fonte: Simply Recipes

Pan Seared Salmon with Avocado Remoulade

Posted by Elise on Feb 26, 2009

Filed under Low Carb, Main Course, Quick, Seafood, Wheat-free

"Bacon" variety avocados are in season in the winter; lighter in flavor than the more popular Haas variety, these large, thin-skinned avocados are exceptionally creamy and are perfect for using in sauces. While remoulade is typically made with mayonnaise, in this case we've substituted the mayo with avocado and seasoned it with lime juice.

Pan Seared Salmon with Avocado Remoulade Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large avocados, cut and peeled
• 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (can substitute lemon)
• 3-4 Tbsp light olive oil (light refers to flavor and color, not calories)
• 1 Tbsp minced shallots or green onion
• 1 Tbsp minced parsley
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of salmon fillets
• Grapeseed or canola oil

Method

1 Put avocado pieces and lime juice into a food processor or blender and pulse until blended. Slowly add olive oil, pulsing, until you reach desired consistency of sauce. Add minced shallots (or green onions) and parsley, pulse just until combined. Remove to a bowl, add mustard, salt and pepper to taste.

2 Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with oil, heat on medium high until almost smoking. Season both sides of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper, carefully lay the salmon into the pan, skin side down. Cook the salmon until about medium doneness, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Serve salmon with avocado remoulade sauce.

Serves 4.

Hanger Steak for Valentine

source: Simply recipes

Hanger Steak with Shallots

Posted by Elise on Feb 12, 2009

Looking for a quick, easy, yet special meal for Valentine's? Try this hanger steak, just cut the recipe in half if you are making it for two. ~Elise

One of the best things about having a butcher close by who knows a thing or two about meat is that we are often inspired to try cuts that would otherwise be unfamiliar to us. Hanger steak is one of those cuts. Also known as a "butcher's steak", the hanger steak "hangs" down from a steer's diaphragm, attached to the last rib and spine near the kidneys (according to the Wikipedia). It is highly flavorful, but isn't perfectly tender, so it responds well to quick cooking with searing heat, and a thin slicing against the grain to serve. This recipe we picked up from our local butcher at Corti Brothers who in turn got it from Chef Daniel Boulud. According to chef Boulud, French bistros traditionally serve this steak along with pommes frites (French fries). We passed on the fries and went with broccoli and boiled potatoes. Outstanding, and very easy to make

Hanger Steak with Shallots Recipe

If hanger steaks aren't available where you are, you might want to try this recipe with a flank or skirt steak. Hanger steaks are sold either whole, looking somewhat like a "V", or trimmed of the center gristle, in which case they resemble a tenderloin. If you get a whole piece, make sure to cut away and discard the center main gristle that connects the 2 tenderloin-ish pieces.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
• 4 hanger steaks, 6-8 ounces each (trimmed of main gristle running through center)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley

Method

1 Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan over high heat. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, place the steaks into the pan, and brown them on all sides. (Do not move the steak pieces until they have browned on one side, if you move them, they won't brown easily.) Continue to turn them until they are cooked to your preference, 6 minutes total for medium-rare (the steaks will continue to cook as they rest), a few minutes longer for more well done. Transfer the steaks to a warm dish and cover them with foil and let them rest while you prepare the sauce

2 Reduce the heat to medium, add a tablespoon of butter and the shallots. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until it boils away, then add the wine. Bring the wine to a boil and let reduce to about half. Remove pan from heat, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the chopped parsley

To serve, cut each steak against the grain into thin slices. Fan the slices out on a warm dinner plate. Drizzle the warm shallot sauce over the meat and serve immediately

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook.

Special Apple Cake.

Apple Upside Down Cake

Posted by Elise (Simply Recipes) on Jan 20, 2009

Filed under Bakery, Dessert

Last year my father got it in his head to make an apple upside down cake. Every fall our trees are loaded with apples and dad is always looking for excuses to bake with them. Well, he tried three different recipes, and each one turned out with the same problem—they appeared to be cooked, had cooked the proper amount of time as called for by the recipe, the tester came out clean, but when he went to cut into the cake, the inside was gooey. The last time this happened, dad swore like a sailor, threw the whole cake in the sink, and vowed to never attempt an apple upside down cake again. (Ever have days like that?)

I don't know what possessed him to try his hand at it again. Perhaps the intervening year softened the pain of the memory of three failed cakes? Or perhaps he is just easily seduced by cake recipes, and the combination of this recipe he found in an old issue of Bon Appetit and apples on sale at Whole Foods for 99 cents a pound was just too tempting to ignore. Or perhaps it had finally dawned on him (us) that the Granny Smiths we had been using to attempt similar cakes gave off too much liquid to work properly in the recipes. In any case, his perseverance has paid off with this cake. It's terrific! We can't wait to make it again.

Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white, granulate sugar divided (1/2 cup and 3/4 cup)
• 1 1/2 pounds Braeburn, Jonagold, or Golden Delicious apples (about 4 medium), peeled, quartered, cored, each quarter cut into 2 wedges
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1-9-inch cake pan with 1 1/2-inch high sides

Method

1 Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter the sides of the cake pan. Line the pan with a 10-inch round of parchment paper. The paper will come up 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan. Butter the parchment paper.

2 Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup sugar and cook until sugar dissolves and mixture turns golden brown, stirring occasionally (use a wooden spoon), about 6 minutes. Add apple wedges to the pan and gently stir to distribute the caramel evenly across the apples. Cover the pan and cook until apples release their juices, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until apples are tender and caramel thickens and coats the apples, stirring occasionally, about 13 minutes more. Remove apples and caramel sauce and place in the prepared cake pan.

3 Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside. Place cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the cornmeal and stir to blend. Add 3/4 cup sugar and 6 Tbsps (3/4 stick) butter to the cornmeal mixture. Beat until well blended. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder mixture alternating with the milk. Pour the batter over the apples in the cake pan.

4 Bake until top is golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan. Carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate or dish, and remove the parchment paper. Cool for 15 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

.Elise: Sausage, Spinach, Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

from: Simply recipes

Sausage, Spinach, Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

Posted by Elise on Feb 1, 2009

Filed under Casserole, Main Course, Pasta

There must be a special place in heaven for men who cook. My father made this dish the other day to my mother's and my delight. It always amazes me that dad, who isn't a patient man to begin with, and what little patience he had he lost raising six kids, will still make the effort to gently stuff dozens of pasta shells. Not to say there wasn't any grumbling, but he knew the work was going to pay off, and it did. Jumbo pasta shells, stuffed with a mixture of Italian sausage, spinach, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, surrounded by tomatoes and baked until bubbly, do you think there were any leftovers? Hah! No way.

Sausage, Spinach, Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 12-ounce package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 large egg
• 16-ounces ricotta cheese
• 10-ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, chopped further (or 10 ounces chopped fresh spinach)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 28-ounce can tomatoes with herbs, tomatoes broken up (or your favorite tomato or pasta sauce)

• 2 9x13 shallow baking dishes

Method

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking up the sausage into smaller bits. Cook sausage until cooked through, and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute more. Remove pan from heat.

3 Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, basil, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and sausage mixture. Fill each cooked pasta shell with some of the ricotta, spinach, sausage mixture.

4 Spread 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes over the bottom of each of the baking dishes. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells in the dishes. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

At this point you can make ahead, to freeze (up to four months) or refrigerate before cooking. (If freezing, cover with foil, then wrap with plastic wrap.)

5 Heat oven to 375°F. Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

Serves 8.

Recipe adapted from recipe on box of Barilla jumbo pasta shells, and a recipe appearing in the Sacramento Bee.