What's Cooking EDF? #4

[pokah5]

A few friends came over for some cioppino tonight. Got this recipe on foodnetwork.com.

I added about 10 clams and used dry thyme instead of fresh. It was delicious. Also, i would have put up pics if i had a camera other than my phone. Damn that thief who stole mine...

It was actually pretty east and recommend this for people who are cooking for friends/company.

1/4 cup (3 turns around the pan in a slow stream) extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 to 3 flat fillets of anchovies, drained
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup good quality dry white wine
1 (14-ounce) container chicken stock
1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed (about 1 tablespoon)
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 pounds cod, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
8 large shrimp, ask for deveined easy-peel or peel and devein
8 sea scallops
16 to 20 raw mussels, scrubbed
A loaf of fresh, crusty bread, for mopping

In a large pot over moderate heat combine oil, crushed pepper, anchovies, garlic, and bay. Let anchovies melt into oil. The anchovies act as a natural salt, the pepper flakes will infuse the oil, providing heat.

Chop celery and onion near stove and add to the pot as you work. Saute vegetables for a few minutes to begin to soften and add wine to the pot. Reduce wine a minute, then add chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to medium low.

Season fish chunks with salt and pepper. Add fish and simmer 5 minutes, giving the pot a shake now and then. Do not stir your soup with a spoon after the addition of fish or you will break it up. Add shrimp, scallops, and mussels and cover pot. Cook 10 minutes, giving the pot a good shake now and again.

[Berge20]

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Cook baby spinach in frying pan with oil until wilted. Butterfly chicken breast. Stuff with spinach and goat cheese and pine nuts or slivered almonds. Top with some sundried tomato if you want.

Slice zucchini and yellow squash and asparagus and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, basalmic vinaigrette, sunflower seed and salt over everything.

Put a clove of garlic in a cupcake pan. Pour about 1/2" of oil in the cupcake hole with the garlic.

Slice up some Italian bread and brush with olive oil and minced garlic and sprinkle some salt on. Bake. When the garlic is done, peel the cloves and put a few on each piece of bread. They'll be really soft and delicious.

Bake everything for like 30 minutes at 350.

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I made a version of this last night and it was pretty solid. Needed more of the spinach and cheese stuffed inside, but that was just a proportion effort. I may try it again with some variation to see if there might be something more to enhance the flavor combo.

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I don't know how much people do lunch cooking, but I'd be interested to hear from those that do it.

It's kind of a different ballgame, but I'm getting tired of my soup and basic sandwitches mentality I'm in. Any thoughts on how to spice up lunches?

[KJS]

[ QUOTE ]
A few friends came over for some cioppino tonight. Got this recipe on foodnetwork.com.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is a winner. One of my go-to dishes for group dining at my place. Always delivers. Helps to live in Seattle and have amazing seafood access.

KJS

[slamdunkpro]

Crab Towers with Avocado & Gazpacho Salsa

[pokah5]

sounds and looks delicious!

ingredients?

[slamdunkpro]

It's a lot of knife work, but it does look good!

Crab Towers with Avocado & Gazpacho Salsas

You can prepare the crabmeat salad and gazpacho salsa several hours ahead of serving, but the avocado salsa should be prepared just before assembly.

INGREDIENTS

Crabmeat Salad
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or minced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
12 ounces lump crabmeat (or backfin), preferably Atlantic blue crabmeat, carefully picked over for shell fragments

Gazpacho Salsa
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small cucumber, peeled if desired, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium plum tomato, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 small rib celery, cut into 1/8-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small red onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 small jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Avocado Salsa
3 avocados (ripe), cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice from 1 lime

Garnish
1 cup frisée
2 oranges, peeled using a paring knife and segmented

1. FOR THE CRABMEAT SALAD: Whisk the olive oil, champagne vinegar, lemon zest, mustard, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Measure 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette into a medium bowl and mix with the mayonnaise. Add the crabmeat to the mayonnaise mixture and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Set the remaining vinaigrette aside.

2. FOR THE GAZPACHO SALSA: Toss the yellow bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, celery, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, pepper, olive oil, and sherry vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. FOR THE AVOCADO SALSA: Toss the avocado, coriander, salt, pepper, and lime juice in a medium bowl and set aside.

4. TO ASSEMBLE: Place a 3-inch-wide round biscuit cutter in the center of an individual plate. Use a slotted spoon to press 1/3 cup of the Avocado Salsa into the bottom of the cutter using the back of a soup spoon. Lift the cutter off the plate slightly to reveal some but not all of the avocado. Holding the cutter aloft, press 1/3 cup of the Crabmeat Salad evenly into the cutter on top of the avocado. Lift the cutter farther to reveal some but not all of the crab salad. Holding the cutter aloft, use a slotted spoon to press 1/3 cup of the Gazpacho Salsa evenly into the cutter on top of the crab. Gently lift the cutter up and away from the plate to reveal the crab tower. Repeat the procedure five more times with the remaining ingredients.

5. Dress the frisée with the remaining champagne vinaigrette. Place a few sprigs of the dressed frisée on top of each crab tower and arrange the orange segments, if using, around the towers. Serve immediately.

['Chair]

Lunch: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich + last night's Entourage



Ingredients:
thick cut apple wood smoked bacon
sharp provolone
toasted sour dough bread
2 fried eggs
duke's mayo
s & p
vine ripe tomato
red onion


Dids, solid as usual.

[BK_]

Great stuff all. The last two pictures have me starving and I just ate lunch.

Appetizer from Friday night:



From Food and Wine Magazine:

ingredients
18 ounces sea scallops, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon almond or hazelnut oil
1 Thai chile or jalapeño, seeded and minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 red bell pepper


directions
In a medium bowl, toss the scallops with the citrus juices, grapeseed and almond oils and chile and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until the scallops are opaque, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, roast the bell pepper directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning, until charred all over. Transfer the pepper to a bowl, cover and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel the pepper and cut it into 1/2 -inch dice.
Add the roasted pepper to the scallops, season with salt and pepper and stir. Serve the scallops in large spoons, small bowls or scallop shells set on a bed of ice.

[pokah5]

Spaghetti Carbonara
Sorry for the horrible photo, using my camera phone. Lost my digi to theives, but will get a new one soon, I promise!



I've been looking though recipes, then decided to make it how I thought it should be made. With no set ingredients.

My list of what went in:
bacon
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 eggs
a handful or so of parmesan cheese
a little cream
fresh ground black pepper
little bit of crushed red pepper

made for two.
this was indeed quite delicious!

[turnipmonster]

BK, do you have the CIA's "The Professional Chef"? it's a great, great book with lots of info on the things you are curious about.