The Traveling Epicurean

Sea Scallop Ceviche

March 18, 2019March 26, 2014 by Michel

Sea Scallop Ceviche

Sea Scallop ceviche is an easy and really delicious way to cook seafood. Ceviche is actually a way to cook or cure by means of marinating in some kind of citric acid like limes or lemons…how easy it is. In addition to marinating in lime juice you add in everything that you would add in for a salsa and voilà you have ceviche.

I was inspired to blog about a ceviche dish after attending the Farm and Vine Dinner at the Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI. The first course was a sea scallop ceviche with celery, radish, blood orange and lemon and it was amazing.

Ingredients Makes 4 Appetizers:

1/2 lb of sea scallops
1/4 red onion finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
8 cherry tomatoes finely chopped
2 large radish finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
1/2 jalapeno finely chopped (1 whole jalapeno if you like it spicy)
1/3 cup cilantro chopped (1/3 cup after it’s choppeD)
juice from 1/2 lime
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp good olive oil
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar – (I get the “seasoned”)
juice from 6 limes for the shrimp/scallop marinade
salt and pepper to taste
dash of Tabasco
Bag of blue corn chips (optional)

Directions:

Wash the sea scallops and pat them dry on paper towels
Remove any fibrous side mussel that’s attached to the side of the scallop
Slice up all of the scallops and put into a medium non-reactive bowl like a glass, stainless steel or plastic bowl (put the scallops back into the frig until you are ready with the lime juice)
Finely chop the tomatoes, jalapeno, red onion, radishes and cilantro and set aside
Roll the limes to soften them up and squeeze into the bowl with all the sliced scallops.
Make sure there is enough juice so all the scallops are submerse in the lime juice and place into the frig until they are opaque…it will take a couple of hours but you can leave them in overnight.
Drain all the liquid out and add the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 lime, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, all the chopped veggies and herbs, dash of Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste
Serve in martini glasses with blue chips

Fennel & Citrus Salad with Tangerine Dressing

March 18, 2019March 25, 2014 by Michel

Fennel & Citrus Salad with Tangerine Dressing

How refreshing is that…thinly sliced fennel, ruby red grapefruit and honey tangerine segments, with hearts of palm and dressed with a tangerine vinaigrette! We can’t forget the sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds for a little nuttiness and of course the challah bread garlic croutons to complete the salad. This dressing actually originated out of The Joy Of Cooking and of course I tweak it by adding Dijon and rice wine vinegar. I wanted these particular fruits and vegetables in the fennel & citrus salad because these are some of my favorites and they work so well together.

Typical in making most salads there are more than a few components coming to the party so you have to organize yourself a bit. Toast the sesame seeds 2 days before. I like to toast more than I’m going to use this way I always have some around and keep the extras fresh in a Ziploc. They will keep for a couple of weeks. Cutting the grapefruit and honey tangerine segments can totally be done the night before and it is so worth segmenting the fresh fruit instead of canned. You can also make the dressing 1 or even 2 days ahead as well. These few steps make everything go so easily when you are putting together the salad.

If you like vegetables and salads you may want to try my baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, roasted beet salad with mint and feta, or roasted chick peas, asparagus salad with yummy garlic-Dijon dressing, or zucchini torta.

Ingredients for Salad – Serves 6 individuals … one large salad bowl :

1 bag arugula
2 red ruby grapefruits segmented
4 honey tangerines segmented, SAVING JUICE
1 fennel head, cored and thinly sliced
1 can or jar hearts of palm (whole or sliced) sliced into 1/8 ” pieces
1/2 avocado thinly sliced
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

INGREDIENTS FOR TANGERINE DRESSING:

3 Tbsp fresh squeezed honey tangerine juice
1 medium shallot finely chopped
1 garlic clove put thru garlic press
1/4 Tsp salt
1 Tsp Dijon
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar “seasoned”
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions for fennel & grapefruit salad and tangerine dressing:

Cut the ends off of the grapefruits and slice down the sides, then begin to slice in between the pith layers to segment the grapefruits like in the photo above and place in a small dish
Begin to segment the honey tangerine too, placing the segmented pieces in a separate bowl reserving the tangerine juices…be sure work over the bowl to catch all of the juices while you are cutting the segments because you will need this to make the dressing
Finely chop the shallot and set aside for the dressing
Slice the ends off of the fennel bulb and cut out the middle core, thinly slice on mandolin or knife, set aside
Thinly slice 1/2 of an avocado as shown above
Toast sesame seeds in a small pan on medium heat… this will only take 3-5 minutes so don’t leave the stove because they will burn…slide pan back and forth and swirling around like a jiffy pop (this way the seeds turn golden evenly)
Add garlic (that was put thru garlic press) and salt to a medium bowl and mash the two together
Add in shallots, Dijon, rice wine vinegar, honey tangerine juice, and lemon juice
Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of the good olive oil to emulsify ingredients
Place into a canning jar and set aside
Put arugula in large salad bowl and dress it with 1/4 cup of dressing and toss
Taste arugula here and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper if needed
Begin to add grapefruits, honey tangerines, avocado slices, hearts of palm slices, and fennel
Drizzle 1 lg spoonful of dressing around the tops of fennel and avocado (just a little)
Top with toasted sesame seeds and challah bread garlic croutons

Shrimp & Scallop Chowder with Coconut Cream

March 18, 2019March 24, 2014 by Michel

Shrimp & Scallop Chowder with Coconut Cream

This shrimp and scallop chowder is made with coconut cream instead of heavy cream giving it another layer of flavor on top of the richness of the shrimp and scallops. This is not one of those chowders chalk full of potatoes, in fact, there aren’t any potatoes at all! I am a little tired of ordering chowder when I’m out and always getting a mouth full of potatoes whether it be a clam or a fish chowder and wondering when I was going to run into some seafood. Some had a nice broth to them but were packed full of potatoes and the seafood was scarce. So I got right down to business here and completely skipped the potato all together with my shrimp and scallop chowder. I think you’ll find yourself sipping the broth slowly to savour all the delicate flavors and richness while enjoying the large chunks of shrimp and scallops. This is a great starter to a dinner party and remember to serve this with a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives and Tabasco of course. If you like seafood you might want to try my crostinis, smoked salmon & cream cheese-caper spread, clam puffs, baked coconut shrimp with hot pepper jelly, mussels in a lemongrass-fennel sauce, or even sea bass with green goddess II sauce.

Ingredients – Makes 4 Servings of Shrimp and Scallop Chowder:

1 lb. medium size shrimp – cleaned, deveined and tail shells off
3 extra large sea scallops (4/5 large or 5/6 medium)
2 cups clam juice
2 cups half and half OR you can use 1 can of coconut milk instead if you don’t want to use a milk product
1/2 cup coconut cream (I love the coconut cream sold at Trader Joe’s)
1/2 cup cream sherry (pink)
1/2 white wine (1/4 to deglaze pan with veggies (the other 1/4 cup is for when you add in the shrimp and scallops at the end)
1/4 cup sweet Spanish onion – finely chopped
1/4 cup celery – finely chopped
1/2 Tsp dried Thyme
1 large bay leaf
Chopped fresh chives
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp corn starch slurry (1 Tsp corn starch mixed with 3 Tbsp simmering broth)
1 Tsp Siracha or Tabasco (Siracha is a hot chile sauce that is sold by the Tabasco) this also gives the broth a little bit of color on top of flavor

Directions:

Wash and pat dry scallops and shrimp on a paper towel
Take the tails of all the shrimp
Cut shrimp up into 3/4″ pieces
Take the side muscle off the scallops …you will see an extra part of scallop meat sticking out of the side, this is a fibrous side muscle that you must take off
Slice the scallops in half horizontally and then in 3/4″ chunks and set aside with the shrimp
Finely chop celery and onion
Add celery, onion and salt to olive oil in medium pan
Sauté the veggies for 10 minutes on medium/low heat until completely translucent and slightly golden in color on the edges.
Deglazed the pan with 1/4 cup of the white wine stirring the pan with a spatula
Let the wine-veggie mixture simmer for 3 minutes
Add in coconut cream, half and half, clam juice, and sherry and bay leaf
Bring to a low simmer for 15 minutes
As the broth begins to simmer make a corn starch slurry by adding 3 Tbsp of the broth to 1 Tbsp corn starch and mix with a fork til combined and add to broth
Add in dried thyme, Siracha and simmer for 5 more minutes (adding this Siracha doesn’t really spice it up just adds a layer of flavor…you will want to serve chowder with Tabasco on the side for extra spice
Add in shrimp, scallops and 1/4 white wine and put on a low simmer for about 4 minutes til shrimp and scallops are just cooked thru …DO NOT BOIL because this will make the fish tough!
Remove bay leaf
Serve and garish with a sprinkle of chopped chives and don’t forget the Tabasco

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Mango-Banana Smoothie

March 18, 2019March 21, 2014 by Michel

Mango-Banana Smoothie

You just can’t beat smoothies, in my opinion! They’re refreshing, delicious, filling and really good for you. A Smoothie made with Greek yogurt and fruit are one my favorites particularly when it includes mangoes. The fact that you can easily ripen mangoes on your counter in any season really makes me happy especially when it’s a brutal winter like this one …I can still feel somewhat tropical. Adding a jigger of RUM and a little umbrella could change it up into a “mango-banana smoothie cocktail” giving you an authentic tropical warming feeling! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango diced up (2 cups)
1/2 banana sliced
1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 3/4 cup crushed ice
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
juice from 1/2 fresh lime
1/4 cup agave nectar

Directions:

If you only have large chunky ice see “TIP” below.
Cut off the bottom of the mango to give you a flat edge to work with…so you can sit the mango up right.
Then peel the skin of the mango kind of like an apple.
Once all the skin is off cut the down the sides of the stone pit as shown in the photos.
Keep cutting the mango flesh until you are left with the pit (doesn’t have to be neat)
Cut the mango into chunks
Slice the banana
Add the mango, banana and the rest of the ingredients on the list into the blender and purée.

TIP: If you only have a bag of large chunky ice on hand and need it crushed slide the ice chunks into a large Ziplock Baggie, fold a dish towel around it and hit it with your meat mallet and voilà.

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 at The Oyster Club in Mystic, CT

March 18, 2019March 19, 2014 by Michel

Mussels at The Oyster Club in Mystic, CT

Recently I met my good friend, Eileen, for lunch at The Oyster Club in Mystic, CT. I had the mussels in the coconut lemongrass broth which had a lovely lemongrass flavor permeating through the cream base they were served in and definitely worth going back for. The Oyster Club atmosphere is as sweet and charming as the building it’s in which is a 1902 converted clapboard building…talk about a little bit of history here. The mussels were tender and creamy with a subtle taste of the sea and they were orange in color. Some mussels have an orange meat to them and some have a whitish meat. So what’s the science behind that you might ask? Well, I will tell you. The orange color mussels are females, and the whitish color ones are males or young females. Either color mussel is a treat for me and are the same in taste although I am partial to anything with orange pigments and will side with the orange mussel.

The 3 owner’s of The Oyster Club recently opened their sister restaurant, The Engine Room, right around the corner so to speak, also in Mystic. The fact that they work with all local farmers, and fisherman says something about their integrity and makes you want to support them even more which isn’t difficult to do considering the product you get in return. Keep a look out for my reviews at The Engine Room in Mystic. And if you like lemongrass you should check out my Mussels in a Lemongrass-Fennel Sauce. It’s a flavor combo that you will love to crave once you try it.

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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Baked Spinach Wrapped Reuben’s

March 18, 2019March 17, 2014 by Michel

Baked Spinach Wrapped Reuben’s

These baked spinach wrapped Reuben’s from St. Patrick’s Day leftovers just melt in your mouth. They are zesty, creamy and tangy made with thousand island dressing & horseradish, melted Swiss cheese, thinly slice tomatoes and drained sauerkraut. They almost make you want to skip the bland corned beef and cabbage and call it a wrap! In this version of my thousand island dressing I add in prepared horseradish which compliments the corned beef so well, and I substitute 1/2 the mayo for Greek yogurt. It’s quite good, in fact it would be a great addition to a turkey, roast beef or fish sandwich and it will keep nicely in the frig for several days. These baked spinach wrapped Reuben’s would be delicious with my baked Yukon potato fries and zucchini torta!

Ingredients for Thousand Island Dressing with Horseradish:
(makes 1 3/4 cup of sauce…keeps for several days in frig)

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s)
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp prepared hosreradish (Inglehoffer cream style)
1/3 cup drained pickle relish
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp fresh zested or grated spanish onion
1/2 Tsp Tabasco

Directions to Thousand Island with Horseradish:

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk, set aside

Ingredients for Baked Spinach Wrapped Reuben’s – makes 4 Wraps:

2 cups thinly sliced and chopped leftover corned beef
large spinach wraps
1 cup drained Boar’s Head Sauerkraut
Swiss cheese slices
4 small tomatoes thinly sliced (with out juice and seeds)
1 recipe Thousand Island Dressing with Horseradish (above)

Directions for Baked Spinach Wrapped Reuben’s:

Pre-heat oven to 375º
Lay out 4 spinach wraps
Lay down 2-4 pieces of Swiss cheese as the base layer
Spread 3 Tbsp Thousand Island Dressing with Horseradish sauce all over each wrap, keeping sauce in 1″ from the edges
Put 3 or 4 slices of tomato down right across the middle
Sprinkle 1/2 cup corned beef next running across middle to bottom…closer to to the bottom edge of the circle
Add in 3 Tbsp drained sauerkraut to the middle of the wrap on top of the tomatoes
Fold in the sides and begin to roll up from the bottom
Place seem side down on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes
A tiny bit of the stuffing will be sizzling out at the ends but that’s ok
Use a spatula to remove spinach wrap and place on serving dish, cut in 1/2 and serve with the homemade thousand island dressing with horseradish and my baked Yukon potato fries and zucchini torta!

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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Sausage Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms

March 18, 2019March 13, 2014 by Michel

Sausage Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms

These sausage stuffed mushrooms are literally the easiest appetizer ever. Wipe the mushrooms off with a damp paper towel or mushroom brush, add your favorite sausage and bake for 14 minutes…that’s it! You can stuff the mushroom caps with chicken sausage, or pork sausage, really any kind you like as long as it can be taken out of the casing it comes in as shown in the pictures below. In this recipe I used Italian sausage and a D’Artagnan sausage that consists of a mix of pork, duck, duck liver and egg white which is out of this world… meaty and very flavorful yet mild… just delicious! I really like D’Artagnan products and you can buy them at Bishops Orchards Market in Guilford, CT. This brand carries a lot of duck products which Bishops carries and anything with duck or goose whether it be breast or liver is a no brainer in my book…YUM! You can have these stuffed mushrooms for hors’ d oeurves before serving stuffed roulades of chicken on a garlic-bean purée, Asian shrimp & rice noodle salad, turkey stuffed peppers or Chilean sea bass with green goddess sauce II for dinner.

Ingredients – Makes 15-17 Stuffed Mushrooms:

2 pkgs of baby bella mushrooms (there will be about 7 or 8 per pkg)
1 or 2 varieties of your favorite sausage
Sprinkle of salt – (for after the mushrooms come out of the oven)
Fresh grated Reggiano Parmesan

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400º
Clean your baby Bella mushrooms off with either a damp paper towel or a mushroom brush … you should NEVER wash your mushrooms or submerse them in water because mushrooms are porous.
Pop out the mushroom stems
Drizzle 3 Tbsp olive oil across a cookie sheet and rub it with your hands or use a brush to smear all of the olive oil across the baking sheet
Place all of the baby bella mushroom caps on the olive oil and roll them around lightly coating mushrooms then make sure they are all open side up on cookie tray
Slice open the sausage casings to get the sausage meat out and place on a small dish
Begin to gently fill mushroom caps with approximately 1 1/2 Tbsp of sausage per mushroom (some may be smaller and only need 1 Tbsp)
Do not pack in sausage just lightly stuff mushroom caps
Bake for 12-14 minutes til slightly crispy on the edges
DO NOT SALT the mushrooms before you bake them because all the water will release from the mushrooms and they will steam instead of baking
When you take the mushrooms out of the oven THEN you can sprinkle a little salt
The mushrooms will be juicy when you take them out of the oven so before you place them on a serving dish tilt them a little over the cookie tray that way some of the juice can drain out onto the tray and not on the serving platter
Sprinkle a little Parmesan on the mushrooms and serve