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When served in a restaurant I have never liked broccolini.  But so some reason I decided to blame it on the chefs as I love Green beans, but not the hard as rocks version served in most restaurants.  So Ina had this recipe for salmon teriyaki and broccolini.  Sent Jim out for 1 1/2# of broccolini.  

As I read Ina’s recipe I realized that the first 7 ingredients she is making Teriyaki sauce.  Skipped that as I have a bottle of Teriyaki sauce in the refrigerator.  She calls it a Go to weeknight dinner.  Well, with that bottle of Teriyaki in the refrigerator it is.  

Ingredients:

3 T soy sauce

1/1/2 T pure maple syrup

2 t toasted sesame oil

1 T minced fresh ginger

1 T minced garlic (3 cloves)

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

4 skinless salmon fillets (2-21/2# total)

1 1/2# broccolini, lower thirds of the stems discarded

Steamed Basmati Rice (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Arrange 2 racks evenly spaced in the oven.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the first 7 ingredients.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, lower the heat, and simmer for just 2 minutes.  Set aside.  (Open bottle of teriyaki sauce.)
3. Arrange the salmon, rounded sides up in a baking dish just large enough to hold them with a little space between the fillets.  
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spoon the teriyaki sauce over them. (Remember teriyaki sauce has soy sauce in it which is very salty.)
5. Roast on the upper rack for 12-13 minutes for rare or 13-14 minutes for medium for medium, depending on the thickness of the fillets. (12minutes for rare was perfect for Costco frozen salmon fillets.)
6. At the same time place the broccolini on a sheet pan, drizzle it with 4 T EVOO, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Toss with your hands and spread out in one layer.  
8. Roast the broccolini on the lower oven rack for 10-12 minutes, tossing once, until crisp-tender.  (PS:I still do not like broccolini)

Basmati rice cooks so much faster than my Japanese rice.  I loved the taste and may serve more in the future.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C white long-grain basmati rice

1 T unsalted butter

Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Combine 2 1/2 C water, rice, butter and 2 t salt in a medici saucepan.  Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for just 10 minutes.  (I think medium heat was too high.  I used low and did not have to “pull it off the burner to keep it from burning.”
2. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to sit, covered for 3-5 minutes, until just cooked through.  
3. Fluff with a fork and serve with the salmon and broccolini.

This rice did not have to be soaked like my Japanese rice.  Also throughout this recipe I have changed her quantities of salt as salt to taste.  I think she uses way too much salt.

No photo.

Lovely day today.  I am doing just what I wanted to do when I bought this new computer equipment.  I am sitting on the porch with Jim’s little table, that can be put to any level, and writing my blog.  We had a lovely lunch at 360 Bistro with my painting friend and her husband.  

This dinner is from Tucci, but not his cookbook.  I got it off the Williams Sonoma site.  If you haven’t been to the store lately, they have a set of Tucci pots and pans.  They are gorgeous.  If I didn’t have every cephalon pot and pan that exists, I would defiantly would buy them.  Back to the recipe.  The spice for the thighs was delicious.  I would make them again and again.  The sauce, I was not so keen on.   We’ve had better sauce from Tucci, like the night before with the eggs. 

I did not make 4 C rice.  I did my usual 1 C rice.  We did find the brand of rice that he listed.  I did not like it as much as my Japanese rice.  Jim consumed most of it.  Now I have a big box of rice I am not fond of.  Plus, I have every color of rice except purple already in the cupboard.  I also never use Granny Smith apples, I don’t like them.  

Ingredients:

2# bone-in skin-on chicken thighs

3 T vegetable oil

4 C cooked Ralston Family Farms Nature’s Blend purple, red and brown rice mix or cooked brown rice or cooked wild rice.

Spice for chicken:

2 t kosher salt

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t black pepper

Sauce:

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced 

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced lengthwise

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 C Cognac or other brandy

1 C low-sodium chicken stock

1t chopped fresh thyme

1 t chopped fresh oregano

1 can diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Place the chicken in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with the spices as listed above and toss well to season the chicken evenly.  (You will have to hand toss to coat the chicken evenly.   Either wear disposable rubber gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after tossing if you don’t.)
2. Heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.  When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken skin side down and sear until golden brown on the first side, 3-4 minutes.  Turn and repeat on the other side.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.  (I took the skin off.)
3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the apple to the pan and sauté until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.  
4. Add the onion and and sauté, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  
5. Add the Cognac and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.  Cook for about 4 minutes to cook off the Cognac, then stir in the chicken stock, thyme and oregano.  
6. Return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for about 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more, or longer if needed.
7. Check the seasoning and serve over the hot rice.  
8. Serves 6.  (Well 2# of chicken thighs were only 4 in the package.   Also I made only 1 C of the dry rice and it is not 4 C cooked.  If you were having an full Italian meal there would be about 4 courses.  So then I could see it serving 6.)

In the photo it looks like no shrimp.  It was loaded with shrimp as Jim turned the 1# into 1# 6 oz.  Again still working my way through the Tucci cookbook.  

Ingredients:

Broth:

1 medium onion, quartered

1 celery stalk

1 carrot, peeled and cut into thirds

4 sprigs fresh I Italian flat leafed parsley

Kosher salt

5 C water

Risotto:

4 T EVOO

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 T butter

1/4 C chopped onions

1 C Arborio rice

1/2 C dry white wine

1 fresh or canned plum tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced

1/4 C finely grated Parmesan cheese, Optional

Directions:

First, I did none of the following as I have a lot of cans of a very good seafood broth called Bar Harbor.

1. In a large saucepan, combine the shrimp shells, quartered onion, celery, carrot, parsley, salt to taste, and water.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently, with the slid slightly askew for 15-20 minutes.  
3. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.  
4. Discard the shells and vegetables.  When you are ready to prepare the risotto, warm the broth to a gentle simmer.  

Risotto:

1. Warm 2 T of the oil in a large high-sided sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté lightly but do not brown, about 1 minute.  
2. Add shrimp and cook until they turn light pink, about 4 minutes.  Remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate and set aside.  (4 minutes was to long.  I would do a minute a side and they will cook more later.)
3. Add the remaining 2 T oil, 1 T of the butter, and the chopped onion to the sauté pan.  Cook over medium-high heat until the onions have softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.  
4. Add the rice, stirring to coat it with the oil.  Stir in 1 C of simmering broth.  When the rice has absorbed the broth, add the wine and tomato and stir until the wine has been absorbed by the rice.  Add the remaining broth, 1/2 C at a time, stirring frequently and allowing the rice to absorb the liquid after each addition, until the rice is al dente, 15-20 minutes.  
5. Add the reserved shrimp along with the last ladleful of broth and any juices that may have accumulated on the plate.
6. 10.The rice should have a slight resistance to the bite.  If it seems too hard, add a little more liquid and continue cooking for another minute or two.  
7. 11.Remove the rice from the heat and briskly stir in remaining 1T butter and the Parmesan, if using.  (I didn’t) Serve immediately.  
8. 12.Serves 4, ha!  With 1.6 # of shrimp, Jim consumed every bite.  

OK, last night I started to use a new black beans and rice dish.  There were some ingredients that I just said no to.  Quantities seemed off also, so I adjusted.  The onions made a big difference and I really liked that addition.  I put the salt in the rice not the finished dish, kind of like salting the pasta water.  Recipe says serves 4, there would be plenty of rice but the ratio of beans to rice is a little lacking in beans.  This comes from an American Heart phablet so they wanted brown rice.  Sorry, I just don’t like brown rice.  So here is the recipe and my changes are noted.

Ingredients:

2 C uncooked instant brown rice (2 strikes and your out, instant and brown.)  I used 1 cup of Japanese rice, probably grown in California.)

1/4 C fresh lime juice (no)

2 t EVOO + 2 T, divided use.  

1/2 t salt

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or 1 t jarred minced garlic

2 t ground cumin (I used 1 as I had less rice.)

1 t chili powder (no)

1, 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained

2 T finely chopped fresh cilantro (I use Italian parsley)

2 T finally chopped fresh oregano (1 t dried)

Directions:

1. Prepare the rice using the package directions, omitting the salt. (used the salt.)
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 2 t oil and salt.  Set aside. (Skipped)
3. Heat the remaining 2 T oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, swirling to coat the bottom.  Cook the onion for 3 minutes, or until soft, stirring frequently.  Stir in the garlic.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Stir in the cumin and (chili powder, if using.)  Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.  
4. Stir in the beans.  Cook until warmed through.  Remove from heat.  Transfer to a large serving bowl.  
5. Stir in the cooked rice, (lime juice mixture. if using), cilantro (parsley) and oregano.   

This recipe comes from the Cooking Light cookbook.  Cooking Light used to be a magazine.  It was owned by Sunset magazine, a west cost magazine.  I still get it and enjoy it even thought I am stuck in TN.  Not having a good time lately.  All the time I was stirring this I thought of a friend who died who loved to cook as much as I do.  

Ingredients:

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) low sodium chicken broth

1/2 C water

1 T unsalted butter

Course salt and ground pepper

1 C Arborio rice

1/2 C dry white wine

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese, + more for garnish

1 T chopped fresh sage + more for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring broth and water to a simmer over medium heat, cover pan.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add squash, season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring often until edges soften, 6-8 minutesAdd rice and cook stirring until translucent around the edges about 1 minute.
3. Add wine, cook, stirring until evaporated, about one minute.  reduce heat to medium-low.  Add 1/2 C hot broth .  Cook stirring until almost all liquid is absorbed.  Repeat process  gradually adding broth until rice is cooked and liquid is creamy, about 25 minutes.  (I have a ladle that is 1/2 C, makes adding the liquid very easy.)
4. Serve immediately, garnished with additional Parmesan and sage, if desired. 
5. To make this a one dish meal, I added a can of chicken meat toward the end.