I was watching the PBS  James Beard Nominated TV Show Patis Mexican Table. I saw Patis Jinich make Sardine Empanadas. She talked about how she grew up eating sardines and loves sardines and I thought I do too. I thought what a great idea….I want to make sardine empanadas too.   I wrote down all the ingredients that I remembered she used on TV. She said the secret of the sardine tasting good here were the mushrooms…..(who knew?)…….The biggest difference Patis’s Recipe and what I did is that I didn’t use puff pastry and made a quick oil crust. Other than that I did some things different and I added scallions, cilantro and 1/2 a roasted lime……But I would not have come up with this recipe if I didn’t watch Patis on TV.  So I have to Thank Patis of Patis Mexican Table for sharing with us such a great recipe that is delicious! This recipe makes around ten empanadas but you will have extra filling leftover that you can use for one lunch.

Ingredients for about 5 servings

2 cans boneless skinless sardines (about 3.75 oz a can) (don’t drain oil yet because you will use oil to sauté vegetables)

1/2 cup olives stuffed with pimentos (I used Spanish Queen Olives) – chopped well

1/2 white onion – mine was 3.5 oz – chopped well

1 cup tomato – I used slow roasted but fresh or canned are fine – chopped (***My tomatoes were extremely sweet from being skinless and slow roasted***you might need adjustment to flavor with a small amount of sugar if your tomatoes aren’t sweet)

1/4 cup  pickled jalapeños – preferably my recipe on this site or purchased from a farmers market….you want good ones

4 oz mushrooms – sliced thin

1/4 cup scallions sliced thin

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro – chopped

1/4 teaspoon course salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

1/2 lime (this gets roasted till sweet) ((Skip lime if you don’t want to roast it))

2 cups flour (plus a little extra for rolling)

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon course sea salt (the dough is so delicious with course sea salt..it turns almost sweet and you get these pops of tasty salt)

1/3 cup water

2 eggs – separated (whites are for sealing and the yolks are for glazing the empanadas)

Instructions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the cut part of the 1/2 lime with oil from the sardine can and put on a baking sheet in the oven for 45 minutes.

Line two sheet pans with quilon coated baking sheets and put them to the side.

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the flour, 1/2 cup oil, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon course sea salt, 1/3 cup water. Mix well and knead……roll into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and put to the side.

Put a fry pan on medium high heat with about a Tablespoon of oil from a sardine can. Cook the onions till translucent. Add them to a large bowl. Add a little more oil to the fry pan and sauce the mushrooms. Try to get them a little browned when they are cooked and a little brown add them to the bowl. Now sautée the tomatoes till they are falling apart. Now add back in the onions and mushrooms……if it’s liquid  continues coming out you have to cook it more to dry it up some. Add the olives, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Take off heat and add the scallions, cilantro, sardines (slightly broken up) and a squeeze of the roasted 1/2 lime. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Put to the side.

The two eggs get separated and beaten. You should have one small bowl of whites to glue the empanadas together and one small bowl of beaten yolks to gloss up the empanadas.

Get ready to roll out the dough.

Sprinkle surface and rolling pin with a small amount of flour.

Roll out dough. I used a cap from a container of nuts to cut out empanada circle shaped dough but you can use a bowl. The cap measured a little under five inches.

Now you take your fingers and wet them with the beaten egg whites and run that around the circle of dough.

Then fill the dough with about a heaping tablespoon of filling but pick off the top where it’s less juicy.

Fold over

Now crimp ends with a fork and place on lined sheet.

They get brushed with the beaten egg yolks.

Repeat till you are done. The last two empanada shells might need to be made with the ends of dough that you re-roll.

They go in a 350 degree oven till done or for about 20 minutes.

You are going to be pleasantly surprised !

These Sardine Empanadas are FORKING TASTY!

WOW my husband isn’t a fan of sardines but loves these Sardine Empanadas….All the flavors together are terrific…..They came out so Forking Tasty that he said now you should make all kinds of empanadas.

A Special Thanks to Patis Jinich of Patis Mexican Kitchen for sharing and coming up with such a tasty dish!

 

 

 

 

I was thinking about making some sort of snack cake without butter…..do you know that in most snack cake recipes often TWO sometimes THREE sticks of butter are used! And that is NOT counting frosting……Two sticks of butter run around 1620 calories……that’s a lot of fat we don’t need. Instead of using something like the normal two sticks of butter I used two very ripe bananas as if they were butter…Two bananas are around 210 calories and are a natural food. This cake isn’t totally fat free after all eggs have a small amount of fat and the chocolate chips do contain some fat just so you know but that fat has been reduced……I guessed my way threw this recipe not knowing if it would come out moist and delicious BUT IT DID!!!! I wanted the snack cakes to taste good and since I saved all the butter calories ( at least 1620 useless fat calories) I felt I could splurge on one cup of chocolate chips. To up the banana flavor and to insure a moist cake I also added two additional sliced bananas into the batter. The cake is moist and delicious. It’s not too sweet either. You can finish it with a light dusting of either 10x sugar, 10x cinnamon sugar or a mix of 10x and cocoa if desired. I think any kind of frosting would be too heavy here. This is a very easy one bowl recipe. No need to bring out the mixer…just stir it up in a big bowl.

Ingredients for about 12 servings

2 bananas (very ripe) – mashed

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs – beaten

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pure natural vanilla extract

2 bananas – sliced

1 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chips

non stick spray (neutral flavor like canola)

Directions

Set Oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray rectangular baking pan with non stick spray. (I used a half pan that is around 8 inches by 10 1/2 inches)

Ina big bowl mash two bananas well with a potato masher. Mash in the brown sugar and then the white sugar. Stir in the beaten eggs. Dump in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the sliced bananas and chocolate chips. Pour batter in pan.

Let it bake till done about 30 minutes…(mine took 28)

Even people that normally don’t like sweets (like my husband) will like this snack cake because it’s not too heavy and isn’t too sweet. It’s flavored just right…..Make sure you use very ripe bananas for the best results.

 

I usually make a brisket pastrami about twice a year and each time I make one I think I learn something new. This is the first time I separated the flat from the fattier point ( also called deckle). I found this time the two pieces cooked at different times. So now I have to separate them when I make this again. I just learned that cooking the pastrami is similar to cooking really great turkey or chicken….it’s better when you separate the parts. The Flat (bigger leaner part) took about 12 hours this time. I only cooked the point for about 7 hours. So far I always made corned beef and pastrami without added nitrates for several reasons. Nitrates are very bad for us and also because the pink salt can be toxic and I don’t want to have toxic salt in my house. The down side of not adding nitrates is that the food doesn’t look as appetizing……..some people say the taste is different too but I’m not so sure. I have learned that Diamond Brand Kosher Salt is much safer to use than Morton for brining pastrami and corned beef. Diamond salt has a different salt density and also differs in crystal shape and is more efficient in penetrating the meat. Spices were tweaked only slightly and I used my unique rub I used last time. The Pastrami came out even more moist. Even cold it’s moist and very flavorful.  Every time I make it the pastrami comes out even better! Woo Hoo!

Ingredients for about 20 portions

1 brisket (about 14 pounds)

3 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup pure honey

2 Tablespoons juniper berries

10 Tablespoons coriander seeds

2 Tablespoons allspice berries

8 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks – broken in half

2 Tablespoons whole cloves

2 Tablespoons yellow mustard seeds

6 Tablespoons black tellicherry peppercorns

2 Tablespoons white peppercorns

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

21 garlic cloves – smashed and chopped

4 hot dried peppers – torn in half

2 Tablespoons smoked paprika

2 chile pequin – crumbled

3 quarts water

20 oz Diamond Brand Kosher Salt (this is not an interchangeable ingredient because other brands of salt work different and have different salt density).

Directions

All the ingredients above EXCEPT FOR BRISKET AND GARLIC go in a BIG Pot that you bring to a boil and then shut off. Now add the garlic. The mixture MUST BE COOL to brine meat. You can add a couple cups of ice to cool more if needed.

BRINE MUST BE COOLED OFF

Trim off all hard fat off the brisket and separate the flat from the point (deckle). It’s sort of easy but it is also difficult because none of use have superior knives. I knew where to cut but I did find the actual removal of fat was difficult. I just took my time and did it slowly. I trimmed off more fat than most people would. I don’t think I left much more than a quarter inch anywhere. Leave more fat on it you like fat….You can always trim it off latter too.

After the fat is trimmed you need to pierce the meat all over with a meat fork.

If your brine is cool then you can get a turkey roasting bag and bag up the brisket and pour in the brine.

Tie the bag and let the air out. Get the bag so the brining liquid is all around the meat. This needs to be in the refrigerator for FIVE DAYS.

Set your oven to 266 degrees F.

After FIVE DAYS remove the meats from the brine solution. Discard the brine solution. Rinse the meats well.

Put them in one very large or two roasting pans. Fill 3/4 with water. Try to cover the meat with water. Cover the pans tight with foil.

Ok there is no way to know on how long the meats will take to be done. (the meats might be done in 7-12 hours….don’t check on till at least 7 and then you can guess. It will feel soft when it’s done)

Now is a good time to make the rub. This recipe makes more than you need and unused rub can be kept in the freezer till the next time you make a pastrami. The standard rub for pastrami is 50% coarsely ground black pepper and 50% coarsely ground coriander. Here is something more unique if you’d like to try.

2 teaspoons dark molasses (for applying rub)

1/8 cup paprika

1/8 cup smoked paprika

6 Tablespoons whole coriander

4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

6 Tablespoons tellicherry peppercorns

2 Tablespoons yellow mustard seeds

1 Tablespoon white peppercorns

17 garlic cloves – fine chopped

1 Tablespoon Szechuan Peppercorns

Directions for rub.

Toast the spices lightly and when cool use a spice grinder and add finely chopped garlic.

Back to Directions for Pastrami.

The smaller piece took around 7 hours. ALL PASTRAMI COOKING TIMES WILL DIFFER*****

The bigger piece took around 12 hours.  ALL PASTRAMI COOKING TIMES WILL DIFFER*****

When the meat is done and tender you take it out of the liquid.

The molasses is applied thinly and then the rub.

Chill overnight in the refrigerator. Slice and portion. Whatever you aren’t eating in the next three days you MUST FREEZE….no preservatives it will spoil.

WOO HOO it came out Forking GREAT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently dined at a Bukharian Restaurant and felt inspired to create something. I know that Plov (a meat and rice dish) is a well known to Bukharian Cuisine. I read maybe every recipe on the internet for Plov and I felt that I could season cauliflower with a plov kind of taste. This recipe is very easy to prepare and the cauliflower is delicious!

Ingredients for about 5 servings

1 cauliflower – medium – large in size cut into florets

1 green bell pepper – cut in strips

1 carrot – peeled – cut in bite size pieces (I do diagonal chunks)

5 grape tomatoes – cut in half

1 Tablespoon canola oil

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 garlic cloves – ground to paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons course sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons scallions – thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon barberries (you can substitute raisins, dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds but it will taste different)

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl add the cauliflower, bell pepper, tomatoes and carrot. Set to the side.

In a small bowl add the oils, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, sea salt, black pepper and mix well. Pour the seasoned oil over the big bowl of vegetables and mix well. Put the seasoned vegetables on a baking sheet(s) in a single layer.

Put on middle rack for about 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes it should be done. (timing can differ due to oven and also do to size of cauliflower florets.)

Finish with scallions and barberries.

ENJOY!

 

 

 

Cauliflower is my favorite vegetable because it’s easy to make absolutely delicious. Quality extra virgin olive oil and a slow roast makes the cauliflower sugary sweet with caramelized ends and is absolutely delicious.  Cauliflower can also get transformed in so many ways…… No other vegetable is as versatile. A hard to find ingredient called Bomba di Calabrese was used here but you can substitute a Calabrian Pepper or two if you like. This dish is very good and you can toss in some protein and pasta to make this a complete meal or just make it as is for an interesting cauliflower dish. Better yet….YOU FORKING NEED THIS RECIPE!!!!!! FORKING PHENOMENAL as a pizza topping…with mostly Taleggio and a little Robiola cheese……(no reduced balsamic on pizza) Forking PHENOMENAL!!!!!!! (finish with just a SMALL pinch of basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper) It really was FORKING PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!! Really****** OFF THE CHARTS FORKING AMAZING!!!!!

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 head cauliflower – cut in florets

9 oz grape tomatoes – cut in halves

2 red bell peppers – cut in rough strips

12 olives (use quality olives, either with out pits or remove the pits) – cut in thirds ( I used meaty Spanish Queen Olives that were stuffed with pimentos)

1 sweet onion – quarter the onion and cut in thick slices

1/2 lemon (that you roast and turn sweet with cauliflower)

1 teaspoon bomba di calabrese (more or less depending on taste and brand that you are using some are much spicier than others) or substitute a Calabrian Chili Pepper or two and chop fine.

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon capers

Thyme – small amount of either dried or fresh – to taste – for finishing

fresh crushed sea salt to taste – for finishing

fresh ground black pepper to taste – for finishing

reduction of balsamic vinegar of Modena (preferably Fini Brand because it’s not mixed with lots of additives) to taste – for finishing (I didn’t use this on pizza)

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the cauliflower, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, olives, 1/2 lemon on baking sheet(s).

In a small bowl mix together the bomba with the olive oil and sprinkle it all over the vegetables.

Put it in the oven till the vegetables are soft and slightly charred. (about 40 minutes)

You might need to use an oven mint because the lemon half is very hot but you need to squeeze and sprinkle the roasted lemon juice all over (remove seeds). Finish the cauliflower with capers, thyme, salt and pepper and at the table a small drizzle of reduction of balsamic vinegar.

You heard this Italian Style Cauliflower is also FORKING PHENOMENAL on Pizza…and it  FORKING IS!!!!! It is far better tasting than it looks….*****OFF THE FORKING CHARTS!!!!!

Cauliflower is a lot  more special now!

 

This taste good but I didn’t get a picture that I am happy with……Oh well. This tuna salad with made with an Italian Condiment called Neonata.  It’s a Hot Fish Condiment. I thought it would work well with packaged tuna and it does. If you have Neonata the recipe is very easy and will be delicious. I learned of Neonata from watching a cooking competition show on Food Network.  Neonata was the ingredient the competitors all had to use. The restauranteur/Judge of the competition said Neonata is one of his personal favorite ingredients and he uses lots of it in his restaurant so I thought I’d give it a try. I recently made baked crispy potato balls with Neonata that were good and tasty but this Tuna Salad with Neonata is Special and was very good!

Ingredient for about 2 servings

6.4 oz drained light tuna

3 Tablespoons Neonata

10 cured olives – pits removed – rough chopped

1 lemon – the fresh juice and zest

2 Tablespoons sweet onion – chopped well

1/4 cup leftover sweet grilled corn

1 Tablespoon celery leaves – chopped well

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

fresh crushed sea salt to taste (you won’t need much at all)

Fresh crushed black pepper to taste (you won’t need much)

Directions

In a small mixing bowl combine everything and add fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with bread, crackers, cucumber chips, salad or wrap.

Is this picture any better?

The Tuna Salad is really delicious and interesting. The Neonata just goes well with tuna. I used those extra special cured olives, lemon, balsamic and the pops of sweet corn just make it all work. I just had no luck getting a photo I was happy with. I should of just shoved it between bread.

Enjoy!

 

 

I was watching Diners Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network and I watched a man prepare a Thai Papaya Salad. I thought it was interesting that he used Tamarind Water and he also used whole lime with skin. I planned to make Papaya Salad similar to what I saw on TV but I had some bad luck. The papaya I purchased was rotten inside and my peanuts that I purchased this year from my local supermarket expired two years ago and did indeed taste spoiled. I wanted to make the salad before I forgot what I saw so I made a few substitutions and came up with a Spaghetti Squash Salad with similar flavors. I made this salad Vegetarian Style without the fish sauce or other added meats this salad might contain like shrimp or crab. While Spaghetti Squash is not an authentic ingredient the Spaghetti squash has a similar texture to fresh shredded papaya. Thai papaya salads are usually served with sticky rice and maybe an entree like Larb.

Ingredients for about 2 servings

1 cup cooked spaghetti squash

4 green beans – ends snipped off and cut in 3/4 inch diagonals ( or a long bean…long beans are authentic)

2 Thai Chili peppers – minced

1 garlic clove (a large one) – minced

1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar – or to taste ( palm sugar is the authentic ingredient one or use any brown sugar) – (you might need salad slightly sweeter)

1 Tablespoon chopped lime with skin (or one key lime)

1 teaspoon tamarind

5 grape tomatoes – cut in half

2 Tablespoons peanuts  – crushed up a little but not too much – I cheated and used coconut butter toffy peanuts because my regular peanuts were spoiled…..but it tasted great!

2 sprigs cilantro

Directions

In your mortar and pestle  add the garlic, chili, sugar, lime, tamarind and muddle. Then add the green beans and muddle. You don’t want to break the green beans too much…..just bust them up a little to get the flavors into them..

To a medium to small bowl add the spaghetti squash, tomatoes and the contents of the mortar. Mix well.

Top with peanuts and cilantro.

Serve!

You can add a little fish sauce to make the taste more authentic. Tasty and different with really bright flavors…I finished with a little bit of fresh cilantro.

 

 

Neonato (Italian spelling is Nunnata) is an Italian Spicy Fish Condiment. Neonata is considered a delicacy and can only be made a few weeks a year when fish are very young. Different parts of Italy use different fish to make Neonata.  Anchovies, Sardines and Mackerel are popular in some parts but all kinds of other fish are used. The Coluccio Brand I used is made with ice fish. I was watching a cooking competition TV Show and Neonato was the ingredient the chefs had to use. The judge on the TV show said that Neonata is one of his favorite things. He also said many of the items on his menu in his restaurant have Neonata in them. I haven’t found Neonata at any of my local stores so I mailed away for some. I got the same exact brand they used on TV. It’s full of olive oil, not a strong fish taste…..maybe almost like tuna but lighter and it taste a bit like Calabrian Chili peppers. I since found out that most people spread the Neonata on bread or they mix it into pasta. I thought the Neonata would go pretty well with potatoes so I made Baked Crispy Neonata Potato Balls. This recipe makes around 40 balls.

Ingredients for about 10 servings

2 lbs potatoes – peeled – cut in half – in pot covered with cold water

1 Tablespoon salt – to put in pot of water with potatoes

4 Tablespoons Neonata

1 egg

1/4 cup scallions

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 cup flour (bowl one)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (bowl one)

4 eggs – lightly beaten (bowl two)

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard (bowl two)

2 cups whole wheat panko bread crumbs (bowl three)

2 Tablespoons dried basil (bowl three)

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt (bowl three)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (bowl three)

non stick spray

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

Spray baking Sheet(s) with non stick spray and set to the side.

Add a Tablespoon of salt to pot of potatoes and put on a medium boil. Cook till potatoes are tender (about 15-20) minutes. Drain the water off of the potatoes and take off heat and then mash. Then mash with Neonata. Then mash with one egg and add the scallions and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. Put pot of seasoned potatoes to the side.

Now set up your breading station with three large bowls.

Bowl #1 is 1 c. flour and 1/4 t. cayenne – Then mix.

Bowl #2 are 4 eggs (two eggs are pictured but I figured out I needed to double) and 2 Tablespoons dijon. Then mix.

Bowl #3 is 2 cups w.w. panko 2 T.basil 1/2 t. sea salt and 1/2 t. ground black pepper. Then mix.

Use a small scooper and put ball first in flour, then egg mixture, then crumb mixture and then onto sprayed baking sheet. You can do 5 or 6 balls at a time.

They go in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until done.

I made an aioli with lemon juice, lemon zest and a touch of bomba calabrese.

They don’t really need a sauce but sauce is fun…..I think a marinara sauce would be fine…. a lemon-ee parsley sauce would also be great.

A tasty different appetizer or side dish…….Enjoy!