I love onions. I like them raw with Barbecue, in salads and sandwiches. If they are wild onions I simply eat them the way the are. I like sautéed onions, caramelized onions, French Onion Soup. I love onions. So does my Dad.
Years ago, when I was much younger and thinner, I fixed Thanksgiving dinner for the family. My Mom and Dad, Aunt, and younger brother would join us for Thanksgiving. Because my Aunt and Dad had certain heart problems and maintained strict diets, I always tried to make something they could eat and enjoy. Then I remembered how much Dad loved onions. It’s when I decided braised onions would be the perfect side for Thanksgiving dinner. I have made them ever since and not necessarily for Holiday meals. They are not only delicious, but they are relatively easy to make and don’t require a whole lot of fussin’ over.
Inasmuch as Baby Lady wanted me to post the Smoked Salmon Pizza recipe, I thought it also best to post this recipe on how to make Gravlax. We put our spin on it by adding jalapeños which, obviously, are not included in traditional gravlax. 🙂 It’s pretty tasty and we hope you like it. Continue reading Jalapeño Gravlax→
Baby Lady has been asking me what is the rhyme or reason as to why I post the recipes I post. Of course, there is none. I post what I feel like posting but she wanted me to post another Jacque Pepin recipe she loves. It’s a recipe for Smoked Salmon (aka Gravlax) Pizza. This is a wonderful appetizer that your guests will absolutely love. Even better, it’s simple, simple, simple. It would even make a nice light lunch. We have served this to many of our guests and have shared the recipe with several of our friends. All the responses are very positive.
When I was a young boy (and teenager, too) we were too unsophisticated to understand “comfort food.” We had lots of home cookin’, not that my mom was a great cook because she wasn’t. It was just the way it was. Home cookin’ involved slow cooked meals, casseroles, etc. There was biscuits and gravy, chicken and dumplins, beef stew, homemade chicken and rice soup, Cincinnati (“Yankee”) Chili (mom was from Ohio) and chicken pot pies. When you went out to dinner you had fancier foods like steak, pork loin, fresh fish, etc. Growing up I never heard of “comfort food” and was rather surprised years ago when the name began to take hold. To this day I think the classification is somewhat of a misnomer. For instance, I’m always comfortable when I eat and food always comforts me. It’s that way with everyone or why do we always plan social events around food or take friends food when they are sick or need love and comfort. I have yet to find one food more comfortable than another. “Comfort food” is simply a classy way of marketing good ol’ home cookin’ to make what the masses eat acceptable to those who eat at fancy restaurants who charge a lot more for the things my mom would make or that they sold at the local cafe.
Baby Lady & I don’t eat a lot of red meat, primarily for diet and health reasons. Generally, we eat veggies, seafood and some chicken. When the children come home or when we entertain friends we will prepare beef, pork, lamb, etc. Because we restrict our diet and hate to eat the same thing frequently we are always looking for and trying different meals. The other day when shopping at the market we found some beautiful sole filets. We love the flakiness of sole and it’s mild flavor. Coupled with lemon and capers it is a wonderful entree. This is what we fixed. It’s a beautiful and delicate meal. The sole is flaky, moist and full of flavor. Try it. Continue reading Filet of Sole Roulade Lightly Stuffed with Breadcrumbs→
This is one of those dishes that come from having a delicious leftover ingredient with which you have no use and don’t want to waste it. It came about from the Lobster poached in coconut butter I made for dinner one night. The lobster was silky smooth and tender from having poached for 50 minutes leaving behind a glorious lobster infused coconut butter. There was no way I was throwing it away. I love leftovers like this. Continue reading Pasta with Lobster Infused Coconut Butter & Crab→
Baby Lady and I love Hawaii. Her sister lives in Honolulu so we try to go over there whenever we can. The food, especially the seafood, is remarkable. We always go to my favorite local fish monger, Tamashiro Fish Market, buy some of their poke and some other fresh fish for fixin later. I keep threatening to rent an apartment over the store. My sister-in-law and her friend Ann know we like to cook and we try to cook for them when we are there. After our last visit, they sent us an autographed book, The Blue Tomato by Alan Wong with Arnold Hiura. This recipe comes from The Blue Tomato. It is an absolutely wonderful dish, although (as you will see) a little complex to make. The lobster is silky smooth, juicy and tender like you won’t believe with a beautiful coconut, lime flavor. If you want something challenging but well worth the effort, give this a try. If you do, make sure you save the remaining poaching broth as it makes an unbelievable pasta dish which I will posting next. Oh, I also forgot to tell you this dish and the pasta dish following, especially the pasta dish, is a heart attack waiting to happen,…but it is sooo good! Continue reading Coconut Butter-Poached Lobster Tail with Galangal and Lime→
REMCooks 