Artichokes

Growing up my family ate artichokes year round. Most of my family fought for the heart, but I always loved the ritual of pulling the leaves between my teeth. My daughter and I often share a piece of fish and an artichoke for a perfect supper. Fresh are always better (see the soup recipe for instructions on steaming) but they are avaible in cans (non marinated) and jars are usually marinated. As you can see I prefer to marinate my own.

Marinated Artichoke hearts
24 small to medium artichokes, trimmed and steamed
1 cup each red wine vinegar and olive oil
4 -cloves fresh garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Steam the artichokes and remove leaves. You can eat these with melted butter, mayonnaise or aolie. 
Remove the choke and trim as desired. You can leave the chokes whole or cut them in half vertically through the stem. Mix together wine vinegar, oil, garlic powder and parsley. Add artichokes. Stir, cover and refrigerate. Better on the second day. Will keep several weeks in the refrigerator; stir occasionally.

Cream Of Artichoke Soup
1 Large artichoke
1 lemon
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1/2-teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4-cup butter
4 cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
Cut stem at bottom of artichoke. Cut the top third of the artichoke and snip off remaining sharp tips of leaves with kitchen shears. Gently pull the leaves of the artichoke to spread them out a bit. In a large saucepan place artichokes in with 3 cups water and juice of one lemon. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and cook for about 45 minutes until very tender. Drain the artichokes and cool down with water. When cool enough to handle cut artichokes in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the fuzzy choke part. Place artichokes in a blender or food processor until very smooth. In a large soup pan sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes in the butter over medium heat. When the garlic is golden add artichoke puree. Whisk in the heavy cream and salt and pepper. When at the desired temperature serve.

Zely’s Famous Artichoke Dip
8-ounce package cream cheese
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1/2-cup mayo
1 cans non-marinated artichokes (coarsely chopped)
3 Cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped dill
Salt
Pepper
Few dashes Worchester sauce

Throw it all in a bowl mix it up. Put in baking dish and cook uncovered at 350 until it is bubbly and brown (about 35 minutes.) Serve with crackers, crusty bread or crudity. I must admit my favorite way to serve it is using a small round loaf of bread and turn it in to a bread bowl by cutting off the top of the loaf and scooping out the bread (save it for dipping.) Just pour the dip into the bread bowl and again bake until bubbly and golden brown. For larger gatherings (This is such a hit that I would do this for anything over 4!!!!!) double the recipe and use a large round loaf. I also buy a little extra bread and slice it as it goes fast.

Artichoke Frittata

1 cup canned artichoke hearts in water
6 eggs
1/2cup half-and-half
1/4-teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8-teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Spread artichokes in 4 well-greased individual au gratin dishes or 1 8-inch soufflé dish. Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top. In bowl beat eggs with half-and-half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour mixture over artichokes & cheddar. Top with Parmesan. 

Bake at 350°F until frittata is puffy and lightly browned and center feels firm (about 20 minutes). Serve at once.


Chilean Sea bass with Lemon Caper Artichoke Sauce

8 tablespoons of butter
½ cup white wine
3 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup of vegetable stock
Juice of 4 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups non-marinated artichoke hearts
Salt and Pepper
4 tablespoons canola oil
4 fillets of Chilean sea bass (approx. 2 lb.) with skin, if possible

Preheat your oven to 450°. In a stockpot melt the butter. Whisk together the wine, vegetable stock, capers lemon juice and zest. Add the artichoke hearts and bring to a boil. Let simmer to thicken for a few minutes. In an oven proof sauté (fry) pan and heat the canola oil until its so hot it's about to smoke. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and add to the hot pan cook them on one side for about 3 minutes and flip them over for another 2 minutes before (9) transferring to the oven for 3-4 minutes. Place on 4 plates and cover with Sauce. Great with roasted vegetables and potatoes.

Saint Patrick’s Day

Being from a large Irish- Italian family we always had a family bash on St. Patrick’s Day. It was one of the few meals my dad loved to cook. We would come home from school and watch him prepare this amazing meal. The way my dad cooked was by using every bowl, spoon and gadget in the kitchen playfully annoying my mother since he cooked and did not clean! O.K. so it is not the kind of holiday that the masses celebrate, but you can come up with fun things to do with your family. One year we had a potato hunt and the person that found the most got a gold coin. My friend Zelma started the traditional game of hiding the cabbage. Not being a fan of that vegetable she will hide it in the hopes that I will forget about it! (I did once, nobody seemed to mind!) My daughter’s kindergarten and first grade teacher had a naughty little leprechaun named Liam that appeared in her classroom starting the first of March. He left little messes and problems to solve, and told the kids that if they could catch him on St Patrick’s Day they would get the pot of gold. The kids spent so much time creating elaborate traps. But alas, Liam always managed to escape, but not without totally reeking havoc in the classroom and leaving cupcakes. (Kind of like my daddy in the kitchen!) Some older Irish folks I know believe in reading the eyes of potatoes for fortunes. Soda bread is super easy to make and a great activity for older kids. For me the best part is hanging with friends and family and spreading a little luck of the Irish to all those I love.




Corned Beef
In collage and in my first few years living in L.A. While many of my peers were chugging green beer, I was cooking a traditional Irish-American dinner. On year I did 35 pounds of Corned Beef and there was not a scrap left for sandwiches.
The best part of this meal is that it is done in one pot! Even though I give you a couple of recipes for bread, you can always buy some if you are pressed for time. The flavor of the beef in the boiling water gives the veggies an amazing flavor. This menu is based on 8 people. I recommend that as you add people you add pots. Do half of the beef in each so you can still cook all the veggies in the meat water. I simply serve it with assorted mustards and assorted breads.

6 pound corned beef brisket
6 garlic cloves
12 peppercorns
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoon each–thyme-sage- oregano (Must have been added from one of my Italian relatives.)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 red onions, sliced
10 medium carrots cut into one-inch pieces
16 red new potatoes, scrubbed
2 small heads of green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges each

In a large soup pot cover corned beef with cold water. Add onions, garlic peppercorns, cloves, bayleaves,red pepper and seasoning. Over medium-high heat bring to a boil. Carefully remove foam with out removing and spices. Reduce heat and cook covered until almost fork tender about 3 hours. Add carrots and potatoes; cook 15 minutes. Add cabbage cook 15 minutes longer until vegetables and brisket are tender. Remove Brisket. Slice brisket and arrange on a large platter. Drain Vegetables in a colander and return to pot. Toss with butter and place on platter.



Irish Soda Bread
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon each baking soda-baking powder
1/2-teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1-cup buttermilk
1/2-cup seedless, dark raisins
Spray a cookie sheet with baker’s joy. Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. With a pastry blade cut in butter until mixture resembles a coarse crumbs. Add raisins. Add buttermilk and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Turn out on lightly floured board. Gently knead for about 1 minute until smooth. Shape into a ball and then press down until you get a 6-inch circle. With a sharp knife cut a quarter inch cross in the top of the bread. Bake for 40 minutes until top is golden and you hear a hollow sound when lightly tapped. Let cool on rack.

Irish soda bread with fresh dill
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon each baking powder- baking soda-salt
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients Cut butter in with a pastry blade until it resembles coarse crumbs. With a fork add the dill. Add buttermilk and mix until lightly moistened. Turn out to lightly floured board and knead until smooth about 5 minutes. Divide the dough in half and make two smooth balls. Place the balls on a large increased cookie sheet. . Bake for 40 minutes until top is golden and you hear a hollow sound when lightly tapped. Let cool on rack.


Onion- corn Rye Bread
2 packages yeast
2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2-cup warm milk
1-teaspoon salt
2-tablespoon caraway seeds
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons corn oil
4 cups flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cups rye flour
1 egg white, beaten
Kosher Salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer; soften yeast in 1/2-cup water and 1-teaspoon sugar for about 5 minutes. Add remaining water, milk, sugar, salt, caraway seeds, oil and onion. Add three cups flour. Mix to blend then beat at medium speed until smooth and elastic about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Set aside 3 tablespoons of cornmeal for topping. Mix in to dough the remaining cornmeal the rye flour and 1/2-cup flour to make soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until dough is elastic and smooth and small bubbles form under the surface adding a little flour so the dough is not sticky for about 20 minutes. Turn dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic and a towel and let rise in a warm place for one hour. Punch dough down and let rest for 15 minutes. Divide dough into two equal parts and roll into balls. Place on two greased cookie sheets sprinkled with a little cornmeal. Brush generously with egg white and sprinkle with remaining cornmeal and some kosher salt. Bake for 40 minutes in a pre-heated 350 oven until top is golden and you hear a hollow sound when lightly tapped. Let cool on rack.






Irish Cream Cheesecake
Can you imagine the decadence of mixing cheesecake with Irish Cream? I’m usually way to stuffed from the meal so I have it the next day with my morning coffee!

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
3 -8 ounce packages cream cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2-cup sugar
1 cup Baileys Irish Cream
1-teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Combine melted butter and crumbs. Press into a sprayed 9-inch spring form pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into pan. Bake one hour and 15 minutes, until firm in the middle. Cool completely before removing from the pan. Chill for a few hours (overnight) before serving.

Blood Oranges

This time of year a truly amazing and vibrant fruit is the blood orange. It has an extraordinary deep red color and the sweet, sweet flavor of an orange kissed by a raspberry. It makes a dramatic presentation and can be used in any recipe that calls for an orange. Its color is very romantic so it is lovely in cocktails or freshly juiced for an intimate breakfast. So see where your imagination takes you with this local yet exotic fruit.


Mahi Mahi with Blood Orange Salsa
4 blood oranges
2 avocados, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1-inch ginger, minced
1 small jalapeno, minced
Juice of 2-3 limes (to coat)
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 6-ounce mahi-mahi fillets
Using small sharp knife, cut peel and white pith from orange. Working over small bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. Add avocado, onion, garlic, ginger jalapeno, and lime juice to oranges in bowl; stir gently to blend. Season salsa to taste with salt. Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add fish to skillet and sauté until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Place 1 fillet on each of 2 plates. Spoon salsa atop fish and serve.

Blood Barbecued Chicken
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp. butter
1/3-cup honey
3-tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian Chili garlic sauce (you can substitute Tabasco, to taste)
Juice of one lemon
Juice of 2 blood oranges
2 tablespoons Blood orange zest
1 1⁄2 tbsp. cornstarch
3 pounds boneless chicken breasts
3 pounds drumsticks
Olive oil for brushing

To make the sauce, in a small saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until tender. Add the honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, chili sauce and blood orange zest. Gradually blend the orange juice into the cornstarch; add to the onion mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly brush the chicken drumsticks with oil. Barbecue on a grill 6 inches above the glowing coals for 20 minutes. Turn and cook 20 minutes longer. Brush the chicken breasts with oil and add to the grill cooking 10 minutes on each side. Brush with sauce. Continue cooking until the chicken is tender, turning and brushing occasionally with sauce. Serves 6.





Pomegranate, beets, fennel and blood oranges
The joy of this salad is that beets are widely available pre cooked. The pomegranates seeds and vinegar are also now in most every market making this salad simple and elegant.

8 medium beets
6 tablespoons olive oil
1-teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4-cup water

Juice from 2 blood orange
4 tablespoons pomegranate vinegar

1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped
4 blood oranges, peeled, cut into1/4-inch-thick slices
1-cup pomegranate seeds


Preheat oven to 400°F. Place beets in roasting pan and toss with 3-tablespoon oil, 1-teaspoon salt, and 1/2-teaspoon pepper. Add 1/4-cup water. Cover pan with foil; roast beets until knife easily pierces center, about 50 minutes. Cool. Peel beets and cut into 1/3-inch-thick wedges.
Whisk orange juice, pomegranate vinegar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl to blend. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Add beets, onion, fennel, orange slices, and pomegranate seeds to vinaigrette in bowl; toss. Season salad with salt and pepper. Servers 4-6.


Blood Orange Salsa with Homemade tortilla Chips
A fiery winter salsa and the tortilla chips are easy and so much better than anything you have tasted. You can let the older kids loose on this project with close supervision.

For Salsa:
2 Blood oranges, peeled and diced
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 red onion, minced
1-teaspoon blood orange zest
1-teaspoon garlic, minced
1-inch ginger, minced
1⁄2 jalapeno, minced fine
1/4-teaspoon salt
1-tablespoon cilantro

In a bowl combine all ingredients except the cilantro and chill, covered, until ready to serve. Before serving toss in the cilantro.

For the chips:
12 count package of corn tortillas
Canola oil for frying
Kosher salt
Preheat oil in deep skillet. On a cutting board stack 4 tortillas and cut into 8 wedges. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Add a handful of wedges to the hot oil. Separate any that stick together. Fry until golden brown. Remove and drain on a cookie sheet lined with a brown paper bag or paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and continue with the remaining tortillas.

Grilled Veggie Salad and Salad Dressings

A few weeks ago I was walking through the open-air market just going crazy over the most amazing and abundant vegetables. I started to buy things up and my friend said that he would make more salads if he only had some good recipes. I was a bit stunned. Well, just throw some mix greens, spinach, or lettuce in a bowl. Toss with whatever fresh veggies you like. You can make a simple dressing with lemon juice, olive oil salt and pepper. Or a simple dressing of garlic, Dijon mustard, red vine vinegar and olive oil. He looked at me puzzled. I realized that growing up for most of us we had iceberg lettuce, flavorless tomatoes and Wishbone Italian from a jar. We are living in such a great culinary time! The massive amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. I can only stress; use your imagination. I am a total veg-head and I am big on mixing anything in a salad. I love mixing colors, textures and flavors. I love adding apples. pears and grapes. I always make dressing, but there are some very fine bottled dressings in the markets now. I have given some of my best dressing recipes as well as some salads. Feel free to mix and match and make them your own. So go out and make an adventure in your produce section and then get out your favorite large bowl and have a salad party!

Honey Mustard Dressing
1-cup plain nonfat yogurt
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Combine yogurt, honey, mustard & cider vinegar in a jar. Tighten lid & shake until blended. Chill 30 minutes before serving.

Peanut Wasabi Vinaigrette
1/4cup rice vinegar
1/4-cup canola oil
1/4-cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Wasabi Paste
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 cloves fresh minced garlic


Combine all ingredients, stirring well to combine. Let stand for 45minutes.


Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
6-tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup Olive Oil
Fresh Ground pepper
Whisk all ingredients together and let stand for one hour.


Grilled Vegetable Salad with Buttermilk Balsamic

1 bunch asparagus
1 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 eggplant
1 red pepper, seeded
2 ears corn
1 small jicama, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch arugula
1 head romaine
Salt and pepper


Lightly coat asparagus, zucchini, squash, eggplant, pepper and corn with olive oil.. Heat cast iron grill pan over high heat. Grill vegetables until tender. Toss arugula and romaine leaves with jicama and Tomatoes. With buttermilk balsamic dressing e in a bowl. Arrange on platter and top with grilled vegetables. You can top with ground pepper, shaved Parmesan or crumbled goat cheese.

Buttermilk Balsamic Dressing


3 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-cup well-shaken low-fat buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup Balsamic
1-cup olive oil


Whisk together all ingredients until well mixed. Let Stand for one hour. , About 1 hour.

Gwen’s Caesar
In small bowl whisk together-
1 egg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-tablespoon anchovy paste

Then add,
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Up to 3 cloves of garlic to taste
2 teaspoon dried thyme

In a steady stream add
1/2-cup olive oil
2 cups canola oil



If you would like, add a few shakes of pepper or a dash of Tabasco sauce. If you like a stronger flavor or are not keen on the anchovy paste, a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce works wonders.
Fill a large salad bowl with lettuce. The traditional Caesar lettuce is Romaine. I like to add spinach and radicchio for flavor and color. Mix in croutons (see below) shaved or grated Parmesan and then toss in the dressing. Go lightly the worst Caesars are the ones that are over-dressed. Taste as you go. For variation you can add cherry tomatoes or toasted pine nuts, both are tasty and add a little pizzazz.
Croutons
Truly, you can use any kind of bread, seasoning and oil. I will give you the basic, but again - go for it and make it your own.
1 baguette (long loaf of French or sour dough bread)
Olive oil to coat
Pinch of Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Slice baguettes into quarter inch slices. Place in large bowl. Toss with oil until well coated. Add salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet in single layer rows and bake at 350 until golden brown, about 20 minutes.


The Cobb Salad

Another one of the culinary legends is The Cobb salad. It is hard to believe that something so wonderful could have been so carelessly concocted, but I guess that is the gift of creating. It seems that in the 20’s at the super hot, super trendy Hollywood hangout The Brown Derby manager Bill Cobb was board. The menu consisted of mainly heavy grilled meats. He really wanted a “light meal!!!!” so he tossed some things into a bowl!!!! I can’t even imagine a “light salad” consisting of bacon cheese and avocado. While there have been many variations mine stays pretty close to the original. And of coarse you can add or delete any thing you like.

1 large or 2 small heads of romaine, finely chopped
2 heads of Boston lettuce, finely chopped
1 bunch of watercress, finely chopped
1 pound bacon cooked and crumbled
3 ripe avocados, chopped
3 pounds chicken breasts, poached, and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1-bunch scallions, sliced
2 shallots, minced
1-cup red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 cups olive oil
1 cup Blue cheese, finely chopped

In a large salad bowl toss together the romaine, Boston lettuce and watercress. In a small food processor mix shallots, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a slow stream, mixing until the dressing until it is emulsified. Pour into a bowl and stir in blue cheese. Pour it over the lettuce, and toss the salad well.