Bellygasm

Everyday Roast Turkey Dinner

 

A friend asked me the other day if I have to eat the same meal everyday for the rest of my life, what would it be? I didn't think twice about before blurting out, "Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings!"

I just love everything about Thanksgiving: roast turkey with gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, yams, green beans... In fact, I decided why wait til November when I can have an oven-roasted turkey dinner tonight.

For this easy weeknight recipe, I choose turkey breast tenderloins, rather than breasts, because it's faster to cook yet thick enough to remain moist and juicy. My turkey tenderloin recipe is actually similar to how I cook pork tenderloin. Plus, I want to make two of my favorites sides while the tenderloins finish in the oven: stuffing and collard green. Now that's what I call a quick, soul-satisfying meal. Don't forget to say grace!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

3-4 turkey tenderloins (about 2 lbs)
1 tablespoons of dried rosemary
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a oven safe skillet, heat oil in medium-high heat.
2. Pat turkey tenderloins dry and season with, salt, pepper and rosemary. Quickly sear the outside to lock in moisture.
3. Roast tenderloins for about 10-15 minutes, to an internal temperature of 160F.
4. Remove promptly and let stand for 10 minutes. (Tip: While the tenderloins cook and rest, you can prepare your sides.
5. Pour any juice from the tenderloins back into the skillet and deglaze with a cup of chicken stock.
6. Make a beurre manié or "kneaded butter" (equal parts of butter and flour) to thicken gravy.
7. Whisk in beurre manié and cook over low heat.

Serving suggestion: Slice tenderloins in 1/2-inch diagonal pieces. Serve with homemade gravy.

Summer Salmon with Pineapple in Orange-Ponzu Sauce

Salmon is one of my favorite fish. When I was at WholePaycheck today, I was pleasantly introduced to Wild Keta Salmon. Two of my favorite salmons to eat and to cook are Wild King and Copper River Salmon. I've never cooked Keta Salmon so needless to say, I was curious. Frankly, the salmon filet was so gorgeous that I had to take it home...

For a light, summer fish recipe, I grabbed a fresh pineapple. The pineapple that I picked was so succulent, sweet and ripe that I need something salty and tart for balance. One of my favorite sushi restaurants in LA, Sushi Zo, pair certain fish with a dash of ponzu, and the first time I had it was a revelation. Naturally, when I saw the bottle of ponzu soy in my fridge, I knew it'd make a perfect sauce for my summer salmon recipe with pineapple. I'm happy to say my latest recipe for salmon is a little slice of Hawaii. Aloha!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

4 Keta salmon fillets (for medium or medium rare, at least 1 1/2 inch thick prevent overcooking)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 carrots, julienned
2 stalk of celery, julienned
1 tablespoon of peeled ginger, julienned
1 cup of orange juice
2 cups of pineapple, cubbed (preferably fresh but canned is ok, just make sure to drain liquid)
4 tablespoons of ponzu soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Preparation

To cook salmon:

1. Preheat oven to 400F with a large baking pan that fits 4 fillets without crowding and lightly brush with olive oil (Tip: this will help stick the skin to the pan but the skin will hold the fillet together)
2. Once the oven reaches the desired temperature and the pan is also heated, season fillets with salt and pepper and transfer to the baking pan in the oven to cook for approx 10 minutes for medium. Remove from oven promptly. (Tip: Simply insert a metal spatula right above the skin of each fillets and lift; the skin should be stuck to the pan, giving you beautiful skinless, salmon fillets)

To make sauce:

1. Combine orange juice, ponzu soy, rice vinegar and ginger in a small sauce pan and boil to reduce liquid by half.
2. While the sauce is reducing, saute pineapple in a skillet to warm for approx 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat to release sugar.
3. Add carrot and celery to sauté for about 1-2 minutes to soften slightly yet still firm.
4. Strain sauce to remove ginger if desired. Combine with pineapple, carrots and celery. (Depending on the sugar level in the oj & pineapple, you may need to adjust with either sugar or salt.)

Serving suggestion:
Plate salmon fillets on plate. Serve pineapple and julienned veggies on top with reduced orange-ponzu sauce. 

Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine Steak)

On my first trip to Italy over 10 years ago - wow where did the time go?, I dined on my first Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Beefsteak Florentine style), and it was like nothing that I've ever tasted before or any beef for that matter. The way the steak was cooked simply and rare I could almost taste the pasteur which the animal had roamed and grazed on.  For one entire week all around Tuscany, I ate nothing but a Bistecca Fiorientina for lunch, a thick Porterhouse with a filet mignon on one side of the T-bone and a NY strip on the other. After devouring the entire Bistecca by myself, I always finished ceremoniously by licking my fingers for having picked up the T-bone and gnawed off any meat stuck to it. I called it a "No meat left behind" policy.

My Florentine Steak recipe is close to tradition. Some recipes call for a few anchovy fillets with the rosemary mixture, but I think just salt tastes more primal.

Serves: 2-3
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 2-1/2 to 3 inch thick Porterhouse steak
3 fresh sprigs of rosemary
2 tablespoon of kosher salt or coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Take the steak out of the fridge and let it to come to room temperature upto 6 hours before cooking.
2. Remove rosemary leaves from sprigs. Grind with salt in a mortar and pestle to a coarse paste. Drizzle in oil and mix until it looks almost like a pesto.
3. Get your grill (mine is gas) as hot as you can, and I mean REALLY hot. Find a hot spot, season the steak only with salt (pepper will cause bitterness) and sear without moving it for 4 minutes per side. Leaving it undisturbed will get a good grill mark too. (FYI: I also like to rotate and sear the edge a little (the height of the steak) especially the fat part.)
4. The steak is ready: 1. if you Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak and get a reading of 120F, 2. the meat is springy to the touch, or 3. your mouth starts watering (Ok, the last test can be subjective.)
5. Transfer steak to a carving board. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing; resting allows the juice to redistribute in the steak. Spread rosemary mixture generously. (Tip: You can tent it with foil or just put it in the oven without any heat.)

Serving suggestion: I normally carve the meat out from the bone and cut both filet and strip diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices. If serving at the table, reassemble the Bistecca Florientina with the T-bone back in the middle. Add a little freshly ground pepper before you serve.

Hail, Caesar Salad! Light & Classic, 1.0-3.0

Hail Caesar! Salad, that is. I love Ceasar salad. I love MAKING caesar salad dressing even more with my beloved mortar and pestle. You can make this recipe with a food processor, but the mortar & pestle is just perfecto for making cesar dressing. Let the truth be told: I haven't bought any salad dressings period (uh huh,thats right ) for 8 months, and I have yet to look back. This is the 1st of many salad dressing recipes to come.

This homemade caesar salad dressing recipe with no egg is so easy that you'll want to make it fresh everyday. It's also low calorie so you can enjoy it guilt free. I also have several variations (below) to tantalize your tastebuds and hopefully inspire your creativity.

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of anchovy paste or 3 anchovy fillets
2 teaspoon of pepper
2 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano is my fav)
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of Romaine hearts, chopped

Preparation

1.0 - Light & Classic

1. Crush and mash garlic with salt using a mortar & pestle or food processor.
2. Add anchovy paste or fillets and mash with garlic.
3. Add pepper, lemon juice, 3/4 of a cup of Parmesan and mix well.
4. Drizzle in olive oil and continue to whisk until emulsified. (Tip: If time permits, chill in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes or 5 minutes in freezer allows ingredients to intensify.)
5. Toss with chopped romaine hearts and remaining Parmigiano Reggiano.
6. Salt & pepper to taste.

2.0 - Creamy & Complex

    Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, Tobasco, & Worcestershire sauce before step 4.

3.0 - Pesto-esque

    Add 1/2 cup of basil before step 2 and mash.

Serving suggestion: Top with croutons or add grilled chicken, shrimp or salmon for a low-carb meal.

Coq Au Vin (Braised Chicken in White Wine)

I haven't revisited this coq au vin (braised chicken in white wine) recipe in almost 10 months because everyone loved it so much the first time that I made it another 8 more times within a 2-month period. Due to popular demand, I brought back my recipe for coq au vin using white wine, rather than the traditional red.  My best rendition was carried out with a young rooster in the Azores for my Norwegian-American host at his self-designed house overlooking the Atlantic Ocean that brings to mind Mies van der Rohe meet John Lautner.

It's a perfect summer evening supper. Pair it with a bottle of Sancerre or even a rosé and voilà! My nouveau recipe for cooking coq au vin is inspired by one of my favorite dish, Blanquette de Poulet, at the super chill French Market Café, in Venice, CA. As mentioned, while most coq au vin recipes call for dry red wine and slow cooking, I use white wine and much less time, shh. Call it braised chicken with white wine or white wine coq au vin, I just hope you enjoy it as much as my friends do. Bon appétit!

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs or 4 whole legs with skin and bone
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped
6 celery ribs, diced in 1/2-inch cube
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup warm vegetable stock or water
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Salt & pepper to season

Preparation

Btx: This is one recipe that splurging for organic chicken is well worth it. I found the quality of the chicken has a significant impact on the result. As a pretty clean dish, few good ingredients go a long way to bring out flavor and balance.

1. Pat dry chicken and season well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Tip: How do you know when the oil is hot? Carefully add a drop of water and stand-back, the oil should immediately sizzle).
2. Add chicken and sear only the skin side to a crisp golden brown in 2 or if necessary, 3 batches. (Do not crowd the skillet with too many pieces of chicken or it will not brown or take too long which can cause toughness.) It takes approx. 4-5 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken pieces to a large plate skin side up and avoid stacking.
3. Drain oil and fat rendering, leaving about 2 tablespoons max. Lower heat to medium. Add celery and sauté for approx. 3 minutes while scraping the skillet for tasty carmelization. Add garlic and sauté together for another 2 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
4. When celery and garlic become fragrant, deglaze pan with wine and let it come to a boil to burn off the alcohol. After the liquid reduced by half, approx. 3-4 minutes, add warm stock or water (The idea is to maintain the temperature inside the skillet.)
5. Return chicken to the skillet and skin side up. Reduce the heat to simmer and leave it partially covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. (Tip: How do you know if your chicken is cooked through? If you stab the thickest part or near the bone with a fork, the liquid should run out clear, not pink.)
6. Add lemon juice and parsley and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with rice or buttered orzo. Mmm... Ooh la la.

Tasty Turkey Burger with Red Wine Sauce

 

Mmm..., turkey burgers. Just mentioning it makes the hearts of a few skip a beat. I happen to know how to make a tasty, juicy turkey burger. And my recipe is easy and arguably, makes the best ground turkey burgers ever - according to a handful of foodie friends and borderline picky eaters.

My Asian-inspired, specifically Thai, turkey burger recipe is healthy and low fat. Try it and see for yourself. I promise you'll gobble it up (no pun intended, haha).  It's almost good enough to give up In-N-Out. Well, almost.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

For Turkey Patties:
1 1/2 pound ground turkey - no gluten (I like Jennie-O's but feel free to use ur fav brand),
2 cups of onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon of San-J Peanut Sauce
1 tablespoon of ground sage
1 teaspoon of Goya Adobo Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil

For Red Wine Sauce:
1/3 cup of dry red wine
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey with onion, peanut sauce, ground sage, adobo seasoning, and ground pepper. Split and form mixture into 4 equal-sized patties about 3/4-inch thick.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, pan fry turkey patties for approx 6-7 minutes on each side. Transfer to an oven safe plate. Let the burgers finish cooking and rest in a 200F oven.
3. Reduce burner to low heat. Deglaze pan with red wine. Scrap carmelized bits with the metal whisk. Add mustard, vinegar and ground pepper. Reduce liquid by half or until it coats the back of a spoon. Drizzle sauce over the turkey patties.

Serve with toasted sesame buns or bunless with deviled mashed potatoes.

Szechuan Salmon

 

I'm a big fan of Alice Waters and a believer in eating what's in season. And lucky pour moi, Tis' the season for wild Copper River salmon. I bought 2 amazing fillets at the store today and was happy as a clam. This is the easiest baked salmon recipe in the world. Best of all, I have the perfect, quintessential east-meets-west recipe. It's similar to teriyaki salmon but BEAUCOUP better. Oui, vraiment.

Serves: 2
Prep Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Tip: My general rule of thumb for how to bake salmon or any fish in the oven is 10 minutes per inch. Since my fillets are just shy of an inch tall, my target is approx. 8-9 minutes. I like my salmon medium rare.

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets with skin (approx. 1 pound)
3 tablespoons of San-J Szechuan Sauce (maybe a little extra depending on fillets' dimension)

Preparation

1. Rinse fillets and pat dry. Run fingertips on top of the fillets to find and remove bones, if any, with a tweezer.
2. Place fillet's skin side down on a pyrex baking pan. The skin will hold the fish together yet will be easy to remove after baking.
3. Spread a nice layer of Szechuan sauce on top of fillets but not submerging. The idea is to allow for crusting later. Let it marinade in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake for 5 minutes at 400F and increase to High boil for 3 minutes to create a nice crust.
5. Remove baking pan immediately from oven. Let it rest for a minute before removing salmon from pan by wedging a spatula between the skin and the meat. Et, voilà!

Simple, Savory Swiss Chard

 

Getting your veggies on has never tasted so good and so eeeeeeeasy. Although available all year round, June through August is the height of Swiss chard season. And, I've never seen it so gorgeous as I did today. Swiss chard is from the beet family with large leafy greens, much like mustard and collard green. Both leaves and ribs are edible. Chard with white ribs are commonly found in grocery stores, though red and rainbow chards appear more frequently these days than just in farmer's markets and at wholepaychex.

My recipe for Swiss chard is pretty much the same as my collard green and mustard green recipe.  The flavor profile is similar to spinach: slightly bitter yet sweet and buttery once cooked. To be honest, I spent more time washing the chards than cooking them. In just minutes, I'm swooning over my Swiss chard. Savory and pleasantly sweet, now that's what I call best of both worlds.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 8 minutes
Total time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound mustard greens, stems & large ribs removed
2 garlic cloves, crushed & minced
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of Cognac or good quality brandy
3 tablespoon of broth (chicken or vegetable)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over low to medium heat. Add crushed garlic cloves to release flavor for 1 minute but be careful not to burn them.
2. Increase heat to medium and add onion to sauté for 7 to 8 minutes until translucent.
3. Add the mustard greens, salt, and Cognac (or brandy).  Toss until the greens start to wilt.
4. Add sesame oil and pepper. Toss quickly to combine and turn off heat.