Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Asian Pears and Thyme

This is a Williams Sonoma Cooking for Friends recipe, but they use Bosc pears which I am sure would be just as delicious. I used shallots instead of a red onion, only because I had no red onion. I’ve always been nervous about making tenderloin, possibly because in my first attempt, I was told to bake them at 500 degrees, so the meat was dry and overdone. I have another recipe that uses pears with the tenderloin, it is good but uses cream and sherry, so much richer. This recipe is light and I will make it again and again. Served with apple sauce, and roast potatoes, a salad and cauliflower cheese, the pears and shallots are perfect companions.

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin about 1 lb trimmed of excess fat
Salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 shallots, cut into wedges (or red onion)
4 Asian pears (or Bosc pears) cored and cut into 8 wedges. Leave the skin on
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Leaves from 12 fresh thyme leaves (I didn’t have any so used dried thyme)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Season the pork tenderloin well with salt and pepper. In an oven proof pan over medium high heat, put 1 table spoon olive oil and when the oil is shimmering sear the tenderloin until well browned. Turn the tenderloin to brown on all sides for about six minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the shallot and pears to the pan, sauté for 1 minute. Return the pork to the pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Scatter the thyme leaves in the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let the tenderloin rest for 5 minutes. Cut into slices. 1/2 inch thick. Place on a platter and drizzle with the glaze from the pan. Serve immediately.

Shrimp poached in Court Bouillon

 2 lbs shrimp -

Court Bouillon

10 cups water
1 3/4 cup white wine
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 carrots quartered
2 stalks celery quartered
1 head of garlic halved horizontally
1/2 bunch parsley
2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 tablespoons salt

Directions

Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil over high heat - lower heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes

Drop shrimp into liquid and turn off the heat. Cook shrimp for 2 1/2 minutes stirring occasionally or 3 minutes if shrimp are large.
Drain and cool to room temperature
Refrigerate if not using right away but bring shrimp back to room temperature 20 minutes before serving.
Serve with shrimp cocktail.

Court bouillon can be frozen.

Pizza

Ingredients for the dough

1 teaspoon sea salt
1.2 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups room temperature water
1 kilogram Anna “OO” flour
1 package dry yet instant
Extra virgin oil for drizzling

Directions

In a large measuring cup combine salt ,sugar and water.
In a large mixing bowl, add 1 kilogram “OO” flour and form a well in the center. Slowly pour water mixture into well, then add yeast. Using a fork begin beating the water until yeast dissolves. Slowly incorporate the flour until dough begins to form. Place the dough onto a flat floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic - about 5-7 minutes. When kneading you will probably beed to add more flour as the dough will initially be sticky.
Drizzle a small amount of oil on the bottom of the bowl to prevent from sticking. Place dough into bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, cover with a blanket and allow to rise completely. I let the dough rise over night and then place the dough in the refrigerator the next day.
Any dough you are not using can be placed in the freezer.

Topping

You can use Cento San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand or …..
We make our own pizza sauce from plum tomatoes, peeling the skin, chopping the tomatoes, sauté a chopped onion and add to tomatoes. Add some basil leaves, a teaspoon oregano, a teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in one can of tomato paste and allow to simmer for several hours, stirring from time to time.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Divide the dough into three balls. I use a perforated tray rather than a pizza stone. Stretch the dough ball until it forms a 14” circle (I find that nearly impossible and consequently use a rolling pin after stretching. Brush the pizza dough with olive oil and place in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and spread the tomato sauce on the dough. Top with mozzarella slices, grated pecorino Romano cheese for a Neapolitan pizza. Or cooked mushrooms, sausage meat, olives halved or whatever your preference. I find 15 minutes is just about perfect.

Pistachio Coffee Cake

 A quick and easy coffee cake with a color surprise -green and also a delicious aroma while baking. Our neighbor, Carol Motto, gave us the recipe after we had tasted hers and my grandchildren baked it one evening. The whole cake disappeared in one evening!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Grease and flour bottom of 9 x 13 pyrex dish

Topping
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon            

1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix all of the above together and set aside. Do this first before making the batter.

Batter
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box pistachio instant pudding
1 cup oil
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs

Mix together and pour half of the batter into the Pyrex dish
Spread half of the topping over the batter in pan
Pour remaining batter in pan
Spread remaining topping over batter

Bake for 30 mins then reduce heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Check with toothpick.

Comfort Vegetable Soup

Following an upset stomach, as one eases back into regular food, this is especially gentle on the stomach, made with no oil or butter.
I was given a bunch of homegrown celery, so out of this grew a really delicious soup. A bit like Stone Soup.  I had carrots, regular celery, some beans, a cob of leftover corn, a can of kidney beans, a couple of potatoes, an onion and beef broth in a box.

Ingredients

1 onion chopped
3 potatoes cut into 2 inch pieces
4 carrots chopped
5 stalks celery chopped
1 corn on the cob cooked
1 large tomato chopped
3 cups beef broth

Directions

Chop all the above ingredients, cut off the corn on the cob, put in a large saucepan and add 3 cups beef broth. Make sure the vegetables are covered with liquid, add a teaspoon salt and a shake of pepper. Really you can use more or less vegetables, add water if needed. Cook covered on the stove till the vegetables are tender but not mushy.

Lemon Garlic Swordfish

 Lemon Garlic Swordfish
Inspired by Chewoutloud

This recipe is similar to my other swordfish recipe, but instead of parsley if calls for chopped chives. I think the chives hold up better than the parsley which tends to become mushy. This recipe serves 2 people.


Ingredients

Lemon Garlic Mixture
2 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
3 tablespoons garlic cloves minced
1/4 tablespoon salt
1/4 tablespoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

Swordfish
1 lb Swordfish steak 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with rack in middle
In a small pan combine all the ingredients for the lemon garlic mixture, stir and set aside.
Rinse the fish and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a large oven proof cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
Once oil is hot, add the swordfish to pan and let cook until browned on one side, approximately 3 minutes. Do not move the fish. Flip the fish over to the other side, turn the stove off and transfer pan into hot oven.
Let the fish roast for six minutes or just until the top is golden and center is just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook. While the fish is in the oven, cook small pan of prepared lemon garlic mixture over medium high heat, stirring constantly until melted and bubbly. Turn heat off and pour over the cooked fish, be sure to pour off any juices from the swordfish pan as well.
Serve with lemon wedges and garnish with reserved chopped chives.

Cousa/Tomato/Onion Omelette

 

Ingredients

 
4 Cousa squash, hollowed out - keep the insides for the omelette chop up the outer part to add to a salad.
1 small onion sliced
1 Tomato Chopped

3 eggs
1/4 teasp. Salt
Shake of pepper
2 tablespoons milk/ cream or almond milk
1 tablespoon butter


Directions

 
Make the cousa, onions and tomatoes first.
Saute the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil, add the chopped tomato and continue to cook for a minute or two. Add the cousa and allow to cook altogether for three minutes.
Remove and put to one side.
Next make the omelette separately as directed below.

Crack the eggs in a bowl
Add salt, pepper and milk (or heavy cream or dairy free milk)
Beat well till fluffy.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, pour in the egg mixture and with a spatula, gently move the egg mixture to one side. It will start to thicken and fluff up. Once the egg is beginning to brown on one side, add the cousa tomato and onion on top of the egg. If you try cooking everything together, it makes the egg watery.

For variations, add cheese during the middle of cooking (grated cheddar) or sliced cooked mushrooms, or cooked asparagus. Or use all three!

This recipe is good for 1-2 people.
Just increase the amount of eggs and use a larger pan if feeding more people.

Succotash Treasure Hunt

Msickquatash/Succotash Treasure Hunt

Last night I opened the fridge and peered in hoping to be inspired. The fridge was full of tiny leftovers - a small container of leftover homemade pizza sauce, a handful of peas, two corns on the cob, a dish of cooked mushrooms, a sad bunch of cooked asparagus and some cousa squash I had forgotten to cook.
I’m not sure I had the traditional ingredients for succotash but that came to mind. The pizza sauce mixed with a little water to make it thinner already had onions, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. I chopped the asparagus and mushrooms, took the kernels off the corn and added the peas to the tomato sauce.  Next I chopped up the fresh cousa and threw that in the pot, uncooked, I thought it would give it all a nice crunch. It actually was delicious, we  just heated it all up.

Red Kidney Bean Salad

This is a refreshing summer salad, with red onions, tomatoes and chopped parsley.
Quick and easy to throw together.

Ingredients

2 cans red kidney beans
2 tomatoes chopped
1/2 a red onion
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons Olive oil
2 lemons squeezed
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Drain the kidney beans and place in a bowl
Chop 2 tomatoes and half a red onion.
Chop 1/2 a cup parsley
Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and squeeze two lemons.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper.

Mix all together

wisteria tree

 Our thirty year old wisteria bloomed for the first time this year!

Rhubarb/Strawberry/Blackberry Crumble

Rhubarb is perfect right now, we have a plant in the garden and it’s fresh at the local market. Rhubarb’s tart flavor partners well with strawberries and blackberries. You can really use any berries with the rhubarb.

Ingredients
                                                                  

2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups strawberries quartered
1 cup whole blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt

Crumble Topping
1 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold butter cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Preheat over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Rack in middle position.
Spray a pyrex baking dish with cooking spray.
Wash the rhubarb, chop into 1 inch pieces, wash and quarter the strawberries and wash the blackberries leaving them whole. Put all fruit in a large bowl mix in 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/8 teaspoon salt together and add to the bowl of fruit, mix all together thoroughly.
For the crumble topping mix together 1 cup flour 3 tablespoons sugar , 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Work in the butter with your hands until it forms into large crumbly bits.
Put the fruit into the pyrex dish, sprinkle the crumble mixture over the fruit evenly.
Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Eat with ice cream.

Shrimp with honey/garlic marinade

 

Honey Garlic Shrimp with Rice

Inspired by sallysbakingaddiction.com

Wondering what to make for dinner?
If you have frozen shrimp in the freezer and leftover cooked rice, this is an easy dish to put together. You can add a few frozen peas to the rice and serve with chopped onion greens and chives. For this dish I added chopped snap peas and a red pepper. Served with a salad it makes a delicious dish full of flavor. It can all be prepared ahead - the shrimp can be marinating ready to be cooked, the rice is cooked and the pepper and snap peas chopped.

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp uncooked - peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red pepper chopped
6 snap peas chopped (or frozen peas)
Chopped green onions/chives for garnish
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
 3 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Directions

If not using fresh shrimp, thaw the shrimp completely.
Make the marinade by mixing together 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 garlic cloves minced, and 1 tablespoon grated ginger. Once the shrimp is thawed, place shrimp in a plastic bag and cover with half of the marinade mixture. Shake the bag and allow the shrimp to marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 12 hours.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet or wok, cook shrimp on one side till pink, about 1 minute and then flip the shrimp over. Pour in remaining marinade sauce and cook it all until shrimp is cooked through about 2 minutes. Remove shrimp. Saute the chopped red pepper and snap peas for two minutes, add the rice and cook to warm through, add the shrimp back and continue to cook for another minute. Serve on a platter with chopped green onions or chives as garnish.

Serve with salad.

Swordfish Steaks with Peppercorn Butter Sauce

 

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit dated September 2005, I
t was also on the Epicurious site. This recipe calls for starting
by sautéing the fish in an ovenproof skillet on one side and
then flipping the fish and transferring the skillet to a
400 degree Fahrenheit oven to complete the cooking.
I am always nervous about making swordfish, it can be
dry and heavy - however this recipe produces a moist flakey
fish.

Ingredients
2 one inch thick swordfish fillets (about 6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorns, plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Directions
Place 2 tablespoons butter in a bowl to come to room temperature
Mash 2 tablespoons butter, 3 teaspoons chopped parsley, 1 clove finely minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorns and 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel  in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt.
Wash the fish and pat dry with paper towels.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in an ovenproof heavy skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle swordfish with salt and ground peppercorns. Add swordfish to skillet. Cook until browned on one side approximately 3 minutes. Turn swordfish over and transfer the fish to the oven, cook for a further 10 minutes. Check with a knife to see if the fish is done, depending on the thickness the fish may need more time. Swordfish should be just cooked through, don’t let it overcook as it will become dry.
Remove from skillet
Add seasoned butter to the same skillet. Cook over medium high heat, scraping up browned bits, until melted and bubbling. Pour butter sauce over swordfish and serve.
Garnish with a sprig of parsley

Arctic Char Sauteed with Orange-Lentil Salad

 Sautéed Arctic Char with Orange-Lentil Salad
Inspired by Epicurious

Last Sunday we purchased an arctic char fillet at the Farmer’s Market, not sure how to cook this fish but since I had some leftover mmjadarah (lentil dish) I thought I’d try a lentil salad. Epicurious had a roasted arctic char recipe with a lentil salad. The addition of oranges sounded perfect. Instead of roasting, I pan fried the fish. My lentils were already seasoned and cooked, however you can use canned lentils instead. I don’t think it would taste the same, mmjadarah is silky and totally delicious, cooked slowly it’s just heavenly. (the recipe for mmjadarah is below) Arctic char is similar to salmon but much lighter and milder in taste.
The fillet was about 1 lb in weight and I was able to cut it into 4 pieces similar to the one this picture. This is not my picture, we ate it too fast for me to catch it. This is the roasted one from Epicurious. When we make it again, I will take a picture of our fish with the lentil salad.

Ingredients

4 arctic char fillets about 4-5oz each
4 tablespoons Chopped Chives
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
(For the Lentil Salad)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
5 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups mmjadarah (or canned lentils, rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
8 snap peas cut into three sections
4 orange wedges for garnish
Parsley for garnish

Directions

Make the lentil salad first.
Whisk orange juice and zest in a bowl, add 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir in the lentils gently add 2 tablespoons chopped red onion and 1/4 cup chopped mint.

Wash the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons chopped chives over the fish. Place a pan over medium high heat, add 4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter, wait for the oil and butter to be sizzling.
Place the fish skin down in the pan and sauté for 3 minutes (until the skin is browned),
Flip the fish over and sauté for another 3 minutes.
Remove fish and serve with lentil orange salad. Add a few orange wedges and some parsley stalks.
I also added some lemon wedges

 
Mm-Jadarah - Lentils
Ingredients
1  cup Lentils
1/4 cup Rice
Spanish Onion
Lipton’s Beef Flavor with Mushrooms (or Lipton's Beef & Onion)
Water
Salt
Pepper
Allspice
Cinnamon
Cumin
Oil

Directions
(For every cup of lentils, use 1/4 cup of rice) This is a guide if you want to make more or less than the given recipe.

Place 1 cup of lentils and 1/4 cup rice in pan and cover with 4 cups of water.
Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cumin and one tablespoon allspice.
Bring to boil over high heat.
Take 1 package of Lipton’s Beef Flavor with Mushrooms mix, dissolve in a 1 cup of water cup of water first, then add to lentils and stir well so it does not lump

Chop 1 Spanish onion and saute in oil till golden brown. Add to lentils. After the onions are done and added to the lentils, take 1 cup water, pour into skillet to gather goodness and then add to lentils.

Turn heat to low and let simmer and thicken without lid.
Stir from time to time.
Keep checking and tasting, if you feel the mixture is becoming too thick and the lentils are not soft yet, add more water.

It should have a rice pudding texture.
Serve cold with sauteed onions, fresh green onions and a salad.
Also good scooped up with cabbage leaves.

This dish can be used as a base for a lentil salad or lentil soup.s

Black Sea Bass with Lemon Garlic Sauce - pan fried

Black Sea Bass with Lemon Garlic Sauce (Pan Fried)

Ingredients

1 lb. black sea bass
3 tablespoons butter divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4  cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4  teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon fresh parsley roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped scallion
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1/2 tablespoon chopped thyme

Directions

Remove the fish 1/2 an hour before cooking. Wash and pat dry with a paper towel.
Prepare all the ingredients for the garlic sauce first arrange in the order you will be adding to the pan- this is because the cooking goes quite fast once the fish is in the skillet.

Next, measure 1/4 cup dry white wine. Set aside a tablespoon butter. Mince 2 cloves garlic and the chopped herbs. You don’t have to use them all. Squeeze the fresh lemon into a cup.

Once you have everything lined up and ready,
Put 1/4 cup flour in a plate, add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix with a spoon.
Dredge the fish in the flour and shake off any excess flour.
In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat.
Cook the fish 3-4 minutes each side until golden brown
Remove fish from the skillet to the plate
Turn heat down to low.
Add 1/4 cup wine to the skillet, stirring up any brown bits. Stir for 2 minutes
Add one more tablespoon of butter to the skillet - once it has melted, add the minced garlic and fresh herbs, saute for about 30 seconds
Turn off heat and stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the lemon juice
Stir and serve the sauce on top of the fish.

Fettucine with Ricotta

David makes his own ricotta when he makes his ghiban cheese (basket cheese). The ricotta is made from the whey. Making your own cheese and ricotta during a pandemic is a rewarding endeavor!

A quick easy meal, usually made with peas.  I had some beet leaves and precooked them chopped and added to the pan of ricotta and cream sauce. Spinach is another alternative or mushrooms. You can really use any addition, once you have the cream and ricotta mixture simmering gently, add the peas or all the above. Also good with sauteed shrimp or scallops. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

 
1/2 lb fettucine
2 tblsps  olive oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup cream/whole milk
1 cup ricotta
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Bring water to the boil, add salt and fettuccine.
Heat olive oil in a large pan, add minced garlic and cook covered for 2 minutes without letting the garlic brown.
Add cream and ricotta  and stir.
Add salt and pepper and allow to simmer low for 3-5 minutes.
Strain the fettuccine (reserve a cup of the water) and add the fettuccine to the cream and ricotta mixture..
If dry, add a little of the reserved pasta water.

This is good with spinach, beet leaves, mushrooms, peas (all precooked)

Also good with shrimp