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Panini Croque Monsieur

Panini Croque Monsieur

by The Chubby Cook on 25. Aug, 2010 in Lunch

Over the last couple days, we had some friends come visit up at the lake.  Before they arrived, I asked Caroline what we should make while they were here.  One of our guests is into yoga and is a reiki healer, so I wasn’t sure if there would be dietary restrictions.  I certainly didn’t want to throw down a steak dinner if she was vegetarian or vegan.  When people visit us, the idea is to explore foods that they might not have tried, but not foods that go against eating beliefs or paradigms.  Does this classify as a dogma? Awesome. Caroline assured me that we were in the clear to eat just about anything, so we put on our thinking caps.

With the tomato season still pumping out bumper crops, I suggested that we make our Panini Caprese recipe, which is just so fresh and tastes great.  Caroline suggested that we change it up, perhaps to make Baguette Jambon Fromage recipe that is a family favorite.  Then she suggested that we make Croque Monsieur in the panini press.  I thought it sounded like a great idea, particularly when paired with the Effing Delicious Mustard Sauce.  The plan was made.

This recipe is an exploration of the senses.  The crispy bread cracks to reveal the melted savory Gruyère cheese and sweet saltiness of the ham.  The tangy and rich mustard sauce adds moisture and ties all of the flavors together.  When the buttered bread first meets the hot grill plates on the panini press, the sizzle and resulting toasted bread aroma are intoxicating.  I hope that you enjoy this sandwich as much as we do.

Makes 4 six inch sandwiches

Ingredients for the Effin Delicious Mustard Sauce

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

Ingredients for the Croque Monsieur

2 batards or baguettes (any hard crust bread with soft interior will work) about 18″ long
Spreadable butter or margarine
1 pound shaved or thin sliced ham (smoked or double smoked is preferable)
1/2 pound of sliced Gruyère cheese

Serve with Maille Cornichon (French mini-pickles)

Special Equipment: This recipe is most successful when using a panini press. I use the Villaware Panini press in my kitchen, but anything will work, including a George Foreman grill.

Let’s make the mustard sauce first. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix well and set aside.

Turn on the panini press to high heat.

For the sandwiches, I slice off the top and bottom of the bread very thinly to expose the bread surface. This lets the panini press do its work and adds that delicious crunch to the sandwich. Once the top and bottom are sliced off, I carefully slice down the middle of the bread to create the two halves of the sandwich as shown in the picture below.

Slice the top and bottoms off, then cut down the middle. Photo by Scott Groth

At this point, get out the ham and Gruyère cheese. A trick that I use to ensure that the sandwich is heated all the way through is to microwave the ham for 40 seconds before putting it in the sandwich. Take about 1/2 of the ham and warm it in the microwave. While it is warming, move to the next step.

Using the spreadable butter, lightly coat the top and bottom (not the part where you will be putting the meat and cheese) with the butter. Place the bottom piece, butter side down, in the panini press. My panini press is only large enough to make 2 sandwiches at once, so this is how many I typically make. You will hear a sizzle when the butter hits the hot grill plate.

With a spoon, smear a dollop of the mustard sauce on the bottom half of the bread. Do this carefully so you don’t burn yourself on the grill plate. Layer on some ham and then about a piece and a half of the pre-sliced Gruyère cheese. Coat the top piece of the sandwich with the mustard sauce and place on the cheese and ham. Carefully close the panini press.

After 3-4 minutes, check the progress on the sandwich. The cheese should be starting to melt and the bread should have some nice grill marks. Leave the sandwich in for another minute or two until the desired level of crispness is achieved. Remove from the press and serve immediately. If you have them, the Maille Cornichon pickles are delicious with this sandwich.

This Panini Croque Monsieur pairs wonderfully with a Stella Artois or a Pilsner Urquell. This is one delicious panini baby!

Yum. Crunchy and delicious. Eat it up. Photo by Scott Groth

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Grilled Vegetables & Hummus on Flatbread

Grilled Flatbread with Hummus & Summer Veggies

by The Chubby Cook on 20. Aug, 2010 in Dinner, Lunch

Last week I was working to figure out what to do with some left over vegetables from my Char Grilled Summer Vegetables over Penne Pasta recipe.  I went through a bunch of ideas an ended up making a Soup of Pureed Summer Vegetables, which was really delicious.  In the thought process, I came up with an idea of putting the vegetables with some hummus on a pita.  We have vegetables with our Best Hummus Recipe all the time, so it seemed like a natural pairing to put some grilled veggies with it as well.  It just seemed a little too blah for us though, so I thought that a sauce on top might be the differentiation factor that was needed.

Typically I would make a sauce for it with some cilantro since that is my favorite summer herb, but our cilantro in pots have bolted to seed and the cilantro we had inside was a little too passed its prime.  Caroline suggested that we use some of the chives we had in pots, so that is what we made.  A lemon, chive, shallot and caper sauce that really added a lot to the dish.  It’s simple to make, just add lemon, chives, capers, shallots and some olive oil together and mix.  Put in some salt and pepper for good measure and you’re off to the races.

We changed up the pita for some flatbread that we had in the freezer from when we made our Greek Flatbread Pizza recipe.  If you haven’t tried that one, it is really delicious.  I would call that a vegetarian delight.  So full of flavor that it’s hard to stop with just one.  The hummus flatbread that you are reading about today is really terrific, but on a more subtle level.  The flavors don’t punch you in the face like they do with the Greek Flatbread.  All told, either one is great.  Try them both and you decide.

Makes enough for 4 flatbreads

Ingredients for the hummus:

2 cans garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
2 lemons, juiced
1 head roasted garlic
1 tsp ground cumin seed
1/3 cup good tahini paste
1/3 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1/3 or more cups olive oil (more if the consistency is too thick. Or add water if you are avoiding adding more oil.)
Small handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

Ingredients for the Summer Veggies

1 summer squash, washed and halved lengthwise
1 zucchini, washed and halved lengthwise
1 green or red pepper, washed and quartered
2-3 scallions, washed
Olive Oil
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

1 large tomato, washed and sliced thin. Set aside.

Ingredients for the Caper Sauce

1 tbsp chopped chive
1 heaping tbsp capers, drained
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1 shallot, minced

The first thing to do is roast the garlic for the hummus. Turn a toaster oven or oven to 400 degrees. Trim the top off a head of garlic and place in a ramekin. Coat in oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper on. Cover with aluminum foil and make a tight seal. Put in the oven for 40 minutes to an hour. If you choose, skip this step and use 4 cloves of minced fresh garlic instead. If you roasted the garlic, when it is done squeeze the cloves from the head into a food processor.

To the food processor, add in all remaining ingredients for the hummus with the exception of the olive oil. Start to process and drizzle the olive oil into the hummus. Allow to process for 4-5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. If it is too thick, add some water or some more Greek yogurt. Too thin, add some more tahini as it is a thickener. The hummus is ready to go!

For the vegetables, turn on the grill to medium high heat. Coat the vegetables in olive oil, but leave the tomato set aside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables for about 4 minutes a side or until cooked through. Remove from the heat. Place the flatbread on the grill and turn every 20-30 seconds until both sides are slightly crisp. Remove from the heat. With the vegetables, slice thin, half-moon coins from the squash and zucchini and slice the pepper thin. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the Caper Sauce. Set aside.

Spoon some hummus on each flatbread and spread evenly. Layer the thin tomato slices over the hummus. Add on the sliced grilled vegetables and spoon some of the sauce over the top. This dish has it all- great flavor as well as tons of proteins and vitamins. It’s a great lunch or dinner option. Chow down on this grilled flatbread pizza recipe as soon as possible.

Grilled veggies over some hummus makes a great meal. Photo by Scott Groth

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Chilled Cucumber Soup

Chilled Cucumber Soup

by The Chubby Cook on 23. Jul, 2010 in Lunch, Soup

There is a debate going on in my house as to whether I should post this recipe up or not. I made this yesterday for lunch and although it has great flavor, it was a little thin. The picture does the soup no justice. What looks like a thick soup is really just some thick foam from being blended in the Vitamix. I know what to do to make the soup thicker and still taste great, but have not tried it yet. Caroline says that I should try it first and then post. Well, I am stubborn and am going to post anyway.

Like I said, this soup has some great flavor. That comes from the pan roasted garlic and the watercress. If you haven’t used watercress in a while, it is really delicious. Here’s a quick recipe that I’ll post up later: avocado with bacon, watercress and lemon. Wow, it’s a flavor combination that makes your head ring. Watercress has a subtle spiciness about it that offers this soup some layered flavor without ever cooking it. If you can find watercress that still has the root bundle, toss it in a glass with cold water and it will last on your windowsill for about a week or more. Remember to keep watering it though.

The reason this recipe was so thin is that I juiced all the cucumber rather than blending some of it. So, for the revised recipe which I will post up, I added that step into the mix. Give this a shot on a hot afternoon as it is so refreshing. I think that this soup would go great with a mojito personally. I watched a show yesterday where they made a French Mojito- make the mojito as you would normally, but leave some room in the glass to top with champagne. Haven’t tried that either, but it sounds good to me.

Makes about 4 cups of chilled soup

5 organic cucumbers, washed
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 bunch watercress (including stems), rinsed
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil

This recipe needs a juicer, but if you don’t have one you can still give it a whirl in a high-powered blender and then strain out the solids. Make sure you mash them around a bit with a wooden spoon to get all the goods.

I like to roast my garlic, so today we will do a bit of pan roasting. In a small sauté pan, add a 1 count of olive oil. Turn the pan to medium-low heat. When the pan is warm, add the garlic. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes or until the garlic turns golden brown. Be careful not to burn as the garlic will taste bitter. If you smell bitterness, start over on a lower heat setting.

Take 2 large cucumbers and cut them lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and discard. Chop the cucumber into large dice.

Take 3 of the cucumbers and juice them. You should yield about 3 cups of juice. Add cucumber juice, watercress, citrus juices, sea salt and garlic to the high speed blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes on high (or the super high on a VitaMix) until the watercress is completely incorporated.

Add the remaining cucumber dice and blend on low or medium low for about 45 seconds to a minute. The result should be a deliciously refreshing soup. If you like, put into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to cool down after the blending process. You could add some creme fraiche in the middle of the soup or a dollop of sour cream would add some unctuousness to the dish as well.

If it isn’t thick enough, let me know and I will have to figure something else out. Sounds pretty good to me though! Hope that you enjoy.

cucumber watercress soup

This soup has excellent flavor and depth. Photo by Scott Groth

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Steakhouse Sandwich

Casual Steakhouse Sandwich with Brie

by The Chubby Cook on 26. Jun, 2010 in Dinner, Lunch

Early in the morning, I check out the refrigerator.  Today’s mission: make a casual dinner for four.  There was a refrigerator full of ingredients that needed to be used, so it should be no problem.  Looking at the ingredients, it comes to mind that I can make the same old boring steak, asparagus and mushroom dinner.  It’ll be safe and good.  Why not?  Well, we’re not here to eat boring food, right?  Save that for the next life- can I get an amen?  If not, at least holla back! 

So all day I am literally chewing on how I am going to creatively put a new spin on these old standby ingredients.  Sometimes the best ideas come to you when your mind is occupied with something else.  That happened today.  I was driving my family on our boat, speeding toward our lunch destination at Bemus Point.  Seventy six degrees with a relatively flat lake, the throttle was pinned and the engines were singing a tune that was music to my ears. “Mmmm…” I was thinking, “wings at Casino.  Gonna get some BBQ and some cajun.  Extra crispy. It’s gonna be gooooood.”  It was at that moment that it came into my head that I should make a steak sandwich.  It would be casual, but decadent with a hearty mustard sauce and some rich, earthy brie. 

It was a complete risk to serve for dinner because I had no idea if everything was going to work together in a sandwich. Maybe people aren’t interested in asparagus on their sandwiches. Never had mustard sauce with brie before either, might taste like crap. That’s the beauty of cooking for family. It’ll be what it is and that’s as good as it’s gonna get.  So, I just sorta made up the marinade for the flank steak as I went along and came up with the mustard sauce much the same way.  On the first bite, I knew that it was a winner.  Everyone at the table agreed that this was a really good sandwich and no one had seen it done before. Grilled asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, thin-cut medium-rare flank steak, earthy brie and mustard sauce.  Delicious. Who says you can’t have sandwiches for dinner?

Enough to make 4 sandwiches

Ingredients for the flank steak:

1 to 1.5 lbs flank steak. Unless you make large sandwiches, you’ll have extra.
Garlic powder
Onion powder
All purpose seasoning (optional)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lite sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp cooking sherry
2 tbsp good red wine vinegar
1 large shallot, diced fine
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper

For the mustard sauce:

3 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt

Other ingredients:

4 large rolls, sliced and toasted (ciabatta would be best if you can find them)
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 boxes button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (or use crimini or baby bellas and slice thin)
1 wedge of brie. We like it with some stank on it.

First, put the brie in the freezer. It will make it easier to slice later. Next, Take the flank steak out of the fridge as it will need to come up to room temperature. You can use skirt steak as well for this recipe, but it is harder to find at most grocery stores these days. Now, there are a lot of recipes out there that call for marination of meats for hours on end. I am not sure that this really helps anything as most marinades don’t penetrate very deep into the meat. That being said, a marinade can do most of its work in less than an hour in my book. I have marinated for up to 24 hours, but find that the meat gets mushy on the outside and takes on a gross looking gray color. This marinade needs about 45 minutes or so.

So I prepare my flank steak by lightly scoring the meat in a diamond pattern on the top and the bottom. People say that you lose all the juices this way, but with this recipe you’ll have plenty of juice left in the meat. By scoring the meat, it prevents it from contracting on the grill. It also allows the marinade to work its way into the meat a little further. Once the meat is scored, salt both sides liberally. In a bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients and the shallots. Place the flank steak in a baking dish and pour on the marinade. About 10 minutes later, liberally sprinkle on all the seasonings- flip the meat and repeat. Let this sit until is has marinated for 45 minutes to an hour.

To create the mustard sauce, put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir.

Turn on the grill to high heat. You want to cook the flank steak over high heat otherwise it will get tough and chewy.

For the asparagus, trim the woody ends and put into a shallow dish. Drizzle a 3 count of olive oil and salt the asparagus. These will go directly on the grill with the flank steak.

Chop the mushrooms and put into a dry, hot skillet. You will find that if you lightly brown mushrooms before you put the oil in the pan that they have a much headier mushroom flavor to them. It is really delicious and most people just smother them in oil from the word go. Once they are lightly browned, add a 2-3 count of olive oil. Add some salt, give the pan a toss and cover for 3-5 minutes, allowing the natural juices to cook the mushrooms through. Remove the lid and turn down the heat to medium high. Stir and remove when desired doneness is achieved.

Put the meat on the grill. It should cook for about 12-14 minutes for medium rare. After the meat is on, pour 1/2 of the marinade from the pan onto the meat. When you flip it the first time, pour the rest on the other side. Carefully place the asparagus on the grill. The asparagus will be done in about 8 minutes, so you may want to wait until you add it. Remember that after the meat is cooked, it needs to rest for 5 minutes, otherwise you will have dry, chewy meat and your cutting board will be swimming in the juice that has run out.

When the meat is done and has started to rest, start toasting the buns. You can put them on the grill, but I just put them in the toaster oven. Slather a good serving of the mustard sauce on both cut sides of the bun after they have toasted. Layer on the grilled asparagus. Slice the flank steak on the bias (at a 45 degree angle, not perpendicular to the cutting board) very thinly. It should look like a good roast beef cold cut if it is cooked and sliced properly. Take the brie out of the freezer and top the meat with a couple thick slices. If you want, take off the rind first. We don’t mind the rind, so I left it on. Smother the whole sandwich in the cooked mushrooms and off you go.

We ate this sandwich with a light red wine from France which was really tasty named Chateau Grand Moulin. It is a $12 bottle from the Mar Mar, which if you are familiar with Chautauqua Lake, you know is the best place to buy wine up here.

Now, if I had planned a little better, I would have served this with a light salad with a dijon vinegarette. Unfortunately, we ate all the lettuce the night before when we made the Chipotle Pork Fajita Salads.  Oh well, we made due with a baguette and some good cheese.  To finish off the night, I bought a box of drumsticks.  You know, the good ones with the chocolate fudge down the middle.  That’s what it’s all about- having fun and eating well.  Hope that you all enjoy this one.

It's like a steak dinner all wrapped up into one sandwich. Photo by Scott Groth

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Chipotle Pork Fajita Salad

Chipotle Pork Fajita Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

by The Chubby Cook on 25. Jun, 2010 in Dinner, Lunch

The taco salad went out of favor in the 90′s, right?  It certainly has lost a lot of popularity, that is for sure.  Well, I was straining my brain trying to think of something to make for dinner and thought “taco salad, yeah, that’s the ticket.”  We had to kick it up a couple levels though, losing the fried tortilla shell, refried beans and ground beef. With some nice, fresh ingredients in the refrigerator, a new idea was born.  The Chipotle Pork Fajita Salad.  Now, don’t be shy if you don’t like pork.  You can substitute steak, chicken, fish or even sauteed tofu in the place of the pork.  If you are going to use tofu, I would suggest cooking the peppers and onions, moving them to another plate and cook the tofu in the juice left in the pan to give it some flavor. 

The sure sign of success is when something is cooked, plated well and you ask the people eating it if it is good.  When they respond with muffled “mmm… dhats gwood!”  or more clearly with a “wow, that is fresh.  Great flavor.”  I agree, this fajita salad is pretty damn good. It takes a little bit of work, but the end result is a bright, spicy and filling salad. This salad works great with some Dos Equis, Corona, Pacifico (all stuffed with limes) or, if you’re feeling a little crazy then make a fresh lime margarita. The cilantro lime dressing on the salad really would go great with the fresh lime in a good margarita.

The pork is prepared in the same style as my Pork Soft Taco with avocado salsa.  The pork cut is so inexpensive that I am using it quite frequently, and the prep is really easy and makes a flavorful dish.  If you haven’t tried the pork soft taco’s, make sure that you check them out.  Really delicious.

Makes enough for 4 really big salads

For the Pork:

1.5 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs
3-4 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco
Juice of 1 lime
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Cumin
Dry Mustard powder
Garlic Powder

For the Salad:

1 head of green or red leaf lettuce
1 bag of fresh tortilla chips
1 large Spanish onion, sliced thin
1-2 red peppers, cleaned and cut matchstick style
3 ears corn, shucked
3-4 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes, cleaned and de-seeded
3-4 scallions, washed and chopped on the bias, light green and green parts only
1 lime, cut in half

For the Dressing:

1 lime, juiced well
1/3 cup olive, vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt & Pepper to taste

To top the salad:

Green Tabasco sauce
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Sour cream

Start off by turning on the grill. You’ll want it to be about 400 degrees. Now stop what you are doing, find some good music and turn it on. If you don’t have a beer or a favorite beverage, this is a great time to get one going. Cooking is about the mood, so set it up right for yourself. Your food will always turn out better.

Next, let’s prepare the pork.  I wash the pork straight out of the package, then slice it into three thick chunks, all about the same size so they will all cook at the same time.  Place the pork on a dish and squeeze the lime over the slices.  Sprinkle on all the dry ingredients, being liberal with the salt.  Drizzle the chipotle sauce on top.  Spray with some non-stick cooking spray.  Flip the meat and repeat.  Let the pork come to room temperature while it sits in it’s marinade for about 20-25 minutes.

Next, we will prepare the dressing. It is really simple. Juice the lime, add the salt and whisk in the oil. Add the cilantro and stir. If you need more dressing, double the recipe. Use the spent lime halves to rub onto the corn. If they are completely dry, squeeze another lime over the corn. Grill the corn for about 10 minutes.

While the corn is cooking, take out a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Add a 2 count of oil. Add the onion. Squeeze one of the lime halves over the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions just start to turn translucent. Add in the peppers and cook an additional 7-9 minutes, or until desired doneness is achieved. Remove from the pan and set aside. Cut the corn off the cob into the pan. Add a 1 count of oil and the juice from 1/2 a lime. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until you hear the corn start to sizzle. Turn off the heat and add 3-4 tbsp cilantro.

With the grill still nice and hot, let’s get to cookin. Put the pork over direct heat. I like nice grill marks, so do a 3 minute rotation 4 times, for a total of 12 minutes on the grill. The pork should be medium, not well done.

While the pork is on the grill, deseed and chop the tomatoes into quarter inch dice. Slice the scallions and avocado. Get out the plates and put 4-5 leaves of the lettuce on the bottom. It is helpful if you break up the leaves into a manageable size. Then, crack up some tortilla chips and sprinkle over the lettuce. Layer the onion and pepper mixture on top of the chips. Next, toss on the corn.

Bring the pork in from the grill and let it rest for five minutes. This is a great time to get the beers ready, lime’s cut and stuffed in the necks. Or, make the margaritas. When the pork has rested, slice it thinly on the bias. Layer on top of the corn. Add the chopped tomato and then the sliced scallions. Take a tablespoon and pour the dressing over top of everything.

Add a dollop of sour cream and the sliced avocado. If you love cilantro like my family does, you can garnish with that as well. A couple shakes of the green jalapeno Tabasco sauce goes a really long way and adds a lot of flavor.

So that’s about it. It’s a really bright and spicy dish. You can spice it up more by adding some fresh chopped jalapeno or poblano if you don’t want quite that much spice. The cilantro and lime adds an element of freshness that when paired with the crisp of the lettuce leaf really makes for an enjoyable eating experience.

This salad has mad flava, yo!

Updated taco salad

This is one fresh salad- worth the chopping! Photo by Scott Groth

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Turkey Sammich

Sammy Big Stack

by The Chubby Cook on 22. Jun, 2010 in Lunch

This sandwich just sorta came together today.  Guess it was the right ingredients at the right time?  Just a bunch of cold cuts and regular fare, but it was sooo gooood.  Just had to share it with you all.  I bought the bread at Tops (there aren’t many grocery choices near Chautauqua where I am at) and it turned out to be just right.  It is light, airy and soft.  Inside you’ll find thin sliced turkey-off-the-bone, double smoked ham and just the right amount of baby swiss.  Fresh tomato and lettuce top off whole grain Dijon mustard and mayo.  Delicious.  Take a minute and treat yourself to the Sammy Big Stack.

Cold cuts and fresh ingredients make up the Sammy Big Stack. Photo by Scott Groth

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Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Mediterranean Tuna Salad (No Mayo)

by The Chubby Cook on 11. Jun, 2010 in Lunch

I like regular tuna salad.  Really, I do.  But sometimes things just need to be changed up a bit.  So, today I rummaged through the fridge and pantry to see what I could come up with.  I found some cans of tuna that have an expiration of next month, so I figured that it would be good to eat those.  I got out the mayo, relish, celery and other standard ingredients.  I eyeballed them and was really not excited about what I was going to be making.  I’ve eaten that before so many times.  Today was going to be an experimental tuna salad day.  Only one rule existed about today: no mayo would touch my tuna.  TMI?  Maybe.

One question which has entered my mind is whether or not they would make this tuna salad in the Mediterranean region.  I would like to think that they would but don’t know that for a fact.  It is called Mediterranean tuna salad because the ingredients are primarily from that region of the world.  There is olive oil, lime juice, nicoise olives, picholine olives, capers and various other ingredients which are staples in this type of cuisine.  There may just be someone out there who has thought of this before, but in the event that they have not, give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Just as a heads up, I made this about three hours prior to service to allow the flavors to take hold a little bit.  If you are looking for an immediate service tuna salad, tap a mayo recipe somewhere else.  I serve this sammy with some kettle cooked chips, but it would be just as good over chopped romaine.

Makes 4 pita sandwiches.

Ingredients:

2 cans tuna, packed in water, drained
1 lime or lemon, juiced
1/2 lime or lemon, zested
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pitted picholine, nicoise or kalamata olives- chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
1/2 large shallot, chopped fine
1 scallion, whites and greens, chopped fine
1 heaping Tbsp capers, no juice
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, loosely chopped
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt & fresh cracked pepper

Add the tuna into a large bowl first and break it up a bit with a fork.  Add in remaining ingredients and stir.  If it looks a little dry, add in a 2 count of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate for several hours.  If you put it on the bottom shelf of the fridge, it will get really cold there which is the way I like to serve it.

Slice some tomato real thin and line the inside of a pita.  Jam the tuna salad in next and chow down.  This stuff is good enough for seconds, so you might want to make extra.

No mayo tuna salad

Who needs the mayo? This is some great tuna. Photo by Scott Groth

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Greek Flatbread with Grilled Halloumi

Greek Flatbread Pizza with Grilled Halloumi in a Lemon Caper Sauce

by The Chubby Cook on 09. Jun, 2010 in Dinner, Lunch

This whole recipe came from a wildly botched attempt at making falafel two years ago.  All I can say is that my falafel was so soft there wasn’t much choice but to put it on something.  Luckily, Caroline was there to save the day.  She suggested that we make falafel pizza so I wouldn’t be sulking all night at my failed attempt.  I thought it sounded like a pretty good idea, so we grilled some pita breads that we had and ate soupy falafel with kalamata olives, feta cheese and tomato chunks. 

As is always the case, the recipe has evolved quite far from its humble (bumbled?) beginnings.  We discovered the world of halloumi which is a soft Greek cheese that is able to be grilled.  Oh man, when you grill this cheese it browns with a slightly nutty flavor and the insides are soft and cheesy.  It is a real treat.  Put the grilled halloumi into a lemon and cilantro based sauce with shallots and capers… you just have to try it to believe how good it is.

I recommend that you grill the halloumi on a grill pan indoors.  You can certainly put it on your grill, but it is an expensive cheese and if it falls through the grate that would stink.  The very first thing I do is make the halloumi topping to let the flavors meld together a little bit.  And don’t forget the pickles with this recipe- they really do make a difference!  We eat Bubbies Pure Kosher Dills out of San Francisco.  They look pretty weird since they are in a cloudy brine, but their flavor is really outstanding.  They work great with this dish.

This Grilled Halloumi Topping is good enough to eat by itself. Photo by Scott Groth

Serves: 2 large flatbreads, enough for 4 people

Ingredients for the Grilled Halloumi Topping:

1 package halloumi cheese- 8 to 10 oz
1/2 tsp fresh thyme (optional)
1 large shallot, diced fine
2 lemons, juiced plus some zest
2 tbsp capers
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped coarse
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & Cracked Pepper

Ingredients for Greek Flatbreads:

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
4 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped coarse
2 tbsp Italian flat leafed parsley, chopped coarse
2 tbsp Tahini
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt & Cracked Pepper

Ingredients for plating:

1 medium to large tomato, sliced very thin
Feta cheese
Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped rough
1-2 kosher dill pickles, chopped into 1 inch segments
Couple of flatbreads or pita’s

I start this recipe by roasting a head of garlic.  If you have never done it before, it is pretty simple.  First, turn your oven or toaster oven to 400.  Get out an ovenproof ramekin.  Slice the top off the garlic to expose the cloves.  Put into the ramekin.  Pour olive oil on the head until the ramekin is 1/2 full.  Salt and pepper liberally.  Cover with foil and pop into the oven for 1 hour.  The roasted garlic will keep in the oil for about 2 weeks in the fridge.

While the garlic is roasting, cut the halloumi into 1/4 inch slices.  Just put the slices into the plastic container that comes with the cheese.  Pour the olive oil onto the slices.  Add the thyme if you are using and let this sit for about 30 minutes.  While it is marinating, begin the halloumi topping.  Add the shallot, capers, lemon juice plus some zest and cilantro to a bowl.  Mix and add salt and pepper. 

Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat.  Take your marinated halloumi and lay each piece into the pan.  When you have them all in the pan, pour the olive oil into the cilantro-lemon mixture.  Mix together.  Let the halloumi cook for 2-3 minutes per side, dependent on how thickly it was sliced and the heat of the pan.  Don’t burn it.  When it looks done, take it out and chop it roughly on a cutting board.  Add it to the cilantro-lemon mixture.  Mix together and let it sit.

By this point, the garlic should be done.  Take it out of the oven carefully.  Things are going to go quickly now, so put the flatbreads into the oven to warm until everything else is completed.  In a blender or food processor, add all the ingredients.  Mix well.  If the consistency is too thick, add more lemon or olive oil dependent on your diet or taste preference. 

Heat a large skillet over high heat with either canola oil or, if you have it, grapeseed oil.  When the oil is smoking hot, add the garbanzo bean mixture to the skillet.  Let cook until a brown crust forms on the bottom.  Stir and let cook again.  Repeat several more times.

Take the flatbreads out of the oven.  Split the garbanzo bean mixture between them and spread to cover.  Add some feta and chopped kalamata olives.  Layer the tomato on and cover with the halloumi topping.  Put the pickles on the side and you’re ready to eat! 

Some people like raw red onion on this dish.  I’m not a huge fan, but its out there to try if you like it. 

I am sure there is a wine out there to pair with this dish, but I don’t know what it is.  I like to eat this with a Coors Light.  It may be unsophisticated, but hey, that’s me.  If you have a suggestion as to what would go better with this, let me know by leaving a reply.

Although it is a lot of work, it is worth it.

This flatbread is really bright and flavorful. Photo by Scott Groth

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Caprese Panini

Panini Caprese

by The Chubby Cook on 07. Jun, 2010 in Lunch

When Caroline and I got married, we received a panini press from one of our generous friends or family members.  It’s been a while so I am not sure who gave it to us.  If you are reading this and it was your gift, thank you again!  We have been making different panini sandwiches with various levels of success for the past several years.  One of our favorites is the Panini Caprese.  This is a really simple recipe where we make a pesto and schmear it over a fresh split ciabatta roll then fill it in with some really fresh ingredients.  Get the press smoking hot and voila!  In a couple minutes you have a delicious sandwich.

One thing to keep in mind, make this sandwich the way you would like it.  If prosciutto isn’t your thing, cook up some bacon ahead of time.  Not hip on the fresh mozzarella?  Neither is Caroline, so I buy the 1% mozzarella blocks for her sandwiches.  Don’t like any kind of mozzarella?  No problem!  Change it up for a mild goat cheese or a less salty feta (try a French or Bulgarian feta- much less salty).  Whichever way you take this sandwich, so long as you keep it simple and fresh, it’s bound to be pretty good. 

Yield: 2 ciabatta roll sammies

Ingredients for the Pesto:

1 cup of loosely packed basil
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Ingredients for Panini Sammies:

2 ciabatta rolls
10 loose basil leaves
1 medium/large tomato cored and sliced as thin as you can
4 pieces prosciutto
1 log fresh mozzarella

Let’s make the pesto. First, start with the pine nuts. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Don’t add any oil. Add the pine nuts. When they start to brown, take them off the heat. Typically, I use minced garlic out of a giant container. Is it as good as fresh chopped garlic? No. But, it does save a lot of time and keep the mess down in my kitchen. Now, anytime I use garlic, I like to put some heat on it. I have never been a fan of raw garlic. Sticks to me like humidity in June. Use the same pan you toasted the pine nuts with, keeping the heat at medium, pour in a little olive oil and cook the garlic, stirring constantly, for 1-3 minutes or until the garlic just begins to turn brown.  Toss it into the food processor when done.  Put pine nuts and 1 cup basil in the food processor.  Start to pulse and drizzle in the olive oil until a liquid consistency is achieved.  Pop the top, salt and pepper and you have a cheeseless pesto sauce.  Congrats!

Turn the panini press on to high.  If you don’t have one, use a George Foreman grill.  Slice the ciabatta rolls open and coat with the pesto sauce.  Don’t drown them- they will get soggy.  You can always put the extra pesto in a bowl to dip into when you are devouring these sandwiches.  Slice the mozzarella thin- a little thinner than 1/4 inch.  Layer on the bread.  Next, layer on the prosciutto and then half of the loose basil leaves onto each sandwich.  Top with the thin cut tomatoes and the top.  Put into the press, cook for 7-10 minutes or until heated through.  There you have it, simple and delicious.  Enjoy.

Tip:  If you have prosciutto that is not salty, you may need to add a little to the sandwich.  There are varying levels of curing on prosciutto, so check it out before you make the panini.  If you have changed cheeses to a feta or a stronger goat, you may not want to add anything. 

This sandwich goes well with a crisp white wine.  I like to eat it with an Australian Sauvignon Blanc.  Either that, or you could go with a Stella Artois.

Panini baby… I love it!

Caprese Panini with fresh Pesto

Caprese Panini with Pesto- Photo courtesy of Caroline Groth

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Eat this Chicken Salad

by The Chubby Cook on 01. Jun, 2010 in Lunch

Two years ago, my wife and her family took me to their place in Provence, France.  Let me tell you something- you haven’t tasted fresh produce until you have been there.  It is just incredible.  With the exception of wine, milk and a few provisions, there is no need to go to a grocery store.  Everything is sold in open air markets, the marche, by local farmers and artisanal specialists.  How does this all relate to chicken salad?   Well, one of the specialists there made rotisserie chickens and gave them to you in a foil lined bag with potatoes that cooked in the drippings.  Incredible tasting chicken.  Potatoes that melt in your mouth with goodness.  It’s almost worth the trip just to enjoy.  I made my best chicken salad there and have recreated it as best I can here in the States.  Here’s what you do:

Serves 6, so get enough pita.

Ingredients:

2 whole rotisserie chickens
3 scallions, rinsed, chopped small
1 shallot, peeled, diced fine
1 red bell pepper, diced small
3-5 stalks of celery, dependent on size, diced small
5 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup mayo
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp celery seed
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

Pita & Romaine lettuce for serving

While the chickens are hot, break them down and peel the meat from the bone. Put on a plate until you are done. Once you have all the meat off, break it down a little with your fingers into a big bowl. This will save time and effort later when you are shredding the chicken. Pour some of the juices from the bottom of the chicken containers into the bowl for some added flavor. Shred the chicken with two forks to whatever consistency you desire.

Add the mayo, olive oil, mustard, celery seed. Mix lightly. If it looks dry, add more of everything. Toss in the shallot, scallion, pepper and celery. Mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to your liking.

This is good the first day, but if you put it in the fridge for the next day, it is really out of this world. The crunch of the pepper, zing of the mustard and bite of the shallot really make this taste delicious.  In Provence, I served this on a bed of fresh lettuce.  In the States, I serve it in a pita with some romaine lettuce. 

Do yourself a favor and shred this with a fork- don’t cube the chicken.  It’s worth the effort. 

Kick it up with some slightly chilled Beaujolais Nouveau.

You got it.  Now go get it.

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Bacon Lettuce & Tomato (BLT) Deluxe Recipe

by The Chubby Cook on 31. Jan, 2010 in Lunch

About a month ago, one of my lifelong friends was over at my house for an afternoon.  I had not anticipated cooking for two, so the leftovers that I had were just not going to cut it for us.  My friend is chubby as well, just not as chubby as I am.  That being said, we looked around the kitchen to see what was available for use to eat.  We passed over the pasta and canned soups were just too convenient.

I had been to Cleveland’s West Side Market the day before and had a pound of super-thick cut rindless bacon sitting in the fridge.  Also in the fridge was some fresh romaine and I had purchased some heirloom tomatoes earlier in the week which were on the verge of being perfectly ripe.  My friend put the three together because, honestly, the thought of a BLT had never crossed my mind.  The missing ingredient was some bread, and I was fresh out.  Long story short, a soft, fresh ciabatta bread was purchased to round out our delicious ingredients.

Keep in mind that this recipe is neither for the faint of heart nor those on a diet.  The key to this sandwich is browned bread in the bacon fat.  That’s right, fatty bread to go with mayo and bacon.  Good thing there is some lettuce and tomato in there to balance the whole thing out.  Well, it works in my mind at least and if I can think it, then it must be true.  Here’s the skinny on this fatty sandwich:

Ingredients (enough for 2 sammies)

1/2 lb thick or super-thick cut bacon
1-2 good, ripe tomatoes, scrubbed, trimmed and sliced
4 stalks of fresh romaine, rinsed and ribs removed
4 slices of artisanal bread- find one with good crust and soft interior
Mayo- not Miracle Whip. What is that stuff anyhow?

Heat your cast iron skilled on medium-high. When hot, cook the bacon to desired doneness. I say you pour off about 1/2 the fat and return it to the heat. Brown the bread in the bacon fat. Be careful not to burn your bread! If you do, slice some more and get back in the game.

Once your bread is browned on one side, remove from the pan and give it a good smear of mayo on the other side. Repeat for all bread slices. I prefer then to layer the sandwich in the following pattern: bacon, lettuce, bacon, tomato, bacon, bread. If you have bacon leftover, save it because you will probably want another one of these sandwiches.

Like I said in the ingredients section, unless you are a Miracle Whip fan, leave that crap in the jar. It doesn’t really belong on a sandwich like this. I would go so far as to say that if you were adventurous enough, this would be a great sandwich to try your hand at a homemade mayo. That would just kick it up to a completely new level of scrumdittlyumptiousness.

It’s just that good.

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Goat Cheese Basil Heirloom Stacker Recipe

by The Chubby Cook on 27. Jan, 2010 in Lunch, Sides

This is a great recipe just about any day of the week.  You can find heirlooms year round now, but in the winter they really come with a high price tag.  Sometimes you just have to splurge a little.  If that’s not your thing, keep this recipe handy when the weather turns and your tomatoes are coming out your ears.  Light, refreshing and delicious.

Ingredients:

2 Heirloom tomatoes, relatively round and differing in colors (I like red and yellow)
1 log goat cheese at room temperature (We use Silver Goat or replace with soft motz)
1 Cup of loose basil leaves
1/2 Red onion, quartered
1 clove garlic
1 poblano pepper
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt
10 grinds fresh pepper
Olive Oil

Core and slice each tomato in uniform thickness. Starting with the bottom of the tomato, lay the bottom piece of the yellow tomato on a plate. Lay the bottom piece of the red tomato on another plate. Open the log of goat cheese and cut off a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Press the disk between your fingers to make it spread out over the tomato bottom. Repeat for the other dish. Now layer the next lowest tomato slice of an alternate color on top of the goat cheese. Repeat this process until all pieces have been used and the stack is topped with the head of the tomato. Now make the sauce.

In a blender, combine the basil, red onion, garlic, poblano pepper, lemon juice, salt and fresh pepper. Blend and add a stream of olive oil until the mixture starts to liquefy. Blend for about 20 seconds. Drizzle blended basil goodness over the tomato stacks and enjoy.

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Baguette Jambon Fromage (Ham and Cheese on baguette) recipe

by The Chubby Cook on 24. Jan, 2010 in Lunch

This is a super quick and easy lunch to make. I used the panini press, but you can substitute this if you have a bacon press. Seven minutes and out of the kitchen, prep time and cook time included.

Ingredients:

Fresh baguette
1/2 lb thin sliced ham (choose your personal favorite)
1/4 lb baby Swiss
Butter
Dijon
Mayo
Side of cornichon (french baby pickles. Find at most specialty and larger grocery stores)

Recipe:

Begin to warm the panini press on high.

Warm a frying pan on medium high on the stove. Cut baguette in half lengthwise and then cut in half down the side. Butter the bread lightly on both sides and put into the pan. Toast for 2 minutes or so until golden brown.

Remove from the pan and spread mayo on one half and Dijon on the other. Add ham folded in half and cheese cut down the middle lengthwise. If you have any on hand, add prosciutto if you have it for more depth of flavor. Assemble the two sides.

Place in panini press or cover in the frying pan with a bacon press. After about 4 minutes the cheese should be melted and the sandwich will be delicious.

Serve hot with a serving of cornichon.

Wine paring:  Enjoy with a light red such as a Rhône or a Rose de Provence.

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