Monthly Archives: June 2023

Zucchini Parmesan

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By mid- to late-summer, many home gardeners (or farm stands) will have ample tomatoes and zucchini, so this tasty recipe will assist in using up some of that seasonal bounty. It’s a wonderful meatless dish that can be served as a side or as an entrée with a side salad.

The original recipe by Martha Shulman looked very appetizing, however, we felt a number of alterations could improve the outcome. Roasting, rather than frying the zucchini, allows you to cut down on olive oil and time. With small zucchini under 8 inches long, there is no need to cut them in half crosswise; simply slice them into 1/4″ strips using a mandoline if you have one.

Two sheet pans are oiled with Pam Olive Oil spray instead of lining them with parchment (which many reviewers claimed left the zucchini too watery). After roasting the zucchini, layer the cooled planks between paper towels, and refrigerate until ready to assemble. This helps eliminate any extra moisture. Do this step the day before or that morning, which will save time when you are ready to prep.

Of course, while using fresh tomatoes is preferred, another time saver is to use canned whole tomatoes instead. Crush them with your hands, then follow the directions for making the sauce. For a heftier meal, amp up the dish with 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella, sprinkling between each set of layers with some on top. A small amount of sugar (1⁄8 tsp.) was in the recipe, but we did not include any.

It will serve 4-6 as an entrée, or 8-10 as a side. Fabulous as leftovers too… eaten at room temperature, or reheated.

Zucchini Parmesan

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

For the Tomato Sauce

  • 2 to 2½ lbs. fresh ripe tomatoes; OR 2, 28-ounce cans of whole tomatoes, hand crushed
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves (more or less to taste), roughly chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil, divided

For the Zucchini Parmesan

  • 2 to 2¼ lbs. zucchini
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • ½ to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste
  • ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 8 oz. shredded mozzarella

Directions

  1. If you have a food mill, quarter tomatoes. If not, peel, seed and chop them. OR, use canned whole tomatoes and drain the juices saving for another purpose. Crush tomatoes with hands.
  2. To make tomato sauce, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of chopped basil. Increase heat to medium-high. When tomatoes are bubbling briskly, stir and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and are beginning to stick to pan, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  4. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray 2 sheet pans with olive oil. Trim ends off zucchini and cut in half crosswise if larger than 8 inches long, then cut into lengthwise slices, about ¼ to ⅓ inch thick (a mandoline comes in handy for this step).
  5. Season on both sides with salt and pepper and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange zucchini slices on baking sheets in one layer and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Roast for 12 minutes, until lightly browned and easily pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees.
  6. If using a food mill, put sauce through medium blade. If not, pulse sauce in a food processor fitted with steel blade until just coarsely puréed. (Or use an immersion blender.) Stir in remaining chopped basil.
  7. To assemble the dish, oil a 2-quart gratin pan with olive oil. Spread ¼ cup tomato sauce over bottom of dish. Arrange a third of the zucchini in an even layer over tomato sauce. Spoon a third of remaining sauce over zucchini, sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan, and add 1⁄3 of mozzarella. Repeat with 2 more layers, ending with ¼ cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Drizzle on remaining tablespoon olive oil.
  8. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and browned on the top and edges. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Loosely adapted from a recipe by Martha Shulman for NYTimes Cooking

Salmon with Miso, Mirin and Sake

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Here’s a quick, healthy weeknight meal bursting with flavor. You just have to be mindful of marinating the salmon the night before, or the morning of.

Instead of buying 4, 6-ounce fish filets, we bought one large piece and cut it down into 3 filets measuring 8 ounces each. We paired ours with a side salad and Roasted Butternut Squash with Hoisin and Chives, which also had an Asian profile.

During the broiling process, the internal temperature was too low while the outsides were getting scorched. To continue cooking the fish, drape a piece of aluminum foil over the fish, and cook for a few minutes more.

What is the difference between white and red miso? White miso, also known as “sweet” or “mellow” miso, is fermented for a shorter time and lower in salt than darker varieties. It has a milder, more delicate flavor. A longer-fermented miso that encompasses any darker red and brown varieties, red miso is generally saltier than light yellow and white miso and has a more assertive, pungent flavor.

FYI: Miso paste should be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Lighter varieties will keep for about 9 months and darker ones up to a year.

Salmon with Miso, Mirin and Sake

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1⁄2 cup white (or red) miso
  • 1⁄3 cup granulated white sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. mirin
  • 2 Tbsp. sake
  • 1 1⁄2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1 1⁄2 lbs. skin-on salmon fillet, cut into 3 or 4 filets
  • Pickled ginger

Directions

  1. Whisk together miso, sugar, mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sesame oil in medium bowl. Pat salmon dry with paper towels and place in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Pour miso mixture over fish. Press out air, seal bag, and turn to coat fish in marinade. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
  2. Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler and heat broiler. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Lightly grease foil with nonstick cooking spray. Wipe excess marinade from salmon with fingers, leaving thin layer on fish, and transfer to prepared pan, skin side down.
  3. Broil until salmon is deeply browned and registers 125 degrees, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through cooking and shielding filets with foil if they begin to get too dark. Serve with slices of pickled ginger.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Fennel-Crusted Pork Tenderloins with Orange and Arugula Salad

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With this recipe, Milk Street’s intention was to evoke the flavor and aroma of Italian porchetta. Porchetta is a wonderfully fatty and delicious boneless pork roast hailing from Italy. Traditionally, porchetta is made with a whole, deboned suckling pig. But now it’s generally made with only the best part of the pig—rind on pork belly.

But here we use pork tenderloin which is remarkably lean and mild. To compensate for the lack of fat (and therefore flavor), complexity is introduced with a bright, citrusy sauce and salad to perfectly complement the fennel seed and black pepper spice mix that seasons the meat.

The two tenderloins are quickly seared on the stovetop and finished in the oven before they’re sliced and served atop the salad, so you will need an oven-safe 12-inch skillet, (a large cast iron one works well) for this recipe.

The weight of our single tenderloin was 1.5 lbs for just the two of us. All of the other ingredient amounts were kept the same, except the baby arugula, which we used about 3 ounces of the 5-ounce package. A truly delicious meal!

Fennel-Crusted Pork Tenderloins with Orange and Arugula Salad

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp. black peppercorns
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 1 1/4 lb. pork tenderloins, silver skin removed, patted dry
  • 2 oranges
  • 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup dry vermouth
  • 1 container baby arugula, (5 oz.)
  • 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, cored and thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. In a spice grinder, pulse the fennel seeds and peppercorns until coarsely ground, 8 to 10 pulses. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Measure ½ teaspoon of the spice mix into a small bowl, then sprinkle the remainder all over the pork, rubbing it into the meat; set both the reserved spice mix and pork aside.
  2. Grate 1 teaspoon zest from 1 orange and add to a medium bowl. Using a sharp knife, slice off the top and bottom ½ inch from each orange. One at a time, stand the oranges on a cut end and cut from top to bottom following the contours of the fruit to remove the peel and white pith. Hold each orange over the bowl containing the zest and cut between the membranes to release the segments, allowing the juices to fall into the bowl; set the segments aside in a large bowl.
  3. Once all of the segments have been cut free, squeeze the membranes to collect their juice, then discard the membranes; you should have about 2 tablespoons juice. Into the zest-juice mixture, whisk 3 tablespoons oil, the vinegar and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper; set aside.
  4. In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until barely smoking. Add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the center of the thickest piece reaches 135°F or is just slightly pink when cut into, 9 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven (the handle will be hot) and transfer the pork to a cutting board; let rest while you make the sauce and salad.
  5. Set the skillet over medium, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the vermouth, bring to a simmer and cook, scraping up the browned bits, until reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the orange juice mixture, then remove from the heat. To the bowl containing the orange segments, add the arugula, sliced fennel and 3 tablespoons of the sauce; toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Arrange the salad in a bed on a serving platter. Thinly slice the pork, arrange on the salad and drizzle with a little of the remaining sauce, then sprinkle with the reserved spice mix. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe from Milk Street

Slicked and Spicy Lamb Pappardelle

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This weeknight pasta by Zaynab Issa is all about creating deep flavor in as little time as possible. As in the classic Northern Chinese dish, this recipe deploys a similarly heavy hand of cumin, but complements it here with frizzled shallots and caramelized tomato paste for an added touch of sweetness.

To make things extra fast, use ground lamb and store-bought pappardelle, but any wide, long, flat pasta or other noodle will cling well to the spiced oil and saucy meat. To finish, top the whole thing with a little extra fresh mint to balance out the richness of the dish; and some shavings of parmesan or grana padano.

Our pappardelle cooked to al dente in 4 minutes, so keep timing in mind when making this meal. We also used the entire 2 cups of reserved pasta water. If you’d like the dish to be more meat-centric, use only 8 ounces of pasta (which of course will result in fewer servings). At the end, we added all of the pasta to the lamb mixture instead of doing it in two steps.

As to the amount of pasta, we were originally only going to cook up one 8.8 ounce package, but then decided to use two of them, totaling 17.6 ounces (a bit more than the recipe called for). In the end, we agreed that 8- to12-ounces would have made a better ratio with the one pound of meat. If preferred, ground beef, turkey or pork can be substituted in place of the lamb.

Slicked and Spicy Lamb Pappardelle

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 lb. ground lamb
  • 1 lb. pappardelle (or less)
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped mint, plus more for serving
  • Shaved parmesan or grano padano for topping

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

A mortar and pestle or a spice mill

Directions

  1. Coarsely grind 2 Tbsp. cumin seeds in mortar and pestle or spice mill. Set aside. 
  2. Heat ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large (12-13″) high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add 3 large shallots, thinly sliced, and season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened and beginning to brown around the edges, 6–9 minutes.
  3. Add 2 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste and stir to coat shallots. Cook, stirring often, until paste is darkened in color, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and reserved cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add 1 lb. ground lamb and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lamb is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep warm. 
  6. Cook 1 lb. pappardelle or other wide noodle in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot off heat. 
  7. Increase heat under lamb to medium and add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid; stir to combine. Add half of lamb and ½ cup coarsely chopped mint to the cooked pasta; cook over medium-low heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed to loosen, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
  8. Divide pasta among bowls; top with remaining lamb in skillet, then with more mint. 

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Zaynab Issa for Bon Appétit

Sluovaki-Inspired Blended Burger

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Burgers are such a versatile meal. Be it beef, turkey mushroom, pork, vegetarian, the options are endless, as are the toppings. This one is “Going to the Greek” and takes you in a different direction.

The instructions indicate to create 4 burger patties from the meat and mushroom mixture. We felt that they were too large, so we divided the mixture into 5 equal portions. That’s why under assembly the amounts show 4 or 5 of the lettuce, buns, etc. Our large nonstick skillet wasn’t quite large enough for the 5 patties without them touching each other so we used our griddle atop the stove.

Make sure to have enough napkins because it was quite a challenge to eat the assembled burger due to height, and therefore can be a bit messy. We wondered if perhaps instead of a bun, that a pita pocket might be a better bet. A side oven-baked onion rings complimented the burgers.

Sluovaki-Inspired Blended Burger

  • Servings: 4-5
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Tzatziki Sauce:

  • 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (with at least 2% milk fat; do not use non-fat)
  • 1/3 cup grated seedless English cucumber, patted dry with paper towels
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh dill fronds
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced

Burgers:

  • 16 oz. ground pork
  • 8 oz. white button mushrooms, finely chopped (use a mini food processor for this task)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Assembly:

  • 4-5 butter lettuce leaves
  • 4-5 soft white hamburger buns, split
  • 4-5 sliced rings red onion
  • 2 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
  • 16-20 thin slices seedless English cucumber
  • 8-10 slices Roma tomato

Directions

  1. For the tzatziki sauce: Combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. For the burgers: Combine the pork, mushrooms, lemon zest, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Form into 4 equal-size patties. Pour the lemon juice and olive oil into separate shallow bowls. Dip both sides of each patty into the lemon juice, then into the olive oil to coat.
  3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties in the hot skillet, flipping once, until the pork is just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
  4. For the assembly: Put 1 lettuce leaf on each bottom bun. Dollop each leaf with about 2 tablespoons tzatziki sauce (reserve the remaining sauce), then top with 1 patty and 1 red onion slice. Mix the feta into the reserved tzatziki sauce and spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons onto each burger, followed by 4 cucumber slices and 2 tomato slices. Close the burgers with the top buns. Serve immediately.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe adapted from Sarah Meuser, 2022 Blended Burger Contest Winner

Stir-Fried Thai-Style Beef with Chiles and Shallots

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Stir-fried dishes are one of our favorite go-to meals. You can basically add whatever ingredients that suits your fancy—or in an effort to use up some fresh vegetables.

For a sophisticated Thai beef recipe using available ingredients and requiring minimal cooking time, you can use an inexpensive blade steak, which offers both tenderness and robust flavor. With a marinade made of fish sauce, white pepper, citrusy coriander, and a little light brown sugar, the beef needs to marinated for only 15 minutes to develop full flavor.

To add heat to this stir-fried Thai beef recipe, use an easily controlled heat source—Asian chili-garlic paste—that also adds toasty garlicky flavors along with heat.

If you cannot find blade steaks, use flank steak (our choice). To cut a flank steak into the proper-sized slices for stir-frying, first cut the steak with the grain into 1 1/2-inch strips, then cut the strips against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices (see photo below). White pepper lends this stir-fry a unique flavor (black pepper is not a good substitute). Serve the stir-fry with steamed jasmine rice.

Stir-Fried Thai-Style Beef with Chiles and Shallots

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Beef and Marinade

  • ¾ tsp. ground coriander
  • ⅛ tsp. ground white pepper
  • 1 tsp. light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 2 lbs. blade or flank steak, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips

Stir-Fry

  • 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Asian chili-garlic paste
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 Tbsp.)
  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 3 Serrano chiles or jalapeño chiles, halved, seeds and ribs removed, chiles cut crosswise ⅛ inch thick
  • 3 medium shallots, trimmed of ends, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and layers separated
  • ½ cup fresh mint leaves, large leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • ⅓ cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts and lime wedges for serving

Directions

  1. FOR THE BEEF AND MARINADE: Combine coriander, white pepper, brown sugar, and fish sauce in large bowl. Add beef, toss well to combine; marinate 15 minutes.
  2. FOR THE STIR-FRY: In small bowl, stir together fish sauce, vinegar, water, brown sugar, and chili-garlic paste until sugar dissolves; set aside.
  3. In small bowl, mix garlic with 1 teaspoon oil; set aside. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet (or use a wok like we did) over high heat until smoking; add one-third of beef to skillet in even layer. Cook, without stirring, until well browned, about 2 minutes, then stir and continue cooking until beef is browned around edges and no longer pink in the center, about 30 seconds.
  4. Transfer beef to medium bowl. Repeat with additional oil and remaining meat in 2 more batches.
  5. After transferring last batch of beef to bowl, reduce heat to medium; add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and swirl to coat. Add chiles and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
  6. Push chile-shallot mixture to sides of skillet to clear center; add garlic to clearing and cook, mashing mixture with spoon, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir to combine garlic with chile-shallot mixture.
  7. Add fish sauce mixture to skillet; increase heat to high and cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 30 seconds.
  8. Return beef and any accumulated juices to skillet, toss well to combine and coat with sauce, stir in half of mint and cilantro; serve immediately, sprinkling individual servings with portion of peanuts and remaining herbs, and passing lime wedges separately.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated

Huli Huli Chicken

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To transport yourself back to the tropics, try this grilled Huli Huli Chicken dinner, made with a minimum of everyday pantry ingredients.

Aloha my friends! As the story goes: “In 1955, Ernest Morgado, a Honolulu businessman, served a group of farmers grilled chicken that had been marinated in his mother’s teriyaki-style sauce. It was such a hit that he decided to market it with the name “huli huli.” Huli means “turn” in Hawaiian and refers to how it’s prepared: grilled between two racks and turned halfway through cooking.”

This simplified version from NY Times Cooking calls for chicken pieces and a standard grill. The original recipe is a trade secret, but you can find many slightly different variations on the internet, most all containing ginger, garlic, soy sauce, something sweet (honey, brown sugar or maple syrup) and something acidic (vinegar, white wine, lime juice or pineapple juice).

This recipe is adapted from “Aloha Kitchen: Recipes from Hawai‘i” by Alana Kysar. It also works beautifully with boneless chicken thighs, but adjust your cooking time accordingly.

We deconstructed a whole chicken, ending up with unused body parts (back, neck, etc.) for our “body bag” of poultry pieces kept in the freezer for making homemade chicken stock. To add another layer of flavor, grill some pineapple slices. Buy them already sliced, and grill for about 3-4 minutes each side with a bit of the marinade brushed on.

To complete the meal, spoon some warmed baked beans onto your plate.

Huli Huli Chicken

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
  • 3½ to 4 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
  • Grapeseed or canola oil, for brushing the grill grate

Directions

  1. In a large bowl or a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, combine the ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic, and stir or shake until combined. Reserve and refrigerate ½ cup of the mixture for basting the chicken later.
  2. Add the chicken to the remaining mixture, and stir or shake until evenly coated. If using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, turning the chicken at least once.
  3. When you’re ready to cook, oil your grill grates well. Heat the grill to medium (for charcoal, the grill is ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds). Add the chicken to the grill, cover, and cook 25 to 35 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to keep the chicken from burning, and basting it with the reserved marinade after you turn it, until cooked through. (Cook times will vary depending on sizes and cuts of chicken pieces, so be sure to check for doneness: Meat should not be pink and the juices should run clear.)
  4. When the chicken is pretty much to temperature, move the meat to the indirect side of the grill, and place the pineapple slices over the direct heat. Baste with the marinade and cook for 3 minutes each side to show char marks. Plate with the grilled chicken.
  5. Serve immediately.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe adapted from Alana Kysar for NYTimes Cooking