Fennel, Radish and Butter Lettuce Salad with Zesty Chive Dressing

From the appearance of this here blog… I’ve been pretty lazy lately.

And I will admit, I was pretty lazy in the last week and half. 

Wes and I went on a much-needed little Hawaiian vacay to the north shore of Oahu. 

This was after my five-day work trip to Vegas. Which was right after my eight-day dork trip to New York.

So I’m not sure if I’ve been lazy as much as I’ve been exhausted.

When I’m not on the road, I should be writing about any of the tasty dishes in my pretty large backlog of things I’ve cooked lately. But more and more I’m finding myself with my new food love. The garden.

I turned over about fifty square feet of pretty crappy earth on the side of Wes’s place back in April and I have been working my developing green thumb on that little patch hoping for some yummy goodies to come out of it.

Naturally, there have been successes and failures. I seem to be able to get squash blossoms just fine, but no actual squash want to come my way. 

The basil is out of hand but my cilantro super sucked. 

Just like my early cooking days, it is trial by fire out in that little dirt patch but I’m as determined now as I was then. Maybe more so.

This dish features on of my favorite garden goodies and one of my most successful first crops. The radish. In my opinion, a highly underrated little root veggie that adds a ton of zest and flavor to anything it is served with.

You will need…

1 head butter lettuce (also known as Bibb or Boston) chopped into bite-sized pieces

8 radishes thinly sliced

1 cup croutons

1 bulb fennel, halved and light green part thinly sliced

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, radishes and fennel and set aside.

Then in a small bowl or jar, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, chives and honey and season well with salt and pepper. Whisk or shake till the dressing is completely combined.

Drizzle the dressing over the greens and top the salad with croutons.

Toss well and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Fennel, Radish and Butter Lettuce Salad with Zesty Chive Dressing

 1 head butter lettuce (also known as Bibb or Boston) chopped into bite-sized pieces

8 radishes thinly sliced

1 cup croutons

1 bulb fennel, halved and light green part thinly sliced

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, radishes and fennel and set aside.

Then in a small bowl or jar, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, chives and honey and season well with salt and pepper. Whisk or shake till the dressing is completely combined.

Drizzle the dressing over the greens and top the salad with croutons.

Toss well and serve.

Chimichurri Sauce

There are few better feelings in the world than knowing you only have one more day of work until you are on vacation.

One. More. Day.

After a crazy first half of my year, I’m ready to park by booty on a bar stool in a pool in Mexico.

Seriously, if you need me I’ll be at the pool bar. I’ve already paid for my all-inclusive vacation and now it’s time to party and relax.

And only one work day stands between me and my much needed vacation.

In honor of my impending Mexican getaway, here is a great recipe from south of the boarder.

Traditionally, this is served over grilled meat. But I’m such a fan I also recommend it as a marinade for chicken or steak or even as a little spread for some great crusty bread.

You will need…

¼ cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup red wine vinegar (I used a deeper red, but you can use whatever red wine vinegar you prefer)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 shallot, minced

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together the shallot, parsley, cilantro and chives.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegars, the olive oil, the sugar and the oregano.

Drizzle the vinegar mixture over the herbs.

Mix to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Use to marinade, drizzle over grilled meat or just spread on our bread.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Chimichurri Sauce

¼ cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup red wine vinegar (I used a deeper red, but you can use whatever red wine vinegar you prefer)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 shallot, minced

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together the shallot, parsley, cilantro and chives.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegars, the olive oil, the sugar and the oregano.

Drizzle the vinegar mixture over the herbs.

Mix to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Use to marinade, drizzle over grilled meat or just spread on our bread. 

Apple, Mushroom and Gruyere Pastry Squares

To say that I am well traveled might be an understatement. But I have definitely been places.

I have swam in Hawaiian waters, seen the beauties of Alaska, eaten pizza in New York, caught a fish at Pike’s Market in Seattle, sunbathed on the beaches of Barcelona, walked the cobble stones of London and bobbed in the seas surrounding the Greek islands.

Lets just say I’m no homebody.

But I always come back home to southern California. There are tons of reasons why, but it is possible that the weather is number one.

Come on, who gets to ride their bikes to the beach for this view in mid January.

With that being said, I have a message for the California weather gods.

It is too cold. Turn it up a notch dudes. I live in Orange County. Orange. A very warm and sunny color. There should be no ice on my windshield and the temp should not be below sixty.

Stop it.

This weather calls for something warm and toasty. Just like these tasty pastries of goodness. Perfect for snacks or appetizers.

You will need…

1 large onion, caramelized and chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces mushrooms (crimini or baby bellas), chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 granny smith apples, diced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup grated gruyere cheese

2 tablespoons chives, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add in the mushrooms and sauté them until tender. About 5 minutes.

 

Season with salt and pepper and place in a bowl with the caramelized onions.

In the same pan, melt the butter and add in the apples. Toss them with the sugar and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the apples until they are soft. About 10 minutes.

When softened, add them to the bowl with the mushrooms and onions.

Then, stir in the cheese, chives and thyme.

 

Slice the pastry into even squares and place them on a silicone pad or parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush with the beaten egg and top with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes, just until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Allow to cool slightly and serve nice and toasty.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Apple, Mushroom and Gruyere Pastry Squares 

1 large onion, caramelized and chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces mushrooms (crimini or baby bellas), chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 granny smith apples, diced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup grated gruyere cheese

2 tablespoons chives, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add in the mushrooms and sauté them until tender. About 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and place in a bowl with the caramelized onions.

In the same pan, melt the butter and add in the apples. Toss them with the sugar and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the apples until they are soft. About 10 minutes.

When softened, add them to the bowl with the mushrooms and onions.

Then, stir in the cheese, chives and thyme.

Slice the pastry into even squares and place them on a silicone pad or parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush with the beaten egg and top with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes, just until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Allow to cool slightly and serve nice and toasty.

Lobster Ravioli with Tomato Cream Lobster Sauce

So, I had to take a day off from writing about this homemade lobster ravioli. There is no way I was going to be able to stare at those tasty morsels too nights in a row with out actually eating them.

But I’m back at it because you wannabe foodies need to be eating this. Like, right now.

I made this sauce to go with my homemade raviolis, but it would be amazing on any pasta and would probably be quite tasty on some white flakey fish as well.

You will need…

4 ounces raw fresh lobster, roughly chopped (if you don’t have lobster you could us another shell fish)

¼ ounce white wine

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup heavy cream

2 tomato Roma tomatoes, diced

10 pearly onions, diced

1 shallot, diced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

¼ cup parmesean, grated

24 homemade lobster ravioli (or pasta of your choice) cooked per the instructions

2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Start by heating a medium pan over medium heat.

Add in the butter and, shallots and onions and sauté until the onions are translucent. About 5 minutes.

Then, toss in the tomatoes and thyme and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Add in the lobster meat and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to over cook it.

Lower the heat and add in the brandy. Cook for about 1 minutes, just to burn off the alcohol.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and cream and stir gently.

Season with salt and pepper and pour over your ravioli.

Top with chives and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Lobster Ravioli with Tomato Cream Lobster Sauce

4 ounces raw fresh lobster, roughly chopped (if you don’t have lobster you could us another shell fish)

¼ ounce white wine

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup heavy cream

2 tomato Roma tomatoes, diced

10 pearly onions, diced

1 shallot, diced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

¼ cup parmesean, grated

24 homemade lobster ravioli (or pasta of your choice) cooked per the instructions

Start by heating a medium pan over medium heat.

Add in the butter and, shallots and onions and sauté until the onions are translucent. About 5 minutes.

Then, toss in the tomatoes and thyme and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Add in the lobster meat and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to over cook it.

Lower the heat and add in the brandy. Cook for about 1 minutes, just to burn off the alcohol.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and cream and stir gently.

Top with chives and serve hot.

Season with salt and pepper and pour over your ravioli.