Roasted Chayote and Goat Cheese Taco with Salsa Verde

 

Roasted Chayote and Goat Cheese Taco with Salsa Verde

Rick Bayless inspired vegetarian taco.

• 2 ea soft corn tacos (grilled)
• 1 ea chayote (cut up and roasted)
• 1 oz goat cheese
• 2 tbsp salsa verde
• cilantro (as desired)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper (as desired)

1. Cut the chayote into bite-sized pieces

2. Add to a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Toss until everything is coated.

3. Roast the chayote in a 425 degree oven for 40-45 minutes

4. Grill the tortillas in a grill pan or cast iron pan to get some color on both sides

5. Assemble the tacos: Chayote, pieces of goat cheese, salsa verde and optionally cilantro and any other taco toppings you want like guacamole.

   
   
   

Spicy Tomato Soup

 

Spicy Tomato Soup

I make soup all the time but I never write down a recipe. Here is the recipe.

• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 6 oz diced tomatoes with green chili peppers (Hunt's is a good brand)
• 8 oz water
• 4 oz pickle juice
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pinch sugar

1. Put all the ingredients in a pot and simmer for about 10 minutes

2. After the soup has cooled off a little, pour into a blender and blend until smooth

Serve the soup hot or cold. A nice addition is some sour cream or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

 

Easy Grilled Salmon Cakes

 

Grilled Salmon Cakes

This is for the grill pan or the grill.

For the salmon cake:

• .60 lb salmon fillet
• 10 Saltine crackers (smashed to crumbs)
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• chives to garnish

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp chopped chives

1. Poach the salmon in barely simmering water, about 8 minutes. 

   
   
   
2. When the tip of the knife can pierce the fish easily, it’s cooked.
3. Scrape off the flesh from the skin. Place the salmon in a bowl and continue to flake with a fork.

4. Add the cracker crumbs, pepper, egg, oil and lemon juice, combine and flake with a fork.

5. Form the mixture into 4 patties.

6. Put the oil in a hot grill pan and fry the patties, about 3 minutes per side. These should be firm enough to put on a BBQ but if there is any doubt, use a fish basket or heavy duty aluminum foil to line the grill.

7. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce: Mayonnaise, Dijon, chives, lemon juice and pepper.

8. Sauce the plate and add the grilled salmon cakes.

The patties will be slightly wet. That's okay as they will tend to be more moist.

 

Bone Marrow Chicken Stock and Dumplings

Chicken Bone Marrow Broth

Add the dumplings and this dish is similar to Kreplach.

We made Hoisin chicken legs before. Now we get to use the leftover bones.

• 10 bones chicken legs (cracked in half)
• 1 tsp Kosher salt (more or less as desired)
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper (more or less as desired)
• 1 handful chopped, fresh dill
• 1 carrot (sliced)
• 3 quarts water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 ea potato and onion pierogies

1. Cut the chicken legs in half. Use a rubber hammer to bang the knife down to cut the bone if necessary.

   
   
   

2. Put the bones in the pot with the water and lemon juice and simmer covered for 4 hours and uncovered for 2 hours.

3. Strain the contents into a second pot. Add the carrots. Simmer one hour longer.

4. During the last 10 minutes, add the dumplings.

5. When the dumplings are floating, add the fresh dill. Adjust the seasonings.

6. Stir and serve.

This is the best stock you will ever make. It revitalizes and just plain tastes good.

 

Long Island Lobster Roll with Sriracha Mayonnaise

 

Long Island Lobster Roll with Sriracha Mayonnaise

A taste of summer.

• 8 oz cooked lobster (Fresh, frozen or vacuum packed)
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (more or less to taste)
• 4 ea split top buns (toasted and buttered)
• 4 pieces lettuce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• minced chives (for garnish)

1. Chop the lobster meat into smallish pieces

2. Add the mayo, salt,  pepper, Sriracha, lemon juice and combine

3. Toast and butter the buns

4. Lay down a bed of lettuce and pile the lobster meat on top

5. Garnish with minced chives

Cook time depends on whether you start with fresh lobster, frozen tails or claws or already cooked, packaged and frozen meat.

Don't skimp on the lobster. Your friends will love you!

 

Pork with a Corn and Cabbage Salsa

 

Pork with a Corn and Cabbage Salsa

The salsa works well with chicken and fish too.

Salsa

• 3 ears small to medium fresh corn
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red cabbage
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

Pork Chop

• 2 center cut pork chops (bone in or boneless)
• Kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Salsa

1. Shuck the corn and boil for 5 minutes

2. Remove the kernels with a chef's knife

3. Finely chop the red cabbage

4. Chop the tomato into small pieces

5. Add the honey, vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper and taste. Adjust the seasonings to your taste.

Pork

1. Season well with salt and pepper.

2. On a grill, or in a grill pan, or cast iron skillet, cook until the pork is firm to the touch. With a meat thermometer, the temperature should read about 160 degrees.

Plating

1. Give the salsa a stir and spoon over the pork.

Cook the pork in a hot pan, or grill - about 5 minutes per side depending on the thickness. Thin sliced pork fillets will cook faster.

If the pork has a slight amount of pinkness in the center, this is okay. It will be very tender. Also, there hasn't been a case