Tuna Summer Rolls

 

Puppy Love by Donny Osmond

What does tuna fish and Donny Osmond have to do with each other? Well, I'll tell you! It's the early 70's and I'm at my friend Vera's house. We're in her bedroom listening to Donny Osmond on her turntable and swooning amid giggles and sharing dreams. Then suddenly she says, "Hey! You wanna make some tuna fish sandwiches?" I say ok and we head to her kitchen. She starts pulling out an onion and chopping it into tiny dices and she put her bread in the toaster! This was already different than my usual. When I said as much, she gave me an instant lesson on the finer notes of the best tuna fish sandwich I'd ever had. And I still enjoy that same recipe today! But lately I happened onto this fresh new version and I'm swooning again - except this time it's over food!

Tuna fish can be elegant!

I know in my childhood tuna got a

real bad reputation when our moms tried

to put it in a casserole with some noodles and

canned soup.

Tuna fish sandwiches in your 

sack lunch from home were

kinda ok but everyone knew someone

was packing one before lunchtime

because tuna tends to announce itself.

This recipe today though is fun to make and

tastes super fresh!

It's also crunchy and colorful!

Who's ready to play with their food?

Tuna Summer Rolls

makes 4

print recipe

1 can albacore tuna in water, drained

1 cup chopped bok choy cabbage

1/4 red onion, diced

1 carrot, shredded

4 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sriracha or favorite hot sauce

salt

cilantro

radish, sliced thin

4 rice paper wraps

Place the tuna, bok choy, red onion, carrot, mayonnaise, and sriracha in a bowl. It's a beauty to behold!

Give this all a good stir and season with salt to taste. Set aside.

Take one of the rice paper wraps and run under warm water, wetting both sides. It'll still feel crisp and hard but it will soften in less than a minute. Place it on a clean and dry chopping board.

It'll look like this at first. You can wait for it to completely soften but there's no need. I like to add a little decoration down first because the rice paper becomes transparent and you can see the fun design! I start doing this part while the rice paper is still softening. I lay down some radishes and cilantro leaves.

Next I will add 1/4 of the tuna mixture on top of the radishes and keep it to the center of the wrap.

Next you will fold in the sides of the wrap. You'll find that the wrap is now very soft and stretchy and a little sticky. That's good because it likes to hold onto itself!

Now you'll fold that bottom part up close to the tuna mixture like a burrito, tucking the end up and over the food bump. Then you will roll it up and the end will roll flat onto itself and stick like magic! Roll it as tight as you can. More tight than I did in these pictures! Repeat with the rest of the wrappers.

They're so pretty! See how the radishes show through? You can eat them as is or slice in half. If you're a dipper, they'd be delicious with an asian-inspired dressing or even a drizzle with some mayo and sriracha! Enjoy!

Lamb Stew with Farro

 

An Acre of Land - English Folk Song performed by PJ Harvey and Harry Escott

This stew is really lovely and perfect for a stormy and dreary winter's day. It needed a song with a hauntingly beautiful melody to match the mood. This video is a montage from the movie "Dark River" starring the incomparable Ruth Wilson. Harvey and Escott's recording delivers all the mood! And today's recipe brings the food for the mood!

This recipe is one of the best results of me

messing around in the kitchen using my 

culinary school knowledge and coming 

to a very happy conclusion.

Knowing which ingredients to use, using the correct

method, as well as introducing them in a 

particular order - these are the tools I still

use today. Cinnamon with lamb is a perfect

pairing as it performs the same job that

mint does when it is used -

it cuts that lanolin flavor in lamb that

can be off-putting. In this stew it 

also adds an enticing profile to the aroma.

I hope you enjoy this very satisfying stew!

Lamb Stew with Farro

serves 7

Print recipe

2 T. olive oil

1 lb. ground lamb

1 t. cinnamon

1 T. oregano

2 stems fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (use a color other than green for some color)

1 potato, peeled and chopped, set aside in a bowl, covered with cold water

16 oz. crimini mushrooms, cut into large chunks

1/4 c. tomato paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 c. flour

2/3 c. red wine

1 qt. beef stock

1 c. cooked farro

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a deep stew pot over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ground lamb, breaking it into pieces as you do. Stir and cook until the meat is browned. Add the cinnamon, oregano, and rosemary and stir to coat. Cook for a minute to let the herbs and spices bloom. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and stir to coat. Cook for about 3 minutes, giving the vegetables time to soften a bit. Add the mushrooms and stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to distribute the paste and to allow it to coat the ingredients. Stir in the garlic and let cook for a minute. Sprinkle the flour over the contents of the pan and give it a stir to give everything a fuzzy coat.

The flour is what will thicken the broth and give the stew a luxurious gravy. Cook for another 3 - 5 minutes, stirring to cook off the raw flour flavor.  It will be thick but don't worry. Next you'll add the red wine and stir and cook for another couple minutes.  The liquid will be quickly absorbed.  You'll be cooking off the alcohol, but that flavor will stay and give such depth to the flavor of the stew. Add the stock and stir well. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Drain the water off the potatoes and add to the stew and increase the heat. Bring to a low boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the cooked farro and stir to heat through. Season to taste. Serve with some crusty bread!

Sugar Cookie Melts with Lemon

 

WHO DO U LOVE? by Monsta X ft. French Montana

Several years ago my daughter, Katy, got me into K-Pop music and dramas. Her clear favorite was, and still is, Monsta X. And I couldn't disagree with her choice. Their music pulls you in and next thing you're dancing and just plain happy! If you really want to see their dance skills, watch this video. You won't be sorry! The recipe today is one that makes you just as happy as listening to Monsta X!

I've had this cookie recipe in my recipe collection for awhile and I'm not sure 

why I haven't shared it before. It's my take on the sugar 

cookie from Paradise Bakery - the first sugar cookie that made me 

question whether mine was the best I'd ever had! 

Their cookie was so light! It almost melted in your mouth!

Roasted Chickpea and Tomato Hummus

 

Come As You Are by Nirvana

Probably my all-time favorite Nirvana song.  Acceptance.  Recognition.  You don't have to fix yourself up - caked with mud - and no worries that when you get here I'm gonna blow you away with secret expectations.  At least, that's what it's saying to me!  This recipe is about finding the less than perfects sitting around my kitchen and inviting them to make this beautiful dish.

During this global pandemic I don't think I'm alone

in finding myself scrounging around my 

kitchen, trying to figure out what I can make out of what's on hand.

Thankfully, this is a technique I've had to

resort to many times, especially during our

lean university years - all 13 of them!

I'm still in love with the "put it all in a pan

and roast it" craze.  I used it to make my White Bean and Chevrè Dip.

I wanted to use that methodology again but

just use what I had already.

But the beauty of this approach, though,

is that it's so open to substitutions.

I had some cherry tomatoes that, like me, are past their prime

yet still have something to offer.

I had part of a red onion in my fridge that had also 

seen better days but was still had life.

A sprig of rosemary that's almost bin worthy, but not yet.

And a bit of white wine left in the bottle, even sweet wine, I believe,

found a new purpose.

I've gotten into the habit of keeping different types

of cheeses on hand specifically for this way of preparing foods.

The huge log of store brand goat cheese helped add

the tang that you'd normally get from tahini.

And canned chickpeas.

I'd say they look ready to work together!

If you could smell how tasty the aroma is!

A quick stir and remove the rosemary.

Use as you would a hummus and spread on veggies or crackers or crostini.

Or use as a spread on sandwiches or a burger topping!

The tomatoes give it an orangish tinge - sort of

 like pimiento spread and it packs the tanginess of

a pimiento spread - but it's not!

Enjoy!

Roasted Chickpea and Tomato Hummus

makes 1 pint

1 can chickpeas (garbanzos)

cherry tomatoes

1/4 red onion, sliced

4 oz. goat cheese - or cheese of your choice

1 garlic clove, minced

olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

rosemary sprig, or any herb you have

black pepper

kosher or sea salt

Preheat oven to 400°.  Place chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and rosemary sprig in a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil, enough to coat everything nicely, and use your hands or a spoon and toss it all around.  Clear a spot in the center and add the block of goat cheese.  Drizzle some olive oil over the cheese as well as some black pepper.  Pour wine into dish around the cheese and onto the other ingredients.  Roast, uncovered, for 25 - 30 minutes, until there's a golden brown on the tomatoes, cheese, and chickpeas.  Remove and stir, picking out the rosemary sprig.  Let cool then add to a food processor.  Blitz on high, adding more olive oil, if needed to help with the consistency.  Season with kosher or sea salt to taste.  Store in fridge.

Miso Ginger Pork Marinade

 

Got It Good by Jem

Maybe it's the usual feeling of renewal and hopefulness that the spring season brings, but I'm feeling like good things are on their way.  And I'm not just talking about this recipe today.  Ok, I guess I am!  It is a good one that came to me in a flash.  And sometimes those flashes turn out really good.  I hope you think so, too!

You know how things not on your list 

make their way into your shopping cart?

Recently a three-pack of pork sirloin roasts 

found their way into mine.

They were separated and thrown into

the freezer for "some day."

Last week became that "some day" for one of those roasts.

I wasn't sure how I was going to prepare it 

but when it's turn on the weekly menu came 

around I settled on some skewers.

I don't think I've used pork on skewers before

so I thought about how I'd add flavor and what that

flavor would be.

I came up with these as starters.

Since I usually make my marinades by eye and estimations

I made sure I actually measured the ingredients

AND wrote them down.

I busted out a gallon storage bag and started

pulling out ingredients that went with the sake, Tamari, and miso paste.

The usual profiles I look for when creating a marinade are a fat, 

an acid, and some sweetness.

I think what I came up with is a real winner!

You'll find the sake in the liquor section of the store in the specialty wines.

The miso paste can be found in the asian food aisle or 

sometimes it's in the health food refrigerated area by the tofu.

Tamari is usually right by the soy sauce - and it's gluten free!

I prefer tamari because it's flavor is more mellow than soy sauce.

Please do not use toasted sesame oil, especially at that amount.

You will hate me and yourself, I promise.

I cut the pork roast into cubes and cut up some onions and 

bell peppers to join the party.

I had some grape tomatoes that needed used

so onto the skewers they went as well.

I used my broiler but the grill is just itching to

come out to play after a long winter's rest!

You don't even have to use skewers!

Just put the chunked up veggies with the meat

cubes in a roasting pan and broil away!

Broiling will give them gorgeous caramelized edges!

I hope you enjoy this lovely marinade - 

and don't think it can't be used for other

meats as well!

Miso Ginger Pork Marinade

1/4 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 T. tamari (similar to soy sauce)

3 T. miso paste, I used a yellow one

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup untoasted sesame oil or avocado oil

2 T. honey

1 heaping teaspoon Chinese five spice blend

Simply squish the ingredients together in a storage bag or whisk together in a container.  Add your meat and let marinade for about 4 - 6 hours in the fridge.  Get out about an hour before cooking to let meat come to room temperature.