Seared Asian Tuna Salad

This was a fun brainstorming healthy salad creation. The whole idea was to make something healthy, low carb and most importantly, taste GREAT! The recipe came together with two components, Tuna and Ponzu. Cursing at the idiots blocking my path while shopping, the ingredients to put in the salad came together. I started with a simple lettuce blend or romaine, green leaf lettuce and red leaf lettuce. I added some thin sliced water chestnuts and baby corn. For color, julienne cut red peppers was a must, especially to add a splash of color to the plate. Next, I cut and set aside some julienne carrots and snow peas, cut on a bias(diagonal cut). My final prep before getting to the tuna was to cut thin strips of won tons and deep fry them for a nice crispy crunch.

Now it was time to get some olive oil and sesame oil into a pan and get it ripping hot. I spread some toasted sesame seeds on the tuna, when the pan was hot enough, I popped those beautiful tuna steaks on the heat to sear them. It was about 1 minute 30 seconds per side, I wanted this fish to be good and rare in the center. When the cooking was complete, I set the fish onto a cutting board and let them rest. Once cooled, I thin sliced the tuna on a bias and placed atop the salad.

To finish it off, the carrots were placed atop the fish, then the peas atop the carrots. I then drizzled the vinaigrette(hoison sauce, ponzu, soy sauce, oyster sauce, dash of sriracha and some sesame oil blended together) over the fish and vegetables and finally the crispy won tons.

This salad tasted great. Low carb, lots of good raw vegetables and fish, rich in omega 3. Enjoy.

Braising Ribs

Braising meat is a great way to make tough cuts of meat become tender and succulent. Low and Slow is the motto for cooking tough cuts of meat. The idea is to break down fat in the meat so make it soft and juicy. The braising liquid can become rather greasy, so it is always best to roast it in the oven or grill it to drip off some of the fat. There is a strict "French" style of braising that I was taught, but there is an easier way to still achieve a tender piece of meat.

Step 1: The Rub
I start the process with a good dry rub. There are many variations to use, I've chosen a mix of 2TB of mustard powder, 1TB Garlic Powder, 2TB Chili Powder, 1TB ground coriander, 1TB ground Black Pepper, 2TB Salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and my secret ingredient, 2TB Smoked Paprika. Blend everything together, then rub it all over the ribs. I use a spoon to pour it over the ribs before rubbing so I don't contaminate the rub mix if any is left.


Step 2: The braising Liquid
There are many combination's to the mix of liquids to help braise the meat. Something with some acid is always a must, ie Wine, beer, tomato paste or sauce. I am not one who likes the bud lights of the world, but can use them in cooking. I used 6 oz of Bud Light Wheat with 2 cups Chicken stock, 1 TB of soy sauce. The liquid just raises 1/2 way up the meat, it is not to be completely submerged. Set the oven to 300, cover with foil and roast until nearly falling off the bone. This could take 3 hours or more. Check it every hour to see how tender it is getting and to ensure there is enough liquid in the pan.

Step 3: Roast it.
Once it is tender enough, I placed the meat on a sheet pan, raised the oven temp to 450, and began to roast it. If you braised it, then kept it in the fridge until later, roast for about 20 minutes, otherwise, 10 minutes should be enough to dry it out on the surface. I heavily recommend grilling the ribs instead of roasting, but if you leave your grill outside for the winter and it is iced shut, roasting works and cooks much quicker from cold.



Step 4: BBQ Sauce
Brush the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce and let it cook until it is sticky.


Step 5: Enjoy it
Pick your favorite side dishes and lick those bones clean.

Braised Rootbeer BBQ Ribs with Crispy Polenta Cakes

Slow cooked ribs. Tough cuts of meat in general, always taste incredible when they are cooked low and slow. I will do another blog giving tips on how I braise ribs. Tonight's meal was an attempt at trying a Root Beer BBQ sauce on the ribs. My inspiration comes from James Beard nominee, Graham Elliot Boyles(sp). Jane and I ate at his restaurant in Chicago last summer and I was blown away with his Root Beer BBQ sauce which was served atop thin sliced Bison steak. If you ever get a chance to try his restaurant, just know, it was the best meal I ever had.

Jane told me once how much she hated brussel sprouts. I convinced her to try my version. Simply, butter in a pan, get it ripping hot, throw in the brussel sprouts cut in half, turn down the heat to Med. Hi, add some salt and cracked pepper, let them brown. That is it. The carmelization that forms on the sprouts adds a touch of sweetness. Definitely give it a try when you get a chance.

The polenta is used by following a basic recipe. Veg stock, skim milk, garlic, salt and pepper. I added cheddar cheese at the end of cooking, poured it into a pan and let cook. Then, I cut them into triangles, dusted in flour, and put them in a hot pan with olive oil. Essentially deep frying them without a ton of oil I turned them after a minute to ensure all sides were browned.

The meal tasted just as I imagined. Nothing better than spending a few hours cooking to create such a scrumptious meal.

New Year's Eve

This is my fourth attempt trying to load all the pics with captions. I am listing just one pic and telling you about New Year's eve and not worrying about making it perfect before I go postal. For a few years now, New Year's Eve has become a culinary tradition. Three of us work out a menu and create a tasty meal. In '07 we did Southern Food, in '08, we did French food like Duck Confit. This year, it was Seafood. The evening started with John making a wild caught deep fried Walleye. It was a perfect start to the night. The picture is of my contribution, clam chowder with fresh clams. Laurie made a Seared Scallop salad with a reduction of balsamic and pesto dressing. Dinner was Halibut with roasted leeks, Jeni did a smashing job on, mashed sweet potatoes and a vegetable souffle with a lemon pesto cream sauce. The sauce in the souffle was good, I overcooked the souffle. The last time I made a souffle was in culinary school where we had a turbo chef. It could cook a souffle in 2 minutes, 20 seconds. After 40 minutes, overcooked and to much water from the veggies. Even as a chef, I still make an occasional mistake. Looking forward to spring so we can do a Spring Farm Market meal.

I was watching Iron Chef America, the only Food Network show I still check on occasionly, when I suddenly had creative moment. Looking in the vegetable crisper, I pulled out some carrots, set the oven to 400, and started roasting carrots with a bit of brown sugar. Next, I grabbed some balsamic, blueberries from the freezer, left over Shiraz and Honey. Slowly simmered these components and then pureed them; nothing like pectin to make a natural thickener. Something was missing... noticing the leftover coffee from the morning, I poured some into the sauce; that did the trick. Next, I grabbed some summer squash, zucchini, sliced garlic, and onion, sauteed them with a touch of thyme, salt, and pepper. The smells in the kitchen really began to blossom when I set a pan on the burner and got it ripping hot. The steak needed some salt and pepper before dropping it in the pan. The sizzle got my taste buds going, once flipped, the steak and pan went into the oven to finish it at medium rare. The carrots came out but were a bit mushy; never had carrots cook so fast in my life. Not batting an eye, I pureed them with a bit of milk. The finished result was everything I had envisioned.