Tag: gluten free

Grilled Montreal Steak

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Grilled Montreal Steak has to be one of my husband’s favorite meals.  I am always sure to make enough for that night’s dinner and then some left over for the next day.  Not being a big fan of just re-heating steak, we use it to pop into Quesadillas, top a nice salad, or make some yummy Beef Stroganoff.

I used to use a pre-made Montreal seasoning mix, until one day, I ran out.  But, we still wanted Montreal Steak, therefore, I came up with my own blend… and I have to say, we like it even better!  You can make up a batch as you need it, or multiply the recipe and fill up a mason jar to keep it at the ready.

This steak would be perfect paired with Stacy’s Best Potato Salad and Low-carb Grilled Veggies!

Let’s start with mixing up the seasoning rub:

Start with making your own Montreal spice rub... You'll need some kosher salt, dried crushed pepper, fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder, ginger and smoked paprika.

Start with making your own Montreal spice rub… You’ll need some kosher salt, dried crushed pepper, fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder, ginger and smoked paprika.

Add altogether and mix.

Add altogether and mix.

This is what you will end up with.

Now onto preparing the steak:

This is our favorite cut of meat. My butcher calls it “Beef Loin Flap” It’s got lots of connective tissue making it flavorful and juicy.

Although this is called a rub. we aren’t going to actually rub the meat just yet. Sprinkle on the steak on all sides pretty liberally.

After a few minutes, the spices start seeping in. You want to do this at least a few hours before cooking if possible. The salt really changes the meat.

Cover and place in the fridge up to 24 hrs before cook time… But, be sure to take the meat out about an hour before you are ready to cook it to allow it to come to room temperature.

This steak is delicious grilled outside on your gas or charcoal grill or inside on a grill pan.  Just a warning though, if you are doing this inside, be sure you have good ventilation, you will need your burner on high for a properly seared steak.

Set your grill to high to get a good sear. Grill for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare.  If you wish to have less pink in the middle, now is the time to turn the burner down to medium and continue cooking — 6 minutes for medium and 8 minutes for well done. The meat is safe to eat once the internal temperature reaches 145°F with a meat thermometer.

Serve with some potato salad and enjoy!

Serve with some potato salad and enjoy!

Let rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Let rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Recipe for Grilled Montreal Steak:

(serves 6)

3 lbs. steak (here we use beef loin)

8-10 Tbs. Montreal Steak Seasoning

For Seasoning Mix:

6 Tbs. kosher salt

3 Tbs. dry crushed red pepper

3 Tbs. fresh cracked black pepper

3 Tbs. garlic powder

2 Tbs. smoked paprika

1 Tbs. ginger

Directions:

Mix together all seasoning ingredients. Sprinkle seasoning onto meat, place in a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap, store in fridge for 3-24 hrs until 1 hr before cook time.

Let meat sit at room temperature for one hour.  Grill on high to preferred level of doneness.  Meat should have an internal temperature of 145°F.  Let rest for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

*note: this is a gluten-free recipe.

Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce (Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato)

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One of the best parts of living in New England is the vast variety of cold water sea food we have available.  Interestingly enough, it actually mirrors that which is available in St. Michael, Azores.  How lucky am I?

Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce is a quintessential Portuguese starter.  9 times out of 10 when we sit down to dinner at a Portuguese restaurant with friends, this is the first thing we order.  It’s a two-part experience really.  First you get to eat the clams that are cooked in a garlic wine broth and then again drenched in garlic, white wine and olive oil.  But then, some may argue the best part of the dish is next… it’s the part when you get to sop up that delectable garlic wine sauce with a crusty piece of Portuguese bread… OMG, so good!

This dish is best served hot and brought right to the table.  A couple of things you will want to have ready before you start is  a good loaf of Portuguese bread, some hot sauce and a bowl to throw the emptied shells into (as you need to not crowd your plate with that so that you can get to the sauce with that bread!)

There are sooo many varieties of clams available in the world. These are called Little Necks, they are actually the second to smallest size clam that is legally harvestable in the U.S. Some people call these Northern Quohogs and some call them round clams or chowder clams. What makes these clams special is that, as it's name indicates, they have an itty bitty neck, unlike it's cousin the Steamer clam with it's long neck that sticks out of it's shell. Also, unlike the Steamer clam, Little Necks don't have much to speak of in their bellies. It's really mostly flesh, yum!

There are sooo many varieties of clams available in the world. These are called Little Necks, they are actually the second to smallest size clam that is legally harvestable in the U.S. Some people call these Northern Quohogs and some call them round clams or chowder clams. What makes these clams special is that, as it’s name indicates, they have an itty bitty neck, unlike it’s cousin the Steamer clam with it’s long neck that sticks out of it’s shell. Also, unlike the Steamer clam, Little Necks don’t have much to speak of in their bellies. It’s really mostly flesh, yum!

The first step, as with ANY clam you use, is to wash it inside and out. This may sound odd, but clams are generally sold with some sand and salt residue still remaining on the outside and there is nothing worst than biting into a clam and crunching on sand. Although, a sandy inside is not usually a huge issue with Little Necks, I still like to err on the side of caution. So, clams are zipped up pretty tightly... how do you get the inside clean you ask? Well, its simple, you need to provide them with an environment in which they might feel comfortable opening up their shells to take in some water. I do this with cold cold cold tap water and salt. And it works every time. Sometimes I throw some black pepper in there to make them sneaze, mostly I just do that with Steamer clams though.

The first step, as with ANY clam you use, is to wash it inside and out. This may sound odd, but clams are generally sold with some sand and salt residue still remaining on the outside and there is nothing worst than biting into a clam and crunching on sand. Although, a sandy inside is not usually a huge issue with Little Necks, I still like to err on the side of caution. So, clams are zipped up pretty tightly… how do you get the inside clean you ask? Well, its simple, you need to provide them with an environment in which they might feel comfortable opening up their shells to take in some water. I do this with cold cold cold tap water and salt. And it works every time. Sometimes I throw some black pepper in there to make them sneeze, mostly I just do that with Steamer clams though.

Here are the main ingredients you will need.

Here are the main ingredients you will need.

While the washing is taking place, it’s a good time to prep your ingredients. Chop an onion into thin quartered slices.

Saute in olive oil over medium heat.  Add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Next, you will need quite a bit of garlic for this recipe. Chop up about 6-8 cloves of garlic.

Next, you will need quite a bit of garlic for this recipe. Chop up about 6-8 cloves of garlic.

Add in to the onions once the onions have softened a bit.

Now add in the juice of half a lemon, the lemon half itself, some chopped flat leaf parsley and about 1 cup of dry white wine.

Simmer the ingredients together bringing to a boil over high heat.

Simmer the ingredients together bringing to a boil over high heat.

Drain your cleaning water from the clams and add the clams to your pot.

Cover. Keep your burner on high and do not remove your lid. The cooking process is a steam.

Cover. Keep your burner on high and do not remove your lid. The cooking process is a steam.

This is the pot 8 minutes into cooking. Do not remove lid!

This is the pot 10 minutes into cooking… If you look at the clams, some are starting to open, but not all. Do not remove the lid! But, start watching the pot, you don’t want to over cook shellfish, it will get tough.  Little Necks are tough to start off with, they don’t need any more help getting there.

Ah, 12 minutes in and finally! All the clams have opened up. Now, turn off your burner. Still, do not remove the lid! Give it about two minutes in the steam. Then they are ready!

Add in some lemon slices and more chopped parsley, and don't forget the broth!

Add in some lemon slices and more chopped parsley, and don’t forget the broth!

Recipe for Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce (Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato):

(serves 10 – 12) 

4 lbs. Little Neck Clams

4 Tbs. olive oil

1 c. dry white wine

1 lemon, 1/2 reserved and sliced for garnish

6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced

6 Tbs. parsley, chopped, 1/2 reserved for garnish

Kosher salt

Directions:

Wash clams with cold water and a good amount of kosher salt (1-2 Tbs.).  Let sit in salted water for about 15 mins.

Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat, add in a pinch of salt.  Add in garlic, continue to saute.  When softened add in the juice of half a lemon plus the lemon shell itself, parsley and about a cup of dry white wine.  Bring to a boil.

Drain clams from their cleaning salt water.  Add clams to boiling liquid. Cover immediately.  Check on them every few minutes until they are all open.  This is best done with a clear lid.  If you don’t have a clear lid, don’t bother checking until 10 minutes into the cooking time.  After about 12 minutes all the clams should be opened.  Keep lid on the pot and turn off the burner.

Serve and enjoy!

*note: this is a gluten-free dish.

It is nice to have either a separate pot at a party with sauce… But, I like to build my own… Here is what I do.

I like to put some olive oil in my plate.

Then I add in some of the cooked onions, garlic and parsley.

I personally like to add in some hot sauce. If you are doing this in a bowl for people to add themselves, I would leave the hot sauce on the side. Mix this together a bit.

Add some lemon, some more parsley and a nice piece of bread.

Add some broth, lemon, some more parsley and a nice piece of bread.

Stacy’s Best Potato Salad

AAAdone1My Dad LOVES potato salad.  I don’t ever remember a time when there would be a family gathering or a cook out without it.  So, years and years ago, I set out to make the very best potato salad there could ever be.  I must preface this by first stating that I was never a huge fan of potato salad to start off with.  This made my task a bit daunting, but I was up for the challenge!

Most potato salad you encounter consists of some bland boiled potatoes tossed with some cold mayo and if you’re lucky there will be some salt and pepper thrown in.  Well, get that image out of your mind… this is not that.

Once my quest to develop the “best” potato salad was complete, it was a regular request from friends, family and co-workers!  Everywhere I went, requests for this potato salad would follow. (So, be careful… because once you make it, it may be all people ask you to bring too! But, it’s so easy, that might be just fine with you.)  I often get the comment, “I don’t even like Potato Salad, but I love Stacy’s Potato Salad, it’s the only one I will eat.”  And quite honestly, it’s the only one I will eat too, as I mentioned, I am not a big fan of Potato Salad in general.

I think what makes it different is a combination of both ingredients and method.  If you follow along, you will get perfect results every time.  In the end, you will find this is a hybrid of potato salad and egg salad (the egg adds not only flavor, but an extra special creaminess.) The sauce itself lends some tartness from the mustard and crunch from the relish and an ever so slight backdrop of heat from the hot sauce and black pepper.

Let’s get started.

raw potatoes

I start with red bliss potatoes. For this recipe I am using about 3 lbs. of potatoes, which is enough for a regular night. If you are looking to bring this to a party or a cookout, you are going to want to double or even triple the recipe. This recipe doubles and triples very well.

fill pot water

Fill a pot with COLD water. Don’t turn the burner on until after you have placed your potatoes in.

potatoes in water

Dice to about the size of a quarter or slightly larger. Place in COLD salted water. This is necessary. If you place the potatoes in boiling water, you will change the consistency of the potato.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil until fork tender.

eggs in water

Once you get the potatoes going. Get your eggs started. Place the eggs in a pot and cover with COLD water. Bring the water to a boil and shut off the burner. Immediately cover the pot and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain water and cover with cold water to chill. Perfect hard-boiled egg every time!

hard boiled egg halfs

A perfect hard-boiled egg. (Sometimes I make an extra one and reserve for a sliced garnish, not today though)

chopped egg

Chop and set aside.

mayonaise

Start the sauce off with mayo. Your favorite jarred will be fine. But, be sure it is REAL mayonnaise, not dressing.

add hot sauce

To the real mayonnaise add mustard (just plain yellow), relish (i use dill) a pinch of salt, a couple swigs of your favorite hot sauce and lots and lots of fresh cracked black pepper. My Dad loves black pepper, so I put in close to a full teaspoon of it. You can adjust this to your taste.

add egg

Now, add in the chopped egg.

mix it up

Stir together to combine.

add mixture

When the potatoes are done cooking and you find that they are fork tender, drain the water, but do not run cold water over to cool. You want the potatoes to be warm, even hot for this next step. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the pot you cooked them in (this way you aren’t messing up another bowl.)

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This is what you end up with. Sprinkle with paprika and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

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Once chilled, you are ready to serve. Enjoy!

Recipe for Stacy’s Best Potato Salad:

(serves 6)

3 lbs. red bliss potatoes, diced.

6 qts. cold salted water

3/4 cup real mayonnaise

2 Tbs. yellow mustard

2 Tbs. dill relish

1 tsp. hot sauce

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

pinch of kosher salt to taste

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

dash of paprika

Directions:
Prepare potatoes by placing diced potatoes in cold salted water.  Bring water to a boil and watch for potatoes to become fork tender.

In the meantime, prepare sauce for salad. Mix together the real mayonnaise, mustard, relish, hot sauce, black pepper and salt.  Add in the chopped eggs.  Mix to combine.

Drain the potatoes and keep drained potatoes in the cooking pot.  Add in the mayo mixture.  Stir to combine.  The potatoes and egg yolks will meld together.  Top with a sprinkle of paprika.  Let come to room temperature and chill for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

note: this recipe is gluten-free.

note: if you don’t like the taste of one of the ingredients, add a little less, but try not to eliminate it.  For example, my sister is not a big fan of mustard at all, so I add a little less when she is coming over, but I don’t eliminate it as each ingredient has a chemical reason for being in the recipe.  (and she loves it)

Low-Carb Grilled Veggies

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Summer time is a great time for vegetables and grilling!  I love taking advantage of all that summer has to offer, the fresh air, the sunshine and the fresh produce!  Low-carb veggies are a delicious way to replace the old winter stand-by of canned corn or peas.  I would so much rather have a healthy ear of corn which has 15-net carbs next my protein and fill the rest of my plate with delicious freshly grilled veggies and I especially love it when my veggies are being grilled over charcoal!

Today’s tutorial is super simple and you can tailor it to your families tastes and preferences like with most recipes.  If you love summer squash, but hate zucchini, then swap it.  If you love onions, but don’t care for tomatoes, then by all means add more onions! If you want to get your kids to eat more veggies, then take them to the store and let them pick which they like and add that! This recipe is more about being a guide on the method of cooking your vegetables.

I have a bunch of low-carb veggies on hand these days and am always trying new things with them to keep things interesting… This, however, is an old stand-by.  The weather has been so beautiful lately that I have decided to do all my cooking outside today, including prep, it’s a great way to let the kids play while getting dinner on the table.

Start with placing some grape tomatoes in a medium sized metal bowl. I like grape tomatoes because they are small, so no cutting required, and they are sweet.

Start with placing some grape tomatoes in a medium sized metal bowl. I like grape tomatoes because they are small, so no cutting required, and they are sweet.

Cut one medium onion into 1/8 chuncks. The goal here will be to cut things about the same size. You don't want tiny onions and big giant peppers etc.

Cut one medium onion into 1/8 chuncks. The goal here will be to cut things about the same size. You don’t want tiny onions and big giant peppers etc.

pepper

Cut your bell pepper in half, remove the seeds. I like the orange, yellow and red as I find them to be sweeter than the green. If you prefer green or that’s all you have on hand, use the green.

Cut it up to about the same size as your onions. (I am keeping my zucchini in sliced discs, so the zucchini is really driving how large to cut all the other veggies)

Slice up a zucchini. Since this is being grilled, you will want to cut them pretty thickly as you don’t want the fire to break them down too much. You want them to hold their body.

Mix all your cut veggies together in your bowl.

Mix all your cut veggies together in your bowl.

Add a couple tsp. of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt.

I got this little pan at the dollar store of all places. So, I thought I would give it a try, and I love it!

Spray your pan with cooking spray before placing in veggies.

Pour your veggies in the pan.

Pour your veggies in the pan.

Place pan on over medium heat. You want the vegetables to char up a bit, but you don't want to burn.

Place pan on over medium heat. You want the vegetables to char up a bit, but you don’t want to burn.  You will want to tend to them every few minutes.

See the char they are getting? That's nice. Let it cook another 5-10 minutes once the reach this point.

See the char they are getting? That’s nice. Let it cook another 5-10 minutes once the reach this point.

Serve with your favorite low-carb dish. Here they are accompanying my Portuguese Grilled Chicken and an ear of corn.

Serve with your favorite low-carb dish. Here they are accompanying my Portuguese Grilled Chicken and an ear of corn.

Recipe for Low-carb Grilled Veggies:

(serves 4)

8-10 grape tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped into 1/8 th chucks

1 orange bell pepper, chopped into similar sized chuncks as the onion

1 zucchini, thickly sliced

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  In an outdoor grill veggie pan, add in the veggies coated in oil.  Tend to the veggies every few minutes as they cook so they may cook evenly.

Enjoy!

note: this recipe is gluten-free

Stacy’s Deviled Eggs

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My family is heading to Jamaica this summer to attend my little sister’s wedding.  It is a very exciting time.  It is also a time to think about putting on summer clothes and dreaded bathing suits!  So, my husband and I decided it was time to shape up a bit before the trip.  Over the years I have found the easiest, most efficient and most effective way to drop some pounds is with a low (not no) carb diet and some healthy exercise!  No fun right?  Ah, but it could be.  These yummy little deviled eggs just go to show ya that eating low-carb can be great.

I have always enjoyed a good deviled egg with its creamy spicy filling, so years ago I developed this recipe that I come back to time and time again whether on a low-carb diet or not.  They are quick, easy and inexpensive.  And they are great to serve at or bring to a party!  So why not bring back this classic American appetizer this summer?

Each of my entries this week will be focused on something especially yummy and low-carb so that you can enjoy eating with your family whether they are following along the low-carb route or not! Each recipe will be great for carb lovers and dieters alike.  And with summer BBQ’s starting all around the country, if you are watching those carbs, it’s always nice to have something to reach for other than those evil chips and brownies!

hb egg

Start with a hard-boiled egg. To achieve the perfect hard-boiled egg just place your eggs in the bottom of a pot, cover with just enough water to emerse all your eggs and turn on your burner to high… once you come to a full boil, shut off and cover pot. Then set your timer for 12-15 mins. Done.

crack egg

Crack your egg gently to try to avoid making divits in the egg… after all half the appeal of a deviled egg is its presentation.

peeled

For this recipe, I am using 8 hard-boiled eggs… but I always make one or two extra in case there is a casualty.

cut eggs

Empty out the yolks… (see there is a casualty, that will have to be the tester egg)

place on tray

Now place the eggs on the deviled egg plate you will be using… I have one that goes into the freezer for summer parties, but this was for a pink themed spread, so I thought this would be a pretty plate to use.

yolks

Place all your yolks in a medium sized mixing bowl.

mash yolk

Mash them up.

add mayo

I’ve always made this recipe by eye… but, I can give you some general guidelines… two heaping soup spoons of real mayonnaise (a scant 1/4 cup)

add mustard

One non-heaping soup spoon of yellow mustard. (about a tablespoon)

add relish

One soup spoon of relish. (one heaping tablespoon) This provides the vinegar that is in a typical deviled egg, but it also adds some crunch.

one squirt of Sriracha sauce or whatever hot sauce you like. (about one teaspoon)

One dash of cayenne pepper. (about 1/8 teaspoon) Be careful here, you can always add more, but cayenne pepper is hot hot hot.

salt and pepper

Mash all your ingredients together. Then taste for salt and pepper. I didn’t add too much salt here, just about 1/8 teaspoon and about 5-6 cracks of black pepper to balance the pepper flavor from the hot sauce and cayenne.

fill bag

Now, if you want to get fancy (and this was for a party, so I did want to) Place your mixture into a piping bag fitted with a pretty tip.

full bag

These are disposable piping bags that I use for my cake decorating… but, if you don’t have a piping bag handy, just use a quart sized freezer storage bag. Be sure it is freezer strength as the regular strength won’t hold up. Then just cut the tip of one corner off and you will still make a pretty design.

Now, fill your eggs. You want to come up just a bit higher than the egg itself.

Now add some garnish. I used a simple caper. I have also used a chopped up pickle in the past and that was yummy too.

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And there you have it, a beautiful tray of homemade deviled eggs. Zero carbs and lots of healthy protein.

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Enjoy!

Recipe for Stacy’s Deviled Eggs:

(serves 8)

8 hard-boiled eggs

1/4 cup real mayonnaise, scant

1 Tbls. yellow mustard

1 Tbls. dill relish, heaping

1 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

kosher salt to taste

cracked black pepper to taste

Garnish: either capers or sliced pickles

Directions:

Cut and separate egg whites from yolks.  Set whites aside. Mash yolks in a medium bowl. Add in all remaining ingredients and mash together.  Garnish with capers or sliced pickles.

Enjoy!

*note: This is a no-carb, gluten-free recipe

Southwest Veggie Omelet

done2It is really hard to find a good omelet!  Maybe I’m just picky, but I prefer eggs made at home to those out in a restaurant any day.  This Southwest Veggie omelet is light and fluffy, perfectly seasoned and has some key elements that make it ‘Southwest’.

Once you get my simple techniques down you can make this into any type of omelet you like.  Add ins in this beauty include mushrooms, scallions and pepper jack cheese.  Maybe you aren’t into spice, that’s O.K. substitute with a Swiss or a Cheddar.  Maybe you like some meat in your omelet, have at it.  As long as you get some key techniques down, you can rock your non-stick skillet like a cooking superstar!

Some things to keep in mind: First lets start with the ingredients, the basic to any good omelet is your egg to milk ratio.  I like 2 eggs to 1/4 c. milk.  If you want to substitute out an egg for egg white, be sure you use 2 egg whites for every one egg.  And DO NOT salt until the egg is in the pan, we will go over this in the tutorial.  Also, be sure your burner is set to medium heat, you don’t want to scorch your eggs here, have patience.  A good omelet needs some TLC.

ingredients

The ingredients you will need for this omelet are: 2 eggs, 1/4 c. milk, 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, 1/4 c. sliced scallions, 2-3 oz. pepper jack cheese and a pinch each of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

butter in pan

Use a 10″ non-stick skillet (save yourself a headache). Even though the pan is non-stick, you are going to want to butter it up… So add one pad of butter.

mushrooms

Saute the mushrooms in the butter. DO NOT add salt as you don’t want to draw water from the mushrooms. Let them gently brown.

add scallions

After a few moments, the mushrooms will be nicely browned, but not overcooked. Add in the sliced scallions. I like to keep the scallions at about inch long pieces for this recipe because I feel like they can stand up to the mushrooms at this size. Any smaller and they could get lost.

add milk2

While the veggies are sauteing, take a minute to beat the eggs and milk together with a fork, vigorously.

add more butter

Once you have sautéed the scallions in with the mushrooms for a couple of minutes, add in another pad of butter. Move the butter about the pan to add an additional layer of protection for your eggs. You do not want the eggs to stick,

add egg

Gently pour your eggs in over the veggies. The eggs will naturally spread the veggies. Once poured, just make sure you redistribute the veggies throughout the egg.  Once poured, sprinkle your kosher salt, just a pinch and your fresh cracked black pepper.

technique1

Pretty immediately the eggs will start to set up. Take a minute to go around the pan and gently lift some of the set eggs to allow for the runny part to take its place in the pan. This is where the fluffiness factor comes in with my omelets. This is a crucial step.  Do this all the way around the pan, lifting in 2-4 spots.

technique2

Once you have made your omelet fluffy, you will want to get it to one edge of your pan. Due to the two layers of butter that were added, this should not be too difficult. If you are struggling a bit with a gentle shimmy, just go around the pan with a spatula and loosen the edges. Then flip. I did an air flip, so I couldn’t take a picture as I did not have the hands for it. I would encourage you to try the air flip if as it is quick and easy. As Julia Child would say “You just have to have the courage”. But, if you aren’t feeling particularly courageous, you can just use your largest spatula to help you to maneuver your eggs over to their other side.

add cheese

Immediately apply the cheese to one side of your omelet to allow for maximum melting time. And lift the non-cheese side over the cheese side. Slide the omelet off the skillet and onto a plate. This process is pretty quick because the majority of your egg is already cooked from the first side and the fluffing technique.

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Enjoy!

Recipe for Southwest Veggie Omelet:

(serves 1)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup scallions, sliced

2-3 oz. pepper jack cheese

pinch of kosher salt

pinch of fresh cracked black pepper

2 pads of butter or margarine

Directions:

Beat eggs with milk.  Set aside.

Saute mushrooms in butter in a non-stick 10″skillet.  Add in scallions once mushrooms have browned.  Add in an additional pad of butter.  Add in beaten eggs.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Lift gently along the sides allowing unset eggs to run under set eggs.

Flip.  Add cheese to half the omelet.  Flip the remaining half over the cheese.  Serve.

Enjoy!

*note – this is a gluten-free recipe

Codfish Cakes (Bolinhos de Bacalhau)

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AdoneFriday’s in my house growing up were always grocery shopping day.  That being said, having a full-time working mother, also meant that it was “take-out” day.  We would usually toggle between three things, pizza from Atlas Pizza, Chinese from China Royal or fish and chips from Flint Fish Market.  Sometimes if we were lucky we could tack a little on to that fish and chips order, like shrimp cakes or codfish cakes.

Codfish is a staple in the Portuguese diet.  And although fresh caught Cod is delicious, what most portuguese people think of when they think of codfish is dry salt cod, bacalhau.  This is not fish that has been left to sit with salt on it for a day or two.  We are talking about a drying and salting process that changes the entire consistency of the fish to something amazing and if you know how to work with it, you can create some incredible dishes.

Codfish cakes can be served warm or room temperature.  For breakfast, lunch, dinner or brunch.  They are great for parties and picnics.  They can be a main course or a side dish.

Here I will take you through the process of rehydrating and cooking with this particular Portuguese mainstay.

cod11111

This is bacalhau (dry salt cod). For this recipe we are using deboned codfish bits… Normally the best thing to use is a nice thick piece and if I were making almost anything else, that’s what I would get. But, this is actually less expensive and less work, so for something I will mush up anyway, bits are the way to go.

rinse

The first step is to rinse out the fish, get all that initial salt off. Rinse until the water runs relatively clear.

washed cod

Once you have some clear water, you will want to boil this. Then drain. Then boil again. Then drain again. You are not only rehyrating with this process, but removing the majority of the salt. After the second boiling, taste for salt. You still want it salty, but not crazy. Sometimes I go as far as to boil a third time.

cooked fish

This is what your boiled fish will look like.

cod in cloth

Place on a flour sack towel. (or any clean kitchen towel)

wrap

Wrap and twist the end. Wring out all the water. For Cod Fish Cakes we want only moister we add coming to the party.

mush

Once all the water has been removed and the fish is still in the cloth, mush with your hands.

mushed cod

The fish will look very mashed now, which is what you want… you should now go through with your fingers and check for any random bones. Set this aside.

potatoes

Boil potatoes whole with skins on to preserve the starch.

cooked potatoes

Peel boiled potatoes.

mash potatoes

Start mashing potatoes with a masher then finish with a fork in order to get potatoes really fine. You don’t want big chucks. If you have a ricer, this would be the perfect use. (Do not add anything to the potatoes) Set aside to cool.

dice onions

Finely dice onions. The easiest way I find to do this is to cut onion in half and in half again. Then slice several small slices throughout and turn and slice the other way, like so.

onions in pan

Place onions in a small skillet with a drop of olive oil and gently saute. When onions start to develop color, remove and set aside to cool.

parsley

Mince parsley finely.

add to potatoes

Add onions and parsley to potato. Mash together.

mix in cod

Add fish to mash. Mash together. At this point taste for salt. If it does not have a light salty taste, add a pinch of kosher salt.

add egg

Add in one egg and combine.

scoop mixture

Your mixture should hold together at this point.

oil spoons

Put a dab of olive oil on two soup spoons.

spoons

Mold with two spoons. It should for a tri-sided croquette.

raw

Line up on parchment until ready to fry. (At this point they can be covered and refrigerated for 24 hours or flash frozen and stored for a couple of months until ready to fry)

fry1

Heat canola oil in a large skillet on med/high heat. Place croquettes in oil with lots of room around them. Do not crowd pan. Turn the burner down to medium heat.

flip

Because the croquettes are three-sided, it is easy to turn them as they cook. You want to take your time with this.

flip2

The whole process of frying should take 10-15 mins. Be sure each side is golden brown without burning. If they cook too quickly, the inside will not properly cook through.

drain2

Drain on paper towels. Normally with fried food, I would tell you to salt at this point, but these are naturally salty, so no need.

done2

Transfer to a serving dish. They can be served warm or room temperature.

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Enjoy!

Recipe for Cod Fish Cakes:

(serves 4-6)

3/4 lb. dry salt cod, prepared (hydrated and mashed)

3 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed

2 tsp. minced parsley

1/2 medium onion, finely minced, sautéed

1 egg

kosher salt to taste

1 c. canola oil

Directions:

Combine mashed potato (cooled), minced and sautéed onion (cooled), parsley.  Add in mashed fish. Mash together.  Add in egg, combine.

Spoon out one soup spoon of mixture.  With another soup spoon, form into tri-sided croquettes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat.  Place croquettes in heated oil to fry.  Turn down heat to medium.  Fry over 10-15 minutes turning periodically until golden brown.  Drain on paper towel.

Enjoy!

*note – this recipe is gluten-free

 

 

Chouriço & Peas (Ervilhas com Chouriço)

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My father migrated to the United States from St. Michael, Portugal in 1966 when he was just 11 years old.  His family, two parents, 7 sisters and a brother couldn’t all come together at the time, although  they eventually all made it through.  He has told me time and time again the story of the long journey that took them first to family who lived in Canada before settling in their final destination of Fall River, Massachusetts.  His most vivid memory of that trip is the first meal he ate with his Portuguese-Canadian family as they arrived and it was “Ervilhas com Chouriço” – Chourico and Peas.

I have often tried to imagine what it must have been like for my adolescent father and the thousands of other children to include my mother (age 9) who emigrated here in the 1960’s from Portugal.  They came to America, with their families, in search of a new life – a better life for their children.  They left behind family and friends and everything they knew.  I try to imagine, at the tender age of 11, trying to learn a new language. I imagine entering a school where everyone including all my teachers can not communicate with me.  To learn a new culture and a new way of doing just about everything.   What becomes vivid to me is being scared, excited, confused and very dependent on anything familiar I might come upon.  So, nearly 50 years later, my father recalls his family in Canada serving him and his siblings and parents “Ervilhas com Chouriço” a Portuguese comfort food.  Funny how food has a way of comforting and connecting people.

Here is my version of “Ervilhas com Chouriço”:

onions

Start out by chopping onions. For this recipe, I like to quarter and then slice.

chopped_onions

Add onions to a pot with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, saute.

chourico

This is Portuguese Chouriço. It is a bit different from its cousins, Spanish and Mexican Chorizo. It comes in two varieties, hot and mild. (If you only have chorizo available in your area, that is a fine substitute)

 

sliced chourico

Slice chouriço fairly thinly. I like to go about 1/8″, if you like it thicker, be my guest. But, this recipe calls for one link of chouriço, so slicing thinly ensures everyone gets plenty in their portion.

garlic

Mince up about a clove or two of garlic.

chourico and onions

Add garlic and chouriço to your pot and continue to saute over medium heat.

peas

Add 2 lbs. frozen peas. I use frozen peas because we are not quite in the season for fresh peas and I find frozen peas to be far superior to canned. If you have fresh peas available, by all means use them.

beer

Add in one can of beer. (An ale is best for this recipe, whatever you have in the fridge or left over from your last party) If you prefer not to use alcohol or are on a gluten-free diet, just add in about 16 oz of chicken stock.

pepper

Pepper! This has to be my favorite Portuguese ingredient. Ground Portuguese red pepper… My family grinds our own pepper each year and preserve it to use all year long. Our pepper is not terribly spicy because we remove most of the seeds and inner flesh before grinding, so be careful, know what you are using.

all spice

Portugese all spice. Please don’t be confused by the allspice you put in your pies at Thanksgiving… This is not that. This is paprika based and has a bit of turmeric some orange peel and some mystery spice. If you don’t have this available, just use a run of the mill paprika. (Adding a smoked paprika will change the flavor of the dish, if you like that, go for it, but be aware, this all spice is not smokey)

tomato sauce

1/2 cup of plain tomato sauce.

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Add in the sauce, pepper and spice along with a pinch of salt, stir. Continue cooking over medium heat.

pot3

Turn down heat to a medium/low. Stir periodically and allow to cook for about 15-20 mins.

egg in pot

Last step… gently add in whole cracked eggs one at a time and nestle them in their own little spots in the pot. I like to give everyone an egg. So I put as many eggs as people I plan to feed.

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And here is your completed Chouriço & Peas dish. Enjoy!

Chouriço & Peas recipe:

(serves 4-6)

1/2 lb. Hot Chouriço, sliced

2 lbs. frozen (or fresh) peas

1 medium yellow onion, quartered and sliced

1 T. ground red pepper

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can beer

2-3 T. olive oil

1/2 t. Portuguese all spice

4-6 eggs

kosher salt to taste

Directions:

In a large pot saute onions in olive oil over medium heat.  Add in chouriço and garlic, saute.  Add in fresh or frozen peas, mix and then immediately add in beer, tomato sauce, pepper, all spice and salt.  Bring to a boil and turn down heat to medium low.  Cook for 15-20 mins.  Add in eggs one at a time.  Cook 5-6 mins.  Enjoy!

note: For gluten-free preparation, substitute beer with chicken stock or a gluten-free beer.

 

 

 

Split Pea Soup

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I don’t know about you, but I always have a ton of left over ham after Easter or any holiday really.  But, I don’t mind because I love me some Spit Pea Soup and there is nothing like a homemade ham roast to make a great Split Pea Soup with! Spring is beautiful and it’s nice to see all the winter snow melting away, but there can still be some pretty brisk and chilly weather.  What better to combat that than a nice steaming bowl of soup? Yum!

For this recipe, I used my Pineapple Honey Glazed ham and turned it into this creamy deliciousness. If you didn’t make ham or don’t have any left overs, you can always make this recipe with some deli ham, just ask the deli to cut you some thick ham or you can grab a ham steak too. Here’s how I did it:

split peas

I start off with one bag of split peas, any brand is fine. Wash them and set them aside.

onions1

Dice some onions. I like a lot of onions, so I use two medium onions and give them a medium chop (maybe the size of a dime).

whole carrots

I trim my carrots next (sometimes I don’t peel them, but this time I did, so its up to you).

carrots

Then chop them to about the same dimensions you did your onions… so for me they are about the size of a dime.

onions and carrots

Now add the onions and carrots into a large pot and sautee with some olive oil on medium heat.

garlic

Take a couple of cloves of garlic and mince (or use a garlic press). Add to your onions and carrots after they are tender. You want to make sure your garlic doesn’t burn, so add it in toward the end of the sauteeing phase.

ham halk

Now it’s time to trim up the ham hock. Add this to your vegies.  Admittedly, this is not the pretties thing ever, but it is super tasty and adds a hearty dimension to your soup you can’t get with anything else… still if it freaks you out, or if you already threw out your hock, just leave it out.

chicken broth_edited-1

Add in chicken stock, here I have homemade stock that I made earlier in the week. (If you don’t have homemade stock, just add in an extra large can of low sodium stock.) Also, add in about the same amount of hot water. And one chicken bullion or one packet of bullion powder.

chopped ham

Dice up about a cup of ham… if you have more or less, then use more or less to your taste. I chop this about the size of a quarter, I like chunky ham, if you like more delicate, then give it a smaller chop.

 

Bay leaves

Add in one bay leaf. If you have fresh, that’s great… I only had dry on hand.

thyme

Chop up about a teaspoon of fresh thyme and add to the pot. (If you only have dry that’s o.k., just reduce by half and add it in when you are sauteeing your onions and carrots)

salt and pepper

Now add in a few cracks of black pepper and a good pinch of kosher salt. Also, add in a dash of white pepper if you have it on hand.

soup in progress

Add in your split peas now and stir. Bring the liquid to a boil on high and then reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 1 hour stiring periodically. When the soup starts to thicken and you can no longer see the shape of your split peas, then you know you are ready for the next and final step. (this could take up to one additonal hour… so keep your eye on it!

pasta

When your soup is just about done… You can remove the ham hock and add in about a cup of dilatini pasta (or whatever your favorite soup pasta is ie. elbows, stars, orzo etc)

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And you’re done! Enjoy!

Split Pea Soup

(serves 8- 10)

1 package split peas, washed

1 ham hock, trimmed

1 cup diced ham

2 medium onions, chopped

4 medium carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. fresh thyme, chopped

1 bay leaf

14-16 cups of liquid, chicken stock and water

1 chicken bullion or bullion powder packet

kosher salt to taste

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

dash of white pepper

2-3 T. olive oil

Directions:

Pepare all ingredients. Sautee onions and carrots in olive oil until tender over medium heat in a large pot.  Add in garlic.  Add in ham hock and liquid.  Add in all other ingredients except the pasta.  Cook on high until boiling.  Turn down to a medium/low boil or simmer on medium/low heat for about an hour, stirring periodically.  Check for dissapearing of peas in soup and thickening of liquid.  This could take up to an additional hour.  When liquid is thickened, add in pasta, cook an additional 20 minutes or so until pasta is done.  Taste for seasonings.  Enjoy!

note: This can very easily be made gluten free by omitting the pasta or using gluten-free pasta.

Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham

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Baked ham… an Easter tradition in my house growing up.  I’m part of a big Portuguese family, so of course that wasn’t the only thing on the table, there would usually be some sort of roast or stew as well… but, my favorite was always the ham.  My mother always put sliced pineapples on her ham.  So, what I’ve done is incorporate that into my pineapple honey glazed ham. It’s simple and delicious.

A lot of people like spiral hams, and they are yummy, but they can also be quite pricy.  I’ll be using a 10 lb. ham here and with Easter sales at my grocery store, I paid under $10 for this one, score! Spiral hams usually come with a nice little packet, usually brown sugar based that can be used to glaze the ham with, but regular run of the mill hams don’t. So, I’ve included a simple pineapple honey glaze with this recipe that is almost as simple as opening up that packet.

You’ll want to start with figuring out what size pan you’ll use. It’s a good idea for it to have room enough for the drippings, but not be so overwhelmingly big that the glaze doesn’t hang out near the meat. For this 10lb ham, I am using a 9×12″ baking dish.

You will want to prepare your ham to accept the glaze. This can be done by placing the ham cut side down in your baking dish and scoring in a lattice style, criss crossing over the entire skin.

 

ingredients

Here are all the ingredient’s you will need for the glaze: honey, 1 20 oz . can of sliced pineapples, with the juice reserved, 1 T. butter, salt and whole pepper corns.

Take your ingredients and add them in all together to a small sauce pan over medium heat and stir. 1 T butter, 1 t. pepper corns, 2 T. honey, 1/2 t. salt and reserved juice (don’t add the actual pineapples to this mix) The goal here is not to cook it down, but just to get them all mixed in the warmth helps the butter and honey to incorporate. 2-3 minutes should do it.

Next, just pour the glaze over the ham.

Place the pineapples on the ham.

If you have a tough time getting the pineapples to stay put, you can secure them with toothpicks… I didn’t have any trouble due to the shape of my ham.

I like to add a bit more honey to the top for fun… this is about a tablespoon’s worth.

You should cover the ham for cooking, but first what I like to do is spray some cooking spray on the foil so it doesn’t stick to the pineapples.

Next, loosely cover with foil, sprayed side down.

Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes per lb.

It’s a good idea to baste the ham a few times… after your calculated cooking time is through, i like to uncover the ham and put into a 375°F oven for another 20 minutes or so to get some color on your pineapples and crisp up the skin of the ham a bit.

And that’s it… Check to see that the internal temperature is up to 140°F (because ham is fully cooked before you put it in the oven), put it on a platter as seen here with my Rockstar Potatoes. (Be sure to remove toothpicks at this point if you used them)

Baked ham, Rockstar Potatoes and peas! A perfect Easter dinner!

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Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham

plan on 1/2 lb. per person for a bone in ham

Ingredients:

1 cured ham, bone in

1 20 oz. can sliced pineapple, juice reserved

2-3 T. honey

1 T. butter

1 t. black pepper corns

1/2 t. kosher salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325°F.

For the glaze: In a small sauce pan over medium heat combine juice, honey, butter, pepper corns and salt. Warm through mixing.

Score the ham in a cross hatch fashion.

Pour warmed glaze over ham.  Place pineapples on ham.  Add extra honey if desired over top.  Cover with foil.  Bake 15 minutes per lb.  Baste 2-3 time throughout cooking time.  Remove foil after cooking time and baste again.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes uncovered at 375°F.  Check to see that ham is hot throughout and the skin has started to crisp up, internal temp should be 140°F.

***Gluten-free