Really Easy Moroccan Dinner

This past weekend, I was in Whole Foods with my friend Heath, picking up some food for dinner. I was feeling very indecisive in what I wanted to make, so Heath suggested making some sort of lamb tagine. A tagine is a north African dish that is named after the clay pot it is usually served in. You don't need a tagine to make the dish, but whether using one or not, it is a slow cooked dish, usually made with lamb or chicken braised in a sauce with dried fruit (apricots, currants, dates), chicken broth, vegetables and spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, and coriander. It is very good served over couscous, quinoa or bulgar wheat.

Trout with Very Confused Pasta

I recently went to the doctor and found out that my cholesterol is on the high side. He recommended I get rid of fatty foods and improve my overall diet. Always up for a challenge, I wanted to come up with a way to make an extremely healthy meal that was both visually and gustatorily pleasing. I chose trout for the protein as it is very high in healthy fats that increase your HDL cholesterol. For the “pasta”, I wanted something that looked like pasta but was anything but. I decided to use red chard and cut it into strips. Chard is one of my favorite greens, and it’s hearty enough to stand up to tomato sauce. For my “meatballs” I decided to try something totally new and made barley balls.
For the tomato sauce, I sauteed cherry tomatoes with some garlic, parsley, lemon, onion, tomato paste and red wine. I let it simmer until the tomatoes were falling apart and then set it aside.
To make the barley balls, I cooked barley in advance and let it cool. I then mixed it with egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and some sauteed onion and garlic. I made sure the mix was thick enough to adhere during the cooking process, and constructed my barley balls. Once I had the balls, I put them in the freezer for 15 minutes to let them set. Once they were cold and solid, I heated canola oil (also very good for you) and browned the outsides of the barley balls. The result was a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside ball that had a heartiness similar to meatballs.
For the trout, I floured it with a little salt and pepper and then pan seared each side until golden. I used the crispy trout as the base, places a pile of chard “pasta” on top of that, added 2 barley “meatballs” and topped with the tomato sauce and some parm.
All together, the meal was reminiscent of a fine Italian pasta dish with a very healthy and unexpected twist. The barley balls turned out perfectly and were delicious to eat even on their own. Now that I’m being more conscious about what I’m eating, I’m looking forward to having more meals that are as fun and inventive as this one.

Empty Fridge? Breakfast Challenge!!!

Sunday morning: Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to create a delicious breakfast using only the food currently in your kitchen. Your available supplies include: 4 eggs, polenta, parmesan, celery, garlic, herbs, tomato sauce, bacon. Good luck!
With only the above ingredients, I was able to make the following brunch:

I started by braising the celery. I sliced it and then sauteed it in a saucepan until starting to brighten in color. I then added the garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. After about a minute, I put enough water to cover the celery, added some salt and pepper, and let it braise for about 15 minutes. While the celery braised, I made some creamy parmesan polenta. Once the braising liquid was almost cooked off, I added some tomato paste, mixed, and then added tomato sauce, parsley, and basil. I let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, cooked some bacon, and baked the eggs in the oven for 10 minutes.
Once everything was done, I plated the dish and enjoyed a successful breakfast challenge!

These Are a Few of Devon's Favorite Things

After a long Friday, I was in the mood to do some damage in the kitchen. Devon, my girlfriend, was feeling a little down after having to stay in the office late, so I decided to gather up some of her favorite items for a surprise cheer-up dinner. I went to Whole Foods with a bit of a plan, but as I often do, I just went with the flow. While walking by the fish section, I saw a huge round fish that had just been butchered. I wasn’t familiar with the fish by sight, so I asked the fish counter what it was. I learned that the fish was called Opah, native of Hawaii, and it was similar to Tuna. I was very intrigued by the fish, so I took a gorgeous cut of the cheek meat (they told me this was the most tender). They also told me that the fish was best served seared and very rare. Upon hearing this, my mind was aflutter with ideas. I grabbed a dozen oysters from the fish counter, and ventured off to construct my vision. I wanted to feature the fish, so I decided to make a “deconstructed sushi”. I picked up some kale in place of the seaweed, some sushi rice, and some cilantro for a marinade for the fish. I also grabbed a shallot to make a mignonette to go with the oysters, some robusto (her favorite cheese), and a bunch of red gerber daisies, Devon’s favorite flower.

I got home and prepped the fish by rubbing it with olive oil, chopped cilantro and some salt and pepper. I set that aside, and made a mignonette and some cocktail sauce for the oysters. For the mignonette, I finely diced the shallot and mixed it with pepper and red wine vinegar. For the cocktail sauce, I mixed ketchup, horseradish, lemon, and pepper. Once my sauces were made, I shucked the oysters (very efficiently!) and put the half shells on ice.

For the rest of the Opah plate, I cooked the sushi rice, adding a little rice vinegar and sugar to make it sticky. I then cut the spine of the kale out, sliced the kale into about 1 inch slices and sauteed it with lemon, garlic, some toasted sesame oil and a bit of mirin. For the sauce, I mixed mayonnaise with wasabi and sriracha chili and it tasted exactly like the spicy mayo used in spicy tuna rolls.Devon came home to flowers, a nice hors d’oeuvres spread of oysters and cheese and the Opah. The meal was a complete success and everything worked perfectly together. Assembling a bite with fish, kale, rice, and spicy mayo made you think you were eating a spicy tuna roll. The fish had a similar flavor to tuna, but was much more delicate and tender. I will definitely buy Opah again if I see it at the fish counter.