Pomegranate Martini

A lovely little special Friday night drink for adults!

Recipe for one:
2 shots gin or vodka (gin is better)
1 splash triple sec
2 splashes Patron orange liqueur
Juice of one fresh pomegranate

Fill a shaker with ice, add the booze and the juice, now shake the dickens out of it!  Let it sit for a minute then shake again.  Pour into a chilled martini glass.

Cheers!  Chef Hobbes

Pan Sauteed Steelhead, Roasted Cauliflower, Rice And White Wine Sauce

This meal only takes 45 minutes, and has restaurant quality elegance and flavors!

Recipe for two:
2 - 1/2 lb pieces fresh steelhead or salmon skin removed
1 c jasmine rice
1 small cauliflower
4 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 c white wine
1/2 vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 t sage or capers
Juice of a half a lemon

First set the oven to 400*  Now slice up a small head of cauliflower into 1" thick steaks.  Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on a sheet pan or roasting pan and pop them in the oven for about 45 minutes, turning once.

After the cauliflower has been cooking for about 25 minutes get the rice going.

In a saute pan, place a little olive oil and get the pan hot over medium high heat.  Season the steelhead with salt and pepper.  Place in the pan skin side up, shaking the pan back and fourth to avoid sticking.  When you have some color on one side (about 5 minutes) turn it over and finish.

When done remove the fish from the pan place onto warm plates with the rice and cauliflower  Scrape and wipe out any oil or bits from the pan.  Return the pan to the heat and add the lemon juice and wine and reduce by two thirds, then add the stock and do the same.  When done, turn off the heat and add the butter shaking the pan back and fourth until the sauce has a nice shine to it.  If you want you could of added some capers or herbs such as sage at the same time you added the butter.  Now sauce your meal.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Where's the Beef Bourguignon...

Julie Child had this dish down, she may have even invented it!  She cooked this bad boy for hours and hours!  So here's a quick version that still takes 3-4 hours, but dudes, it's all cook time!  A little prep and a little fuss, then sit back in the chair, let it cook, and have some wine!!

Recipe for two:
1 pound of beef, cubed on the large size
4 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 red onion, chopped small
2 carrots, chopped small
3 stalks celery, chopped small
1 small parsnip, chopped small
1 leek, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 sprigs of rosemary, left intact with the stems
3 c  beef stock
1 12 oz can Eden tomatoes, puree'd
1 bottle red wine, reduced by half
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 c flour
1 pinch chili flakes

Serve with mash potatoes and sweet potatoes.

I use a cast iron dutch oven for this dish, but almost anything deep that can be covered will work!
First set your oven to 350*  Puree the tomatoes and add the stock to covered oven dish or pan, and place in the oven for an hour or two.  The longer they are in the oven, the richer and more condensed they will become.

Get the pan hot with a bunch of olive oil in it.  While that's happening, brown the bacon and set aside.  Now cut the beef into cubes and season with salt and pepper, then dust with flour.  Now place the meat in the pan and brown a few pieces at a time.  Don't put too many in at once because they will just steam and not brown.

When done, set the meat aside and add the butter.  When the butter is foaming add all the vegetables, and cook until soft!  While this is happening reduce the red wine by half in a small saucepan...

Now mix everything together in the dutch oven or roasting pan.  The tomatoes, bacon, beef, vegetables, rosemary and seasoning.  Cover and place in the oven for 2-3hours, checking on it once in a while.  If it needs more liquid add some stock...

Serve on warm plates over (or next to) the mash!

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Grilled Chicken With Garbanzo Beans And Oriental Broccoli And Greens...

Just another dish, with a little twist on things, to keep everybody guessing!

Recipe for two, plus two half pints:
2 chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
4 small turnips, peeled, halved and sliced
1 big handful broccoli, chopped
1 big handful kale, chopped
1 - 1" piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 T garlic finely chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, partly smashed
1 c chicken stock
1 T sesame oil
1 t fish oil
2 T soy sauce
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 T butter

First, get the garbanzo beans cooking.  Eden has the best canned product on the market, that doesn't contain sugar, but they will need salt.  Drain the beans, rinse, put in a saucepan with a little olive oil, a couple of big pinches of sea salt, 1 tablespoon butter and chicken stock.  When warm, smash most of them with a fork or something, and cover with a lid and let them tick away for a bit on low heat.

Get the grill or pan nice and hot.  Season the chicken with a little salt, pepper and cayenne.  Rub a little olive oil on and grill or add oil to the saute pan, and cook the chicken.  When one side is done, turn and start getting another pan hot, with a little olive oil in it.

When the oil is hot, add the onion, turnips and broccoli, over a high heat.  When they are almost done, add the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, kale and cook for about 30 seconds or so.  The idea here is to cook everything really fast over high heat, but you will need to keep the veggies moving by stirring or tossing.  If you have a wok, this a good time to use it.

Serve onto warm plates.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Pizza With Three Cheeses and Prosciutto

A great thin crust pizza to please the kids, without to much pizza dough!

See my basic pizza dough recipe on my December 30th post.

Recipe: for two:
1 2 oz piece of dough, floured and rolled very thin
1/2 c red onion, sliced very thin
5 slices prosciutto, crisped in the oven
A few slices of, mozzarella, Cheddar, Cambozola cheese
1 T tomato paste
1 T olive oil
1 pinch chili flakes

OK, get the pizza stone in the oven, set at 500* or more!  Lay the prosciutto on a sheet pan in strips and crisp in the hot oven, about 10-15 minutes.

When crispy set aside.  On a floured surface roll the dough out until really thin, then brush with olive oil.
Now apply a little tomato paste, then scatter the cheese, onion, chili flakes and prosciutto around.

Cook until done, around 5 - 10 minutes!

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Spanish Chorizo Breakfast!

I was just pinning a little Mediterranean influence for Sunday breakfast!

Recipe for two:
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
10 brown crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 big handful baby spinach
1 or 2 links chorizo, skin removed and crumbled
Handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 t paprika
1 pinch chili flakes
1 pinch both salt and pepper
1 T olive oil
1 T butter

Get a saute pan nice and hot over medium high heat, with the oil and butter.  When the oils hot and the butter foaming add the mushrooms and brown them!

Tip:  Don't wash mushrooms!  Wipe them clean with a cloth.

When the shrooms are good and brown, transfer them to a bowl.  Now add a little more oil and butter to the pan if necessary and cook the onions.  When the onions are almost done, add the chorizo and the salt, pepper, paprika and chili flakes.

When everything looks like its done, add the mushrooms and tomatoes, cook some more, then melt in the spinach at the last moment!

Serve with a glass of Champagne!

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Pounded Chicken Breast On a Bed of Vegetables with a White Wine Sage Sauce

This dish rocks, and it's so simple to cook.  It has all the elegance of a meal you would pay a lot of money for in a fine restaurant!

Recipe for two:
2 chicken breasts, pounded
4 small turnips, peeled and sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch broccoli rabe, large stems removed
2 c white wine
1 c chicken stock
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
salt and Pepper
4 sage leaves left whole
6 sage leaves finely chopped

Tip:  You will be working with two saute pans at the same time, so get them ready to go now, complete with oil and butter!

First, take the chicken breasts, and lay them on the kitchen counter on a piece of plastic wrap or parchment, now lay another piece of plastic or paper on top, and pound them with a mallet until they are nice and flat, about 5/8" thick.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add one tablespoon of both olive oil and butter to a large skillet, and heat over medium high heat, when the butter has melted and is nice and hot, gently place four of the sage leaves in the oil turning them as soon as you put them in.  You want to fry them but not brown them, they will only take seconds to cook.  When done place them on a paper towel to drain.  These leaves will be used as a garnish.

Using the same pan, place the chicken in the pan and brown both sides.  When done transfer to a plate and place in a warm oven.  Wipe out the pan removing the oil and any bits, and add the wine.  While that is reducing, in another saute pan add the remaining oil and cook the onions and turnips over medium high heat and season with salt and pepper.

When the wine has reduced by two thirds add the stock and reduce the same way.  When the onions are soft add the rabe and soften.  By this time the wine and stock should of reduced, now turn off the heat and add the sage and the remaining butter shaking the pan back and fourth until the sauce shines.

Plate the vegetables onto warm plates, then place the chicken on top.  Now sauce your meal and garnish with sage leaves.  You will find that the combination of all the vegetables and the sage sauce to be stunning to say the least.  I just love it!

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Satsuma Delight. . .

Alright then, this is a good way to get rid of all the leftover satsumas and tangerines from the holidays!

Recipe for one:
1 shot gin or vodka, gin works better!
The juice of four satsumas or tangerines
1 splash Frangelico
1 splash Orange liqueur
1 splash Grand Marnier

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker and fill with ice.  Shake for a bit, wait, shake it like you're Tom Cruise  in movie cocktail!  Now wait for a full 30 seconds, and pour into a chilled martini glass. . .

Bon Appetit!   Chef Hobbes

True Italian Spaghetti Sauce and Pasta!

Forget what you've learned about making tomato meat sauce, this is the best!  Believe me it's the best, and if you listen to me it will improve your sex life, honest!!!

Recipe for four:
1 packet of good quality pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 red onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, very finely diced
1 12 oz can Eden crushed tomatoes, pureed
1 12 oz can of beef stock
1 T tomato paste
1 T fresh rosemary, very finely chopped
1 t chili flakes
S&P
2 T butter
2 c red wine, reduced

Set the oven at 350*  In a roasting pan, pour the pureed tomatoes and the stock, and cover with tin foil or a lid.  Note: If you're using foil, don't let the tomatoes touch the foil, tomatoes are acid and will eat the foil and affect the taste...  Cook for 2 hours.

After the tomatoes have cooked for about an hour and a half, start cooking the onions, chili flakes and garlic in a hot pan with lots of olive oil and butter, and saute then caramelize.  When finished, add the ground beef, and turn up the heat and cook it, stirring a lot.   In another pan, pour in the wine and reduce it by half.   When done, mix all the ingredients together, and lower the heat and cover.  Cook for about 45 minutes...

Boil the salted water in a large pot, and cook your pasta until ready!

Serve on warm plates, with lots of olive oil and parmesan cheese!

Bon Appetit!   Chef Hobbes

Crispy Chicken With Thai Green Curry and Rice Noodles with Red Cabbage Kimche Slaw

OK, this recipe is from Jamie Oliver's "Meals in Minutes" cookbook!  As most of you know I'm a big Jamie fan,  but I've been working on this meal for almost two hours, so be careful, maybe he meant meals in 120 minutes!  So bollocks to that, I fixed it a bit, but it's still going to take a while to cook.  The good news is, it's really good and easy to do, and it's a fun change of flavors.

Recipe for four:
Chicken:
4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
1 T honey

Red Cabbage Slaw:
1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly shredded
1/4 bunch cilantro, stems removed
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 small bunch radishes, thinly sliced in rounds (watch your fingers)
1 green chili, thinly sliced
1 red chili, thinly sliced
1 - 1" piece of ginger, peeled and crushed
Juice of two limes
A drizzle of sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Curry Sauce:
1 - 1" piece ginger, peeled
3/4 bunch cilantro, large stems removed
1 green chili, stem removed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed and trimmed
1 bunch scallions
1 can coconut milk
Juice of one lime
2 T soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
1 t green curry paste

Noodles:
1 packet of rice noodles
Sesame oil
Juice of one lime

Get the oven hot, set it at 350*.  Place the chicken on a sheet pan or roasting dish, drizzle with a good amount of olive oil, and season with sea salt and pepper, make sure to use a lot of salt.  Then place in the oven.  It will take about one hour to cook.  Just before it's done drizzle the honey over the chicken, and cook for a few more minutes so it gets nice and sticky.

While the chicken is cooking, place all the curry sauce ingredients (except for the coconut milk) into a food processor and puree, then blend in the coconut milk.  Place the sauce in a saucepan and heat over a medium high heat.  When hot, cover and turn down the heat to low.

Now make the slaw in a large stainless steel bowl, adding all the ingredients except the lime juice and oil, add those at the last minute.

Boil a kettle full of water, place the rice noodles in a pan and pour the boiling water over them until they're covered, and let them soak for a bit until soft.  If you're ready to plate, place the chicken (remember to drizzle on the honey) onto warm plates, dress the slaw with the juice and oil, and place the stainless steel bowl with the slaw on the stove over medium heat and toss it just to warm it a bit, then plate it.  Now drain the noodles and return to the pan and pour in the lime juice and oil and stir, and plate, then add curry sauce on top of noodles.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Train Wreck Pasta! Or Parsnip Fusilli!

Every week on a Monday, I make what we call a clean out the refrigerator or train wreck pasta, and it's usually one of the best meals of the week!  We use all the leftovers and whatever else is in the fridge!

Recipe for four:
2 c onions, chopped
2 c parsnips, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 t fresh rosemary, very finely chopped
2 t paprika
1/2 c Stilton, crumbled
2 c cooked chicken, chopped up
S&P to taste
1 c cream
3 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 16 oz packet of Fusilli pasta

First get the salted pasta water boiling in a very large pot.  While that's happening add the oil and butter to a large saute pan over high heat.  When the oil's hot add the vegetables and cook until soft and slightly brown.  Then lower the heat and add the cooked chicken and warm it through.

When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot it was cooked in and add a couple of big glugs of olive oil and stir, then place a lid on the pot.  Now back to the sauce, add the cream, Stilton, paprika and rosemary and stir and cook until the cheese has melted and everything has combined...

Plate the pasta and then the sauce on top, onto warm plates!

Bon Appetit!  Chef  Hobbes

Sunday Morning Breakfast Pizza!

The word YUM comes to mind!

For the pizza dough recipe, see my December 30th 2011 blog.  It's always a good idea to have a few 2 ounce portions of dough in the freezer, for those special times...

OK then, let's get the pizza stone in the oven and turn it on to 500* or higher!  Now roll the dough out on a floured counter, until it's very thin.

Cook up some bacon so it's nice and brown, but not quite done, then set aside.  When the oven's hot, take the stone out and lay the thin pizza dough on it.  Then brush some olive oil on the dough, now grate some cheese of your choice right onto the pizza, add some bacon, and tomato and crack a few eggs on top.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until done.  Sprinkle a little fresh ground nutmeg onto the eggs!

Bon Appetit!   Chef Hobbes

Orange & Soy Marinaded Steak With Wild Rice

This marinade is similar to the one I used on the pork ribs a while ago.  It's very universal, you can tweak it anyway you want, like adding more heat or turn it towards being Asian by adding ginger, lemon grass and sesame oil.

Recipe for two:
1 pound of flank, flat iron or flap steak
1 c soy sauce
Juice of half an orange
1 T honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 t chili flakes
1 small red onion, chopped
1 c black wild rice
1 bunch broccoli rabe
2 c vegetable or chicken stock
2 T olive oil

First, marinade the steak by dissolving the honey into a tiny bit of hot water, add the orange juice, soy sauce, garlic and chili flakes.  Pour over the meat and let it rest for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

When you're ready get the rice going, wild rice takes a little longer to cook, so plan for that!  To cook the rice add a tablespoon of olive oil to your rice pan and half of the chopped onion with a little salt and pepper, and cook until soft but not brown.  When done add the rice and stir for a little bit over medium high heat.  Then add the stock, when it starts to boil lower the heat to low and cover with a lid.

Place the meat on the grill and cook it how you like!  While that's happening, add the other tablespoon of olive oil to a saute pan over medium high heat.  When it's hot add the rest of the onion and cook until soft.  Wash the broccoli rabe and remove any large stems and chop it up a bit.  When the meat and rice are done, turn off the heat on the rice and leave the pan covered.  Remove the meat to a cutting board and cover, let it rest for a couple of minutes.

Now add the broccoli rabe to the cooked onion and saute, adding a little salt and pepper.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year,  and Thank You for all the kind words about this blog!

Be the change you wish to see in the world!  Ghandi


Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes