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Slow-Roasted Halibut with Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad

halibut

Hey! I was just recently made aware that the original recipe in Bon Appétit is by Ivy Manning, a Portlander and awesome food writer!

This was a very, very Spring-like, light and good meal. But here is a lesson for you — use big, fat asparagus spears. Mine were on the smaller side and vegetable peeling them into strips was…challenging. I used the peeler and then I had to just use a knife to slice what was too small too peel into tiny, thin strips. It worked but it was pretty time consuming. Just use big asparagus and you will thank me for that tip, which should be somewhat obvious, but to me anyway, was not at all. Duh!

Also, raw asparagus is very good! At least in little strips and tossed with lemon-dijon dressing. The halibut was just opaque and very moist. Loved the crunchy topping. The original . . . → Read More: Slow-Roasted Halibut with Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad

Roasted Fennel-Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sage-Lemon Vinaigrette

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Okay, this is seriously the best thing I have done with a pork tenderloin in like, years. Oh my god. Make this now. It was so good in fact, that I didn’t even get a decent picture of it for the title shot here. I just took it to the table and that was the end of that. So, above is a shot of the wine that we had for dinner. A zinfandel. It was good too.

The original recipe used bone-in pork chops but I substituted a pork tenderloin. I also did this indoors as opposed to outside on the grill, mainly because I was lazy. No matter, jwa & I were still rewarded with a delicious pork meal! I don’t really know what else to say about this except, uh, use fresh sage in the vinaigrette and get a spoon. Because you will be tempted to slurp . . . → Read More: Roasted Fennel-Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sage-Lemon Vinaigrette

Grilled Garlic Steak with Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce

steak title

This is a meal inspired by a dinner that jwa had at his parents house a little while ago. He had gone down there to help them with some things and returned with tales of steak with garlic in it. Mmmmm…garlic in steak. I was intrigued. Such a great idea!

So, we grilled some up, with the addition of chimichurri sauce and some grilled veggies.

This was also a great opportunity to use out new outdoor grill — I still love it!

For the Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce:
Adapted from a recipe from Bob Blumer, The Surreal Gourmet
1/2 cup lightly packed chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
2 tbsp shallot or onion, minced
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp sherry wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Steak:
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp kosher salt
2 1/2 . . . → Read More: Grilled Garlic Steak with Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce

Pork Chops with Sage or Costolette di Maiale con Salvia

pork title

I think a good alternative title for this recipe would be, “here, piggy, piggy!” Pork three ways — pork chops, prosciutto and pancetta. Delicious! I pretty much followed the recipe as is, except I brined my chops and I crisped the potatoes up in a pan before placing the chops on top for the oven.

I thought this was wonderful, but then I’ve really come to expect that from any Jaime Oliver recipe. Even the picture in the cookbook makes you want to just reach through the page and grab a chop. Sadly, that doesn’t really work, so just make the recipe instead!

Basic Pork Chop Brine
4 cups cold water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4-6 sage leaves, torn

pork brine

Mix all the above together, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolves. If it’s not already, transfer it to a container (that has . . . → Read More: Pork Chops with Sage or Costolette di Maiale con Salvia

Vegetable Upside-Down Cake for Vegetarian Saturday

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This was part of our new vegetarian Saturday night schedule! We’ve actually followed this for about 2 months — uh, except last Saturday when we went to Country Cat after a movie and I had duck legs. Oops. But other than that, it’s been vegetarian Saturdays! Woo!

This was good. It’s from one of my most beloved cookbook’s ever — The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. It’s pretty easy to make too. The only slightly intimidating part is the flip. And you really don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. But, you should live a little and give it a try.

Worst thing? You have vegetable upside-down cake on your floor and you order a pizza.

Vegetable Upside-Down Cake
adapted from Enchanted Broccoli Forest, by Mollie Katzen
Olive oil & non-stick spray
1 onion, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium . . . → Read More: Vegetable Upside-Down Cake for Vegetarian Saturday