Author: zambranoworld

Lox Eggs and Onions (LEO)

This is the mother of all healthy breakfasts. There are a million ways to make this online. All wrong. Mine was forged in the heat of weekend battle manning the griddle at a very large and very busy Bagel Bakery. As always, process is everything.

 

  • 5 eggs
  • One half white onion
  • A touch olive oil
  • Lox, typical 4 oz package
  • Creme fraiche

The process

  1. Lightly whip the eggs in a cup, breaking up the yolks but not much farther than that. Set aside.
  2. Heat a very small smidge of good olive oil in a non stick egg pan
  3. Dice the onion and drop in the pan. Get it to almost translucent. No more than 3-4 minutes over low to medium heat.
  4. Lower heat and pour in the eggs. Let it chill, don’t stir.
  5. When you get to a happy place stir a bit and flip. Until 80% done
  6. Tear the salmon into  pieces and drop into the egg mix as you take off of the heat, with one small stir/flip. You do not want to cook the salmon at all.
  7.  Move to a serving plate quickly so it doesn’t keep cooking.
  8. Hit with a few dollops of creme fraiche across the eggs.
  9. You can then have additions on side or sprinkled on like: thyme, capers, green onion….or nothing. If you use, pick one, don’t overdo

DO:

  • whip the eggs a tiny bit
  • use low heat

DON’T:

  • Cook the salmon AT ALL
  • Use too much oil
  • Overcook the onions, keep em freshish

Adobo

A Filipino comfort food classic. This is a take on an NYT recipe w key difference being the crisping of the chicken up front to render fat and the use of Guajillo peppers which we often have in PV Mexico

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut milk
1⁄4 cup soy sauce
1 1⁄2 cup rice vinegar
12 garlic cloves, peeled
4 whole guajillo peppers
3 bay leaves
1 1⁄2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 pounds bone in and skin on chicken thighs

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Process:

  1. Combine everything into a marinade in a 2 gallon freezer bag and marinade overnight or at least 8 hrs
  2. Remove chicken and drip dry.
  3. In a large skillet, fry the thighs skin side down first to render fat. Then flip over to crisp the non skin side. About 3-4 minutes high heat on skin side, then 2 mins flesh side then another 2 or so on skin side. You should end with crispy skin
  4. Cut the peppers in half to free up the love.
  5. Put the chicken into a flat Le Creuset side by side and pour the marinade love with all the chunkage into  it.
  6. Cook medium low for about 30 minutes. Moving the thighs around so they cook evenly. Move the chiles around so they are in the liquid
  7. At about 25-30 minutes, take out chicken and put skin side up on a foil covered baking sheet.
  8. Broil until the skin is super crispy. Once crispy turn off oven and leave in warm oven.
  9. Meanwhile turn up the marinade in the Le Creuset to medium and cook way down to sauce level. Once you reach sauce level, remove chiles and bay leaves, squish the garlic cloves in the sauce
  10. Pour over chicken and rice

Truffle Pasta

Ingredients:
1/2 jar Tartufata sauce (100 grams)
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion (minced)
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
white wine
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 box ETTO Trombe Pasta
Sauce Preparation
1. In a medium size saucepan, saute onion in butter until translucent
2. Add a splash of white wine
3. Then add 1/2 jar Tartufata sauce
4. Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream until blended

Pasta Preparation
1. Boil water for pasta then add 2 tbsp of Kosher salt
2. Add the pasta and cook to al dente
3. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and add the pasta directly to the pan with the sauce.
4. Stir pasta and sauce together while adding small amounts of pasta water (1 ladle at a time as needed) until all the pasta is sauced with a glistening shine.

Lanya’s Salmon Cups

Salmon ingredients:

  • 1 lb salmon, skin removed + cubed small
  • 2 table olive oil
  • 1 table sesame oil
  • 2 tables low  soy sauce
  • 1 table unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 table honey
  • 1 table ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 table sesame seeds
  • 2 scallions, diced

Glaze ingredients:

  • 1 table toasted sesame oil
  • 2 table honey
  • 2 tea soy sauce
  • 1 tea Sriracha sauce
  • 1 tea ginger
  • 1 tea sesame seeds

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk the olive, oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds and scallions. Add in the cubed salmon and marinate for two hours +
  • Cut nori into muffin slot size squares
  • Preheat oven to 400
  • Add rice to each muffin nori square, add about 1 heaping tablespoon of rice and spread out slightly. Transfer the square to your muffin slot, pushing down gently to center the rice in the middle with the edges coming up along the sides of the slot.
  • Grab out 6-7 salmon cubes and fill each muffin slot.
  • Transfer the pan to your oven and bake for 6-7 minutes.
  • Finish with a broil to get some color on the fish 1-2 minutes

Plate up and drizzle the glaze.

 

Oven Baked BBQ chicken

This is a simple recipe to make bbq chicken in oven or grill without the mess. All you need is bone in chicken, bbq sauce, a dry rub and an italian dressing marinade. All the ingredients are interchangeable, it’s more about the process. Found this general process and the marinade recipe from Flavor Mosaic.

  • Buy 8 bone in chicken thighs. Make sure you ask the butcher to take the skin off, this allows the rub and the marinade to get into the meat. I am sure they will since you tip them well each holiday. You do tip them dont you?
  • Start by marinating the chicken the night before in Italian dressing. Here is a simple home made recipe but anything works, even store bought or a simpler version of the below. 
  • The Marinade Recipe (could be store bought or scaled way back)
    • 4 tablespoons olive oil
    • 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 2 limes juiced 
    • 3-4 teaspoons splenda or any kind of sweetener
    • 1 tablespoon salt (or more to taste)
    • 1.5 tablespoons cumin
    • 1.5 tablespoons garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Preheat oven/grill to 425.
  • Take the chicken out when you are ready to bake. Drain the liquid from the chicken and blot/wipe off excess liquid.  Add dry rub. I use the general mixture below because of its weirdish sweet and sour combo but anything works. As long as u can, but even real time works.
  • The dry rub recipe
    • 20% Homemade oxroast 
    • 20% Amchur (An indian dry mango spice)
    • 15% garlic powder
    • 10% salt
    • 10% paprika
    • 15% New Orleans style rub
    • 10+% Smoked salt 
  • Place a baking rack on a baking sheet (foil). The rack is key so you don’t have extra moisture and / or sticking
  • Place the chicken on the baking rack or upper grill upside down and cook for 15 minutes
  • Flip back to right side up and go for 10-15 more minutes. This allows all sides to be dry-ish.
  •  Brush the bbq sauce (any bbq sauce) on the now hopefully almost crispy/at least dry chicken and go for 10+ minutes
  • Test it…use meat thermometer should be amazing.

Updated Grill version

  • Buy 10 bone in chicken thighs. Make sure you ask the butcher to take the skin off, this allows the rub and the marinade to get into the meat. I am sure they will do it, since you tip them very well each holiday. You do tip them don’t you?
  • Start by marinating 3+ hours up to overnight. Here is a simple home made recipe:
  • The Marinade Recipe (could be store bought or scaled way back)
    • 4 tablespoons olive oil
    • 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 lemon juiced 
    • 6 packs of splenda or any kind of fake sweetener
    • 1 tablespoon salt 
    • 1.5 tablespoons cumin
    • 1.5 tablespoons garlic powder
  • Preheat grill to 425.
  • Take the chicken out when you are ready to bake. Drain the liquid from the chicken and blot/wipe off excess liquid.  Add dry rub. As long as u can, but even real time works.
  • The dry rub recipe
    • Amchur (An indian dry mango spice)
    • New Orleans style rub
    • Brown sugar type rub as well (salmon rub)
  • Place the chicken on the upper grill upside down and cook for 15 minutes
  • Flip back to right side up and go for 10-15 more minutes. This allows all sides to be dry-ish.
  •  Brush the bbq sauce (any bbq sauce) on the now hopefully almost crispy/at least dry chicken and go for 10+ minutes
  • Test it…should be amazing 

Chicken Kebab Marindade

This marinade is enough for 3 or 4 large breasts, cubed. Ideally marinate for about 8 hours

Ingredients:

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (+)
6 cloves of garlic crushed
1.5 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon dry thyme
4 teaspoon dry oregano
4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1.5 teaspoon cumin
2 tbsp + fresh chopped parsley
1 whole white onion chopped (red?)

Grilled Portobello Mushroom

This is a simple dish that works as an appetizer or as a main. The thickness of the shrooms gives you a juicy mouthful with every bite.

Ingredients:

  • Portobello tops
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Onion Powder
  • Good Balsamic
  • Olive Oil (good stuff, not reg cooking stuff)

Prep

  1. Discard the stems.
  2. Place shrooms gills up on a baking sheet or anything large and flat
  3. Dose lightly with olive oil, think in terms of covering most of gills with oil.
  4. Sprinkle the salt, paprika, garlic and onion on the gills.
  5. Lightly drizzle balsamic on the gills, not too much.
  6. Flip over and coat the tops with olive oil
  7. Let marinate at room temp, 15-30-60 mins work

Grilling:

  1. Over medium heat, set gill side down for about 5-10 minutes, checking periodically to make sure that you aren’t burning them
  2. Flip over turn and heat to low and let roast for a good bit. Most of the cooking happens this way.
  3. Check periodically, when they start to soften and juice pools up in middle they are done. You don’t want mush. Given they are different sizes, you will want to utilize the top rack for the smaller ones at some point to get them all on the same page.

DONE

Dry Aged NY in Red Wine Sauce

This is a red wine sauce for any steak but its ideal for a dry aged NY Steak when being used as an appetizer. Huge burst of flavor.

For the steak. Simple but key.

Dry aged is paramount, its a different food group entirely. Anyone who carries dry aged, is aging themselves. You will want them to cut for you. A 2″ thick cut is critical for maximizing the texture profile. The sauce is for 2 steaks.
Bring the steaks to room temp or at least not cold, an hour or so out of fridge.
Salt and pepper
Put in toaster oven at 185 degrees ish for 7-9 min each side. You are trying to warm it, not cook it.
Take out and dry well and hit it with more salt and pepper.
Get your cast iron smoking hot, or whatever you use to sear. Add your oil, I use olive but a higher temp oil is even better.
Sear on each side for 3 – 5 min to get a crust, do the poke test for doneness.
Let rest then move your attention the the sauce, which will be made in the same pan

For the Sauce:

Ingredients
1 to 2 tablespoon drippings from steak
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup minced shallots
1 cup red wine
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs fresh thyme plus more for garnish
1 cup beef stock
2 Tablespoons butter

Reserve 1 Tablespoon steak drippings from your cooked steak in the pan over medium heat.There will be extra oil, try to get rid of it without getting rid of the love.
Heat back up, then, add garlic and shallots and saute, stirring until tender, about 2+ minutes.

Add the wine, beef stock, balsamic vinegar, and fresh thyme sprigs. Bring liquid to a rapid simmer over medium heat. Turn heat down and let it reduce for a while. A good 7-10 mins. You will know when its ready,

Remove the thyme from the sauce and turn the heat to simmer. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Cut the the thin fat edges off of the steak and slice the steak very thin against the grain. Lay out on a platter and drizzle sauce on but make sure to keep enough so everyone can go to town drenching on their own.

Do’s: dry age, high heat.
Dont’s: pull off the sauce to soon, must reduce

Burger Seasoning (Ox Roast)

This is the shit. A take on the Ox Roast seasoning used to make burgers back in the day on the Sonoma square. Mix into your burger prep liberally, you will figure out your amt over time. For testing just fry a touch in a small skillet before committing to grilling for your guests.

Just mix it all together. This makes about 4 typical seasoning containers.

  • 4 tbsp fine white pepper
  • 6 tbsp hickory smoked salt (alder works if you cant find)
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt (or use all hickory and no kosher)
  • 2 tbsp. + 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp parsley flakes
  • 2.5 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tsp curry
  • 5 tsp thyme
  • 4 tsp tarragon
  • 4 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp celery seed (ground)

Smoked Juicy Swordfish

A great way to make Swordfish. You need a smoker, I have a rectec 700. Most of us don’t order Swordfish when we are out because it always comes out a bit chewy. Still tasty but a bit carnivorous. When you smoke over very low heat you get to control the temperature which means you get to have a moist managed fish. This recipe is in beta, so if you are one of my 4 million Instagram followers, check back often.

Ingredients:

  • 1 thick swordfish steak
  • Top shelf olive oil, use your salad olive oil
  • Steak Rub, like a Montreal or any flavorful rub that isn’t a rib/bbq rub
  • Smoker and pellets (I used cherry pellets)

The Process:

  1. Rub kind olive oil on both sides of the steak
  2. Put on rub, not too much… its fish. Let sit for an hour or more in fridge
  3. Heat smoker to 205
  4. Place in smoker, insert meat probe in largest part of steak
  5. Smoke it until it reaches 110
  6. Move it to your grill, which you should have cranked
  7. Sear the fish on both sides, maybe 2 min each side
  8. Put back on smoker, insert meat probe
  9. Pull the fish at 125 and let sit for 5-10 minutes 
  10. Serve with your favorite creamy chipotle-like ‘dressing’

Do’s:

  • Thick piece of fish
  • Hot grill for searing at end

Don’ts:

  • Overcook. If you do, go back to the restaurant and eat their swill