Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Herb Salad and Sriracha Mayo

My lovely brought home a whole tuna from a fishing trip, and I had to figure out where to start with it. He asked me to sear it, so I did! Here's how I did it...

4 8oz tuna steaks
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs vegetable oil

1/3 cup mayo
1 tbs Sriracha
1 tbs lemon juice

For the salad:
I used a mix of arugula, dandelion greens, fresh basil, and radicchio. I made the dressing with 1 tbs. sesame oil, 1 tbs. soy sauce, 1 tbs. rice wine vinegar, 1 tbs. diced ginger, 1 tbs. vegetable oil and  1 tsp fish sauce.

For the mayo: combine the mayo, lemon juice and Sriracha and let sit while you prepare the tuna

If you're working with freshly caught tuna as I was, I would cut out the blood line.  With a sharp knife, make an incision on either side of the blood line so that the two incisions create a ‘V’ shape and remove.

Let the tuna sit out of the fridge for ten minutes, and coat with kosher salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet until it is very hot. Add the vegetable and sesame oils and then add the fish. Let it sear in the pan for 60-90 seconds, then flip it. Let it cook another 60-90 seconds, then remove it from the pan. Let it rest a few minutes and then cut each steak diagonally into 4-5 slices. Drizzle the mayo on top.

Easy Fajita Chicken with Vegetables, Beans and Rice

Black beans and vegetables:

Slice:
1 green bell pepper (make sure to take out the seeds and white parts)
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 yellow onion

Use:
1 can black beans (you can cook your own beans, but I do not have the time).

Saute in a large pan in 1 tbs. olive oil on medium for about ten minutes, tossing lightly. Add a teaspoon of salt and teaspoon of pepper. Drain the black beans and rinse them in a colander. Add them to the hot pan and stir vigorously. Cook until the veggies are slightly soft and the moisture in the pan is almost gone.

Marinade recipe:

1 tbs vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lime juice 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

Use 1.5-2 lbs thin cut chicken breasts. Marinate in a plastic bag about 30 minutes. Grill at about 450-500F for 6 minutes per side.  Make sure it's around 160 degrees F inside using a meat thermometer. Let it rest for 10 minutes wrapped in aluminum foil.

For the rice, I used a rice cooker. If you do not have a rice cooker, here's what you need: 

1 cup rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tbs butter

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the butter (optional--it adds flavor, but it's not necessary). Add the rice and cook for approximately 20 minutes. 

After you fluff the cooked rice, put the bean veggie mix on top. Slice the chicken and put it on top of the beans and veggies. There you have it: a healthy meal that is pretty affordable (and a staple of our house).

Mole Negro in the Slow Cooker

My fiance wanted chicken mole--typically I make it over the stove, but today we were busy and I thought it would be cool to try it in the slow cooker, and it turned out great!

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken thighs deboned

1 medium yellow onion, rough dice
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs sesame seeds
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (or almonds, but I used pumpkin seeds)
2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
1 dried ancho deseeded and stem cut out
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coriander
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

Place the chicken in the crockpot on high and let sit while you get the sauce ready. Chop the chocolate and place in blender with the shelled pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, raisins and other ingredients. Seriously, just put them all together, they'll be okay. If your blender is small, you can blend in two batches. Blend well and, if you like, strain the sauce (I strained mine through a sieve because I think it is a better presentation). Pour the sauce over the chicken and cook for 2 hours on high followed by 4 hours on low. Chicken should fall apart when poked with a fork.

Laksa!

shrimp laksa topped with cilantro, coriander

radish sprouts and crispy shallots

Tonight I made laksa, because I was craving it. It has a lot of ingredients, but it is a fairly easy dish to make--a spicy noodle soup (usually found in Malaysia and Indonesia). This version uses items that should be fairly easy to find. I simplified things while trying to still get that delicious sour/spicy/savory laksa flavor.

You will need:

1.5 tbs red curry paste (or preferably laksa paste, if you can find it at the market)
2 tsp tamarind paste
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 cups vegetable stock
10 oz. coconut milk (you can use lowfat if you want to cut the calories)
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 bunch each of fresh coriander and fresh cilantro
radish or bean sprouts

8 oz dried flat wide rice noodles

1 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (Note: you can leave the tails on or take them off--I like to leave them on because it adds extra flavor, but you can remove the tails beforehand to make things easier on your diners). 

I also added mushrooms because I like them-- I used shimeji or Beach mushrooms. 

Optional: fish balls, puffed tofu, or any other product you'd like to add.

Saute the onion, jalapeno and ginger in the vegetable oil until slightly soft. Add the garlic and the curry paste and reduce the heat, cooking for about 3 minutes more. Add the tamarind paste. Add the coconut milk slowly, and then add the stock, fish sauce, sugar and soy sauce. Whisk together and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the broth at this point if you want to add mushrooms. While it is simmering, soak your rice noodles in boiling water for about 7 minutes. Drain the noodles and shock them in cold water, then set them aside. Add the shrimp to the broth (and add fishballs if you are choosing to use them) and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. To serve, put the noodles in a bowl and spoon the soup over it. Top with the sprouts, cilantro and coriander leaves, and a spritz of lime juice if you want a little extra acid.

Roast Chicken

I was looking for something simple to make for us tonight, so I decided on roast chicken. I picked a 4-pound free range chicken from our local grocery store.

Rinse the chicken (inside and out) in cold water and pat it dry. If it comes with innards, pull them out and, if you like, save them for a sauce. Put the chicken on an oiled roasting rack in a basic roasting pan. I rubbed it with two tbs. butter (cutting little slits at the top to rub a bit of the butter under the skin). I stuffed the cavity with two lemon halves and two onion quarters, and a bunch of tied up sage, thyme and rosemary. I covered the outside with sea salt, lemon pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a pinch of oregano.

Roast it on the rack for 20 minutes per pound at 400 degrees F. If it starts to get too brown on top, tent it with foil for the last 10-15 minutes. Check it with a meat thermometer, and make sure that the thigh temperature is at least 160 degrees. Let it rest for 15 minutes while you prepare your sides.

Fresh Rigatoni

 I made rigatoni today with an extruder attached to my Kitchen Aid:

For the dough, I used:
3 cups flour 4 large eggs 1 tsp olive oil 1/2 tsp salt
Knead dough well until it comes together. Let it rest for 1-2 hours, then take it out and knead it again. If it is sticky at all, knead in a handful of flour and work it until it is no longer sticky. Put in an extruder (I use a kitchen aid) and allow to dry in a floured tray for 45 minutes. Boil for 6-7 minutes, and finish in sauce of your choice.

I made a meat sauce:

For this, I used:

1 pound lean ground beef (95%)
1 tbs olive oil
1 shallot, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 handful fresh basil
1 tsp salt
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 jar pasta sauce
4 strips of bacon, crisped

Cook the beef at medium-high heat in a sturdy saute pan until it is no longer pink. In another pan, saute the shallot in the oil until soft, then stir in the garlic and cook on low heat. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked beef and simmer until it starts to thicken, then add the pasta sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes. I chopped some of the basil and added it in to the sauce and used the rest for garnish. Towards the end of the simmering, add the crumbled bacon and stir well. The sauce should have a nice shine but should not have any grease sitting on top. Stir in the cooked pasta and let sit for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with basil. 

Old Fashioned Ginger Bread

1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
4 tbs butter
1.25 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 egg
2 tbs buttermilk
1 cup hot water

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cloves (if you like them)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes in a standard loaf pan until the knife comes out clean with a moist crumb.