Thick cuts of pastured, heritage pork loin are marinated in a mixture of fermented soy, fresh ginger, garlic, coriander, anise and freshly-squeezed orange juice, then wood-grilled to juicy perfection. Served over handmade somen noodles wih braised baby bok choy, slivers of scallion, red bell pepper, toasted sesame seeds and grilled citrus..
Orange Ginger-Grilled Pork with Toasted Sesame Somen
click to enlarge
Semi-boneless quail seasoned with sea salt and smoked pepper and stuffed with wild rice, pecans, scallions and porcini mushrooms. Served with blackberry jus lié.
I wish the plate presentation were better, but I was scrambling like mad before losing the light. Oh, well..
Pan-Roasted Quail with Wild Rice Stuffing and Blackberry Jus Lie
Serves two
For the Rice
1 cup wild rice
chicken stock instead of water, in the quantity specified on the rice package
2 whole porcini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 chopped pecans
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
sea salt and black pepper
Cook the rice and set aside to cool. Sauté mushrooms, pecans, garlic, scallions and sage until the pecans are golden brown then stir into the cooled rice. Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
For the Quail
4 semi-boneless quail
2 tablespoons pastured butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon poivron rouge
sea salt and smoked blacked pepper
Rinse and pat dry the quail. Tuck the wing tips. Use a teaspoon or your fingers to stuff in as much rice as the bird will comfortably hold.
Transfer the birds to a skillet. Mix together the melted butter and paprika and use that to paint the birds with. Place in a 375 degree oven until golden brown and the juices run clear, about 18 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil.
For the Jus Lié
2 pieces uncured, applewood-smoked bacon, diced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup blackberries
2 oz port
2 tablespoons glace de poulet
2 tablespoons filtered water
Sauté bacon and shallots in a tablespoon of the drippings from the pan that the quail was roasted in. Once the bacon is crisp, de-glaze the pan with port and add the blackberries. Stir and cook until the berries begin to break apart, then add demi-glace and water. Cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then strain or not, as you see fit.
To Serve
Split quail in half lengthwise and spoon sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Cauliflower florets in a tomato curry with onions, ginger and whole spices, served with savory garbanzo flour pancakes with scallions and black lemon..
Cauliflower Gobi, Scallion and Black Lemon Pancakes
For the Pancakes
8 oz garbanzo flour
1 cup filtered water
3 tablespoons ghee or melted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon black lemon
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
Mix all ingredients together in a glass bowl and allow to stand 15 minutes. Heat ghee or butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Ladle in batter to form 3″ pancakes. Cook until golden brown on both sides, then drain on paper towels.
For the Gobi
1/2 white onion, diced
6 plum tomatoes, peeled and crushed through your fingers
6 large cauliflower florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger
1-2 small green chiles, minced
1 teaspoon hulled cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon curry leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon true cinnamon nibs
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons poivron rouge
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon amchur (mango) powder
ghee or clarified butter
Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, chiles and whole spices in ghee until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add turmeric, paprika, pepper and amchur and stir until thickened.
Add tomatoes, cauliflower and curry leaves and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Spoon gobi over pancakes and serve immediately.
This post is part of Meatless Monday, an initiative of The Monday Campaigns,
in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health.
A little bit like ramen and a little bit like Phở, this healthy, nourishing soup is made from homemade beef stock, shiitake mushrooms, buckwheat soba, fresh scallions, grass-fed beef, herbs and whole spices..
Preparing Asian Beef Noodle Soup
Serves 2
(adapted from a recipe by Jennifer Iserloh)
4 shiitake mushroom caps
4 oz grass-fed beef (I’m using a small muscle cut from a chuck roast)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled & minced
1 finely minced hot chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon star anise
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Szechuan pepper
1/2 package organic buckwheat soba
1 cup beef stock
2 cups seasonal herbs and greens (I have pea shoots, cress, cilantro and basil), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon pastured butter
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon traditional fermented shoyu
Set the trimmed beef in the freezer to firm up so that it is easier to slice.
Grind the anise, fennel, cloves, cinnamon and Szechuan pepper together in a spice grinder (you’ve just made Chinese Five Spice).
Pre-heat a heavy skillet over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the butter, then quickly sauté the mushrooms, ginger, chiles and garlic until fragrant. Sprinkle a little of the 5 spice over the top and stir to combine. Unused 5 spice will keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Add the broth, noodles and shoyu. Cover and cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the beef across the grain as thinly as you possibly can. As soon as the noodles are tender, drop the meat into the boiling broth and give it a swirl. Add the fresh herbs, greens and scallions and heat until wilted, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.
This post is part of The Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!
Made from homemade mayonnaise, fresh herbs, capers and cornichons, sauce rémoulade is a perfect contrast for spicy, pan-fried salmon cakes..
Pan-Fried Salmon Cakes with Sauce Rémoulade
Makes 4 large Salmon Cakes
2 cans wild Alaskan Salmon, drained
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons celery, diced
2 tablespoons scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 large pastured eggs
2 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked black pepper, more-or-less
1/2 tablespoon half sharp paprika or cayenne, more-or-less
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
2 pieces stale sprouted wheat bread, toasted and torn into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
Warm diced red bell pepper, celery and red onions in a little butter over medium-low until softened, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate.
Lightly toss together salmon, scallions, parsley, eggs, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasonings. Fold in cooled vegetables and refrigerate 1 hour.
Fold enough toasted bread pieces into the salmon mixture so that you can form patties that are cohesive and moist, but not wet.
Fry salmon cakes in ghee over medium-high heat until browned on 1 side, then flip over and cook 1 minute longer.
Place the pan in a 400 degree until the cakes are sizzling, about 5-7 minutes.
Allow to cakes to rest in the pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
Dress each cake with a tablespoon or more of cold rémoulade and optionally garnish with a bit of caviar.
For the Rémoulade
1 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon fresh chives
1/2 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon fresh chervil
1 tablespoon capers, coarsely chopped
2 cornichons, finely diced
1 small anchovy fillet, minced
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.
This post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet
Simmering vegetable stock, sourdough croûtons, fresh basil, scallions, Roma tomatoes and raw cheeses..
Grilled Cheese Soup
This recipe is a riff on The Moosewood Collective’s Italian Bread & Cheese Soup
For the stock
Roast such vegetables as you have available. At a minimum, try to include celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes and garlic. Parsley root and celery root add extra flavor.
Place roasted vegetables into a clean pot and fill with cold, filtered water. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced in volume by 1/3 or more, about 2 hours. Add a teaspoon each of turmeric and paprika for color if you like. Strain and keep hot.
Tear wild yeast sourdough into irregular pieces and sauté in pastured butter until crisp and golden brown. Place in the center of a deep dinner plate.
Add diced Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced scallions, Italian parsley and fresh basil.
Add shredded cheeses. I’m using raw cheddar and Grana Padano.
Pour hot vegetable stock over the top and garnish with additional minced herbs. Season with a little coarse seal salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Saveur
Known as the Hen of the Woods mushroom in North America, the Maitake (dancing mushroom) is revered for its anti-cancer properties and ability to regulate the body’s blood pressure and insulin levels.
Here’s a delicious way to load up on minerals, vitamins, protein and amino acids..
Dancing Mushroom Shiromiso
If not available locally, whole Maitake mushrooms can be ordered from Mountain Rose Herbs
Whole, dried organic Maitake (grifola frondosa)
Fresh scallions, sliced
White miso paste
Organic spinach powder
Homemade chicken bone broth, vegetable stock or filtered water
Low-sodium tamari
Dried organic celery root
Dried hijiki
Soak dried Maitake in filtered hot (not boiling) water for 20 minutes. Set re-hydrated mushroom aside to drain. Reserve soaking liquid.
Drizzle mushroom with clarified butter, sprinkle with pepper and spinach powder and roast in a 350 degree oven until golden brown (about 25 minutes). The mushroom should be slightly crispy on the edges.
Meanwhile, bring reserved soaking liquid and chicken stock to a rapid boil and cook until reduced in volume by 1/3.
Reduce heat and add tamari (be sure to use traditionally-fermented tamari that doesn’t contain hydrolyzed protein) celery root, scallions and hijiki (a wild brown sea vegetable). Simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove broth from heat and stir in white miso paste.
Ladle broth into a bowl or deep plate then place the roasted Maitake on top.
Posted in support of Meatless Monday..
“Quinoa (KEEN-wah), the ancient grain of the Incas, has been cultivated in the Andean highlands of South America for over 7000 years.
It was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans.
Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous.”
With the addition of fresh, raw and roasted vegetables, this whole-food dish is a nutritionally complete, satisfying meal..
Sprouted Black Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper Purée and Salsa Cruda
For 2 servings
1/2 cup black quinoa* soaked overnight in 1/2 cup filtered water
1 red bell pepper, seeded
2-3 plum tomatoes
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic
2 green chilies, seeded
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
*Black quinoa is available in Austin at Wheatsville Co-op
Thoroughly rinse the quinoa and gently boil in 1/2 cup filtered water (1 cup if un-soaked) until tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, split, seed and roast 1 large red bell pepper and 2 small green chilies (adjust quantity according to your taste). Roasting introduces a mild smokiness and adds complexity to the flavor. Set aside.
Chop scallions, garlic, chilies, parsley and 1/2 of the tomatoes (this is the salsa cruda) and toss with quinoa and olive oil. Allow to stand 10 minutes to combine flavors, then season with coriander seeds, salt and pepper.
Puree the red peppers in a food processor with 1 peeled and seeded plum tomato and a tablespoon of olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper and strain if desired.
Ladle pepper puree on a plate with a mound of quinoa. Serve with a field green salad if desired.
Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.
Posted in support of Meatless Monday..
“Quinoa (KEEN-wah), the ancient grain of the Incas, has been cultivated in the Andean highlands of South America for over 7000 years.
It was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans.
Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous.”
With the addition of fresh, raw and roasted vegetables, this whole-food dish is a nutritionally complete, satisfying meal..
Sprouted Black Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper Purée and Salsa Cruda
For 2 servings
1/2 cup black quinoa* soaked overnight in 1/2 cup filtered water
1 red bell pepper, seeded
2-3 plum tomatoes
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic
2 green chilies, seeded
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
*Black quinoa is available in Austin at Wheatsville Co-op
Thoroughly rinse the quinoa and gently boil in 1/2 cup filtered water (1 cup if un-soaked) until tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, split, seed and roast 1 large red bell pepper and 2 small green chilies (adjust quantity according to your taste). Roasting introduces a mild smokiness and adds complexity to the flavor. Set aside.
Chop scallions, garlic, chilies, parsley and 1/2 of the tomatoes (this is the salsa cruda) and toss with quinoa and olive oil. Allow to stand 10 minutes to combine flavors, then season with coriander seeds, salt and pepper.
Puree the red peppers in a food processor with 1 peeled and seeded plum tomato and a tablespoon of olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper and strain if desired.
Ladle pepper puree on a plate with a mound of quinoa. Serve with a field green salad if desired.
Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.
Orange ginger salmon with black bean garlic udon..
Marinate wild Alaskan salmon in ponzu shōyu (citrus-based soy sauce) with slices of soft crystallized ginger and fresh orange pieces and juice for no more than 1 hour.
Preheat a heavy skillet over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, blanch, shock, drain and set aside fresh udon noodles.
In a second skillet, sauté sliced scallion and slivers of red bell pepper in a tablespoon of peanut oil. Add julienned orange peel, sesame seeds and coriander. A 2 tablespoons of black bean garlic sauce and stir to combine.
Lightly oil then sear the salmon skin side up until rare, then turn and spoon marinade over the top and allow to bubble until medium rare, about 2-3 minutes.
Toss reserved noodles in black bean sauce and use as a bed to place the salmon on. Dust with shichimi tōgarashi (ground red chili pepper with nori and hemp).
A densely nutritious, healing meal of panko and almond-crusted fresh Idaho rainbow trout, sautéed in coconut oil with scallions, coconut flakes and wild dulse, with gingered forbidden rice and bunapi mushrooms..
Prepare forbidden rice using a ratio of about 1 cup rice to 1 3/4 cup filtered water and/or vegetable stock. Add a teaspoon of raw coconut butter and another of fresh minced ginger at the end. Cover and keep warm.
Rinse, trim and pat dry fresh rainbow trout fillets. Coat in a mixture of crushed almonds, parsley and panko crumbs and sauté in coconut oil over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, sauté bunapi-shimeji mushrooms, coconut flakes, scallions and rinsed dulse until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with black sea salt and Szechuan pepper.
Dulse is high in protein and contains all of the trace elements needed by humans.
To serve, dress salmon with vegetables and sriracha accompanied with rice and mushrooms.
A variation of the classic Linguine with White Clam Sauce. Tasted much better than it looks in the pictures, by the way; seems I need to acquire some camera skills along with a decent camera. Ah, well..
Sea conch, Pacific clams, S&P, white wine, my home-dried Italian herb blend, red chili flakes, red bell pepper, scallions, garlic, celery, butter, half & half and long pasta.
Drain the conch and clams over a sauce pan and set aside. Add white wine, S&P and half & half to the liquor and and bring to simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced by half, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, mince the seafood and chop the vegetables.
Cook the vegetables and seafood in a little butter and olive oil until “relaxed” in texture but not colored, about 10 minutes. Add herbs and pepper flakes.
Add the white sauce and simmer gently until thick, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and combine with other ingredients.
Serve with bruschetta and a spinach salad, if you like.
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