My brother Bill is in town from the Florida Keys. I invited him over to try out a Bobby Flay recipe of striped bass in a lobster broth. Being Bill, he asks, “Lobster broth, without lobster tails?” Being Bill, of course he showed up with the tails, mighty big ones I might add. I’ll try Flay’s striped bass next time.

So we went for a hike along the coast, checked out the aftermath of the major landslide that occurred in November, then cooked a dinner that was simple and easy to prepare yet had complex flavor pairings and was nothing short of extraordinary. My thanks to Bill and Bobby.

Your Next Lobster Tail Recipe

Sherry Cognac Lobster Broth

• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 small shallots, finely diced
• 1/4 c. sherry
• 1/4 c. cognac
• 3 c. lobster stock, homemade or store-bought
• 20 live Manila clams, scrubbed
• 3/4 c. frozen corn kernels
• 1/4 c. chopped parsley
• 1 T. chopped tarragon

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan, sauté shallot until soft. Add sherry and cognac, cook until evaporated. Add lobster stock, bring to a boil, and reduce slightly. Add clams, cover, and cook until clams open their shells. Discard clams that do not open. Using a slotted spoon, transfer clams to 2 large serving bowls and keep warm.

Add the corn to the broth and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes, then add the herbs. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, slice the lobster tail shell down the center, leaving the tail end intact. Pry open the shell and lift out the meat, close the shell and place the meat back on top of the shell. Brush with olive oil, and season with paprika, Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook under the broiler until the meat is just opaque, taking care not to overcook.

Ladle the hot lobster broth over the clams. Place a lobster tail in the center of each bowl. Garnish with parsley and tarragon. Serve with toasted baguette for sopping up the heavenly broth.

Photos taken on our hike with iphone instagram filter:

pacific coast, san pedro, california

catalina island view

sunset @ white point

This lobster recipe is the first in a five-part series over the next few months, where I cook from inspiration from the 5 cookbooks I was overjoyed to receive as Hanukkah/Christmas gifts in December:

• Bobby Flay – Bar Americain
• Stephanie Izard – Girl in the Kitchen
• Daniel Humm , Will Guidara – Eleven Madison Park
• David McMillan, Frederic Morin, Meredith Erickson – The Art of Living According to Joe Beef
• Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio – VOLT ink

Merci Beaucoup to Don, Kristy, FA, and Gary!

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The Ultimate Vegetable Stir-Fry Tower
Pea Sprouts, Shiitake, Soybean Sprouts, Pickled Japanese Cucumber & Red Jalapeño
Chinese Chives, Tofu, Ginger, Cilantro
Over an Organic Short Grain Rice Timbale
With Three Psychedelic Sauces: Cilantro Juice, Chile Oil, Miso Sauce

JANUARY

Truffle Heaven Crostini

Fresh French Black Winter Truffle, Italian Truffle Cheese, Truffle Oil
with Shiitake and Frisée

FEBRUARY

cholesterol-free eggs benedict:

heart-healthy hollandaise
olive oil tarragon garlic poached tomato “egg yolk”
meatless canadian bacon
rustic whole grain toast with herb oil

MARCH

Lacquered Brisket of Beef

Anise Ginger Garlic Tamari Glaze
Served with Pickled Fennel

APRIL

Chicken Soup with Saffron Matzoh Balls

Beyond the beautiful rich color, these matzoh balls taste exotic, mysterious.
Do I dare serve these at Passover?

MAY

Gourmet Picnic

Spicy Cold Soba Noodles with Peanut, Scallion, and Cilantro
Radish, Tofu, Shiitake, Carrot, Cucumber, Edamame, Shrimp

JUNE

Hello Summer!
A Meal with Edible Flowers in Every Course

Baby Lettuce and Mache Salad with Meyer Lemon Wheels, Slivered Pistachios, Violas
Meyer Lemon Cream Dressing, Shallot, Thyme

JULY

8-layer farmers’ market fantasy

curried fresh carrot juice sauce with blanched okra & mitsuba
grilled green & yellow patty pan squash
sautéed spinach with sesame, garlic, soy sauce
crispy polenta cake
fire-roasted anaheim chile
fresh goat cheese & asatsuki
cumin dusted grilled beet
spicy smoky heirloom tomato & thai basil
roasted japanese eggplant, maldon smoked sea salt flakes

AUGUST

Wood-Fired Pizza & Pink Wine POOL PARTY

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.
When the world seems to shine like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore.

SEPTEMBER

Grilled Baja Fish Torta

Grilled Fresh Swordfish with Grilled Nopalitos, Pineapple, and Avocado
Caper Cumin Aioli, Pickled Jalapeño, Cilantro
On a Bolillo (Crusty Mexican Oval-Shaped Roll)

OCTOBER

An autumn affair! Oh, I am in love. He is fresh, sensuous, healthy, and playful.
He is simultaneously familiar and exotic; simple and complex.
His diverse tastes always reflect the season. And he is absolutely gorgeous.
He is New Nordic Cuisine. 

NOVEMBER

All GREEN Grilled Zucchini Tacos

Prickly Pear Cactus Tortillas
Butter Lettuce, Avocado, Shredded Green Cabbage, Cilantro, Serrano Chile
Lime Garlic Cilantro Sauce

DECEMBER

♡ heart-healthy olive oil oatmeal walnut cranberry blueberry raisin cookies ♡

Best Wishes for a Creative & Inspiring 2012!
Your friend, Lori Lynn

P.S. Feel free to share links to your favorite dishes of 2011.

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The following note was in my mailbox at work:

Lori Lynn – Please bring a COLD PASTA SALAD for the party on Thursday.
Thanks!

At our school, we have a festive monthly themed luncheon for the faculty and staff who are celebrating birthdays. This past month’s theme was football. With hot dogs and chili. And I was (happily) one of a handful of people asked to bring a dish. But I couldn’t bring myself to make the “cold pasta salad.” No farfalle. No rotini. No mayo.

I had a hankering to make japchae, Korean glass noodles with beef, vegetables, and a sweet garlicky sesame soy sauce – a perfect dish to feed a crowd. It’s transportable, economical, and one large bag of dangmyeon (glass noodles made from sweet potato starch) makes over 20 side-sized servings. And since it is often served at Korean celebrations, I thought it would make a great dish for our birthday party. It takes a little while to prepare because all the ingredients are cooked separately, but it is awfully easy.

On that Thursday morning I stir-fried veggies and beef, cooked the noodles, whisked together the sauces and had my dish in the teachers’ lounge by 11:15 AM, in time for the first lunch period.

Japchae Recipe

Stir-fry all the components (except spinach) separately in a small amount of sesame oil. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper.

• Beef, ground
• Shiitake, sliced
• Carrots, shredded
• Cabbage, shredded
• Onion, sliced
• Spinach (not baby)

Blanch spinach in salted water for one minute. Rinse to cool. Squeeze out excess moisture. Season with a small amount of sesame oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

After cooking the meat, drain off any fat. Combine beef with the cooked shiitake. Whisk the following ingredients together to make a seasoning sauce.

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T. sesame oil
• 2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 t. sugar
• 2 t. mirin

Toss the beef & shiitake with the sauce then re-heat.

Set the stir-fried vegetables aside and prepare the noodles. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 7 -8 minutes until tender or according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse briefly with cool water, drain well.

Whisk the following ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved:

• 1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 T. sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 T. sesame oil

Coat noodles with this sauce then toss in the warm meat and vegetables. Finish with a sprinkling sesame seeds. It’s best served warm, however  japchae is also very good at room temperature which is the way it was served at our football luncheon. I find that it is not as good when refrigerated or served cold.

I like japchae with a ratio of lots of vegetables and beef to the noodles. It’s a popular portable dish to bring to any party or event,  it even goes with hot dogs!

Try japchae, when you’re cooking for a crowd…

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Tasty, you bet. To the eye, it has the most unfortunate color and often sludgy texture. But close your eyes, and you will be transported to soup heaven. Rich, flavorful, nourishing and comforting split pea soup has global appeal. Vegetarian versions are as equally satisfying as those made with ham or bacon.

Split pea will always be a nostalgic, family soup. It doesn’t remind us of our favorite gourmet restaurant or our most memorable meal, instead, it is a soup that soothes, calms, and makes us feel nurtured, at home, comfortable.

 Split Pea Soup

But can split pea soup ever be pretty? We can only try.

Herbed Split Pea Soup Recipe

• 1 onion, diced
• 4 inner celery stalks, with leaves, sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 t. red pepper flakes
• 16 oz. green split peas, picked over and rinsed
• 1 meaty ham bone, plus reserved diced ham
• 3 medium red rose potatoes, cooked, peeled, diced
• parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, bay
• garlic chive blossoms (optional)

I make split pea soup with the leftover spiral-cut ham after Thanksgiving every year.

Reserve several slices from the ham to dice and add to the soup at the end.

Split peas are a variety of field peas grown specifically for drying. When the skins are removed during the dehydrating process, the peas naturally split in half.

Sauté onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil in a large soup pot until softened. Add red pepper flakes, sauté another minute. Add the meaty ham bone and cover with filtered water. Add split peas, garlic, 3 or 4 bay leaves, a sprig of fresh rosemary and several sprigs of fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, skimming any scum from the surface. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the peas have almost all disintegrated. This assures that the texture won’t be sludgy. Remove ham bone, bay leaves and the sticks from rosemary and thyme. Add salt to taste.

Fry fresh sage leaves in butter (I use Smart Balance) until lightly crisp, remove to a paper towel. Add diced ham and potato to the soup. Simmer another 10 minutes. Lastly, add fresh chopped parsley. Ladle soup into warm bowls. Garnish with a sprinkling of parsley and fried sage leaves (and chive blossoms if available).

An alternative to croutons, crispy fried sage leaves melt in the mouth like buttery herbal candy.

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Back in January, a recipe for “Italian Chicken Sausage and Artichoke Soup with Chard” in Sunset magazine caught my interest. Over the past months I’ve added onion, garlic, fennel seed, and red chile flake to the original recipe. And sometimes substitute kale for chard. My procedure is quick and easy, and the synergistic result far exceeds the expectation of boxed chicken broth and canned artichoke hearts.

In less than a half hour, this soup is on the table. I’ve served it as an everyday meal, as a starter to a rustic dinner topped with ricotta salata, and as an elegant first course. This year my Thanksgiving menu has a lighter aura, so this Tuscan Kale Soup will replace the heavier puréed soups of the past.

Tuscan Kale Soup with Artichoke & Chicken Sausage Recipe

Start with about a pound of fresh chicken sausage. Remove sausage from casings and crumble into bite-sized pieces. Brown it in a small amount of olive oil. The fresh chicken sausage in the meat department of Whole Foods is terrific for this soup.

While the chicken is browning, coarsely crush 1 t. fennel seeds in a mortar with pestle.

Then in a large soup pot, sauté 1/2 c. diced yellow onion in about 3 T. olive oil. When the onion is translucent, add 4 minced garlic cloves, fennel seed, and 1 t. red chile flakes. Sauté for another minute or two.

Add 2 qt. of good chicken broth to the pot. We like Whole Foods 365 Organic Chicken Broth, which comes in 1 quart boxes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Meanwhile rinse two cans of artichoke hearts in cool water. Drain and squeeze our excess moisture. Cut in half lengthwise, removing any tough outer leaves if necessary. Add artichoke hearts and browned chicken sausage to the soup. Simmer for ten minutes.

Remove the center rib from washed Tuscan kale, tear the leaves into thirds. Add the kale to the soup, and simmer, covered, until the kale is wilted and tender. Season with sea salt to taste. Serve with toasted ciabatta brushed with olive oil and grated cheese, ricotta salata or Parmesan, on the side.

Everyday Style

Rustic Style with Ricotta Salata

Elegant Style

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• 

Court Bouillon Poached Fresh Salmon
Lobster Mashed Potatoes with Butter and Chives
Gumbo “Gravy” with French Lentils

A piece of fish, mashed potatoes & gravy. On steroids. Inspired by the extraordinary marriage of Lobster Fettuccine with Gumbo Sauce, this dish features buttery lobster mashed potatoes paired with a flavorful seafood-based gumbo “gravy” flecked with earthy French lentils. Fresh salmon filets are poached in a court bouillon, imbuing the fish with subtle lemony herbaceous qualities and a silky texture. The robust flavors and extravagant ingredients remake the everyday combination of fish & potatoes into a voluptuous meal.

Lobster Mash Recipe

Submerge peeled/quartered potatoes (such as Yukon Gold) in a pot of cold water. Add salt. Bring to a boil then simmer until tender. Drain, then pass potatoes through a ricer. Add butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in a generous amount of warm lobster meat and chives.

Lentil Gumbo “Gravy” Recipe

Lentil Gumbo “Gravy” for Seafood

• 1 jalapeño, chopped
• 1/4 c. yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 c. carrot, chopped
• 1/4 c. yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. celery, chopped
• 1/4 c. grapeseed oil
•  2 T. flour
•  2 1/2 c. fish stock
• 3/4 c. cooked French green lentils
• salt & pepper
• 1 t. gumbo filé (ground sassafras leaves)

Caramelize the vegetables in oil over medium-high heat. Add flour, stir with a wooden spoon until the roux is a golden brown, about 20 minutes. Slowly whisk in fish stock and continue to cook at least 30 minutes until the sauce is just starting to thicken. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, return to a clean sauce pan. Reheat and cook, stirring, to a light gravy consistency then add cooked lentils. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Finish by adding gumbo filé.

Poached Salmon Recipe

Court Bouillon (poaching liquid)

• 1/4 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 c. water
• 3/4 c. dry white wine
• 1 small onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 small fennel bulb
• fresh parsley sprigs
• fresh thyme springs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t. Kosher salt
• 1/2 t. peppercorns, crushed

Rough chop onion, carrot and fennel. Add all ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for an hour. Strain poaching liquid, discard vegetables.

Place salmon filets in a pot. Don’t bother to remove the skin, it will slide right off after poaching. Pour hot court bouillon over the top, completely submerging the fish. Barely simmer, do not boil, until the fish is just barely cooked through – about 10 minutes depending on the size of the filet.

Ladle gravy onto a warm platter, top with lobster mash and poached salmon. Garnish with chives.

*The idea of an everyday combination of fish & potatoes led me to want to portray the image as a meal from the past, something my mother might have served us in the 60′s. The photo above uses an Instagram filter to get that cool old-fashioned quality.

fall fest is featuring potatoes
lobster mash fits the bill

Fall Fest is a season long franchise where Food Network editors
team up with blogs to share tips and recipes about seasonal produce.
Looking for potato inspiration? Take a look at these impressive recipes:

And Love It Too: Twice Baked Potato – Paleo Style
What’s Gaby Cooking: Smashed Potatoes
From My Corner of Saratoga: Potato Canapes
*Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chorizo and Potato Tacos
Cooking Channel: Cozy Up With In Season Potatoes
FN Dish: Best Potato Casserole Recipes
Cooking With Elise: The Irish Boxty
CIA Dropout: Potato and Leek Soup
The Sensitive Epicure: Potatoes Anna With Fresh Thyme and Truffle Salt
Glory Foods: Chicken Smashed Potatoes
Daily*Dishin: Creamy Loaded Potato Casserole
Virtually Vegan Mama: Baked Cinnamon Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

*my favorite of the bunch

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Homemade Chicken Soup with Herbed Matzoh Balls
Garlic-Scented Lima Beans, Micro-Thin Carrot Slices
Fine Egg Noodles, Hand-Shredded Roasted Chicken Breast
Fresh Parsley and Dill Garnish

This soup is dedicated to my Nana. I thank her for inspiring me with a life-long passion to explore the cuisine of our heritage. Year after year, I tweak her original chicken soup recipe. This one, prepared in celebration of the High Holy Days (5772 on the Hebrew calendar) resulted in one of the best versions ever. The matzoh balls were light and fluffy, the garlic-scented lima beans added heft, the flavorful broth was beautifully clear and just barely rich. Delicate fine egg noodles and colorful carrots balanced out the dish.

My paternal Grandparents – Irving and Fanny Hirsch (front center)

Careful attention to each component is what makes it special. This soup uses two birds, one for making the broth, the other is roasted – the breast meat shredded and added just before serving. From the double-strained flavorful broth with the tiniest amount of schmaltz droplets providing a hint of richness, to the elegantly sliced carrots (I was never of fan of a floating carrot log), to the garlicky-creamy beans – I am certain my Nana would have approved.

Chicken Soup Recipe

• one high-quality whole soup chicken, rinsed and cut-up
• one large yellow onion, peeled
• 3 celery ribs
• 3 large carrots, peeled
• 1 parsnip, peeled
• one handful fresh parsley, stem-on
• 1/2 t. whole peppercorns

Place chicken in a pot of filtered cold water, bring to a boil, skim the surface, and adjust heat to low. Cooking on too high heat will result in a cloudy soup. Skim the surface periodically to remove scum and fat. After an hour add peppercorns, rough chopped onion, carrot, celery, parsnip, and parsley. Cook for another hour. Turn off heat and let cool slightly for 1/2 hour. Strain through a colander, discard the solids. Strain a second time through a fine mesh sieve to get a beautiful clear soup. Return soup to a clean pot, add salt to taste.

Garlic-Scented Lima Bean Recipe

Rinse and sort through one pound of dried lima beans. Place in a large pot and cover with cold filtered water. Add 5 smashed garlic cloves and 1 T. sea salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Skim off any foam. Cook until beans are tender, about 2 hours, then drain off the liquid. My Nana used to cook the beans right in the soup. And unlike my siblings, they were my favorite part. But cooking the lima beans in the soup precludes a crystal-clear finished broth. Here, I cook the beans separately, and add garlic for another layer of flavor.

Herbed Matzoh Ball Recipe

• 1 packet matzoh ball mix (I like Manischewitz)
• 2 large eggs (not jumbo)
• 2 T. good-tasting olive oil
• 1 t. finely chopped dill
• 1 1/2 t. finely chopped parsley

A carton of Matzoh Ball Mix contains 2 packets. Each 2 1/2 oz. packet can make 8 – 12 balls. Rolling the mix into eight balls will result in a matzoh ball a bit smaller than a baseball. Rolling the mix into twelve balls will result in a size larger than a golf ball. The larger balls will take longer to cook all the way through.

In a small bowl blend eggs with olive oil. Stir in dill and parsley. Add the contents of one packet of matzoh ball mix and blend with a fork. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil.

Wet your hands and roll chilled batter into balls. Gently drop the balls into the boiling water. Cover tightly, turn down the heat to medium-low. This is one of my secrets: do not turn the heat all the way to simmer. I think with medium-low heat, agitation from the boiling water with lots of room in the pot helps create fluffier balls. Do not open the lid during cooking, as the steam and pressure also helps make those light airy dumplings. So, as we say, NO PEEKING!

Depending on the size of the ball,  it will take about 20-30 minutes to cook all the way through. Now, once the time has passed, you need to check if the balls are done. Remove one from the pot and cut it in half. The entire center should be light and fluffy like the outside of the ball, not dark in color.

Remove the fully cooked balls with a slotted spoon and set in a dish or pan in a single layer. Do not cook your matzoh balls in your chicken soup, as this will give you a murky soup.

Roasted Chicken, Noodles, and Carrots

Chicken: Either roast a whole chicken while the soup is cooking, or purchase a ready-to-eat whole roasted rotisserie chicken from the market. Remove the skin and shred the breast meat by hand. Reserve the rest of the chicken for another use.

In the past I would remove a chicken breast half-way through cooking the broth, and reserve it to add to the finished soup, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with the texture and flavor of the meat. Here, adding fresh roasted chicken to the final soup imparts a lovely roasted flavor and the meat retains its perfect texture.

Carrots: The vegetables that are used to make the broth are discarded as most of the flavor has been leached into the soup. Peel two additional medium-sized carrots, then slice very thin (I use a mandoline). Cook the carrot slices separately in a small amount of the chicken broth for about 3 to 4 minutes.

Noodles: Cook fine egg noodles according to package instructions. Add a splash of olive oil. Drain and rinse lightly with cold water. Do not overcook the noodles.

Herbs: Finely chop fresh parsley and dill for garnish.

The Best Chicken Noodle Soup

To serve the soup: Heat clear chicken broth to a boil, turn down the heat and add chicken, carrots, and lima beans to warm through. Place noodles and a matzoh ball (or two) in the bottom of a bowl. Ladle hot soup over the noodles. Garnish with parsley and dill.

With the conclusion of Yom Kippur, I wish all of you, my family, and friends a New Year that is sweet and good. May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a healthy, peaceful, and fulfilling year. And may this new year bring satisfaction, achievement, and happiness. L’Shana Tova!

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Asian Risotto
Sushi Rice with Rosé & Sautéed Shrimp
Flavored with Thai Basil, Shiso, and Yuzu
Chiffonade of Shiso Garnish

This month our 5 Star Cooking Group is featuring dishes cooked with wine. My contribution to the event is this aromatic Asian Risotto with pretty pink shrimp deglazed with a dry Rosé. A chiffonade of fragrant Thai basil and minty-fennely shiso leaves brings distinctive racy flavors to the dish. Fresh yuzu zest and juice add balance and vibrance.

Yuzu Tree

This is my first fruit of the season. The young green yuzu will turn a mellow golden yellow when ripened. Both the young green and the mature yellow fruits can be used in cooking, so we’ll have yuzu available all winter! The rind is very aromatic, the juice is tart. It adds a unique bright note to the risotto.

Sushi Rice

Use premium sushi rice, such as koshihikari, as an Asian replacement for Arborio.

Asian Risotto Recipe

• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 lb. medium-large shrimp (36-40′s), peeled deveined
• 2 T. butter (I use Earth Balance)
• 2 T. minced garlic
• 1 small onion, 1/4″ dice
• 2 c. sushi rice
• 1 c. Rosé, dry pink wine plus a splash of red wine
• 6 c. chicken broth
• 6 Thai basil leaves, chiffonade
• 4 shiso leaves, chiffonade, divided
• Zest from 1 yuzu
• Juice from 4 yuzu

Sauté shrimp in 1 T. oil until just cooked. Transfer to a platter, Season with salt and pepper. Add another tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of butter to the pot with the shrimp juices. Then add the onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic sautéeing for one more minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Add rosé and and a splash of red wine to deglaze the pan, cooking until all the wine has evaporated. I wanted the rice to have a pretty pale pink blush, hence this extra splash of red.

Add hot chicken broth one ladle at a time, stirring and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next.

Meanwhile, zest one yuzu, and squeeze the juice from a total of four fruits.

Cut the Thai basil and shiso leaves into ribbons (chiffonade).

When the rice is al dente stir in 1 T. butter, yuzu zest, yuzu juice, basil and shiso. Reserving some shiso ribbons for garnish. Add a bit more hot broth for creaminess and add the shrimp to the rice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with a chiffonade of shiso. For guests with a more daring palate, pink pickled ginger makes an interesting addition to the dish. Try a bite of ginger with each bite of shrimp.

Serve with pink wine, of course.

Inspiration from Simply Ming One-Pot Meals by Ming Tsai

Cooking with Wine

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Grilled Fresh Swordfish with Grilled Nopalitos, Pineapple, and Avocado
Caper Cumin Aioli, Pickled Jalapeño, Cilantro
On a Bolillo (Crusty Mexican Oval-Shaped Roll)

Baja California Dreaming…years ago we would take road trips down to Mexico. Fishing was a must. So, naturally, were fish tacos. But our fish didn’t always end up in a tortilla with cabbage, salsa, crema, and a squeeze of lime – sometimes we enjoyed it on a special oval-shaped roll that was crusty outside with a dense yet soft interior. Serving grilled nopalitos recently made me nostalgic for Baja, the fresh-caught fish, and the endless cacti along Highway 1. Baja is home to more varieties of cactus, perhaps than anywhere else in the world, with many exclusive to the peninsula.

A torta can be filled with many things from meat, to eggs, to beans and vegetables, but the true signature of a torta is that it is FILLED! My grilled nopalitos with caper cumin aioli were a big hit, so here I incorporate those ingredients into a sandwich adding various flavors from my memories of Baja.

Fresh local fish of course, plus avocado, pineapple, jalapeño, cilantro, lime – and nopalitos on a bolillo, do indeed satisfy my nostalgia for Baja California…And since we were camping back then, the ingredients for this torta were grilled over an open fire.

Fishing in Baja California 1995. Dorado was the catch of that day.
(That’s not an Instagram)

If you can’t catch your own, California Swordfish is rated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch as a “good alternative.” The best choice being fish caught by harpooning or on hook-and-line gear, but those methods are rarely used in commercial fishing. Off California, swordfish is caught with drift gillnets. The bycatch of marine mammals and other protected species is carefully managed in the process.

Mix two parts olive oil with one part lime juice, dried Mexican oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Coat fish with the marinade, let stand in marinade at room temperature for 20 minutes. Grill swordfish over medium-high heat, about 6 minutes per side. This method will keep the fish moist and juicy.

The prickly pear cactus, Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus is the genus that is made into nopalitos, this type of edible cactus, found all over the Southwest and down into Baja. It’s the young flat paddles and prickly pear fruit that are typically used in cooking.

Well armored, opuntia have two types of protection. In addition to the long spines on the paddles, the areole also have tiny hair-like prickles called glochids. Notice the tuft of glochids at the base of the flower bud in the photo (a little too close to my thumb for comfort). Beware of glochids if you intend to harvest your own cactus, they can cause skin irritation and become a major problem if ingested. The pretty pink-orange bloom will fade to yellow then eventually give way to red, fleshy fruit. Prickly pear fruit, called tuna in Spanish has a melon-like aroma and a sweet light flavor.

Choose young thin paddles that are about 6 to 8 inches in length.

GRILLING – In addition to the swordfish, all the other major components of this torta are grilled until lightly charred.

Nopalitos – Method on the previous post here.
Pineapple – Mix equal parts lime juice and sugar with black pepper to taste. Marinate pineapple rings in lime-sugar for 5 minutes.
Avocado – Slice in half, pit removed. Brush with a bit of olive oil and lime juice. Grill flesh side down.
Bolillo Rolls – Slice in half lengthwise, brush with olive oil.

Spread caper cumin aioli on both sides of the bolillo. Trim a cactus paddle to fit the bolillo.

After the cactus paddle layer the sandwich with grilled swordfish,
grilled pineapple, grilled avocado, pickled jalapeño, and fresh cilantro.

¡Torta Magnifica!
Oh, it’s filled all right. One sandwich is enough for two.
It’s filled with fresh grilled flavors and memories of Baja.

Please feel free to share your adventures in Baja, old or new.

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“I add lemon confit to so many dishes—from broiled fish to pork and beans.”
Eric Ripert of New York City’s Le Bernardin

HOW TO MAKE PRESERVED MEYER LEMON (MEYER LEMON CONFIT)

6 or 7 Meyer lemons are scrubbed clean and dried.
5 c. kosher salt are mixed with 5 T. sugar.

The lemons are quartered.

Lemons are tossed in the sugar salt mixture.

Lemons are packed in layers surrounded by the sugar salt mixture.
Then remaining sugar salt mixture is poured over the lemons so they are completely submerged.

Cover, date, and refrigerate. Wait patiently (minimum of 2 weeks).

THREE MONTHS LATER

Remove lemons from the salt mixture. Rinse well and pat dry.

Remove the flesh.

Slice the peel into thin strips.

Scrape away any remaining pith.

Voila! Ready to use.

Please stop by later to see how we’re using our lovely Meyer Lemon Confit and
please share links to your favorite recipes that include preserved lemons!

UPDATE – Links to recipes now posted using this Meyer Lemon Confit:

Baby Tagine – Indian Eggplant, Lemon Confit, Garlic, Thai Basil

The Perfect Complement to Your Grilled Fish

Couscous Salad Timbales, Meyer Lemon Confit

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