Broccolini Grilled Cheese

Image April 10, 2019 Tangie Holifield

Photo Credit: Plated.com

Recipe Adapted from Plated.com

2018

Serves 2

Ingredients
For the sandwiches:
olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
6 ounces broccolini
1/4 pint grape tomatoes
1 shallot
1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 slices sourdough bread
2 ounces shredded white Cheddar cheese

For the salad:
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon honey
3 ounces spring mix lettuce

Directions:
To prepare the ingredients: Rinse all produce. Trim and discard woody bottoms of broccolini, then cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. Halve tomatoes. Peel shallot, halve, and thinly slice.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add pepperoncini, broccolini, shallot, salt, and pepper as desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, until broccolini is tender and lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and set aside. Wipe pan clean and reserve for cooking sandwiches.

To assemble the grilled cheese, spread mayonnaise over 1 side of bread slices, then flip. Sprinkle half of white Cheddar over plain sides of 2 bread slices, then top with sautéed vegetables and remaining white Cheddar. Finish with remaining bread slices, mayonnaise-side up, pressing lightly.

Place pan from vegetables over medium heat. Carefully hover your hand a few inches away from the pan—when you can easily feel heat, add sandwiches. Place a medium heavy pan or large plate on top and cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board.

Meanwhile, as the sandwiches cook, in a large bowl, whisk together sherry vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper as desired. Whisking continuously, slowly add 2 tablespoons olive oil until fully combined. Pat spring mix dry with paper towel, then add to bowl with dressing, along with tomatoes, waiting to toss until ready to serve.

To serve, halve broccolini grilled cheese sandwiches on a diagonal and divide between serving plates. Serve with salad on the side.

Shaking Beef

Image March 8, 2019 Tangie Holifield

Meat is precious and Buddhist traditions are strong in Vietnam, which is why dishes of beef are considered a luxury. Clever cooks cut tender, marbled cuts into small pieces so they soak up flavor, then cook them quickly and serve them hot with aromatic herbs. Here, the peppery, salty-sweet, juicy beef mingles with the light salad dressing to create a great sauce that pools on the platter, perfect for drizzling over rice. Watercress leaves warm and wilt under the Shaking Beef (so named for the back-and-forth shaking of the pan), while their stems remain crunchy.

Adapted from
Food & Wine Magazine
April 2012

Serves 4

Ingredients
For the Beer:
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 pounds boneless rib eye steak, trimmed and cut into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces

For the Salad:
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon medium-dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar or honey
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups lightly packed watercress, baby arugula, or other salad greens
1 cup torn radicchio or 8 halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh mint, Thai basil, or other herb leaves, torn
2 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:
To Make the beef:Stir together oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, fish sauce, pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl. If a saltier finish is desired, add up to 1 1/2 teaspoons more oyster sauce. Add beef, toss well to coat, and let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature.

To Make the salad: Rinse onions in a strainer under cold running water for about 10 seconds; set aside. Whisk together 2 tablespoons water, vinegar, sherry, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add onion; top with watercress, radicchio, and herbs. Do not toss.

Heat a large, cast iron skillet over high, and add oil. When oil is shimmering, carefully add beef in a single layer. Cook, shaking pan every 30 to 60 seconds, until seared on all sides and meat reaches desired degree of doneness, 3 to 4 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from heat. Quickly toss salad, and transfer to a platter or serving dish. Pile cooked beef and juices on salad, and serve immediately.

Salmon with Roasted Cherry Tomato Relish⠀

2 Comments September 8, 2018 Tangie Holifield

salmon

Fresh ingredients like basil, lemons and later summer cherry tomatoes, shine in this easy dish that is so easy to make………and yet, your family and friends will be impressed for such and elegant meal!⠀

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:⠀
For the Salmon:
One whole salmon fillet, with skin on, 2 – 2.5 pounds
1/2 lemon, sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil⠀
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves⠀
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 clove garlic, finely minced⠀
Kosher salt, to taste⠀
Freshly ground black pepper⠀
1/4 bunch whole fresh basil, for garnish
Lemon slices, for garnish
⠀
For the Roasted Cherry Tomato Relish:
3 pints cherry tomato⠀
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
A few sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar ⠀
1 small bunch basil, cut into chiffonade⠀
⠀

For the Relish:
Preheat oven to 450° F.

Toss cherry tomatoes, garlic, shallot and thyme with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the tomato mixture out in a single layer and roast, tossing once, until tomatoes are blistered and beginning to burst, 20–25 minutes. Let cool and set aside.

Add the tomato mixture to a large bowl, along with the red onion, balsamic vinegar and basil. Toss the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the Salmon:
Preheat the oven, set to broiler.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using clean paper towels, pat the salmon dry and place on the prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix the dried herbs and garlic powder with the olive oil. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the salmon.

Place the salmon in the oven and cook under the broiler for about 3 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300° F. Place the lemon slices over the salmon and return it to the oven and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the salmon is easily flaked with a fork, depending on the thickness of the fish and the temperament of the oven. Be careful in not to overcook the salmon.

To serve, carefully lift the salmon along with the parchment paper and place on a large serving platter. Top the salmon with the roasted cherry tomato mixture, and garnish with lemon slices and fresh basil leaves.

Cooks Notes:
This recipe is so versatile that any thick fillet or fish steak can be used in the place of salmon. Excellent substitutes are swordfish and halibut.

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