regular "chicken noodle" types. But the really stand out part is the sprinkling of basil, orange zest and raw garlic on top. That bit of orange really made the freshness pop.

Spring Chicken & Barley Soup Makes 4 servings, about 2 cups each 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup finely chopped onion ½ cup finely chopped celery 2 cloves garlic, divided 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 large bone-in chicken breast (10-12 ounces), skin removed, trimmed 1/3 cup pearl barley 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes 1 cup trimmed and diagonally sliced asparagus (¼-inch thick) 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas ½ tsp. coarse salt Freshly ground pepper to taste ½ cup lightly packed torn fresh basil leaves 1 strip orange zest (½ by 2 inches)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Grate or finely chop 1 clove garlic; add to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, chicken and barley. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon. Return the broth to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, shred the chicken or cut into bite-size pieces; discard the bone.

When the barely is done, add the chicken, tomatoes and juice, asparagus, peas, salt and a grinding of pepper; return to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes more.

Coarsely chop the remaining garlic clove. Gather basil, orange zest and the garlic and finely chop together. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a generous pinch of the basil mixture.

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and White Beans

Surprised at how fast this yummy, gooey, Italian gnocchi dinner came together! I did have a bit of a problem though... the recipe calls for "package shelf-stable gnocchi" and but I couldn't find any so I purchased a bag of frozen potato gnocchi from Whole Foods. I let it defrost before using because they were to go right into the skillet. Directions on package said to defrost and boil. So they ended up being pretty mushy. They didn't want to brown either. But I just cooked it all a bit longer and didn't care when the gnocchi all mushed together - the end taste is so satisfying and no one even noticed.

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and White Beans Serves 6 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 16-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup water 6 cups chopped chard leaves, (about 1 small bunch) or spinach 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.