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This recipe for stuffed portobellos makes a terrific side for simple grilled steak. The filling is reminiscent of creamed spinach, but with a hint of smokiness from the bacon and a mild sweet and sour flavor that compliments it nicely. I used Havarti cheese in this recipe because it melts nicely and has a mild, yet tangy flavor, but any mild cheese that melts to a creamy consistency would work.
Sweet And Sour Spinach-Stuffed Portobellos
Ingredients ~
4 medium-sized portobello mushroom caps
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
16 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup light cream or half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 thin slices Havarti cheese
These mushrooms make an excellent extra side for just about any meal. They have the most flavor if you make them a day ahead, but you can get by with preparing them just 2 to 3 hours prior to serving. I used medium-sized white mushrooms, but criminis would work just as nicely. Adding the lemon zest just before chilling the mushrooms maintains its fresh, citrus flavor.
Lemony Marinated Mushrooms
Ingredients ~
16 oz white mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
I'm always looking for new recipes for impressive yet simple appetizers when entertaining at home or when I've been invited to a dinner party. This recipe is adapted slightly from one from California Figs and is both decadent and beautiful in terms of presentation. Although I hate to use dried figs when they're so lusciously ripe and in season, I think this recipe is delicious enough to make up for it!
Fig Crostini
Ingredients ~
15 dried mission figs
1-1/4 cups full-bodied red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/2 baguette, sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 lb prosciutto
Living in Florida affords us the opportunity to sample what is known as Floribbean cuisine from time to time. This cuisine borrows from those of the Caribbean, Cuba, and Latin America and makes great use of our readily available citrus and tropical fruits, all spiced up with a little bit of heat. This recipe is an adaptation of one I found in a book called Miami Spice by Michael Raichlen. You could use frozen maduros (fried ripe plantains) if you are unable to find fresh ripe plantains in your produce section. We served it with Tropical Cabbage Slaw, also an adaptation from the same book.
Plantain-Stuffed Chicken And Ham Roulades
Ingredients ~
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
Salt and pepper
4 thin slices Virginia baked or honey ham
1 ripe plantain, peeled and cut into strips
1 egg
1 tablespoon orange juice
1-1/2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
This dish is a quick stir-fry made with boneless pork and fresh green cabbage. The rest of the ingredients are relatively standard pantry items, so it's a good choice for a last minute dinner that will have you in and out of the kitchen in no time. The quick ten-minute cornstarch marinade for the pork imparts a little extra flavor and seals in the juices of the meat.
Spicy Stir-Fried Pork with Cabbage
Ingredients ~
1 lb boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat and cut into strips
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Sriracha (or other Asian hot sauce to taste)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium head green cabbage, chopped
5 or 6 scallions, sliced
The two recipes in this entry are adaptations from ones found in 500 Chinese Recipes, published by Hermes House in London. The book is a collection of recipes from China as well as "classic influential" recipes from Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. Every recipe in this book has a beautiful accompanying photo and includes nutrition information. Also of interest is the fact that Hermes House parent company, Anness Publishing, is an ecologically sustainable publisher. They are currently growing over 750,000 trees in three forest plantations in Scotland. This more than replaces the trees they use to print their books each year. Kudos to Hermes, not just for a beautiful publication but for stellar business practices.
Cellophane Noodles With Beef
Ingredients ~
12 ounces cellophane noodles
1 lb boneless strip steak, fat trimmed and sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 cup bean sprouts
3 scallions, diced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted peanuts, chopped
This meal is a slight twist on one from Simply Ming that incorporates chef Tsai's recipe for an Asian Pesto. His recipe calls for the orzo mix served as a main dish salad with chicken added, which I think is a great idea. However, I wanted to try the pesto on roasted salmon. The orzo was served at room temperature. Click here for the recipe for the Asian Pesto.
Asian Pesto Salmon With Orzo, Tomatoes and Spinach
Ingredients ~
1/2 lb salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into two portions
4 oz orzo
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
2 scallions, sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, washed and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb baby spinach, washed and dried thoroughly
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Asian Pesto, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
I love the versatility of coleslaw and almost never make the standard mayonnaise-based dressing because there are so many other exciting things you can do with the concept of a cabbage salad. To blend with our Plantain-Stuffed Chicken, we borrowed another idea from Steven Raichlen's Miami Spice and concocted the following side dish.
Tropical Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients ~
1 small head of green cabbage, shredded
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 nectarine, peeled and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
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