Naturally decadent in taste yet filled with miraculously healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is truly a super food.

While delicious roasted, sauteed, or poached, I believe salmon is best eaten raw and finds its true calling in salmon tartare.

My recipe below balances the flavors of shallots and lemons to create a perfect bite. Eat it on its own, spread it on baguette or even on top of seaweed.

MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE

Using the recipe below as background, how might you make your own recipe? How about you?

Change up the fish?

• Tuna tartare is also delicious and would play beautifully with this flavor profile

Diversify the flavors?

• If you like Asian flavors, try adding ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and scallions

Dress it up?

• How about flavoring your own creme fraiche with red onions, wasabi or scallions? Just place a dollop right on top of your tartare!

SALMON TARTARE

Ingredients:
• 10 oz. – Salmon filet, bones/skin removed and minced
• 1 – Shallot, minced
• 2 – Lemons, zested (reserve ½ lemon to juice)
• 1/3 cup – Chives, minced
• 5 tsp – Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients, except the lemon juice
2. Taste and adjust the seasoning
3. Refrigerate for a few hours (maximum of 6)
4. Mix in reserved lemon juice just before serving

Back when I was a vegetarian (I know, shocking!), eggplant was a staple of my diet.

Meaty, super versatile and filling, I found myriad ways to prepare my favorite vegetable.

Whether it’s part of a salad, a side dish or an entrée, eggplant continues to play a starring role in my now carnivorous lifestyle. However, I won’t eat just any eggplant… in fact, I’ve found that there are few things less appealing than eggplant that hasn’t been properly cooked.

To ensure perfectly soft and creamy eggplant, use my scoring and roasting technique (see image and recipe below). Your eggplant will be delicious every single time.

Using this technique as background, how might you make your own recipe? How about you:

Repurpose this recipe?

• It’s a real winner spread on crusty baguette but why not also stir it into pasta with goat cheese, stuff a chicken breast, pair it with buffalo mozzarella on a sandwich or bake it into a meatless lasagna?

Add ingredients?

• To up the flavor and nutritional content, add more veggies – bell peppers, zucchini and mushrooms would be great.
• To satisfy your carnivores, add ground meat or sausage.

Diversify the flavors?

• To create a Greek-style side dish for lamb, add oregano, mint and Greek yogurt.
• For a baba ghanoush effect, add tahini, lemon juice and parsley.

Use a knife to score the eggplant and, using your fingers, rub the oil, salt and pepper into the grooves.

Eggplant Spread

Ingredients:

• 1 – Large eggplant
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp – Olive oil
• 1 – Large onion, diced
• 1 – Can of tomato paste
• 1 tsp – Sugar
• 5 – Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup – Basil leaves (discard stems), minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400*
2. Slice eggplant in half, lengthwise. Score each side with a knife, add ¼  cup olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper to each side and rub it into the cut areas
3. Bake on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet – scored side facing up – for approximately 45 minutes (or until eggplant is very tender)
4. Allow eggplants to cool and then scoop out the flesh and place in a bowl (reserve juices and excess oil)
5. In a large skillet, sauté onion in 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat with a pinch of salt and pepper
6. Once the onion is beginning to brown, add the tomato paste and sugar and cook it through for approximately 4 minutes, stirring occasionally
7. Add garlic and cook until fragrant
8. Add the eggplant flesh and liquids to the skillet and simmer mixture on medium-low heat for approximately 20 minutes
9. Add basil and simmer for 1 minute
10. Taste and adjust seasoning
11. Serve on crusty baguette toasts

NO – I haven’t yet given up on my New Year’s resolutions!

But what you may not realize about me is that when it comes to little kids… I’m kind of a pushover!

This past weekend, we made last-minute plans to meet friends. When their son heard I was coming, he asked what dessert I’d be baking. I had so much to take care of before the evening, but I couldn’t let him down!!

Turning to Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio, I quickly turned out these delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies. Very much in sync with my philosophy that once you understand ingredients and techniques you can make your own recipes, Ruhlman lays out how cooking with ratios can completely free you from recipes.

These cookies, made with equal parts butter, sugar and flour, are delectable and prove that ratios work. And after being proclaimed by my friend’s son “the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had”, it was worth the extra effort 🙂

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

(adapted from Michael Ruhlman’s recipe)

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. – Unsalted butter
• 2 oz. – White sugar
• 2 oz. – Brown sugar
• 1 – Egg
• 1 tsp – Vanilla extract
• 1 pinch – Kosher salt
• 4 oz. – Flour
• 1/2 tsp – Baking powder
• 1 cup – Chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350* and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. In a stand mixer, combine butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until creamy
3. Mix in remaining ingredients (except chocolate chips)
4. Fold in the chocolate chips
5. Using a small ice cream scooper (1 or 2 oz.), drop scoops onto parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving room between scoops because the cookie will spread during baking
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges begin to darken
7. Let rest on a wire rack, allowing cookies to harden before eating

Fresh aji amarillo – Photo credit:culinaryartsabroad.blogspot.com

Happy New Year!

If you’re anything like me, you too will be trying to transcend the indulgences of the past few weeks with light and detoxifying fare.

Look for aji amarillo paste in a jar – available at most supermarkets or online

This refreshing ceviche recipe highlights the fruity power of the aji amarillo, a Peruvian yellow pepper, that is sure to kick your metabolism into high gear while keeping your palate engaged.

MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE

Using the recipe below as background on technique, how might you make your own recipe? How about you:

Replace the shrimp?

• Cooked octopus, squid or mussels would be delicious. But if you prefer to go raw (and kosher!), try using a whitefish such as corvina. Or, better yet, combine cooked shellfish with raw fish for an extra special ceviche.

Add ingredients?

• Cooked sweet potato will mix up the textures and provide a perfect counterbalance for the spiciness of the chiles.
• Cancha, a Peruvian snack of giant kernels of corn that have been roasted and salted, will add a very satisfying crunchy/salty factor to your dish.

SHRIMP CEVICHE

Ingredients:
 1 tbsp. – Aji amarillo paste (or rocoto or red pepper paste)
 ½ cup – Fresh lime juice
 ½ lb. – Cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined and chilled or, if using frozen, thawed)
 ½ – Jalapeno pepper (remove seeds, devein and finely mince)
 ¼ – Red onion (thinly sliced)
 1 tbsp. – Cilantro (minced)
 Salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:
1. Mix the aji amarillo paste into the lime juice
2. Combine the shrimp, jalapeno, onion and cilantro
3. Pour the lime juice over the shrimp mixture
4. Add salt and pepper (taste) and toss well
5. Let the ceviche rest for no more than 15 minutes and serve

Baking is one of the great pleasures of the holiday season.

To elevate your cookie selection, add my Chocolate Snowballs to your repertoire.

Gooey, chocolatey and bite-sized, these will be a hit with all your fellow revelers.

MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE

Using the recipe below as background, how might you make your own recipe? How about you:

Add ingredients?

• Nuts, dried fruits and/or flavor elements like orange zest would be great additions

Change the format?

• Use those fancy molds you’ve been storing in your closet to create beautiful bites – just make sure you bake these a bit longer (use a toothpick to test doneness)

CHOCOLATE SNOWBALLS

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs – Butter
• 2 lbs – Chocolate
• 16 – Eggs
• 8 cups – Sugar
• 4 cups – Flour
• 4 tsp – Baking powder
• 4 cups – Powdered sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Spray a cake pan with nonstick baking spray
3. Melt your chopped chocolate and diced butter in a dry bowl placed over a pot of barely simmering water – use a bowl large enough to fit on top of the pot and only fill the pot about 1/4 of the way up so that the bowl doesn’t actually make contact with the water
4. Stir it consistently with a rubber spatula and remove it from the heat before it’s completely melted to ensure that you don’t burn the chocolate. Once off the heat, continue stirring until smooth – allow to cool
5. In a stand mixer, combine eggs and sugar – do not overmix
6. Mix in your melted chocolate
7. Add flour and baking powder and mix until just combined
8. Pour mixture into cake pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes until the exterior has hardened but the interior is still relatively soft
9. Cool pan on a wire rack. When cool enough, remove the cake from the cake pan and place it in the freezer for approximately 10 minutes
10. Using your hands, crumble the cake and form balls from the dough
11. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar and allow them to set in the freezer

Photo credit: cookinglight.com

Have you ever wondered how you can make that perfect roast chicken – crispy, golden brown skin, moist breast and superb flavor?

Well, click here to learn how!

Mmmm…. Meatloaf! Who doesn’t enjoy this simple, yet comforting, American classic?

For me, the best meatloaf is moist on the inside, crusty on the outside and deeply flavored with a balance of sweet and savory tang.

My recipe below, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, not only creates great flavor but uses a simple, yet ingenious, cooking technique which is the secret to great meatloaf.

By hand-shaping your loaf and cooking it over a foil-lined cooling rack that is poked with holes, you can ensure that your loaf will be moist, but not greasy, because the fat drains away and the meat isn’t left to stew in its own fat (as it would in a loaf pan). Additionally, the free-form shape exposes more surface area so that you end up with lots of delicious glazed crust (and isn’t that the best part?).

MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE

Using the recipe below as background on technique, how might you make your own recipe? How about you:

Vary the protein?

• Ground turkey, chicken, pork, veal or any mixture of these with beef would work

Add ingredients?

• Sauteed and pureed mushrooms or beans would add heft and reduce the amount of meat used; Veggies such as red peppers, mushrooms, and even corn would add color and nutritional value

Diversify the flavors?

• For an Indian take, mix in some garam masala and chunks of mango
• For Italian flavor, add basil and oregano and chunks of mozzarella

MEATLOAF

Ingredients:

GLAZE
• 1/2 cup – Ketchup
• 4 tbs – Brown sugar
• 4 tsp – Apple cider vinegar

MEAT
• 2 tsp – Olive oil
• 1 – Onion, chopped
• 2 – Garlic cloves, minced
• 2 – Eggs
• 1/2 tsp – Dried thyme leaves
• 1 tsp – Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp – Ground black pepper
• 2 tsp – Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp – Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp – Hot sauce (I like Frank’s Red Hot)
• 1/2 cup – Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup – Fresh parsley leaves, minced
• 2 pounds – Ground beef
• 1 1/3 cup – Panko bread crumbs

Method:

GLAZE
1. Mix ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan over high heat
2. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to medium – simmer until thickened slightly and set aside

MEAT
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a baking pan with foil and wrap a second piece of foil, poked with holes for draining, onto a cooling rack and place it inside the baking pan
3. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until softened (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool
4. In a large bowl, mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, yogurt, parsley and cooked onion and garlic
5. Using your hands, mix in the meat and panko until evenly blended and the meat mixture does not stick to the bowl – DO NOT OVERMIX!
6. Turn meat mixture onto a work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into approximately 9-by-5 inch loaf shape
7. Place the loaf on the foil-lined cooling rack that is placed in the baking pan.
8. Brush with half of the glaze
9. Bake until thermometer registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. Cool at least 20 minutes.
10. Slice meat loaf and serve with extra glaze passed separately.

Crispy exterior with a soft and satisfying interior, latkes are the quintessential Chanukah treat.

With the eight days of Chanukah (the Jewish festival of rededication and lights) beginning on December 8, we celebrate the miracle that the oil needed for the Menorah in the rededicated Temple lasted a full eight days and that the ensuing light triumphed over the physical AND spiritual darkness.

Using that oil as a starting point, my potato pancakes are layered with the flavor of deeply caramelized onions that intensify their fried (yet not oily) goodness.

MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE

Using my recipe below as background on technique, how might you make your own recipe? How about you:

Vary the potato?

• Sweet potato, zucchini and carrot would be nice options

Play with your toppings?

• Add wasabi to your sour cream for a Japanese touch
• Use Indian spices such as cardamom and cinnamon to make an extra unique applesauce

CARAMELIZED ONION LATKES

Ingredients:

• 4 – Medium russet potatoes, grated
• 2 – Large vidalia onions, sliced
• 3 – Eggs
• 3 tsp – Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp – Ground black pepper
• 4 tsp – Baking powder
• ½ cup – AP flour
• 1 cup and 2 tbsp – Canola oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300* and line one baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack inside a second baking sheet
2. Add 2 tbsp of canola oil and sliced onions (with a generous pinch of salt and pepper) to a large skillet over high heat. Once you hear a sizzle, lower the heat to medium-low and cook until onions are caramelized (soft, light brown and sweet). This could take up to 40 minutes – stir regularly and add a splash of water if onions begin to burn. Set onions aside in a large bowl and cool.
3. Grate potatoes (I keep the skin on mine and grate in a food processor) – place grated potatoes in a clean dishtowel and squeeze out all the excess liquid
4. In a bowl, combine the grated potatoes with the caramelized onions, eggs, baking powder, flour, salt and pepper
5. Heat the remaining 1 cup of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and when hot (test it by dropping in a bit of the latke mixture – it should sizzle but not smoke) drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil and flatten with a spatula – flip after 2-3 minutes and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side to ensure a golden brown color on both sides. In between batches, remove any stray bits of potatoes from the pan as they will burn.
6. Transfer cooked latkes to the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain and then onto the second baking sheet with the wire rack and place it in the oven to keep these latkes warm while you finish cooking the rest
7. Serve with sour cream or applesauce

Photo credit: recipes.saladmaster.com

Every day, we become more and more aware of the connection between food and well-being. And nowhere is this link more clearly explored and articulated than in ancient Chinese medicine.

In my search to find an acupuncturist and tap into this holistic wisdom, I was fortunate to find Dr. Rafael Perez (MS, Oriental Medicine and BA, Health Science) who runs a very special clinic steps away from my building in Miami (130 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 6 – 786-383-4325 -http://www.livingroomcommunityacupuncture.com/).

While discussing the power of food to impact our health, Dr. Perez shared how to use a few of nature’s simple – yet most powerful – ingredients to fend off the common cold.

Drinking a warm, comforting soup that combines ginger, scallion and prepared soybean can help induce sweating and release the exterior, thus stomping out the cold before it takes hold of the body.

So, if you feel like you’re getting a cold, or simply need a comforting meal, release the power of these ingredients by making this Miso Soup.

MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE

Using the recipe below as background on technique, how might you make your own recipe? How about you:

Add protein?

• Chicken, pork, beef, shellfish and even garbanzo beans would work

Incorporate more vegetables?

• Zucchini, broccoli, spinach, carrots and most other veggies would add color, texture and added nutritional value

Diversify flavors?

• For a Thai take, add coconut milk, curry paste and lemongrass
• For an extra spicy soup, add fresh chiles

Miso Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp – Ginger, minced
• 2 Tbsp – Garlic, minced
• 12 cups – Water
• ½ cup – Kombu (dried kelp)
• 1 ½ cups – Miso
• 1 cup – Fresh shitake (or ½ cup dried)
• 1 lb – Tofu, diced
• 1 bunch – Scallions, sliced into ¼ inch pieces

Method:

1. In a large pot, add water, ginger, garlic and kombu. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 min. Strain, reserve the liquid and pour back into the pot
2. Whisk the miso into the liquid
3. Add shitake, simmer for 15 min.
4. Add tofu, simmer for 5 min.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in scallions just before serving

*This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek medical advice for any questions regarding a medical condition.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Butternut squash…

My favorite fall vegetable and the perfect accompaniment to a Thanksgiving meal.

Naturally sweet yet versatile enough to shine in savory preparations, butternut squash belongs on your holiday table.

While I enjoy it roasted, mashed and even grilled, my favorite way to eat it is in my Butternut Squash soup.

MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE

Using my recipe below as background on technique, how might you make your own recipe? How about you?

Add ingredients?

• Render bacon as a base for your soup
• Add apples, pears or carrots to your roasting pan
• Add beef, chicken, lamb or even chorizo
• Stir in a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans
• Finish your soup with a bit of heavy cream

Diversify the flavors?

• Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin to create a Moroccan soup
• Add curry powder and coconut milk for a truly exotic experience

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1 whole butternut squash
• 1 vidalia (or other sweet) onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 quarts of chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

 Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 400*
2. Cut the butternut squash into 1-2 inch cubes
3. Toss the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper
4. Roast until tender and caramelized (approximately 45 minutes)
5. Slice the onion and cook in olive oil with salt and pepper in a heavy bottom pot on medium-low heat until caramelized (stir regularly and add a splash of water or stock mid-way if onions begin to burn)
6. Add your roasted squash and allow it to further caramelize with the onions. Stir regularly, scraping the bottom of the pan, to incorporate the fonds – the drippings on the bottom of the pot – as they are highly desirable for flavor.
7. Smash your garlic and add it to the pot
8. Add your cayenne, sage and paprika and heat through
9. Deglaze your pan with the red wine vinegar, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the fonds
10. Once the vinegar has reduced, add the chicken stock
11. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer
12. After simmering for a minimum of 30 minutes, puree the mixture in a blender and return to the pot
13. Add more chicken stock if you desire a thinner consistency
14. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
15. Top with Osem soup croutons –they’re delicious with this soup!

Happy Thanksgiving!