Mahi Mahi With Blood Orange, Avocado and Shallot Salsa

Posted on July 2nd, 2009 in Dinner Ideas, Lunch Foods, Personal Chef, Recipes by Ira Weiss

Mahi Mahi is without a doubt one of my favorite fish to eat. I was introduced to it on a trip to Aruba in 2002. The flesh is mild, white and firm and works with light to spicy seasonings. Even the pickiest fish eaters should enjoy Mahi Mahi. Here’s a photo of what a Mahi Mahi looks like right out of the ocean, followed by a really nice summer recipe.

SERVES 4

  1. Using a small sharp knife, (segment the orange) cut the peel and white pith from the orange.  Working over a small bowl so you catch the juice, cut between the membrane to release the segments.
  2. Add Avocado, shallots, jalapeño and lime juice to the bowl with the orange; stir gently to blend. Season salsa to taste with salt.
  3. Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add fish to skillet and sauté until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
  4. Place one fillet on each plate. Spoon salsa over fish and serve.

Note: If you can’t find blood oranges, substitute regular oranges and add 2 more teaspoons of lime juice to counteract the sweetness.

Serving Suggestion: A Mesculin Salad with a Light Vinaigrette and Cous Cous.

New Dinner Ideas: Pancakes Don’t Always Require Maple Syrup

Posted on May 26th, 2009 in Cooking Tips, Dinner Ideas, Personal Chef, Recipes by Ira Weiss

     Every so often we get a craving for pancakes for dinner. This becomes breakfast for dinner as we have eggs or some kind of meat (sausage, bacon, ham or Canadian bacon) to go with them. Then comes the warm maple syrup or fruit preserves.

     But pancakes don’t require a sweet topping. Why not a savory pancake? With a savory topping and/or filling? Crepes can be savory. Blini filled with meat (thus blintzes) can be savory.

     So we set out to create a savory pancake. We adapted a recipe from the Joy Of Cooking for a cornmeal pancake to go along with a smoked baby clam cream sauce. Smoked baby clams, smoked baby mussels, or smoked scallops can be found in most grocery stores.

Savory Cornmeal Pancakes

1 1/4 Cups yellow cornmeal, prefer fine, stone ground
3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 Teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons salt
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper

1 2/3 Cups milk
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, melted
2 Large eggs

Additions:
2 Tablespoons of finely chopped chives
3/4 cup of corn, drained

Whisk the dry ingredients (items 1-5) in one bowl, wet ingredients in another bowl (items 4-8). Pour wet ingredients on top of dry and whisk together until just combined. Batter will be thin. Stir in chives and corn.

You can make any size pancake that you wish. We prefer to make them about the size of a Hellman’s Mayonnaise jar lid (screw on lid, 32 oz jar) or standard coffee mug circumference. Cook until the top of each pancake has formed bubbles – once the bubbles have popped, flip. Cook until bottom is lightly browned.

This batch makes quite a few pancakes that can be frozen for later use. We recommend that you pre-heat your oven for 170-200 degrees to keep the pancakes warm while you finish cooking the rest.

 

Standard White Cream Sauce

2 Tablespoons of finely minced onion
1 Tablespoon of finely minced garlic (optional)
2 Tablespoons of butter, margarine or olive oil (or a mix)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/4 Cups milk
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauté onions and garlic in melted butter/margarine/olive oil for a few minutes until translucent. Whisk in flour. Stir for 2-3 minutes to slightly brown the flour butter mixture (roux). Slowly stir in milk. Once incorporated, add nutmeg. Simmer lightly, stirring frequently for 6-8 minutes. Add 1 can of smoked baby clams, smoked baby mussels or smoked scallops. Simmer and stir for another 2-3 minutes for the flavors to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

     Serving ideas: Serve with a grilled steak and grilled asparagus

     Kosher Option: Simply use margarine, olive oil and non-dairy creamer in place of milk products if your serving with meat. And, of course, skip the shell fish and pick up some Kosher smoked fish like lox or trout!

     Vegetarian Option: Saute mushrooms instead of fish and use liquid smoke for the sauce. If you don’t have liquid smoke, sprinkle smoked salt on top of the sauce just before serving

Improv in the Kitchen: Onion Dip

Posted on January 1st, 2009 in Appetizers, Cooking Tips, Herbs and Spices, Recipes by Ira Weiss

     Both Jill and I were snow bound, sick bunnies last night. The first time in years we hadn’t spent New Year’s Eve with friends. And we found ourselves without a store-bought onion soup mix to make a dip with. (Shutter to think of it!) :)

     So, I hit the pantry. We keep brown gravy mix on hand when we get lazy and don’t want to make gravy from scratch for ourselves, check. We have dehydrated onion flakes on hand for many uses, particularly when making tuna salad. Why? Because you get all the delicious onion flavor without the strong onion taste that can overwhelm the salad.  Check. A little fresh cracked pepper, check. And my secret ingredient – mustard oil. Just a drop. It adds a cool little bite and an unusually interesting flavor.

     You don’t need any extra salt because the brown gravy mix has it already.

16 oz Sour Cream
3 Tablespoons Onion flakes, Dehydrated
1 Tablespoon Brown Gravy Mix (Or Powdered Vegetable Bouillon if vegetarian)
Pepper to Taste
1 Teaspoon Mustard Oil (optional)

     Always taste the recipe. If you feel you want more brown gravy mix, add a teaspoon, mix and taste. If you think it needs more, repeat. If you want to explore, look for other ingredients in your spice cabinet. Cajun? Dry Mustard?Chili Powder? Have fun with it. Now grab your chips and veggies and your set!