Stuffed Squid with Squid!

On 12/04/2011 (Tuesday) at 9:57 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/6yuxzde

Save to RecipeBox

Details

• Prep Time:
  60 min
• Cook Time:
  60 min
• Ready Time:
  2 hour, 0 min

Ingredients

• one pound of squid tubes and tentacles cleaned
• one large onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider optional
• kosher salt and pepper
• olive oil

Tomato Sauce

• 2 cups canned peeled tomatos
• 3 gloves of garlic finely chopped
• kosher salt
• olive oil
• splash of dry red wine

Directions

Start by taking your sliced onion and in a medium heat pan start cooking them in a good amount of olive oil, kosher salt a little sugar and some apple cider. This is gonna take about 45 min but get them so they are almost onion jam. Once done set aside and move onto the tentacles.

Take the tentacles and  do a rough chop on them and add them to the caramelized onion and mix together. Now comes the tricky bit, open up the ends of your squid tubes and stuff that mixture into them until full and seal the open end with a skewer as seen in the photo. Now take your simple tomato sauce that you have prepared and in a baking dish place the stuffed tubes and ladle on enough sauce to just coat all the tubes completely.

Put this is a 350 degree oven covered with foil until the sauce is bubbling and the juices are running out of the tubes about 45 min to an hour. To finish take off the foil and crank the heat to 425 degrees and you will see the sauce start to reduce and caramelize onto the tubes. Once the sauce and the tubes are one take out and let rest for 5 min.

To plate slice up a couple of the tubes and place around the whole ones and garnish with some chopped chives or even some Parmesan cheese. These are a Italian/Spanish (they will fight over this one) treat that just makes me want to think that the squid is just as Nobel as the pig.

NOTE: simple tomato sauce: saute the garlic with some kosher salt and olive oil for a few min then add the tomatoes with a some kosher salt, splash of red wine and simmer for 40 min and cool.

Benny

Lemon Basil Risotto

On 18/04/2011 (Monday) at 11:05 am by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/3z2as9c

Save to RecipeBox

Details

• Prep Time:
  5 min
• Cook Time:
  25 min
• Ready Time:
  30 min

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3-1/2 cups simmering chicken stock or vegatable stock
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice add this to the chicken stock before cooking
• 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1/4cup basil, julienne
• kosher Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add celery, garlic, and shallot. Cook until shallot is translucent. Add rice stirring constantly and cook 5 minutes more  making sure rice does not brown. Add wine, stirring constantly and let totally evaporate. When wine is evaporated, begin adding stock 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition evaporate before adding the next addition.

After fourth addition of stock is added, begin tasting the rice. Rice should be al dente when done as I described earlier outer rice  should be soft and have a little sturdy texture in the center. You will need to keep tasting the rice as depending on the rice, you may or may not have to use all of the stock. Add lemon zest after fourth addition of stock is absorbed.

After last addition of stock is absorbed, remove from heat, and stir in butter, parmesan, parsley, and basil. and season with kosher salt and pepper.

Benny

Grilled Octopus Puttanesca

On 31/07/2011 (Sunday) at 7:09 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/3u5683e

Save to RecipeBox

Details

• Prep Time:
  90 min
• Cook Time:
  15 min
• Ready Time:
  1 hour, 45 min

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 baby octopus
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• juice of 2 lemon
• kosher salt
• chopped chives

Puttanesca

• 2 cups dried Rotini pasta
• one cup chopped black olives
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 2 tablespoon capers rinsed
• teaspoon of dried chilis
• 2 anchovies
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatos
• olive oil
• kosher salt

Directions

Start by making your grilled baby octopus, make sure you have cleaned the beaks out or have fish monger do it for you.  In a pot of Red Wine Vinegar add the octopus and bring to a boil and cook for 20 min. in another bowl add the juice of two lemon and about 1 1/2 cups of olive oil and whisk together. Take the octopus out of the red wine vinegar and into the olive oil , lemon and into the fridge to cool for at least an hour if not up to three days.

Heat your grill up as hot as you can and grill the octopus for about 2 min each side until you see a little char happening. Take off and let rest. At this point you can add a little olive oil and lemon and you have an excellent tapas. For our recipe chop up the octopus into bite size pieces.

Prepare the rotini pasta according to the direction on the box and drain it off about 1 min before they say and set a side (save some of the pasta water as well ) . Now in a hot pan add some olive oil, the garlic, capers, tomatoes, chiles and olives, anchovies, a little splash of the pasta water and saute until the tomatoes are starting to break down, taste and check for seasoning, add salt if needed. Now add the chopped octopus and the pasta and a little of the pasta water and toss around until it is all comes together with the pasta.

Plate it up and ( see my photo for a suggestion)  as a little treat have half a baby octopus on a skewer and finish with some chopped chives. Please don’t add any grated cheese it’s not needed and my Italian Uncle will come and slap you anyhow

Enjoy!

Benny

Scallops In Tangerine Oil

On 05/09/2011 (Monday) at 8:38 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/3dzjzwc

Save to RecipeBox

Details

• Prep Time:
  5 min
• Ready Time:
  5 min

Ingredients

• 2 medium scallops one scallop per person
• 2 tablespoons of strained tangerine juice
• pinch of kosher salt and pepper
• pink peppercorns to garnish
• one tablespoon good olive oil

Directions

Begin by placing each scallop on a cutting board and using the palm of your hand, press gently on the scallop so that it won’t move. Using a sharp knife, slice the scallop in half by allowing the knife to glide through the soft meat.

In a small bowl combine the tangerine juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and a little grind of pepper and mix well. Now put the sliced scallops into the the sauce and let them sit there for a minute or two as the acid in the juice will begin to ‘cook’ the scallop and help firm up the texture.

A great way to serve these is in a large scallop shell or simply use whatever serving dish that is available. Place two pieces of scallops on the shell (or plate) followed by a spoonful of the sauce and garnish with a few pink peppercorns.

Just so easy and delicious…

Serve this right away so that you can enjoy the sweetness of the scallop, tang of the tangerine and the richness of the olive oil in one fabulous bite.

Benny

Pan Fried Fennel

On 15/04/2011 (Friday) at 5:56 am by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/44u9q54

Save to RecipeBox

Details

• Prep Time:
  5 min
• Cook Time:
  30 min
• Ready Time:
  35 min

Ingredients

• one fennel bulb
• one tablespoon unsalted butter
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• handful chopped parsley
• Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat up a pan to medium low heat and add a good glug of olive oil and the butter. While that melts take off the top of your fennel bulb (save the fronds they are good in salads) and cut it into 8th making sure to leave the root on as this will hold it all together. Now lay in the pan making sure they dont touch each other and the flat surface of the fennel is flat agaist the bottom of the pan, season with kosher salt and cover. Check after about 10-15 min to see if the one side of the fennel is getting nicely caramelized, when it looks to be a good color turn it over and finish the other side same amount of time. It will take about 15 each side min to get good color and cook to a nice soft braise on the inside. When done take out, plate finish with some shaved Parmesan cheese and some fresh parsley.

You will never have fennel this good I promise.

Benny

24 month aged Parma Ham, Black Truffle and soft Egg

On 14/05/2011 (Saturday) at 10:45 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/6bgwccd

Save to RecipeBox

Details

• Prep Time:
  5 min
• Cook Time:
  5 min
• Ready Time:
  10 min

Ingredients

• 24 month aged parma ham paper thinly sliced
• one large egg
• black truffles for shaving
• olive oil

Directions

Start by lightly frying your egg in olive oil as shown in the photo. You want a nice warm runny yolk for this one. I used low heat and cooked it for about 5 min. You can use a ring mold if you like it is optional.

Plate the egg, now take your thinly shaved parma ham and drape around the egg. Follow by a good amount of black truffles shaved on top. That’s it, you can serve it with some brochette but this is great all on its own.

Benny

Quick Clams and Pasta

On 03/12/2011 (Saturday) at 4:36 pm by Benny.
Tiny Url for this recipe → http://tinyurl.com/6vlzjju

Save to RecipeBox

Details

• Prep Time:
  2 min
• Cook Time:
  7 min
• Ready Time:
  9 min

Ingredients

• dozen or so little neck clams
• one shallot finely chopped
• one clove of garlic finely chopped
• pinch of dried chilis
• splash of white wine
• olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper
• chopped parsley
• 3 portions dried angel hair pasta

Directions

Prep your shallot, garlic and parsley. Get you pasta cooking according to the direction on the package, probably about 4-7 min in salted boiling water depending on the brand and type.

While the pasta is cooking,  hot pan, good splash of olive oil 2-3 tablespoons and add the garlic, chilies, shallots a pinch of kosher salt and sweat them for about 2 min.

Now  and a good splash of white wine around 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup and add the clams and cover. Cook for about 3-5 min or until the clams are all open. Their juice will also add terrific flavor.

Once the pasta is done go right from the water into the pan with everything and toss gently and keep cooking and tossing until then sauce is starting to look like its becoming a part of the pasta.(should show no sign of being watery) check for seasoning by tasting a strand of pasta…does it need more salt?

Finishing with a toss of chopped parsley and plate. You can serve with some Parmesan cheese or some more dried chili.

Quick fast fun and delicious!

Benny