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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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!

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Creative Corn Bread

Moist cornbread with various toppings. Goes great with chili, football or just by itself with a little honey butter. Adding cream corn is the secret here. The cream sauce makes it extra moist and the corn gives it extra texture. I top some of them with bacon (you can't go wrong there), some with jalapenos and some I keep traditional.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 15 oz. can of creamed corn 
• 3/4 cup of whole milk (approximately)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 TBS melted butter
• 6 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
• 4 jalapeno slices (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place a colander or seive over a bowl and pour the creamed corn into it. Using a spatula, work the to extract as much liquid as you can. Set both the corn and liquid aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt. Whisk to blend. Pour the reserved creamed corn liquid into a 2 cup measuring cup. Add enough whole milk to make it 1 1/4 cups of liquid. 

To the liquid, add the eggs, oil and butter. Whisk to blend. Add this liquid to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.Finally, fold in the reserved corn.

Pour into prepared muffin cups (coated with cooking spray) filling each cup 2/3 to 3/4 full. As a variation, you can top some of the muffins with crumbled bacon or jalapenos. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the muffin pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Remove the muffins from the pan and allow them to cool on the rack. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

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Heat Seekers Pepper Relish

This is a heat seekers delight. An assortment of chili peppers with olive oil, garlic and herbs. I love having this relish on eggs, rice, meats and sandwiches. You can adjust the heat level to your liking by the peppers you choose. For this recipe, I am using jalapeños, Serranos, Thai chili peppers and habaneras. In addition, you can use the oil to sauté your favorite meats and vegetables. Simply replace the used oil with more olive oil and it will keep in your refrigerator for a couple months.

 

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• A dozen or so of assorted chili peppers
• 1 ½ cup of olive oil
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Begin by thinly slicing all of your peppers. If you have sensitive hands, you may want to wear rubber gloves. Once you have all of the peppers sliced, add the garlic.

 

Place the pepper mixture in a hot pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Be sure to have your exhaust fan running. Otherwise, the fumes will get to you. Add the red pepper flakes. Sauté the peppers for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the peppers. You still want to have a little crunch.

 

 

Remove the pan from heat. Add a little more olive oil and stir in the herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Once the peppers have cooled, place them in a jar and top it off with the remaining olive oil. Allow it to sit for a day to let the flavors develop.

 

 

Enjoy!

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Mexican Caesar Salad

This is the classic Caesar salad with a Mexican flare. Fresh cilantro and toasted pepitas in the salad will transport you south of the border. Simple to make yet it will still please the most discriminating palate. This recipe will leave your guests most impressed with your cooking talents.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 French baguette, cut into ¾ inch cubes
• Garlic flavored olive oil for drizzling
• White truffle oil for drizzling (optional)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 6 shots Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash white vinegar
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ anchovies
• ½ bunch of cilantro
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ to ½ cup pepitas
• 1 ½ heads of Romaine lettuce, chopped
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. To make the croutons, place the cubed baguette on a baking sheet. Be sure not to cut them too small. Drizzle them with the garlic flavored olive oil. For more flavor, you can also drizzle white truffle oil with the garlic olive oil. Bake the croutons for about 10 minutes, until they are golden brown. You want them crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Next, place the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, white vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, anchovies, cilantro and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until it’s smooth and creamy.

Place the chopped Romaine in a large bowl. Drizzle about a third of the dressing on the salad (save the rest for a later use). Drizzle more if you like a wetter salad, less if you want it drier. Add the pepitas and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add the croutons and toss lightly.

Enjoy!

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Stuffed Artichoke Hearts

Tender marinated artichoke hearts are drained and stuffed with your favorite goat cheese. Breaded and fried to a golden brown, these tasty morsels are served with a zesty Pomodoro or Marinara sauce. They have been affectionately referred to as "Pillows of Love". Once you start, you can't get enough.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 12 Marinated and quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 8 oz of your favorite goat cheese (alternatively, you can substitute another soft cheese such as Boursin, cream cheese, etc)
• 1 cup flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• oil for frying

Begin by removing some of the inner leaves from the artichoke hearts. This will form a pocket for the cheese. You can save the inner leaves for another use.

Take about a tablespoon of the goat cheese and form it into a small football shaped ball and press it into the pocket you made in one of the artichoke hearts. Repeat this process until all of the artichoke hearts have been filled.

Once all artichokes have been filled, its time to set up the dipping station. In the first of 3 bowls, add the flour. Season it to taste with a little salt and pepper. In the second bowl add the egg and mix thoroughly. Finally, in the third bowl, add the Panko breadcrumbs.

Start by taking one of the artichokes and thoroughly coat it with flour. Shake off the excess. Next, dip it into the egg wash. Lastly, place the artichoke in the third bowl and completely coat it with the breadcrumbs and place it on a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining artichoke hearts. 

Once you’ve finished coating the artichokes, place them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This allows the cheese to firm up and also your breadcrumbs will stick better.

After they’ve been refrigerated, fry them in hot oil. Heat the oil to about 375 degrees and carefully place them into the hot oil. Fry them on each side until they’re a golden brown. Then, allow them to drain on a paper towel.

Place the drained artichokes on a plate and dust them with Parmesan cheese. My zesty Pomodoro sauce makes an excellent dipping sauce. 

Enjoy!

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