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seafood

Seared Scallops and Fennel Risotto

October 16, 2018 by Eva Louise 1 Comment

Nothing feels more triumphant than expertly mastering a difficult dish. For me, it’s my seared scallops and fennel risotto. And I know I’m awesome at it because it’s hands down the most requested dish I make for special occasions. I’ve been making (and perfecting) it for almost ten years and I think I’ve finally got it down. As for the risotto, this one features fennel but you could easily do a butternut squash and sage one, a beet root one, a pesto one…the list goes on.

A note on the scallops, since you know, I’m like, THE expert. Searing scallops is not easy, it takes patience and a hot-ass pan. The trick is to not be afraid of the heat and to not be tempted to shake the pan or peek under the scallops before they are actually ready. The reward is crispy and tender scallops and a buttery, fragrant risotto. An important thing worth emphasizing: be sure to get “dry” or “diver” day boat scallops. Fishmongers often store scallops (and most seafood) in a salt solution to maintain freshness and make the appearance of the seafood more plump. Avoid this at all cost- and yes, day boat scallops are more expensive. If you don’t, that’s a one-way ticket to squishy, squeaky, wet scallops and you’ll get annoyed and curse me and never attempt these again.

Keep practicing with this one!

1 vote

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Seared Scallops and Fennel Risotto

Prep 45 mins

Cook 1 hour

Total 1 hour, 45 mins

Yield 2-4 servings

Ingredients

For the scallops

  • 1 pound (about 12- 15) dry day boat scallops
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the risotto

  • 1 cup arborio (risotto) rice
  • 1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3-6 garlic gloves (per your preference)
  • 1 onion, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 cup cheese from a block of good salty parmesan or pecorino
  • 1/2 cup good dry white wine
  • 6-8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 3T ish olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1.  Line a cookie sheet or large platter with 2 layers of paper towel.
  2. Prepare the scallops by rinsing them thoroughly to remove sand and the muscle on the side of each scallop. This is a tough, fibrous piece that looks kind of like the tab on a soda can. Feed it to your cats or dog and make them happy.
  3. Place clean scallops on the paper towel-lined cookie sheet and dry as thoroughly as possible. They should be almost sticky they are so dry. Keep them on the paper towel and place in fridge.
  4. De-core and chop fennel into small 1/2 inch cubes. Fennel doesn't breakdown as much as an onion does when cooked so whatever size you chop it to, assume it will stay that size. Keep a few fronds for garnish at the end if you're feeling fancy.
  5. Chop onions; peel and slice or crush the garlic.
  6. In a dutch oven or large pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Once glistening, add the risotto rice and toast for about 3 minutes then add fennel, onion, salt, pepper and half your portion of garlic and sauté until onion and fennel are soft.
  7. In a separate saucepan, heat stock or broth and keep on low to simmer. More on this below.
  8. Take swig of wine, then deglaze pan with a good glug or 1/2 ish cup of it. Once wine has evaporated, ladle in one cup of warm broth into the risotto and continue to add a ladle at a time until each cup is absorbed by the rice.  Be patient with this step. It's kind of annoying but makes the risotto really creamy and tender without the cream! The risotto will tell you ultimately how many cups it needs so don't worry if you have a little broth left over in the small pot.
  9. Once risotto starts to soften (about 20 mins), add remaining garlic, a huge whack of good salty cheese, about 1/2 cup and check in on your salt and pepper levels.
  10. Start heating a large skillet (NOT a non stick one) for your scallops on high. Coat with 2 ish tablespoons of olive oil, depending on your skillet size. Pull scallops out of fridge and sprinkle one side with salt and pepper. Note: we waited to salt the scallops until the last second to avoid drawing water out of them. Goal is to keep them as dry as possible to get the best sear.
  11. Wet your finger under the faucet and flick water off your finger into the oil in the skillet. It should hiss, spit and pop when you do this. If it doesn't, wait and try again once pan is hotter.  Only when the skillet passes the water test, carefully place scallops seasoned side down into the pan.  Let sear for about 3-4 minutes and then flip. If the scallop is properly seared, it shouldn't stick to the pan and you should see the brown carmelization creeping up the side of the scallop. This takes practice. Finish second side for 2 mins and transfer scallops to a platter or just turn off the burner.
  12. Check on your risotto, adding any remaining stock to finish cooking the rice. If needed, add fresh crushed garlic, salt, pepper depending on what you think it needs. Garnish with some more cheese and the reserved fennel fronds.
  13. Spoon some creamy risotto onto a pretty plate with 4-6 scallops nestled on top and be sure to drizzle any scallop juice from the pan or plate onto the dish before serving.

Filed Under: Dinner, Pasta & Grains, Recipes, Seafood Tagged With: recipe, seafood

A Grill’s Best Friend: The Cedar Plank

May 19, 2014 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

 

Cedar Plank Salmon

My cedar plank salmon with fresh herbs

Oh jeez, oh jeez! Summer is just around the corner and I’m already smackin’ my lips thinking about all the delicious things I want to throw on the BBQ. Fancy grilling tools like spatulas in the shape of American flags, pig-shaped BBQs, or inappropriate aprons like the ones with naked man or human-sized turkey print (my preferred choices) are obviously important, but all my votes go to the cedar grilling plank as the most essential BBQ accessory.

I soak the cedar planks in water for 4 hours (to keep them from burning), then place a simply-seasoned salmon filet on top before placing on the grill. The woody aromas completely penetrate the salmon; the tree sap caramelizes around the filet and it’s just **sigh**… yea…wow. Amazing. You must try it.

Food52’s ears must be burning because they are  featuring a 4-pack of grilling planks on their Provisions website right now and One King’s Lane is featuring a Plank Grilling Cookbook. Get ’em while they’re hot!

Cedar Plank 4-pack

Food52’s Grilling 4-pack. Photo by James Ransom

 

ZCedar Plank Grilling

One King’s Lane is selling Plank Grilling by Dina Guillen

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: bbq, grilling, salmon, seafood, summer

So…this happened: Epic Crab Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Garlic Breadcrumbs

February 24, 2014 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

 DSC_0644DSC_0647

Stingray is coming home from Ethiopia soon and I can tell he’s seriously hankering for some of my homemade cooking.  I thought it would be fun to drive his belly bonkers by posting this epic crab pasta with vodka sauce that I made for the family a while back. It’s a Serious Eats’ recipe for Pasta with Crab, Tomato, and Chilies and it’s a knockout. It’s a simple set of ingredients with a medium level of difficulty (you need to blend the hot tomato sauce which I find to be challenging to do without incident), and one of the few recipes I actually followed entirely. The recipe is made extra delicious with the addition of homemade garlic breadcrumbs; with these I can assure you, there will be no leftovers. I’m sorry to report (not!) that my version was made with fresh dungeness crab that Dad caught earlier in the day. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Enjoy this beauty.

Pasta with Crab, Tomato, and Chilies

DSC_0646

 Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons  butter
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly broken up by hand
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup vodka
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small red hot chili, finely sliced (optional)
  • 2 slices rustic bread, roughly torn
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 pound fresh spaghetti, fettucini, or tagliatelle (dry pasta can also be used)
  • 1 pound lump or jumbo lump fresh crab meat (get the good stuff)

Instructions

  1. Heat butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and foaming subsides. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Add vodka and simmer for 4 minutes longer. Don’t blow up the kitchen!
  2.  Transfer mixture to a blender and blend on high speed until completely smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer 2 cups to a large saucepan. Reserve remaining sauce for another use. Don’t burn yourself!
  3.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine bread, a garlic clove and remaining olive oil in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs are formed. Transfer to a medium skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and tossing constantly until golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl. Season bread crumbs to taste with salt and pepper and add a pinch of parsley and chives. Toss to combine. Set aside.
  4.  Add crab and optional sliced chilies to saucepan with sauce and stir to combine. Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water just until it is barely cooked through, about 2 minutes (if using dry pasta, cook according to package directions). Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to saucepan with sauce stir in remaining herbs. Heat over high heat until sauce is simmering and pasta is completely coated, adding reserved pasta water as necessary to thin sauce to desired consistency. Serve immediately, topping with bread crumbs.

 

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: crab, dinner, pasta, seafood, tofino

All Hail the Sandwich King: The Havarti Dill Salmon Melt

November 15, 2013 by Eva Louise 1 Comment

awesomeness

We’ve discussed this before but let me reiterate – Stingray is the supreme sandwich maker as evidenced by this post. No, but actually… he is.   He’s detail oriented and patient enough to make my sandwich just the way I like it. Don’t even get me started on his egg sandwiches…*eyes cross in ecstasy*

Anyway, I called him from work the other night and asked him to make me a delicious dinner (I do all the cooking, therefore I can demand this on the occasion) and this is what the genius came up with: an open-faced salmon melt with Havarti dill and a lemon aioli.  To make it a meal, we heated up some roasted vegetable soup, and I made a refreshing side salad of watercress with lemon juice and a zesty aioli to drizzle on the sandwich. It was heavenly.

amazing mealmoneyshotdelicious aoiliaioli

Salmon Melt with Havarti Dill and Lemon Aioli

Makes 2 

  •  2 fillets of 4-6 oz. salmon (Pacific salmon if you can get it)
  • 1 t Paprika
  • ½ t Cayenne
  • 1 t Italian seasoning
  • 1 t Herbs de Provence or some other hearty spice mix
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 T olive oil
  • S/P
  • 2 slices of fresh chewy bread
  • ¼ cup grated Havarti, or 2 slices from the deli
  • 2 T finely chopped dill

Preheat oven to 375

In a bowl mix paprika, cayenne, Italian seasoning, Herbs de Provence, lemon juice and olive oil until it’s a loose paste.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust flavoring; the mixture should be very salty and intense.

Rinse the salmon, pat dry and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.  If the skin is still on, leave it; the meat will lift away easily from the skin after it bakes.

Drizzle the bottom of a stone or glass dish (oven-proof obviously) with olive oil and place the salmon in the center of the dish, flesh side up.  Pour the herby paste mixture over  the salmon. Tuck the de-juiced lemon half next to the salmon for extra flavor and cover with aluminum foil and bake.  Depending on the thickness of the salmon, it should take about 15-20 minutes. A single, thinner fillet may only take  about 10-12 minutes. Hint: White tear drops will start to form on and around the salmon when it’s ready. Don’t be afraid to under cook the fillets slightly because next up is the broiler once the sandwich is assembled.

After they’re baked, keep the salmon fillets warm under the foil on a plate. Chuck the roasted lemon.

Lightly butter the 2 slices of chewy country bread.  Heat a pan to medium-high and toss on the buttered slices. Heat until golden brown.

On a cookie sheet, assemble the sandwiches by placing the slices of bread in the center of the cookie sheet, then a fillet of salmon on each slice. If the salmon is too thick, or looks awkward and block-ish, fan it out across the bread. The fillet will break apart naturally. Mix the fresh chopped dill with grated Havarti and sprinkle generously over the salmon.

Broil the open face sandwiches for about 3 minutes.  Check on them constantly so they don’t burn! They’re ready when the cheese is golden and bubbly and the oven hasn’t caught fire. #winning

Serve with a lemon aioli (recipe below),  a piping hot soup and a cool, crisp salad and you’re ready to go!

Lemon Aioli 

  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 T mayonnaise
  • 1 T finely chopped dill
  • cracked pepper

No magic here, mix all ingredients together until smooth and yummy. Adjust flavors as needed, serve with your delicious sandwich.

  

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: cheese, dinner, lunch, Main, salmon, sandwich, sauce, seafood

Put this in your pipe and smoke it! No, no, please just eat it with some cream cheese

August 23, 2013 by Eva Louise 4 Comments

candy1candy2

So you’re probably wondering, Evey, what’d you do with that Coho you slaughtered in your last post? I’ll tell you what we did, we made smoked salmon of course…we’re Jews after all…! Our smoked salmon is insanely delicious, meaty, brine-y and flavorful, not those slimy, thin, hot pink lox you get at the deli.  

accoutrements

All the accompaniments are just as essential as the smoked salmon: cream cheese, capers, red onion, tomatoes and lemons.

Obviously I’ll never make this in my New York apartment, but I would like to have this recipe on file. It’s funny because as I’m typing, I’m looking in the guest book of our Tofino house (we keep a guest book/journal every year so we can remember everything, recipes included) and apparently Dad calls this recipe his “Lil’ Chief Smoked Salmon Deluxe,” so we’ll continue to call it that.

Lil’ Chief Smoked Salmon Deluxe

salmonsalmon2

The process is quite long (about 13 hours door to door NOT including actually catching the fish) but nice and easy if you have the time and a smoker.  We start with a super intense brine with the ingredients below. Mom and Dad will adjust the recipe depending on what’s in fridge but you get the idea.  We leave the fillets to brine for about 4 hours in the fridge, then leave it to air dry on the counter until it forms the pellicle – that glossy, salty seal on the top of the fish which apparently helps the smoke adhere to the fish more effectively. Then we smoke it in our smoker (looks like a mini-bar fridge) for 6-8 hours at different temperatures (below). I might not be able to smoke the fish back in New York but I sure can eat it back in New York! Going to have to have you all over for brunch soon…

For the Brine

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup non-iodized salt
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • crushed garlic (knowing my family, a whole bulb)
  • onion powder or chopped onions

Smoke for:

  1. 1-2 hours at 100-120F
  2. 2-4 hours at 140F
  3. 1-2 hours at 175F

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner Tagged With: British Columbia, Canada, cooking, fish, food, recipe, salmon, seafood, smoking, tofino, tofino time

Sharpening My Dad Skills

August 22, 2013 by Eva Louise 3 Comments

blankcanvas

Let’s get started

Omelettes, baking (of any sort), pivot tables, PowerPoint presentations, refraining from opening other peoples’ mail,  picking up my dry cleaning when it’s actually ready, controlling my hanger (that special type of rage you get when you’re starving), cheese-making, sushi rolling, running…

These are all things I’m not particularly good at; the most devastating addition to this list is fish filleting.  It’s kind of pathetic given my family’s fishfolk status but my dad spoils me and presents me with perfectly filleted kitchen-ready salmon all the time…So, hey! What’s my motivation to figure out how to cut these damn things myself?!  In efforts to be more self-sufficient,  I finally tried my hand at filleting a whole Coho, under Dad’s direction of course.

I don’t know about you, but trying to learn stuff from Dad is the most frustrating and painful process. Ever. Yes, I love him and yes, he has tons of knowledge to impart but man, that guy has NO PATIENCE (cut to tear-laden movie montage of me learning to walk, ride a bike, drive a car…). And as articulate and commanding as he must have been on Wall Street back in the day, when he’s trying to teach me something he makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. 

So there we were with a Coho, 2 sharp knives and my lovely sister to document the whole thing…

wholesalmon

I started off strong….goodstart

Wouldn't be lesson learned without "too many cooks in the kitchen"!

When I’m struggling, it really helps when two people start giving me competing advice. Please, please provide me with competing advice. It calms me.

I just went haywire here with my hands criss-crossed. Under no circumstance does this look safe!

I just went haywire here with my hands criss-crossed. Under no circumstance does this look safe!

Filleting towards your own fingers...also not a good idea....

Filleting towards your own fingers…also not a good idea…

goodstart

Got my groove…kind of

awww

….I could strangle him right now! Eyyy…but I did it! Daddy’s so proud!success

Filed Under: Life & Travel Tagged With: British Columbia, Canada, dad, daughters, family, fathers, fish, knife skills, salmon, seafood, tofino, travel

Tofino Time: 2012 Foragers and Fishermens’ Mashup!

August 20, 2013 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

DSCN0788

My gorgeous dad, mom, sister and brother!DSCN0769 

It’s that time of year again…Tofino Time! The whole family made the great trek West and North to beautiful British Columbia for our week long family holiday filled with foraging and fishing adventures. My trip in particular took a whopping 16 hours…grrr…so admittedly it’s taken the past few days to get into vacation mode, but I’m in it! I’m in vacation mode….weeee!

For those of you who know my family, food and cooking are the main features of any FFV (Fowler Family Vacation). So to get my inspirational juices flowing for the week ahead, I looked back on last year’s postings. I had just started up the bloggy and I had so much fun documenting all of our delicious meals and the hilarious adventures that got the food to the table. Here are a few of our 2012 highlights; I can’t wait to share this week’s culinary delights!

Mom’s bangin’ Smoked Salmon and Clam Chowder from Clamming Leads to Clam Chowder

clam chowderclams

This video pretty much sums up the Fowler Family:

One of my all time favorites Chanterelle and Goat Cheese Tart  from What’d you do with all those Chanterelles?

mushroom tarttart

And finally, the kind of epic, kind of a fail “Shumai.” I’ve gotten a bit better, but here’s the original  Crab and Shrimp Shumai:

Crab and Shrimp Shumaidipping shumai

Filed Under: Life & Travel Tagged With: appetizers, British Columbia, Canada, cheese, cooking, crab, family vacation, fishing, food, mushrooms, outdoors, recipes, seafood, shrimp, soup, tofino

Israel Homecoming

August 12, 2013 by Eva Louise 1 Comment

jewish roadview

camels

I’m back from the motherland – the beautiful, complex country of Israel! I was there this past week for 10 days on a Taglit Birthright Trip getting my Jew on. I was carted around the Jersey-sized country, to Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem, to the Golan Heights and to the Negev Desert in a big ol’ tour bus with 39 other Jews. I don’t doubt we barely scratched the surface of Israeli exploration, but I really felt like I experienced a lot of the country…And most importantly, I can say I ate my weight in hummus and shwarma on this trip.

I had high expectations for the food there, and save for a few janky Kibbutz meals, I was seriously impressed.  My three highlights were Shakshuka, Ahi Tuna Fish ‘n’ Chips, and of course, ze Shwarma. Seriously, I freaking love shwarma. While there is no way I’d ever attempt making it, I can’t wait to attempt the Shakshuka and Tuna Fish ‘n’ Chips!

Photo credit shout out to my amazing new friend Justin Drazin, author of the Pillow Monster Series. (He took the pretty pictures, I took the food pictures.)

Shakshuska

Eggs baked in a scrumptious tomato, onion, pepper, herb mixture served with side salads and crusty bread.

Shakshuka

Kosher Ahi Tuna Fish ‘n’ Chips with Curry Mayo

Only the most brilliant riff on fish ‘n’ chips ever in the history of man.

ahifish and chips

Shwarma

Just…yea. Mmmm. Mmm. Mm!

shwarma

Some other amazing images from our adventures:

cave

Inside a water cistern at Masada

The Kotel at Dusk

The Kotel at Dusk

Farm land, Syria in the distance

Syrian farmland, view from Golan Heights

I want them all

I want them all

Grapes almost ready for harvest

Grapes almost ready for harvest

Shalom, Tel Aviv!

Shalom, Tel Aviv!

No Jew trip would be complete with a Jew nose pic

In case there was any doubt…I’m definitely a Jew!!

Filed Under: Dinner, Life & Travel Tagged With: birthright, breakfast, cooking, eating, eggs, fish, food, Israel, Jerusalem, Jewish, judaism, Middle East, recipes, religion, seafood, summer, Tel Aviv, travel

End of the Heat Wave!: Asparagus Ravioli with Seared Scallops

July 24, 2013 by myfriendsinfood 2 Comments

scallops and ravioli

We’ve just survived a brutal, swassy heat wave here in New York and  I swear, you couldn’t pay me to cook in my kitchen these days.  Luckily, protein bars and happy hours  have been sustaining me, but man, I’m really fiending some of my own food.

I started flicking through some of the dozens of unposted food photos I have on file and picked this homemade asparagus ravioli with lemon zest and mascarpone with seared scallops to share today. I made this earlier in spring time, at the beginning of asparagus season and cheated by using wonton papers which I’ve used for other recipes as well. (Link to that post here)  I’d love to try this with ramps or garlic scapes (maybe too late in the season??), or some other funky farmers market vegetable. I’ll definitely be trying this dish again.

Asparagus Ravioli with Lemon Zest and Mascarpone 

scallops and ravioli 2

  • zest of 1lemon
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 1 small dish of mascarpone cheese (about
  • block of Pecorino or Parmesan
  • 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic (optional), smashed or rough chopped
  • S/P to taste
  • wonton papers

Rinse and pat dry the bunch of asparagus and cut each stalk just below the crown.  Set the crowns aside for garnish later*. Cut and discard the dried or discolored bottoms of the stalks. These are normally dry and tough and not tasty. Rough chop the remaining stalks and toss into a food processor.

To the food processor, also add: 2 cloves of rough chopped garlic, a handful of chopped chives (they are so mild I love using a lot), 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 4 – 6 Ts of the mascarpone, 1/4 cup of pecorino, cracked pepper (hold on the salt until you taste the blended mixture). Pulse the mixture in the processor until mostly smooth and incorporated. Taste and adjust flavors accordingly. Salt, more garlic or more cheese might be necessary.  The consistency should be a bit stiff and asparagus-y; you don’t want the creaminess of the cheese to drown out that flavor, or for the filling to be too soggy.

Once the filling is a good consistency, prepare your station and start assembling your raviolis. For this, you need:

  • a big plastic cutting board
  • a drying rack (wipe with oil or spray it with Pam to keep the raviolis from sticking)
  • small ramekin of water

Lay out the wonton papers onto the cutting board and place a small dollop of filling in the middle. Dip your finger in the ramekin of water and wet the edges of the paper.  At this point you can either fold the wonton into a triangle, or place another wonton paper on top (recommended) to keep its square shape.  Make sure the edges are sealed fully and place on the drying rack.

Once all the raviolis are assembled and drying, boil water a shallow pot. Add salt and one layer of raviolis. Cook 2-4 minutes until the wonton paper is tight around the filling. Continue to cook the rest of the raviolis (or freeze the remainder). Use a slotted spoon to place on a pretty platter or on individual plates.

*In a saute pan,  heat a generous splash of olive oil and saute the reserved asparagus crowns with a few pinches of the chives for 2-3 minutes until al dente. Distribute evenly among the plated raviolis. 

Garnish the asparagus ravioli with lemon juice, lemon zest, chives, and pecorino. The pasta water, olive oil and lemon juice will naturally create the sauce for the dish. I served mine with seared scallops, but chicken or salmon would be awesome as well!

Filed Under: Dinner, Pasta & Grains, Sides Tagged With: asparagus, cheese, cooking, food, lemon, New York City, pasta, ravioli, recipes, scallops, seafood, summer

Heaven is a South African Kitchen

July 11, 2013 by Eva Louise 4 Comments

***This is the third and final post from my trip to South Africa. The previous posts are here and here***

Heaven on a plate

Heaven on a plate

On our final morning at the whimsical Miner’s compound, something amazing happened – I met the Miner’s wife, Jackie, who had been in the city during our drunken escapades the day before. We bumped into her at the back door of her kitchen in our efforts to say goodbye to our host and friends. She was directing a platoon of housemaids, with a voice so sensational  it was like the Cheshire Cat or an Afrikaans Miranda Priestly were yelling orders from behind a buzzing fan.  She had fiery red hair in a coif that Marge Simpson’s sisters might request at the hair salon and gorgeous bright eyes that will keep her looking youthful even when she turns 100. Just amazing.

“Come, come, come. You must have something to eat!” She said in same breath as her introduction.

Instead of staging our departure,  Stingray and I let Jackie take us  hostage (rather willingly) onto the back porch to enjoy a decadent breakfast of fruit salad, fresh yogurt, charcuterie and her homemade preserves (umm…is this real?!). We ended up staying so late that it was already time to enjoy lunch which we did, at the very same table.

I was gorged, spoiled and feeling rather useless so Jackie was gracious enough to let me cook with her in her amazing kitchen. She and I whipped up a Tuscan-style tuna salad with cannellini beans, fried eggplant with cilantro, a simple salad with a vino cotto vinaigrette, and a caprese salad with olive oil so rich it looked like gasoline.

table 2

As I chopped, (she and I in matching aprons) she told me the story of her gorgeous Chinese linens, her fruit trees, herbs and spices from her travels to the Middle East, and the painting class she’ll take in France later in the Summer.   So intimated by her amazingness, I interrupted her a few times to ask,  “How do you want this chopped? What else should I add to this? Am I doing this right?” “Dahling, everything you’re doing is just perfect, simply perfect.  Add whatever you’d like!” My only thought was: Eva, burn your passport so you can live with Jackie forever!…Do it, burn it now!

Once I finished shaking up my vinaigrette and the meal was almost ready, I started to chop a littler slower in attempts savor this moment with her.  When I go to Heaven, I know that the cafeteria will look just like Jackie’s gorgeous kitchen.

Tuscan-style Tuna Salad

tuna salad

Ingredients

  • 1 can of good  albacore
  • 1 can of canellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 shallot or small red onion, diced
  • 1-2  garlic cloves, grated
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • Olive oil
  • S and P to taste

Toss all ingredients together, in a beautiful bowl, except for tuna.  Add tuna and incorporate gently to try to keep it from breaking up too much.  Taste, adjust flavors accordingly.

Fried Eggplant with Cilantro

2 salads

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • Pepper to taste
  • maldon salt

Chop eggplant into 2 inch “pegs” and fry in olive oil until crispy and tender.  In the meantime, mix the lemon juice, grated garlic and pepper in a large bowl. Once the eggplant is done,  put directly in bowl with lemon juice mixture.  The olive oil absorbed in the eggplant will naturally balance out the acid.  Sprinkle maldon salt or another large-grained salt right before serving.

Caprese salad (everybody knows this one, right?)

Tomatoes, mozzarella and basil with high quality olive oil (lemon juice or balsamic were not added to the version pictured)

Green Salad with Vino Cotto Vinaigrette

green salad

  • 1/2 cup walnut oil
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1-2 T vino cotto (Italian sweet wine syrup)
  • 1 heaping T dijon mustard
  • 1/2 clove garlic, pressed or grated (optional)
  • S and P to taste

Shake all ingredients in a jar. Too sweet add more dijon, too thick add more oil. I served this with arugula and butter lettuce, some red onion left over from the other salads, a ripe avocado and some paprika for color.

Spiced, Wine-Poached Pears with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

In case I wasn’t already in food ecstasy at the end of our lunch, Jackie brought out some of her spiced, wine-poached pears and homemade vanilla ice cream and served it drizzled with grappa. It’s a miracle I didn’t implode into stardust after that.

Spiced, wine-poached pears with homemade ice cream

Spiced, wine-poached pears with homemade ice cream

lemons

A  diptych of her lemon tree…why not?

Filed Under: Life & Travel Tagged With: Africa, cooking, entertaining, food, lunch, recipes, salad, seafood, South Africa, summer, travel, vegetables, vegetarian, wine

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Welcome

I’m Eva Louise and welcome to Mind in the Butter! This is my food bloggy, showcasing my favorite dishes and recipes often inspired by and cooked for my loved ones. My goal with this blog is to eventually document every single dish I make so when I’m old and stale, I will be able to remember and celebrate memories from my favorite place…the kitchen!

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