Kitchen Hack

Grilled Snapper with Caramelized Pineapple-Serrano Butter and Pineapple Carrot Slaw

Summer. Kinda Hot, kinda humid. I wanted something refreshing and light but filling. I wanted something tried and true and something new. I wanted something with a little complexity and a higher than average degree of difficulty. I wanted to work for it, dammit. 

First stop, let's see what we got laying around. 

Hmm...okay. Some super fresh, super sweet carrots (bonus points for a multitude of colors), a leek. And a pineapple. 

It wasn't until a few years ago that I found I liked pineapple. More specifically, I like grilled pineapple. Raw pineapple is just to acidic and pineapple-y for me. Grilled, and some smart person out there can tell me why, either ups the sweetness and lowers the acidity or because the sweetness goes up, it masks the acidity. Either way, I like it. 

So, let's make pineapple the star of this show and work around it. 

Cookin' for Dudes: Weight Loss Special - Paprika Pork Chop Salad

Usually when I hear something is good for weight loss or is low cal or some such, I run like hell. Because I know I'm going to be eating some flavorless amalgam of barn sweepings and twigs. And, dude...I just can't. 

I didn't make this to be low calorie. It just turned out that way. Having come to the overdue conclusion that there's waaaaay too much of me to love, I'm okay with it being low cal. It's filling, its vibrant, but it clocks in around 500 calories and it's loaded with healthy nutrients. Best of all, pork is involved. Maybe even better (what's the next level up from "best") This thing took 15 minutes from when I started thinking about it to when I was eating. 

just me and Sous Chef Caya today. I found myself with a couple of pork chops in the fridge, a bunch of veggies and an abiding hunger. 

Caya was so hungry that she'd had enough of the lovey dovey crap on the deck and was looking for a squirrel to kill.

Cookin' for Dudes: An awesome recipe THAT REQUIRES NO COOKING

(Featuring completely unsolicited advice on olive oil)

The scene: it's a beautiful spring/summer day. But it's hot. Really, really hot. Despite that, you and your Best One did something outside and active. Took a run or a bike ride. A hike. Built a gazebo in your backyard. Played with your kids, all of whom are under the age of 10 and, as a result, completely impervious to heat as long as you remember to spray water on them every now and again. 

You're hot. You're sweaty. In a good way. You want a snack. You, dude, probably want chips and guacamole or some other absurdly heavy thing. 'Cause you're a dude. Tougher still, you're an American Dude. And that's how our limited brains work. 

Tell your Best One to get a cold drink and kick back in the shade. You'll be back in 10 minutes (if you move really slow) with something refreshing and restoring. She doesn't believe you but because she loves you, she pretends to. I got something for you that doesn't require any actual cooking. I got something that doesn't require plugging in so much as a blender. 

Cantaloupe with Prosciutto

Cookin' for Dudes: Fast, Easy (but weirdly classy) Lemon Pasta

Long week. Multiple cities. Landed at the airport, got in the car and drove right into the teeth of Friday Rush Hour traffic. By the time I got off the freeway 30 minutes later I'd gone from a rather involved Farro and Breaded Sole thing I had in my head to "screw it, I'm just stopping at the first fast food joint I see". 

And then I thought, "Nah." If I'm gonna try to eat healthier I gotta actually eat healthier and I didn't want a sit down restaurant and I didn't much feel like cooking. Then I remembered this dish. 

It's a standby go-to when I need something fast but I want it to be light and relatively healthy. I'd cook it for Jill from time to time when I'd get back from a week of travel and I was tired and didn't feel like cooking. But, you know what? She'd had a long week, too. She'd been working, too. She was tired, too. And I'd missed the hell out of her and wanted to do something for her. 

Spiced Shrimp Salad with Arugula and Fennel

Hot day. Want some salad. Got some shrimp. Let's do something. Let's do a nice spiced and grilled shrimp on a bed of Arugula and Fennel and Parsley. Throw in some oranges. Make a lemon vinaigrette to top it off. Fresh. Light. And, with just a little planning, fast.  This is what we'll be working towards...

So, first get your ingredients together.

For the Vinaigrette
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1tsp Honey
2 tsp Dijon
Salt And Ground Black Pepper
½ cup olive oil

For the Spice Rub
1 tbsp Spanish paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp ground fennel seed

For the Salad:
4oz Arugula
1 blulb fennel, thinly sliced, with half the fronds roughly chopped
4 Cara Cara oranges, peeled and sliced into supremes (use regular oranges if you can't find Cara Cara)
1 Serrano, seeds and ribs removed, minced
salt and ground black pepper

For the Shrimp:
1lb 31-40ct Shrimp, peeled, devined and tails removed
2 tbsp canola oil
Salt and ground black pepper

Grab your ingredients and get them stacked up to one side. Let's get our implements together. Get a big ol' salad bowl and set it to the side. Get both large and medium size mixing bowls and set them to the side. Grab a small bowl, a whisk and a fork. Get your cutting board and knife ready. 

We're going to fire up the vinaigrette first. Combine all ingredients but the olive oil into a small bowl and whisk well. Let sit for a couple of minutes so the salt dissovles. Slowly drizzle in the oilive oil, whisking like a crazy person the entire time until emulsified. Set aside. While it's still good if you serve right away, letting it set for 10-15 minutes allows the acid in the lemon juice to mellow the garlic a bit.

Spice Rub time. Throw it all in a regular ol' bowl and stir it with a fork. Set it aside. 

Put the shrimp in a good sized bowl and add the canola oil, salt and pepper, and 2 tbsp of the spice rub. Toss it well with your hands so it's all mixed in well and the shrimp looks kinda like this. 

Set a grill pan over medium heat (or if using a proper grill, go fire it up). Don't forget that it's sitting over there heating up. Since most grill pans on this earth are cast iron, remember to put a pot holder or a towel or something over the handle so you don't burn the beejeesus out of yourself by grabbing the handle after it's been heating up. 

(Mostly) Assemble the salad. 

Build it in layers. 

Empty bowl. 

Arugula.

Fennel. Including the flavorful fronds.

Parsley and the Orange Supremes. You can see the deliciousness forming. Give it a little salt and pepper. Don't toss it just yet. 

Get the shrimp into the hot grill pan. Give it 2 minutes and then start flipping the shrimp with tongs. Give it about another minute. Add to the salad bowl. If, like me, you have a small grill pan, you'll have to work in batches, otherwise you crowd the pan and the shrimp steams instead of chars. 

BAIN #1: If you don't have a grill or a grill pan, doing this in a skillet is fine. You won't get the smoky char but it will still be good. The only thing you'll do different is along with mixing in the oil with the shrimp like we did above, you'll add a tbsp or so to the skillet just to ensure you don't stick to the pan. 

We're almost home. Using half the dressing, pour it along the edges of the bowl and then gently push the salad to the edges. This lightly dresses the salad without drowning it. 

Serve it up. Put the remaining dressing on the table in case anyone wants another drizzle or two. Otherwise, divide the salad across four plates and you're good to go. It's nice, it's light, it's fresh. The spice rub gives it a nice earthy hint and the Serrano just a touch of heat. Start to finish, this took me 20 minutes with the longest part being peeling the shrimp. Great on a hot day and probably a pretty solid "I-want-something-fast" weeknight meal. 

Quinoa, Salsa & What to Do With the Leftovers

One of the things that's fun about cooking is figuring out how to use the leftovers. And, often, the leftovers are way more better than the thing you originally made. So...we're gonna cover three things here: Nemo's Mango-Chipotle Pico de Gallo; Southwestern Quinoa Pilaf; and something I have yet to name, that involves both of those and a couple of chicken breasts. 

Saturday we knew Erin would be coming home from seeing her dad down in New Orleans. Before leaving, I promised her I'd cook her something when she got back. She replied with "Salsa!" So, that was pretty clear direction. 

Also, I'd spent the week eating food that was a long way from healthy. I craved leafy, bitter greens (crazy healthy). 

And, I knew I needed protein but healthy protein. 

So, This Happened...

TL;DR is I wanted to make a salad with grilled chicken and this big involved thing just sorta happened on its own.

After a followup visit to the doc on Thursday I have decided that this lethargic, “I don’t give a damn about me” state has got to stop. I’ve added 8lbs in 3 months and my leg, four months after injuring it, is about where it should be one month into rehabbing it.

Combine that with it being summer and between having great fresh veggies in the garden and spectacular summer produce available in several nearby farmers markets, maybe, I thought, I should start eating like I want to stay alive for awhile. Further, I needed to take this long weekend as the kickoff to pounding the hell out of my leg. Which means healthful, anti-oxidant rich foods would probably be a good idea to help with recovery. I am, after all, old. I can use all the help I can get. I am also open to voodoo and incantations. ‘Cause the increase in walking and the sadistic stuff the physical therapist gave me (pretty sure she’s just pissed I've been blowing her off so she dreamt up stuff that does nothing but cause pain) is...ouch. Caya has taken on dual roles as Sous Chef and SVP-Physical Therapy. The latter role consists of going on walks with me and forcing me to pick up the pace (which hurts but the doc says I gotta start pushing it). The former role is essentially to guard the meat. She was very disappointed with how the food part of the weekend started. I did a couple of quinoa dishes yesterday to give me a big protein blast without the fat. There was no meat. Caya thinks cooking without meat is just dumb. Like taking a walk without peeing on things. I mean, who does that?

Hanging Out Cookin' Stuff with The Dog

We decided that we should go back to our lives today. Maybe just have a day, not one riddled with depth and longing and all that stuff. Grieving is exhausting. Despite the fact that you can't turn it on or shut it off at will, it also gets boring. No one tells you that part. You're gonna go through it as long as you go through it, I'm convinced of that. It seems to defy acceleration or control of any form. But even in the midst of any given wave of it, there are times when you think...Christ, this is getting old. Not in a histrionic sense. Don't know how to describe is other than it gets boring.

It's good to take a day off. After not working the last couple of days I have some work things to catch up on but not enough to fry the whole day. Kim's working, Erin's living, it's just me and Caya. Rough start...It was 36 degrees when Caya and I started the day.

This is Caya last weekend when the temperature was in the 60's.

Roasted Cabbage & Hummus

What we had at my house tonight...Roasted Cabbage with Hummus. Got it off I Will Not Eat Oysters (great cooking blog). You may be saying, "he doesn't seem, like a roast cabbage guy to me". Right you are. But Erin (stepdaughter) was over and she is. So...followed the recipe linked above. A few relevant observations...
1. Making hummus yourself is really easy. I've done it before but have always used the purist approach of using dried beans. While people that know better say that makes a much tastier hummus, I can't tell the difference...so canned it is.
2. Sumac is not optional. You need you some sumac. Go online, order it, start dumping it on everything. However much you use is too little. You need this stuff.
3. Shut up with the black sesame seeds. I know they're supposed to be stronger and better. Taste exactly like sesame seeds.
4. I actually liked this dish. I was as surprised as anyone. I have a theory that you put enough hummus and sumac on anything, it'll be good. Erin liked it a lot, and that was the point.
5. Very easy to make. Cut up some celery and toasted some pita while it was roasting.
6. A more common term for "sesame paste" is tahini. No idea why we're calling it "sesame paste". If you have trouble finding tahini, let me know. I can walk you through how to make it yourself.
7. Big hairy unfortunate by-product. My house now smells like roasted cabbage. If you want to know how that smells do this: take some dirty running socks that you've left in your bag. Pour water over them. Throw moldy cheese on top. Add to a baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. EXACT. SAME. SMELL