Pepper Crusted Salmon with Creamy Chickpea Vinaigrette

Pepper Crusted Salmon and Chickpeas

I still have a lot to learn about how to properly cook fish. The thing is, I like fish to be pretty well done, which I know is not the way it’s supposed to be eaten. I just feel squeamish about the mushy texture of some raw fish. Tuna fillets? It’s ok if they’re a bit pink in the middle. Salmon and other flaky fish? No mush, thanks.

These salmon fillets were even harder to cook properly, because they were very thin on one side and very thick on the other, which is actually pretty normal, but hey. What do I know about fish? I was so afraid of burning it (and I did end up with a very smoky kitchen) that, sadly, the inside of the salmon was a little too pink for my taste. However, that could have been just perfect for someone else.

Despite my undercooked fish issues, this was a really unique and tasty dinner that left me feeling all healthy and nourished. And, yes, it was easy, though it did result in more dishes than I usually care to clean, including the difficult food processor. The chickpea side was also excellent the next day, sans fish, just tossed with some spinach and tomatoes. (Tomatoes which, by the way, seem to be coming back in season, at least if you get them imported from somewhere warmer than here.)

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Two Super Speedy Dinners: Penne with Arugula and Shrimp and Grilled Asparagus and Pesto Potato Salad

Penne with Arugula and Shrimp

Neither of these dinners really seemed to merit their own special posts. There are no innovative or difficult cooking techniques involved. Neither of them require unique combinations of ingredients or sought-after spices or even new-to-me greenery. Well, I never really cooked with arugula before, but otherwise this is all pretty run-of-the-mill. However, they were both so fast and delicious and felt so perfect for spring (which I’m still patiently waiting for, here in Boston) that I did want to share them. They are both perfect when you come home from work starving and want something healthier than a microwavable meal, but just as easy. In short, they will quickly become staples in my kitchen, I am sure.

A few key ingredients served to make these super speedy: store-bought pesto and frozen shrimp. How I can even think of writing about frozen shrimp on this, my food blog, is beyond me, except that it’s actually a good food innovation. Sorry to all you purists out there who wouldn’t even consider frozen shrimp. You can plug your ears and hum a little tune through all of this.

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The Most Ultimate of Awesome Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, we decided we had to concoct the very best, most ultimate grilled cheese sandwich of all time. And we would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for that pesky cast iron skillet! Actually, they were pretty awesome, despite sticking in the worst way to the pan, thus diminishing their prettiness for the camera. And while it might be possible for someone to create a more ultimate grilled cheese sandwich, I think it would be very difficult.

How does one grilled cheese sandwich end up more ultimate than another? We took our cue from a local Boston restaurant, Picco, which, instead of coating the bread with butter before grilling, coats each slice with a healthy dose of Mornay sauce. I have not actually had this famous grilled cheese, only read about it Boston Magazine’s January 2006 food issue, but as soon as I read it, I knew I’d have to try it. But that innovation was not enough. This sandwich would need something else to become ultimate, and that something else was…bacon!

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Radicchio and Prosciutto Risotto

Radicchio and Proscuitto Risotto

More risotto experimentation, and this one was a winner. The bitterness of the radicchio and the saltiness of the prosciutto are a perfect complement. I also learned another important piece of the risotto puzzle: Using a too-large skillet causes the stock to evaporate too quickly, thereby not cooking the rice exactly to its peak of creamy perfection. Dang! At least now I know. The big skillet is for risotto for six, the smaller skillet is for risotto for my household.

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Beets, glorious Beets

Beets and wine

I love beets. I have strong, passionate feelings about beets. This is belied by the fact that I hardly ever cook them. It’s not that I’m afraid of the pink-dyed hands, or the pink-dyed sink, or pink-dyed anything, really. It’s not that they’re time consuming–I cook lots of time consuming things. It’s not that they’re unavailable–I always see beets at the market. I don’t really know why I never cook beets. I just don’t. Until this week. And I was reminded of my love once again, as I ate up my lovely pink-dyed salad today.

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Green Curry with Snow Peas and Chicken

Green Curry

I am very new to the world of Asian cooking. So new, in fact, that this is the first time I’ve made curry that didn’t come straight from a jar, though I love curries of all kinds. For my first attempt, I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself. It could have used perhaps a bit more of the curry flavor, but it was buttery and spicy and the chicken stayed tender and overall, I count it a success.

Even better, it’s pretty darned healthy, which has become a big concern (er, obsession) with me lately. I blame reading Morgan Spurlock and Michael Pollan. Whatever the reason, this dinner fit right in: fresh veggies, organic chicken, and brown rice–I even used light coconut milk, which didn’t seem to diminish the buttery effect I love so much in curry at all. Bonus!

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Pipettes with Sauteed Shrimp and Peppers

Up on Shrimpy Mountain

More fun with alliteration! And a picture that obviously demonstrates Mr. X’s superiority at plating. This alliterative shrimp mountain was actually Saturday night’s dinner, which I’m only getting around to posting about now, despite the fact that it was totally easy and uncomplicated, because I am lazy. Actually, for once, I can claim busy-ness rather than laziness as the reason for my absence. I am currently in the midst of the one two-week period of each semester that I’m actually busy, but have decided today that I had to take my lunch break to satisfy my reading public. Ha. Aaaanyway.

Saturday night’s pasta dinner was awesome, and including prep took under half an hour. And I didn’t even buy my vegetables pre-sliced, a la Rachel Ray. The shrimp were a brilliant afterthought, too–we saw them at the market for less than the peppers cost, so in they went and I am glad they did. Not for the least reason that I got a great lesson in how to devein shrimp, way more efficiently than I did it last time I tried. Yay! Poop veins begone!

I’ll actually relay the recipe with all the prep steps included, so you can see that it really does take only about half an hour to do everything. Faster, even, if you’re a better chopper than me. I’m pretty slow with a knife, thus dooming any hopes I have of becoming a professional chef. Ah well.

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Pizza Chronicles, Part 3: Whole Wheat Crust and Turkey Meatballs

Whole Wheat Crusted Pizza

Apparently, it is my kitchen mission to mix and toss and stretch and top until I find the perfect home kitchen pizza dough. This, my friends, is the best I’ve tried so far. The crust was the closest to crispy its been yet, and any shortcomings are surely the fault of the pan on which I cooked said pizza, and not the crust itself. This time around I gave that dough a full 24-hour fermentation period. I let the oven heat for over 45 minutes, at 500F. I finally managed to stretch a pizza dough without ending up with huge gaping holes in random places. I think, yes, I believe I’m finally getting the hang of this!

The topping on this best-yet pizza dough was none too shabby, either. Fontina cheese, fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and some leftover turkey meatballs (from the meatball trauma of weeks ago)–man, this thing was deeelicious. After taking it out of the oven I sprinkled some coarsely ground sea salt and dried oregano over the thing, to loud and resounding applause from Miss Crystal. I had originally thought to add capers, and decided not to, but I’m thinking that would have been a nice idea.

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Astypalaian Biscuits, sort of

Astypalaian Close Up

Last week I found this random recipe for Greek Saffron biscuits. I am new the world of saffron, but I love Greek food, and these sounded pretty good. Apparently, they are these religious holiday-related biscuits that are only made on this Greek Island called Astypalaia. The ladies of the island of course harvest local saffron, and they make these only once a year or something, and they’re special. They also are supposed to take something like seven hours. I do not have seven hours of baking patience, especially not these days. So I decided to modify a little. Call it sacreligious if you will. This version is probably not the way they are supposed to be, but they were still good. Ignore the fact that they are shaped a little like poo.

These are meant to be baked for five hours at a low temperature, until all the moisture has been baked right out of them and they are presumably rock hard. This seems to make them last longer or something? I don’t really like rock hard biscuits. I baked them for less time. I also couldn’t find whole-fat cottage cheese at the hippy mart, because it’s the freaking hippy mart. How many times to I have to say it: They have nothing I need, ever, at the hippy mart. The only change I might make to this in the future would be to add a ton more salt, because I like things salty. But as they are these are very unique savory biscuit treats.

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The Frozen Bananoid Disaster of Aught-Seven

Frozen Bananoid, kind of

Last week I got the inclination to re-create one of my favorite childhood treats–Frozen Chocolate-covered Bananas. My favorite children’s cookbook calls them Frozen Bananoids, which, aww, isn’t that cute. I should probably have consulted said favorite children’s cookbook yesterday, when I finally got around to actually making this favorite delectable treat. I left out a crucial ingredient and ended up with a banana disaster.

Disaster may be too strong a word, really. No one was harmed, and the frozen banana things are edible, even if they do look a little weird. I just feel like a bit of a dumbass for screwing up a recipe I made a million times when I was ten.

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