Herbs Archives • Page 4 of 5 • The Traveling Epicurean

Gorganzola Dolce Cream Sauce with Fresh Thyme

March 16, 2019May 15, 2014 by Michel

Gorganzola Dolce Cream Sauce with Fresh Thyme

This Gorganzola Dolce cream sauce with fresh thyme couldn’t get any easier and your dinner guests will think you secretly went to culinary school and became a saucier! Gorganzola Dolce cheese originated in Northern Italy, and is made from cows milk. It’s a mild, creamy, and sweet cheese great for spreading on baguette slices or even crackers. It’s moister than Stilton and definitely more buttery than Roquefort. It’s decadent really, one of my very favorite cheeses of all times along side of Taleggio…another amazing Italian cheese!

I came up with this recipe because I serve it on my homemade gnocchi (potato pasta) with truffle oil and fresh thyme. You won’t believe how easy this is to make. You can make it to go over any kind of pasta you like and pair it up with grilled steaks or sautéed chicken along side.

Ingredients: Makes enough for 1 lb. pasta

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp of Gorganzola Dolce Cheese
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup extra dry vermouth or white wine
1 bunch fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Reggiano Parmeggiano to sprinkle on top at the end
Truffle oil

Directions:

Pour heavy cream into a medium sauce pan on the stove over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Add in the gorganzola dolce cheese and whisk just to combine.
Add in the vermouth and simmer for 5 minutes on low
Turn off and stir in 1 Tbsp of fresh thyme leaves..set aside til pasta is ready
Cook 1 lb. of your favorite tubular, shaped pasta, or gnocchi and pour sauce over
Serve with a sprinkle of Reggiano cheese, a drizzle of truffle oil and more fresh thyme leaves sprinkled on top

You may want to serve some appetizers with this dinner like:

Cake That Won’t Last

March 17, 2019April 22, 2014 by Michel

Cake That Won’t Last

″Cake that won’t last″ is the perfect name for this dessert and when you make it you will understand why. This recipe came my dear foodie friend Christine. She is a great cook and whips up dishes like me in the “old school” self taught way of culinary cooking by taste and instinct, without recipes! Christine is one of my friends who graciously throws outrageous cooking parties where laughter and smiles are always in abundance.

This “cake that won’t last” is more like a bread pudding that does a great job of holding together in an actual slice. So it is a little messy…it’s not like a perfect slicing cake and when you taste it you be very happy with exactly how it is. You don’t even need a Kitchen Aid Mixer with this cake…it’s all mixed easily by hand. Adding a good vanilla ice cream, one in particular that I really like is Hood “Homemade Vanilla” which goes great with this bread-pudding-cake making it even more indulgent! This is a great dinner party cake and your guests will never know how easy it was.

You may want to start with some appetizers on the lighter side like sea scallop ceviche, bacon wrapped scallops or maybe mussels in a fennel & lemon grass sauce, and for dinner…how about my grilled Asian salmon with cold asparagus salad, sautéed chicken and fresh spinach, chicken roulades with roasted garlic and cannelini bean purée, or sea bass with green goddess sauce.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup chopped up banana
1 cup canned crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup mandarin oranges with juice (if mandarin pieces are whole cut in 3’s)
1 cup canola oil
3 cups flour
1 1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
3 cup sugar
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350º
Butter and flour a bunt cake pan
Put all the dry ingredients into a large mixing, set aside
Put all the wet ingredients in another large bowl and gently whisk just to combine
Add add the wet into the dry and using a spatula begin to stir to combine ingredients
Put bunt cake pan onto a cookie sheet and place into the oven for 1 hour
Place a piece of foil over the top after about 40 minutes so it doesn’t burn
Take out and let cool 10 minutes
Run a bendy pastry knife around the edges of the bunt pan to loosen it up
Lay a large cake dish over the bunt pan and flip the cake over
This cake is very moist and has bread pudding-like consistency so there may be some cake stuck to the bottom of the bunt pan after you flip the cake out…no worries just scrape any crispy or gooey parts off gently and put back onto cake top where it may be missing and you will also be sprinkling confectioners sugar over it
Put confectioner sugar into a sieve or fine mesh strainer and sprinkle onto cake
I like to serve this warm a la mode with Hood “Homemade Vanilla” ice cream

Homemade Italian Meatballs

March 17, 2019April 17, 2014 by Michel

Homemade Italian Meatballs

Got to love homemade authentic Italian meatballs! No matter how you look at it spaghetti and homemade meatballs is an all time American favorite. Not that I wouldn’t have eventually gotten to one of my meatball recipes but I am dedicating this recipe today to my good friend Laura who has requested a recipe for homemade meatballs…hope you like these Laura!

I have many different ways to mix up the meat percentages using varying cuts like beef, veal, pork or beef and pork, or just turkey when I am trying to cut back on beef. This recipe is your basic 100 percent beef meatball, inspired by the way my mother use to make them with a 2 day old loaf of good Italian bread instead of using processed bread crumbs.

I used to stand by the stove frying the meatballs in olive oil but these days who really has the time? So I have come to the conclusion that they taste exactly same baked in the oven at a high temperature…saving lots of labor and time. I suggest you try my pasta sauce 101 while making these homemade meatballs because granted the meatballs are wonderful right out of the oven fresh baked without any sauce but it goes to a new level when you simmer them in the sauce for a good hour or 2. And don’t forget to have that crusty loaf of sourdough bread for dunking or my pesto garlic bread, and if you are really serious you might attempt my mothers Maria’s manicotti’s the next day. Some sides or appetizers to go with the spaghetti and meatballs might be a zucchini torta, bacon wrapped scallops, or baked coconut shrimp…enjoy!

Ingredients – Makes 21 Small Meatballs:

1 lb. Angus beef
1 large egg (rule of thumb …1 egg per lb. of meat)
1/2-3/4 cup after soaked in milk – (1/2 loaf of 2 day old Italian bread soaked in 1 cup milk)
1/2 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese
1 lg. garlic clove put thru garlic press
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper
1 cup milk

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425º
Break up a 1/2 loaf of 2 day old Italian bread and place into a large bowl as shown in photo
Pour 1 cup milk over bread and let it absorb for 10 minutes
Wash, spin, dry and finely chop parsley, set aside
Discard outer crusts from soaking Italian bread
Begin to break soaking bread pieces apart with your fingers…if you feel any gooey pieces throw those away (if it sat out for a couple of days it won’t get gooey)…the bread should just fall apart easily
Take 1/2-3/4 cup of this soaking bread and add to a large mixing bowl
To this bowl add in Parmesan, chopped parsley, garlic clove thru garlic press, salt and pepper and 1 egg
Whisk til just combined
Add in 1 lb. of Angus beef and begin to mix gently with your hands…DON’T over work the meatballs you don’t want it to look fully combined like a meatloaf
Using a cookie scooper begin to shape and roll mixture with your hands – they will be small about 1 1/2″…have a small bowl of water to the side to keep hands damp not wet (this makes it easier to rolls meatballs)
Spray cookie tray with Pam canola oil
Place 21 shaped meatballs onto the cookie tray and spray the tops of the meatballs
Place them into the oven for 17 minutes…mangia mangia : )

Delicious Salads at R.J. Julia’s

April 8, 2014April 4, 2014 by Michel

Delicious Salads at R.J. Julia’s

It’s so nice to have a local book store like R.J. Julia’s right in own own town of Madison, CT with a gourmet bistro to boot. R.J. Julia’s café serves freshly made soups, salads, sandwiches and paninis. The café also has a full espresso bar and we can’t forget those truly amazing cupcakes that come from from La Rosticceria in Guilford. Recently I was there and had their chicken and apple salad that came with a lovely balsamic-apple vinaigrette that was both tangy and fruity. The chicken was moist and flavorful and I loved the crumbled, sweet and creamy blue cheese. It went so well with the chewy cranberries, sliced chicken breast, and apples . Being a big crouton aficionado I adored their homemade croutons that they sprinkled on top of the salad too.

The atmosphere is very sweet and relaxing inside. It’s probably a good idea to get there somewhat on the early side (before noon) because they definitely have a loyal client base and fill up fast for lunch. You won’t be disappointed that’s for sure. So next time you are strolling down main street you should pop into R.J. Julia’s Bistro for a gourmet nibble. If you are a big salad lover you may want to try my cold Asian shrimp and rice noodle salad, roasted beet salad with mint & feta, fennel and citrus salad, or follow up with my melt in your mouth turkey stuffed peppers or easy crock pot pulled pork tenderloin with BBQ sauce and whiskey.

HAND CRAFTED SALADS
COBB chicken, tomato, avocado, bleu cheese, bacon, egg 11
ROSTI goat cheese, dried cranberries, spiced walnuts 9
CAESAR romaine, chicken, shaved parmesan, caesar dressing, house croutons 10
ARUGULA fresh pear, bleu cheese, spiced walnuts, lemon dressing 9
SCOOPS your choice of one, two or three scoops of our freshly made tuna,
chicken or egg salad over fresh greens with tomato and cucumber 6/8/10
CHICKEN & APPLE chicken, apple slices, dried cranberries, bleu cheese,
red onion, white balsamic apple vinaigrette 10

all salads come with house made croutons
house salad dressings ~ creamy balsamic vinaigrette, white balsamic apple vinaigrette, lemon dressing
we also have ~ asian sesame ginger, honey mustard and caesar

Grilled Asian Salmon

March 18, 2019April 3, 2014 by Michel

Grilled Asian Salmon

Grilled Salmon or pan seared salmon is up there as one of my very favorite fish dishes! In the past I have been spoiled with having very fresh salmon to work with. You may ask how fresh was it…well I’ll tell you, we are talking so fresh it just was caught in the San Francisco Bay minutes before it was in my kitchen. My rule of thumb for fish is if your fish smells and or tastes fishy you shouldn’t cook or eat it. In fact, the marinade I use here is very light and I only soak the fish for a mere 1 hour. I want to taste the luscious meat of the salmon and only want a hint of the Asian flavors which I actually use to help caramelize the edges of the fish.

The Restaurant Depot in Milford, is where I like to buy my salmon. As shown in the photos below, they have a wonderful selection of fish. The local markets like Star Fish Market and Atlantic Seafood have a great selection of salmon. The salmon in this recipe is farm raised from Canada, so not a whole long distance to travel. I have grown to love good farm raised salmon because it is meaty and luscious in flavor and you can’t beat the price. But you need to know that I would only make my gravlax recipe from a wild salmon like a sock eye salmon. Wild Salmon is all flash frozen to -10º for at least 36 hours by regulatory means to assure that if a possibility of parasites exists they will be killed making it safe for such delectable recipes as gravlax. Gravlax is made from raw salmon (flash frozen… unless you are fishing for it yourself!) cured in salt, sugar, dill and eau-di-vie or vodka and is heavily. I have actually had a request for my gravlax recipe so stay tuned for that recipe in the up and coming weeks.

The salmon can be grilled or pan seared the only difference being you finish the salmon off in a 325º oven for 5 minutes instead of a turned off grill. I have given you the mixture for my marinade BUT if you don’t have time you have the convenience of using one of my favorite store bought marinades called Soy Vay “Island Teriyaki” with the yellow and blue label which happens to be incredible on chicken, by the way. You can find Soy Vay products at all the markets on the marinade shelf. I like to serve the grilled Asian salmon with my cold asparagus-ginger salad and if you want something a little hardier you can add in my perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion recipe which would all be delicious together.

Ingredients serves 4 people:

1 lb. salmon filet
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 recipe cold asparagus-ginger salad
1 recipe perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion
Marinade #1: 1/2 cup white wine + 1/2 cup pineapple juice + 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy or Tamari soy (a dark soy) + 8 slices of fresh peeled ginger + and 2 crushed garlic cloves
Marinade #2: 1 cup Soy Vay “Island Teriyaki” marinade + 1 cup white wine + 2 crushed garlic cloves + 8 slices of fresh peeled ginger

Directions:

Wash and dry your 1 lb. salmon
Slice into 4 even pieces
Choose marinade #1 or #2 from above
Place the salmon pieces in a large bowl with the marinade, cover with saran and pop into the frig for one hour…NO MORE
Take the salmon out and place onto paper towels to blot completely dry
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the salmon filets
Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper
Heat the grill to medium/high
Rub olive oil on grill grates carefully with a brush before you put the filets down
Place the salmon filets flesh side down first (so the flesh doesn’t get covered in scales when you flip)
Close grill top
Cook for 5 minutes
Using a spatula flip over the salmon filets and close grill again…you may need to wiggle filets gently on the grill with a thin metal spatula to loosen them …be patient
Cook for another 5 minutes
Turn the grill off and close grill letting them sit for another 5 minutes

For Pan Seared Method:

Pre-heat oven to 325º
Place a large sauté pan on the stove and put on medium/high heat
Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil into pan
Place the salmon filets flesh side down first (so the flesh doesn’t get covered in scales when you flip)
Cook for 5 minutes
You don’t need to cover on your pan
Using a spatula flip over the salmon filets…they will flip over easily in the pan
Cook for another 5 minutes
Then place pan into the oven for 5 more minutes on 325º uncovered
Take out and serve with asparagus salad, mashed potatoes & red onion and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

Cold Asparagus-Ginger Salad

May 15, 2019April 2, 2014 by Michel

Cold Asparagus-Ginger Salad

Wow…this cold asparagus-ginger salad is such a God send in the busy spring and summer days when you want something refreshing, super flavorful and a total make ahead dish so you can focus on having fun with your family and friends. The longer this sits in the frig the better the flavors get so make this the night before and that will be one less thing to do when you have to grill the Asian salmon, skirts steaks, or sautéed chicken breasts with a roasted garlic & cannellini purée, or perfectly mashed potatoes with red onion. The dressing with the asparagus is really my go to Asian dressing that I use for many dishes and you should add this to your repertoire also. With the toasted sesame seeds you should always toast more then you need and keep them in a jar or Ziploc because for such a simple task it adds a lovely nutty flavor to any dish.

Ingredients: Makes enough for 6 people

1/4 cup soy
1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup green onion finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp sugar
Squeeze from 1/2 fresh lime
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds (more for garnish)

Directions:

Toast sesame seeds on medium heat in a small pan shaking the pan periodically back and forth
This happens quickly once they heat up…it will only take about 3-4 minutes to turn golden so DO NOT leave the pan or they will burn
Once the sesame seeds are golden remove from the pan, place in a ramekin and set aside
In a large mixing bowl whisk together soy, toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, fresh grated ginger with a microplaner, sugar and 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds and set dressing aside
Bend asparagus to find the proper “break” point then cut the ends off to even them up
Put asparagus in cold salted water and bring to a simmer
Cook til tender but NOT mushy
Drain and give them ice bath to shock …don’t need to make them cold just want to shock to retain vibrant color
Dry off asparagus on a paper towel and place on a serving platter
Cut dried asparagus into 4 pieces and add to dressing bowl, toss and pop into the frig to marinate the flavors for 1 hour to overnight
Serve with your favorite protein and sprinkle a dusting of toasted sesame seeds on top

Pesto Butter Log

March 18, 2019March 31, 2014 by Michel

Pesto Butter Log

Even though they have been far and few in between having those few warm days has inspired me to bring out one of my spring recipes for fresh basil pesto butter logs which I love because it’s so versatile. Really simple to do and when you combine the pesto and butter to form the log you keep it in the freezer like the Challah bread croutons taking the pesto butter log out to slice off what you need and then back into the freezer. How easy is that? Try a slice of pesto butter on grilled filet mignon served on a bed of perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion, sautéed chicken breast and spinach, on a piece of Sea bass or put a slice of pesto butter inside a turkey or beef burger when you are forming the patty. Cook it on the grill or stove top and when you bite into it lovely garlicky pesto oozes out! Another creative thing to do when you are cooking pasta sauce and you want to add in some basil flavor just throw in a slice from your pesto butter log!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of a quality butter – room temperature
1 recipe of pesto

Directions:

Make a fresh batch of pesto and combine it with room temperature butter using a spatula
Tear off a large piece of saran wrap and place down going horizontally on a cutting board that will fit in the freezer
Scoop out the combined pesto-butter mixture and place in a 2″ wide line going down the center of the saran wrap… it should be about 12″ long log
Pull up both sides of the saran wrap and this will help round the mound
Fold over the 2 pieces of saran going in the same direction so there isn’t any air in it and begin to roll the pesto log
Pinch the ends, twist and roll again to get a good roll log shape …still holding on to the pinched ends
Place the newly formed log on the cutting board and pop it into the freezer til frozen about 1 1/2 hrs – 2 hrs.
Once the log is frozen you can remove the cutting board and place the log into a Ziploc baggy and back into the freezer
Slice off 1/4″ slices when ever you need and pop the log back into the freezer to keep

Roasted Beet Salad with Mint & Feta

March 18, 2019March 20, 2014 by Michel

Roasted Beet Salad with Mint & Feta

For anyone who loves beets as much as I do and wants an easier way to prepare them this is your answer! In my roasted beet recipe you wash them, peel them with a potato peeler, slice and roast them for 15 minutes…that’s it. You use a potato peeler with the giant size beets because they get such a tough, dirty exterior, but if you have medium to small beets, the younger ones, there is NO NEED to peel them at all!…use a mushroom brush or brand new sponge and rub them under water and you will see how nice the outside of the beet gets cleaned up, slice and roast. Then you let them cool, add some vinegar, mint and feta and you have yourself a sweet beet salad. Now I show you how to stack them in a cylinder for a nice presentation if you are having friends over but if you want to be casual just toss them in a bowl, sprinkle with a mint-feta mixture and serve. You’ll look at beets in a whole new way and you won’t be so apt to procrastinate. If you go into a whole foods for produce they are going to have to prettiest beets you have ever seen. You can get golden beets, sweet naturally stripe beets (called chioggia beets) in pink and golden hues with darker pink or white swirls going around. It will take your beet experience to a whole new level.

I like pretty much all good feta but am partial to sheep’s milk feta because I find it creamy and soft in flavor. You really don’t need that much either on the salad just a sprinkle is good so you don’t loose the taste of the sweet beets. The mint you can pick up anywhere but let me tell you I have peppermint growing wild in my back yard and I love it! You need not pay any attention to it unless you want to try and contain it because mint is a very happy plant that comes back every year and just keeps growing. The aroma is nice and refreshing also to have in your yard.

Before you start with this cold roasted beet salad you can offer up warm baked coconut shrimp with a hot pepper jelly, bake asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto, clam puffs, and or some roasted chick peas. And don’t forget about dinner with maybe an Asian shrimp and rice noodle dish or sautéed chicken on a roasted garlic & cannellini bean purée. Finally, there is dessert you know with some chocolate-avocado mousse or Pavlova with fresh fruits which you can totally make ahead so you don’t get too tired to have fun with your dinner guests not to mention you can make any and all of those appetizers in the list above ahead of time also…just need a little planning! …OR you could just put this all on hold and make reservations at one of my restaurant reviews like Chamard Vineyards in Clinton,CT or The Oyster Club in Mystic, CT.

Ingredients – Serves 4 or 5/6 small:

1 large bunch of beets (3 large bulbs or 4 small)
1/2 cup feta (I used Castella Bulgarian Feta Cheese – a sheeps milk feta)
1/2 Tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (i like to use “seasoned” rice wine vinegar)
1 Tbsp champagne vinegar to cut the sweet in the “seasoned”
2 Tbsp julienned mint leaves and 4 center picks for the middle if you are using a ring mold
1 recipe challah bread garlic croutons (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400º
Cut the stems off the beets
Cut the ends of the beets
Then peel the beets with a potato peeler if you have giant size beets but if you have the lovely medium-small beet size NO NEED to peel… just use a mushroom brush or brand new sponge and rub them under water and the skins are ready to go!
Slice the beets in 1/2, put the flat side down and begin to slice 1/4″ slice and cut those in 1/2 so you are atually quartering them…see photo
Put them on a cookie tray and add 3 Tbsp olive oil
Sprinkle 1/2 Tsp salt and put them into the oven for 15 minutes
Crumble feta to measure 1/2 cup
Julienne mint leaves and add to feta and set aside
Take the tray out and let cool for 5 minutes
If you see a little moisture appear on top of the beets while cooling just pat gently with a paper towel
Using a spatula put them into a medium size bowl and let them cool fully
When they are cool add 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar and toss..that’s it
Now either spoon roasted sliced beets into a cylinder ring to mold…fill only 1/2 way up and sprinkle 1 Tbsp of mint-feta mix on top
Gently remove ring mold pulling straight up
You can serve now or drizzle some good extra-virgin olive oil back and forth across the plate (just for presentation)
You can also crumble challah bread garlic crouton on top of that
OR put the roasted sweet beets into a bowl and add vinegars and sprinkle with mint-feta mixture and serve…DO NOT toss here because the feta will turn pink from the beets

Mussels in a Lemongrass-Fennel Sauce

March 18, 2019March 18, 2014 by Michel

Mussels in a Lemongrass-Fennel Sauce

Steaming Mussels in a lemongrass-fennel and coconut milk sauce is an amazing flavor you will love and it’s simple to make. Mussels are an inexpensive shellfish to buy and they are delicate and delicious. I like infusing a fennel flavor into the broth of the coconut milk and lemongrass because it reminds me of this amazing dish I had in New Orleans years ago, oysters in Pernod sauce that rocked my world. In my Italian-American family we ate raw fennel often, in fact I have probably been eating fennel since I was little kid. It has a delicate anise flavor when cooked and is very refreshing when raw which I love thinly sliced in salads. It is actually considered to be a palate cleanser although I think we just ate it because we loved the flavor.

Now there really isn’t any science to keeping mussels fresh in the frig …just try and cook them the same day you buy them. DO NOT put them on ice because the cubes will melt and there won’t be enough oxygen to keep them alive once they end up submerged in the water. Put the bag of mussels in a bowl so any liquid from the mussels doesn’t leak in your frig and keep the bag open at the top. Any mussels that are open and don’t close when you squeeze them are bad…they are dead so toss them, you must NOT eat them! Some mussels have a filament on them or a beard that you need to pull off but don’t do this until you are ready to wash and cook them because this kills them.

Cooking with lemongrass gives you a subtle lemony-citrus flavor with out the acidity of using an actual lemon. It’s used a lot in Asian dishes and now even available at your local Stop & Shop. When you cook with lemongrass it does require a little prep but don’t be intimidated because it’s quick and easy. You need to start by cutting off the ends, slicing down the middle to peel away the tough exterior layers reaching a very thin yet flavorful strip that you need to bruise with a meat mallet to release those incredible lemongrass oils…see that wasn’t so bad!

You can add cooked rice noodles to these mussels in a lemongrass-fennel sauce to make it more of a meal and of course don’t forget the garlic bread toasts for dunking. You can be versatile with this dish and turn it into chowder by shelling all of the mussels and evenly distributing the broth and mussels into bowls and don’t forget to serve with Tabasco, of course. If you do make this a meal it always nice to finish off a fish dish with something chocolatey like chocolate-avocado mousse. If you keep it as an appetizer you might want to start off with some other non-fish appetizers as well like baked asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto, sausage stuffed mushrooms, or zucchini torta.

Ingredients – Makes 4 appetizer servings (there are about 22 mussels per lb. so it’s approx 13 mussels per person)
– To make into 4 meals add 3/4 lb cooked rice noodles:

2 1/2 lb of mussels
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup clam broth
1 cup white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
2/3 fennel bulb with fronds (green tops)
1/2 sweet Spanish onion cut into lg wedges (can leave the peel on)
1/2 jalapeño sliced
2 garlic cloves – smashed
1 Tsp sugar
1/2 Tsp salt
Dashes of Tabasco
8 cherry tomatoes (garnish) chopped
1 cup cilantro (garnish) chopped
3 diced green onion stalk (garnish) thinly sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil (garnish)

Directions for Mussels in a lemongrass-fennel sauce:

Chop cherry tomatoes, green onion and cilantro
Add these together in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp olive oil…set aside for garnish later
Cut off the ends of the lemongrass stalks see photo above – one end cut in 1 1/2 ” and at the thin end come in about 6″ and cut
Slice down the middle of the stalks and peel away the tough exterior layers reaching very thin strips
You need to bruise these inner strips with a meat mallet to release those incredible lemongrass oils then put them into a large sauce pan
Cut the ends off of the fennel bulb as shown in the photo above and slice 2/3 of it into wedges and add to the sauce pan with some of the fronds (green fennel tops) and the lemongrass
Add sliced jalapeño, onion wedges, smashed garlic cloves, coconut milk, clam broth, white wine, heavy cream, salt, and sugar all to the large sauce pan with fennel and lemongrass and bring to a boil
Turn heat down and simmer for 30 minutes so all the vegetables and herbs can infuse the broths and creams
Drain this mixture and place back into the same large sauce pan and simmer for 5-8 more minutes …you want to taste sauce at this point to see if you need to add any Tabasco to spice it up more
(If you are making this into a meal with rice noodles cook 3/4 lb of rice noodles now, drain and set aside)
Rinse the mussels going through each one to make sure it closes when you squeeze it with you finger tips and throw out the ones that remain open…these are dead
After washing and sorting thru each and every mussel pull off any beards that may be attached to them…pulling down towards the bottom end (you are just pulling this filament out of the mussel)
Add all of these cleaned and de-beared mussels to the simmering lemongrass-fennel sauce and cover with a lid
They mussels will open in a matter of minutes …like 1-3 minutes so don’t go far
As soon as they open immediately remove from the stove
(If serving rice noodles add them to bowls and evenly distribute mussels and broth)
Evenly spoon mussels and broth into bowls and sprinkle each with some fresh cherry tomato, cilantro, and green onion mixture
NOTE: If any of the mussels do not open when you are cooking them…TOSS them they are bad

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Challah Bread Garlic Croutons

March 18, 2019March 14, 2014 by Michel

Challah Bread Garlic Croutons

Challah bread garlic croutons are an essential part of my kitchen cuisine. You make a large batch of croutons from a loaf of Challah bread and keep the them in a Ziploc baggie in the freezer. They keep in the freezer for a good 4-6 months…if they even last that long. Store them in the freezer and take them out as you need them. There are truly so many thing that these golden, crispy Challah croutons are great on. Sprinkle them on soups whole or crush them with you fingers, crush and sprinkle on sauteed fish or chicken with spinach like seasoned bread crumbs but oh so much better! They are great crushed on Chilean sea bass with green goddess sauce II, or on a shrimp scampi, on all salads especially on Cesar salads or vegetables like asparagus salad with yummy Dijon-garlic dressing. Just a dusting of these crumbled garlic croutons give any dish that extra kick with a toasty and slightly garlicky richness.

Ingredients – Makes 12 cups of Croutons – 1 Ex-Lg Ziploc Freezer Baggie of Croutons:

1 -1 1/2 Challah bread loaf from your favorite bakery or market (14-15 cups croutons – use 1/2 stick butter and 3 tbsp olive oil if you have 10 cup of bread cubes)
4 large garlic cloves put thru garlic press
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 stick butter (salted) melted
4 tsp garlic granules (not powder) – Sprinkle 2 tsp per cookie tray
1 tsp salt
A couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce Siracha -you can find this with the other hot sauces at the super market
2 cookie trays

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400º
Slice off all sides of the Challah bread
Slice bread into 1/2″ slices length wise
Then slice into 1/2″ squares, you don’t want them to be perfect – that’s what’s lovely about hand made croutons they don’t look like they came from a box
Melt 1 stick of butter
In a large mixing bowl add 1/4 cup olive oil, 3/4 stick melted butter, 4 garlic cloves thru garlic press, 1 Tsp salt, 1/2 Tsp pepper, 1 Tsp Tabasco and whisk just to mix …this may look spicy but when it coats the thick and absorbent Challah bread in mellows out quite a bit
Divide this mixture into two and pour onto the 2 cookie trays spreading them evenly all over the tray
Divide up Challah bread cubes into 2 and put onto the 2 cookie trays right on the olive oil mixture
Stir the cut up Challah cubes all around the cookie tray to evenly coat and soak up all of the olive oil mixture. I use a pastry scraper (see photo) to do this…a tool which I use a lot!
NOW sprinkle 2 Tsp of garlic granules on each of the cookie trays filled with Challah garlic croutons
Put into the oven for 12 minutes til golden
IMPORTANT – they go quickly at the end so you really need to watch them so they don’t burn
Let the Challah garlic croutons cool before putting them into a Freezer Ziploc baggie
I usually keep them on the counter for a few days then throw them into the freezer to store and keep fresh

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