It has been years since I have prepared squash blossoms so it was a great surprise when my wife brought home a bunch of them that she had found at the Dane County Farmer’s Market in Madison, WI. Preparing squash blossoms always takes me back to my childhood. I can remember a number of breakfasts that featured fried pumpkin blossoms. Mom would go out to the garden early in the summer morning and gather the blossoms, still heavy with dew. Dad would then flour them and fry them up, usually in bacon fat, to be served along side eggs and bacon. Fast forward to my days in fine dining and when we got our hands on squash or zucchini blossoms we would often stuff them with some forcemeat or mousseline and gently steam them to serve as a side to some summertime entree.

Deciding to incorporate the best of both approaches what I decided to do is stuff the blossoms with a mixture of shrimp, corn, mild green chiles and a little cheese. I would then bread them in masa harina(the corn flour used to make tortillas and tamales) and fry them. Completing the Southwestern theme, I served them simply, topped with homemade pico de gallo.

When choosing squash blossoms, at the market, make sure you are getting zucchini, yellow squash, or pumpkin blossoms. While all squash blossoms are edible, some types of squash, mainly winter squashes, produce blossoms that are unpleasantly bitter. I also suggest removing the stamen or pistil as it can, sometimes, also be bitter.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms
24 each Squash Blossoms, picked that day
1/2 pound Shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail removed
1 ear Corn, kernels cut off cob
2 ounces Green Chiles, roasted and chopped (canned is fine)
1/2 cup Queso Cotija (substitute Feta if you can’t find the Cotija)
Salt
Pepper
2 each Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
1 1/2 cups Masa Harina
Vegetable Oil

Finely chop the shrimp and mix with the corn, feta, and chiles. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare the blossoms by removing the stems, and stamens or pistils. Stuff each blossom with 1-2 tsp. of the filling, more if the blossoms are large, but do not over stuff. The petals should completely enclose the filling. Beat the eggs and add the milk. Place the masa in a shallow pan then bread the blossoms, first dipping into the egg mixture then dredging in the masa to cover. Meanwhile, heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. When hot, but not smoking, add a couple of blossoms. Don’t crowd the pan or you will lower the oil temperature too much. Fry for about 4-5 minutes, turning every minute or so to make sure the whole blossom cooks to a golden brown.

When done drain on paper towel. Season immediately with salt and serve hot. Serve plain or with your choice of salsa or pico de gallo.

I don’t know why I don’t prepare artichokes more often. Every time I make them I swear I am going to start eating them more often, but usually don’t get around to making them again for 5 or 6 months or more. It’s not that they are difficult to prepare. Sure they can be a little time consuming if you want to grill them as in the recipe below, but they can also be made without much fuss. Just peel the stems, pop off a few of the outer leaves then simmer them in acidulated water until tender. It’s then up to the diner to do the work of peeling off the leaves, one by one, and scraping away the “meat” at the bottom of the leaf. It’s messy, but a fun, interactive meal. This is the way my wife usually prepares them, then sits down to eat a couple, as her entire meal, dipping each leaf into mayo before eating. While I am perfectly happy eating artichokes this way, I was in the mood to do something a little more. I wanted to “jazz” them up a bit and since I hadn’t done much grilling lately that was the obvious choice.

The recipe contains a range for the crushed red pepper. Using only 1/2 tsp. will result in artichokes that are only mildly annoyed, 1 tsp. will result in making them rather perturbed, 2 tsp. will give you angry artichokes and 1 Tbsp.+ are going to make them pretty damned pissed. I’ll let you decide which kind you want to deal with. (continue reading…)

I have to admit, I am not much of a baker. Sure, I took all the required baking classes in culinary school, and as a chef I have done my fair share of baking and pastries, but it is not a skill that I particularly enjoyed and thus didn’t really work on developing. I was always more about the rush and the instant gratification of line work as opposed to the more methodical, slower pace of the bakery. Recently though, I have had a desire to flex those old, rusty baking skills. Some experiments have turned out great, some….well….let’s just say I’m beginning to believe in the old adage, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” Well, I have not lost it, more like just misplaced it temporarily. One of my more recent successes has been with the focaccia recipe from “Baking with Julia.” I’ve taken her ingredients but have altered her technique a little to suit my tastes. Her recipe creates a focaccia that is just a little too thin for my tastes, but I knew I also didn’t want one of those 3 inch thick sponges that grace the shelves of supermarkets across America. Taking Julia’s recipe and tweaking it gave me something in between and exactly what I was looking for. I hope you feel the same way also. As for the toppings, I really like this onion and sage topping but feel free to top it however you like. I imagine I will change up the toppings quite regularly.

Onion Sage Focaccia

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups Water, slightly warm
2 Tbsp. Dry Active Yeast
1/4 cup Olive Oil
6 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour (unbleached if possible)
4 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup +1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 small Onion, peeled and thinly julienned
2-3 Tbsp. Fresh Sage, chiffonade (fine julienne)
Sea Salt or Kosher Salt

In the mixing bowl of a mixer combine 1/2 cup of the warm water and the yeast. Allow 5 minutes for the yeast to active then add the remaining water and olive oil. Stir to combine. Mix together the salt and flour then add to the liquid. Stir just to combine. Place mixing bowl on mixer and, using the dough hook, mix the ingredients on medium speed. Turn speed to high and knead for 10 minutes or until dough can pass the window pane test (when you can stretch a small amount of dough to the point where you can almost see through it). Place dough in a bowl rubbed with olive oil and coat dough completely with a light coat of oil. Cover and allow to rise until double (1-1 1/2 hours). Gently punch down and allow to double in size again. Punch down again, cover bowl tightly and place in refrigerator for 24-36 hours.

The next day pull dough out 1 1/2 hours before you want to bake it. Preheat oven to 425. Place 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a saute pan, over medium heat and add the onions. Cook without coloring until onions are half done. Add the fresh sage, toss until wilted then remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temp. Pour 1/2 of the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil into a 12×17 baking pan or jelly roll pan. Add dough, coat both sides with the oil and gently spread the dough out. Be gentle as you don’t want to knock out all the bubbles you created overnight. You probably won’t be able to completely stretch it all at once, so allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes then finish stretching it to almost fill the pan. Allow another 10 minute rest then dimple the surface of the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle on the onion-sage mixture, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and finally sprinkle with the sea or kosher salt. Place in the oven and bake for 18-25 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking tray so that it can absorb all the olive oil around the edges.

Living in Wisconsin, it can be hard to track down nice, fresh fish sometimes unless you catch it yourself. Much of the stuff to hit the stores has been frozen at one time or another. Worse yet it has been frozen and not handled properly, meaning its been frozen, thawed and refrozen at least a couple of times turning the flesh into a mangled mess. Needless to say, I often avoid seafood which is too bad because I really love fish and shellfish, but I am not about to pay top dollar for second rate or poorly handled fish. There are a few fish “markets” within driving distance of me, but you pay top dollar for the fish they bring in. I have a really hard time doing that as I know what it costs restaurants to get in fresh fish, and while not exactly cheap it is sure a lot less expensive than what they are selling it for. It was with this mindset that I happened upon some beautiful looking halibut today at none other than my local “mega-mart.” The stuff looked pristine and the man behind the counter assured me that it had never been frozen. At $14 a pound he had better be right, but I couldn’t resist. It looked too darn good and it had been too long since I had good fish. Into my basket went 8oz of halibut, a bulb of fennel and a ruby red grapefruit, along with the other stuff I had stopped at the store to pick up, then on home to whip up a quick and simple dinner to surprise the wife.

Halibut with Fennel and Grapefruit
8 ounces Halibut, skin removed and cut into 2 4ounce portions
1 bulb Fennel, plus a couple sprigs of the fronds
1/4 each Red Onion, thinly julienned
1 each Ruby Red Grapefruit
3 Tbsp. Butter, unsalted
1Tbsp. Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Slice the fennel bulb in half, from top to bottom, reserving one half. Cut out the core of the other half and cut into thin juliennes. Peel the grapefruit with a knife, making sure to remove all the white pith. Remove all the segments by cutting parallel to the membranes releasing the pulp in whole segments. Squeeze all the juice out of the membranes and reserve. Chop some of the fennel fronds to give yourself 1 tsp. Season with fish with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized saute pan until hot but not smoking. Saute the fish until just done. Don’t overcook or the halibut will dry out. While the fish is cooking, melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in another saute pan and add the fennel. Saute a couple of minutes then add a couple tablespoons of water, cover and allow the fennel to wilt. Stir, add a little more water, cover and continue to cook until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook until wilted. Add the the grapefruit segments and juice. Toss until warmed through then add the remaining butter. Remove from heat and continue to toss until all the butter is melted and incorporated into the juice. To serve place the halibut on a plate, top with half the fennel-grapefruit mix and drizzle with half the sauce. Do the same on the other plate. Serve with your choice of vegetable (I served sauteed green and wax beans tossed with fresh dill, from my herb garden) and starch.

It’s a sad state of affairs, but, believe it or not, chef’s don’t often eat well.  Working around food all day, constantly tasting and sampling, we often find we miss meals and aren’t really all that hungry anyways.  Even when we are hungry we rarely have time to sit down and enjoy a meal.  Most of our meals are eaten “on the fly” which usually means throwing something between 2 pieces of bread and wolfing it down between tasks.  Despite that fact, I love sandwiches.  The variety is endless and a well crafted sandwich can be a work of art, in my opinion.  Of course most people go through life not giving much thought to the lowly sandwich.  We “slap” sandwiches together because they are easy, we’re in a hurry, or we don’t know what else to fix. It’s too bad because with just the smallest amount of work sandwiches can be so much more than just quick fuel. With this blog I hope to help combat that mindset. Sandwiches, in all forms, will make their way into posts here as I have lots of great, satisfying sandwich recipes to share. Don’t worry, this isn’t turning into a “sandwich” blog. I still plan tackling plenty of other foods and topics, but expect to see sandwiches appear here regularly. Today’s recipe is quite simple but makes a great luncheon entree when served with a small salad.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich
2 stalks celery, small dice
1/2 medium onion, small dice
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, small dice
1/4 cup Raisins (preferably golden raisins, but regular works well also)
2 1/2 cups Chicken breast, cooked and diced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup Pecan pieces
1 Tbls. Curry powder
salt
pepper
Red Leaf or Green Leaf Lettuce
12 slices Whole Wheat or 7 Grain Bread (any hearty, whole grained bread works best though any bread is fine)

Toss diced apples with lemon juice. Toast the pecans on a sheet pan until starting to brown. Allow the pecans to cool and mix all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among six slices of bread. Top with lettuce then the other slices of bread

One of my favorite uses for spearmint is in the making of sun tea. Add a handful of sprigs as your brewing it and you end up with a wonderfully refreshing summertime drink. Unfortunately, the way the mint is taking over my herb garden I’d have to make a gallon of sun tea every day for the next 2 months. Needless to say I needed to find other uses for it to try and use up even half of the stuff. Here’s a wonderful mint chutney I’ve created to help me in my endeavor to use up my mint. This chutney goes well with pork, chicken, and, of course, lamb. It works well with Indian foods but works equally well with simple grilled meats or as a wonderful addition to lamb burgers.

Mint Chutney

1/2 cup Onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup Raisins, finely chopped (preferably golden raisins)
1 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Tamarind pulp (if not available use lemon juice instead with 1 tsp. of sugar added)
1/4 cup Water
1 each Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped (more if you like the heat)
1 tsp. Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Fresh Mint Leaves
1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro leaves

Melt the butter in a nonreactive sauce pot. Add the onions and ginger and saute until tender. Add the raisins, tamarind, water, Serrano, coriander and salt. Cook until Serrano and raisins are tender and of of the liquid has evaporated. Allow to cool completely. Meanwhile place mint and cilantro leaves into a blender. Add just enough water to allow the leaves to blend. Blend until almost smooth. When onion-raisin mixture is cool add the mint mixture and stir to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature, covered, for 1-2 hours to allow all the flavors to develop then serve.