Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Amy Scott

Tilapia is a mild fish, and this is by far my favorite preparation of it.  Best of all, it is a very easily & quickly made dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil (I used a full teaspoon of fresh)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion salt
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia filets

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat broiler.  Grease broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan, butter, mayonnaise, and lemon juice.  Add the basil, black pepper, onion & celery salts.  Mix well and set aside.

Arrange filets in a single layer on the prepared pan.  Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Flip the fish over and broil for a few more minutes.  Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan mixture on the top side.  Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Be careful not to overcook the fish. 

Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken

The Best of the Best - Vol. 1 (Page: 200)

A delicious and colorful stir-fry. Serve over rice on a large platter or take the wok right to the table.

Ingredients:
Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
4 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth

The Rest
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/4 cup oil
2-3 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 red peppers, cut in strips
2 carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal
2 cups snow peas
1 1/2 cups cashews 
bean sprouts
sprinkling of sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions:
Combine sauce ingredients and set aside. In a bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add chicken and toss. Heat wok or frying pan to highest heat. Add oil. Heat to hot, not smoking. Add chicken, ginger, garlic and onion. Stir until chicken is opaque (about 1 minute). Add peppers and carrots. Stir 2-3 minutes. Add peas and sauce. Cook until sauce comes to a boil. Add cashews and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

lentil tacos

sutton grace

lentil tacos is one of our favorites. we eat it at least once a week. lentils have a lot of health benefits. 

read more about them here.

i don't really measure when making this so the amounts are estimates. increase or decrease the amounts as your tastes desire.

lentil tacos 

3/4 cup of lentils (rinsed and pick out the bad ones)

1/2 medium onion diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup of taco seasoning

1-2 teaspoons of cumin

4-6 cups of water

saute garlic and onion in a little olive oil. add lentils and seasonings, stir. add water simmer until lentils are tender (adding more water as needed) about 30-40 minutes. once the lentils are cooked i prefer to mash mine a little using a potato masher. serve in a tortilla with your favorite toppings. serves 6+.

Steak for a crowd:

Choose the right steaks. The most common steak choices are rib-eyes, strip steaks and filet mignons. Regardless of the cut, choose thick steaks, preferably 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Thinner ones are more likely to overcook by the time they've had a chance to sear. Thicker rib-eyes and strip steaks usually weigh 12 to 16 ounces, so consider splitting one steak between two people. Filet mignons range in size, but 8 to 10 ounces is common. Make sure the steaks aren't ice-cold. Start by bringing them to room temperature. You can do this very quickly in the microwave. Working two steaks at a time, microwave them, uncovered, on the defrost setting for about two minutes. But if you plan to sear the steaks and let them rest awhile, you can skip this step.

Choose your searing method. Either a grill or a skillet will work, but the surface should be piping hot. If using a gas grill, turn all burners on high until fully preheated, 10 to 15 minutes. Lightly brush the grill rack with oil. Close the lid and let the grill return to temperature. If searing the steaks stovetop, use a heavy-bottomed non-stick or cast-iron skillet that comfortably holds the number of steaks you plan to cook. The steaks should not be crammed together (which could cause them to steam) or set too far apart (which could cause the pan to smoke excessively). About five minutes before cooking, set the pan on the burner over medium-high heat. When smoke starts to rise, turn on the exhaust fan. If serving a large crowd, use a large heavy-bottomed roasting pan set over two burners to sear up to six filet mignons or four large rib-eyes or strip steaks (serving up to eight) at one time.

Keep the seasoning simple. While the pan or grill heats, rub both sides of each steak with oil, and season each side with salt, pepper and sugar. How much sugar? For large strip steaks and rib-eyes, sprinkle on a scant 1/2 teaspoon per side. For filet mignons, about 1/4 teaspoon per side. Wait to season the steaks until you are ready to sear them, because the sugar melts quickly. Set a timer, and sear the steaks for two minutes per side. They should end up with an impressive crust that has a few blackened spots around the edge; grilled steak should have nice grill marks.
Transfer the steaks to a wire rack set over a shallow baking pan. That keeps them from steaming and lets them cool faster.

Brush them with garlic oil. I often do this, because I remember how good the soft, yet potent, garlic tasted on my dad's steaks. The oven heat tames the garlic just enough to lose its bite. Figure about half a medium minced garlic clove and one teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil for each steak.

Gently cook the steaks in a 325-degree oven until done. Once seared, all the steaks need is 25 to 30 minutes to reach a rosy pink medium. Don't worry too much about time. The low heat cooks the steaks slowly, gently and evenly. An extra 10 minutes' oven time will not hurt them. They are done when an instant-read thermometer, plunged deep into the steak from the side, registers 140 degrees, but it will not hurt them --especially filets--to cook to an even higher internal temperature. If they're ready, but you're not, simply turn off the oven and crack the door. That'll buy you at least another 10 minutes. 

Braised Country-Style Ribs with White Beans and Fresh Herbs

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, as found by Keith

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

2 hr 20 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 3 pounds country-style pork ribs
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups diced onions
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pound dried white navy beans
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Steamed white rice, for serving

Directions

Lay the ribs on a full sheet pan and season with the salt and pepper on both sides. Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, about 1 minute, add the ribs, in batches, to the pan and sear until golden brown in color, about 5 minutes. Turn the ribs over and sear the second side as well. When the ribs are caramelized on both sides, set on a sheet pan and repeat the process with the remaining ribs.

Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the celery and peppers are lightly caramelized, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to combine with the vegetables and oil to make a roux. Cook the roux, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the beans and stock to the pan and stir to combine with the roux. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the diced tomatoes, the seared ribs, sage, thyme and bay leaves to the pan. Simmer the ribs for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.

After 1 1/2 hours, check the ribs to see if they and the beans are both tender. Season with the Essence and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes. When the ribs are done, add the chopped parsley to the pan and serve hot over steamed rice.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

tomato sauce with onion and butter

smitten kitchen

I could no longer resist this sauce, and frankly, I don’t know why I even tried to: food bloggers obsess over it, and they’re not a bad lot to base a recipe selection upon. Adam of Amateur Gourmet fell for it five years ago. Molly at Orangette raved about it over two years ago, with a bonus approval marking from Luisa at Wednesday Chef. Then Rachel Eats fawned over it too, and Rachel, you see, she lives in Rome right now — I want to be in Rome right now — Rome, where you can get authentic, perfect tomato sauce a zillion places every single day. And yet she stayed in and made this one. That sealed the deal.

So what is it with this sauce that it moves people to essays over it, tossing about exclamations like “brilliant!” and “va-va-voom” and promises that “something almost magical happens”? Is it garlic, a slip of red pepper flakes, a glug of red wine or a base of mulched carrots, onion and celery, as so many of us swear by in our best sauce efforts? Is it a spoonful of tomato paste or a pinch of sugar? Is it the best olive oil money can buy? It is none of these things, not a single one: It is butter. And an halved onion, cooked slowly as the sauce plops and glurps on the stove, thendiscarded when it is done.


Butter and the juice of stewed onion is all it apparently takes to transform a two-pound can of tomatoes to something velvety and lush. It manages to remind you of how fresh and sweet tomatoes are in the summer, but more fitting for the winter when canned tomatoes are the order of the day.

Another thing that blew my mind about this sauce: I, for one, am a grated parmesan junkie. I not only sprinkle it over my bowl of pasta, I like to have additional nearby, to apply a fresh coat to the layers of pasta that follow. So you can imagine my shock to find that I liked this dish even more without the parmesan. The flavor of the sauce is so delicate, fresh and sweet that it needed nothing at all.

Serves 4 as a main course; makes enough sauce to lightly coat most of a pound of spaghetti

28 ounces (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)*
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste (you might find, as I did, that your tomatoes came salted and that you didn’t need to add more) and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan cheese to pass.

Pasta with Artichoke and Leek Sauce

 - Nick Stellino

Cook 1 lb of penne, set aside

3 T olive oil

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1 c sliced leeks, white part only

saute together

add to pan:

1 large jar artichoke hearts, reserving back one heart

3 T chopped fresh parsley

1/4 c white grape juice

cook 2 minutes

add to pan:

2 c chicken stock

cook till artichokes break with pressure from the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes

puree to a creamy consistency

add to pan:

1/2 c light cream (or canned milk)

3/4 t salt

1/4 t freshly ground pepper

1 pound cooked penne

1 T butter

1/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

sliced reserved artichoke heart