Lobster Fra Diavolo

Ramadan Kareem! In an effort to be more mindful during this month (and hopefully going forward) I hope to post more recipes. I haven’t experimented in my kitchen in quite some time but I hope to host an Iftar once a week. Hopefully, it’ll work out.  Anyway, I figured it would be appropriate to start off the month with a recipe post.

Earlier this summer, in a quest to make lobster, I bought a couple of stockpots. About a week ago, I contemplated buying a paella pan. Of course a friend reminded me about my unused stockpots.  Not to be shamed by unused kitchen equipment, I hustled to the fish market that evening.  I came back with this little guy.

Just the site of him made me remember how much I love lobster!! I boiled enough water to cover his head and added about ¼ cup salt.  Once the water came to a boil, in he went!

Head first of course. I covered the pot and cooked him for about 7 minutes.  Then out he came and I threw some cold water over him so he wouldn’t overcook.  

At that moment I realized I had not done enough preparation for my fra diavolo sauce so I whipped together a half hearted version.

Ingredients:

1 1- 1 ¼ lb lobster, cooked

2 tbs olive oil

1/8 cup red pepper flakes

1 garlic, chopped

¼ cup onion, chopped

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

salt and pepper to season

Heat oil then add red pepper flakes.  Cook flakes for 1 to 2 minutes then add garlic and onion.  Next add tomato sauce and bring to a boil then put on low heat for 15 minutes.  Last step is to add the lobster.  Let the sauce cook with the lobster for 5 – 10 minutes.  You don’t want to overcook the lobster but you also want to make sure it has enough of the flavor of the spicy tomato sauce.

I served it on a bed of spaghetti with a few of the legs and couldn’t have been happier. 

I’m glad I got a chance to make it because now I can buy my paella pan! 

Hungry yet?

Milano Grille - Bridgewater, NJ

OH wow, I can’t believe how far behind I am on the blog! I guess work has been a lot more hectic than I realized and this has certainly been a summer filled with weddings. My weekends have been way busier than winter and spring.  A few days before her wedding, we rehearsed for Ms. K’s (now Mrs. L!) wedding.  After standing in the heat and taking in the beauty of the venue, we went to Milano Grille for dinner.  The restaurant is easy to miss if you’re driving too fast down Route 202/206, but luckily I caught it and turned just in time.  The staff was extremely friendly and I was thrilled when our appetizers arrived. 

Calamari and shrimp! They were obviously after my heart. I ate it pretty quickly and was thrilled when I realized there was more to go around.  They also served some stuffed mushrooms.

Those were slightly less appetizing but I guess it’s nice to have something for the non-shellfish people.  The entrees were also pretty good. I was feeling out of character so I ordered a white sauce! Well technically I should say it was a non-tomato based sauce.  The tilapia with scallops and fettuccine seemed like a good idea.

It tasted pretty good but was slightly under salted. It was cooked in a white wine sauce that likely had some flour to help thicken it.  It definitely got better with each bite, which leads me to believe they likely didn’t cook it together for as long as they should have.  Unfortunately when you serve food before the flavors have really meshed together you’re left with uneven flavor, which is precisely what this dish suffered from.  The Chicken Parmesan looked spectacular.

I definitely had a couple of moments of food envy. Bright tomato sauce! I would have loved to sprinkle a few red pepper flakes on that and just go to town.  A few other appetizing dishes landed on some plates.  The Chicken Marsala was served two ways.  One with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

The other on a bed of fettuccine.

Not bad I say, not bad at all.  Overall everyone seemed happy with my meal. My happiness increased exponentially when it was time for dessert.

A nice slice of Tiramisu that I couldn’t help devouring even though I should have left the restaurant half an hour earlier for my drive home.  I loved every bite and could have eaten a few more if they had let me.  Overall Milano Grille was a good restaurant. Definitely not one of the best I’ve been to but they were gracious hosts and their food was satisfying. If you’re ever in that neighborhood, don’t hesitate to stop by for a bite.

Hungry yet?

Gingered Salmon

After Bestie came over a few weeks ago, she was appalled by the lack of food in my fridge so she was kind enough to drive me to the grocery store. I took the time to buy some ingredients for a recipe I wanted to try.  I was flipping through my Food and Wine magazine when I saw the recipe for Gingered Salmon with Grilled Corn and Watercress Salad.  Something about slivers of ginger stuffed in salmon just sounded so good, and even better when I realized it would be cooked on a skewer! Although it was delicious, I made a few mistakes with this one. I’ll point them out and let you know what I would have done differently.

Ingredients

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil

5 ears of corn, shucked

Four 6-ounce skin-on salmon fillets

20 small slices of pickled ginger

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon honey

1 clove garlic, sliced

1/4 cup of onions, julienned 

1 bunch of spinach

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small saucepan, boil ½ cup of balsamic vinegar until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Let the reduction cool then stir in 1 tablespoon of canola oil.  Heat a grill pan and grill the corn over high heat, turning until nicely charged.  

Let it cool. Using a serrated knife cut the kernels from the cob.  Arrange the salmon fillets skin side down. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make five ½-inch-deep slits crosswise in the flesh of each fillet. Stuff 1 slice of ginger into each slit, then thread each fillet lengthwise with a short skewer.

The first error I made was buying such thin slabs of salmon.  Although this was fresh Atlantic and tasted amazing, I should have opted for larger pieces even if it was previously frozen.  This made it difficult to cut slits deep enough to stuff the ginger and still have room to stick the skewer through.  The next step requires a large, ovenproof skillet. Another mistake! I really need to buy an oven-proof skillet. IMMEDIATELY! Shame on me.

Well, you’re supposed to heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil on the skillet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add the fillets to the skillet skin side down.  This was fine until I realized that my skewers were too long! I had to snap them while cooking which was awful. Cook the salmon over moderately high heat until the skin is lightly golden.  That part I got right!  

You’re then supposed to put the skillet in the oven and roast the salmon for about 6 minutes, turning once halfway through.  I put the salmon in the oven but shouldn’t have turned it over! It left the fish looking very unattractive.  While the salmon was cooking, I quickly put the spinach in a hot pan with garlic and onions until it was wilted.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of balsamic with the mustard and honey.  Gradually whisk the remaining canola oil into the dressing.  Add the corn and the spinach to the bowl and toss to coat.  Transfer the spinach and corn to the plate and top with skewered salmon.  Drizzle the fish and salad with balsamic reduction and serve immediately.

Overall the recipe turned out great. I opted for spinach and I wouldn’t call that a mistake, but I wills ay that because it wilts so much, I really should have had more spinach than I used. I had tons of left over dressing!  It was delicious though!

Hungry yet?

Spicy Vegetable Omelette

I almost didn’t write this post, but I figured it was a good example of how leftovers can work out.  I really have Bestie to thank for this meal.  Her concern regarding my lack of food meant she was doing the most when she was here about a month ago.  After our dinner at Do Hwa, we came home with most of our sides.  The next morning, she whipped up a magnificent omelette with some fresh veggies from Ithaca and some of our leftovers.

Ingredients

6 egg whites

¼ cup Kimchi

4 big leaves of Swiss Chard

¼ broccoli or any other vegetable you have

Mix the egg whites in a bowl, add the vegetables.  Heat a skillet to medium heat and add non-stick cooking spray.  Pour the eggs in there and turn to low heat.  This is a slow cook process because the vegetables are raw.  You want them to still maintain some crispness when you’re done but don’t want them to be completely raw.  After about 5 minutes, the eggs should solidify around the vegetables and the cooking process is over! Now cut in half and share with your best friend :)

We ate it with a slice of toast and it was way more delicious than I anticipated.  The kimchi added a nice spicy bite. Just goes to show you, sometimes you best bet is to dig in your fridge and make something out of whatever is there.

Hungry yet? 

Chocolat Restaurant Lounge

A while back, in my hotel living days, I walked by Chocolat frequently. I was tempted enough that I ended up going to brunch with Ms. R. I ordered the French Toast and was quite happy with they way it turned out.

It was well flavored, rich but not overdone. The glutton in me couldn't help ordering the potatoes.

It was good but not great. Definitely not worth ordering especially when there's a delicious plate of French Toast worth eating. Ms. R ordered the Eggs Benedict.

After my one adventure late last year, I definitely stay away. Apparently she should have stayed away from this one. She noted that the hollandaise sauce was a mess. In short, she said, "I've had better eggs Benedict." Ouch! While we were eating we spied a delicious treat in the form of a Calamari Salad. Though I was tempted, we managed to contain ourselves. But I vowed to return so I could devour the calamari. Several months later, I made good on my promise. This time, I was accompanied to dinner with Ms. K. We started with the Sesame Calamari.

It really was everything I hoped for. Hot pieces of crispy calamari gently placed on a bed of greens and drizzled with a delightful miso ginger dressing and peanut sauce. Wow! This definitely could have been my entree. Every bite was perfect!! We also tried the Shrimp and Crab spring rolls. 

Womp womp! Greaseball central. My fingers were greasy and the wrapper was crumbling. The filling was unappetizing and I couldn't keep eating after a few bites. Before our entrees arrived, we were asked to move tables because they had a party of four coming in and there wasn't enough space. What an odd request. Well we got up and moved.  I guess it’s a good thing that the restaurant was so full on a Sunday night. Eventually our entrees arrived. Ms. K ordered the Beef Short Ribs. It was served with a creamy saffron risotto. 

Apparently the meat was so tender it reminded her of the one her mother used to make. She really enjoyed it. I ordered the Miso Glazed Salmon with bak choy and basmati rice.

The glaze was a little heavy and the rice slightly undercooked. The flavors were good just not perfect. By far the best thing we ate was the Calamari. It was amazing and I could definitely see myself going back for that. Everything else was take it or leave it, including the service. I recommend Chocolat but I think it's best you go there with muted enthusiasm. It definitely seems like a hit or miss on many levels.

Hungry yet?