Fettuccine with Swiss Chard, Currants, Walnuts and Brown Butter

1/2 stick of butter
1 T dried currants
2 T golden raisins
1 bunch red or green chard
1 T olive oil
1/2 med sized red onion, sliced thin
1/2 t salt (plus more for pasta water)
freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
fettuccine
1/3 c walnut pieces, toasted
fresh grated parm cheese

Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. As it simmers, the butterfat and solids will separate. When the butter turns a nice golden color (about 8 min), remove pan from heat. Pour through a fine sieve lined with paper towel.

Cook fettuccine in salted water

Meanwhile, plump currants and raisins by placing them in a small bowl and covering them with 1/4 c. hot water.

Trim stems of chard and slice leaves across into 2 inch wide ribbons.

Heat olive oil in large saute pan, cook onion, 1/4 t salt and some pepper for about 5 min. Add garlic, chard, and another 1/4 t of salt. Saute for 4-5 min, then reduce heat to low.
When the pasta is tender, drain and add to the saute pan along with the plumped fruit, walnuts and brown butter. Toss together with salt and pepper to taste and finish off with parm.

So freaking yummy. From Field of Greens Cookbook by Annie Sommerville.

Orzo with Shrimp and Tomatoes

Having tried a few new recipes that were less than stellar (sorry, Rick Bayless, your tortilla soup did not make the cut), I made an old forgotten favorite from the Sofi cookbook last night that reminded me of why I do these posts....great food fairly quickly, and generally not too bad for your waistline.  You can even use the peeled raw frozen shrimp in a bag to make less work for yourself.

3 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped*
1 T fresh basil or 1/2 t dried if it is winter
2 T dry white wine
salt and pepper
bag o' shrimp, raw and peeled (tails on are ok)
3 oz feta...best quality you can get (bit under a cup)
1 lb orzo (yes, they have it at the market...Barilla makes a decent one)

Put a big pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil.  Dump in the orzo and set the timer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over med  heat and, when hot, add the garlic.  Stir quickly and try not to let it brown.  Add tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes.  Raise heat to med high and add basil, wine, salt and pepper to taste and shrimp.  Simmer for approximately 5 minutes until the shrimp turn pink.  Add the feta.

Drain the pasta and put back in the pot.  Add the shrimp and tomato mixture and stir over med heat for a couple of minutes and then serve.

*to peel tomatoes, cut an "x" in the bottom of the tomato and put in a small pot of boiling water...cook for a minute and then put tomato in ice water to stop it from cooking.  Peel the skin right off of it!

Black Cod with Miso

So this dish is based on the famous Nobu Matsuhisa dish.  The original recipe called for marinating the fish for 2-3 days, but this recipe allows for merely an overnight stay.  And you can make the marinade up to a week in advance.  The marinade is a bit stinky and it takes a leap of faith to believe that it will come out fantastic, but it will. Serve with rice and something green.

• 3 T mirin (available in the asian section of the grocery)
  
• 3 T sake 
• 1/2 c white miso paste (available in the refrigerated healthy section of the grocery)
• 1/3 c sugar
• four 6-7 oz skinless black cod fillets, about 1 1/2 inches thick (fyi, black cod is not actually a cod at all, but a sable fish.) I have made this recipe with just two pieces of fish and the proportions are fine.
• canola oil (for grilling)

In a small sauce pan, bring the mirin and sake to a boil.  Whisk in the miso until it has dissolved.  Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, until dissolved.  Let cool and then pour into a big ziplock baggie and add fish.  Cover and fridge overnight, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a grill pan and oil it.  Scrape off excess marinade from fish (yes, it is very stinky at this point) and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes.  Flip the fish onto a heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, until flaky.

Serve and be amazed.

Fog City Diner Sirloin and Black Bean Chili

What better thing to make on a cold, cold day in LA (that means below 60 degrees during the day, with the windchill making it feel like 32 degrees to our thin blooded bodies) than a big pot o' chili?  This weekend looks like another cold and rainy one, so stock up on the ingredients and make this Sat. morning for yummy chili whenever you want all weekend.  It takes about 2 hours to make, including all the chopping, but you can pretty much sit on your tush for about an hour of it.  If you need masa harina, you can either pick it up at your supermarket in the flour/sugar section or feel free to stop by and pick some up from me...I have a giant bag full.

2 lbs boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/3 c olive oil
2 med. yellow onions, chopped
2 T finely chopped garlic
5 (yes, 5) jalepenos, seeded and finely chopped
3 T chili powder (the chili powder mix, not pure ground chili)
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t cumin
1/4 c masa harina
3 1/2 c beef broth
2 c cooked black beans (can use canned...rinse and drain.  I used two whole cans because I misread the recipe, but it was still so awesome!)


Heat the oil in a large pot over moderately high heat and brown the meat in batches. Remove the meat using a slotted spoon and set it aside.
 
Using the same pot, reduce the heat to moderate and saute the garlic, onions, and chiles until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the spices and stir for another 3 minutes.  Add masa harina and stir for 2 minutes (mixture will be dry.)

 Add the broth, water and beef to the masa harina/onion mixture and simmer for 45 mn uncovered, stirring occasionally.   Stir in beans and simmer 10-15 minutes.  Adjust seasonings to taste. 

 Serve the chili with sides of cheese, lime wedges, avocado and/or cilantro.

Shitake and Scallion Lo Mein

This is a fairly quick, surprisingly good weekday dish from Food and Wine Magazine. It is vegetarian, but you could add braised tofu or some sort of meat to the finished product if you so desire.

1 pound wide lo mein noodles (I used the Chow Mein noodles from the Asian section of the supermarket)
1/4 pound snow peas, halved diagonally
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (Asian market or Asian section of supermarket)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
6 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (totally forgot to add this, still good)


In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the noodles until tender; add the snow peas to the noodles in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain the noodles and snow peas and rinse under cold water until cool.

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with the mirin and sesame oil.

In a very large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil until shimmering. Add the shiitake and cook over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil, the scallions and ginger and stir-fry until the scallions soften, about 3 minutes. Add the water and cook over moderate heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, 1 minute. Add the noodles, snow peas and soy sauce mixture to the skillet and cook, tossing the noodles until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the cilantro and serve.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup and Chipotles

I pulled this recipe from the NY Times back in 2003 and have made it every Turkey Day since. It is pretty easy, once you get past the scooping of the flesh from the roasted potatoes and it is fantastic: sweet without being cloying and balanced with the heat of the chipotle chiles. You can puree the chiles and keep it in a tupperware in the back of the fridge until the cows come home (or it develops fuzz, whichever comes first.)

Adapted from Bobby Flay, Bolo and Mesa Grill

Time: 45 minutes

5 pounds (about 10 medium or 5 large) sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1/3 to 1/2 cup maple syrup

3/8 cup crème fraîche (yeah, its ok to go 1/2 c with this one.)

4 teaspoons purée from canned chipotles (i.e., take a can from the Latin Foods section of the supermarket, throw it in the blender or the mini food processor, and dump it into a tupperware. If you are scared of the heat, put in less.)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Salt to taste.

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place potatoes on large baking sheet, bake until soft, 35 to 40 minutes for medium potatoes, up to 1 hour for large.

2. Meanwhile, combine syrup, créme fraîche, chipotle purée, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

3. When potatoes are tender, remove from oven, slice in two lengthwise. Scoop hot flesh into a potato ricer or food mill, purée into bowl with other ingredients. Stir with rubber spatula to combine. Potatoes should be light and fluffy. Taste for seasoning, transfer to warm serving bowl, serve immediately.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Veronica's Persimmon Salad

I got this amazing savory fruit salad recipe from my friend, Veronica.  Her salads are amazing and if you are ever lucky enough to be invited to her house for lunch, you will find yourself begging for the recipes.  She will put out 3 or 4 salads, some bread, maybe some wine and it becomes a meal more elegant than you would receive in most restaurants.  The funny thing about this particular salad is that I never actually sampled it at her house.  She sent me the recipe just for fun and I made it for a Friends of Westwood Library Board meeting (insert plug for the Facebook fan page here) without bothering to test it first.  And it was great.  So great that I was secretly very happy that there was one serving left after the meeting for me to scarf down at home. 

This is a beautiful late fall salad that makes great use of Southern California foods.  AND it is low fat...one tablespoon of walnut oil...that's it!  One last tip.  Instead of purchasing already seeded pomegranate seeds, buy a whole one (99 cents at Trader Joes), cut off a bit and submerge it in a bowl of water.  Break it apart and the non seedy parts will rise to the top.  Your seeds will be a much brighter color and it is a lot less expensive to use the whole thing.

2 lbs Fuyu persimmons (these are the flat, hard ones)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 serrano chili, stems and ribs removed, minced
salt
1/4 c pomegranate seeds
3 T toasted walnuts (I totally forgot this step and it was still fantastic.)
2 T chopped cilantro
1 T walnut oil

Slice off the top of the persimmons, then cut in half lengthwise and then chop into 10-12 wedges per persimmon. 

In a small, lidded jar, combine lime juice, cumin, chili and walnut oil along with a dash of salt.  Close it up and shake it furiously to emulsify. 

Combine persimmons and dressing, then toss with walnuts, pomegranate seeds and cilantro.