Winter Gnocchi with Madiera Sauce and White Truffle Oil Oven Steamed Tilapia

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 bunch asapargus, sliced diagonally into 1 inch pieces

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, cut into quarters

2 cups homemade gnocchi

One bottle of good quality madiera

1/2 c. chicken stock

4 oz. proscuitto 

fresh parmesean reggiano

4 tbsp. butter

4 6 oz. tilapia filets

1 tbsp. white truffle oil

white truffle salt, fleur del sel and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat large sauce pan full of water to boiling.  

Preheat saute pan with 3 tbsp. olive oil on med. high heat.  Add asparagus, sauteeing for about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms, and continue cooking until mushrooms start to caramelize.  Remove asparaus and mushrooms from pan and set aside.  

Prepare fish by patting dry.  Place a large enough piece of parchment paper that you can fold and seal onto a sheet pan.  Put tilapia onto parchment, sprinkle with white truffle salt and pepper and drizzle with a small amount of white truffle oil.  

Seal up parchment by rolling up sides and top.  Put in oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on thickness of tilapia.  

Add madiera to saute pan, allowing to cooking on medium high heat until reduced by half.  

Add chicken stock and butter, whisking until smooth. Salt and Pepper to taste.  

Put gnocchi in water and cook until gnocchi start to come to top.  

Remove with mesh strainer and add to madiera.  Slowly turn and coat with a spatula.  

Add asparagus/mushroom mixture and proscuitto.  Mix well, but being careful due to the gnocchi.  

To serve place about 1 c. gnocchi mix into warmed soup bowl.  Cut tilapia into two pieces and put on top of gnocchi.  Drizzle with a tablespoon of madiera sauce from gnocchi mixture and grate fresh parmesean.  

Enjoy.

 

New Iowa Clam Chowder

 

One of Kyle's favorite soups is Clam Chowder.  Being in Iowa, we, of course, don't have the opportunity to get right out of the ocean fresh clams, but we do have a great fishmonger at Waterfront Seafood.  I recently stopped in and got a few pounds of clams and went to work.

New Iowa Clam Chowder

4 lbs. littleneck clams

5 c. water

1/2 lbs. thick cut bacon

1 medium vidalia onion

1 c. diced and peeled russet potatoes

2 c. heavy cream

2 tbsp. fresh thyme

fleur de sel

fresh ground pepper

Clean and scrub clams.  Put in large stockpot, fill with water.  Heat on medium with partially closed lid until starting to simmer.  Watch closely for clams to start to open.  Don't allow them to open fully, you just want to take them out when they are barely open.  If clams do not open within 2-3 minutes of the water simmering, throw them out.  Remove clams, open and take out meat and put into a bowl.  Put water from steaming clams into another bowl.  Heat dutch oven on medium high heat and add bacon, allowing fat to render.  (About 5 minutes).  Add onions and saute until starting to soften and translucent.  Meanwhile, while bacon and onions are cooking, chop up clams.  Ladle out clam juice so you have about 3 cups, making sure to not get any sediment from the bottom.  Add clam juice and potatoes, cooking on medium high heat until boiling.  Allow this to boil until mix is about two cups, about 10-15 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium low and add clams and cream.  Allow to simmer for about 5-10 minutes.  Add thyme and salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  Place in refrigerator overnight and heat the next night on medium until warm enough to eat.  Enjoy.

Herbed Foccacia
Fettucine with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Peas, Artichoke Hearts and Proscuitto in a Lemon Cream Sauce

Popovers
Butternut Squash Gratin
Sauteed Broccoli
Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Pepper Sauce

Tonight's Menu

Maple Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Shallots & Broccoli
Cornbread w/Honey Butter
Caramelized Pears

Taylor's Birthday Cake

Today I have spent the day making Taylor's birthday cake. He chose a classic white cake with buttercream frosting. He didn't say what he wanted his cake to look like, but I assumed he would like a baseball cake with the Yankee's emblem. The only thing I really do different is in my buttercream. Instead of milk I use heavy cream.

Comfort food...well, my kind of comfort food anyway

Here is my new favorite read. I just purchased it and can't put it down. I am disgusted, appalled, scared, worried, determined. This story is about a family's tale of trying to live for a year on food grown by them, their neighbors or learn to live without it. It is inspiring because it makes you appreciate where your food really comes from. It is difficult because you eat what is fresh, in season or you go without...fresh fruit goodbye in the winter. But if you are smart, plan ahead and take to heart some of the concepts of eating better, you might, just barely, survive and be more healthy. I enjoy gardening, canning and trying to get the freshest food possible but am realizing that I have a lot of work to do. I am already starting to think ahead to the New Year and my goals. They are going to be centered on food and becoming even more aware of our eating habits, the foods I select and my food planning. I think I need a bigger garden. Luckily there are a couple of CSA farms close by. Check back for insights, ideas and some interesting facts. In fact, you should buy this book too!

Menu for this Monday: (boy am I going to have to really start thinking ahead to be more mindful of the food chain process, because we don't have live near the Pacific and I don't grow rice. But these were flash steamed snaps that I froze from my garden....at least that is a start!)

Chili Lime Salmon
Lemon Risotto
Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

Risotto is probably one of my favorite comfort foods. I love the process of making it, the open ended options for different flavors and the way it just coats your stomach to feel full, relaxed and, of course, comforted. But it is also a labor intensive process that if not done correctly can turn into a gluey, sticky, disastrous mess. If you find a "quick" recipe or "no stirring" recipe, it WILL NOT be the same. It was mean to be appreciated and time consuming, therefore, trying to make it a quick meal is frankly, in my foodie opinion, akin to one of the unforgivable sins.

Chili Lime Salmon

1 lb. pound salmon fillets
1/4 c. orange marmalade
1 tsp. sriracha (or to taste if you really like spicy)
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. lime zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Salt and pepper fresh salmon. Mix remaining ingredients to taste. Place salmon on parchment paper skin side down. Coat salmon with chili lime mix. Bake 10-15 minutes depending on salmon thickness.

Here is the key to really good salmon cooked at home...a good fish monger. If you can't buy it from someone reputable, don't buy it. Also, salmon is meant to be done medium rare to medium. (Another reason for a trusted source). Don't overcook it. Not amount of sauce will repair an overdone fish of any kind!

Lemon Risotto

2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. small dice yellow onion
1 c. arborio rice (essential!)
1 c. white wine
3-4 c. good chicken stock
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup. grated parmigiana

Melt butter and olive oil on medium heat in 3 quart saute pan. Meanwhile, put chick stock into sauce pan and heat on medium. Add onions and saute for about 5-10 minutes. (You want the onions to soften and become translucent, but you do not want to caramelize them in this recipe.) Add the rice to coat and stir so each the rice is coated with the butter/oil, this just takes a minute or two. Add 1 c. wine and stir until almost all reduced. Add 1/2 c. warm chicken stock at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed. As the risotto cooks and moisture is absorbed it will start to look creamy (picture 2). This is how it should look after each addition of chicken stock. Continue until the risotto is creamy, soft, but with a little bite in the center. Add lemon juice, zest, and parmigiana and stir until mixed well. Salt and pepper to taste.

Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

2 tbsp. good olive oil (I love Alziari from Williams Sonoma for vegetables because it is mild with a slight butter taste)
1 pound sugar snap peas

Heat olive oil in nonstick fry pan on medium high heat. Add sugar snaps and continue sauteing for about 5-7 minutes. If they start to caramelize it is okay because they will taste even better. Salt to taste.