Potato, Sweet Potato Cakes, With a Vegetable Saute

This is a fun little breakfast (or dinner) idea, and a good way to use up leftover mash!

Recipe for two:
1 cup leftover mash
1 small red onion chopped
1 small apple chopped
1/2 cup sweet potato chopped
1/2 cup Madeira wine
1 large handful spinach or other greens chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Divide your potato into two equal balls, and form into cakes.  Place butter in a saute pan, and heat over low heat, place cakes into pan when butter has melted.  What you're doing here is warming the cakes through and giving them a little color as well.

While cakes are cooking, prep all the other ingredients.  After turning your cakes, add coconut oil to a saute pan over med-high heat.  When oil is hot, add onion, sweet potato and apple and cook, turning so not to brown.  When they're almost soft add the Madeira wine.  Cook until almost all the wine has evaporated, then add the greens and melt.


Bon Appetit!

Talking Turkey...

Think before you eat that turkey!

Has it ever seen a sunrise, or walked on grass?  Has it ever felt a rain drop on it's back, or laid out in the morning sun?

Or has it been raised in a cage, with a million other birds?  Raised in a building where the lights never go out!  Has it been fed nothing but corn, soy and other grains that have been so heavily laced with chemicals, so the animals don't get sick?

Birds raised in this manner can't even stand up and walk around, because they're so weak!

PLEASE DON'T SUPPORT FACTORY FARMING!

Choose only organic pasture raised animals.  Not grain fed!

Happy Thanksgiving,  Hobbes

Lamb Shanks in a Red Wine Sauce

Vegetarians turn away!

This dish takes a bit of time, but it's worth the wait...

Recipe:
1 onion finely chopped
2 carrots finely chopped
3 stalks celery finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 small can tomatoes
5 cups stock
1 bottle red wine
2 lamb shanks
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
olive oil

First set your oven to 325*.  Puree one small can of organic tomatoes, and place in a roasting pan, add one cup of stock.  Cover with a lid or foil, then place in the oven for one and a half to two hours.  The flavors will really intensify by taking the time to do this step.  Make sure not to dry it out, add more stock if needed.

Take the shanks out of the fridge an hour before cooking them.  Place your chopped onions, carrot and celery on a cutting board and chop together a little more to infuse flavors.  This mixture is now called mirepoix.  Saute the mirepoix in a little olive oil until soft, add the garlic and then set aside.

Empty one bottle of red wine into a pan.  Over high heat bring the wine up to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and reduce the liquid by two thirds.  Now do the same thing with the rest of the stock.

When the tomatoes are done, remove from oven and set aside.  Now season the shanks with salt and pepper.  Using a saute pan over high heat with a little olive oil, brown all sides of the shanks.

Add the shanks, rosemary, mirepoix, wine, stock and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the tomatoes.  Cover and return to the oven for 3 hours.  After 3 hours, if there is a lot of liquid left in the pan, cook for another half hour with the lid or foil removed, but be careful not to dry it out.  A cast iron dutch oven works well for this.

Serve over sweet potato and potato mash...

Bon Appetit!

Sushi Night at Coho...

Deb and I went to Sushi Night last week at Coho, and what a great time we had!

We started with a seaweed salad and then moved on to a softshell crab roll, and a spicy tuna roll.  Fantastic meal in a warm, cozy environment.

Every Wednesday starting at 5:00 pm.

Check out these bad boys...

Tools of the Trade

Here's a few kitchen tips on pots, pans, knives and steels!

Kale Chips for My Friend Rose...

So here's a great little snack food dish that my friend Cynthia turned me on to.

Set your oven to 350*. Wash and dry a bunch of fresh kale, the flat leaf variety works better for this, like red Russian, Dino or white Siberian.  Now remove the stems and tear leaves into nice big or bite size pieces.  Place in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and chili flakes, and a good drizzle of olive oil.

Place leaves on a baking sheet and cook for around 15 minutes, turning the pan once.  They will crisp up like potato chips, but they are way better for you!

Kale can also be cooked like chard; see my older blog on chard with apples for the recipe.

Bon Appetit!

Clarified Butter...

Clarified butter is simple to make, and is the butter that Chefs use. It's just butter that has

been heated and the water has evaporated out and solids or proteins have dropped to the bottom, leaving behind a wonderful clear, golden liquid.

This is butter at it's purest. Clarified butter won't burn, smoke, or spoil, and it has a rich nutty flavor.

Here's how. You just throw four sticks of unsalted butter into a small pot and melt the butter over a low heat, taking care not to burn it. Simmer the butter until the solids have fallen to the bottom of the pan. This takes around 15 minutes, that's how low your heat needs to be. Remove from heat and strain through cheese cloth into a clean glass jar.

You will find that your food will brown more evenly, and will have a wonderful caramel flavor!

Bon Appetit!

Breakfast Pasta Pillow

Making good use of leftover food is really important to me.  So I came up with this simple breakfast dish that makes good use of leftover pasta.  It may sound weird and boring, but take it from me it's great!

In a pan over low heat, add a little olive oil, when the oil is hot add a handful of cooked pasta.  Press the pasta down and out to the sides with the back of a wooden spoon, so it's laying flat in the pan.  The idea here is to cook it slow to make sure the pasta is warm but also has a little color and is slightly crunchy.

Add a pinch each of salt and pepper and a pinch of chili flakes.  When it's looking like that side is done flip it over and do the same thing.  This only takes a few minutes to cook.  Now cook an over easy egg.  Plate up the pasta and serve the egg on top of the pasta.  Now add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce...

Warning:  Bacteria grows really fast on cooked pasta, so make sure to cover it and keep it cold.  Don't keep it for more than a day or two!

Bon Appetit!

The Cask and Schooner...

Being a Chef, I absolutely love it when a Chef has Balls!  I went to the Cask and Schooner the other night, and my friend Kurt ordered a classic Caesar salad.  When the salad arrived at our table, it had a beautiful Spanish white anchovy on top!

I could not believe seeing such true European style right here in Friday Harbor!  Bravo, good job mate!

Chicken Tenders with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

Hobbes' Chicken McNuggets!  Moms and Dads, this dish is fast, easy, cheap and the kids will love the stuff!

First get your oven nice and hot, around 375* works well.  Slice some potatoes and place in a large stainless steel bowl.  Now peel a sweet potato and slice it up, cut it so it looks like large french fries.

Pour in some olive oil, salt and pepper, paprika, fresh rosemary and a few whole cloves of garlic (skins left on).  Mix the ingredients to coat the potatoes with oil and seasoning.  Place on a sheet pan or roasting pan.  Tip to help with the clean up; use parchment paper if you want...  Throw these in the oven until done, 30-45 minutes.

While those are cooking, season your organic chicken tenders with salt and pepper, then cover with a little bit of flour.  Place a pan over high heat with quite a bit of olive oil (not extra virgin).  When the oil is really hot place tenders in the pan.  If you're doing a lot, then cook a few at a time, if you crowd the pan the meat tends to want to steam and not brown.  With tongs turn when brown, if you want you can finish them in the oven.  Tip:  These will cook fast so make sure your spuds are almost done!

Bon Appetit!

Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella Salad with Basil...

Balls to Winter, I'm just not ready for it.  So I'm having Summer!

Slice mozzarella cheese and tomatoes with basil, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and a balsamic drizzle!  Serve with homemade croutons...

Bon Appetit!

Sherried Mushrooms With Spinach and a Baked Egg...

What a fantastic Sunday morning breakfast!

Recipe for 1:
1 shallot or 1/4 red onion finely chopped
6 brown mushrooms sliced
handful spinach chopped
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

Over medium high heat melt butter in a saute pan. When butter is hot add mushrooms and brown. Then add shallot or onion and soften.  Pour in the sherry and reduce until all of the liquid has gone.   Add cream and spinach. Reduce cream a bit and wilt the spinach.

Transfer mixture to a ramekin and crack open an egg, and put it on top. Now sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese, and bake in a hot oven set at 350* for 15-20 minutes. When the egg is cooked add a pinch of nutmeg and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Fresh Tomato Pasta...

Quick, simple and cheap to make.  This dish will knock your socks off!

Recipe feeds 4:
1 packet good quality organic pasta
6 roma tomatos chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 red onion finely sliced
1 handful basil chopped
loads of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pinch chili flakes
Parmesan cheese

Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat, add a good three finger pinch of salt.  It's important to let the pasta have a lot of room in the pot, so make sure there's a load of water.

While the water is heating, slice the onion and place in saute pan with some olive oil and salt, pepper and  chili flakes, over medium high heat.  When the onions start to soften, turn heat to low and caramelize.  Chop your tomatoes and garlic.

When the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and stir with tongs to make sure all the pasta is covered with water.  Bring back up to a boil.  When the pasta is close to being finished, bring the heat back to medium high on the onions and add the garlic and tomatoes.  Cook until tomatoes are warmed through.

Drain the pasta and return to the pot, add some olive oil and stir pasta.  Plate the pasta on a warm plate and add a little more olive oil.  Add some of the tomato sauce on top of the pasta and garnish with fresh chopped basil, then add a little more olive oil and parmesan cheese.

Bon Appetit!

Celeriac or Celery Root...

Celeriac, sometimes called celery root, is a wonderful root vegetable, but few people know how to use it.  It has a great sweet and nutty flavor, which can be used in soups, mashed potatoes or for sauteing.

Recipe:
celeriac
shallots or red onion
sweet potato
garlic
paprika
salt and pepper
coconut oil, butter or olive oil
greens

Here's how I use it.  If your lucky enough to get a celeriac with the tops on, cut these off and stick them in the freezer, to use later in stock, they add wonderful flavor to stock...  Cut off the top and bottom of the root so you have a nice flat surface.  Now peel the root.  I find using a knife rather than a peeler works better for me, but that's your choice.

Slice the root and then cube the slices into 1/4" cubes and set aside.  Now peel and slice some shallot or sweet red onion.  Cube up some sweet potato the same size as the celeriac.  In a saute pan over med-hi heat melt the coconut oil, when the oil is hot add the onion, celeriac and sweet potato and stir or shake the pan.  Now season with salt and pepper.  Cook until almost soft, then add garlic and paprika, cook a little more, making sure not to brown the garlic, so keep it moving.  At this point you can lower the heat to low and melt in some greens like spinach, chard or kale. Or you could add the mixture without the green to mashed potatoes!

Bon Appetit!