BBQ Corn W/ Herb Butter

So Steve thought that he was not going to like this corn, since he only really eats it plain. To his suprise he loved it. I knew he would. He must have said 3 times later that night that he really liked this corn.

Ingred.
4 ears of corn in the husk
6 tbls. butter
2 tbls fresh parsley, minced
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper
Kitchen twine
Foil

Bring the butter to room temp. Once there, mix all the ingred (not the corn) into a small bowl and work together with a fork. Leave at room temp until ready to use.

Peel the husks back on the corn exposing the cob & remove all the silk, keeping the husks intact. Pull all the husks back towards the end of the corn and tie with kitchen twine. It will look like you have a long handle of husks with the cob attached. Brush all the corn with the herb butter and place on BBQ over med-high heat. Make sure that the foil is UNDER the husk handle as you BBQ or else you will have a FIRE!!! Rotate as the corn cooks and continue to baste with the herb butter. ~Enjoy~

Mama Fonda Rants

***WARNING**** the expressions commented below are solely the opinion of Mama Fonda and in no way are a personl attack on anyone. There, the disclaimer is out!!!! I feel better now ~

So listen. There are many ingredients or tools that people stock their kitchen with that drive me nuts. Today, I want to talk about Jared Garlic. Yes, it's convient. But is it really fresh???? Why does it have such an odd color???? Let me put it to you like this. For me, if I am going to cook, then taking the time to chop the garlic cloves is part of that process. Chances are that you already have a messy cutting board and knife so why skip this step. Smashing the cloves with the back of my knife to release the paper is almost theraputic. Take your agressions out on the garlic and you will have a much tastier dish. Plus, the added bonus of the lingering smell that perfumes your hands the rest of the day is pure bliss.

So, here is your mission should you choose to accept. Go into your refriderator right now, grab that jar (most likely expired) of garlic and chuck it into the trash. Now, make a promise to yourself never to replace it and enjoy the cooking experience!

Be Well & Eat Well

Summer Garden Pasta

This is a Barefoot Contessa reciepe that I just feel in love with when I made it last night. This recipe uses suprisingly simple ingredients but it has lots of flavor without being loaded with butter and cream. It's the essence of summer.

Serves 6

4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved. Mix and match yellow and red if available
Good EVOO
2 tbls minced garlic (6 cloves)
18 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. freshly groung black pepper
1 pound Angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parm, plus extra for serving

Combine the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup EVOO, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1tsp. salt adn the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for a max of 4 hours.

Just before you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water with a slash of EVOO to a boil. Add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the box. Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra basil leaves and toss well.

Serve in large bowls with extra cheese on each serving.

*Fonda Riff* - We thought that this would be really good topped with crisped panchetta or bacon. Course, we think bacon goes with great with just about everything!!

Mustard Roasted Fish

Nothing's easier that this roasted fish! It only takes then minutes to make and it's good enough to serve to the fanciest company. Serve with steamed new potatoes and sauteed green beans. How chis is that?

Indreg.
4 (8 oz) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. creme fraiche or sour cream
3 tbls dijon mustard
1 tbls whole grain mustard
2 tbls minced shallots
2 teas. drained capers

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt & pepper.
Combine the creme fraiche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly onver the fillets, making sure the fish is completly covered. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it is barely done. The fish will flake apart easily at the thickest part when it is done.

Serve hot or at room temp with the sauce from the pan spooned on top.

Serves 4

"Almost Oaxacana" Grilled Tostadas with Chorizo

This is seriuosly good "street fare" food that, at the first bite, you will be craving 10 more. This recipe is from the Top Chef Master Rick Bayless. Yes....I am in love with him too!!! His passion for food is undeniable when you taste this creation.

Yields 24 small tostadas - but dont let the amount stop you from making this. We probably only eat 6 between steve & I and freeze the reamining ingred. for another batch later in the month.


About 2 dozen corn tortillas

For the Tangy Avocado Sauce: ½ pound (about 4 medium) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half
3 large garlic cloves
peeled Hot green chiles to taste (roughly 2 or 3 serranos or 1 or 2 jalapeños), stems broken off, roughly choppedAbout ¼ cup (loosely packed) cilantro, thick lower stems cut off1 large,
ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from peel and roughly chopped
SaltFor finishing:
About ¼ cup fresh-rendered, room temperature pork lard or vegetable oil
About 1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed
About 6 ounces Mexican fresh cheese (queso fresco) or other fresh garnishing cheese like feta or salted dry-pressed farmers cheese, crumbled


Directions

1. The tortillas. If the tortillas are just made and very moist feeling, lay them out in a single layer and cover with a dish towel or napkin—the goal is to let them dry to leathery, so that they’ll crisp on the grill.2. Make the Tangy Avocado Sauce. Set a small non-stick skillet over medium-high heat (if no non-stick skillet is available, lay a piece of foil on the bottom of the skillet). Lay in the garlic and tomatillos (cut side down). When the tomatillos are well browned, 3 or 4 minutes, turn everything over and brown the other side. (The tomatillos should be completely soft.) Scoop the tomatillos and garlic into a blender or food processor, and let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Add the chile, cilantro and avocado. Blend until nearly smooth. Pour into a salsa dish, thin to a drizzleable consistency with a little water, usually about ¼ cup. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon.3. The chorizo and fresh cheese. In a medium skillet, cook the chorizo over medium heat, breaking up any clumps, until wwell browned, about 12 minutes. Scrape out onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess fat. Transfer to a serving dish. Scoop the crumbled cheese into a serving dish.4. Grilling and serving the tlayudas. Turn on a gas grill to medium or light a charcoal grill and let the coals burn until medium hot and covered with white ash. Lay several tortillas on the grill and turn every 20 seconds or so until nearly crisp—depending on the heat of your fire this should take a couple of minutes. Brush the top of each tortilla completely (and a little generously) with the lard or oil, then sprinkle each with a tablespoon of chorizo. When the tortillas are completely crisp (they’ll be richly browned underneath) and the chorizo is hot, remove them to a serving platter. Drizzle with the avocado sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Let your guest enjoy the first round while you’re making the remainder

Homemade Crutons

These little pieces of crispy bread is what can take a salad over the top. The best thing about these crutons is that they can be made way ahead of time and will keep in your pantry for at least 1 week. The kids like to eat these as crackers as well. Robin Henderson taught me how to make these and I will be forever greatful. You will be suprised how easy these are to make.

Ingred.
1 sourdough bagette sliced and cubed into 1/2 in. pieces
1/2 cup EVOO
4 tbls. butter
1 tsp. galic powder
1tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

In a sauce pan on med low heat add all the ingred. but hte bread. Heat until butter is melted and all ingred are well combined.

Place the cubed bread in a large ziploc bag and pour in the mixture. Close the bag and shake like crazy until all the bread is evenly coated. You might find you need more oil. Just add it to the bag and continue to shake.

Dump onto a cookie sheet and arrange into one layer. Put under the broiler until nice and browned. Note to self - never walk away from the broiler. I have ruined many a batch of crutons because I got distracted.

Let cool and then store in a plastic bag until ready to use. YUMMY!!!!!!

Ribeye Ranch Salad

While it is no secret that Steve is a meat lover, he rarely enjoyes a salad as a main course. So knowing that I have a deep infatuation with a particular BBQ salad at Wood Ranch (yummm), this was my attempt to satisfy both our souls. Here's how it worked out and let me just say that this salad was the comfort that we craved.

Ingred:
2 bone in Ribeye steaks seasoned liberally with any spicy BBQ rub.
1 head romaine lettuce chopped
1 ear of fresh white corn, curnels cut off. (please don't use canned corn)
1/3 c. diced cilantro
2 tomatoes, diced. Seeds remove
Homemade crutons - see recipe in blog
1 cucumber diced
2 green onions diced
Blue Cheese Dressing

*Note* - We have very strong feelings about what the best blue cheese dressing is. In our opinion, nothing is better than Bob's Big Boy Blue Cheese.

On a hot grill, cook the steaks until they reach Med to Med Rare. Reomve and let rest, then dice those bad boys up into bite size pieces. Build the salad however you would like using all the ingred. listed above. You will need a big bowl or maybe even a plate to hold this salad.

Yields 2 main course salads

Cheese Potato Cakes

This was my attempt to recreate Steve's favorite appetizer from Claim Jumper. Sometimes he has dreams about those potato cakes. My version, which steve said was pretty close, can be made ahead and then fried off just before serving! Makes a great side dish to any protein. Ryan (2 years old) ate one whole cake!

Ingred.
3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2 in. squares
1 c. sharp chedder cheese
1/2 c. mozzerella
6 pieces bacon cooked crispy and diced
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/3 c. green onion (white and green parts)
minced cilantro to taste (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg
1 cup. panko bread crumbs + an additional cup on a plate for dredging

Directions:
In a large pot of salted boiling water add the cubed potatoes and cook until fork tender. Remove and place in a large mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingred. and mix until well combined.

Using your hands (yes, this will be a bit messy) form little disks that are approx. 1/4 in. thick & 3 in. wide. Dredge in the additional panko bread crumbs and repeat until all the patties are made.

*note* As I was building all the patties, I placed them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. The patties didn't stick when I was ready to take them off and fry them.

In a very hot preheated cast iron skillet, add enough peanut oil to cover the bottom by an inch. approx 2 cups. Heat the oil until very hot on high heat. (if the oil is not hot enough, the patties will just get soggy as they "try" to fry). Fry 4 patties at a time until very well browned and crispy. Then drain on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.

*yields approx 10 patties*