Broiled Japanese Salmon on Endive with Honey-kumquat Vinaigrette

Healthy and quick. This meal can be on the table in about 15 minutes. I love fish, and salmon is a staple in my house. My fishmonger is 30 minutes away, so I often have to rely on something frozen. I've grown to like Costco's frozen bagged fish- salmon and Mahi-Mahi. I've ventured into their frozen shrimp as well (taking me away from Trader Joe's frozen shrimp, which has been pretty bad lately). Anyway, dealing with frozen salmon is almost as easy as fresh- just run some cool water over for a few minutes, then let it rest to warm up. It's usually ready to go within 30 minutes, because the filets aren't too thick.

Take two salmon filets. Cut them into 1 1/2" cubes. Toss them with soy sauce, brown sugar, sake, sesame oil, ginger, salt and pepper. Place on foil in broiler for maybe 10 minutes. Play it by ear- your broiler might be different than mine.

Lay out your endive. Maybe slice some onions too. White or red would go best.

Honey-Kumquat Vinaigrette-

2 TSP honey
2 TSP kumquat juice
A splash of sake
1 tsp sugar
1/4 olive oil
salt
pepper

Mix well.

Top your greens with the fish and onions. Add some chopped green onions in here too if you like - they'd go well with it. Drizzle your vinaigrette over it all. Top with toasted sesame seeds and maybe some black pepper.

~ Brock

Lamb Ciabatta Sandwich with Mint-Horseradish Aioli

I hear it a lot..."I just want something easy," or "it doesn't have to be anything too fancy." What's the difference? Does it take less time to boil a hotdog than it does to make a lamb sandwhich? Nope. Sorry, haters.

Start with a small cut of lamb...something that looks like a ribeye or t-bone. Who cares which one- just pick one. It will be good anyway. Get beyond the instructions and take a chance. Douse it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh minced garlic, and bring it to the counter for at least 1 hour before cooking. Then take your iron skillet and get that thing smoking (literally) on high. Slaughter the lamb on one side for maybe 4 minutes, then flip it to the other side for 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness. This will be about what you see in my pic. Your kitchen will be full of smoke- maybe even the whole house. Open some windows and chill. When it's done, remove it to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 - 10 minutes. Slice for your sandwich- thick or thin, you choose.

While that's all going down, slather some olive oil and pepper on your ciabatta and toast it. When it's done, open the oven door and move the bread near the opening. Lay some slices of brie on those bad boys and let it soften, while remaining in the warmth of the oven.

You'll need some arugala, crumbled blue, feta, or gorganzola cheese, pepperchinis, and olive oil and pepper. Add those to your liking.

Assemble your sandwhich - might want to add some red onions in there too.

Why not add a spicy aioli? 1 egg yolk, about 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 TSP white wine vinegar, 1 TSP lemon juice, 1 TSP horseradish, 2 TSP chopped fresh mint, salt and pepper. Mix well and chill for a bit. Drizzle the stuff over everything.

I think you'll like it. If not, freeze it and give it to me when you see me.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Licensing versus Distribution: Why the Eminem Case Matters

Maybe you followed it, but probably not. You saw "Eminem" and thought, "oh, the great white hope!" Ha! Or you thought, "who cares about him anyway?" Either way, he wasn't even directly involved in the lawsuit touted as Eminem's suit for millions! The case was brought by Eminem's former publishing companies (at least according to a detnews.com report). The question was whether digital downloads constitute a purchase or a license. If they are a purchase, then it's the same thing as a CD sale and the royalty is a distribution royalty. If it's a license, then the royalty is much higher- usually 50%. Big difference when you're talking millions of downloads, but a difference of roughly $1.78 when you're talking about your average artist.

The court sided with Universal and said the the digital download is a distribution- a purchase, and not a license. A win for the labels.

Hints of Italy and Greece

You can always make a quick gourmet meal with just a handful of ingredients. For what you see here, the main items are white beans (the white bean dip towards the top left), garbanzo beans (the hummus you see towards the center), cucumbers, red onions, feta cheese, and pitas. This is a vegetarian take in this picture, but most of the time I some type of kabob or something like that.

White Bean Dip

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tsp water
juice from 1/2 lemon
1-2 glugs olive oil
salt
pepper
paprika

mash the ingredients together and leave some chunks. Sprinkle some paprika and olive oil over the top.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 C tahini (sesame seed paste)
6 cloves garlic, minced
juice from 1/2 lemon
1-2 glugs olive oil
salt
pepper

Everything in a processor. If it's too thick add a bit of water. You might want to experiment with the tahini and lemon juice to find the right taste for you.

Enjoy!

~Brock

The Rumble LA Brings a Fitz

It don't stop

Daddy's Got A New Blade

I must say, I'm impressed. Check them out at Shun Knives.

Pan Seared Chicken with Spicy-Crispy Onions and Tokay Shallot Mustard Sauce

Tammy was craving a chicken dish I made last year and could never re-create...for some reason, I just forgot what I did. I figured a better dish would smooth things over. My starting point was knowing I wanted a pan seared chicken. I sometimes like to use those "tenders"...the small pieces of breast that maintain moisture a bit better than a full breast. They're also very versatile across many recipes.

I built up from there.

We both love onions, but didn't feel like caramelized or raw. I also just wanted an onion as an accent item, not as a full component.

Then the sauce...I'm big on sauces and I love to incorporate different liquors. Since the last sauce I made had rum or wine, I think, I pulled out a Tokay. I know it's on the sweet side, and knowing I'd be using onions, I decided I needed some spice to sway the sweetness...a tokay mustard sauce. But tokay and mustard alone lack that earthy component, so I decided to incorporate shallots.

Here it does, yo:

Pan Seared Chicken:

4 ckicken breast tenders
salt
pepper
paprika
dried basil
dried garlic
1 egg white
corn starch

use the first 5 ingredients to form a nice coating. Let them sit on the chicken for a few minutes, then dredge in the egg white, the roll in corn starch to cover.

Heat up 2 TSP oil and fry both sides until golden brown...maybe 2-3 minutes per side.

Spicy-Crispy Onions:

1 onion
corn starch
baking soda
1 TSP crushed red pepper
salt
pepper

Slice onions and put them in a bowl. Salt and pepper, then add red pepper. Add about 1 TSP corn starch, and a sprinkle of baking soda. Add 1 tsp egg white and stir it all well.

Fry with 1 TSP oil on medium-high heat until crispy. Remove and set aside for later use.

Shallot Tokay Mustard Sauce:

1/4 C Tokay
1/4 C whipping cream
salt
pepper
1 large shallot, sliced
1 tsp deli mustard

Fry up shallots in 1 TSP oil for about 2 minutes. Add Tokay and let boil about 30 seconds. Add whipping cream and let boil about 30 more seconds. Drop in mustard, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Lay out your chicken, top with some crispy onions, then spoon some sauce over the top.

Rock and roll, baby!

~ Brock

Spicy Garlic Linguine with Artichoke Hearts and Spinach

You know, I'm on the fence when it comes to pasta. On the one hand, it irritates me that it's one of those things that people love to talk about. They brag, and I hate to hear bragging. On the other hand, it's versatile, you can make so many dishes with so many types of pasta, and it's generally pretty damn good. The other thing is that pasta dishes are usually pretty quick to make, and that's important. So, here's a quick one for you. Feels light, not too many ingredients necessary, and pops with flavor.

Enough linguine for two people, cook according to instructions. Meanwhile...

6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large or 2 small shallots, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 handful of fresh spinach, washed
6 artichoke hearts from the can, drained and sliced
1/4 olive oil

Heat olive oil to medium-hot. Add shallots and garlic. Cook a minute or two, then add crushed red pepper, for about 1 minute. Add artichoke hearts for 1 minute, then add drained cooked pasta, and toss in spinach. Flip up heat to high and toss well. Split between your bowls and enjoy.

~ Brock

Tropical Feast

I really regret not having my camera handy on this one, because if a picture speaks a thousand words, I wouldn't need to say much. But, I'm out of luck, so here goes...

It all started with a detour to 99 Ranch Market to pick up some groceries. I saw Golden Kiwis and the mental feast was instantly born. It had to center around fruit and steak...those were my rules. I also wanted it semi-healthy...it just sounded better in my head that way. I'm gonna throw down the recipes, then lay out the use.

Grilled Pineapple Steak:

1 lb skirt or flank steak
2 handfuls of crushed pineapple, with juices (don't use canned- cut off some slices from a pineapple and squeeze them in your hand over the steak)
salt
pepper
5 cloves of minced garlic
2 glogs of olive oil

Rub the oil into the steak. Salt and pepper generously. Sprinkle the garlic over both sides and work it in with your fingers. Work in the crushed pineapple and juices. Let it stand for about 1 hour outside of the fridge.

Throw on a hot grill for 3 minutes per side. Let it sit for 10 minutes after you cook it, then slice it against the grain into 1 inch x 1/4 inch strips. Set aside.

Golden Kiwi Spiced Dip:

6 golden kiwis- skinned and minced
2 Tsb minced red onion
1 Tsp sliced red pepper (hot, not bell)
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt pepper.

Mix everything and store in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Papaya Salsa:

1 Hawaiian papaya, chopped (yes, you skin and seed it first)
1 vine ripe tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
salt
pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix well and store in the fridge at least 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Fried Banana Rolls:

1 package egg roll wrappers
6 or 7 large bananas, chopped
4 Tsp sugar, mixed with 1 Tsp cinnamon

lay out an egg roll wrapper, fill it with bananas, then top with your sugar mixture. Roll according to the pictures on the back of the package (that's for you rule followers). Set aside.

Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to medium-hot. Fry the rolls until golden brown on all sides, set aside.

Sides:

1 head of red leaf lettuce, washed and whole leaves ready to use

1 large pineapple, cut into spears. Grill or eat cold

Feasting:

Make a lettuce wrap with the lettuce, some steak, and some of the kiwi dip and some of the papaya salsa. Dip your banana rolls in the kiwi dip. Stack some steak on a pineapple spear. You can even drop your face in a big bowl of everything...it's your call.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

The Rumble LA Strikes Again February 5