Lemon Butter Salmon

I never realized how simply wonderful a salmon fillet with salt and pepper can be. This recipe adds more deliciousness to the salmon, but the salmon fresh off the grill was almost too tempting not to eat right away.

This recipe is from Epicurious.com, which I like because you can search for an ingredient and a lot of people leave helpful reviews as well. They also have a rating system (with forks :)) which tells you which recipes are the most popular. This one's definitely a keeper.


Grilled salmon with lime butter sauce (from epicurious.com)

Makes 6 servings.

Ian Knauer

6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons lime butter sauce (recipe below)

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

Note: I used a George Foreman grill - just add a bit of olive oil before grilling, preheat on medium and cook for 7 minutes.

lime butter sauce Gourmet | July 2006

It takes only 5 minutes to make this fantastic sauce. Once you see how versatile it is — it works perfectly with the grilled salmon and the grilled corn — you'll want to make it for a whole host of your summer favorites.

Makes about 3/4 cup.

Ian Knauer

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Cooks' Note: Lime butter sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir before using.

Sesame Noodles

Our latest culinary has been Sesame Noodles. This recipe from Cooks Illustrated is so delicious, better than you find at most restaurants..and very substantial as a meal. I haven't actually made them with the chicken yet, but I'm sure that will be even better.

This is one of the easiest recipe ever and highly successful.

Let me know how it turns out for you.

Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken

9/2004

We prefer the flavor and texture of chunky peanut butter in the sauce; in particular, we like conventional chunky peanut butter because it tends to be sweeter than natural or old-fashioned versions.

Serves 4 to 6
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
water (hot)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon table salt
1 pound fresh Asian noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 scallions , sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot , grated


1. Toast sesame seeds in medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in small bowl. In blender or food processor, puree remaining 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon at time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, about 5 tablespoons; set blender jar or workbowl aside.

2. Bring 6 quarts water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to 6 inches from broiler element; heat broiler. Spray broiler pan top with vegetable cooking spray; place chicken breasts on top and broil chicken until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken over and continue to broil until thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Add salt and noodles to boiling water; boil noodles until tender, about 4 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried. Drain, then rinse with cold running tap water until cool to touch; drain again. In large bowl, toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated. Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with portion of reserved sesame seeds, and serve.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe

I feel like every now and then there comes along a vegetable or other food item that everyone is talking about or serving. I think Broccoli Rabe is having it's day because I see it everywhere. I've never even had it before and suddenly it's like the "IN" veggie.

So I saw a recipe for shell pasta with broccolli rabe that sounded good. I tried it yesterday and though I couldn't get enough of it, my hubby thought it was a bit too bitter. It is a bitter vegetable, but I developed a taste for bitter vegetables (like bitter gourd) at home so that's probably why I enjoyed it. But apparantly to get rid of the bitterness you should boil it with a little bit of oil, black pepper and crushed red pepper until its tender enough to stick a fork through (tip courtesy of a hardy italian native). Then you can add it to whatever recipe you like.

I used skinny penne in mine, but the original Whole Foods recipe is below.

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, Sun Dried Tomatoes and White Beans
Serves 6 to 8

1 pound orecchiette pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch broccoli rabe, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about 12 pieces), sliced
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water and drain pasta thoroughly.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan over high heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add half the broccoli rabe and sauté until lightly wilted but not brown, about 2 minutes. Add remaining broccoli rabe to pan and cook for another minute or two. Add sun-dried tomatoes and cannellini beans and toss lightly. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Add hot drained pasta to the pan (or to a larger bowl if needed) and toss with the vegetables. Stir and add a few tablespoons of reserved pasta cooking water if mixture seems dry. Season and taste again. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Re-thinking the Microwave

There were two articles today in the NYT about cooking with a microwave. I remember a colleague telling me once about her old roommate who only cooked in the microwave. It sounded dangerous and irresponsible at the time. I don't know if the jury is out on how safe it is to use a microwave to cook food, but I thought the recipes were interesting anyway, and a good read given we all have one of these in our homes.

The first is by one of my favorite food people - Mark Bittman:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/dining/02mini.html?th&emc=th

The second is by "the curious cook". Aren't we all?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/dining/02curious.html?ref=dining