Nectarines Wrapped in Prosciutto

Makes 24

2 nectarines
3 Tbls. sherry vinegar
1 Tbls. honey
1/2 tsp. cumin
12 thin slices of prosciutto
24 small basil leaves

Cut each nectarine into 12 slices.  Make the marinade by whisking together the vinegar, honey and cumin.  Add the nectarine slices and toss to coat.  It’s best if you let it marinade for about 20 minutes, tossing regularly.

Cut the prosciutto slices in half.  Roll each nectarine wedge with a piece of the prosciutto and skewer it with a basil leave with a toothpick.  You can serve these either room temperature or chilled.

Asparagus, Snap Pea and Avocado Pasta

Serves 4 to 6

1 lb. asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces
1 lb. sugar snap peas
1 lb. pasta
4 Tbls. butter
1 avocado, but into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup combined chopped mint and basil
zest of one lemon
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the asparagus for 2 minutes.  Add the snap peas and cook for an additional minute.  Scoop out the vegetables and transfer to a bowl.

Return the water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the directions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

In the pasta pot, melt 2 Tbls. butter over medium heat.  Add the asparagus and snap peas and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for about 2 minutes until crisp tender.  Add remaining butter, lemon zest, pasta, avocado, herbs, cheese and reserved pasta water.  Toss to combine.

Monkfish Bourride

Serves 4

8 small red potatoes
2 large leeks (white parts only) cut into 1/4 inch coins and thoroughly washed
1 lb. monkfish fillet, cut into 2 inch pieces
3 Tbls. olive oil
8 slow-braised tomatoes (recipe below)
1 large fennel bulb, stalks discarded and bulb halved lengthwise, cored, and thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. dried hot red pepper flakes
1 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 Tbls. chopped fresh basil leaves

Quarter or halve the potatoes (depending on their size), cover with salted cold water and simmer until just tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and cool.

Season the monkfish with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and sear the monkfish on all sides until golden, about 2 minutes total.  Transfer the fish to a plate.

Heat 2 Tbls. oil from the slow-braised tomatoes in a skillet, saute the leeks, fennel, and shallots until softened, about 4 to 6 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about another 2 minutes.

Add the wine, water, red pepper flakes, zest and tomato halves and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the monkfish and potatoes to the skillet and simmer, covered until the fish is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the basil.

Slow Cooked Tomatoes

8 Roma tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced thin

Place the tomatoes in a baking dish.  Pour the olive oil over the tomatoes and intersperse the slices garlic between the tomato halves.

Bake at 250 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours until they are quite soft but still retain their shape.

Lamb Shanks with Cannellini Beans

Serves 2

2 lamb shanks
1 large can Cannellini beans
1 regular can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbls. fresh chopped rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary
About 2 cups chicken broth

In a dutch oven or a similar covered cooking pan, mix the beans, tomatoes and rosemary together.  Lay the lamb shanks over the beans.  Pour in the chicken broth to cover the shanks.  Cover and bake at 275 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours. 

Osso Buco with Gremolata

Serves 4

2 Tbls. olive oil
4 veal shanks
salt and pepper
flour for dredging
1/3 cup pancetta, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
1 Tbls. garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbls. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3 cups beef stock

For the gremolata:

The zest of 1 lemon
The zest of 1 orange
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbls. parsley, chopped
2 Tbls. toasted pine nuts, chopped

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven (or something equivalent).  Season the shanks with the salt and pepper and dredge in the flour.  Add the shanks to the oil and cook until browned on both sides.  Remove the shanks from the oil to a plate.  Add the pancetta, carrots, celery and onions to the pan and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for 1 minute.  Add the wine and deglaze the pot.  Add the tomatoes and beef stock, stir, and then add the shanks back in the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Carefully, remove the shanks from the liquid.  Skim off any grease that rises to the top.  Return to a boil for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.

To make the gremolata, just combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Serve the shanks with polenta, risotto or noodles (as shown in the picture).  Place the shanks on them, spoon the vegetables over the shanks, and top with some of the gremolata.

Tilapia Poached in Coconut, Ginger and Basil Broth

Serves 4

4 good size tilapia fillets (2 if they are connected, and cut them apart)
Salt and pepper
1 Tbls. grated fresh ginger
1 cup roughly chopped basil
1 Tbls. vegetable oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 small fresh hot chili, sliced into thin rings
1 cup chicken broth
5 1/2 ounces lite coconut broth
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 Tbls. fish sauce
The zest of one lime
2 Tbls. fresh lime juice
1 Tbls. mirin
2 cups jasmine rice, cooked according to directions

Spread the fillets on a work surface, skin side down.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread the grated ginger on the fillets.  Sprinkle about 1 Tbls. of the chopped basil on the fillets.  Place two of the fillets on top of the other two, with the basil and ginger on the inside.

In a Dutch oven (or something similar), heat the oil.  Add the shallot, ginger matchsticks, and garlic.  Saute for 1 minute.  Add the celery and chili and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and heat for 2 minutes.  Arrange the fish “packages” on top of the celery mixture.  Pour the coconut milk over the fish and turn the heat to high.  As soon as the coconut milk simmers, reduce the heat to medium low and cover.  Simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Carefully transfer the fish to a plate.  Increase the heat to high.  Add the remaining basil, scallions, fish sauce, lime zest and juice, and mirin.  Bring the broth to a simmer.

For each serving, place a small mound of rice in a bowl, top with 1/2 of one of the fish “packages”, ladle the hot broth and celery over the fish and serve immediately.

This was my great grandmother’s recipe.  Her original hand written recipe included steps like “add enough flour to make a dumpling”.  After a few attempts, we figured out the measurements to make it a little more consistent and easier to make.

Caramel Dumplings

For the caramel:

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups hot water
3 Tbls. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt 1/2 cup of the sugar in a heavy skillet until golden color.  Add the remaining ingredients, including the additional cup of sugar.  Don’t worry about the first 1/2 cup of sugar being hard - it will soften up.  Boil 10 minutes or until all of the sugar has melted. 

For the dumplings

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbls. butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup milk (you may need more)

Cream the sugar and butter.  Sift the baking powder and flour and stir into the sugar and butter mixture.  Add the milk until it’s stiff enough to push off the spoon with your finger but it should be sticky.  Add more milk if you need to.

Drop dumplings (approximately eight) into the caramel mixture and bake 15 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.  Serve warm.

Rick’s Bone-In Rib Eye

Generously serves 2

Mesquite chips
1 bone-in rib eye, about 2 inches thick
1 tsp. butter

Soak the mesquite chips in water for at least 30 minutes

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Light your charcoal.  When the charcoal is hot, add the mesquite chips.  Grill the steak on each side for 6 minutes.  Remove from the grill and put it in an oven proof skillet.  Bake in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes, with 8 minutes for rare.

Remove from the oven, melt the butter on top of the steak, and let rest for about 5 minutes.

Smoked Pheasant Crostinis

Makes 36

1 baguette, cut into 36 slices
olive oil
5 onions, peeled, halved and sliced thin
1/2 cup orange juice
1 smoked pheasant, meat removed into chunks
1/2 cup dried cherries

Place the baguette slices onto cookie sheets and baste lightly with the olive oil.  Bake in a 250 degree oven until firm, about 20 minutes.

Saute the onions in some olive oil until caramelized, and light brown, about 20 minutes.  Add the orange juice and continue to cook until the juice has been absorbed and evaporated.

Mound some of the onion mixture on top of each baguette slice, add a few dried cherries and top with a bite of the smoked pheasant.

Ham & Gruyere Palmiers

Makes about 40 appetizers

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 Tbls. Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz. very thinly sliced deli ham

On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a 10 x 14 inch rectangle.  Spread the Dijon evenly over the pastry.  Sprinkle on the Gruyere and Parmesan.

Arrange the ham in a single, even layer.  Lay a piece of waxed paper on top and gently roll and press with the rolling pin to compress the layers.  Peel off the paper.

Cut the rectangle in half width-wise to make two 10 x 7 sheets.  Roll one long edge of a band into the center and then roll the opposite edge in so the two rolls meet in the middle.  Repeat with the second sheet.  (The rolls can be make to this point and kept in the fridge for several hours).

Slice each roll into about 20 pieces, just under 1/2 inch thick.  Arrange the palmiers on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets and bake until deep golden brown and no longer doughy in the center, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.