Recipes

Cilantro-Basil Pesto Pasta 

with Chicken

 

  

For Pesto:

• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino

For Chicken & Pasta

• lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 pint baby bella or white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb pasta of choice (I used Fettuccini Regate because it has grooves that catches the pesto nicely)
• Parmesan or pecorino to garnish

For Pesto:

1. Place the basil, cilantro, almonds, garlic, lemon, juice, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend into a paste, scraping sides with spatula. Slowly add olive oil with processor on to make pesto smooth.

For Chicken & Pasta:

1. Heat salted water until boiling, cook pasta according to package.

Meanwhile,

 2. Place chicken between plastic wrap and pound until 1/4" thick. Season on both sides with salt and pepper, and squeeze lemon on breasts. Heat oil in skillet at medium high. Place chicken and mushrooms in skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.

3. Drain pasta when just al dente, reserving about 1 cup of cooking water. Toss pasta in skillet used for chicken (wiped out) and toss with pesto and a little olive oil over low heat. Stir in cooking liquid until pasta is coated. Grate cheese over top. Serve with sliced chicken and mushrooms.

Recipes

Salmon with Dill Sauce,

Spinach and Mushroom Saute,

and Pine Nut Cous Cous 

 

Salmon with Dill Sauce

• 4 (6-oz) Salmon fillets, with or without skin
• 2 tbsp olive oils
• 1 1/2 cups creme fraiche (or sour cream as a sub)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 3 tbsp finely chopped shallots, slowly sauteed in olive oil until golden brown, about 10 minutes
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon or any white wine-based Dijon is good)
• salt & pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl whisk fresh dill, creme fraiche (or sour cream if using), cooked shallots and Dijon mustard together. Season with pepper and salt to taste, blend well. Let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. 

2. Brush each fillet lightly with olive olive all over, especially on skin (if using).  Rub minced garlic on all fillets. Season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle zest on flesh, set aside.

3. Meanwhile heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, lay salmon, skin side down and reduce heat a bit. Spoon 1/3 of dill sauce over flesh as cooking. Do not move fillets, allow to cook for 6-7 minutes, flip and cook additional 3-4 minutes. Remove salmon from skillet and keep warm.  Reduce heat to low and pour remaining dill sauce in skillet, cook until heated through, about 1 minute and serve over salmon.

Spinach and Mushroom Saute

• 1 pint of white mushrooms, chopped
• 10-oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add garlic, cook less than a minute. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes, add balsamic vinegar and continue cooking until mushrooms release their juices, about 5 minutes more.
2. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until just wilted. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Pine Nut Cous Cous

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots (1-2 shallots)
• 3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, or water
  
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups cous cous
• 1/2 cup pine nut, toasted
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

1. In small skillet toast pine nuts until fragrant and golden brown. Set aside to cool. 

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook them over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Stir in the couscous, cover the pan, and set aside for 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts and parsley and fluff with a fork to combine. Serve hot.

I Love NOLA

New Orleans. Just saying the words makes me think hot, sweaty, sexy, defiant, proud, mischievous. The air feels different here. It hovers, so in the distance the filtered neon lights glow through mist in the most coyly inviting way. You know your a visitor when you're here because the language is meant for natives only. There is a unshakable bond among the New Orleanians. They know their food, their music, and their city is special...unchanged in spirit if not by landscape. They watched their city be swept away and it took a long time, years in some cases, for people to come back. But once the foundations were reestablished, albeit some cracked and eroded, the tentative music began playing again. 

I visited with a native Louisianaian, born and bred in the shadows of the Big Easy. Having lived elsewhere in the recent past, you could tell the city still had it's enchanting affect on him. Here romance has a palpable heartbeat yet the atmosphere is still somewhat unsavory and slightly insidious. Founded by the French, ruled by the Spanish and with the roots of Acadians ("Cajuns" from Canadian Island region of Nova Scotia and all the way down south to Maine) the food and culture that has been maintained is an evolution of artists and heavy on musicians. There wasn't a moment in time during my visit that there wasn't music in the air, whether it the deep throaty song of the tree frogs coming off the marshes or the wail of the saxophone from inside a local venue. New Orleans thumps, it beats, and it never sleeps. I fell in love...

 

 

 

Recipes

I always rely on chicken breast when I am making dinner in a hurry. It's easily marinated, or simply seasoned with salt and pepper, baked, sauteed, grilled, broiled, or fried. I decided to take a recognizable recipe, Chicken Parmesan, and turn it into a week-night meal by using ground chicken and forming it into chicken burgers. As a side, Simply sliced and seasoned potatoes are baked "fries" that make this an uncomplicated and casual meal. 

Chicken Parmesan Burgers 
with Baked Potato Fries

 

Chicken Parmesan Burgers 

• 4 rolls (such as ciabatta or french
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/3 cup marinara, plus 3 tbsp (homemade or good quality jarred)
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 slices fresh mozzarella
• 8 basil leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 4 rolls (such as ciabatta or french)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Cut rolls in half, place on baking sheet cut side up. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes until toasted. Set Aside.
3. Combine chicken, marinara, rosemary, thyme, red pepper, panko, salt, and pepper. Divide into 4 patties. Heat an oven proof skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to skillet. Add patties and cook 3-4 minutes per side. Spread 3 tbsp marinara over the patties and place skillet in oven. Bake for 8 minutes. Top each patty with mozzarella slice and bake additional 1 minute, until melted.
4. Place a patty on each roll and top with basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Baked Potato Fries

• 2 large baking potatoes, such as Russet, peeled & sliced into thick fries
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Place cut potatoes in large freezer bag, add olive oil, garlic, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Shake to coat. Spread onto baking sheet.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, shake pan, cook an additional 20-25 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Serve.

Fish Tales

Of all the things I fondly recall of living in Japan, the fish markets are at the top of the list. Having been used to the few fish options we have here in Los Angeles, discovering these massive, crowded, odoriferous caverns of fresh fish and I became a giddy wanderer. My husband, losing me among the styrofoam boxes and loudly yelling vendors would often have to reel me back in (sorry, I had to.) So upon returning stateside I have become a fish snob of sorts, often comparing quality and choices to the island options of Japan. So far the Korean Woori Market is my go-to place for unusual breeds and nice shellfish. They also have sashimi, sliced fresh in the seafood department which is better quality than most restaurants. As for the mad markets that I am so in awe of, I amassed a menagerie of photos documenting the aquatic delicacies, here are a few...


Kyoto Fish Market

 

 

 

 

 

Tsukiji Market

 

 

Recipes

I absolutely love the texture of the pork with this recipe. All the good fats from the milk keep the pork juicy and and the nuttiness of the browned milk is decadent. It is definitely my favorite version of comfort food. The Sherry baked potatoes are a nice accompaniment because the sweetness of the sherry wine pairs nice with the savory pork. I chose brussels sprouts as the veggie side, but steamed french green beans would work nicely, too. Have fun!

Milk Braised Pork Loin with Sherry Baked Potatoes and Roasted Brussel's Sprouts

 

 

Milk Braised Pork Loin

• 1 2 1/2 lb boneless pork loin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 cups of milk
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp water

1. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil and butterin a large pot over medium high heat and brown pork on all sides. Slowly pour milk over pork, stir in rosemary and garlic. Allow the milk to come to a boil, then lower heat to medium low. Partially cover with a lid and cook until no longer pink, turning often and basting with pan juices, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

2. If the milk is not already a nutty brown color, increase the heat until milk browns. Spoon off fat, pour water in to pan, bring to a boil while scraping brown bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Slice pork and serve with milk gravy.

Sherry Baked Potato 

• 1 medium baking potato
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, sliced
• 1/4 tsp butter
• 1/4 cup of Sherry

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Make several cuts croswise about 1/2" a part, not all the way through the potato. Place an oin slice in each slice.Place in the center of a (doubled) foil square and make into a bowl shape. Pour sherry over potato and seal foil all around leaving no openings.

3. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, when done season with salt and pepper.

Roast Brussels Sprouts

• 1 1/2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved, reserve fallen leaves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Placed trimmed brussels sprouts,  leaves, oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and toss together. Place on foil lined baking sheet and roast 35-40 minutes, shaking every 10 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon before serving. Leaves should get a nice char and be crispy chips.

Awesome Blossoms

 To say I am a lover of all things floral is a bit of an understatement. Flowers were not necessarily always an interest of mine (though my mom can recall me touching every bloom in sight as a babe) but once I caught the bug, I was hooked. Living in a city where the color green is few and far between, the flower shops are my version of running through a field of daisies. In any new city, I go all hound dog and sniff out the nearest enchanting botanicals. Here are some favorites...

Farmer's Market 

Portland, Oregon

Bearded Iris

Orange tiger lilies, pink and red roses

Blue Eremerus

Flower stand, Ikebukuru Station

Tokyo, Japan

Green antherium, orange dahlia, yellow mokara orchids, green crab apples

Dahlia and carnations

Mixed baby bouquets

Bloemenmarkt Flower Market

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Poppy pods, orange roses, red gerbera daisies, purple scabiosa

Stage left: Thistle Stage right: Mixed colors, gerbera daisies

Downstage: Purple scabiosa, cream roses, thistle, misty blue Upstage: Deep red, Strawberry, & lavender roses