Mediterranean Seafood Feast in a Tomato/saffron Broth
Tonight, I give you one of my favorite meals I haven’t made in ages. A Mediterranean Mini-Seafood Feast in a Tomato/saffron Broth. You can use any seafood you want. I always include shrimp so I can use the tails & shells to make my seafood stock. This can also be used to cook mussels or clams. Just put them in when you bring it to boil and simmer. Discard any that don’t open. Fresh herbs and homemade seafood stock are critical to make this wonderful. 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (2 for each skillet).2 teaspoons fresh thyme2 teaspoons fresh oregano1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar to release aromaA teaspoon saffron2 cloves garlic, minced2 teaspoon fresh orange zestMushrooms if desired, tonight I had some shitakeI/2 pound tomatoes, peeled and diced2...
Don makes his perfect food (Cajun Hot Dog)
I love hot dogs. But hot dogs are ultra processed foods. And I avoid ultra processed foods. But I’ve always had an idea that a hot dog could actually be a perfect food. Ground chicken, veggies, fruit, seasoning, olive oil. So tonight it finally came about. It took a lot of work, so I’m not doing my white egg based bun tonight. But I do give you… My Cajun Chicken Hot Dog. Ground chicken, carrots, jalapenos and apples with cheddar cheese and Cajun seasoning. I did add a bit more cayenne and some minced garlic. I’ve never made my own sausage before…and surprisingly enough, it worked perfectly. Natural pork casings and a new sausage press. I’m shooting for a perfect food bite here. Chicken, veggies, fruit. Air fried. Tasty, yet...
Coffee Chipolte Steak
A friend brought over a local cut of sirloin strip beef. To be exact, 1.48 lb of Beef Sirloin Strip Steaks from Willingham Farm (Remington, VA). My initial thought was to do my classic garlic thyme butter treatment. But I wanted to do something new and up the stakes (steaks!) so the wonderful cut meets a rub made of coffee, chipolte, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. This will sit in the fridge for 2 hours, then room temperature before cooking. This is critical to get the flavors into the meat. To make this different than my other steaks I decided to do 2 things, one was a ‘reverse sear’ and the other was to cook in in a cast irons skillet on the grill. This would allow me to cook a bunch of...
Tennessee Onions
So here is something completely out of left field. And also completely wonderful. I had this Sweet Onion left from what is now casually called “SmashFest2023®”. So this is one onion, one man, one 9″x9″ glass dish. This is a take off of something that is called a Tennessee Onion. And it is…fantastic. I sliced one sweet onion in about 1/4 thin slices and kept them in their circles. I placed them in a glass dish that was coated with olive oil to keep them from sticking. Heat up your oven to 350°. I coated them with… Dried thyme Dried parsley flakes Garlic powder Dried oregano Dry mustard Cayenne pepper I topped this Kerrygold butter, smoked gouda and cheddar. About a handful of each. This went into the oven for 20 minutes, covered...
Mahi Mahi with Crab Meat Stuffing
Huge thanks to my friend Rich Savage for dropping off some wonderful, fresh Florida Mahi Mahi. I wanted to honor it correctly, so I give you a crab meat stuffed broiled Mahi topped with Tennessee Onions and Basil Herb Goat Cheese. Served with a delightful salad crafted with a balsamic and olive oil dressing, roasted red bell peppers and kalamata olives. The crab meat stuffing is simply a mix of panko, claw crab meat and Duke’s mayo. This is seasoned with dry basil, black pepper and Old Bay seasoning. Usually I would put in some Parmesan, but I was concerned the saltiness of the Old Bay would make it too salty with the parm. In a olive oil glass baking dish goes the first layer of fish, then the topping with same diced garlic on top. This is topped with some...
Don’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich 2.0
I just worked up the best Spicy Chicken Sandwich I’ve ever made. I had three boneless/skinless chicken thighs left from a hibachi chicken I cooked a couple days ago. So tonight I decided to try an entirely new, and slightly bizarre take on a spicy chicken sandwich. It started out wholly keto-friendly until it threw it on a left over bun from last night’s smash burger feast. I really did some seriously bad math on the bun count. So, buttermilk soak. A cup of milk, 1/8 cup of vinegar, and egg. I put my handheld immersion blender to use on this one. Soak the chicken thighs for 15-30 minutes. The dredge: And this is just because I have all of this stuff in my lauder. 1/8 cup xanthan gum 1/8 cup almond flour 1/8 cup of psyllium husk powder 1/8 cup of...