The Traveling Epicurean

Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad

April 23, 2015March 12, 2014 by Michel

Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad

This Asian Shrimp & Noodle Salad is best when you make it the night before so all these wonderful herbs and oils can marinate the rice noodles and shrimp. Granted, sometimes it just can’t be helped because the flavors are so bright and delicious no one can wait for the next day. This recipe originated from my good friend Karen who is a true foodie! I of course have tweaked the ingredients as I do with most recipes. I used rice noodles making it gluten friendly instead of pasta which you can use as well…I love it with pasta also but I feel that using the rice noodles makes this a lighter dish. I have also added in carrots using a lemon zester which makes spaghetti like strands and I love what the color does for the dish not to mention orange is my favorite color…can you tell? When you buy the carrots be sure to buy the loose carrots with the greens still intact because they are so much sweeter then the packaged ones especially for something like this where they play one of the main characters to the story.

You can pretty much buy rice noodles anywhere but I have to tell you one of my favorite Asian markets is Hong Kong Grocery at 71 Whitney Ave., New Haven, CT. It’s on the corner of Trumble St. & Whitney Ave. and they have a Dim Sum Restaurant next door. You can get all your rice noodles, rice paper, rice wine vinegar, soy’s, a good size bag of sesame seeds and much more at the street level. Down stairs you will find the freshest, juiciest ginger you will ever have and the same for their daikon radish and garlic bulbs. I also buy some very durable and adorable Asian bowls there. It’s a great find and you should really try to stop in when you get the chance. This Asian shrimp and noodle salad would go great with some chocolate-avocado mousse, or Pavlova with fresh pineapple & berries for dessert!

Ingredients – Serves 6-8 lunch or dinners:

3/4 lb. rice noodles (linguine fini or fettuccine…I used a fettuccine size width in the pictures)
1-1 1/2 lb. medium size peeled and deveined shrimp or cooked shrimp
3/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup “seasoned” rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup oilve oil
juice from 1/2 lime
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 bunch sliced scallions (save 1/4 cup for garnish)
5 medium-small size loose carrots (don’t use the packaged ones)
1 cup cilantro (2/3 for dressing, 1/3 for garnish)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 Tsp pepper
3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 Tsp Tabacsco or Siracha (a hot chili sauce sold right next to the Tabasco at the store) this of course if optional

Directions:

If you have uncooked shrimp put into a medium pan with cold water, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 1 minute
Drain the shrimp and run cold water over them or put into an ice bath, dry with paper towels and set aside
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 so it’s best not to leave the pan or the stove
Once the sesame seeds are golden remove from the pan, place in a ramekin and set aside
Peel and grate the carrots with a lemon zester and set aside
Bring a large pan of water and 2 Tbsp salt to a boil and add 3/4 lb of rice noodles (or Pasta)
Boil for 7 minutes and the drain and rinse with cold water
In a large bowl add soy, toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, ginger, scallions, cilantro, salt & pepper, Tabasco, 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, shrimp, rice noodles and carrots and toss…so basically add everything together and toss till blended
Put into the frig for at least 2 hours, preferably over night
Serve in bowls and top with cilantro, scallion slices and a sprinkle of sesame seeds..YUM!

Asparagus Salad with Yummy Dijon-Garlic Dressing

March 18, 2019March 11, 2014 by Michel

Aspagus Salad with Yummy Dijon-Garlic Dressing

OK, you may be saying “why is she using the word yummy in the title”? Well, you may just find yourself wanting to lick the bowl after the asparagus (or salad) is gone with this dressing! Yes, this is my go to dressing because it’s done in a matter of minutes…no fuss and very delicious. I love both big name Dijon’s out there but if I were to have a favorite I would choose Maile because of it’s very delicate flavor. Both Grey Poupon and Maile have a full time residence in my frig. This dressing creation is mine but the inspiration and idea behind grating the egg comes from our good friend Jim who was a saucier chef. You will see too how grating an egg just brings it all together giving this dish a little extra creaminess along with the flavor of the earthy asparagus. It all works so well together! This could be a side dish or you could serve this with hors d’ oeuvres like baked coconut shrimp, zucchini torta, crostinis with fresh mozzarella, pesto and roasted tomato and roasted chick peas.

Ingredients:

1 1/2lb. of asparagus
1 hard boiled egg
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon or Maile)
1 garlic clove thru garlic press
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar – “seasoned” (rice wine vinegar come in both plain and seasoned…I always use seasoned)
1/3 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
dash of Tabasco if you want to spice it up

Directions:

Place an egg in a small pan with salted cold and slowly bring to a boil (adding salt helps the eggs to peel easier)
When it starts to boil remove from the heat and cover
Let the egg sit covered for 12 minutes
Run cool water over the egg, peel and set 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
Grate the hard boiled egg onto the ends of the asparagus
In a medium stainless steel or glass bowl add in Dijon, garlic thru garlic press, rice wine vinegar and Parmesan and whisk til combined
Slowly stream in the olive oil constantly whisking
Drizzle the Dijon-garlic dressing on the front 2/3 of the asparagus and mangia!

Chilean Sea Bass with Green Goddess Sauce II

March 14, 2014March 8, 2014 by Michel

Chilean Sea Bass with Green Goddess Sauce II

Chilean sea bass is full of flavor and has large meaty flakes. This is an oily fish so you need to have some kind of citrus to balance it out and that’s why my green goddess II is a perfect match! The lemon and mint in the green goddess II are key flavors in complimenting the sea bass. I am all for cooking fish rare, even sashimi style but you cannot eat this fish under done. Chilean sea bass turns gelatinous and rubber-like when under done while on the other hand when cooked properly, even slightly over, turns it into a buttery, soft fish.

I think presentation is important when friends are over for dinner and you are plating the meal but keeping it fun without a lot of work is even better so you can enjoy being with your friends. That’s why I came up with my baked sweet potato haystacks. Not only are they delicious and good for you but are super easy to add to the garlic-spinach and sea bass layers making for some good eye candy. Use a kitchen zester to make the potato strings. It’s really quite easy and they only bake for 10 minutes and no more or the strands of potato begin to burn.

Ingredients for the Chilean Sea Bass:

4 4 oz pieces of Chilean sea bass
1 Tbsp olive oil
green goddess sauce II recipe
baked sweet potato haystack recipe (below)
1 fresh sautéed spinach & garlic recipe
1 sliced lemon (a Meyer lemon if it’s available)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions for the Sea Bass:

Pre-heat oven to 350º
Rub olive oil on seabass
Add dash of salt and pepper
Heat up the sauté pan on medium/high heat
Add sea bass to the hot pan and sauté 4 minutes on each side
Put pan into the oven for 8-10 minutes
Layer on a plate a small mound of fresh sautéed spinach with garlic
On top of spinach put a pile of sweet potato haystack
Place a piece of sea bass on the very top and drizzle green goddess sauce II around plate and serve with a lemon wedge

Ingredients for the Baked Sweet Potato Haystack:

1 large sweet potato
2 Tbsp oilve oil
1 Tsp onion granules (do not use garlic …they make the potato strings bitter)
1/2 Tsp salt

Directions for the Baked Sweet Potato Haystack:

Pre-heat oven to 375º
Use a potato peeler to peel the skin off of the sweet potato
Then begin to zest strands from the sweet potato
You will get little mounds of pulp like texture from the potato while you are zesting so just keep putting that aside…you don’t want the pulp in with the haystack strands.
Once one side is hallowed out just flip the potato around and zest the arc of the other side
Take the pile of sweet potato strands, place them on a cookie tray and squeeze them with a paper towel to get some of the moisture out.
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil
Add 1 Tsp onion granules and 1/2 Tsp salt and mix stands with your hands
Using your fingers spread strands in an even layer on the cookie tray as best as possible
Bake for exactly 10 minutes
Take out of the oven and scoop mounds of potatoes onto the beds of spinach to make your sweet potato haystacks
Then place your fish on top of the haystack and drizzle green goddess sauce II around the plate

Fresh Sauteed Spinach & Garlic

June 19, 2016March 7, 2014 by Michel

Fresh Sautéed Spinach & Garlic

Fresh sautéed spinach & garlic is so tender and delicious and couldn’t be any easier to make. It’s literally done in a matter of minutes. Sauté garlic in a medium pan, add spinach, cover, stir and it’s done. There are endless things you can do with sauteed spinach. One of my favorites is using the spinach as a base layer with meats, and fish like Chilean sea bass with green goddess sauce II, seared scallops, sauteed chicken breast, or stuffed roulades of chicken.

Ingredients – Serves 4 dinners:

8 oz. pkg or more of fresh spinach leaves
3 large garlic cloves put thru garlic press
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Add olive oil to a medium pan and turn heat to medium/low heat.
Add garlic from garlic press and sauté for 2 minutes being careful not to burn.
Stir with spatula.
Add fresh spinach on top of garlic and put a cover on the pan.
Turn the heat to medium/high and let it steam for 2 minutes.
Lift cover and begin to turn leaves around with tongs.
The spinach will only take another 3 minutes.
Take off heat and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper
If you want to make the spinach ahead of time rinse the spinach with ice cold water after it’s sautéed to stop the cooking and keep the vibrant green color, then squeeze the water out and set aside or put into the frig until you are ready
The easiest way to re-heat spinach is put it in a small pan with 1 tsp of butter on top and warm thru tossing around with tongs just for 2-3 minutes (or put into microwave very briefly ….don’t need to cook it ….heating thru only).

Hen and Heifers

March 5, 2014March 4, 2014 by Michel

Hen and Heifers

You will seriously think that you are in one of the finest Parisian patisseries when you first set eyes on these elegant creations at Hen and Heifers not to mention the very warm welcome you get upon entering. You pretty much feel like you’ve died and gone to patisserie heaven. I bought the individual lemon meringue tart, a cannele, and two hen sugar cookies. Wow, they were all amazing…you’ll want to take little bites and savour every flavor and texture. The lemon meringue tart had a subtle sweetness, a lemony tang and a velvety texture with a delicate crumble crust and a perfectly whipped and browned meringue topping in the shape of a tear drop. The cannele was slightly chewy on the outside with a firm vanilla custard almost sponge like in the middle and my kids, after trying the lemon meringue tart gobbled up the hen cookies with big smiles on there faces.

élan magazine just did a lovely feature on Hen and Heifers in their winter 2014 issue that you ought to read. If you haven’t seen the issue yet it talks about how they came up with the name. “Hens produce eggs, and heifers produce milk….the two most important ingredients that a bakery uses”. I think it’s ingenious! How lucky are we to have this kind of dedication right at our finger tips. Hen and Heifer’s will become your new weekend stop if it hasn’t already. Their hours are Thursday – Sunday and you can get more information on them at www.henandheifer.com.

Once you witness the artistic beauty and taste those heavenly sweet textures you know to leave such perfection to Hen and Heifers. On the other hand, if you want to have a little fun and feel like a french pastry chef for the day you’ve got to try my German pancake recipe…you will be impressed with yourself!

Roasted Chick Peas

January 22, 2016February 28, 2014 by Michel

Roasted Chick Peas

Wow! These roasted chick peas are a crunchy, tasty and healthy treat. You are going to love them as much as I do! You definitely won’t be able to have just one little handful…you will be back for more. My good friend Lisa turned me on to these roasted chick peas and I’m so glad she did because they are wicked easy to make and a great on the go snack or even in an appetizer assortment along with baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, zucchini torta or baked coconut shrimp.

Ingredients:

2 cans chick peas
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp onion granules
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper OR 1/4 tsp finely ground blk pepper for a mild flavor (I did the blk pepper in the show for really flavorful chic peas and not spicy)
1/4 tsp cumin
OPTIONAL: a few dashes of Siracha to really spice it up!
1/2 tsp fine sea salt -1/4 before baking and 1/4 after they are roasted

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 450º.
Drain and rinse 2 cans of chick peas.
Gently rub and pat dry with paper towels.
This action will loosen the skins off of the chick peas (you don’t have to get off every single chick peas skin..this just naturally happens as you are patting them dry).
Put the chick peas into a medium bowl and add olive oil and spices.
Mix and turn out onto a cookie sheet.
Put them into the oven and bake for approx. 35 minutes.
Shake the pan rolling around the chick peas every 10 minutes…at 25 minutes, 15 minutes and DEFINITELY at 5 minutes
They will burn quickly at the end so you need to keep an eye on them especially during the last 5 minutes.
Remove the chic peas from the oven and sprinkle with the other 1/4 tsp salt and let cool on tray

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

March 14, 2019February 27, 2014 by Michel

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Usually I make these stuffed peppers with beef but a good friend has me converting to turkey and I am really loving it. I don’t even wish for the flavor of beef in the stuffing because the turkey hold its own! These peppers are juicy, tender and sweet made with sautéed mushrooms, onions, fresh chopped parsley, rice, grated Reggiano Parmesan, pinot noir and a porcini red sauce. My porcini sauce gives this recipe a really nice flavor but if you don’t have time for it you shouldn’t let that stop you from making these savory stuffed peppers. You can buy a favorite store sauce for convenience or use one of your own. I have you slice the mushrooms paper thin here and then cut those in 1/2 and that keeps the flavor delicate and the mushrooms very tender not chewy …. they almost melt into the stuffing when baking. The onions are finely chopped so I love to use my vegetablehand chopper because it saves a ton of time when you are doing all this prep work unless you have a sous chef that is. Now you of course can use any color pepper you like. I like using the green ones because I like the strong flavor they render, but here I went with the pretty colors and the peppers are a little sweeter when you go to the reds, oranges, and yellows. I don’t believe in using “instant rice” ever because it doesn’t have a great texture. Making rice is a simple process …see “TIP” below. These stuffed peppers are a few step process so it’s a good idea to get some of the work done the day before like making the porcini red sauce and the rice. This dish is so worth the effort …. It just may become your go to Sunday dinner and you can even end this delicious dinner with a bang making a quick and easy German pancake recipe or chocolate-avocado mousse!

Ingredients: For Porcini Red Sauce:

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes (I use Sclafani)
4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup water for the porcini mushrooms
1/3 cup pinot noir wine
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

Put the dried porcini mushrooms in 1/4 cup water and let sit for 1/2 hour.
Sauté 4 large garlic cloves in 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium sauce pan until golden.
Add whole tomatoes and golden garlic cloves to food processor and purée for 1 minute.
Add this back to the pan.
Take the soaked, softened porcini’s out of the water and coarsely chop.
Add the porcini’s and their juice to the sauce pan along with 1/4 cup pinot, salt, pepper and sugar.
Bring to a simmer, lower heat and keep simmering for 1/2 hour.
Remove from the stove and cool.

Ingredients – For Stuffed Peppers – Serves 6 people:

1 lb. ground turkey
6 large bell peppers, 2 red, 2 orange, 2 yellow
2 1/4 cups porcini red sauce (1 c. in the stuffing, 2 1/4 c. in the bottom of baking dish)
1 cup cooked Basmati or Jasmine long grain rice
1 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
1/3 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
8oz. pkg of baby bella brown mushrooms (finely sliced)
1 large spanish onion FINELY chopped
1 1/4 cup pinot noir (1/4 c. for mushroom/onion mixture, 1 c. for baking dish)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
2 Tbsp live oil (for sautéing)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350º.
Cut 1″ off of the top of the peppers, pull out the centers with your hands and clean out the inside white part of the pepper.
Place into baking dish.
Clean your mushrooms 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 stem and finely slice them and then slice that pile in 1/2…don’t need to be neat about it.
Finely chop a large spanish onion…I’m all for using one of those choppers for this!
Add onion and mushrooms to 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes…add 1/4 cup pinot, let evaporate.
Remove from the stove and let cool.
Add Turkey, grated cheese, 1 cup cooled sauce, 1/3 cup pasley, and all of cooled mushroom/onion mixture to a large bowl and gently mix.
Fill the peppers gently with the stuffing, don’t pack it down.
Add the rest of the porcini sauce (approx. 2 1/4 cups), 1 cup pinot, and 1/2 cup boiling water to the bottom of the baking dish.
NOTE: If the porcini sauce was refrigerated you should warm it a little to room temperature so it doesn’t prolong the cooking process of the stuffed peppers.
Sprinkle with a little Parmesan, cover with foil and bake at 350º for 1 hr.
Remove the foil after 1 hour and continue for another 15 minutes at 350º (check the tenderness of the pepper… You don’t want them mushy just tender).
Then up the heat to 400º for another 20 minutes uncovered
Keep an eye on it at this point so the tops don’t blacken too much (everyone’s oven is a little different)
Total cooking time approx. 1 hour/ 35 minutes
Take the peppers out of the oven, cover back up with foil and let them sit for 10 minutes.

TIP: RICE- To make Basmati or Jasmine rice measure 1 cup rice and put into medium pan. Run cold water over rice and drain using your hand to hold back the rice. Then add 2 cups water (1:2 ratio or water level is 1 knuckle over rice), cover and bring to a boil, turn down heat IMMEDIATELY to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered letting it sit for another 10 minutes and voilà. Fluff with a fork

Stuffed Roulades of Chicken

January 6, 2017February 26, 2014 by Michel

Stuffed Roulades of Chicken

I serve these stuffed roulades of chicken sliced up on top of a roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée…the flavors are amazing together! Stuffing meats with vegetables and herbs makes a great presentation and people will think you worked a lot harder than you did. The stuffing in these chicken roulades is especially wonderful because the ingredients are all raw there isn’t any sautéing, . If you don’t like one of the ingredients in the stuffing you can easily substitute for something you do like. For instance, cilantro instead of basil, or diced artichoke hearts instead of olives or maybe swiss cheese instead of feta.

Ingredients:

2 large boneless chicken breasts (butterflied)
1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup diced kalamata olives
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 garlic clove thru garlic press
1 Tbsp olive oil (for stuffing)
1 Tsp rice wine vinegar-“Seasoned” (comes “original” or “seasoned”-I always get the seasoned cause I like the flavor… it has a hint of sweet)
fresh spinach leaves (flat leaf is easier to use in stuffing then curly)
2 Tbsp olive oil for sautéing roulades
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc … your favorite white drinking wine)
salt and pepper
4 pieces of 20-24″ cotton string

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350º.
In a small bowl mix together diced tomaotes, olives, feta, basil and garlic with 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tsp rice wine vinegar and set aside (this is the stuffing).
Butterfly chicken breasts slicing them open like a book keeping them in 1 piece.
Place the breasts in a large Ziplock Baggie and pound them out to 1/4″ (if they rip no worries because the spinach leaves will cover that and then you’ll be tying them with string).
Put the breasts on a work surface smooth breast side down so the length is going vertically.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put down a layer of spinach leaves on top of the breasts.
Divide the stuffing into 2 and place each 1/2 onto the center of the breasts (right on top of the spinach leaves).
Roll up the breasts tucking in sides as best as possible. Slide two pieces of string under the breast rolls crisscross like in the photo.
Begin to tie off from each end knotting the first wrap so it doesn’t move then keep wrapping around the chicken without tying til you get to the other end. You can slide string under the other rows as you go.
When you get to the other end you should end with a knot.
Don’t need to get fancy or crazy about this …. it’s only to help hold in place until you can get the roulades in a hot pan to sauté where everything will firm up and stay together.
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a medium sauce pan on medium/high heat.
When the pan is hot add the tied up roulades and sauté for 2 minutes on each side total of 8 minutes.
Add the wine, and then the broth to the chicken (be careful of the steam when add the liquids) and place into the oven for 15 minutes.
Take the chicken out of the oven and cover it with foil.
Let it sit for 5 minutes and then simply cut the string with a clean pair of scissors (or kitchen scissors).
Slice up the roulades and serve on top of roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée.
The great thing about this dish is you can make the roasted garlic and bean purée the day before!

TIP: I like to buy a giant roll of cotton string from the hardware store and keep it in a Ziplock Baggie on the spice shelf so no one can get to it and dirty it up.

TIP: It’s a good idea to soak the cotton string in water for 10 minutes before you use it otherwise it will dry out in the oven and become brittle.

Roasted Garlic & Cannellini Bean Purée

April 27, 2014February 25, 2014 by Michel

Roasted Garlic & Cannellini Bean Purée

This roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée has a luscious creamy texture and makes a great side dish or even a dip served with some pita’s chips on the side not to mention the nutritional value. The garlic turning soft and creamy becomes sweet when roasted. It makes a great presentation as a base layer on a plate when topping with sliced chicken, pork beef, fish or vegetables. I really like drizzling truffle oil on and around it bringing out the smokey flavors if serving with a rack of lamb or a beef tenderloin. Try the stuffed roulades of chicken, or sautéed chicken breasts recipes to go with this delicious purée. For such complex flavors it’s amazing how easy it is to make. I came up with this recipe because I like sauces and I wanted something with that creamy texture feel yet healthy for you and here it is.

Ingredients:

1 can cannellini beans (butter beans are great too)
4 lg roasted garlic cloves
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc …what ever you favorite wine is just not a sweet one)
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of Tabasco for a kick

Directions:

Rinse cannellini beans and place in a medium sauce pan with 4 roasted garlic cloves, broth and wine on medium/high heat.
Bring to a simmer and turn heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes more.
Add the beans to a blender and purée.
You may need to stop and stir and purée again because it is a thick mixture in a blender, and if you really need to loosen it up add 1-2 Tbsp of water or milk.
It’s as simple as that.

Roasted Garlic

March 5, 2014February 24, 2014 by Michel

Roasted Garlic

Roasting garlic couldn’t get any easier and what a soft, creamy and sweet texture you get from roasting…really takes the garlic to another level. I make garlic bread with the roasted garlic cloves and my kids eat it up! The roasted garlic cloves really bring out the sweet flavor in my roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée, and that purée makes a great addition to the stuffed roulades of chicken.

Ingredients:

2 large heads of garlic
2 Tsp olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400º.
Cut the tops off of the garlic bulbs, about 1/2″ off and drizzle 1 tsp. of olive oil on each of the cut off tops.
Cover with foil for the first 20 minutes and then remove the foil for the next 20 minutes.
Bake for a total of 40 minutes or until golden on top…not too dark because it gets bitter.
Cover the garlic back up with foil when you take them out of the oven to cool a little before handling the hot cloves and this keeps them nice and moist.