Recipes Of The World

In case you haven’t heard, we’ve been having some awfully weird weather here in Northern California. Late May and it’s been windy, rainy, and (gulp) cold for weeks. Practically unheard of for Sacramento. I’ve been walking around in denial, refusing to wear long pants?shorts only please?or socks, even though it’s in the 40s at night. The denial extends to my grill. I don’t care if it’s raining dagnabbit! I have a grill and I’m going to use it, even if I have to bundle up under my rain parka to do it. For your enjoyment today are grilled tuna kebabs (prepared under said rain parka) with assorted vegetables, which marinated for several hours in a rosemary garlic olive oil marinade. We had originally intended to use swordfish, but fresh tuna steaks were on sale at Whole Foods and we couldn’t resist. You could use any meaty fish for these kabobs. Bon appétit!

Continue reading “Grilled Tuna Kebabs” »

If you are firing up the grill this summer with fish or seafood, consider this fennel slaw as a fresh alternative to regular cabbage coleslaw to serve as a side. Even my father, who runs from fennel as if it were carrying plague, thoroughly enjoys this salad. Oddly, the naturally pronounced licorice taste of fennel is strongly muted by the vinaigrette, so only a hint comes through, and it is well balanced with the mint, shallots, and mustard.

Continue reading “Fennel Slaw with Mint Vinaigrette” »

Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal Planner

Recipe submitted by JdaTrainMan, 05/25/10

Soy Sauce  Caramelized Japanese Radish (Daikon)

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1 Japanese radish (daikon)
    2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    1 teaspoon sugar
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 to 3 tablespoons mirin
    Water to cover up to 2nd layer

Directions:

1) Wash the daikon and peel off the top layer of skin. Slice 7 - 1/2" thick slices off the daikon.

2) Arrange the daikon in a sauce pot so that you have three on the bottom, three on the second layer resting on the bottom three slices, and one on the top.  Add the soy sauce, mirin, salt, and sugar.  Then add water to cover up to the top of the 2nd layer.

3) Turn heat on and brin…

Get ready for something fabulous. Steak and mushrooms. Grilled flank steak that is, and assorted mushrooms dry sautéed first, then sautéed with butter, shallots, and cooked down in a red wine reduction. If you don’t want to navigate between the stovetop and the grill, you can make the mushrooms ahead, and reheat when it’s time for the steak to come off the grill. The mushrooms will go with any steak, skirt steak, hanger steak, tri-tip, or even a grilled hamburger. Grilling season is here my friends. Let the good times roll. (Please make this, you’ll thank me.)

Continue reading “Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms” »

Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal Planner

Recipe submitted by FullObeans, 05/22/10

Yummy Tortilla Soup

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1 medium onion, chopped
    5 gloves of garlic, chopped
    1 red or orange pepper, chopped
    1 1/2 cups frozen corn
    1 package firm tofu, cut into small pieces (I like baked savory)*
    1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
    1/2 cup packed, chopped fresh cilantro
    1 tablespoon cumin
    1 teaspoon oregano
    1 teaspoon chili powder
    1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
    Juice from 2 limes
    2 to 3 cups veggie broth ("No-Chicken Broth" is my favorite)
    4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
    Olive oil

*You can use 1 pound of regular tofu or a 1/2 pound package of baked tofu.

…

Simply Recipes contributor Hank Shaw and I “met” years ago over a comment he made about rabbit on Michael Ruhlman’s blog. I hounded him for a rabbit recipe back then so I’m delighted that he is sharing this French classic with us now, Lapin à la mutarde, or Rabbit in Mustard Sauce. ~Elise

This is a French country classic, and there are endless variations. All are good. Some recipes bake the rabbit, others braise it, as I do. The keys are mustard?good grainy mustard, not the bright yellow stuff you get at the ballpark?shallots, and something creamy. I use heavy cream, but some people use crème fraiche, others sour cream.

Rabbit has a mild flavor that is all its own. Think chicken breast, but with a slightly different flavor. It is one of my favorites, although I mostly use wild cottontail rabbits. Domestic rabbit is readily available frozen in good supermarkets, and any decent butcher can get you some. And yes, if you are skeeved out by rabbit, use chicken instead. But rabbit is better.

Continue reading “Rabbit in Mustard Sauce” »

Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal Planner

Recipe submitted by storyarc, 05/22/10

Vegan Spanish Chorizo & Fava Bean Soup

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 small onion, chopped
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    ½ cup vegan chorizo (I use Soyrizo)
    ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    ½ teaspoon paprika
    ¼ cup white wine
    2 tablespoons tomato paste
    1 tablespoon chopped peppers paste (or Sambol)
    2 cups vegetable broth
    6 cups water
    2 tablespoons vegan ?chicken? flavor bouillon
    ½ pound of fresh fava beans, removed from pods equals about 2 cups of beans
    5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, ¾? dice
    1 - 15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
    4 cups fresh greens, roughly chopped
   …

A few years ago my father discovered scallops, not that he didn’t know about them before, it’s just that some light bulb went off in his head one day and he decided that he had to cook them. So for a time he would madly attack any scallop recipe that seemed half-way interesting. The problem was that he just couldn’t get them right. He had a hard time getting them browned, and more often than not, they were overcooked. So when the-man-who-knows-more-about-seafood-than-I-ever-hope-to Hank Shaw was here the other day cooking scallops, both dad and I circled Hank like hawks, watching to see how he did it. Here’s what we learned. You need a screaming hot pan. Scallops have a lot of moisture in them, which means you have to get the pan really hot to dry the outer edge of that moist scallop so that it can actually get hot enough to brown. When the scallops brown, the meat pulls back a bit (contracting proteins) making them easier to turn. Now theory doesn’t always translate to practice, you might still have some sticking. But when the scallop is seared enough, it should move more easily.

Continue reading “Sea Scallops with Asparagus Sauce” »

To a native Californian like myself, a “tortilla” is round and flat, and comes in only two styles, flour and corn. So the concept that a tortilla could also be a thick potato omelette, took some getting used to. But that is the difference between a Spanish tortilla and a Mexican tortilla. The Spanish version is made by frying thinly sliced potatoes in olive oil, then layering those slices in a pan (preferably a cast iron frying pan), covering with beaten eggs, and cooking until set. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal, and only requires a few ingredients which you likely have in your pantry. It’s good warm, room temperature, or cold, and makes for great leftovers.

Continue reading “Spanish Tortilla” »

Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal Planner

Recipe submitted by grumpy old goat, 05/17/10

Vegan Gumbo

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    1 medium onion, diced
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 tablespoon white flour
    1 cup vegetable bouillon
    1 - 14 ounce can  diced tomatoes (or several fresh tomatoes)
    3/4 cup red beans
    1/4 cup brown rice
    1/2 cup okra, cut into 1/2" slices
    1/2 cup diced bell pepper
    1 stalk celery, diced
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
    Tabasco sauce, to taste
    Serve with your favorite crackers

Directions:

1) Cook the brown rice first and set to the side. Using a large sauce pan, saute the onion in the vegetable oil for…