Rack of Beef Ribs
I’m no stranger to ribs. Actually, when the temperature begins to rise, ribs can often be found on my grill. But, usually they are pork ribs…Baby Back or St. Louis and usually seared and smoked. And I’m no stranger to beef short ribs either. But at the store this week I found a rack of beef ribs on sale. I had not cooked these before. From my experience of cooking (or over-cooking) beef short ribs, I did a little research and proceeded. Tonight is a beef rack-of-ribs with a harvest crunch salad topped with cheddar cheese and Kalamata olives and a ranch dressing. The key to the ribs is the rub. So I did my usual… Garlic Powder Fresh ground pepper Cayenne Pepper Garlic Powder Onion powder Paprika Sea Salt (lightly) Tony’s Cajun...
A simple white wine garlic reduction sauce
Last Saturday’s night meal…a garlic, white wine reduction caper sauce on top of iron skillet pan seared sea scallops and egg noodles. This is a VERY simple meal, but with great flavors and all the ingredients are usually around. In a small skillet or sauce pan, saute in butter some capers, and if you have them shallots, or thin sliced onions. Add minced garlic for a minute to bring up the flavor, and then pour in some dry white wine and a the juice of a lemon. For this I had the last of a bottle of chardonnay that I use for cooking. Turn the heat down and reduce the liquids to about 53.25% (about half). In the skillet pan sear the scallops. I have done this before with a quick bath of 18 year old balsamic vinegar, and it is wonderful. I served this on...
Grilled Lobster and a SW Corn/Blackbean Salad
Very simple, very tasty meal tonight. Combining a little South West with a little East Coast for a light dinner. Maine lobster with a corn/pepper/tomato salad. A great Mother’s day meal for all of the wonderful women who raised fantastic kids. I miss my mom every day. I had the honor of seeing both my kids Savannah Foley and Pepper Fauxley today. Bonus note, I used my cilantro and parsley from the garden and there was still a healthy amount left, which is great this early in the season. The result was fantastic. Another home run. Ingredients 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained well 1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed according to package instructions 1 cup chopped tomato (Roma, cocktail, grape, etc.) 1 cup seeded and chopped orange bell pepper...
Zucchini Lasagna
While I’ve made Lasagna my whole life, this is my first foray into Zucchini Lasagna. It was a snowy day, so I decided to have fun and photograph the steps. I got the recipe from a close friend at: https://downshiftology.com/recipes/zucchini-lasagna/ I followed the instructions to the letter. So I won’t repeat them here. For the “Pasta Sauce”, I made my own. Saute a diced sweet onion in olive oil, one big can of crushed tomatoes, one can of fire roasted diced. Oregano, basil, pepper to taste. Toss in a bay leaf and simmer for an hour. Or buy a jar of sauce. It was great. Fewer carbs, great flavor. This is how I’m going to make Zag from now on. Pairs well with a rum and...
Beef Tostatas
While I feel very good in my Taco game, I also like making tostada to mix things up [editor note, mixing it up with exactly the same ingredients, but not folding the tortilla may not qualify as mixing ANYTHING up]. My usual secret ingredient is Amy’s re-fried black beans. It really brings it home, but no such luck finding it around here. Still, my crispy, almost bakery level shell (olive oil/garlic powder brushed flour tortilla cooked at 450°) makes this meal a delight. I do this with Irish Butter too, the result is the same. It was raining, so no grill work, just grass fed ground beef in a skillet with onions, bell pepper and seasonings, chili powder is good. Mexican cheese goes on the shell, then the meat. A salsa of chopped tomatoes, onion and cilantro...
Five Thing Salmon and Arabian Salad
This is a little twist on my famed Five Thing Salmon. Instead of putting it on top of a bed of angel hair/basil/garlic/feta pasta, I did something a little different Saturday night. In place of pasta, the salmon is on something called Arabian Spinach, a recipe a close friend shared with me. So, Five Thing Salmon: Stir together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, dill weed and soy sauce in a glass baking dish. Put in a salmon fillet, rotate to coat. Bake in a 350° oven around 10-15 minutes and finish with a quick broil. The goal is to still have a pink center. If you have skin, you can cook it skin side up if you want a crispy skin, or skin side down. Arabian salad: In a large skillet saute a thin sliced onion in olive oil. Add some minced or crushed garlic and...