The Big Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving 2007, my wife and I were able to get her entire family together for a Thanksgiving dinner. That's a sit down dinner for 34! I had to custom build a table to fit that many people. Its a good thing we live in Southern California and had good weather since I had to construct the table outside.

The floral arrangements were made from hollowed out pumpkins. I inserted a plastic container to hold the water for the flowers. Fortunately, we happened to have 34 place settings of Royal Albert on which to serve the dinner.

75 pounds of turkey later, It was a Thanksgiving to remember!

Sweet Pepper Relish

For those of you who enjoy a pepper relish but my heat seekers pepper relish is much too hot and spicy, then this one is for you. I developed the relish using sweet peppers, garlic, basil and olive oil. The sweet peppers have less heat than a green bell pepper. This makes an excellent topping for pasta, scrambled eggs, and my favorite, crostinis. However you choose to use it, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• Sweet chili peppers (found in the produce department of most grocery stores. They look like jalapeños but are usually an assortment of red, orange and yellow peppers)
• Roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil (you can also use regular extra virgin olive oil and add sliced garlic at the end)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Several fresh basil leaves, julienned
• Sterilized mason jars

 

Washing the sweet peppers under cold running water and allow them to drain. Place them in a bowl and drizzle them with the roasted garlic olive oil. Add the sea salt and toss them until they are coated thoroughly.

 

 Then, spread the peppers out on a foil lined baking sheet. Place them under your broiler for 4 to 5 minutes until they begin to char. Once the peppers begin to char, turn them over. Continue this process until all sides are charred. Be careful not to over blacken them.

 

Once the peppers are charred on all side, in a bag and tie it closed for about 5 minutes.

Next, remove the peppers from the bag and place them back on the baking sheet. Peel the charred skin off each pepper and gently remove the green stem. Do not rinse them under running water. That will remove all of that fantastic charred flavor.

Once the peppers are peeled, place them on a cutting board and thinly slice them.

Finally, pack the peppers loosely into the mason jars leaving ½ to 1 inch at the top. Top it with the sliced basil. Next, you are going to top off the jar with the roasted garlic olive oil. If you plan to use extra virgin olive oil, Add a couple cloves of sliced garlic before topping with olive oil.

 

These will last in your refrigerator for several weeks. Continue to jar the rest of the peppers in the same manner. Allow the jars to sit for as few days so that the different flavors can mingle.

  Enjoy!

 

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Thai Noodle Soup

This is a very easy soup that anyone can make. Crisp tender vegetables, silky Thai noodles and a flavorful vegetable broth for the basis for this recipe. Pair it with some egg rolls or pot stickers and you'll have yourself a satisfying lunch or dinner.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T butter
• 2 cups of shredded cabbage
• 2 stalks of celery chopped
• 2 carrots julienned
• 4 green onions finely chopped
• 2 T peeled and chopped fresh ginger
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T garlic chili paste (available in the Asian section of your grocery store)
• 1 T brown sugar
• 4 cups of vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you prefer)
• 1 3 oz package of chicken flavor Ramen noodles
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil and butter. Once the oil and butter mixture is hot, add the cabbage, celery, carrots and green onions. Stirring frequently, lightly saute (sweat) the vegetables for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not let the vegetables get too soft.

Next, add the ginger, soy sauce, garlic chili paste and brown sugar to the soup. Stir until evenly distributed.

Once everything is evenly distributed, add the vegetable stock. When the soup starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium low. Add 1/2 of the flavor packet included with the Ramen noodles.

Break the Ramen noodle cake into quarters and add it to the soup.

As the noodles cook, use a spoon or spatula to break apart the noodle cake pieces. Continue to simmer the soup until the noodles are just tender. Be careful not to over cook the noodles.

Once the noodles are tender, season the soup with salt and pepper. Be careful when seasoning this soup with the salt. The garlic chili paste and the half of flavor packet we already added contain a fair amount of salt.

Enjoy!

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Rustic Salmon

A few years ago, I was at a weekend seminar in Los Angeles. At lunch, I went downstairs to the restaurant and ordered this incredible salmon dish. When I saw how easy it would be to make, I had to recreate it at home. So here it is: my Rustic Salmon. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For the recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 boneless, skinless salmon filets
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• 2 russet potatoes
• Cajun or Creole seasoning to taste
• 1 lemon
• ½ to 1 cup of fresh green beans, ends removed and cut into 2” pieces
• ½ cup kalamata olives, halved
• 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup hollandaise sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Smoked paprika (optional)

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Begin by partially cooking the potatoes in your microwave oven for about 7 minutes (time may vary depending on your microwave oven).

In the meantime, place 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium high heat. Season the salmon on one side with either the Cajun or Creole seasoning. Place the salmon, seasoned side down in the hot oil. It should sizzle immediately when you place it in the pan.

Once the edges begin to get a little opaque, put the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the salmon just begins to flake. Remove the salmon from the pan and set it aside.

While the salmon is in the oven, prep the lemons for broiling. Slice a bit off each end of the lemon so it will stand straight on the plate, then cut the lemon in half. Place each half on a piece of foil under your broiler and depending on your broiler, cook for 5 to 10 minutes. You just want to get a nice char on the lemons.

Heat another pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Coarsely chop the potatoes and place them in the hot pan.

Once they start to brown, add the green beans and toss or stir to combine. Once the green beans have cooked for a few minutes, add the tomatoes and olives. Toss or stir to combine. Continue cooking until the beans are al dente and the tomatoes and olives are heated through, about 5 minutes. If you like your vegetables cooked more thoroughly, feel free to cook a little longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate the dish, spread a generous portion of the potato and vegetable mixture on a plate. Break the salmon into bite size pieces and place it atop the potato and vegetable mixture. Finally, drizzle to hollandaise (as much or as little as you like) over the entire dish. Sprinkle the dish with a bit of smoked paprika. Before serving, garnish with the char broiled lemons.

Enjoy!

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Peruvian Yogurt Sauce

My wife and I went to a Peruvian restaurant and they served a yogurt sauce with their empanadas. It was so good that I had to recreate it at home. My Peruvian yogurt sauce is cool, spicy and flavorful. Aromatic cilantro, spicy Serrano peppers, pungent garlic and cool yogurt blend harmoniously in this versatile sauce. I’ve used it on gyros, spanikopita, flap meat and empanadas. Because it’s so easy to make, we always have some on hand. Give it a try and let me know what you pair with it.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 1 bunch of cilantro leaves, cleaned and most of the stem removed
• 1 Serrano chili or Jalapeño (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 cups of plain yogurt
• Salt and pepper to taste  

 

Remove the stem from the Serrano chili and coarsely chop it. If you do not want it real spicy, you can remove the seeds and pith from the pepper. For an even milder sauce, substitute and jalapeño for the Serrano. Place the pepper in a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Blend until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

I welcome your comments. Click here to add your thoughts.

Spicy Sausage and Seafood Gumbo

If you love New Orleans, andouille sausage and seafood, then this gumbo will be a big hit. My Spicy Sausage and Seafood gumbo consists of assorted shellfish and white fish, andouille sausage and vegetables, the holy trinity to be exact and spices. All of this blends harmoniously with Creole seasoning, pureed tomatoes and chicken stock to create the ultimate gumbo. Serve it over popcorn rice and you’ll swear your down on Bourbon street listening to a jazz band.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For the recipe, you'll need the following:

• 1 16 oz can of whole tomatoes
• 4 T olive oil, divided
• 1 lb andouille sausage
• 2-4 TB butter, divided
• 1 lb assorted seafood and shellfish (i.e. shrimp, scallops, crab, calamari, whitefish)
• 1 lemon
• ¼ - ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 stalks of celery chopped
• 1 green bellpepper chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 TBs creole seasoning
• 1 – 1 ½ cups chopped okra (frozen works best for this recipe)
• 1 11oz can of corn, drained
• 1 cup chicken stock
• a generous dash of hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
• 4 cups cooked popcorn rice or white rice

Place the whole tomatoes in a large bowl. Using an immersion blender or your hands, break up the tomatoes to the desired consistency. If you want chucks of tomatoes leave it that way. If you want it smoother, then blend it longer. Set it aside.

In a large pot over medium high heat, begin browning 1 lb of chopped andouille sausage in 2 TB olive oil. Continue cooking the sausage until the edges begin to brown. Place it in a bowl and set it aside. Reserving the fat in the pot.

 

In another pan, over medium high heat, add 1 TB olive oil and 1 TB butter. Once its hot, add the assorted seafood and shellfish. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon over the seafood. Next, add ¼ - ½ tsp of cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you like it. Allow the seafood to cook until it becomes slightly opaque and then remove it from the heat. Do not fully cook the seafood. Drain the seafood and set it aside.
 

Now we’ll make the roux. Add ¼ cup of flour to the sausage drippings. Add 1-3 Tbs of butter such that you have equal parts of flour and fat. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly. This is very important because roux can burn very easily. Cook the roux until it becomes to a nice golden brown.

Once the roux is finished, add the onion, celery, bell pepper and 1 TB olive oil. Stir to combine. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, Creole seasoning, okra and drained corn. Stir it all together. Add the chicken stock and pureed tomatoes and bring it to a simmer.

Add the sausage including any drippings that have accumulated in the bowl and the drained seafood mixture. Add a generous dash of hot sauce and stir away! While stirring the gumbo, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

To serve, place 1 cup of cooked rice in a bowl. Top it with a generous ladle of gumbo and serve it with a nice crusty piece of sour dough baguette.

Enjoy!

I welcome your comments. Click here to add your thoughts.

Happy Holidays 2013

 Here's wishing all of you a happy holiday season and a fun filled new year!

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