Inspired by a garden full of fennel and my fanatical love for all things pork, this recipe just happened. I use Berkshire heritage pork when possible, a far tastier and healthier choice over standard pork you find in a supermarket.
4 Berkshire pork chops
4 tablespoons finely chopped fennel bulb
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
3 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
extra fennel bulb and fennel fronds
extra olive oil, salt and pepper for sauteing
Combine the chopped fennel, sage, garlic, salt, black pepper and olive oil in a bowl. Mix well and spread it all over the pork chops. Let them stand for an hour at room temperature.
Light a hot grill. Grill the pork chops until they’re done…with quality pork, that does not mean cook it to death! (An internal temperature of 160 is the way to go.)
Chop the extra fennel bulb into thin strips about an inch long. Remove the fennel fronds from their stems. Saute the bulb strips in olive oil, salt and pepper until they are almost crisp. Toss in the fennel fronds and cook until the fronds and bulb strips are crisp.
Serve the pork chops with crispy fennel and fronds on top.
This is the time of year when I stop making banana bread for the gang at work, because the zucchini in my garden grows out of control. I’m pretty good at keeping an eye on things, but sometimes a giant zucchini pops up out of nowhere, and at that point, the only thing I can do is make zucchini bread!
I was recently told that zucchinis are green…summer squash is yellow. I use the word “zucchini” interchangeably, but technically, the variety I grow is, in fact, a zucchini and a squash!
Whatever you call it, use it! And make some delicious bread!
If the zucchini is really large, I slice it lengthwise, and remove the center section with all the seeds, because I don’t want that in my bread. But the smaller ones don’t have that problem. Then I grate the rest on a box grater. This recipe needs about 2 1/2 cups of grated zucchini, which is about 16 ounces.
When it comes to baking, I use my small kitchen scale to make most of the crucial measurements, because accuracy counts. It’s much more accurate than going by volume. But this recipe has both measurements, so you can try either method.
Substituting gluten-free flour for the basic all-purpose flour, will make this recipe gluten-free. I like to use the all-purpose GF flour by Cup4Cup.
And I like using olive oil as my vegetable oil, because I love the flavor and its health benefits. But feel free to use whatever vegetable oil you like.
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup white cane sugar 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups (16 oz.) grated zucchini
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Grease an 8 x 8“ or 5″ x 10″ loaf pan with some of the vegetable oil. Then line it with parchment paper…it makes it easier to remove later.
In a bowl, mix together the first five ingredients.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except the zucchini.
Add the grated zucchini to the bowl with the flour mixture and toss it around to coat.
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until it’s combined.
Pour it into the pan.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 to 60 minutes…but it could be even longer. Every oven is different, and different zucchini can have different moisture levels, so you may need to cook yours longer, depending on your situation. Even with all the high-tech thermometers I have, I find the good old-fashioned toothpick method still works best.
Remove the baking pan from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. Then turn it over on a wire rack, removing the pan, and let the zucchini bread cool completely to room temperature before slicing.
This bread is so good, I just might let the zucchini overgrow more often!
I recently cooked another batch of zucchini bread in a round pan. Worked great! And I experimented with substitutions: I replaced 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour with corn meal to give it a more rustic taste. And I replaced the 1/2 cup white cane sugar with 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Delicious!
These shrimp burgers are not only delicious, they’re pretty low in calories. The key to success is to use raw shrimp, not cooked. (Overcooked shrimp is never a good thing.)
I always use wild-caught American shrimp, not that nasty stuff from Asia. I’ve found wild-caught American shrimp almost everywhere, from supermarkets to membership clubs, and for a great price. You just have to make a bit of an effort to read the packages.
For this recipe, you don’t need to spend extra money for large shrimp. You’ll be chopping them up anyway…and I think the smaller shrimp are tastier. (A white fish, like cod, is also a good substitute for the shrimp.)
These patties hold together pretty well without a lot of breadcrumbs because the shrimp that goes in the food processor becomes a sticky paste that holds everything together. At around 1 calorie per gram, shrimp is a dieter’s best friend.
This recipe can be made gluten-free simply by using GF breadcrumbs. I make my own by buying frozen GF bread, like Udi’s. I toast it, then put it in the food processor to make breadcrumbs. They’re delicious, and you’d never know they’re gluten free!
1 lb. thawed, peeled and deveined medium wild-caught American shrimp 1/3 cup breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 small Vidalia onion or 1 scallion, finely chopped 1 large egg, lightly beaten Splash of cayenne pepper sauce, like Frank’s Red Hot, or a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Oil, for frying
Coarsely chop half of the shrimp. Place the other half in a food processor, and pulse it until smooth.
Combine all the shrimp in a bowl with the breadcrumbs, lemon juice, salt, garlic, pepper, onion, egg and optional cayenne pepper sauce.
I had a few radishes, so I chopped them up and mixed them with the onion. (That’s what the little red flakes are.) But that’s just me!
Refrigerate the mix for 10 minutes. Then remove it from the fridge and form the patties. (I like to use a 1/3 cup measure for this.) Once you’ve formed the patties, put them back in the fridge for another 10 minutes.
Heat the oil (I try to use as little as possible for calories’ sake) in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. I like avocado oil, but use your favorite. And if you’re not on a diet, use 1/4 cup of oil to get a nice fry going. Carefully place the burgers in the pan (they’re fragile!) and cook them about 3 minutes per side.
Getting a good sear on the first side before flipping them will help hold them together. You don’t want to undercook the burgers, but you don’t want to overcook shrimp, either.
Sometimes a piece will break off. That’s OK!
I make a simple remoulade using 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard to 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. Another option is to combine mayo with some Old Bay seasoning.
Home fries are a simple thing. But we’ve all been to a diner where the home fries tumbled out of a bag of frozen pre-cut potatoes, and tasted like cardboard. It’s time home fries got the respect they deserve.
Let’s get one thing out in the open from the very beginning: home fries were never meant to be low in calories! Mine are definitely not diet food! So, as you read this blog, if you’re shaking your head at the fat and calories, know that I know that you know!
3 lbs. Yukon gold or yellow potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2″ cubes 1 lb. bacon, chopped 2 Vidalia onions, finely chopped Lawry’s Seasoned Salt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
I like my potatoes with the skin on, so I remove any blemishes on the skins, then cut the potatoes in approximately 1/2” cubes. Some can be larger, some smaller, and they don’t have to be perfect squares. The smaller pieces will cook and soften faster, while the larger pieces will retain their shape and texture.
Place the cut potatoes in a pot of clean, cold water over high heat on the stove. Add a little Kosher salt to the water. Let the potatoes cook until they are a bit al dente…a bit underdone. They will cook some more later in the pan. Drain them and set the potatoes aside.
Chop the bacon and start frying it. While the bacon is frying, finely chop the two onions. Add the onions to the pan when the bacon fat has rendered and the bacon has cooked completely to a golden brown. Now, here’s where eyebrows are often raised: Leave all the bacon fat in the pan!
Leave the bacon fat! It’s all about flavor!
Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent.
Now add the drained potatoes to the pan, mixing well, coating the potato pieces in the bacon fat.
Lightly season the potatoes with the Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Remember: there’s a lot of salt already in the pan from the bacon.
Cook the potatoes in the pan, mixing well, and then add the butter in small pieces, scattered around the pan. Keep mixing until the potatoes brown a little.
One option that I like and started doing only recently: I add a pound or two of sweet potatoes to the mix. I keep the measurements of all the other ingredients exactly the same. I boil the sweet potatoes separately from the regular potatoes, because they cook more quickly. I drain them and set them aside and then mix them with the regular potatoes in the pan.
Either way, these home fries are delicious, and they store well in the freezer. So if you have guests coming over, you can make them a few days ahead of time and then just thaw them and re-heat them in the pan when it’s time to serve.
It’s that time of year when friends are coming over, and you want to make one drink you can serve everyone, rather than playing bartender all night. This one hits the spot.
There’s only one thing better than a freshly made mojito…and that’s a pitcher of freshly made mojitos! Organic raspberries and blueberries are in the markets right now, and my mint plants are taking over the yard! All the ingredients for a great mojito!
Very often, I’ll use raspberries or blueberries alone, but mojitos are even better when you combine them! I stock up on organic berries, rinsing them and placing them in plastic bags that go in the freezer until I’m ready to make my mojitos. I always go organic with berries. Pesticides should never be a cocktail ingredient! Pay a little extra and get the good stuff…it makes a difference!
Once you make mojitos by the pitcher, you’ll never have them any other way. (Even if you’re drinking alone!)
Make ahead of time…
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lime juice (don’t use the bottled stuff!)
1 1/3 cups turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw is a common brand)
Mix both ingredients together, letting it stand at room temperature for a few minutes. I like to combine them in a Mason jar, then shake really hard until the sugar has dissolved. I keep it in the fridge, and it’s good for up to 3 weeks…ready to use any time. Shake it well again before using.
For the Mojitos…
1 cup sugar/lime mixture
1 cup mint leaves, packed
1/2 pint blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 pint raspberries (fresh or frozen)
3 or 4 cups white rum (I use Don Q Cristal rum)
3 or 4 cups seltzer (or club soda)
Combine the mint leaves and 1/2 cup of the sugar/lime mixture in bottom of a pitcher. Muddle the mint up very well to release mint oils.
Add the remaining sugar/lime mixture, rum and berries. Mix well. Just before serving, add the club soda and ice. Stir. Pour into tall glasses.
Or…for drinks one at a time, I put in a shot (1 oz.) of the sugar/lime mixture into a tall glass. I throw in about 8 mint leaves and muddle them for a minute. Then I add 2 shots of rum, and a few berries. I add ice, and I top it with the seltzer, stirring well. I garnish with a mint leaf.
Happy Father’s Day! I think it’s time to grill some oysters!
It’s been a few years since I visited New Orleans, and it was great to see that many of the old food destinations were still there: the Napoleon House, Café Dumonde, Acme Oyster House, and across the street from it: Felix‘s OysterHouse.
My friend, Rick, told me I had to try the char-grilled oysters at Felix‘s. He hadn’t been there, but he read a lot about them and they were supposed to be amazing. Well, that’s all the encouragement I needed, and I made a beeline to Felix’s that very day.
When you think about it, it’s no great culinary feat to grill an oyster. But yet, I never thought of doing it on my own. The dozen oysters I devoured that day were buttery, garlicky, with a hint of char and smoke that made them absolutely delicious, quite easily the best oysters I’ve ever had in my life.
I knew that as soon as I came home from this trip, I would have to try to make these myself. I have to say I came pretty darn close!
If you don’t use a charcoal or wood fire to make these, you’re simply leaving out one of the most important ingredients to the entire recipe. A gas grill or a kitchen stove can cook an oyster, but the only way you can take it to the next level is by putting it on open flame, a wood-burning flame.
This recipe is good for about a dozen oysters. Using gluten-free breadcrumbs makes this recipe gluten-free.
The first step is to get your hardwood charcoal fire started. I use a charcoal chimney and newspaper–never any lighter fluid.
Once the coals are lit, head to the kitchen…
4 tablespoons salted butter 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated (I use Parmigiano Reggiano) 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Combine the butter, garlic, parsley, and cheese in a sauté pan over medium heat. All you’re looking to do is to melt the butter, so once it’s melted, take the pan off the heat and this mix is ready to use.
Shuck your dozen oysters. Remember: they will shrink a little bit while cooking, so don’t be afraid to go for bigger ones.
Lay the opened oysters in a pan, carefully trying to preserve as much of the oyster liquor (liquid) in each shell as possible.
When the hardwood charcoal has heated up, and you’ve spread the coals evenly on your grill, you are ready to cook the oysters. You want the grill to be hot.
You don’t need to put the oysters directly on the hardwood charcoal. Putting a grill over the coals is fine, and it keeps the oyster shells from tipping over.
Before placing the oysters on the grill, sprinkle each one with some of the breadcrumbs. Then place the oysters on the grill, being careful not to burn your hands!
Using a spoon, pour some of the butter mixture into each oyster shell. It will flame up! That’s OK. Use up the entire butter mixture for all 12 oysters.
The oysters are ready when you see that golden brown color all around the edges of the oyster shell, when most of the liquid in the shell has evaporated. Don’t let them dry out completely.
Using tongs, remove the oysters from the flame and enjoy! Just be careful…they can be lava hot!
I’ve had Clams Casino in many different forms. Back when I worked in Italian restaurants in New York, we would make a breadcrumb mixture, press it onto a freshly opened whole clam, and then place a small piece of bacon on top before it went into the oven. It was good, but the clam often stuck to the shell, and many people didn’t want to gulp down a whole clam like that.
Oyster knife (left) and a clam knife (right.) Different tools for different jobs.
When it was time for me to make my own recipe, I decided that I would chop the clams and mix them into the breadcrumb mix, so that every bite was the same.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion (about a 1/2 an onion)
2 garlic cloves, squeezed through a garlic press
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup unflavored bread crumbs
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 dozen medium sized clams
1/3 lb. bacon, cut in small squares to fit the clam shells
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté them until they’re translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for 10 seconds. Add the wine and simmer for a minute. Add the bread crumbs, and stir the mixture until it becomes thicker, like a paste. Add the parsley and oregano. Season with pepper. (There’s going to be plenty of salt in the clam juice and bacon, so no salt is needed.)
The bread crumb mixture.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
It’s time to open the clams. If you know how to do that, open them over a sieve with a bowl underneath so that the clam meats and juices are captured. Discard any broken shells, but save the good ones.
If you struggle with opening clams, this method makes it a little easier: Bring a large pot of water to boil, and drop the clams into it, about 10 at a time, for 30 seconds. Don’t let them open! Remove the clams with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl to cool. Continue doing this in small batches until all the clams have been in the water. You’ll find this makes opening the clams much easier. Then proceed as above.
Once you’ve shucked all the clams, let the clam juice sit for a bit, so that any grit settles to the bottom of the bowl. Then pour off the clean clam juice and add it to your bread crumb mixture. (Don’t worry if it looks soggy at this point.)
Looking a little soggy, but that’s OK.
I like to hand chop the clam meats instead of using a food processor. You want tasty clam chunks, not too big, but not mush. Add the clams to the the bread crumb mix.
At this point, if the clam mix looks very soggy, simply add a little more bread crumb to dry it out.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a large baking sheet with foil. Separate the clam shell halves and wash them, making sure you don’t have any shell fragments left in the clam shell. Fill them with the clam mixture, mounding them slightly, and placing each one on the baking sheet.
Clams and bacon…delicious!
Cut the bacon in small squares to fit the clam shells. Place a small piece of raw bacon on the top of each clam.
Bake until the clams are just cooked through, the topping is golden, and the bacon is cooked, about 30 minutes.
This makes a great appetizer, but it’s hard to just eat a few!
Since it’s National Bourbon Day, let’s not just drink some bourbon…let’s cook with it!
This recipe uses a smoker. If you don’t have one, or just don’t want all the smoke, start with aper-heated oven at 250° and go from there.
5 lbs St Louis style pork ribs Salt and pepper
1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup bourbon (use whatever you have on hand) zest and juice of 1 lime zest and juice of 1 lemon zest and juice of 1 orange 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I use Maille) 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon chili oil
Season the ribs well with salt and pepper and cook in a smoker for 3 hours at 250°, using hickory chips.
While the ribs are smoking, combine the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan, bringing it to a boil, then lowering to medium heat and reducing the sauce by half until it thickens. Stir often, being careful not to let the honey foam up and spill over the top.
Pre-heat the oven at 250°.
Remove the ribs from the smoker and place them on a sheet pan that is lined with aluminum foil, with enough foil to wrap around the ribs. Brush the ribs on all sides with the sauce, stacking no more than 2 sets of ribs on top of each other, and then wrap them with foil.
Cook the ribs in the foil for 2 more hours, until tender.
Season it, pop it in the oven and walk away. Couldn’t be easier!
3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon Kosher salt 1 tablespoon ground coffee (use your favorite) 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon granulated onion 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
Pre-heat the oven to 325°.
Whether you spatchcock your chicken or not, doesn’t really matter. I find that doing it will cook the chicken faster and more evenly. Bell & Evans, an excellent brand, sells their whole birds that way alrerady. See if your market carries them.
To spatchcock, you cut down both sides of the backbone of the chicken. (I freeze the backbone for future chicken stock.) Then you flatten the bird out in the pan.
Combine the rub ingredients in a bowl.
Rub the chicken with a little olive oil, then sprinkle the coffee rub all over the top and bottom of the chicken.
Bake until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°. Check the breast temp as well as the thigh. The thighs cook a little faster. Let the bird rest for 10–15 minutes before serving.
For me, the only way to eat tuna is raw, and not just sushi or sashimi. I’m not a fan of what most restaurants do: serving tuna seared on the outside and rare on the inside. You can tell the quality of the tuna just isn’t there. It usually needs to be drowned in soy sauce to have any taste at all.
So getting my tuna fix often means I’ve got to prepare something at home.
If you’re paranoid about parasites, tuna is probably the safest fish to eat raw. I buy my tuna wild-caught and frozen from reputable sources. Occasionally, I’m lucky enough to buy it fresh from the fisherman, but that is a rare treat.
Technically, fish needs to be frozen at a temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days, for parasites to be killed. In the United States, this is required by law of all fish served at sushi restaurants, with tuna being the only exception.
Most marinades or ceviches use lemon or lime. I enjoy the freshness of grapefruit, and it really works here. This recipe was literally created by opening my fridge and pantry, and grabbing whatever looked good.
1 lb. excellent quality raw tuna
juice of 1 grapefruit
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
2 teaspoons low-salt soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (I use Fleur de Sel)
1 tablespoon chopped scallions, green part only
sesame seeds (optional)
cubed avocado or plain guacamole
If I’m starting with frozen tuna, I allow it to thaw just enough so I can cut it into small cubes easily. I place the cut tuna on paper towels to soak up excess moisture, and keep it in the fridge.
In a bowl, I combine all the other ingredients, except the sesame seeds and avocado. I add the tuna to the bowl, and mix everything carefully, putting it back in the fridge to marinate for an hour.
When I’m ready to serve, I place the tuna on a plate. (If it’s very runny, I use a slotted spoon.) I top it with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and serve with fresh cubed avocado, or even plain guacamole.
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