Category: Gluten Free

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Feast for a King (Renaissance Magazine – January 2011)

Unless readily available, spices we’ve grown accustomed to today were very expensive and hard to obtain during the Renaissance.  Salt was rarely used and the spices from the Silk Road  – cinnamon, clove, allspice, mace, and ginger, gradually migrated from the Silk Road, across the Arab nations, up the Mediterranean, and north throughout Europe.  France, one of the first cultures to embrace these new spices, would blend them with other, more familiar ingredients, and present the dishes to the royal family and visiting nobles.

 

Although this recipe was prepared originally for nobles, it can be recreated in one’s own kitchen.  This dish is ideal for an evening of wine, candlelight, and romance.  The brandy and apple sweetened duck meat, complements the baked apples and the carrots and can become even more decadent with toasted bread, truffle oil, and a dessert small enough to share.

 

Ingredients:

1 whole duck (4-5 lbs.)
3 tart apples (more apples may be used as well)
3 cups brandy
1.5 cups of apple cider
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp of fresh orange zest
1/8 tsp ground clove
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cardamom seed
pinch of mace
3 tbsp butter
2 cups of young carrots (baby carrots may be used instead)
salt and pepper to taste

Begin the recipe by rinsing the inside of the duck with cold water and pat dry with a clean towel.  Blend the brandy and apple cider together in a bowl.  Take one apples and remove the core, and slice it into quarters.  Place those quarters into the cavity of the duck.  Invert the duck, so that the opening of the body cavity is on top, and place into a separate, deep bowl or freezer bag.  Pour the brandy/cider mixture into the body cavity.  The liquid should overfill the duck and the remaining liquid should remain in the bowl, and set aside to chill for one hour.

Pre-heat over to 400 degrees.

Take a pot large enough to all the duck to lay flat.  Melt butter in the pot; add the carrots, and sauté lightly.  While sautéing, mix the clove, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom seed, orange zest, and mace together.  Once the carrots are covered in the butter, lay t

hem flat in the pot.   Drain the brandy/cider mixture from the duck and reserve. Place the duck on top of the carrots and score the skin of the duck so that the fat may run into the pot.  Pour the reserved brandy/cider mixture over the duck.

Sprinkle the spice mixture on top of the duck and cover.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove half to two-thirds of the juices

from the pot to let simmer to a reduction in a separate pot.  Core the other two or more apples and add to the pot.  Uncover the duck and bake for an additional half an hour until juices of the duck run pink.  Remove the duck, baked apples, and carrots from the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes before carving the duck.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste and serve with the sauce reduction as a garnish.    Serves 4

The recipe requires some time to set up, but it is easy to prepare.  While cooking, one can set the table and get ready for an evening of flirtatious conversation and romance.

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Blood Orange Ahi Tuna

Now that winter is here, some of my favorite fruits – blood oranges, have come into season.  As well as Cara Cara oranges, I take great delight in zesting, juicing, and eating these dark, rich, and sweet citrus fruits.

Last weekend, I did some prep work in juicing and zesting several types of citrus including oranges (blood, navel, and Cara Cara), lemons, and limes.  It took several hours and the product  is now safely in my freezer for future use in cooking and baking.

During this process, I discovered an over abundance of blood oranges.   As someone who does not like to waste food, I had zested my share of blood oranges, but had more than enough juice.  I wanted to try something nice and light for dinner and came up with the recipe below.  I really hope you like it.

blood oranges

Blood Orange Ahi Tuna

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (8 ounce) ahi tuna steaks
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups blood orange juice
1/2 teaspoon of blood orange zest

Directions
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear tuna on one side for about four minutes. Flip and sear other side for three and a half minutes, or until tuna is cooked to your satisfaction. Remove from skillet and allow to rest.

Return skillet to heat and slowly add the white wine. Scrape bottom of pan with spatula to remove any seared tuna bits from sticking to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and add shallot and garlic. Cook and stir until shallot is clear, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in blood orange juice. Boil until the liquid has reduced to half its original volume or until it thickens. Add tuna briefly to cook on each side.  Remove from heat.

Slice the tuna across the grain. Fan the slices out onto a place and drizzle with blood orange sauce.  Sprinkle the zest on the dish for garnish.

I enjoy this dish when the tuna is served on top of a bed of spinach greens.  Enjoy.

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Stuffed Trout with Lemon & Planked Trout

A fan of mine recently pointed out that I have not posted any fish or seafood dishes on my site.  My apologies; I’ve been distracted with the holidays, personal life, and my friend’s appearance on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America.

I have two favorite recipes both using trout:   Both dishes are easy to make, tasty, and low fat.  I really enjoy using trout as it is a mild tasting fish.  If it smells fishy, it may be past its prime.  Usually the high-end grocery stores carry fresh trout, but it is my experience one can buy fresh fish inexpensively by visiting an Asian market.

Although many professional chefs already know this, but many of my readers are not chefs, and, with the current economy, are finding ways to eat well without hurting the pocketbook.  I can buy fresh fish and seafood at Asian markets at a fraction of the cost at a seafood market or specialty store.  The exception to this suggestion are the coastline seafood markets.

For this recipe, you will need trout that is gutted and boned.  Although many stores can sell a fish that is dressed (innards removed), but many do not know how to bone a fish.  Before the recipe, I thought I would list directions on how to remove the bones of a fish prior to cooking.

  1. Place the cleaned and dressed fish on cutting surface.
  2. Hold the fish by the head (if the head is still attached; it doesn’t need to be) and slice into the fish behind the gill until you feel the knife touch backbone.
  3. Turn the knife so it’s flat against the backbone, touching the ribs. The edge should face the tail.
  4. Cut along the backbone through the fish from head to tail, under the fillet.
  5. Turn fish over and repeat. At this point two sets of bones will remain in the fillet.
  6. Cut away the rib cage bones, which will be visible, by sliding the edge of the knife between the rib bones and the meat of the fillet.
  7. Pull out the smaller set of bones, called pin bones, that run through the center of the fillet.
  8. Use your finger to feel for the pin bone tips sticking out of the fillet. Use tweezers or needle-nose pliers to grab the tips and pull them out.

After following the instructions above, your fish is ready to be cooked.  Not all recipes will call for deboning, but it will make the dish easier to eat.

Stuffed Trout with Lemon
4 pink trout, gutted and boned
1 fresh lemon
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup of fresh parsley
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)

Zest the lemon and pare away and discard the white pith of the lemon.   Slice the lemon and cut it up into small pits.  Mix the lemon and zest, garlic, parsley along with the salt and pepper.   Stuff each fish with some of the mixture and allow mixture to penetrate the fish prior to cooking (20 minutes).  Bake the fish for 15-20 minutes in an oven preheated to 400 degrees.  Serve hot or cold.

Apart from red dot holographic sights, food is the best part of camping. The next recipe is fun for camping or cooking out on the grill.

Planked Trout alice2
Grill or campfire
4 pink trout, cleaned and dressed
1 fresh lemon
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
4 Untreated oak or cedar planks (no more than a foot long and six inches wide)
Steel nails

Begin heating up the grill or start the campfire.

Zest and juice the lemon.  Add the minced garlic to the lemon juice.  While that sits for two minutes, slit the belly so that it goes from neck to tail and open the body cavity larger.  Using five nails, attach the the each fish to each board (one nail for the head, two nails for each side), this will open up the fish to expose the inside.

Using a spoon, drizzle the lemon juice and minced garlic mixture to the interior flesh of the fish and let it sit for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle fish with the lemon zest (reserving half of it for later), and sprinkle salt and pepper.

Place the planks so that the heat from the grill/fire can slow cook the trout.  The planks may have to be rotated 180 degrees for even cooking.  DO NOT LET THE PLANKS CATCH FIRE, as it will cause a loss of the fish.  Depending on the size of the fish, anywhere between 15-30 minutes, the fish should be done.  Serve with a nice white wine.

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Sausage Hash – Perfect side dish for Thanksgiving

This is the latest article from Renaissance Magazine.  It offers a great recipe for a side dish that is perfect for Thanksgiving that can be altered for the vegetarian family members.  Don’t let the name fool you, the vegetarian version is just as tasty.

Autumn is in full swing and soon the weather will cool and summon winter to come forth.  The fall and winter months herald several holidays that celebrate family, togetherness, and love.  The holidays also bring forth family feasts that help solidify relationships with family and friends.

As a child, my family’s holiday dinners usually consisted of the standard roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, and stuffing.  As an adult who likes to show off their culinary skills, I tend to cook less 20th century traditional recipes and cook more historical dishes; one of which is Sausage Hash.

Food image is credited to: Bill Moss, Moss Fotografica
Food image is credited to: Bill Moss, Moss Fotografica

This particular dish is a favorite among my family and friends and is extremely versatile and easy to make.  It can be used as a breakfast dish, a side item for a holiday dinner, or as an entrée.   During the holidays, I have been known to prepare this dish in mass quantities, package them up, and give them as gifts to my close friends, one of whom has been known to eat several pounds of this tasty treat in one setting.

This dish can also be altered for vegetarians or those who keep Kosher or Halal, as you will see from the recipe.

Ingredients:
Approximately 2 lbs of course ground country-style pork sausage or vegetarian sausage crumbles  (Morning Star Farms has a great product – if using the vegetarian sausage, 3 TB of olive oil will be needed)
1 large onion or 3 leeks (a mild onion flavored vegetable), diced
2 lbs of carrots, thick julienned (size of twig or finger, but not matchstick sized)
1 lb of sweet potatoes, peeled and thick julienned
3 lbs of red potatoes, thick julienned
4 gloved of garlic, minced
2 sprigs of rosemary
Fistful of fresh chives, minced and divided
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)

Using a large pot, begin to sauté the sausage on medium heat to brown.  While sautéing, break the sausage up into smaller pieces and add the onions and the garlic.  The higher end sausage such as farm made, Amish made, or home made sausage is best, but standard course ground sausage may be used as well.  Avoid using Italian or spicy sausage blends as it alters the flavor.  Additional spices or hot sauces can be added after serving to suit individual tastes.   Instead of the pork-based sausage, vegetarians or those trying to cut back the fat content, can sauté the vegetarian sausage in the olive oil to brown.

When the sausage with the onions and garlic has begun to brown, add the carrots and potatoes, stirring occasionally.  If you notice the pan has a low fat content, add a cup of water to assist in the cooking process.  When the potatoes and the carrots are nearly tender, remove the rosemary from the stems and add half of the chives.  Continue stirring to blend the ingredients.   Add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper to taste.   It is important that table salt is not used in this dish and only sea or Kosher salt is used.

When the vegetables are fork tender, pull off the heat while continuing to stir.  The left over chives should be used as a garnish sprinkled on top of the hash after serving.

This recipe can be duplicated as a vegetable hash by leaving out the meat or vegetarian sausage, and sautéing the same vegetables in the olive oil until fork tender.  This makes a colorful side dish for any family dinner or special event.

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Dublin Coddle Recipe

Today, it was so cold it snowed where I live.  The absence of the autumn reminds me of the importance of richly traditional soups.  One of my favorites that my paternal grandfather used to make was the Dublin Coddle.  It was served with crusty French or soad bread with fresh butter.  Apologies to my vegetarian and vegan fans as this dish cannot be altered for the non-meat eaters. 

Dublin Coddle Ingredients
8 1/4-inch thick slices of ham or bacon  (I perfer bacon)
8 pork sausages or 1 lb of course ground sausagenormal__mg_5592
1 quart of boiling water
4 large onions
2 lbs of potatoes (red potatoes perferred)
4 rounded TB of freshly chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4 generously or 8 normal portions

Cut the ham or bacon into large chunks and cook with the sausages in the boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain but reserve the liquid.  Peel and thinly slice the onion and potatoes. 

Put the meat into a large pot with the onion, potatoes and parsley.  Season to tasted and add enough of the stock to barely cover. 

Lay a piece of parchment paper on top of pot and then put on the lid and simmer gently for about an hour or until liquid is reduced by half and all the ingredients are cooked but not mushy.