Christmas in September

Day 2 of solid rain: Let's Eat!



Rather than let the second consecutive day of torrential rain get us down, Kim and I decided to make the most of it.  We watched DVDs and ate like royalty.  We were watching old Will and Grace episodes and a Christmas themed show played.  So we decided to have Christmas in September.  We made another trip to the Pines where the grocery store has much better quality food and stocked up.  We got mussells for appetizers and scored a beautiful piece of sole for the main course.  Not exactly the Feast of Seven Fishes - but close enough!

There weren't any good looking tomatoes at the store but these sundried tomatoes did the trick - they were so good in fact that I plan to use them in this dish again in the future

I pan fried the mussells in garlic, sundried tomatoes and scotch bonnet peppers - stir fry them for a few minutes first to unleash their flavors

We had the mussells for the first course.  I pre-heated the pan and added extra virgin olive oil.  I tossed in the sundried tomatoes first because they take longer to cook than the peppers and garlic.  After a few minutes I added those along with fresh lemon juice and then the mussells and white wine.  As usual I tossed the lemon in as well.

Stir fry the mussells until they open

Here's our delicious first course - I added more of the gravy into the bowls and served with warm bread.  And even on over-priced Fire Island the mussells were $3 per pound

Simple Sole

The sole couldn't be easier.  I dried off the filet with paper towels and dredged it through flour and added salt and pepper to both sides.  Add extra virgin olive oil and a few pats of butter (a pat of butter is about a teaspoon).  Cook for two minutes on each side and you're done!

How delicous does this look?  The lemon really adds zing

I pan fried some of the sundried tomatoes to garnish and served the pan gravy on the side

The next morning we got our Christmas gift - the sun came out!  We ended up with three days of sun during our vacation.  I was also pleasantly surprised to see that I actually lost a few pounds during the trip despite our huge meals.  My belief is that you can eat as much fish, fruit and vegetables as you want.  You have to start with the portion control and extra trips to spin class when you have red meat and other fatty products.

Ingredients

For the Mussells for Two

1/2 pound mussells per person

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil - just coat the bottom of the pan (don't over do it with the oil)

1/8 - 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes

1 teaspoon flour

2 tablespoons scotch bonnet or jalepano peppers (optional)

3 - 4 cloves of fresh garlic sliced

1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine (that you'd drink; not cooking wine)

4 - 5 sprigs saffron (unfortunately, the stores on Fire Island didn't carry this)

Method

Pre-heat your skillet over medium heat

Add the oil - again - just enough to cover the pan (I don't use butter with this recipe - it would get lost in all of the other ingredients)

Start cooking the sundried tomatoes first, then the garlic and peppers - stir with a wooden spoon

Next add the wine and lemon juice and toss the two lemon halves into the pan

If you have saffron, now is the time to add them to the pan

Add the mussells - stir around and cook until they open - about 2 - 3 minutes

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture; this will add thickness to the gravy - use sparingly

Discard any mussells that don't open

For the Sole

1 pound sole (my rule of thumb: 1/2 pound serving per person)

3/4 cup flour

1 lemon

1/8 cup sundried tomatoes chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (just enough to coat the bottom of the pan)

2 - 3 teaspoons butter

Method

Dry the sole filets thoroughly with paper towels

Put the flour on a plate; season with salt and pepper to taste

Dredge the sole through the flour until thoroughly coated on both sides

Pre-heat non-stick frying pan over medium heat

Add the oil; let heat up for a minute or so; add butter till it melts and swirl around pan to mix

Cut the lemon in half; squeeze the juice into the mixture; toss the two halves into the pan

Add the sole; cook for two minutes each side

Optional garnish: chop sundried tomatoes, stir fry and srinkle over fish and gravy

Serve and enjoy!

The flour on the sole filet makes for a crispy crust and soft and juicy inside.



Spicy Pepper Marinara with Lemon and Garlic

When all else fails, go for dressing up a jarred marinara.  Good for leftovers too - I had the cup pictured here the next day as a snack.

On our first rainy night on Fire Island we didn't feel like schlepping to the Pines to buy some decent food.  So I went to the less-than-adequate market in Cherry Grove to see what I could find.  The clerk must have thought I was casing the joint because I wandered the shelves for about 20 minutes trying to find something acceptable.  And something that didn't cost too much - the season on Fire Island is very short and all the stores jack up the prices to the point of absurdity.

Stir fry the peppers, tomatoes and garlic first to release their flavors

I happened upon a jar of sliced mixed peppers.  It was only $2.19.  And, what's this?  A jar of Rao's marinara for about $7 bucks?  A great idea was born.  Fresh lemons, garlic, cherry tomatoes and a box of pasta were also on hand and reasonably priced.  Now I had a plan.



Fresh lemons add tang

I did the shopping early in the day and starting cooking as soon as I got back to the hotel room.  We rented a one bedroom suite and the kitchen was much bigger than mine in Manhattan.  It's best if you can let your marinara stand for several hours before serving.  I started by stir frying the hot peppers in the pan to release their flavors.  Next I added chopped cherry tomatoes and the garlic.  I squeezed fresh lemon juice on the mixture and tossed the lemon in as well.  Next came the bottled Rao's and salt and pepper to taste.  I simmered for a while on low and eventually shut off the heat, covered the pan with foil and let it rest on the (turned off) stove until we were ready for dinner.  I had used Tabasco sauce in other marinaras but will go the hot pepper route in the future.  It came out really well - and felt more special than just heating up a bottle of prepared marinara. 

Ingredients

1 bottle marinara or two cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1/8 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 - 1/2 cup bottled hot peppers to taste

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 lemon

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes (chop in half lenghthwise)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Procedure

Pour the olive oil in a pre-heated pan.  I like to use a skillet because the sauce cooks evenly.

Add the peppers and stir fry.

Next add the tomatoes.

Add the garlic a few minutes before adding the marinara.

Cut the lemon in half, squeeze the juice on the mixture, and put the lemon in skin down.

When the mixture has cooked a good five minutes or so add the marinara.

Turn up the heat and cook until it starts to bubble, stirring as you go.

Turn off the heat and cover with foil.  Let stand - the longer the better; at least a few hours.

When you're ready to serve, re-heat the marinara sauce.  I made a large supply and left enough in the pan for two servings and put the rest aside.

After you cook the pasta add it to the marinara for that serving and mix.

Top with parmesan or Parmigiano-Regiano - whichever you prefer.

Roasted Salmon

Making do - I had to improvise with my roasted salmon dish due to lack of ingredients at the store

I've been experimenting with a roasted salmon recipe over the summer.  I usually keep it simple and just use a little oregano and olive oil and pop it in the oven.  During our vacation on Fire Island last week, my friend Kim and I make the trek to the Pines from Cherry Grove (in the pouring rain, thank you very much) because the store there has much better quality products.  But post-Labor Day on Fire Island, stores start to run out of even the basics.

After seasoning, place the salmon skin side down and put in a 425 degree oven for 12 minutes.  The skin peels away easily with a spatula after cooking.

While the store didn't have oregano, they did have some other interesting (and rarer) ingredients.  They had sun dried tomatoes, scotch bonnet peppers, fresh ginger, garlic and cilantro.  They also had wild salmon.  A new recipe was born!  If you're not a fan of super spicy you may want to skip the scotch bonnet - they are really, really hot.  Even if you like hot use them sparingly.

Dinner for two: a one pound piece of wild salmon ready for the oven

I put olive oil on the salmon and chopped the ingredients and schmeared them on to marinate for an hour before roasting.  The great thing about roasting is that there is no smell and the salmon is delicious every time.  I don't usually put so many ingredients on a fantastic piece of wild salmon.  But there's nothing to do on Fire Island in the rain so I went to town.  The good news is that the salmon flavor came through - it was really delicious and looked it, too!

I never tire of roasted vegetables

Here's the finished product - with my favorite roasted asparagus and tomatoes



Hubbell enjoying the beach during one of the brief dry moments!

Ingredients

1 pound wild salmon (serves two)

1 tablespoon grated fresh giner

3 cloves chopped fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon chopped scotch bonnet pepper (optional)

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped sundried tomatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Place the salmon skin side down on an oven-safe pan

Rub with the olive oil

Schmear the chopped ginger, garlic, pepper, cilantro and sundried tomatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Let stand on the counter for an hour or so

Place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 12 minutes

Remove from oven

Use a metal spatula to remove the skin from the salmon meat - this will happen easily

Serve and enjoy!

Here's the link to the roasted asparagus and tomato dish: http://www.skinnygourmetguy.com/2011/08/roasted-asparagus-and-tomatoes.html

Fire Island Vacation

My friend Marianne braving the surf - with the hurricane activity last week it was pretty rough!

I'll be posting some of the creative recipes I came up with on Fire Island with limited resources and cookware later this week.  In the meantime, here are some pictures from my vacation with my friends.

I've never seen the surf so high on Fire Island - combination of the storms and the full moon

Here's the walkway to the beach - the water is usually a good 15 yards from the end of the path.  But this day it came up very close - I hope it's just an unusually high surf and not beach erosion

Randy joined Marianne in the water.  I swam earlier in the day and got caught up in a huge wave.  I somersaulted several times under water - not knowing which way was up.  I reached land about 100 yards away from where I entered the water.  That was it for me!

My friend Kim held onto Hubbell - he hates the water but always feels the need to go to the rescue when I go swimming

What would Fire Island be without deer?  This guy came right up to our door!

Back to Reality

Linguine with Clam Sauce

I had a great time on Fire Island and will be posting pictures and recipes from my trip.  It's pretty slim pickings at the grocery store in Cherry Grove so I had to get creative when it came to meals!

Let your clams come to room temperature before pan-frying

As promised I'm posting my recipe for linquine with clam sauce.  This time I just used little neck clams.  Sometimes I'll incorporate their smaller cousin the cockle to make the plate look more interesting.  If you go this route just be sure to add the cockles after the clams have been cooking for a while as the cockles cook very quickly.  Another important note: be sure to leave the clams out on the counter for at least an hour before cooking.  If you put cold clams straight from the fridge into hot oil the oil is going to fly out of the pan and all over the kitchen (and you if you're not careful.  I learned this the hard way and ended up fleeing my kitchen until the fireworks were over).

First I pan fry heirloom cherry tomatoes

You know me - I always have to stray from traditional recipes.  The Farmers Market had mouth-watering heirloom cherry tomatoes which I incorporated.  They were good sized.  I stir fry them in extra virgin olive oil to start.

After a few minutes add the clams and chopped fresh garlic to the pan

After the tomatoes have been sauteeing for a few minutes and start to get soft, carefully add the clams.  The clams will cook just fine in the olive oil and will eventually start to emit their liquid, which is the beauty of this dish - fresh clam juice is a wonderful thing.  After a minute add white wine and a few pats of butter to taste.  If you want to keep it truly skinny you can skip the butter, but a little goes a long way - live a little!  If you'd like to thicken the gravey spinkle some flour on top of the mixture and stir well so it's incorporated and doesn't leave the raw flour taste.

Add your linguine right into the pan and stir

When the clams have opened add your linguine straight from the boiling pan.  Mix in a ladle full of the starchy pasta water to further thicken the sauce.  Top it off with a generous amount of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Linguine with fresh clams and cockles (taken with old camera)

 

On Fire Island we had clams in broth with warm bread as an amuse bouche

Ingredients

1/2 dozen little neck clams per person

1/2 dozen cockles per person (optional)

6 - 7 heirloom (or regular) cherry tomatoes cut in half

Juice of 1 lemon

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 - 4 pats butter (at room temperature)

3 garlic cloves per person chopped

1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine (something you'd drink - don't get cooking wine)

2 - 3 teaspoons flour (optional)

2 - 3 sprigs parsley for garnish

Sprinkling of red pepper flakes

Your favorite linguine; cook per instructions on package

Method

Note: this is a dish that cooks very quickly and you need to stand over the stove as it cooks

Pre-heat non-stick pan on medium heat

When pan is sufficiently pre-heated add olive oil to pan and let heat for about 20 - 30 seconds

Chop the tomatoes in half and add to pan.  Stir around a bit.

When the tomatoes start to soften add the clams

After the clams have cooked for a minute or so, add the garlic.  Garlic burns very easily so be careful not to overcook.  If you're using the cockles add them after 2 minutes.

Add the white wine and stir mixture; next sprinkle on the four (if desired).  Add the butter and lemon juice.

When the clams start to open lower heat.  When all the clams have opened remove from heat.  If there are any unopened clams discard (only the unopened clams). 

Add cooked linguine al dente and a ladle of the starchy pasta water.  Garnish with parsley and red pepper flakes.  Mix and serve.

Gone Fishin'

I am celebrating three months of blogging by taking a week off.  I'm going to Fire Island for the Labor Day holiday and will be back posting on Monday, September 12, 2011.  I'll post my linguine with clam sauce recipe - I'm making that tonight.

I'm really excited because I bought a new camera so the images will improve dramatically.  Thus far all the pictures, with the exception of my pictures from Italy and Spain, were taken on my Blackberry.  The picture of the clams and heirloom baby tomatoes above were taken with the new camera - it's a Canon Power Shot SX30 IS.  I'll be introducing videos of cooking demonstrations, too!

Thank you all for your support so far - I couldn't have done it without you.

Photos of the Day

The incredible Blue Grotto on the Coast of the Isle of Capri

No trip to Capri - or to Italy for that matter - is complete without a visit to the Blue Grotto, which is a sea cave where the water is a dazzling blue (as the name suggests!).  The weather conditions have to be just right because you enter the grotto through a very small opening.  You take a boat from the port of Capri and then transfer to a small rowboat.  Only a few people fit in these tiny skiffs and you literally have to lie on your back on the bottom of the boat when you enter.  The gondolier literally laid down on top of me when we entered.  I had no idea what I was in for and, to be honest, I was a little bit scared.

View from the boat that took us from the port to the Grotto

You wait for quite some time for your turn to come up and when it does, you have to act quickly.  If you were to stand up - or even sit up - you could get a very serious head injury.  The waters are really rough and the opening is so small and low there isn't any room for error.  But once inside the scene is absolutely spectacular.  There are 5 or 6 other rowboats in the grotto with you and the gondoliers all start to sing Italian arias at the tops of their voices.  So what that they're all singing different songs?  It's an experience you'll never forget.

Back on dry land

Here's your phonetics lesson for today:  it's pronounced CAP-ree, not cap-PREE as most Americans pronounce it.  I still lapse into cap-PREE myself but here's a way to impress your friends and neighbors!

I shot video while I was in there, too.  I'll post it when I set up my You Tube account.  Stay tuned!