Category: Recipes

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

 

Edible Gold (kinda smoked salmon)

This is the best piece of food imaginable. A juicy succulent salmon that makes it hard to eat salmon any other way. It’s not classic smoked lox, it is a super moist yet fully cooked piece of fish. 

Sui generis. 

All it takes is skin off salmon and a teriyaki glaze. 

  1. Put salmon in marinade for an hr. 
  2. OR
  3. The Knepper method is to not marinade it, rather just brush it with a thick glaze just before putting in.
  4. Preheat smoker to 225
  5. I used to use planks but not necessary. Just on a raised grill.
  6. Smoke to 120 internal temp, takes about an hour
  7. Let sit a good 10 minutes before serving.

Scallops

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/4 pounds (600 grams) scallops
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 4-5 large garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic)
  • Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until hot and sizzling. Add the scallops in a single layer  
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and fry for 3 minutes on one side (until a golden crust forms underneath), then flip and fry again for 2 minutes until crisp, lightly browned and cooked through (opaque). Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
  4. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits left over from the scallops. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant (1 minute)
  5. Pour in wine and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes or until wine reduces by about half. Add cream and allow to simmer until slightly thickened.
  6. Remove pan from the heat; stir in lemon juice and add the scallops back into the pan to warm through slightly and garnish with parsley

Tomato chicken with anchovy

  1. 2.5 lbs of skin on chicken thighs
  2. Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
  3. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  4. 2 tablespoons butter
  5. 6 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
  6. 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
  7. 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
  8. 4 ripe plum tomatoes cut into small cubes + 14 oz canned tomatoes, drained and chopped)
  9. 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  10. 1/2 cup drained capers
  11. 1 cup dry white wine
  12. 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
  13. ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

  1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottom skillet. Add the chicken and saute over medium-high heat, turning the pieces often until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the shallots and garlic around the chicken. Cook briefly; add the tarragon, tomatoes, vinegar, capers, wine and tomato paste. Stir to dissolve the brown particles adhering to the bottom of the skillet.
  3. Blend well, bring to a boil
  4. Remove chicken and sear in separate skillet
  5. Put back in pan and then cover and simmer for 9 minutes. (or til done but not overcooked)
  6. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.