Dinner » The Saucy Coq

Buccatini with Meatballs. The Don Draper of Pasta Dinners.

Buccatini and meatballs is a classy spin on an old classic. I don’t think I’ve met anybody who does not like a good ol’ bowl of pasta and meatballs. For me, it’s one of those few meals that I crave if I go too long without. I guess that’s one of the defining characteristics of comfort foods in general…

But I have to say, this is one of the best bowls of pasta that I’ve had in a long time – at a restaurant or at home! In the past year or so, I’ve started to try and remember my favourite types of pasta. I still love the classics – spaghetti, linguini, penne – but there are so many interesting kinds, it’s easy to find a few other favourites. If you can get your hands on buccatini, I would highly recommend it. It’s basically just like spaghetti but with a hole in the middle, making it a tube.

I almost always have some of this tomato sauce in my freezer. It’s a good starting point for a pasta dinners and marinara sauces and can just be defrosted the day before.

The meatballs can be made ahead of time to save some trouble, or just thrown together before you start cooking – my typical M.O. The lemon zest in the meatballs here really brightens up the pasta and works perfectly with the bit of heat from the chilies.

Buccatini with Meatballs

For the pasta:

250 grams Buccatini

Tomato sauce (recipe follows)

1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

For the meatballs:

1/2 lb good quality ground beef

1 dried red chili

small pinch of cinnamon

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Sea salt & ground pepper

Small handful of freshly grated Parmesan

Zest of 1 lemon

Small handful fresh basil

To make the meatballs, mix together all of the meatball ingredients and form in to large marble sized balls. As I’ve said before, unless you’re making meatloaf, you do not need to mix the meat too much. Just fold it over enough times to incorporate the ingredients. The more you smash up the meat and play with it, the more dense it will cook. The idea is to get tender meatballs that fall apart, not mini-meatloafs. The same goes for rolling them – just enough to shape them. To help them hold their shape and to help you roll them, run your hands under cold water every few meatballs.

Once you’ve rolled the meatballs, add a little olive oil to your pan of choice and heat over medium-high. Cook the meatballs until they are browned on all sides (about 6-8 minutes). It is not necessary to roll and shake the meatballs around constantly. You want each side to get some colour, which means letting it sit without moving. You only need to roll the meatballs around 3 or 4 times for this step. When finished, remove to a plate with paper towel while you deal with the sauce.

If you’re using dried pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook to your liking. Buccatini, like all pasta, should be cooked to al dente.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan the meatballs were in and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. This is a good point to add more garlic if you’re so inclined. Otherwise, add your tomato sauce to the pan with the mushrooms and get your meatballs back in to the sauce. Allow the sauce to heat all the way through and wait until the meatballs are cooked through to turn off the heat, about another 8-10 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust for seasoning if need be. You may want to add more salt, pepper or chili flakes to your taste.

Drain the buccatini and reserve a bit of the cooking water. It is always a good idea to keep a cup of the pasta cooking water as it can help to loosen up the pasta and sauce if it is too ‘sticky’. Toss the pasta with the meatball sauce and add a spoonful of butter, the Parmesan cheese and half of the ripped up basil leaves. Add a splash of the pasta sauce if you like.

Serve up the pasta in large bowls and top with the rest of the basil leaves and grated Parmesan.

Buon appetito!

Basic Tomato Sauce

4 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, cut to small dice

4 or 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 tbsp dry

1 medium carrot, shredded

1 dried red chili, crushed (or red pepper flakes)

2 large cans whole plum tomatoes

Sea salt

For the tomato sauce:

In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and slightly coloured, 8 minutes. Add the thyme, carrots and chili and cook until the carrots are quite soft, about 5 minutes more. Add the tomatoes by crushing them by hand into the pan. You can just grab them out of the can and squish them through your fingers, making sure to get all the juice in the pan as well. Bring this to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

This will keep in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for 6 months.

Lamb Kefta with Tomato, Cucumber and Bell Pepper Salad

Lamb is so cute. How can it taste this good? I’ll tell you how…cumin and paprika and some herbs and some spices fired under a broiler with a crisp refreshing salad to dance with.

As far as I can tell, lamb is an all-or-nothing food. Like cilantro. I don’t know anybody that sort of likes lamb…it’s either love it or hate it. It is a fairly strong tasting meat, but Kefta is a bit milder than, say, a straight up lamb chop given the mix of flavours in the meat. Give these a try if you’re not sure about lamb. Or, if you love it!

Skewers are a good family style meal and great finger food. A couple of these left over Kefta would make a great next-day sandwich with some thick yogurt, cucumber and pickled onions!

Lamb Kefta

1/2 medium onion
Small handful fresh parsley
Small handful fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper (depends how spicy you lika-da-meatball)
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb lean ground lamb

Kefta – Put all ingredients except meat in a food processor and pulse briefly. Add the meat and pulse again until mixed. Alternatively, grate the onion, chop the parsley and cilantro finely, and mix with the other ingredients.

Divide into 18-24 pieces and roll each into a little ball. Mold each ball around a metal skewer, pressing the meat gently yet firmly into a sausage shape. Do NOT use wooden skewers as you’ll be putting these under the broiler and you’ll burn your house down.

Place under a preheated hot broiler and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until browned. The crunch and flavour you will get from the char on the outside of these Kefta is amazing!

Tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper salad

1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon salt
Some fresh mint leaves (5 or 6ish)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, sliced into rings
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, about 12-14 (or 3-4 medium sized tomatoes), peeled, seeded and diced
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1/2 small cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and diced
Handful finely chopped parsley
Pinch of black pepper

Salad – To make the dressing, put the garlic, salt, and mint in a mortar and pound with a pestle until creamy. Gradually incorporate the lemon juice and oil. If you don’t use a mortar and pestle, you can just throw the ingredients in to one of those little choppers or food processors and give it a buzz.

Put the onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, and parsley in a salad bowl and sprinkle with pepper, if using.

Add the dressing and toss well before serving with the lamb Kefta on top and garnished with a sprig of fresh mint.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN AND SAUSAGE SOUP: A WINTER CLASSIC

It’s still not officially winter here in NYC as far as I’m concerned. Cold, maybe. Dark early, yes. But winter? No, not if you’re Canadian. I did however have to break out a scarf a couple of days ago, and it signaled the first day that I really felt I needed a good hearty winter meal.

We were at a great wedding a couple of weekends ago at Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn. Of the many amazing degustations on hand, there was a spicy white bean crostini that kept landing on my napkin. Since then, I’ve been mildly lovesick for white beans. So, in an attempt to quell my affliction, I made a Tuscan White Bean soup. I happened to have Kale on hand and wanted a good spicy sausage in there…the result is a warm, earthy soup that’s perfect for the next 5 months. The spice of the sausage and sweetness of the beans and carrots make this a well rounded meal with a nice chunk of fresh bread.

Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Soup

1 can canellini beans, drained & rinsed
2 quarts unsalted chicken broth
1 bunch fresh kale, stems removed, leaves torn into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1/2 can of diced tomatoes (7 oz), undrained
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh bay leaf
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, cut to half inch slices
3 inch piece of Parmesan rind
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish
Grated Parmesan, for garnish

In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Cook over medium-high heat, giving it a stir, for about one minute. Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the onions are translucent and just slightly browned.

Add carrots, tomato, celery, Parmesan rind, balsamic and chicken stock to the onion mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 12 minutes or until the carrots are tender and easily pierced with a knife.

Meanwhile, rinse the kale thoroughly. Slice off and discard the center stems on the leaves, leaving 2 leaves on both sides. Slice the leaves crosswise into fine strips. Add the kale and beans to the soup. Return the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and continue simmering for 10 minutes until kale is tender.

In a skillet, heat the remaining a glug olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning often, until browned. Add the cooked sausage to the soup with the sage, salt, and pepper. Re-cover the pot and continue simmering for another 10 minutes to combine flavors.

Serve the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of grated Parmesan cheese. Nothing goes better with this great winter soup than a nice piece of grilled baguette.

Good winters eve!

SESAME-CRUSTED COD w ASIAN VINAIGRETTE

There I was again with some Cod in the fridge and no particular plan for cooking it. Luckily, there are so many options for cod! Other than being very inexpensive, you can cook cod 15 different ways (don’t quote me), you can give it any flavors you can think of and it never takes long to cook. Searing this cod with the sesame coating gives it such a nice crisp, flavorful crust with only one ingredient.

This Asian vinaigrette is easy enough to make with one hand while on the phone, but maybe not without spilling vinegar on the floor and hanging up the phone. Whoops. I mean, that didn’t happen to me. Hey, look over there!

Also, I apologize for the lack of breathtaking photos in this post. I actually didn’t think this was going to be blog-worthy, but it turned out to be absolutely delicious! And again, it only took about 15 minutes, start to finish.

Sesame-Crusted Cod w Asian Vinaigrette

Serves 2

2 tbsps canola oil, divided
2 7 oz pieces cod
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green onion, minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsps cilantro leaves, minced
salt & pepper
1/2 c sesame seeds
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp ginger, grated

In a small bowl combine ginger, rice wine vinegar, green onion, sesame oil, garlic, soy, cilantro, 1 tbsp of canola oil and whisk together. Season the cod with salt & pepper and coat liberally with sesame seeds on both sides. In a saute pan, over medium-high heat add in the remaining tbsp oil. When oil is hot, add cod and sear for approximately 4 min, or until sesame seeds brown. Turn & sear on other side for 4 more min. The time will of course depend on how thick your pieces of cod are. I got inch thick pieces and 4 minutes per side was perfect.

Spoon vinaigrette on serving plate and place cod on top.

WILD MUSHROOM PASTA with QUAIL EGG

We’re lucky enough to live across from a Whole Foods Market. Before you anti-establishment cooks ream me out for not shopping at a reeeeal market, I’ll tell you that I love buying the fresh, aromatic ingredients that any local purveyor has to sell me. Our weekends usually involve at least one trip to some destination food market; and NYC has no shortage of them. Any time we do end up at a food market, I tend to buy way too much of some obscure ingredient because it’s fresh, and then have to come up with something to do with it when I get home, and alas, I (often) manage. It’s one part of cooking that I love.

But, having a 62,000 ft² grocery store complete with its own artisanal cheese shop, craft beer store and culinary education kitchen across the street makes for an easy decision. The selection of choice, locally grown organic ingredients is unbeatable. Actually, any time I’m in there it reminds me of Seinfeld’s bit about supermarkets. Funny stuff.

So, I thought I’d buy a pile of mushrooms and make wild mushroom pasta. If you can’t find some of the varieties I’ve listed below, don’t sweat it; just try and get a nice selection of fresh mushrooms. Try to avoid button mushrooms if you can…they don’t offer much flavor here.

Wild Mushroom Pasta:

½ lb whole wheat spaghetti
3 tbsp unsalted butter
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb cremini mushrooms, brushed and quartered
½ lb mixed fresh mushrooms like chanterelles, bluefoot & royal trumpet, trimmed and sliced lengthwise
½ cup dry white wine
Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper
Small bunch chopped fresh thyme
Handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Zest and juice of a lemon
Handful each of fresh pecorino and parmesan cheese
2 Quail eggs

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté fresh mushrooms with garlic, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Ladle out and reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander, then add it to mushrooms in skillet. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over moderately high heat, tossing and adding some pasta-cooking liquid if necessary to lightly coat, 1 minute. Add chives, parsley, lemon zest and juice, then toss well.

While the pasta rests for a moment, heat a small frying pan to medium and add a splash of oil. When it’s hot, fry the quail eggs until the whites are cooked, but the yolk is still runny. Quail eggs are small, so this only takes about a minute.

Serve pasta with cheese, fresh parsley, pepper and top with quail eggs.

Bon apetit!

CURRY SHRIMP PIZZA: A SAUCY SIGNATURE

I do not remember under what circumstances I made this recipe up. It doesn’t sound like it would be as good as it is, but for some reason I tried it once upon a time. I do know that I’ve made a few different incarnations of it in the last couple of years, and they have all been great. I’ve yet to see a similar dish elsewhere, so I’m going to go ahead and call this a signature dish of mine. One of my favorite things about this pizza is that it tastes even better as left overs the next day.

It’s a cold pizza and the sauce is cream cheese, so it may not satisfy your craving for a good old sloppy classic tomato pizza, but I promise you’ll want to make this again. And again. You can use the vegetables I’ve listed below or whichever you think would work. Let me know what you try!

Cold Curry Shrimp Pizza

6 oz cream cheese (3/4 of a package)
1 tsp curry powder

~14 medium sized shrimp
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 tsp curry powder
tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp olive oil

orange pepper, julienned
red pepper, julienned
broccoli, broken into small florets
red onion, sliced thin
1 clove of garlic, minced

Pizza dough/crust

Fresh cilantro for garnish

First things first, fold together the curry powder and cream cheese. You don’t necessarily need to whip the cream cheese, but you do want a nice smooth soft texture so it’s fluffy and easy to spread later. You can also add a little more or less curry powder to your tastes. Let this rest while you work your magic on the rest of the ingredients.

Next up is the dough. The first several times I made this pizza, I used a store bought, precooked dough. I would typically just brush it with a little olive oil, maybe toss a pinch of salt on there and brown it in the oven for a few minutes. This works great and is definitely the easiest method here. This time, for the first time, I actually bought a ball of freshly made raw dough from Whole Foods to spin myself. Your grocery store may not sell raw dough, but you can try going to a nearby pizzeria. A lot of pizzerias will sell you dough if you ask nicely.

Once your dough is made (or unpackaged), you want to roll out about a 9 inch pie. How much dough you actually use depends on how thick you like the crust. I like a thinner crust for this pizza so I used a ball of dough about the size of my fist. Cook the dough on a pizza pan according to the instructions (or your experience). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack until ready to use.

In a large non-stick pan, heat a glug of oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and garlic and saute for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the veg is just tender. Remove from heat.

Heat another pan over high heat and add the last tbsp of olive oil. Saute the shrimp until they are just cooked through or pink, about 1 minute per side.

Now you’re ready to assemble the final product! Spread the curry cream cheese evenly over the pizza crust and top with the sauteed vegetables and finally with the shrimp. Tear up a handful of the cilantro leaves and SHAZAM, right there on top.

Cut this fine specimen in to slices and go to work.

GRILLED CORN w CHILI LIME BUTTER

I’m going to let you in on a secret. Corn.

Grilled corn is such a simple, versatile side dish that it gets it’s own post. Jealous? Whenever I’m short on time and need a “veg”, grilled corn is a solid go-to. It’s cheap, easy and you can dress it up any way you like. Yes, I realize the parallels to a dad joke there.

Like any food that grows, corn is best when it is in season (May through September), and is sweetest right after being picked (the sugars begin to turn to starch once it’s picked). Luckily, corn is loaded with so much natural sugar that grilling a mediocre cob will bring out some ace flavors. And, if that doesn’t work, I’m sure you’ll put way too much butter on it anyway.

This chili lime butter is good to have a bit of in the fridge. It works with this corn, other grilled veg, or even on a steak.

Gilled Corn with Chili Lime Butter:

2 Corn cobs
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
Zest and juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 chili (serrano or jalapeno), finely diced

For the chili lime butter, whip the butter with 1/2 of a finely diced chili, lime zest and lime juice. Set aside.

To prepare the corn, I always peel the outer most husks off (the darker green ones), then peel back (but don’t remove) the inner husk and remove the silk fibers. Sexy. Replace the attached husk and soak the corn cobs in cold water for about 30 minutes before you grill. This will prevent the husks from burning to a crisp.

Preheat the grill to high and grill the corn, husk on, for about 10 minutes or so, turning the corn every couple of minutes. You’re looking for a few blackened kernels, but don’t overcook it or it’ll be mushy.

To serve, gently massage each kernel with some butter, working out all the kinks. Or, just brush it on. Top the corn with a Quenelle of butter (university talk for a blob). I usually peel back the husk and leave it on for dramatic effect. Eating the husk does this as well.

Enjoy!

SEAR-ROASTED RIB STEAK w CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

Have you seen The Great Outdoors? The Ol’ 96′er? If not, I’ve just wasted a really good reference and you won’t get how this post relates to that movie. Thanks a lot. I would highly recommend putting it on the movie list. It’s a great classic comedy.

As you can tell by the photo above, I am not a vegetarian. I have never partaken in such trickery and do not plan to. Strangely enough, as much as I do like meat, I really don’t cook good steaks or roasts that often. I use ground beef and pork a lot, and I’m an avid seafood cook of all sorts. There’s something so incredibly satisfying about a plain ol’ steak. The primal feeling it gives me always reminds me of why I’m not a vegetarian; of why my body neeeeeeds meat. I can feel my blood getting warmer with each bite, my muscles growing. When I brought these home, I got a bit of a sideways look from my girlfriend. Yes, a nearly two pound steak is too much food. But on the other hand, shhhhhhh.

This method of cooking meat is a great way to produce a LOT of flavor with very little mess. It is also the way to go when you don’t have a grill at your disposal (my personal favorite). Searing the steaks first locks in the flavors and juices and gives you a really nice crust on the steak that will provide essential texture and taste.

Sear-Roasted Rib Steak

2 1.5 lb bone-in rib steaks
Unsalted butter
Grey sea salt (or regular if that’s what you got)
Fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp oil

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a heavy-bottom ovenproof saute pan (I use a cast iron pan), heat the oil over high heat until very hot. Season the steaks with a little salt and pepper. Add the steaks to the pan and brown them well on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn the steaks and put the pan in to the oven to finish cooking, about another 5 minutes. This, of course, will depend on a variety of factors: how well you like your steak cooked, how thick they are, etc. If you’re new to cooking, use a meat thermometer. Otherwise, the best way to tell is just by touch. Feel the steaks and keep in mind that they will cook a bit more once they’re out of the oven.

Once done, LET THE STEAKS REST for 5 minutes. There are some rules that cannot be broken in cooking. This is one of them. It is essential to the quality of the meat (any meat) that it rests once it has finished cooking. Don’t cut in to it to test for done-ness. Resist slicing in to the meat as soon as it’s cooked. Letting the steak rest will allow the juices to re-absorb in to the meat and the protein to relax. I promise the meat will be exponentially better. I will repost this paragraph every time I talk about meat.

Chimichurri can be a sauce, a marinade or a rub. It’s an Argentinian concoction that, by some accounts, was named for an Irishman called Jimmy McCurry who first prepared it. Jimmy McCurry, being difficult for native Argentinians to pronounce, became Chimichurri. To be perfectly honest, I would much rather have my steak with Jimmy McCurry sauce. If it’s possible to make 28 oz steak more manly, it would most certainly be by adding Jimmy McCurry sauce. Whatever you want to call it, it’s an herb, citrus & oil mixture that is open to much interpretation. Classically, it is parsley, lemon, chili, garlic and oil. I’ve added in a few other herbs here and once in a while I’ll use some grated orange rind.

Chimichurri Sauce

parsley (1 bunch)
oregano (3 sprigs)
cilantro (handful)
4 garlic cloves
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 serrano chile
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Put all ingredients, except the oil in a blender/food processor and slowly add the olive oil until combined. I like mine to have a bit of texture rather than being a paste, so I just pulse it a few times in the food processor until the oil is combined.

You can really make this any time you want as it will (probably) keep in the fridge for a while. I’ve never tested the lifespan of Chimichurri since I typically use it all in a few days, but it should last a few weeks. Marinate chicken, fish, beef, pork, even veggies in this before you cook them. Or, just use as a sauce like I did here. I bet this would even be delicious with French (excuse me…Freedom) fries.

I served this with some nice roasted fingerling potatoes and Cippolini onions with herbs.

Fingerling Potatoes

15 fingerling potatoes (1/2 pound)
4 sprigs of thyme
2 big springs of rosemary
5 cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

Mix all in a bowl to coat the potatoes and onions. Spread the potatoes and onions out on a baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

Enjoy the meat sweats!

ANYDAY POACHED EGGS ON TOAST AND VEG (CHEDDAR DOESN’T HURT)

When I was the much younger, much pickier kid I’ve already told you about, one thing I did happen to like was eggs. I loved when I’d get ‘treated’ to poached eggs. For some reason, I remember having them only for special occasions, but it was most likely just a weekend. Special enough of an occasion. It’s probably because, even now, I think of poached eggs as a rather ‘decadent’ way of eating eggs.

We used to have one of those egg poaching pans. This shallow, light-weight aluminum pan with three round plastic eggs cups inside. Boil an inch of water, drop the eggs in, put the lid on, and wait five minutes. The lid would come off the pan and undoubtedly burn me.

Now, I don’t have one of those crafty pans. And, I don’t want one. The eggs come out resembling something like an Egg McMuffin. More importantly, there’s no room in the kitchen for another piece of niche cookware.

Poaching eggs is very easy and you can have them for breakfast, brunch, lunch, high tea, supper, dinner and midnight snack. So, learn to make them properly.

Poached Eggs on French Bread and Sauteed Veg

Serves One

2 large eggs
3 cups water
1 tbsp white vinegar
Pinch of salt
Ice
French Baguette

Add a couple inches of water, enough to cover the eggs, and a pinch of salt to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. While the water heats up, crack your eggs in to separate, small bowls to avoid breaking the yolks when you add the eggs to the water.

Once the water is boiling, add the vinegar and turn the element down until you have a slow simmer going in the water. If the water is too hot and boiling too fast, your eggs will break. Next, add the vinegar to the water. Vinegar helps the egg to hold its shape by causing the outer layer of the egg white to congeal faster. Otherwise you’ll get a web of white egg in your water. Personally, I actually like the taste of a bit of vinegar on my poached eggs, and have even added tarragon vinegar before for a bit of a twist. Recommended.

I like to give the water a spin with a spoon before I drop the eggs in. Literally. Just start moving the water around in a circle until there’s a little eddy in the middle. Then, drop your eggs in one at a time. The spinning water helps to further bring the egg whites together giving you nice, firm balls (ahem).

Most people like hard egg whites and a soft yolk, which takes about 6 minutes with this method. But, I generally just judge by feeling the egg. Lift one out with a slotted spoon at about 5 minutes and give it a little squeeze. It’ll be easy to tell how cooked the egg is. BUT, the most important part of this process to remember is that the eggs will continue to cook once you take them out. So, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place in to an ice bath when they’re to your liking to stop the cooking.

I happened to have some veggies (zucchini, asparagus, onion) that I BBQ’d with herb oil left over from the night before. I brushed some baguette slices with a bit of olive oil, toasted them in the oven, and topped the toast with the veggies and put the eggs on top. A few shavings of sharp cheddar, some cracked black pepper and some Hawaiian black salt, and, goodnight sweetheart.

SAUCY CODFISH TACOS

I don’t have a story behind these fish tacos, I just love the flavors in them. And who’s not in to deconstructed meals that you have to piece together yourself? Seriously, who? Give me their name. I won’t say I got it from you. It’s a great family-style meal to serve, and if you have kids for some reason, this will get them in to eating some fish!

It’s always so much more rewarding when you have to work to eat your food. Work up a bit of a sweat; kick your salivary glands in to overdrive as you agonize about how much of each ingredient to pile in to that taco shell. How much can you pile in to that shell?? Oh, wait! Do I even want to fill it as much as I can? Maybe I want to have four smaller tacos instead of two huge tacos.

When I made this, I actually wanted to use Mahi Mahi, but there was none left at the fish counter. On top of that, the cod was super cheap. Really, any flaky white fish will do, but Cod is generally the easiest on the wallet.

I served this with a Peach Radish Salsa.

Cod Fish Tacos

1 lb flaky white fish (mahi mahi, cod)
¼ cup vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch of cilantro, divided
1 tbsp chili powder
1 Serrano chili
Flour tortillas
Shredded white cabbage
Thinly sliced red onion

Saucy’s Mayonnaise (adapted from Tyler Florence)

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotles in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, cilantro, chili powder and Serrano and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

I used a cast iron pan to cook this fish cause I didn’t feel like going up to the roof to use the BBQ. Both would work great, but you might lose some of the flaky fish in the BBQ unless you have a fine grill. And skills. Heat the cast iron pan on medium-high until just barely smoking. Remove the fish from the marinade and get it in the pan. Sear the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.

Prepare the Mayo:

Put the chipotles in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, adobo sauce and lemon juice and continue to process until the mixture is creamy & saucy. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Warm the tortillas in the pan for 20 seconds, or better yet, over an open flame (I use my gas stove).

I like setting up the tacos “family-style”. Assemble the fish in a pile on a plate, hanging out with the pink chile mayonnaise and peach-radish salsa. Arrange a pile of shredded cabbage, cilantro leaves, chopped red onion and lime wedges next to the fish.

Go to town!