Easy Caesar Salad Dressing

I adapted this from a recipe from Food and Wine magazine. I like it because it's simple, tasty and keeps well for several days.

• 1/4 C. Mayonnaise
• 1 Tbs. Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp. each:
  Red Wine Vinegar
  Fish Sauce
  Worcestershire Sauce
  Water
• 2 to three dashes Tabasco
• Pinch of Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together. Toss dressing with greens and top with shaved Parmesan.

This is enough to dress a large head of Romain, serves 4 to 6.

Simple Chicken Stock

This is a simple process that produces both chicken stock and cooked chicken that can be used a thousand ways.

• 4 Chicken Breasts, Bone-In
• 2 Large Carrots cut in to chunks
• 2 Ribs Celery cut in to chunks
• 1 Small Onion cut in to chunks
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 Tbs. Coarse Salt
• 1 Tbs. Coarse Black Pepper

Place chicken breasts, vegetables and seasoning in a stock pot. Cover with cold water (7 to 8 Cups). Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove chicken and set aside to cool.

Stain broth into a separate container and refrigerate to cool.

Remove skin and bone from chicken breasts and shred the meat.

When broth has cooled completely skim the fat from the surface.

This should yield approximately 4 to 5 cups of cooked chicken and 6 to 7 cups of stock.

Both stock and chicken can be used immediately or frozen for up to 4 months.

Pork Tenderloin with Chimichuuri

Two Pork Tenderloins to serve four to six.

• Two cups loosely packed Cilantro
• 5 Cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1tsp White Pepper
• 6Tbs Lime juice
• 1/3 C. Olive Oil

Pulse garlic in food processor. Add cilantro and pulse until finely chopped. Add lime juice, oil, salt and pepper and pulse until sauce just comes together.

Reserve ½ C. Chimichurri sauce.

Pierce tenderloins with a fork several times on each side and place in a large zip lock bag. Pour remaining sauce over pork and marinate 4 to 6 hours turning several times.

Bring tenderloins to room temperature. Heat a grill to 400 degrees, cook about 8 minutes per side.

Let the meat rest 5 to 10 minuets. Slice and drizzle remaining sauce over the sliced pork.

Halibut

Halibut Filets
1 C. Panko*
½ C. Grated parmesan
Coarse Salt
Black Pepper
Juice of large lemon
Butter and EVOO

Rinse filets, pat dry and squeeze lemon juice over both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix Panko and cheese. Coat filets with crumb mixture. Melt a few pats of butter and some EVOO in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Cook fish about five minutes per side, until flakey.

* A sort of Japanese bread crumb. Much lighter coating for fish than a traditional breadcrumb.

Lemon Mushroom Sauce

We had friends for dinner this weekend. I served this chicken with a sauce similar to this.

Mix ¾ C. chicken broth and ¾ C. white wine. Add a spoonful of cornstarch, whisk and set aside. Clean and slice ½ pound white mushrooms. Melt butter with some EVOO in a sauce pan. Add white ends of one bunch of scallions (diced) and saute. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking. When they begin to release their liquid season with salt, pepper and a pinch of tarragon. Add wine and broth, whisk well, and simmer for twenty minutes. Add zest and juice of one lemon. Taste for additional seasoning and serve over chicken.

Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom and Wine Sauce

As it turns out people are actually still coming over here DESPITE my intense neglect. I've decided to try and post more regularly. I fixed dinner for Precious Oldest and friends last night, here is the menu.

Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce
Wild Rice
Asparagus

Two pork tenderloins, about a pound each. Mix together a good spoonful each garlic salt, cracked black pepper, thyme*. Sprinkle over pork and and rub in well. Leave to sit at room temperature for half an hour.

Heat two pats butter and some EVOO in a good sized sauce pan. Add ½ lb. baby portabellas: cleaned, stems removed, sliced thinly. Cook over medium heat, when they release their liquid season with salt, fresh ground pepper, thyme. Oh, and I threw in a little dry onion.

Mix ¾ C. beef stock, ¾ C. dry red wine and a spoonful corn starch. Add to mushrooms, stir and simmer 20 or so minutes to reduce. (Towards the end taste for seasoning and add a pat of butter to gloss.)

Grill tenderloins at about 400 degrees, 8 minutes per side. Cover with foil and let rest 5 to 8 minutes.

Slice pork and ladle sauce over sliced meat. People - it was awesome.

* I didn’t have fresh on hand so I used dried French Thyme. If you use ground thyme I would use less.

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms

I was grilling chicken and making a Caprese salad for dinner the other night. I had picked up some beautiful Portabella mushrooms and was thinking of grilling them too. And then I had an igneous idea that was simply delicious!

So you know Insalata Caprese, right?

Tomatoes/Mozzarella/Basil

Dressed with

Balsamic Vinegar/Olive Oil/Salt/Pepper

I make it all the time in the summer because I grow my own tomatoes and basil. The amounts aren't important to me, but the order of ingredients is: Tomato/Salt/Pepper/Basil/Vinegar/Oil/Cheese. Simple. Yummy.

So I riffed on some of those ingredients. I popped the stems off the mushroom caps and scooped out some of the gills. I rubbed some olive oil on those bad boys and grilled them four minutes per side. While they were on the grill I sliced up some extra cheese and chopped some extra basil.

With two minutes to go on the second side (Oh, I started cap side up on the grill)I sprinkled the mushrooms with salt and pepper, threw on some basil and topped it with the mozzarella.

OMG! Everyone loved them and they will definitely stay on the rotation.