Jenn's Kitchen in NJ: Gram's Lasagna Recipe

This is my recipe for lasagna, a great meal for when the weather is cold or you need some comfort food. It is based on my grandmother Edna's recipe which, like her sticky buns, people rave about once they have tried it! The surprise ingredient is cottage cheese. I'm not really sure why Gram includes it but I do think it help prevent the lasagna from becoming too dry. One modification that I made was switching from the "old-fashioned" lasagna noodles - which have to be boiled and cooled before layering - to no-boil lasagna noodles which you can simply layer uncooked and they'll cook in the oven! It saves a lot of time and effort. The prep time is about 30 minutes (plus 1 hour in the oven) and a disposable aluminum pan saves on clean-up. If you have the room, it's not too much additional effort to make 2 pans and freeze one. While fresh-from-the-oven lasagna tastes the best, leftovers or from the freezer taste almost as wonderful :) I usually serve with garlic bread and a salad, though this time Eric made broccolini and it went very well together.

Ingredients (per 1 deep pan - which serves about 12):
~1.3 pounds hamburger
One 9 oz. box Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles
24 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (3 bags)
1 large container (~1 lb.) cottage cheese (small curd)
1 large container (~2 lb.) ricotta cheese
2-3 jars (48 oz.) spaghetti sauce (better to have an extra one on hand - you don't want your lasagna to dry out and the noodles not cook enough while in the oven)
Generous amounts of seasonings: onion, garlic, oregano, basil, black pepper, etc.

Procedure:
1. Brown hamburger with onion, garlic, seasonings
2. Add this to spaghetti sauce in large pot on stove, add more seasonings to taste
3. After sauce is heated, use half of it to cover the bottom of the baking pan
4. Layer half of the noodles on top of the sauce
5. Spread cottage cheese on top of the noodles
6. Spread ricotta on top of the cottage cheese
7. Add 1 bag of mozzarella on top of the other cheeses
8. Layer the rest of the noodles on top of the cheeses
9. Add rest of the sauce on top of the noodles
10. Spread rest of the mozzarella on the very top
(If you have extra ingredients - usually cheese - you can keep layering)

Can now either freeze or bake (350 F for 1 hour for entire pan)

Jenn's Kitchen in NJ: Gram's Lasagna Recipe

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Potatoes Au Gratin

Recently Jenn and I had our engagement party and my Uncle Doug and his wife Tara got us these wonderful le Creuset dishes that are perfect for this! We had some amazing Aged Dubliner cheese that we wanted to use up so we thought we'd make some potatoes with it and put our new dishes to use. That being said, for some reason I thought I'd need to fill both dishes and ended up making WAY too much. So this recipe probably feeds about 8...

Ingredients:
1+ lbs. Peeled and sliced Russet potatoes
1/2 cup of 2% milk
1/2 cup of half and half
Aged Dubliner cheese
Gruyere cheese (honestly not sure how much)
Cracked black pepper
Paprika
Garlic powder

I had never done this before so I looked up a few recipes online and most of them called for heavy cream but I really didn't want to have heavy cream sitting around and knew I had some half and half left that I usually use for coffee. It probably would have tasted better with the heavy cream but tasted pretty fantastic with the milk and half and half so I didn't feel like I missed out.

I pre-heated the oven for 400 degrees and started layering the potatoes, covering each layer with a generous amount of grated Gruyere and Dubliner cheese. You can kind of get a sense from the picture here. Once I had the layers built up on both I mixed the milk, half and half and some black pepper and garlic powder and poured it over the potatoes before adding the last layer of cheese. I then added a little more black pepper and some paprika at the end before putting it into the oven. I cooked it covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes and then uncovered it and put it back in for another 30 minutes. They were nicely browned and crispy at the top by the end but some of the potatoes weren't cooked quite enough at the end. We had plenty of leftovers and when reheating those in the toaster oven they have been perfect.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Potatoes Au Gratin

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Polish Stuffed Cabbage

My Polish Grandmother used to make these for us all the time while I was growing up and then my Dad continued to make them after she was gone. They always make me feel at home wherever I have them and I definitely consider them a comfort food. While I was living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for a year there was a huge Polish population and we had a great deli nearby where you could get these for $1.25/ea. and they tasted just like my Dad and Grandma used to make. Jenn didn't used to like them too much but they have grown on her and she said this time around were the best she's had (I've only made them twice). They are a lot of work but they can feed a lot of people for very little money and re-heat very well.

Traditionally, they are made with rice and ground pork as the primary ingredients for the stuffing but at some point my Dad switched to orzo pasta instead of rice and we've never looked back. The orzo is never as dry or rigid as the rice can get. The secret to the sauce seems to be condensed tomato soup and chicken broth. We've tried all sorts of other combinations but they never taste as good. I did try and get the low sodium chicken broth as I know both those ingredients can be very high in sodium. You can probably use low sodium tomato soup as well.

Ingredients: (feeds a lot of people)
1 large cabbage
2 lb. ground pork
1 lb. orzo pasta (instead of rice)
1/2 lb. of bacon
1 32 oz. box of low sodium low fat College Inn chicken broth
1 family size can of campbell's tomato soup
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
2 tbsp of minced garlic
1 cup of bread crumbs
a generous amount of cracked black pepper

You start off by cooking your orzo very al dente (since it will continue to cook later in the crock pot). Then you rinse it with cold water to until it's completely cool to the touch and then you can start to mix it in a large bowl with your ground pork, garlic, scallions and bread crumbs. I also cooked half of my bacon ahead of time and crumbled it into the mixture as well. My Dad always used to lay it over the stuffed cabbage while it was cooking (to flavor the sauce) but I thought it might be nice as part of the filling and it was!

The next step is to steam your cabbage. I don't have a great method for doing this or removing the leaves once they are done. I basically soaked my oven mitts while doing it... Maybe a dish towel instead? The best advice I can give is to cut the outside of the veins of the cabbage leaves and to core it initially too to help the leaves fall off more easily when they are done steaming. They should basically be soft and pliable. Then you simply wrap them as if you were wrapping a burrito and place them in the crock pot with the open end facing down so they stay wrapped. As you fill the pot with these, before starting a second layer, cover them all with some chicken broth and your tomato soup. You want to ensure that each one has some sauce to cook in.

Once you have either exhausted your ingredients or filled your crock pot, cover it and bring it to a boil initially. Then you can lower the heat and just let them cook for a couple of hours or so. The longer they go, the better. They are very filling and great for large groups. My brother and Dad were visiting when I made this batch and they both seemed to like them! It's certainly one of my favorite family recipes and this batch was definitely the best that I've made.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Polish Stuffed Cabbage

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Seafood Paella

Jenn and I went to Spain last summer and had amazing seafood Paella at a few different places and I've been dying to attempt to make it myself ever since we returned. Luckily my Mom let me borrow her giant Le Creuset pot and some real Saffron, 'the world's most expensive spice by weight'. You can actually see a strand of it in my picture above right on a piece of chicken in the lower left hand corner. It's red and stringy.

Anyway, I made way more food than Jenn and I could eat in a night so we'll be having Paella quite a lot this week but I can think of worse tragedies to befall on us. It also came out exactly how I was hoping. I used the Paella recipe in the Joy of Cooking as a reference but didn't agree with a lot of their decisions.

Ingredients (serves 8 supposedly):
1 lb. bag of mussells (scrubbed and de-bearded)
1 lb. of shrimp, de-shelled and de-veined
2 chicken breasts
5 oz. of chopped chorizo sausage
5 oz. chopped baby bella mushrooms
1 vidalia onion minced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1.5 red peppers, chopped
2 cups of arborio rice
4 cups of hot broth (mine was from cooking the mussels plus some chicken bouillon)
1 cup white wine
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Better than Bouillon chicken base
Konriko's Creole Seasoning
Pinch of dried Saffron

So the Joy of Cooking recommended cooking the chicken ahead of time and adding mussels and shrimp at the very end right before serving. I decided this seemed like a terrible idea as I wanted to cook the rice in the broth from the mussels to begin with. So the first thing I did was to steam the mussels in 3 cups of water and 1 cup of white wine with a couple of tablespoons of minced garlic and some chopped cilantro. I had Jenn do a coarse chop of the veggies in the food processor (we just got one) and then I cooked the chicken breasts with half the veggies in some olive oil and seasoned them with some Konriko's Creole Seasoning. I made sure the chicken wasn't overcooked as you're supposed to bake the whole shebang in the oven for 15 minutes at the end at 350 degrees (I also pre-heated the oven). Once the chicken was almost done I took it out and Jenn sliced it and I set it aside.

Then I took the other half of the veggies and cooked them with the shrimp and some more creole seasoning. For whatever reason I put Cajun spices on everything. I took out the shrimp and the mussels when they had opened and set those aside separately since I didn't want to over cook them and decided I'd add them at the very end and let the rice heat them when serving. I also set aside the wonderful broth from the mussels and added a tsp. of chicken bouillon.

So then I put all the cooked veggies and the sliced, mostly cooked chicken in the pan and slowly added the rice and broth, stirring often. I made it as if I was making risotto as it's the same type of rice. You want to coat the rice with a little fat (olive oil in this case) and then slowly let it soak up the broth. Although knowing that it was going to cook more in the oven I just got it started, stirred and then stuck it all in the oven saving the mussels and shrimp for the end.

When it came out all the rice was at the bottom so I had to stir it again but it was perfect. If you want to adjust the recipe it's just 1 part rice to 2 parts broth. If you make this I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I think it's one of the best things I've ever made.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Seafood Paella

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Honeydew Prosciutto & Arugula Salad

This was definitely a collaborative effort by my Mom and I. She's recently been adding melon to her salads after having one in some Portuguese restaurant somewhere where they had cantaloupe and arugula and I said that I thought it would be even better with some prosciutto. So Jenn and I showed up to her house Saturday night and she had bought all the ingredients and had me assemble it. I think it came out very well and decided it was 'blog-worthy'.

Ingredients: (served 5 but disappeared quickly)
1 package of arugula
1 half a honeydew, sliced thinly
1 package of prosciutto (2 oz?)
2 tbsp. minced sweet onion (I would omit this or use some red onion sparingly and sliced thinly)
pinch of black pepper
1 tbsp. of shredded Romano cheese (or shaved Parmesan)

Dressing: (This is an approximation but the proportions are close)
1 oz. orange juice
1 oz. raspberry balsamic vinegar
3-4 oz. olive oil

Toss and serve! I would also suggest dressing it lightly and right before serving as the honeydew has a lot of juice and is very sweet to begin with and over dressing could definitely make it soggy. Cantaloupe might be more colorful but I thought the honeydew was delicious.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Honeydew Prosciutto & Arugula Salad

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: 3-Bean Chilli Con Carne

So it's finally starting to cool off in the Northeast, Football season is starting and it seemed about time to make some chilli! Both Jenn and I love chilli and my recipe changes pretty much every time but this is how I made it this time around. I usually use just kidney beans but this time around I decided to try some other beans as well. I've also done it with ground turkey and it's still pretty good but I like ground pork and beef best.

Ingredients: (Feeds about 8)
1lb. ground Beef
1lb. ground Pork
2 cans kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can northern beans
2 cans crushed tomatoes (16oz. ea.)
1/2 large onion
5 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
4 tbsp. chilli powder
3 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chilli oil
4-6 bay leaves
cracked black pepper & crushed red pepper flakes to taste

served with sour cream, chives, shredded cheddar cheese and cornbread.

I like to get a large pan nice and hot with a little olive oil and start off with the onions, mushrooms, garlic and meats. I saute everything together, turning the meat often to ensure it cooks completely. Once the meat is browned and the veggies are softened, I transfer everything into my crock pot and start adding the beans, crushed tomatoes and other ingredients.

I let it cook in the crock pot pretty much as long as I can. I think this time I cooked it on high for a few hours, turned it to low for an hour or so and then left it on 'keep warm' overnight. Chilli is one of those dishes that only gets better the longer it goes and the next day it's usually ready.

Jenn made some corn bread with whole wheat flour and we ate it with a little sour cream, cheddar cheese and fresh chives and it was excellent. It's really a great dish to make if you're feeding a bunch of people.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: 3-Bean Chilli Con Carne

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Marinated Elk Steaks

I had only ever had Elk once before when I was young so when the chance to cook it arose, I was very excited! We were visiting my fiance Jenn's hometown and her Dad's good friend Gary had recently returned from a hunting trip in Colorado and had some choice Elk steaks as a result and was kind enough to give us some. He mentioned not to overcook it as it's very lean but that was about all the direction we got so I looked up some recipes online beforehand. There was nothing in particular that blew me away but the Joy of Cooking said to marinate it in a mixture including red wine and rosemary and so that was what I ran with.

Ingredients (serves 2, all measurements are approximate):
2 Elk Steaks (roughly 6 oz. each)
1/2 large vidalia onion
5 oz. sliced baby-bella mushrooms
Marinade:
1/3 cp. red wine (we used a malbec)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. white truffle oil
1 tbsp. minced garlic
pinch of ground mustard
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 large pinch of rosemary

I marinated the steaks for 24 hours after thawing them to let them fully soak up the flavors and ensure that it wouldn't be too gamy. I used a grill pan to cook the steaks and got it nice and hot with a little pam to keep it from sticking. I seared each side for a couple of minutes until it became a little more firm and then took it off and let it sit for a minute or two. I personally wanted mine medium rare. Meanwhile, I sauteed the mushrooms and onions in some olive oil and minced garlic until they were soft and I slowly added some of the marinade until it started to reduce. I added some more and let the veggies cook in the mixture and made sure it boiled as it did have some of the juices from the meat. They really took on the flavor of the marinade and made a perfect pairing for the meat.

We ate it with the wine we used and some caprese salad. Delicious! I didn't find it even remotely gamy and the rosemary and wine really complemented the natural flavors quite nicely. I know the picture isn't my prettiest but I was more concerned with eating it than arranging!

You could also use this process for venison or lamb.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Marinated Elk Steaks

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Pan-seared Salmon Salad

The first time I had a dish similar to this was at one of my favorite bars in Jersey City, Iron Monkey. I think it was a special on their menu a few months ago, when I still lived there. It paired capers and green olives (which I normally don't like), with mandarin oranges and pan seared salmon and the contrast of flavors was fantastic. This was my first attempt to recreate the dish and I think it came out very nicely.

Ingredients (served 4):
3 salmon fillets
4 bowls worth of spring greens (half a gigantic package)
1 small bottle of capers
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
most of a jar of whole food's garlic stuffed green olives
about 6 peeled mandarin oranges split into sections
Chef Prudhomme's seafood magic
Some cracked black pepper

Dressing (all measurements are approximations I just add things until it tastes good!):
1 Lemon's worth of juice
1/4 cp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Pure maple Syrup (you can use sugar or honey as well)

Basically I mixed the dressing ingredients in a container until they tasted good with a slice of cucumber and then pan-seared the salmon in a little butter and olive oil, flipping it once and taking out of the pan when firm, making sure not to overcook it. I dislike dry or overcooked salmon quite a bit. In the end the sweet citrus flavors contrasted very nicely with the more bitter flavors of the capers an olives and it was a great summer dish. I also highly recommend some fresh mandarin or clementine oranges instead of canned ones.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Pan-seared Salmon Salad

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Ginger Glazed Mahi & Scallops Risotto

For Mother's Day my Mom and Grandma had me make them both of these dishes as their 'gift'. I had actually never cooked Mahi Mahi before but knew my Mom loved it so I looked up some recipes, considering what she already had in the house and settled on this one. As for the risotto, my Mom was more specific, saying she wanted, seared scallops with mushrooms, and leeks.

Let's start with the Mahi Mahi.

Ingredients (served 4-5 but we had two dishes):
2 large Mahi Mahi fillets
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced (2 cloves)
1 tbsp ginger minced
2 tsp olive oil
Cracked black pepper

Mix everything but the fish in a bowl and then add the fish and let marinate for 20 minutes in the fridge. After that, heat some light olive oil (takes high heat better my Mom taught me) in a pan and then add the fish, skin down, without the marinade and let it brown until crispy before turning. I only turn anything once and after I turned it, I let the other side sear for a minute or so before adding the marinade and letting it cook and thicken until the fish was done. The recipe suggested cooking the fish first and the marinade separately probably to let the fish cook completely without rushing it or to properly thicken the sauce but I ignored or forgot this and it turned out great anyway. The sauce had an amazing flavor! Also check out Sasha's Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa.

On to the risotto!

Ingredients (served 5 and there was a ton left over):
2 lbs. of sea scallops
2 cups of dry arborio rice
8 cups of 'better than bullion' mushroom stock (I forget how many tsp of bullion this is)
1 leek, chopped
1/2 a bunch of scallions
1 package of baby bella mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
cracked pepper
1/2 cup white wine, we used a chardonnay
1 tbsp white truffle oil

Start by sauteing the veggies in olive oil & white truffle oil until soft while heating the broth and then add the rice and the wine and continue to stir until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Then add the hot mushroom broth and stir until the rice absorbs it, maybe 1/2 a cup to a cup at a time until the rice is soft. Definitely taste it as you will know when it's done. It took around 45 minutes but we had it on the wrong burner to start without enough heat or it may have been quicker. Also we had a cup or so of broth left over but considering how much risotto we had left over, we will probably use it when re-heating. Here are a few other risotto recipes on this blog.

In the meantime, sear your scallops with butter and some white wine to de-glaze the pan as the butter starts to darken and dry out. Keep from adding TOO much butter or wine as it will prevent the scallops from properly searing. Also don't crowd the scallops in the pan as this can also prevent them from browning. I love seared scallops and added a picture mainly because they looked nice...

It took about 4 rounds of searing the scallops while Jenn stirred the risotto until everything was done so we set aside the scallops until the end and then mixed it all together. Everything turned out very nicely and my Mom and Grandma were both very happy! Now if I can only get them to read my blog entries!

Here are some other seared scallop recipes:
Sasha's seared scallops with Papaya, blood orange vinegrette and carmelized shallots
Sasha's scallops with organic mushrooms, spicy coconut lemongrass-thyme broth and pomegranate seeds
My fettucine with scallops and mushroom cream sauce

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Ginger Glazed Mahi & Scallops Risotto

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Asian Pan-seared Halibut

I'm staying at my Mom's house for the next three months while Jenn is up in Jersey City until we can get out of our lease. The only other person at my Mom's during the week is my Grandma and we decided to make Halibut this past Wednesday night. It was very easy and tasted fantastic!

Ingredients (serves 3):
3 halibut fillets
1/2 a bunch of scallions, chopped
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of white wine (we used a Reisling)
a nice coating of sesame seeds on one side of the fish

First we marinated the fish in all the other ingredients for about 15 minutes. Then I got some olive oil hot in a pan and added the fish, keeping the marinade aside while the fish seared. I only ever flip any meat or fish once I flipped it and gave it a few seconds to sear the other side (toasting the sesame seeds). Then I added the marinade and let that cook as well since it was on the raw fish. I covered it for a minute or so as well to help ensure it would be tender. I'd say no more than 2-3 minutes on each side for a 1 inch thick fillet. It came out perfectly flaky and delicious and was a pretty healthy meal in the end.

We served it with some chopped, stir fried bok choy. Same ingredients without the sesame seeds and added some turkey broth maybe half a cup at the end. Please keep in mind any measurements in my recipes are probably not completely accurate as I guesstimate.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Asian Pan-seared Halibut

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Marinated Tofu Stir Fry

I wasn't initially going to post this recipe because it's pretty simple and didn't think it would photograph too well but it tasted amazing (I have less pictures than normal). This was only my second time cooking tofu but it was so much better than the first. Initially I was just going to bread and saute the tofu but recalled the first time I made it, it was pretty dry and I wasn't a huge fan. I knew I needed some sort of sauce to go with my dish so I looked up some stir-fry sauce recipes and cobbled together things that I actually had in the kitchen and decided to marinate the tofu in the same sauce.

Ingredients: (serves 4 portions)
1 package of extra firm tofu (drained weight, 14 oz.)
1 cup (dry) of white rice
1/2 vidalia onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
3 shiitake mushrooms
1 bunch of broccoli, chopped
1 small can of water chestnuts, drained & sliced
1 cup of chicken broth
1 cup panko crumbs
whole wheat flour
3 egg whites
sesame and vegetable oil

Sauce/Marinade: (most the measurements are guesstimates)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 bunch of scallions
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 hot pepper, minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 -2 tbsp white wine (I used Kris's Pinot Grigio)
1-2 tbsp sesame oil

To start, I prepped all my veggies, then tried to dry out the tofu as much as possible so it would soak up as much marinade as possible. I put the tofu on top of a couple of pieces of paper towels and another on top, in between two sturdy paper plates and then stacked a few cans of Progresso's Soup on top to help drain it out over the course of an hour or so. I changed out the paper towels once or twice.

Then I sliced the tofu into 16 pieces and marinated 8 at a time for about an hour each (I had a lot of time yesterday). In the future I might add the chicken broth to the marinade so that I could marinate all the pieces at once. I then dredged the tofu in whole wheat flour and egg whites and coated them with the Panko crumbs. Panko crumbs are light and fluffy and therefore it takes a lot more volume to coat things than normal bread crumbs.

I started my rice and I got two pans nice and hot with some sesame and vegatable oils and started my broccoli in the large pan and some of the tofu in the other. The tofu, I turned often and had to add a little more oil pretty often to get them nicely browned on each side. I suppose you could deep fry them also but I don't have a fryer and don't want one as I would probably deep fry way too many things... The key with the tofu was nicely browning each side to seal in the moisture from the marinade.

After the broccoli had been in the pan for a few minutes I added my other veggies and some minced garlic and cracked black pepper along with enough oil to cook everything as the pan was pretty full! Once I was almost done with the tofu after a few rounds in the small pan, and the veggies were softened and cooked, I added my sauce/marinade and 1 cup of chicken broth and brought it to a boil, adding just a couple of pinches of whole wheat flour to give the sauce a little more thickness. I let this boil down for a few minutes while dealt with my rice and finished off the tofu.

I served the tofu over the rice and then topped it all off with the veggies and sauce. In the end the tofu was nice and moist and crunchy took on all the flavor of the marinade and the sauce made a fantastic topping with the rice and veggies as well.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Marinated Tofu Stir Fry

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Belgian Style Mussels

In addition to cheesesteaks, I always associate Philly with Belgian-Style Mussels because of my favorite bar in Philly, Monk's, the site of my 'first-date' with Jenn and many many other wonderful nights. This Philadelphia institution is a beer-lover's mecca. Their beer list is referred to the 'beer-bible' and boasts hundreds of beers from all over the world. Their other specialty is mussels which you order by the size of the pot, small or large. All of them are cooked in beer and they always have a handful of different options to choose from with different beers and veggies. They always serve these with Pommes Frites and good bread to sop up the broth.

Again, since I've been in Philly the past couple of weeks working a freelance gig while I try to secure a new full-time job, I decided to pay tribute to Philly with this dish. This was the second time I had tried this although the first time I turned it into risotto, which was fantastic.

Ingredients (feeds 4 as an appetizer or 2 very hungry individuals as a meal):

2 lb. bag of mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded

1/4 lb bacon

1 cup of chopped leeks

3 shallots, chopped

1-2 tbsp minced garlic

1 lime, squeezed

2 bottles of belgian style beer (I used River Horse Double Wit)

1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1/2 box of sliced baby bella mushrooms

tbsp of minced cilantro

First, I cooked the bacon until crispy and set it aside to be crumbled later. I used a small amount of the bacon grease and some olive oil to saute the veggies in the bottom of a large pot. I cooked these for a few minutes until soft and then added the beer, keeping it on the heat until simmering. At this point you can add your mussels and cook, covered, checking on them until they are all opened. That's one of the great parts about cooking clams or mussels, in that you have a clear indication of when they are cooked since they open up. Don't eat them if they don't open.

In the end I was pretty happy with the results although the ones at Monk's are still better... I think that when I try these again I will probably omit the gorgonzola and use a more mildly flavored Belgian beer. One of my favorites at Monk's is DeKonick, although I don't know where to find it in Jersey City yet.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Belgian Style Mussels

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Bacon Cheesesteak

I've spent the last week or so working and staying in Philly, so I figured what better way to celebrate than by making a cheesesteak. Sasha and I started discussing our fond memories of cheesesteaks from college in Philly and both wanted to try our hands at recreating the experience at home (hers is here). The 'best cheesesteak' in Philly is always a hot topic for locals. The most visited are probably Pat's and Geno's in South Philly, which face-off across the street from each other and honestly taste pretty similar. Then you've got Tony Luke's where his steaks are a little thicker and he now has a location in Citizen's Bank park. At any of these you'll find late night drinkers lining up by the dozen ordering 'whiz-with' (your cheese choice, cheese-whiz, american, or provolone, and then whether or not you want fried onions). I personally always went with American cheese and onions. Another place I loved getting cheesesteaks is actually on Princeton's campus near my Mom's house in central NJ and is called Hoagie Haven. 'Haven' definitely isn't a typical cheesesteak but they offer things like a cheesesteak with bacon or another one of my favorites, the buffalo chicken cheesesteak (I may have to tackle this one soon as well).

So in making my own at home, I decided to go with the bacon cheesesteak.

Ingredients:

2 large italian hoagie rolls

.9 lbs of thinly sliced top round

half a vidalia onion, sliced

half a box of sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/5 lb. of deli-sliced white american cheese

1/4 lb. of bacon

One of the reasons the cheesesteaks in Philly are so good, in my humble opinion, is that they use the Amoroso bakery's rolls. I thought about doing this while staying at my friend's in Philly just so I could use these rolls as well but found some decent rolls in Jersey City and went with them. I did hollow out the inside to remove some of the 'fluff' and lose some of the extra carbs because you know I've gotta watch all those calories while making a sandwich with bacon, steak and cheese... Anyway, first I cooked the bacon until crispy and set it aside. I removed the bacon grease and sauteed the mushrooms and onions in olive oil with a little black pepper and garlic.

I was a little disappointed that A&P's meat section wouldn't slice some rib-eye for me and told me there was thinly sliced top round on the shelf which is what we ended up going with. This was a big mistake in my opinion. The meat was fine but I should have either sliced it even more thinly, or pounded it thin. Normally when I make cheesesteaks at home I use steak 'um's or something similar and actually preferred that but I think I would have preferred the top round or rib eye IF it were thinner. The meat tasted good but was kind of overpowering because the chunks were so big and made it tough to taste the bacon and cheese. I guess I had hoped it would turn out more like Tony Luke's with the thicker meat.

Any time I cook meat in a pan (or a grill for that matter), I only cook each side once. Otherwise it can get overcooked and tough. You just want to sear each side and look in the juices and keep it tender. I also seasoned it with garlic powder and cracked black pepper. Once the meat was ready to flip, I added the onions, mushrooms and bacon and lined it up so it would fit nicely in the roll. Then I added the cheese on top and covered it with the sliced roll to help the cheese melt underneath. This is definitely the method of choice at most cheesesteak places I've been to while sober enough to watch and learn...

Now at most places that serve cheesesteaks, then have a giant grill area and large spatulas where they can just flip over the entire sandwich in one move and have the nicely layered sandwich. This is a lot tougher with a frying pan and normal sized spatula. Mine kind of fell apart when attempting to do this at home but eventually all the pieces made their way into the sandwich. I ended up adding a bunch of sliced jalapeno peppers and ketchup. Jenn just wanted Mayo... In the end it was a very tasty sandwich although I think I would have liked it much better with more thinly sliced meat.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Bacon Cheesesteak

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Orzo with Turkey Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

I was inspired by Sasha's Angel Hair Pasta with Grape Tomatoes, Garlic and Pine Nuts so I decided to also add a light, spring meal with pasta, tomatoes, pine nuts and a few other relatively healthy ingredients, feta cheese, mushrooms, broccoli rabe & turkey sausage. I'd say this would probably serve 4 or so and pretty much covers all your food groups.

1 package Shady Brook Farms Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
1 box of cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of broccoli rabe
1/2 package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 small package of pine nuts
6 oz. of feta cheese crumbles
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
white balsamic vinegar
black pepper to taste
olive oil

I had never cooked broccoli rabe before but usually like it quite a bit. I looked up a few recipes online and they all suggested boiling it first and then sauteing it. I boiled it for a couple of minutes and then most of the recipes said to place them in ice water to freeze the cooking time. I just ran cold water over them and then cooked them in the pan and mine were a little overcooked so maybe the ice bath would have been worth it. When I cooked them in the pan I have the garlic, mushrooms and olive oil in there to cook those as well.

I cooked the turkey sausage on my grill pan and then sliced them into thin discs, maybe an 1/8 of an inch each. After the sausage and broccoli rabe were cooked I just mixed everything together in the pot I boiled the broccoli rabe. I added the pine nuts, feta, tomatoes and a little more olive oil and the balsamic vinegar to taste. Everything worked very nicely together but I just wish I hadn't overdone the broccoli rabe. I will have to try and cook it again sometime.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Orzo with Turkey Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Asian Style Chilean Sea Bass

This is one of my favorite dishes to make and Jenn says that if I were ever on a cooking show and they asked what my 'signature dish' was, this would be it. I tend to agree with her and this was probably the best it's ever come out. I usually use some kind of Sea Bass or Red Snapper and this time around the only Bass they had at our local A&P happened to be Chilean Sea Bass. It's definitely not cheap but if you're willing to spend the money I'd say it's the way to go! This dish is based off of a family recipe from my Chinese side with a few minor tweaks. Mainly the spiciness and the lime juice.

Ingredients:
(for 2, all my amounts are very much approximated)
1 lb. Chilean Sea Bass
1-2 tbsp, freshly minced ginger
1 tbsp, minced garlic or 1-2 cloves
1/4 cup white wine (I used St. Urbans Hof Riesling)
1/4 soy sauce
1/8th of a large sweet onion, finely minced
1 lime's worth of juice
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 a small hot pepper, minced
A couple cranks on the pepper mill

I start by chopping up all my ingredients for the sauce. I don't have a food processor and chop things pretty quickly but a food processor might not be a bad way to go about this if you have one. Basically you need enough sauce to go with your fish when you serve it and it should taste and smell pretty good by itself so I go by taste when making it. We used a pretty sweet Riesling and I added a little more sugar than usual and both seemed to work out very well. I also usually put in some hot red pepper flakes and decided to buy some actual hot peppers instead. They weren't labeled at the store and I bought three, thinking, how hot could they be? I started mincing the first one and ate a small slice and was dumbfounded by how hot it was so I scraped out the seeds (which tend to add a lot of heat) and only used half of it and in the end it really wasn't too hot.

You want to bake this in the oven for roughly 20-25 minutes at about 425 degrees. You also want to make sure it's tightly covered. You can create a foil pouch or just cover a baking pan with foil. Mine was the same size I would make brownies in (I don't bake much). I tend to be able to tell when it's done by the smell when I open the oven door but you may have to check on it. You can tell I took a nibble to check it in my photo... It was good.

In the end I served it over some Jasmine rice (1/2 cup uncooked) with some snap peas that I just sauteed in some olive oil, garlic and cracked black pepper. I cooked them covered for probably 5 minutes on medium heat until they were just soft enough to eat without being mushy. The fish ended up being very good and kind of buttery which I found funny since there was no actual butter in the recipe. Also check out Sasha's Asian-infused sea bass with a papaya marinade!

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Asian Style Chilean Sea Bass

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Shrimp & Mushroom Dumplings

Another dumpling recipe for the food blog! While these look just like my last recipe from the outside, they are filled with Shrimp and Shiitake mushrooms and so they taste pretty different. Sasha recommended trying to make my own wrappers this time but after looking at a few recipes online and trying to find the ingredients with no success I settled on using the same old wrappers I've always used. They came out great in the end and I definitely recommend this recipe for the filling at least!

Ingredients:
1 package of gyoza style dumpling wrappers
1.5 lbs. raw shrimp, cleaned and cut into thirds or fourths depending on the size
1-1.5 cups shredded red cabbage
4 large shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 bunches of scallions, chopped
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
chili and sesame oil
1 tbsp or 1 clove minced garlic
chopped fresh ginger and or water chestnuts are also a great addition

These are pretty simple to make but require a great deal of time. If your wrappers are frozen make sure to thaw them thoroughly ahead of time. Then I chop up everything and put it in a large mixing bowl and give myself some surface area to wrap the filling. For the filling this time I decided I really wanted the shrimp to be the main ingredient so I made sure the pieces weren't too small and bought some decent sized shrimp. I made the mistake once of using salad shrimp. I will never do that again. Also make sure you add a little soy sauce to the filling mixture as it really brings out the flavor.

I tried to make sure each dumpling had about the equivalent of a whole shrimp as well as a decent amount of everything else. I placed this on the wrappers and you need to wet the edge of the wrapper with a little water and then just fold it up and press the edges firmly together. Try to make sure that they are nicely sealed as they don't cook as properly if they aren't.

When cooking these I use a combination of sesame oil and chili oil to handle the heat well and to give some kick. I'd put maybe a tablespoon of each in a large frying pan and let it get nice and hot before adding the dumplings. I fit as many in the pan as possible just because I'm usually making a large amount of these which is fine since they freeze well and can be reheated in an oven or toaster oven after thawing. It's good to leave them in the pan, uncovered until they are nicely browned on the bottom. You don't want to be eating raw shrimp but I also wouldn't recommend pre-cooking the shrimp as they might get overdone.

After they are browned on the bottom I turn them to brown on the side as well and pour a little water in the pan (maybe 1-2 tbsp) and immediately cover it, letting them steam until the water is mostly absorbed. Again this helps ensure that the shrimp cooks fully and usually helps tighten the wrappers. In the end you get a nice crunchy and slightly spicy shrimp dumpling. I usually end up serving it with some bottled dumpling sauce but making your own is pretty easy and usually just involves some rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, scallions and soy sauce. Pretty much what we used during our Mongolian Hot Pot as a dipping sauce.

Also see Sasha's Lamb Dumplings and Molly's Pork Hash.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Shrimp & Mushroom Dumplings

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Bacon, Mushroom & Spinach Quiche

My Mom makes amazing quiche and I wanted to try and it make it like she does but she was away on vacation and so I couldn't get her recipe. So I looked up how to make a healthier pie crust online (see below) and looked in my copy of the Joy of Cooking book for a recipe for the filling. I used their Quiche Lorraine recipe as a guideline and added sauteed mushrooms and spinach.

Crust: (from this wonderful website)
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp whole milk
1/2 cup olive oil

So obviously you need to make the crust first. This recipe is great for things like quiche or maybe even a cheesecake as it's a very crumbly crust, almost like graham cracker crusts. I wouldn't recommend it for pies although I've never made a pie! Preheat the oven to 375 and mix your salt and flour first. Combine the milk and oil and then add them to the flour mixture. Mix it all thoroughly and then form it to your pie pan. I used a glass Pyrex pan and greased it slightly with olive oil Pam. Bake for 20 minutes.

Filling:
3 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crushed into bits
1/2 package baby bella mushrooms
handfull fresh spinach
1/3 cup onion, chopped
pinches of white pepper & paprika
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

For the filling, I started with the bacon. I cooked it until crispy and let it dry on some paper towels and removed MOST of the fat from the pan. My mom would kill me for doing this as she's a total health nut, but I then cooked the mushrooms and onions in the remaining bacon fat with a little black pepper. It just seemed like a waste to not use it and it gives such a good flavor. When the mushrooms and onions were soft I added the spinach for just a few seconds until it was wilted and then set these aside.

To keep your crust from getting soggy you can brush it with an egg white before adding your other ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 or if you're doing this all at once leave it hot. The recipe then said to crumble the bacon and make a layer at the bottom of the crust and then add your shredded cheese on top of that. I wondered at this point if the filling would mix properly or if everything would be at the bottom but continued and added the mushrooms, onions and spinach on top of the cheese.

You then want to combine the the eggs, milk and spices and pour these on top of the other ingredients. You will notice that many of them will float, giving you a more evenly mixed filling. Bake this for about 40 minutes until it's nicely browned on top. Next time I may add another layer of cheese to the top to help it brown even more. In the end you should have a nice, fluffy and delicious meal or snack for any time of the day.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Bacon, Mushroom & Spinach Quiche

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Blackened catfish tacos

This is another 'healthier' dish that I really like. You can make it with almost any mild white fish but we chose catfish this time since it looked fresh at the store and it wasn't too expensive. The first time I had fish tacos was out in L.A. and I've loved them ever since. The first ones I had had breaded and crispy fish, shredded cabbage and a tangy, creamy sauce. I decided to try and replicate this sauce by making a tomato, cucumber slaw with lime juice, fresh cilantro and mayo. I was pretty happy with the results. I have no idea how close I actually was to what I originally tasted out west.

Ingredients: (Should serve about 4)
1 lb. fresh fish
half a cucumber, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 small limes
2 tbsp light mayo
whole wheat flour tortillas
Guacamole
Some shredded red cabbage

I usually bread my fish fillets in breadcrumbs and chef prudhomme's blackened redfish magic and saute them until they are crispy but this time I decided to avoid the breadcrumbs, flour and egg whites and just use the redfish magic spices and saute it in sesame oil and lime juice. I find that sesame oil is perfect for cooking fish in terms of the flavor it imparts and it takes high heat very well for blackening.

For the sauce I simply mix up the tomato, cucumber a lime's worth of lime juice and some light mayo and black pepper. In the end you have a filling and satisfying meal that really isn't too bad for you. You could probably even cut out the mayo to make it healthier but I think it gives the sauce a nice consistency.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Blackened catfish tacos

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Warm Pear Arugula Salad

So I'm trying to post a couple of 'healthier' recipes since I've noticed most of my posts tend to not be very health conscious. Jenn and I try to eat salads as often as possible but I only have a few different ones that we eat often so I'll have to start experimenting a little to find some new options to post. I love my Trader Joe's spicy pecans and Gorgonzola cheese so those tend to be in most of my salads. I also try to include some sort of fruit or berries. This one uses baby arugula greens, the nuts and cheese and warm pears sauteed in a little butter and brown sugar. I love arugula but it's pretty bitter so I like to have something sweet to balance it out. I serve it with homemade balsamic vinaigrette and people seem to like it so far!

Ingredients:
Baby Arugula
Trader Joe's Sweet and Spicy pecans
Crumbled Gorgonzola
Ripe Pear, Sliced and sauteed in butter, sprinkled with brown sugar
Homemade balsamic vinaigrette:
-1 part good quality balsamic vinegar
-2 parts good extra virgin olive oil
-salt, ground black pepper and minced garlic to taste

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Warm Pear Arugula Salad

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Shepherd's Pie

This was my first time making Shepherd's Pie. I don't even know if I've ever really had good or traditional Shepherd's Pie before but Jenn has gotten me hooked on Hell's Kitchen which in turn got us watching Kitchen Nightmares and Gordan Ramsey has saved a couple of restaurants with his Shepherd's Pie so I figured I needed to try and make some. I even flipped through his cookbooks at the bookstore and didn't see his recipe anywhere so I turned to the internet. I started with Alton Brown's Shepherd's Pie recipe and made a few minor modifications. Mainly because I forgot to get a few of the ingredients while at the grocery store and had to use what I had at home.
What I used which would probably serve 4-6:
1.5 lbs. (actually a little less) ground beef (although I think Lamb is traditional)
3 large baking potatoes
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 12 oz. can of peas and carrots
1/2 a can of campbell's tomato soup
8 oz of water mixed with better than bouillon chicken broth mixture
1.5-2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp flour
1-1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cp of milk
Rosemary, oregano, basil, black pepper, salt, ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil

When it comes down to it, Shepherd' Pie is an all-in-one meal that is inexpensive and hearty. It's basically your meat and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and baked. To start you peel your potatoes as you need smooth mashed potatoes to cover the meat mixture. Then cut them into pieces to boil more quickly and boil them until soft and set aside and keep warm. Then, heat your vegetable oil and throw in your onion until it's soft and starting to brown. Then add your ground meat and some garlic and spices and start to cook the meat. After it started to cook nicely I added the chicken broth, flour, tomato soup, and Worcestershire sauce to create the meat mixture. At first it was pretty watery but I cooked it until some of the water boiled off and the sauce thickened. I figured it shouldn't be too watery. Once it was thickened I added the vegetables.

You should preheat your oven to about 400 degrees and make your mashed potatoes. Mine were just milk, minced garlic, salt and pepper stirred together until smooth. Then you layer your pan with the meat and vegetable mixture on the bottom and seal it in with a layer of mashed potatoes. I spread the potatoes over the meat and then topped it with a little Parmesan cheese and ground cayenne pepper to help it get a nice browned top when baking.

Alton's recipe called for around 25 minutes in the oven and I figured I'd put it in for around 20 or so and finish it off under the broiler... Unfortunately our broiler decided not to turn on last night so I just set the oven up to 500 degrees towards the end and turned on the oven light and played darts (yes my dartboard is in my kitchen) until it started to brown.

In the end I was very happy with the outcome. The meat mixture was juicy but not watery and very tasty and the mashed potatoes had a nice crunch to them at the top with a little bite from the cayenne pepper and it didn't fall apart when I tried to plate it. If I do this again, I will try to do it with lamb instead and hope my broiler is working!

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Shepherd's Pie