Panko-Stuffed Broiled Tomatoes

When I made Ina Garten's Potato Basil Puree, I decided to add broiled tomatoes as an extra bonus.   I often forget how delicious tomatoes can be, when they are filled with bread crumbs, seasoned with fresh herbs and garlic oil.  They're also really easy to make. I've tried a few recipes, but this is my favorite version:

I'm such a fan of panko crumbs. I love that special "crunch" that I don't get with regular bread crumbs.  I add fresh thyme, a little bit of Parmesan cheese.  In a separate pot, I heat a little bit of olive oil and butter, and then some minced fresh garlic. On very low heat, I allow the garlic to infuse the oil.

 

I use Roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise; seeds and pulp are removed.

Season with salt and pepper...

Slowly, drizzle the garlic-herb oil/butter mixture into the panko crumbs, and combine with a fork.

Fill each tomato...then bake at 350F for 7-8 minutes.

Place a small pat of unsalted butter, and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.

VERDICT:  I'll let my son be the judge. You see, he's always hated tomatoes... ever since he was a little kid.  Brian looked at his dinner plate, and poked at the tomato suspiciously. He took a bite-- he tasted that wonderful garlic and herb combination, and that buttery crunch of the panko crumbs.  His eyes grew big, and he liked it!  It took 23 years for me to see the day that he ate a tomato.  Now, that's a compliment.  The tomato complimented the delicious Basil Potato Puree, perfectly.   As Ina would say, "How Easy Is That"?

Short-Rib Soup with Mushrooms and Israeli Couscous

Spring is beginning to make its presence known, in my part of California. I already spotted the first of the California grown asparagus-- yes!  Our Wisteria is in full bloom, and my rose buds are showing promise of rose flowers in our garden.

 If you've been following the news in California, we've had some really heavy rains.  Then, just when we were worried that our local river might flood, we were blessed with 80-degree weather for the last two days.  Today, we're back to overcast skies and chilly winds.  Crazy weather!   I am never sure if I can uncover our Weber grill, or it's time to braise something, or make soup.  Before the recipes for all the Spring vegetables start hitting blogsophere, I wanted to post the soup that I made with the leftover Red Wine Braised Short Rib recipe that I posted a couple of weeks ago.

Speaking of the last two weeks, I have been missing in action.   Suffice it to say that my work schedule doesn't leave me enough time to post recipes as much as I once did.  I miss it, terribly.  For now, it seems I can only post once a week... twice, if I'm lucky.

With that said, let's make soup.  I love making soups, year-round.  It's fun for me to transform leftovers into a delicious soup.  When I make pot roast, I always make souI. When I made the short rib recipe, I saved the vegetables that were used in the braising of the short ribs. I cut up the leftover short ribs and set them aside.

This recipe also comes from Chef Huber Keller, who inspired me to make the Red Wine Braised Short-Ribs.  He used Israeli Couscous.  I happened to find a bag of Harvest Grains, that I had purchased at Trader Joe's.

I cooked one cup the Harvest Grains, per the instructions on the bag...

...and set it aside.  Make a bouquet garni by wrapping the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and 2‐ inch celery piece into a 2‐inch piece of leek. Alternatively, wrap in cheesecloth.

Chef Hubert Keller used Shitake mushrooms.  I used Cremini mushrooms, because it's what I had on hand. i decided to brown them in a little olive oil. You don't have to do this, and you can just add them to the soup sliced raw.  If you don't have leftover cooked vegetables, then simply saute a mirepoix of onion, celery and carrots, and saute them in bacon (or olive oil).

To the vegetables, add the remaining braising liquid, red wine, bouquet garni and some beef stock.

Add the chopped short ribs, couscous and mushrooms...

Truthfully, I liked the soup almost more than the actually braised short rib dinner. The braising liquid is what makes the soup so rich and flavorful.

So there you have it-- how to turn leftovers into something really flavorful and filling.  A printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.  

I'm submitting this recipe to Deb and Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sunday weekly roundup of soup, stew, salad and sandwich recipes.  Please pay her lovely blog a visit!

I haven't been able to visit any food blogs for two weeks, and I'm regretting that I'm missing out on some terrific recipes. . I'll do my best to pop in and visit those of you who are on my blog roll-- and to my newest followers on my blog and my Facebook Fan Page.  I'm sorry I haven't been around much.   I'll find more time, soon.  I'm working on it!

Cheers!

Valentine's Day Menu: Sole Almondine, Lemon-Smashed Potatoes & Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Tyler Florence.  Yeah, yeah-- he's cute.  But, so is my husband.  That's all that matters, right?  I've hung on to these unposted photos of last year's Valentine's Dinner that I made for Craig for a year!  Why didn't I post these sooner? I meant to.  Alas, I found myself not being happy with the photos of the plated dinner.  I rushed the shots, because...well, it was Valentine's Day and we were hungry.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.   I decided to get over myself, because this dinner was memorably delicious-- and it's time to share the photos whether I like them or not! The real story behind this dinner menu was seeing Tyler Florence make this on one of his Ultimate shows on Food Network.   I was so impressed with the simplicity of all three recipes, that I decided to make this for my man, last Valentine's Day.  As I edited the photos, my taste buds remembered how delicious this dinner was-- and I am definitely going to make this again.  This is easy enough for beginners, and it will impress anyone if you make this:

You want fresh filet of sole. In my case, I used tilapia, because fresh sole wasn't available.  You want white wine-- but I favor Dry Vermouth for cooking.  You also want slivered almonds, fresh lemon, fresh Italian parsley and shallots.  First, I'll show you how to make Tyler's Lemon Smashed Potatoes.

Unlike the tradition way of making mashed potatoes, you use Yukon Gold potatoes. No peeling, no cutting-- put them into a pot, whole and add cream and milk (I used 2% milk). Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. NOTE: Cooking times vary-- mine took more like 40 minutes to cook.  Easy!

Remove about 2 cups of the liquid and reserve. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Use a potato masher to break up the potatoes while adding about 1 cup of the reserved liquid, to just 'wet’ the potatoes.Add more, for desired creaminess. Spoon the potatoes into a serving bowl and serve immediately.  NOTE: You can keep the potatoes warm, on very low heat. The extra milk/cream can be added right before serving. Works beautifully!

Dee-lishus!

 After starting the potatoes boiling, I'd move on  to prepping the green beans:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Trim off the tough end of the beans and arrange the beans on a nonstick cookie sheet.Drizzle with olive oil season with salt and pepper, to taste.Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the cheese melts and forms a crisp shell over the beans, about 10 minutes.Let the beans sit a few minutes for the cheese to cool slightly. Lift the beans out onto a platter and serve.

Back to the fish:

Set a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat (if you have 2 pans you can work simultaneously at this point, i.e. 2 fillets per pan) and add a 2-count of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to each pan.  Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In another shallow dish, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Dredge the fillets in the seasoned flour, then dip them into the egg mixture. Allow some of the excess egg to drain off, then add them to the hot pan.

Cook 2 pieces at a time. Fry for 1½ to 2 minutes, then carefully turn the fish over to cook the other side.With a spoon, baste the fillets with the butter sauce. Repeat basting to ensure the fish remains moist. Once the other side is cooked (about 30 seconds) carefully remove the fillets from the pan to a serving platter.

Once the fillets have been removed the pan, add the chopped shallots and gently saute over low heat until translucent, about 1 minute.Deglaze the pan with the white wine and finish with the lemon juice. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the parsley and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

 To serve, spoon the sauce over the top of the fillets and sprinkle generously with the toasted almonds. (I did this step backwards, but it all turned out fine.)

Serve with chilled white wine and candlelight...

TASTING NOTES:  This menu is one of several of Tyler's Ultimate success in my own kitchen.  Truly, this menu is so easy to make, that you can do this on a work night.  It's pretty fool-proof, and much cheaper than going out on a very busy night on February 14th.   As for the potatoes, they are creamy and delicious!
The lemon zest works well in the potatoes, and as a side dish with fish. I've used this technique to make galric smashed potatoes by adding  whole garlic cloves to the milk and omitting the lemon zest. So good!

 The green beans...  while I didn't get a decent photo of them, they were excellent. C'mon, melted cheese on anything is good!

All three printable recipes are at the bottom of this post.  Tyler Florence-- yes, he's one of my favorite Food Network chefs. 

Made with love by,

Succulent Scallops in a Carrot, Orange and Cardamom Sauce-- with a Shaved Asaragus Salad

Before I share with you how to make this colorful and delectable scallop dish, I'd like to introduce you to Chef Todd Fisher-- who is the creator of this recipe.

Just look at that smile!  Chef Todd and I share the same home turf-- the beautiful Monterey Peninsula (California). Todd and I have crossed paths over the last decade via our church, friends, local food events and I've been a frequent customer at his restaurants over the years.  He's a genuinely friendly kind of family man, with a fun and outgoing personality...

...and, he loves to be photographed!  Chef Todd was one of the presenters for "Fresh Express" at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival in San Francisco.  He uses local and fresh ingredients from our Salinas Valley and the Monterey area. Here, he is giving a generous serving of an Herb Salad with Toasted Quinoa and Smoked Pecans in a Cranberry Vinaigrette.   I'm a fan of  Todd's culinary creations, because he really thinks outside the box.   What really stands out about Todd is that he has both passion and a talent for cooking--which is why he is quickly gaining celebrity status in the culinary world.   After a long and successful run as a partner in a local restaurant, Chef Todd has moved into a new direction-- while keeping busy with food events all over the country, and balancing time with his wife and children.  In a quiet little Monterey Peninsula seaside community called 'Sand City', Todd has opened his newest venture called "The Kitchen".

Upstairs, there's a loft with a dining area where customers hire Chef Todd to cater their dinner parties.  He also hosts dinner parties with a prix fixe menu, that anyone can attend.  He's a very busy man, but he also sets time aside to offer cooking classes to aspiring home chefs (like me).   When Todd announced that he would be teaching a 'Valentine's Tribute, Sensual Dinner Three-Hour Cooking Class'-- and I saw Lobster Bisque and Succulent Scallops on the menu-- I quickly paid my $75.00 and I charged my camera battery.

There were twelve students, and I came with my own knife and a very hungry appetite.  Today, I'm going to share with you Todd's recipe for Succulent Scallops and a shaved asparagus salad.  Todd printed this recipe in our local newspaper, so I figured he wouldn't mind if I share this with my blog readers. 

As we arrived for the class, we were warmly greeted and presented with mimosas.  We began by making the seafood bisque (that I will present on a later post)-- the class was very much a "hands on" experience.  

We had three hours to learn how to prepare six dishes, so Todd jumped in and prepared the shaved asparagus salad.  I'm a big fan of roasted asparagus, but I never thought to shave uncooked asparagus, with a vegetable peeler, and to serve it with a vinaigrette! 

The vinaigrette was made with champagne vinegar, a shallot, orange zest, Dijon mustard, sea salt, black pepper, Italian parsley and olive oil-- very simple, very delicious.  He set that aside...

Next, Todd made the Carrot, Orange & Cardamon Sauce.

(A printable recipe card is at the very bottom of this post.)  In a medium saucepan, he combined carrot juice, ¼ cup vermouth, orange juice, lemon juice, shallot and salt, bringing it to a boil over high heat-- then reducing  the heat just enough to maintain a steady boil. The sauce was then cooked until slightly thickened  and reduced to about ½ cup. Last, we whisked in butter one piece at a time, waiting until each piece was melted and incorporated before adding another. (The sauce should be thickened enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon.) Last,  the sauce was reduced to a simmer, whisking constantly, and the ground cardamom was added and removed from heat.  Todd admitted that he recently developed an allergy to shellfish, but that didn't stop him from sharing the secret to perfectly prepared scallops. For some of the students, they were delighted to learn why their past attempts yielded tough and rubbery scallops-- which is, that they were overcooking them. I was once guilty of that until I made this recipe.

Todd showed how important it is to dry the scallops really well, (he seasoned them with just salt and pepper)-- and to get the pan really hot; next he adds olive oil and a pat of butter.  In a matter of about 3 minutes, he had a platter of these gorgeous scallops:

I greedily selfishly wished that everyone had an allergy to these, so I could more. I adore scallops. I truly do. So, now it's time to taste. Chef Todd shows us how the pro's do it-- Begin with two scallops...

...spoon some of that beautiful carrot, orange, cardamon sauce. Do I hear an "ooooh"?  Now top it with some of the shaved asparagus salad.  Do I hear an "ahhhhhhhhhh"?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you perfectly succulent scallops, ala Chef Todd Fisher.  They are tender.  They are so good! Besides the sauce being such a beautiful color, it's light-- the balance of orange and cardamon is perfect with the carrot juice.  This gets about 10 O-M-G's.  I would have never thought of piling the asparagus salad on top, but it works.  There's a gentle bite from the vinaigrette, that balances out the sweetness of the scallops and the carrot-orange-cardamon sauce.  This is so simple to make and  I plan to replicate this for a romantic dinner with my husband, this weekend.  I definitely got my money's worth from this class-- and I even got to go home with extra portions to take home! What a deal!

Other recipes we learned:  Lobster (in this case, shrimp) bisque, sweet potato gnocchi with a divine sauce and perfectly seared and roasted pork tenderloin.  I'll be sharing these very soon....

If you live within a couple hours of the Monterey Peninsula-- or you plan to visit my piece of paradise that I call "home", you might want to check out Chef Todd Fisher's class schedule.   He makes cooking fun!  Believe me, I came home with a very happy and very fully belly of delicious recipes that he served us very generously.  (Psssssssssssst... and he keeps a bottomless glass of wine going for his students, so bring a designated driver.)

Here's the recipe:

Happy Valentine's Day!