Latin

For a Yule That's Cool! Seared Salmon with Pepita Salsa

20 Dec 2011
seared salmon with pepita salsa

Ahh, it's time for that most traditional Christmas dish of all. It's practically synonymous with sugarplums. Seared Salmon with Cilantro-Pepita Pesto !

What? Pumpkin seeds aren't typically yule in your mind? Even when paired with salmon?

Well read on. I think you'll agree Seared Salmon with Cilantro-Pepita Pesto  is bound to become a modern Christmas classic.

You see, I've been travelling. Traveling where it's cold. Traveling to a food-centric city– so everywhere I turned fantastic food was being offered to me. I ate at least 4 meals a day (plus drinks and snacks) every day for the past 7 days. With friends and family all around, it was eat, drink and be merry (Christmas) all the time. I've arrived home fat (and happy).

So when I started thinking about the Christmas food I wanted to enjoy more quietly here at home, I turned to one of my tried and true recipes. because I knew it had to be light. But light isn't necesarily the challenge. I also wanted to serve food with a cool yule spirit. But how do you make something as light as simply seared salmon seem festive enough for the holidays? Well, I chose color. Seared Salmon with Cilantro-Pepita Pesto is "red and green". It doesn't get much more holiday than that. I chose to serve mine as fillets drizzled with some of this delicious sauce. Still, I couldn't help thinking what an amazing taco this recipe would make. So I guess we'll be seeing this dish again come the New Year nestled into a steaming hot tortilla, heaped with some spicy cabbage slaw. Now that really is a new cool yule tradition. GREG

 

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 10 Comments

Seared Salmon with Cilantro-Pepito Pesto

salmon with pepito pesto
By jgreghenry Published November 14, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 3 t vegetable oil, divided
  • 0.5 c pepito seeds, raw, plus more as garnish
  • 0.5 c cilantro
  • 1 t coriander seeds
  • 1 pn cumin seeds
  • 1 clv garlic, peeled & minced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 pn each kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper
  • 4 (six-ounce) salmon fillets with skin
  • 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Directions

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and sauté until the sizzle and pop, about 2 minutes. Transfer seeds to a paper towel lined plate to cool. Wipe the skillet clean with a papper towel and reserve skillet.

Pulse the pumpkin seeds, cilantro, coriander seeds, cumin, and garlic in a food processor until a course, grainy texture is acheived. With machine running, gradually add the lime juice, and 1/4 cup oil. If necessary add a tablespoon or two of water to achieve a thick puréed texture. Season with salt, pepper.

Wash and completely dry the salmon fillets.

Heat the remaining teaspoon of vegetable oil in the large reserved cast iron or non-stick skillet set over medium heat. When the oil is very hot; add the salmon, skin side down. Cook it until the skin is very crisp, dark brown and releases easily from the pan. This should take 3 to 4 minutes. Do not be tempted to check or move the fish around in the pan during this time. You will only succeed in making it stick to the pan or worse ruin your beautifully crisp skin.

Once the skin has crisped flip the fish, and cook it an additional 1 to 2 minutes more, until the flesh is nearly (but not quite) opaque in the center. Do not let it cook all the way through. The fish will continue to cook after it leaves the pan. Your goal is a succulent flesh graduating from a medium rare center outwards to a crispy crackly skin.

Place the seared fillets on plates, skin side down. Spoon pesto over. Garnish with remaining raw pepito seeds. Serve with lime wedges.

Source: Adapted from Bon Apetit

Brussels Sprouts: The Video May be a Re-Run But the Chorizo is all New

23 Oct 2011
Brussels Sprouts with Chorizo

It's that time of year. The time when a young man's fancy turns to Brussels sprouts! Mine particularly because I have a particularly scary Brussels Sprouts video I pull out this time of year. Sure it's a re-run. But if I can sit through A Charlie Brown Christmas every year for 40 years you can sit through my Halloween video one more time!

To accompany this video I do have a new recipe though. Brussels Sprouts and Chorizo by Bill Kim of Chicago's Belly Shack. It comes from Lucy Lean's new cookbook Made In America: Our Best Chefs Reinvent Comfort Food, and I whole-heartedly recommend both the recipe and the book. Because this recipe proves there are lots of great ways to cook Brussels sprouts.

In this video I am Braising the Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta & Balsamic. CLICK here for a printable recipe. But Bill Kim's recipe sees the little buggers sauteed in a hot pan and married to something sweet and something spicy. It's this unusual combination of Asian-Latin flavors (including chorizo) that make this recipe so interesting. I recently served it as a first course at a dinner party. But frankly, I'd eat this all on it's own as a meal.  It's an extremely easy preparation, but there are a few tricks. A good hot  pan ensures you’ll get good caramelization on the outside without cooking the insides to a smelly pulp! So make the jump and watch the video.

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 13 Comments

Brussels Sprouts and Chorizo

Brussels Sprouts and Chorizo
By jgreghenry Published October 23, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 3 T unsalted butter
  • 1.5 lb brussels sprouts, peeled then quartered
  • 0.333333 lb mexican chorizo
  • 1 lime, juice only
  • 0.25 c brown sugar
  • 0.25 c asian fish sauce
  • 0.5 T sambal oelek
  • 0.25 c fresh cilantro leaves
  • 0.25 c crushed tortilla chips

Directions

In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1 table spoon of the butter. saute the sprouts in batches over medium-high heat until tender and caramelized. Cool and set aside.

In a small pan, saute the chorizo until cooked through. Strain off the excess oil and cool.

In a small bowl, pour the limejuice over the brown sugar and mix to dissolve. Add the fish sauce and sambal. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water as needed to balance.

Prior to serving, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan. Add the chorizo and saute for 1 minute. Add the Brussels sprouts and heat until warm. Add half the lime-sugar mixture, adding more as needed to taste. To finish, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter until melted.

Divide among 6 bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves and tortilla chips.

Source: From Bill Kim- Made In America by Lucy Lean

Caught Between Two Seasons- Grilled Halibut with Fried Garlic & Cherry Tomatoes

20 Sep 2011
Grilled halibut with garlic and cherry tomatoes

I am an unabashed lover of Los Angeles. I especially love Los Angeles in the autumn.

Well, happy days are here again because my favorite season has officially started. And though I love fall, I want to let the Los Angeles summer linger a bit longer. So I decided to grill some fish. Grilled Halibut with Fried Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes.

So when autumn rolls around are you moving the flip flops to the back of the closet? Are you raking leaves and relishing in their sweet earthy smell? Does the change in season bring a change in attitude? Me too! Because for your information, we rake leaves in Los Angeles too. Just not very many of them and we do it in flip flops.

Because one of the advantages of Los Angeles is the marvelous weather, but people unfamiliar with Southern California always (unmelodiously) ask... "Oh, but don't you miss the seasons?"

What that ridiculous question fails to comprehend is that we have beautiful seasons in Los Angeles. There are changes in temperature of course, and we can expect rain. Which is a welcome change from our dry summers. The air feels different, The breeze blows from a new direction and the sky takes on a slightly different hue. Yes there are changes associated with the seasons in Los Angeles. Sure they are not drastic extremes, but I don't really feel I need that kind of drama in my life anyway!

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 12 Comments