Category: Mediterranean

Panko Macadamia Nut-Crusted Fish Filets

This quick fish recipe comes together in 30 minutes and won’t leave your kitchen smelling like fish or fish stuck to you pan. Serve with homemade tartar sauce, lemon wedges and a few slices of ripe avocado.

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Salmon Poached in White Wine with Penne and Asparagus

This delicious seafood pasta dish comes together in about 45 minutes, is simple to make and relatively inexpensive.  Its clean, bright flavor profile yields a result greater than the sum of its parts and it is therefore both perfect for a weeknight dinner and elegant enough for a romantic dinner for two.

Time: 45 minutes
Level: Easy
Cost: Approximately $4/plate
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  1. 1 large salmon filet, approximately 1lb, cut into four pieces and skin removed
  2. 2 TBSP Kosher salt
  3. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  4. 1 small shallot, minced
  5. 1 TBSP unsalted butter
  6. 1 TBSP olive oil
  7. zest of 1 lemon
  8. 1 TBSP capers (optional)
  9. 1lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
  10. 1/3 bottle cheap but drinkable dry white wine
  11. 1 box (1lb) penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
  12. Handful (approximate 1/3 – 1/2 cup) fresh parsley, finely chopped
  13. juice of two lemons
  14. grated parmesan cheese (optional, for serving)

Instructions

  1. Begin by heating water for pasta and blanching asparagus.  Make sure it is at a rolling boil and then add a good 2 TBSP of Kosher salt.  Blanching the asparagus will turn the water green, but also impart a vegetal favor to your pasta which is subtle and quite nice.
  2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan until melted over medium low heat.  While butter is still foamy, lower the heat to low and add the shallots, garlic and lemon zest.  Cook until fragrant and shallots are soft, 2-3 minutes.  If the garlic starts to brown, you’ll have to start over, so go slowly and use very low heat.
  3. When aromatics (shallot, garlic, lemon zest) are just barely sizzling, add white wine and capers, if using.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Add the salmon filets to the liquid, cover the pan, and allow to sit at a bare simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until salmon reaches an internal temperature of 130°F.  If you are using a very good pan with excellent heat retention, you may be able to off the heat entirely and allow the salmon to poach in the residual heat.  Bottom line:  The lower and slower the better.
  4. While salmon is poaching prepare asparagus and pasta.
    1. Add asparagus to boiling water, return to a boil, and cook 3-4 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and rise immediately under cold running water (or shock them in an ice bath) to stop the cooking process.  Set aside.
    2. Cook pasta according to package directions.  If salmon is still not done once pasta is finished, drain in a colander and set aside.  Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
  5. Once salmon is up to temp, carefully remove to a cutting board and allow to rest.  Be careful, it will be very tender and flakey and you don’t want it to fall apart just yet.
  6. Add penne and asparagus to sauté pan and toss in the sauce until well combined.  Add a couple tablespoons of pasta water to thicken the sauce if neccessary.
  7. Slice salmon filets into small, bite-sized pieces and add to the pan with the sauce, asparagus and penne.
  8. Squeeze the juice of two lemons into the pan and add a handful of chopped parsley.  Use salad tongs to gently toss until combined and serve.  Pass parmesan at the table.

Pan Seared Lamb Loin Chops with Garlic Cream Sauce

The thing that makes this dish is the garlic cream sauce.  A fusion between Mediterranean and French flavor profiles, this dish is at the same time both tangy and mellow, sweet and savory and all-around amazing.

Time – Active: 60 minutes
Time – Inactive:  2-4 hours of marination for the lamb and 45 minutes to roast garlic
Level: Easy
Cost: $8-10/plate
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For the Lamb:

  1. 2-3 lbs Lamb Loin Chops (figure on 3 per person; they’re about 1/4lb each)
  2. Juice of two lemons (divided)
  3. 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
  4. Kosher salt and pepper
  5. 1/4 cup olive oil
  6. 2 TBSP clarified butter, Canola, or vegetable oil

For the Garlic Cream Sauce:

  1. 3 heads (that’s right, heads) of garlic
  2. 3 TBSP olive oil
  3. 2 TBSP unsalted butter
  4. 1 small shallot, minced
  5. 1/4 cup brandy
  6. 1/2 cup dry white wine
  7. 1 140z can low sodium chicken broth
  8. 1/4 cup heavy cream
  9. Salt, to taste
  10. Juice of 1 lemon.

Instructions

Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, minced garlic, juice of three lemons, salt and pepper, and lamb loin chops in a mixing bowl and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate.  Allow to marinate for 2-4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Remove most of the outer paper from your 3 heads of garlic.  Cut the top off the heads (opposite the root end), exposing the garlic cloves inside.  Drizzle 1 TBSP olive oil over each clove.  Place in an oven safe baking dish, cut side up, and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Place in oven and roast until very soft and sweet, about 45 minutes.  (Begin checking after 30 minutes; use a cake tester or toothpick to test for softness).  Remove from oven and allow to cool, remaining covered.

Reduce oven temperature to 275°F.  Place marinated lamb loins on a wire rack set on a baking sheet, and bake until internal temperature is around 125°F, approximately 30 -45 minutes (cook with temperature not time; use an instant read thermometer to verify).

While the lamb is coming up to temp in the oven, use a butter knife to help coax the roasted garlic cloves out of the heads.  They will be soft and sticky so if they come apart a bit that’s okay.  Reserve the roasted cloves in a small bowl.

Once the lamb is up to temp, remove from the oven and allow to rest for a couple of minutes under loose foil.  Meanwhile, in a large heavy bottomed skillet or sauté pan, heat either 2 TBSP clarified butter, vegetable or Canola oil until very hot, around 400°F.  Carefully add the lamb loins to the hot pan, and sear, about 3 minutes on each side until deeply browned and you have a nice crust on your lamb and a beautiful fond in your pan.

Note:  Work in batches if you have to.  4-6 loins at a time is probably a good number, but remember:  each time you add a loin to the pan, you reduce the overall pan temperature somewhat.  Add too many and your lamb loins will steam, not brown.

Once you’ve got your lamb seared off, remove them from the pan and allow them to rest on the wire racked baking sheet loosely tented with aluminum foil while you make the garlic cream sauce.

Pour off the fat in the pan and lower the heat.  Melt 2 TBSP unsalted butter in the pan.  Once butter is melted but still slightly foamy, add the minced shallot and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute, being careful not to brown.  Add 1/4 cup brandy and flambé.  Add white wine and chicken broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any remaining fond from the bottom of the pan.  Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and reduce sauce until thickened to desired consistency, 8 – 10 minutes.  Once sauce is thickened, off the heat and stir for 2-3 minutes to bring down the overall temperature.

 Note:  For a smoother, creamier sauce, use an immersion blender to pureé or transfer contents of the pan to a blender and blend until smooth.

Squeeze juice of one lemon into sauce and stir to incorporate.  Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and/or pepper as necessary.

Note:  Lemon and cream taste great together, but they are not friends.  If you add the lemon while the sauce is still too hot, the acidity in the lemon will curdle your cream sauce, and that will suck.  So make sure it is cooled down somewhat before adding the lemon juice.  Also, pro-tip: never add cream to a sauce with lemon already in it as that will almost always result in curdling the cream; instead, do it in the order prescribed here:  Reduce cream sauce, off the heat, allow to cool, and stir in lemon juice at the end.

Serve lamb with rice pilaf, Caesar Salad, and garlic cream sauce on the side.

Caesar Salad

This Homemade Caesar Salad is tangy, delicious and the perfect compliment to almost any meal. If the whole raw egg and homemade emulsion thing either makes you nervous, or it’s just too much work, you can make a simpler, equally delicious version that will last you longer in the fridge – just substitute the 1 cup vegetable oil and the raw egg for 1 cup of mayo (preferably Kewpie, but any mayo will work great).

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Seared Lamb Loin with Garlic and Lemon

Lamb tends to be one of those things that people either love or hate.  For a long time, I hated it because the only way I’d ever had it prepared was slow braised in a crockpot, stew-style, and served with mint jelly.  While that may be some people’s cup of tea, it wasn’t mine.  Then I figured out that lamb could be prepared much like steak – served medium rare.  When served like this, it has a rich, complex flavor that makes an excellent alternative to beef.

Time: 60 Minutes
Level: Easy
Cost: $8-10/plate
Serves: 4-6

This particular recipe uses lamb loins although lamb chops would work just as well.  Lamb loins look like tiny T-bone steaks – which is essentially what they are, just from a lamb instead of a cow (i.e., tenderloin on one side and strip steak on the other).  As such, they are totally delicious.  Because they’re small, they don’t have a lot of meat on them.  My boys and I can easily polish off about four; my wife will eat two.  Even still, if you can find them on special it makes for a pretty economical meal.  Also, this recipe is SUPER easy.

Ingredients

  1. 12 – 16 Lamb Loins (serves 3-4 hungry folks)
  2. 3 TBSP Olive Oil
  3. 6-8 garlic cloves (finely minced or pressed)
  4. juice of one lemon
  5. kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

 

Method

Consider trimming a bit of fat off the outside of the lamb loins if they’re particularly fatty.  1/4 to 1/8 inch or so is probably good.  I probably should have done that for this recipe; I will next time.  In either case, no biggy – they came out great.

Place lamb loins in large tossing bowl and add olive oil.  Toss to coat.  Add garlic, lemon, salt and pepper.  (Note:  Normally I don’t like garlic presses, but in this case I’ll usually opt to press my garlic because it’s easier than mincing them into a paste, which is really what needs to happen).  Cover and refrigerate for as little as 20 minutes or as long as 12 hours.

If preparing in the kitchen, preheat the oven to 300F.  Line a baking sheet with oven-safe parchment paper for easier clean up.  Add 1 TBSP olive oil to a cast iron or copper skillet, and heat to very hot until oil is shimmering and smoking slightly.  Sear lamb loins in batches, 2-3 minutes per side or until nicely browned.  Don’t overcrowd the pan.  Transfer lamb loins to baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 130F for medium-rare.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

If preparing on the grill, build a 2-zone charcoal fire or alternatively, on a gas grill,  light one or two burners only.  Shoot for 300F at grate level on the cool side (don’t rely on your grill’s thermometer, spend $5 on an oven thermometer at Home Depot and place it on your grill grate to ensure an accurate reading).  Add a couple of mesquite wood chunks, if you like (mesquite is perfect for this meal because of it’s strong flavor and the short smoking time involved).

Sear lamb loins on hot side of grill with the lid open for 3-5 minutes per side or until nicely browned.  Transfer to cool side and close the lid.  Grill for 15-20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 130F for medium-rare.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Remember:  In order to achieve a piece of meat that is perfect medium-rare end to end and seared on the outside (see picture) the meat needs to be the same temperature throughout when the cooking process begins.  I recommend going straight from the fridge to the grill/pan without letting it come up to temp on the countertop.  For more information see The Secret to Perfect Beef Roasts and Steaks.

Serve with steamed asparagus or green beans and rice pilaf.

Pairs well with Malbec (Argentina), Shiraz (Australia) or Red Zinfandel (California)