Lunch

A Sardine Sandwich with Horseradish Cream

22 Jan 2012
sardine sandwich with pickled red onion

Sardines? Egads no! They look like fish, they smell like fish and they taste like fish. That's enough information to get many of us to swim for the hills. If there was ever a little fishy in need of a makeover it's the sardine. Un-loved and under-appreciated do not begin to describe the loathing attached to this surprisingly healthy and completely delicious tasting fish. I'll start the makeover with a sandwich that I know you'll love, if you just let yourself get past all those fishy miscoceptions. Sardine Sandwich with Horseradish Cream & Pickled Red Onion

Sardines are super tasty. Really they are. Oh, believe me, I know what you’re thinking. Even the very word seems a little unappetizing. Sar-deeeens. Just the phrase sardine sandwich can clear a room to the point of echos. Say it out loud and see for yourself. "Sardine Sandwich... anyone? anyone?"

But now I'm going to ask you to do something. I'm going to ask you to listen to my case for sardines. Especially canned sardines. First off, they're terrific from an environmental perspective. Seafood Watch rates sardines as a "Best Choice", because they're an abundant, fast growing fish that's low on the food chain and able to sustain its population. Sardines feed solely on plankton. Which may sound gross but what that means is they don’t eat other fish which may contain mercury or PCB’s. Unlike that canned tuna we're so fond of, sardines aren't bio-accumulating these toxins.

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Sardine Sandwich with Horseradish Cream & Pickled Red Onion

Sardine sandwich
By jgreghenry Published January 22, 2012
Prep time: 5
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 0.25 c rice-wine vinegar
  • 1 t sugar
  • 1 t black peppercorns
  • 0.5 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 T mayonnaise
  • 1 T prepared horseradish
  • 0.5 t fresh lemon juice
  • 2 sli pumpernickle bread, toasted
  • 2 leaves red lettuce
  • 4 oz canned sardines packed in oil, drained plus 2 tsp reserved oil
  • 1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 1 pn each kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

Bring vinegar, sugar, and peppercorns to a boil in a small saucepan. Add onions and remove from heat; let sit for 30 minutes, then chill. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, horseradish, and lemon juice; spread mixture over each slice of bread, and top each with 1 lettuce leaf. Divide sardines evenly between sandwiches, and top with pepper and pickled onions. Drizzle with reserved oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Source: From Saveur Magazine

Grilled Squid with Miner's Lettuce Salad & Mint, Parsley, Anchovy Pesto

Grilled Squid with Miner's Lettuce Salad & Mint, Parsley, Anchovy Pesto
By jgreghenry Published January 15, 2012
Prep time: 150
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 t finely grated lemon zest, separated
  • 2 T fresh lemon juice
  • 2 clv galic, peeled & minced
  • 1 t pimentón de la vera (smoked spanish paprika)
  • 1 c extra-virgin olive oil separated
  • 2 c chopped flat-leaf parsley, chopped and separated
  • 1 lb cleaned small squid bodies
  • 1 pn salt & pepper as needed
  • 4 oz anchovy fillets, chopped
  • 2 T drained capers
  • 2 medium shallot, minced and separated
  • 0.5 c mint leaves, chopped
  • 0.75 c extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 bn miner's lettuce
  • 1 c cooked or canned chickpeas
  • 0.25 c whole mint leaves
  • 0.25 c whole flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice with 1 clove minced garlic, pimentón, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup of the chopped parsley. Add the squid and toss to coat. Season lightly with salt & pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
In a food processor, combine the anchovies with the capers, 1 minced shallot, remaining minced garlic, 1 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup chopped mint, chives and remaining lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and pulse the machine 10 or 12 times, scraping down the sides once or twice until finely minced. Then with the machine running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup olive oil. Season the pesto with additional salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, pour the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice over the remaining minced shallot and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the miner's lettuce, chickpeas, whole mint leaves and whole parsley leaves and toss the salad.

Meanwhile, light a grill. Remove the squid from the marinade and season with salt. Grill the squid over high heat until it is lightly charred and just cooked, about 2 minutes per side. Mound the salad on 4 plates. Spoon the green sauce onto the plates, top with the grilled squid and serve.

Source: Adapted from Matthew Dillon for Food & Wine

Real Men Eat Watercress (Soup!)

10 Jan 2012
watercress soup with sage

Move aside quiche there a a new super food in town and men love it.

Real men like Napoleon Bonaparte and (yep) Sippity Sup! And we're not the only super-dudes in love with this peppery green bite. It’s said that Hippocrates, the father of medicine, built an entire hospital next to a patch of the stuff because he recognized early on the health benefits it could provide to his patients. Gruff Greek soldiers ate watercress to increase their masculine vigor. Even Roman Emperors said it enabled them to make “bold decisions”. I can vouch for that. I ate Creamy Watercress Soup with Sage and decided to write this super-charged tribute.

In Victorian times elegant ladies jumped on the watercress bandwagon too. It could be purchased in parks and street corners, gathered into posey-style bundles. These daintly little nosegays could be nibbled upon, like an ice cream cone while strolling.

And what a nibble watercress seems to be. It's said to have more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk, more folate than bananas, and more iron than spinach.

But its real attribute is that manly men like it. The Romans even believed it could prevent baldness. Now I ask you what man wouldn't eat watercress with that kind of information available to him? Still, even if you have a full head of hair (or are in fact a lady) eating watercress still has delicious benefits. Most notably it has a peppery crunch that elivens this vibrantly colored creamy soup made with leeks, and potatoes called potage au cresson. My version is a simple (but manly) take on the classic. GREG

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Creamy Watercress Soup with Sage

watercress soup
By jgreghenry Published January 9, 2012
Prep time: 30
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • 2 leeks, halved lengthwise, cleaned, white and light greeen parts roughly chopped
  • 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 clv garlic, peeled & minced
  • 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 3 c chicken stock
  • 2 bn watercress (about 1 pound), leaves only, plus more for garnish (optional)
  • 6 leaves of fresh sage, rinsed and chopped
  • 0.5 c heavy cream
  • 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
  • 1 pn each, salt and white pepper, to taste

Directions

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan set over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery and garlic, stirring to coat. Lower the heat and cover the pan, cooking the leeks until softened somewhat, but not yet colored, about 4 minutes. Add the potato and chicken stock. Simmer, uncovered until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove the pot from the pan and stir in the watercress and sage. Set the pan aside to cool somewhat.

Meanwhile mix the cream and egg yolks together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until very smooth. The strain the soup with a fine meshed sieve discarding any solids. Return the soup to the pan, setting it over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cream and egg yolk mixture. Season with salt and white pepper. Garnish with watercress (optional). Serve warm.