Slice a zucchini lenghthwise. Place on a pie pan skin side down and drizzle olive oil on top. Generously sprinkle with cracked black pepper. Add strips of thinly sliced ham. Put zucchini/ham into the oven and turn it to 400 degrees. When it reaches that temp, let it bake for 5 minutes.
Take it out and add slices of jarlsberg cheese. Put under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and brown. C’est tout.
It’s good served with Tabasco Chipotle sauce for a spicy zip.
This is a custardy version of French Toast from Eric Ripert. It will have a creamy inner consistency:
He puts a little milk on top of day old bread, brioche or baguette slice. Then beats an egg and puts half on top of the bread. He then sprinkles sugar on top. He puts it egg-side down in a fry pan with melted butter. He then tops the other side with the rest of the beaten egg and sprinkles sugar on top. When the underside is golden carmelized brown he flips the toast and cooks it until golden brown on that side. He serves it with a cinnamon infused smoked maple syrup.
My version:
I beat an egg with a half tablespoon plain yogurt and a couple dashes of cinnamon. I put half of the beaten egg mixture on top of an Arnold’s Oat Nut bread slice. I then place it in the fry pan of melted butter. I put the rest of the egg mixture on top. When the underside is crispy around the edges and golden brown, I flip it. When the other side is golden brown, I serve it with 100% pure maple syrup from Western Massachusetts. A little more butter on top never hurts, either.
Have Southampton Citarella butcher cut leg of lamb into 2″ cubes, trimmed of sinew. Marinate in Maple Chipotle Grill Sauce. Place in the fridge for a few hours. At the Bridgehampton Green Thumb farmstand, get a couple small red onions, 10 ish large firm mushrooms, 10 ish large cherry tomatoes.
Quarter the onions. Wash and take stems off mushrooms. Wash cherry tomatoes. Dry all veggies and coat with olive oil. Place them on individual skewers. Take the lamb out of the marinade, pat dry and place on 2 skewers.
Preheat the grill and sear the lamb until blackened all around. Set aside off flame. Cook the veggies until blackened and cooked through. Brush with a little more Maple Chipotle sauce if you want as the meat and veggies cook.
Take off skewers and enjoy!
Roasted
Trim & cut brussel sprouts in half lengthwise. In a bowl, toss the sprouts in a little olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder & ground black pepper. Place sprouts on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, until brown and crispy. They will be soft and sweet inside.
Carmelized
Trim brussel sprouts, cut very large ones in half, otherwise keep whole. In a large saucepan, cover the brussel sprouts with cold water and add a dash of sea salt. Cover and bring to boil. Uncover and let boil down until all the water is gone. Add 2+ pats butter and ground black pepper and stir the brussel sprouts on medium high heat until butter is brown. A softer nuttier taste than roasted.
Chili for those who are onion-averse. Created for Alison.
Serves 8+
Clean, trim & rough chop 4 jalapeño peppers, 3 red, orange or yellow bell peppers. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil to coat bottom of pan over medium high heat and brown the peppers. Sprinkle with garlic powder, ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/8 tsp. cayenne, 1/4 tsp. sea salt. Add 2 lbs. ground pork/beef mix. Brown thoroughly until meat crumbles. Add 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp. sea salt. Stir meat and peppers together. Keep heat at medium high.
Drain 2 cans low sodium black beans and 2 cans low sodium red kidney beans. Add to pot and stir. Add 1 can San Marzano whole tomatoes. Chop tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stir. Season with 1 tsp. cumin and 1/4 tsp. cayenne, finishing salt and ground black pepper to taste. Add 2 jars –
Desert Pepper Trading Company Roasted Tomato Chipotle Corn Salsa medium hot.
Any chunky salsa with corn will do, but this is the best balanced. Stir. Cover and bring to a boil.
Turn to low heat and simmer covered for an hour. Uncover and stir. Simmer uncovered for at least another 2 hours until thickens. Stir occasionally. Check for seasoning, add more cayenne for muy picante and a little finishing salt. Bring back to boil and then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes.
Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheddar/jack cheese blend. Garnish with chopped radishes. Or put some chili on a grilled hot dog.
Note: Although salsas may typically have some onions, they are not predominant so can make a choice based on that.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pat veal rib chops dry. Season with ground black pepper and garlic powder.
Lightly coat the bottom of a sauté pan with olive oil and place it on the stovetop over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot add the chops and sear – about 5 minutes on each side. Place the pan in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes depending on thickness of the chops. Goal is slightly pink medium rare (internal temperature of 135-140 degrees before resting).
Remove the pan from the oven and place the chops on a clean plate to rest for 5 minutes.
While the chops are resting, place the sauté pan containing the juices and cracklings back on the stove on medium heat. Deglaze with a little Balsamic vinegar and stir scraping the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Add to the pan 2 large pats of butter and 1/2 cup Stonewall Kitchen Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce and stir well. Bring the sauce to a slight boil and turn off the heat.
Plate chop and spoon sauce on top, with a potato pancake and roasted asparagus.
– Gary Levine
Croque-Monsieur is a grilled cheese & ham sandwich. Croque-Madame the same with an added fried egg on top. I have been loving a Croque-Carol to take advantage of tender Spring asparagus.
Steam fresh asparagus spears. Chill. When ready to cook, bring to room temperature. Can use a few for each sandwich.
Place a piece of 7-grain bread in a metal pie pan. Add thin slices of mild cheddar cheese and top with the fresh asparagus spears. Place under a broiler until crust is crispy and cheese is melted. Cut into squares.
A perfect lunch with a lemon fizz – lemon juice & sparkling water.
No need for ham. But you could.
Pork tenderloin is a highly versatile cut of meat. When cut crosswise and pounded into cutlets it can be treated like a veal cutlet. In this case a sesame ginger teriyaki marinade gave it an Asian flavor.
Cut a 1 lb. pork tenderloin into crosswise pieces of about 1 1/2″ each. Pound each piece into a cutlet of 3/8″. Place the cutlets in a bowl and coat with a sesame ginger teriyaki sauce. Cover and marinate for 4 hours+.
Make light brown rice so that it will be ready when cutlets are finished cooking.
When ready to cook, bring cutlets to room temperature and pat them dry, removing the marinade. Set aside. In a cast iron skillet, add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and brown 1 bell pepper julienned and 1 small onion cut into 1/4″ thick half-moon slices. Season with ground black pepper and garlic powder to taste (3-4 mins). Set aside on a plate.
Add a little more olive oil to the skillet and brown the cutlets on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside on a separate plate.
Transfer the cooked rice into the skillet on low heat to soak up the juices and cooked bits. Add 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 cup fresh teriyaki ginger sesame sauce. Stir over low heat until the rice is heated and the sauce distributed. Add the peppers and onions into the skillet and mix into the rice and sauce.
Serve 2 cutlets per serving with the rice, onions, peppers and teriyaki sauce.
– Gary Levine
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
2 medium zucchini
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
Into a colander, grate zucchini (peeled or partially peeled) on medium holes of box grater. Add diced bell pepper and salt. Let stand in colander for 10 minutes to render moisture. Wring out water with cheesecloth or paper towel.
Mix together:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
kosher salt
ground black pepper
pepperoncini flakes
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves minced garlic
Add grated zucchini and diced bell pepper and blend well.
In a large skillet, with olive oil to coat and a little butter on medium high heat, ladle the mixture into round mounds with a tablespoon and fry on both sides until golden brown & crispy on the outside. Let cool. Refrigerate to reheat later.
Note: If I had scallions, I would have added them, thinly sliced as well.
ZUCCHINI LASAGNA
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut 2 zucchini crosswise in half. Trim off the ends. Slice lengthwise into thin flat strips. Slice 6-8 mushrooms.
In a small bowl, beat together 1 cup ricotta and 1 egg, dry basil to taste. Slice 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese.
Use a non-stick loaf pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with your favorite marinara sauce. Add half the zucchini strips, half the mushrooms. Season with dried oregano and ground black pepper. Spoon half the ricotta in dollops over the zucchini & mushrooms. Add half the mozzarella cheese. Pour marinara sauce on top to cover all the vegetables and cheese.
Repeat layering the rest of the zucchini, mushrooms, season again. Add the rest of the ricotta in dollops and mozzarella. Top with another covering of marinara sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let set or refrigerate covered for next day reheat.
Note: Could brown ground beef in a skillet, let cool and then add it as a meat layer. Also, leftover cooked veal or pork chop cut into small pieces.
Stonewall Kitchen Tikka Masala Simmering Sauce is the base. In a large bowl pour half a jar with 1 tbs. plain yogurt. Blend. Add 4 chicken thighs and coat with the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
When ready to cook, take chicken out of the fridge. Slice 1 large bell pepper, 2 small chili peppers, and 1 medium-sized onion. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a deep baking dish, put the peppers and onions in the pan and drizzle with olive oil, season with garlic salt & pepper. Stir around to coat. Push aside to have each chicken thigh coated with the sauce rest on the bottom of the pan with peppers and onions around each of them.
Place baking pan into the oven and after 15 minutes, turn heat to 400 degrees. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until sauce turns a little crispy black on top and onions & peppers are blackened and crispy.
Serve with rice.
Note: You could use any favorite Asian or barbecue sauce as a marinade without yogurt in place of the Tikka Masala using the same baking method.
Recipe Detours 