Comments (6)

By J.Ho, March 21, 2012 8:20 am

I’ve posted this before, but decided to revise it somewhat and it came out amazing.  I know what you’re thinking, why is someone who’s such a seafood snob using canned clams?  Well, I moved back to Las Vegas from coastal Massachusetts and fresh seafood is wicked expensive and it still sucks.  There’s nothing like going down to Rowand’s in Beverly, MA and grabbing some fresh seafood.  Most of what I bought there was swimming no more than 12 hours before I arrived.  Here in Vegas there are no good seafood markets. N-O-N-E !!!

This is a perfect mid-week, inexpensive, simple and amazingly delicious meal.

1 pound dried linguine
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 (6-ounce) cans of chopped or minced clams with their juice
½ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
¼ cup freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Juice of ½ a lemon
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large sauté pan heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and slowly cook, stirring, until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Or sweat the garlic in the olive oil for about ten minutes.  Add the clams with their juice, wine, red pepper flakes, butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper (keep in mind that the clams are quite salty on their own). Stir, reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Sometimes I like it a tad thicker than usual and I take about level tablespoon of flour and mix it in a small amount of wine.  Add a small amount of the flour/wine mixture to the sauce and stir. till you get your desired thickness.

Now, when you add the wine, make sure you use a good quality dry wine such as a nice Chardonnay. Use something that you would actually drink. Don’t be stupid and use one of those “cooking wines” that you’ll find at the grocery store. They suck.  They suck wicked bad. If you wouldn’t drink the wine out of a glass, why the hell would you cook with it?

Cook the linguine while reserving about ½ cup cooking water. Tip for cooking linguine: add 4-6 quarts of cold water to a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil.  Add about ½ tablespoon of salt. Always wait till the water is boiling before adding the salt. If you add the salt before the water boils, the salt crystals will not dissolve immediately and can damage your pot. Stirring occasionally, cook for 8-10 minutes or so, no longer than 12 minutes.  I like my pasta al dente, so 8 minutes is good for me.  Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the sauce along with the chopped parsley to the sauce and mix well, adding a small amount of the pasta cooking water if needed to coat the pasta evenly. Cover and cook for about a minute. Serve immediately. This dish is pairs perfectly with a bottle of Spanish Albariño.

I measured out the ingredients to have a little more sauce than most people would use. I like my pasta swimming in sauce. If you would like to regulate it better, add drained pasta to your serving dishes and spoon sauce over the top to get the volume you like.  I could eat this three or four times a week.

Yankees suck!

Comments (0)

By J.Ho, March 5, 2012 9:50 pm

The flavor is rich and complex, yet the preparation is fast and simple. BOOM!!

I’ve been preparing this dish and ones similar for a long time now.  This version just cannot be matched.  I’ve done a lot of studying up on French cuisine and lately it’s been my go to style when making a special meal.

I read a recipe in Saveur which stated, “According to French steak specialist Francis Marie, steak au poivre originated in the 19th century in the bistros of Normandy, where noted figures took their female companions for late suppers, and where pepper’s purported aphrodisiac properties may have proved most useful.”

Well, I can tell you one thing for sure … chicks dig this dish.  Big time!  I’m not sure if it’s due to the pepper or whatever.  Like it matters?

There are a million different ways to prepare a steak au poivre.  And there are many different types of peppercorns to use.  Sometimes I’ll sauté fresh shallots before I add the cognac. Some recipes call for beef stock.  Some call for port or vinegar.  This method has worked well for me and I’m certain you’ll love it.

The Ingredients

• 4 tenderloin steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each
• Coarse sea salt
• 2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup Cognac, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

The Plan

Remove steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes and up to 1 hour prior to cooking to allow them to come up to near room temperature and sprinkle with salt.  The last thing you want to do is immediately start cooking a cold steak.

I use a mortar and pestle to crush up the peppercorns.  Don’t use a peppermill.  It crushes them down too small.  You want big chunky pieces of peppercorn.  Apply enough pressure to all of the peppercorns just so they crack in two or three pieces. Press the peppercorns generously into both sides of each steak till you’re practically covered each surface with cracked peppercorns.  Set aside.

In your favorite skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil. DO NOT USE A NON-STICK SKILLET!! As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden and smoke, gently place the steaks in the pan. For medium-rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. You want a nice crust on each side. Once done, remove the steaks to a plate, tent with foil and set aside. Pour off the excess fat but do not wipe or scrape the pan clean.

Pull the pan off the heat and add the cognac.  Carefully ignite the alcohol.  Some people use a long lighter for this, but I usually tilt the pan over the gas flame to ignite.  You have to be wicked careful when employing this technique! Gently shake pan until the flames die. Return the pan to medium heat and add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add a teaspoon of cognac and season with salt. Spoon the sauce over all over the steaks and garnish with parsley.  Serve with your favorite Shiraz!

My creamed spinach accompanies this dish perfectly.  If you’re ever in San Francisco, stop by Izzy’s Steak & Chop House. They serve up a filet mignon medallion au poivre dish that is divine!

Yankees suck!

Filet Mignon au Poivre

Comments (1)

By J.Ho, August 29, 2011 10:17 pm

So I got bored and decided I’d take a shot at deboning a chicken for the first time and make a awesome stuffed chicken roast.  Not much of a recipe to share here, but it’s a technique everyone needs to try.

The video below is all you’ll need.  You can’t find a more proficient culinary technician in the world than Jacques Pépin!

I followed these instructions to the letter and roasted the chicken with a stuffing made of spinach, bacon, feta cheese and Merlot braised mushrooms.  Roast in the oven for hour at 350° and then crank it up to 500° for about ten minutes to give it a nice sear.

I probably wouldn’t use feta again in the stuffing, but otherwise it came out BOSS!  Yankees suck!

Roasted Stuffed Deboned Chicken

Comments (1)

By J.Ho, April 10, 2008 2:17 pm

As I continue on my quest for the perfect fried chicken recipe I come across this one at Simply Recipes.  It’s pretty damn good.  I tweaked things around a bit, but not by much.  I used parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme for the fresh herbs in the buttermilk marinade and I added paprika to the coating flour as well.  and a tad more cayenne pepper.

Simply Recipes is a wonderful site and an excellent source for a variety of recipes.  Enjoy!

Yankees suck!

Comments (1)

By J.Ho, April 7, 2008 1:23 pm

I’ve posted this recipe in the past, but I just found some pictures I took the last time I prepared it for some friends. So I figured it would be a good thing to update. Don’t let the bacon, butter and cream fool you. This dish is much lighter than it appears.

This is a simple country-style French dish that is hearty, nourishing and wicked, wicked good! It’s origins are in the French province of Brittany. One of the six Celtic nations, Brittany is gastronomically revered for producing some of France’s best beers, white wines, crêpes and seafood.

1 large onion, sliced
4 oz butter
8 oz bacon slices
1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
1 ½ pounds fresh cod fillets (any medium to firm textured white fish such as haddock, roughy or halibut may be substituted)
1 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 350°. Sauté the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of the butter. Prepare in a greased casserole dish which is an appropriate size to pack in all the ingredients firmly. Cover the bottom of the oven dish with a layer of bacon slices, then half of the onion, then half of the potato slices. Layering it all like a sandwich.

Cut the fish into medium sized pieces and place on top of the potatoes. Season well with salt & freshly ground black pepper. Reversely, cover the fish with the rest of the potatoes, then the onions and then the bacon. Season well with salt & freshly ground black pepper again. Pour over the cream. Dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake in the oven for about an hour. It will be done when the top is well browned and the cream is bubbling vigorously.

With the potatoes integrated within the dish, all you need is a side green vegetables. I’d suggest roasted asparagus.

Yankees suck!

Comments (0)

By J.Ho, April 2, 2007 9:44 pm

All I had to work with tonight was a little less than a pound of left over fresh haddock from dinner this weekend. That recipe will be up here one of these days. It ruled! Not that this recipe is one for the ages, but it is light, and taste fresh and delicious.

1 pound fresh cod, halibut, sea bass or haddock
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thick on the diagonal
2 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced thick on the diagonal
1 half large white onion
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium shallot, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Zatarain’s Cajun seasoning
Half fresh squeezed lemon

Heat oven to 425°. Melt the butter with the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots and sauté for 5 minutes. Try to control the heat. Do not brown or burn the garlic. Salt & pepper both sides of the fish filet. Spoon a small amount of the sauté mixture into a baking dish and place the fliet on top. Spoon a small amount of the sauté mixture on top of the filet. Toss zucchini, squash, Cajun seasoning and a bit more salt & pepper in the sauté pan for a minute or two and add to the sides of the baking dish around the fish filet. Place onions on top of the filet and squeeze fresh lemon juice all over everything. Bake for 25 minutes. There are several different directions you can go with seasoning this dish. Try dried oregano, rosemary or thyme. Maybe lemon pepper. Go for it! Enjoy! Yankees suck!

Comments (1)

By J.Ho, March 19, 2007 11:39 am

I was poking around the net the other day for some unique recipes (as I always do) and I came across Soul Fusion Kitchen. There are some very interesting posts and recipes on this site. The first thing that jumped out at me as the Huli Huli Chicken and Korean BBQ Short Ribs. This looked very easy and very delicious.

I don’t have much experience in making my own marinades, but seriously, how hard could this be? The site gives a great base Korean marinade for that could be used for just about any kind of meat. It suggests using the same marinade for chicken and short ribs and then grill them both together. Marinade them separately though. It also suggests a few variances of the marinade.

I’m never one to follow any recipe to the letter. As I was preparing the suggested base marinade as shown on the site, I naturally came up with my own added ingredients. I considered leaving out the the sesame seeds since I didn’t feel like toasting them. I eventually talked myself into toasting and adding them to the marinade. I put a few tablespoons of sesame seeds in a hot frying pan and shook them around till they browned up a bit. As soon as I placed them into the marinade I heard a quick sizzle and immediately picked up on the awesome aroma the hot seeds gave to the marinade. Good move on my part!

Base BBQ Marinade:
10 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
4-5 green onions sliced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 cups soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil

What I added:
Few splashes Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
½ cup dry white wine (in addition to the vinegar)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (I used more)

Now, it’s butt-cold out here in New England. When you have 24° weather and your outdoor grill is completely iced over, cooking outside just isn’t in the cards. Luckily I have my handy-dandy old reliable Ronco Showtime Rotisserie! I seriously believe my Ronco Rotisserie is the best invention since bottled beer! It’s been a lifesaver. I use it for roasting beef, chicken, pork, vegetables … you name it. It sounds corny when they say “Set it and forget it!” They aren’t kidding though. Put your meat in, set the timer and walk away!

I placed the chicken parts in one of the wire baskets that came with the rotisserie. Set the timer for 40 minutes and went on to drink some beer and make some risotto and roasted asparagus.

The rotisserie has three settings besides the time: a roasting setting, a no-heat rotation setting and a pause to sear setting. After 35 minutes or so of roasting I set it on “pause to sear.” What this does is pause the rotation, while keeping the heating element running. I paused for about four minutes for each side of the chicken parts facing the heating element to get a good crust on the skin. After the searing I ran it in roasting mode for another five minutes and then in no-heat rotation to let the meat cool allow the juices settle in. This way is better than letting the meat sit outside the roaster.

The net-net of this experience was that the chicken was fabulous! It was a tad salty for my tastes. I’ll probably not put any Worcestershire sauce in it next time since that brings more salt to the already salty soy sauce. I’ll probably add another jalapeño pepper though. I’m, not one for super spicy foods, but fresh jalapeños bring great taste to foods without a lot of heat.

Thanks again to Soul Fusion Kitchen. I’m glad I found this recipe and I think everyone should try it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Yankees suck!