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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

 

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Get to Know Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs with Pomegranate Relish & Tahini Yogurt

03 Dec 2011
Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs with Pomegranate Relish and Tahini Yogurt

Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs with Pomegranate Relish and Tahini Yogurt

I got this recipe for Middle-Eastern spiced chicken skewers from Bon Appetit magazine sometime last year. I didn't save the magazine so I don't know what they thought about this recipe. So you're stuck with hearing what I think about it.

I think it's terrific. Pretty too. Pomegranate seeds make everything pretty. Which is similar to the way that tahini makes everything delicious and yogurt makes everything healthy. Making this recipe terrifically pretty and healthy too. I'd say this was a fresh, modern interpretation of Middle Eastern cuisine. It features an interesting mix of seasonings known in Turkey as Bahārāt, which includes cumin, oregano, and dried mint. Bahārāt is the Arabic word for 'spices'. So you might get confused when you Google around for the word. What makes this version typically Turkish is the addition of mint into the mixture.

So that's what I think (and know) about this recipe.

What do you think?

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Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs with Pomegranate Relish and Tahini Yogurt

Chicken Skewer with Pomegranate
By jgreghenry Published November 29, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 T freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 T dried mint
  • 1 T dried oregano
  • 1 t ground cinnamon
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • 1 t ground nutmeg
  • 6 T freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
  • 1 clv garlic, finely minced
  • 0.5 c greek yogurt
  • 0.25 c tahini
  • 1 c pomegranate seeds
  • 1 c pistachio, shelled, toasted and roughly chopped
  • 0.5 c flat leafed parsley, roughly chopped
  • 4 T olive oil, divided
  • 1 onion, peeled and grated
  • 3 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 6 whole pita breads, warmed in the oven

Directions

Make the spice mix: Using mortar and pestle grind black pepper, dried mint, dried oregano, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, and ground nutmeg for 2 to 3 minutes. May be made 1 week ahead. Cover to store.

Make the tahini yogurt: Combine 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the spice mix you just made, and garlic in medium bowl; stir to blend. Let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in yogurt and tahini. Season tahini yogurt to taste with salt. May be made up to 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Make the pomegranate relish: Mix pomegranate seeds, pistachios, parsley, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. May be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Make the chicken: Whisk grated onion, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining spice mix in large bowl. Add chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinate at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Preheat broiler. Divide the chicken chunks between 6 skewer, threading them with out packing them too tightly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on small rimmed baking sheet. Broil chicken until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Arrange kebabs on platter. Serve with tahini yogurt, pomegranate relish, and warm pita breads.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit

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

Market Matters- Sup Picked a Pound of Pickled Peppers

21 Aug 2011
colorful peppers

This is the time of year when the Hollywood Farmers Market is literally pumped up with colorful produce. It seems all the brightest vegetal hues make themselves prominent in August. Purple plums, crimson heirloom tomatoes, and golden squash embellish the stalls with all the flair of a Hello Kitty Lunch Box!

But there is another vegetable hitting it's peak with the heat of summer. One that can pack its own heat and yet wears all these colors, and more. I am talking about peppers. Peppers in all sizes and all colors. Hot peppers, sweet peppers, or plain ole pretty peppers. They are really an inspiration to cooks like me who find creative kicks through colorful cues.

In fact one look at these peppers and Peter Piper popped in my pate! Hey it would happen to you too. Nursery Ryhmes carry potent cultural baggage.

Which got me thinking. Did you know  the phrase "Sippity Sup" started out as the title of a Nursery Rhyme?

Sippity sup, sippity sup,
Bread and milk from a china cup.
Bread and milk from a bright silver spoon
Made of a piece of the bright silver moon.
Sippity sup, sippity sup,
Sippity, sippity sup.

I feel kinda bad that I sorta usurped that poor old Nursery Rhyme. I mean it was a lesser-known Nursery Rhyme to be sure. I don't think it held much favor with Mother Goose. So it wasn't really that hard to beat the Google pants off it.

Still, there was a time when you could Google "Sippity Sup" and you'd find references to that less than popular children's poem of the same name. Then "along comes a spider" in the form of a food blogger. And guess what? Now that poor little Nursery Rhyme does not even come up on the first page when you Google that phrase. That's my fault– but it wasn't intentional. I never even knew what HTML was before I started this blog. Let alone understand how to optimize it!

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