DRESSING - Cilantro Lime Luxurious Lil Thing

This dressing is just fabulous, I tell you. Green Luxury. It goes so well with mexican type stuff you may be serving, or on its own as a salad, or perhaps drizzled on some eggs or veggies. As you can see here, we made a salad, putting it on a halved-head of romaine and finished it with tasted pepitas and goat cheese.

combine following in a blender or food processor:
- handful of cilantro
- spoonful of sour cream
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 spicy chile, like a serrano
- Juice from 2-3 limes

Drizzle in olive oil until a nice consistency is reached. Taste, add salt and pepper, and taste again, adding more of any of the above things 'till you're happy.

FOR THE HEALTH NUTS: Arrogant Bastard Onion Rings

Thanks to our bud Norm for the Arrogant Bastard Keg. You've made us fat and drunk and full of these round gems:
Shopping List:

- 4 very large yellow onions

- 1 recipe Arrogant Bastard Ale Batter (recipe 
follows)

- Vegetable oil, for frying

- Kosher salt

For the Arrogant Bastard Ale Batter:

- 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) cold Arrogant Bastard Ale

- teaspoon Cajun spice blend

- teaspoon kosher salt

- 1/2 teaspoon ground dried chipotle chiles

- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

- 2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

First, make the batter: Pour the Ale into a bowl. Stir in the spices. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then add them to the beer mixture slowly, whisking well until they’re evenly and thoroughly incorporated. You may need a bit more or less flour to reach the ideal consistency... It should be just thick enough to coat whatever you’re frying.

Cut off the ends of each onion, cut in half crosswise (around the equator), and remove the papery skin and thin outer membrane. Soak in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes. Leave the rings big and fat.

Drain the onions, separate the rings, and spread them on a kitchen towel to dry.

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Fill a heavy-duty pan that’s at least 4 inches deep, pouring in oil to a depth of 
2 to 3 inches, and no more than halfway up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 360°F (medium high on a good stove).

Dunk the onion rings in the batter and fry in batches until crispy and deep reddish brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, as this will lower the temperature of the oil significantly and result in soggy onion rings. Transfer cooked onion rings to a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or directly on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet). Season with a sprinkling of salt and keep them in the oven until the entire batch has been fried.

Serve hot, with a side of BBQ sauce for dipping. (No ketchup!)

MAIN - Slippery Shrimp from Yang Chow in LA

Yang Chow's in LA is really the place. And I'd love to say that I sat down and figured out how to make their famous slippery shrimp, but a simple google search was all it too. Make sure to get all your ingredients ready before you turn on the heat. It'll bring the urgency and the stress level of this way down.

2 cups peanut oil for frying
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup
5 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water
5 green onions, sliced
Directions

Heat peanut oil in a wok to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Toss the shrimp with 1/4 cup of cornstarch to coat, then drop into the hot oil, and quickly fry until golden brown, about 45 seconds. When done, drain shrimp, and set aside.

Pour all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok, then stir in the garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 30 seconds. Pour in the wine, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, salt, and 1/4 cup of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 teaspoons of water, stir into the boiling sauce, and boil until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir the shrimp and green onions into the sauce until coated.

MAIN - Seared Albacore on Smashed White Beans with Spicy Mixed Red Pepper Sauce

It seems to be working well with dividing recipes up into groups or steps, so let's stay with that for this, one of the best ways you can treat a beautiful piece of tuna.

1. Toast Pepitas - In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pepitas till they start to pop and brown. Dump the pepitas on a plate, salt them while they're hot, and put aside.

2. Slice Lime.

3. Spicy Mixed Red Pepper Sauce - In a blender or food processor, mix a bell pepper, any hotter peppers you have depending in if you like the spicy, garlic, lime juice, a big spoonful of sour cream, and whizz in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, taste. If you roast the pepper beforehand, the sauce will be twice as nice. This sauce is also good with raw veggies, eggs, etc.

4. Make the smashed white beans - in that same skillet, fry some garlic, anchovie, and crushed red pepper in olive oil. Don't brown the garlic. Add in a can of white beans that have been drained. Give the pan a shake, stir, then add in a cup of vegetable broth or a glass of white wine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until most of the liquid is gone. With the back of a wood spoon, smash some of the white beans until you've got a creamy consistency, but can still see the shape of some of the beans. Make sense? Put this aside but keep warm..... if you see it starting to dry out, add a touch of water and try to maintain your consistency until the tuna is done.

5. Sear the Albacore Tuna - Season the steaks with salt and pepper, then on a real hot skillet or grill, cook them maybe 1 minute per side.

Slice tuna and assemble as seen in the photo.

BREAKFAST - Sunday Morning French Toast with Mount Gay Rum Bananas Foster

For the french toast:
- 3 sliced of thick bread per person. Try danish bread or Hawaiian King Bread.
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a shallow mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Quickly dip slices in mixture and cook in a hot skillet with a little butter until golden brown on both sides.

For the banana foster topping:
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 bananas peeled and halved, cut lengthwise
- 1/4 cup dark rum, preferably Mount Gay from Barbados

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add brown sugar and stir together. Add the bananas and cook until caramelized over medium-high heat. Pour in the rum and catch a flame off of the gas stove or a BBQ lighter. Stand back when ignited and flambe. Be careful; a flame will shoot up above the pan. Let flame die down.

Serve. If it's Sunday morning and you wanna live life, coat the whole thing in maple syrup and drink some champagne with it. Follow with a nap.

DRESSING - BLEU CHEESE

A wedge of iceberg and some dressing. It was lots of blue cheese, mayo, white vinegar, chives, salt/pepper, garlic. I think that's it.

DRINK - Vanilla Bourbon

I'm a fan of whiskey and of that persuasion I'm a fan of scotch whiskey. because of that, sadly, there's been some bourbon that's sat lonely and undranken (undrunk? undrunken?) on our bar. So nicki, the little legend, had the idea to put some vanilla beans in the bottle, let it sit for another week, and drink the result. We no longer have any bourbon sitting on the shelf. You must try it. It's divine. Then tell the Gatsby's of your luxurious drink discovery.

More Wings

we've posted about the best wings in the western USA before (pretty sure they'd win any contest, if a wing contest exists). but we revisited wings last night with great fury. so we'll revisit them again here at CLEAN SINK. Click over to the original post to make your own.

LAMB Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup and Sweet Basalmic Onions on grilled Sourdough

Basic burgers are boring and bland. I didn't used to think that, but sure do now. This burger may be the best we've ever had. Three steps here:

For Onions:

Saute onion rounds in olive oil; sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt and pepper. toss in 1/2 cup vinegar and cool until onions are tender, about 20 minutes. Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover; chill.

For chipotle ketchup:

Mix ketchup and canned chipotle chiles in small bowl. Season with salt. Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

For burgers:

Shape lamb into 1/2 pound, 1/2-inch thick patties. Sprinkle patties on both sides with coarse salt and pepper. Prepare stove top skillet (preferably cast iron), and Pplace burgers on skillet. Cook burgers until bottoms start to darken and juices rise to surface, about 3 minutes per side. Top with onions and cheese, and place burgers under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubble. While the burgers are in the broiler, also Broil or toast the sourdough slices, then spread em with ketchup. Top with burgers, lettuce, and anything you may like such as tomatoes, pickles, etc. Serve with remaining ketchup to pass.

DRINK - Budda Belly

Look a happy budda guy in the eye and your drink is just gonna taste better. Fact.

MAIN - Braised Chicken with Mint Pesto

a few cans white beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small white onion, diced
2 lemons
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2/3 cup finely chopped dill fronds

Heat the oven to 350°F. In a 4-quart (or larger) Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are tender and the onion is nearly translucent. Add the drained beans and stir to coat the beans with the garlic, onion, and oil. Turn off the heat.

Peel one of the lemons. Add all of this shaved lemon peel to the beans and stir. Juice the lemon and add the juice to the beans.

Pat the chicken dry, and lightly salt and pepper it. Lay it on top of the beans in the Dutch oven. Add water until it covers the beans and comes up to just below the chicken. Lay the thyme sprigs on top. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a simmer. Cover the pot and put it in the oven.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are very tender and creamy.

Remove the lid from the pot, and take out the chicken and put it to the side on a plate. Remove the thyme stalks. Zest and juice the second lemon, and stir the zest and juice, along with the chopped dill fronds, into the beans. Shred or chop the chicken and place it back on top of the beans. Top with the mint pesto (recipe follows) and serve.

To serve, scoop up a spoon of beans, and top with chicken. Make sure each serving has a dollop of pesto as well.

Mint Pesto
makes 2/3 cup

4 packed cups mint leaves
1/3 cup blanched almonds
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more if necessary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend all the ingredients in a small food processor or chopper until finely chopped. If not using immediately, store in the refrigerator with plastic wrap completely covering and touching the surface of the pesto to prevent oxidization.

MAIN - Pulled Duck Sandwich with asian slaw that's spicy

Shredded Duck

2 duck legs and thighs
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1-2 cups additional liquid such as chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Season the duck legs with salt and pepper. In a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the duck legs and cook on all sides, turning with tongs, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove duck legs and set aside. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.

Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon and stir well, coating vegetables with spices. Continue to cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Return duck legs to the pot, add the tomatoes, wine, enough additional liquid to just cover duck legs, and rosemary. Return to a boil, lower the flame, cover and allow to simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender and falls easily off bone.

Remove the duck legs and allow to cool. Pull away meat from skin and bones (discard skin and bones) and shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to pot and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until thick. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if needed.

Slaw

In a bowl, combine shredded cabbage, some lime juice, some minced spicy peppers, salt, pepper, and some yogurt.

On some nice bread, pile on some shredded duck, some slaw, and a few slices of cucumbers.

MAIN - DUCK BREASTS with Black Olives, on a bed of Risotto

Clean Sink is not about the fancy. It's not about the expensive. But sometimes a girl has got to treat herself. So we celebrated Wednesday night with this:


Be sure to render off the duck fat; the fat is terrible if chewy. But if you can get it right it's amazing. It's tender and red-fleshed, like steak, but with a rich yet delicate flavor. The sauce in the duck dish has immense flavor, too.

4 ounces (about 3 slices) thick-sliced slab bacon, cut crosswise into pieces
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup medium-dry red wine... something spanish or portuguese
3/4 to 1 cup oil-cured black olives: pitted, halved,
l duck breast halves per person
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the fat begins to render, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and stir in the rosemary and thyme, simmer until fragrant (a few minutes). pour in the stock and port, and bring to a boil. Cook for a minute, then add the olives and remove the pan from the heat.

2. With a knife, score the skin of the duck breasts in a crosshatch pattern, being mindful not to cut into the flesh. Pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add the breasts skin side down and sear until crisp, allowing the fat to render slowly, 10 to 15 minutes. Don't rush this or it'll go chewy. Flip and sear the other side for 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring the sauce back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Nestle in the breasts, skin side up, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

4. Slice the breasts on an angle, arrange on plates, and spoon the sauce and olives on top.

We served it atop a mound of risotto. perhaps we'll share how to make that tomorrow.

Stuffed Lemons

If you're down to work with your hands and get dirty, these things are so fun to make. The result is delicious--the lemons do nothing but flavor the buffalo mozzarella as the cheese melts around, and the rest of the ingredients are very light and nice. You feel like your in the Mediterranean or something. And yes, these have anchovies, but be not scared. I've served this to people who claim to hate the lil' guys and they love it. Of course I didn't tell them this had anchovies when I served. So get to it:

First get a lot of lemons. See the photo above? That's what you're going to want to make. Slice them into 3/4" or 1" rounds, then use a spoon to core out the lemon insides (you can save the inside for another use... maybe a cocktail to go with these things). Also make sure to gather as many lemon leaves as you make rounds. As seen in the photo, these are the bottom of the lemons, holding the bottom from falling out.

Once you have your lemon rounds (about 4 per person, you make the call) and leaves, prep your filling. See here:
Left to right: buffalo mozzarella (sliced, two pieces per lemon), cherry tomato, anchovie fillet, basil leaf).

Next get to stacking. First a cheese slice, then tomato then anchovie then basil leaf and finish with another piece of cheese. See the photo above for what it should look like.

Arrange these all on a baking sheet with a lip and pop in a preheated 400 degree oven until the cheese is melted and somewhat bubbly. It won't get brown, but make sure the whole thing gets oozy.

Serve right away with crustini.... and a spoon per person to scoop out the filling and place on the bread.

MEAT - Grilled Whole fish with salt, lemon, and fire

it's summer and when it's flat it's good to fish for your dinner after work. it makes you feel like a human: catching your food and gilling it and gutting it and cooking it up within the hour.

but sometimes the fish don't bit, so you have to go to the store after fishing and buy a fish. that's what we did here, with bronzino, a fish from Greece that tastes like a less-oily sardine. this is the most simple way to cook a fish, and probably the best for this type of thing.

Start with cleaning your bronzino (but any bass or sardine will be fine... as long as the skin is on and the head is on and the eyes are clear). if you don't know how, ask a dad or have the fish guy do it for you. rub the fish down with olive oil, and if you like stuff some herbs in the body cavity. place fish on a really hot grill for a few minutes per side... i think that if you over cook it you're blowing it. You won't get sick, the fish just came out of the ocean. when done, the skin will have some nice char marks. remove with a spatula, sprinkle liberally with sea salt, and squeeze a lemon over the top. Serve.

APP - Anchovie and Sage Fritters

From Jamie Oliver:

12 anchovy fillets in olive oil
a small glass of sweet white wine OR juice and zest of 1 lemon
24 largish fresh sage leaves
flour for dusting
sunflower oil

for the batter:

255g/9oz strong flour
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
155ml/5.5fl oz water
200ml/7fl oz fizzy mineral water
55ml/2fl oz olive oil
pinch of salt

marinate the anchovy fillets in the wine or lemon juice on a flat plate for at least an hour.

Make the batter by whisking the flour, salt, egg yolk and water until it is a thick custard consistency. Add the fizzy water a little at a time, then add the olive oil and stand for around 30 mins.

Moisten all the sage leaves with a little water and dust both sides with a little flour. Take 2 sage leaves and put an anchovy fillet between them to make a sandwich. Squeeze together firmly so a little moisture comes out of the anchovy to bind the sandwich.

Heat the sunflower oil on high in a sturdy frying pan up to frying temperature, then turn heat down to medium. While the oil is heating whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then fold into the batter until smooth.

Dip the sage/anchovy sandwich in the batter and lower into the hot oil, fry around 6 at a time for a minute until golden and crisp,then drain on kitchen paper. Serve straight away before they go soggy.

DRINK - Fancy Beers

Ah, the beers at the San Diego beer Festival. the event saw 50 beers in 3 hours where you were encouraged to drink as much as you can. We tried to have em all. We made it half way. Here, some reviews of beers that had short wating lines:

Eel river Brewing Co, Acai Wheat- dry fruit, light on the palette. Summer! Easy drinking. Overtones of sour acia, and undertones of dry roasted hops.

La Chouffe Houblon- Mmm. It's hoppy. It makes ya hoppy, like a warm spring day. It's mid July and it feels like we're drinking a long, smooth May 5, full of herbal notes and sweet underlayment.

Doubel Iron Fist- oooo! Like my first time drinking beer. Full and chocolaty. Drips of caramel ooze past the fierce hot hops. What a blast!

Pyramid Apricot- Exceedingly apricoty. A lil' sprinkle of cinnamon and you've got yerself a pie.

Lhasa beer- Well, it tastes like Tibetan spring water... That a Tibetan goat pissed in. Nicki has never poured out a beer, until just now.

Cosmic Ales Brown- yeah man! To the moon! Chew on that thing, it'll stay with ya for a long while. 2 hours later, it may still be stickin' to yer teeth.

Lagunitas IPA- caprese! Looks like our friend Basil grew up and dropped his balls. Is that Italian green basil I sense? Why yes, it is! Broad leafed and full, ready for some soft cheese and fine crackers. That is, if you're into that whole sort of thing.

Julian Hard Cider- this stuff makes you hard. I punched a guy. For real. I was writing this review whist my beer was on the ground, a dude walked by and nearly kicked it over. A light tap to protect the grounded cider. Do you like natural, irie apple pie? Then dig on this, man. It's out of sight.

Fox Bar Pear Cider- I don't drink pear cider, but bitches do! If I were a girl, I'd drink this stuff all night. For real! It's like a mix between fizzy water and alizee. Oh wow, fellas, you're never gonna understand this: just buy it and stock it in you're bar and you'll be happy.

Yella Pils- does your mom rock? Does she wear a fanny pack and pour beer and wear sun glasses at 7 PM? Then drink this. Drink it or else you won't get your grilled cheese or dessert. Stomach it and be rewarded.

DEAN

APP - Crustini of white anchovie and smashed cherry tomatoes

toast some bread in the oven. halve a tomato, and smear it all over the top of the toasted bread. lay over an anchovie fillet while the toast is still warm. perfect for summer and perfect with a cocktail before dinner. maybe a martini--just sayin.

DRINK - Martini

Gin, swirl vermouth.

THAI Clam Steamers

how good are clams. pretty good. we've been experimenting with different flavors and sauces to give them a different spin. here's a pretty nice one that you'll see in restaurants sometimes:

In a skillet that you have a lid for, saute some onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes in some olive oil and a big pat of butter. once the veggies are fragrant, throw in some scrubbed clams (or mussels) and some lemon grass stalks. give the pan a shake like you mean it, then after a minute pour in a glass full of white wine. then pour in half a can of coconut milk. reduce heat to a high simmer, cover, and stir every so often until the clams are open. if they don't open, they're bad and will make ya sick. toss em.

taste the sauce. Does it need salt or pepper? add it. finish with a generous sprinkle of cilantro and serve with some crusty bread.

SALAD - Fresh Light Potato salad sans mayo

been seeing a lot of these around lately. by that i mean potato salads that are not heavy or filled with fatty mayo. sometimes they have bleu cheese. sometimes they have bacon. they're all great. i like this one the best. it's got this fresh vinaigrette dressing instead of mayo.

• potatoes--i used these cool multicolored ones, which apparently are really good for you and have tons of different nutrients. but you can use any potatoes i guess. put them raw in some boiling water until fork tender. that means stick the potato with a fork to tell if it's done. if the fork slips and slides in and out easy-like, then it's done. drain and let cool. then cut into bit size pieces.
• make the dressing--smashed garlic stirred with red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, capers, salt, pepper, and then whisk in olive oil till it tastes balanced.
  
• mix the the two things above in a big bowl. if the potatoes are still warm, then that's really great. gently stir in chopped parsley and some sliced onion.
  

SALAD - Bloody Mary Tomato Salad

here's a free recipe. it's everything good about a bloody mary except the vodka. that might sound like a bloody shame, but give it a go....

mix all this in a big bowl:

• cherry or small tomatoes, halved.
  
• chopped celery
• chopped green olives
• chopped pepperochini pepper
  
• a splash of Worcestershire sauce
• a small scoop of horseradish
• some parsley
• some sliced onion
• (anything else you like in bloody marys, add here)
• salt
  
• pepper
• a few glugs of olive oil
• some squeeze lime and lemon
• a splash of red wine vinegar
  

TEQUILA - Spicy

you wanna have yourself a damn fine margi? try this spicy little tequila as the main ingredient. after each sip there's a heat that lingers, and the only way to fix it is to drink more!

Tequila with grilled jalepenos and grilled pineapple.
1. grill pineapple slices and whole jalepenos on a real hot grill. get some good grill marks but don't cook till they're soft.
2. put pineapples, jalepenos, and some reposado tequila in a jar. let it sit for a day or two and it's spicy, and longer if you want it real spicy. You get the idea.


For our margaritas, we stirred together ice, spicy tequila, pure lime juice, and triple sec in a salt-rimmed glass.

TOPPING - Carrot and Kale Slaw with Bleu Cheese

this is awful nice as a topping on a burger.

- a few carrots, shredded.
- a big handful of kale, chopped.
- some bleu cheese, crumbled.
- bleu cheese dressing.
- a lemon, squeezed.
- salt and pepper

mix all this in a bowl. apply liberally to you burger or sandwich. enjoy.

BREAKFAST - Spread

we had a cool photo shoot at the house the other week, and we served breakfast for all that worked it. Here's the spread we came up with, which was simple, which was nice because we had many other things to do.

• Yogurt and berries and granola.
• lox and cream cheese and mini bagels with red onion and capers on top.
• coffee
• juice.

Thanks Mr. Larson for the photo.

MEAT - Chicken Satay

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup miso tamari sauce, or coconut aminos, or soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons sesame oil or olive oil

Butterfly the chicken breast halves and cut into thin strips. Place in resealable bag.

Puree the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pour the marinade over the chicken and chill for at least one hour, or up to 6 hours. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 2 or 3 hours so they won’t burn on the grill.

Set up a grill for direct cooking around 400F. Thread chicken onto skewers. Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes per side.

MAIN - Stuffed Swiss Chard

it's swiss chard, and it's stuffed. it's stuffed with beef, lamb, tomatoes, rice, and parsley. it feels all very healthy and hearty, because it is.

Here's how you do it, illustrated in photos.

* first make your filling. in a bowl combine 1 lb of beef, 1 lb of lamb, a can of whole tomatoes, a cup of rice, and a handful of chopped parsley, plus salt and pepper. now roll up your sleeves and get in there with your bare hands like your grandma would. squish and mix and masticate and articulate until it's all nice and consistent.

* second make some chicken broth. get it hot on the stove. you don't need much.

* then prep the swiss chard. remove the stems, but you don't need to remove the whole rib. your ingredients are done.

* now get the roll on. put a little of the filling in the chard, and roll and tuck the sides like you're making mini-burritos or eggrolls. it's important to get a good seal... make sure there are no gaps for the filling to fall out.

* as you work, stack the stuffed chard in a pot. when you've done them all, put a few slices of lemon on top. that's just good flavor.

* pour over some of the broth (just maybe an inch worth to cover the bottom), and put the covered pot over a simmer heat for about 45 minutes or longer. the longer the better... just don't overdo it otherwise the chard will fall apart and it'll be a mess. check the broth periodically, add more if needed.

serve with lots of bread.

MAIN - LAMAJOON

when i was a little kid it was so special to get these made for me. it's an Armenian recipe, well, i think it is because my mom was taught it by her Armenian babysitter. they're fun to make and a little messy, but well worth any effort.

first make your dough (See the recipe in the scan above). if you're lazy, you can use pre-made pizza dough from trader joes (just roll it out as think as you can). if you're lazier than lazy, you can also use tortillas or pitas.

roll out the dough into tortilla size rounds. or pancake size. or 6" size.

put a spoonful of the mean mixture (recipe above in scan) on each dough round. the mixture should be spread really really thin. arrange as many as you can on a baking sheet, and put in a 450* oven for 15 minutes. serve with lemon wedges and salt to sprinkle. these are pretty amazing: light and fresh and crisp.

make extras--they freeze really well. Reheat by wrapping in foil and popping in the oven.

SALAD - Easiest Summer Tomato Salad Ever

it's summer, it's back to basics. this tomato salad is absolutely nothing fancy, which is what makes it so good. in a bowl, simply combined some quartered fresh fresh tomatoes, some thin sliced red onion, a handful of torn parsley, maybe some basil, and maybe some sliced cucumbers. toss all this with a glug of olive oil, a glug of red wine vinegar, and some salt and pepper. let this marinate in the fridge for a half hour, and stir again. ow!

PASTA - Rigatoni with Zuchini, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Ricotta

as a kid we used to go to mangia mangia restaurant in HB, CA very often. it was the best italian place imaginable in the worst strip mall imaginable. after much begging, the chef finally gave my mom this recipe.now here it is from mangia mangia to mom to me to you.

it's so good when summer vegetables start kicking off. i'm proud to say all the veggies in this pasta plate came from our garden. we rule.


first, saute a chopped onion, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a handfull of sun dried tomatoes, a couple chopped cloves of garlic, and salt / pepper in a few glugs of olive oil. just like in this photo:


once soft, put in a bunch of sliced zucchini and some yellow squash (or whatever is available). maybe throw in some swish chard if you're into that sort of thing. add in about a cup of fresh tomatoes. cook until the squash is softer but still firm to the bite. don't overcook it. while all this is happening, cook pasta like you know how.

finish the pasta dish. put the pasta on a big platter, spoon over the zuch sauce, tear some basil leaves on top, and scatter a bunch of ricotta all over the top. done!

APP - albacore crudo with citrus dressing and grapefruit

this is a total rip off from Blue Ribbon Pizza in San Diego. you should still totally check this place out though--the ingredients are local and the food is amazing.

this recipe is presented as an appetizer, but it could easily be a main on a nice hot night. You can change anything here. but think of it as a fresh Mediterranean thing as opposed to an Asian thing.

first, get some albacore tuna. it's cheaper than blue or yellow fin, and works just fine for this since the tuna has dressing all over it. using a sharp knife, slice it so it looks like sashimi in a sushi joint. let it sit on the side.

for the rest:

• segment a grapefruit for garnish.
• get some greens for the bed. i used mustard greens, but arugula could work.
  
• make the dressing of 1 lemon and 2 times as much olive oil. toss the fish in your dressing.

Assemble it all as seen in the photo. bam!

BREAKFAST - Skillet with Baked Eggs and Whatever

The title may not be very detailed, but it's purposeful. You can basically use what's left over in your fridge, crack an egg over it and make an awesome little skillet for breaky. This breakfast comes together in 'bout 10 minutes.

So I had a quarter of an onion, some mustard greens, some bacon, and some mushrooms in the fridge. These are all great, but some rough tomatoes, leeks, sausage, ham, bell pepper, or anything like that would be good as well. So fry your bacon till it's done, drain off some of the fat, and push the meat to one side of the pan. On the other side, put some olive oil and fry up your veggies. This all works best in a cast iron skillet, but anything that can go in the oven will do.

When everything's looking just about done, crack a couple eggs over, letting the whites ooz down but not breaking the yokes. Pop this whole pan in an oven at 400*, and bake until the whites are hard but the yellows are runny. You can even then crumble some cheese over the top, as I did with goat cheese. See?

PIZZA - bacon, mushrooms, ricotta, basil, and baked egg

APP - Kale Chips

Take raw kale leaves, drizzle with olive oil, and put in the oven at 350 until crispy. Sprinkle with salt. The result is earthy and fresh and salty and delicious with beer.