Grilled Lamb Chops with Balsamic Marinade

I found this recipe on the ‘Net, and adapted it to my own taste. For example, the recipe called for white cider vinegar, but I prefer using balsamic vinegar. It also calls for ordinary table sale, but I prefer using garlic salt for that little extra garlic kick.

Ingredients

·         BALSAMIC VINEGAR, ¼ cup

·         MINCED GARLIC, 1 tablespoon

·         ONION, 1 medium, thinly sliced

·         GARLIC SALT, 2 teaspoons

·         BLACK PEPPER, ½ teaspoon, freshly ground

·         OLIVE OIL, 2 tablespoons

·         LAMB CHOPS, 2 pounds or so

Directions

1.       Combine all of the ingredients (except the lamb chops) in a jar and shake well to make the marinade.

2.       Marinate the lamb chops in the marinade for at least two hours in a gallon-sized Zip-Loc bag in the refrigerator.

3.       Take the chops out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature about 15-20 minutes before you plan to cook. Discard the excess marinade.

4.       Cook the chops in a grill pan, or on a grill. For three minutes per side for medium, a little shorter for medium-rare

Baked Salmon Dijonnaise

This one is so simple it’s almost embarrassing to write down the recipe.

Ingredients

·         SALMON FILET, whole, or cut into four-ounce pieces

·         MAYONNAISE, ½ cup

·         DIJON MUSTARD, 2 tablespoons

·         SALT and PEPPER, to taste

Directions

1.       Sprinkle salt and pepper on the salmon.

2.       Combine the mayonnaise and mustard, and spread on the top of the salmon.

3.       Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

4.       Bake for 10-15 minutes in a 350-degree oven, or until the fish is just cooked through and flakes easily.

5.       Turn on the broiler and broil until the Dijonnaise topping is golden-brown. Do not overcook.

6.       Serve with a salad or scalloped potatoes.

Apricot Chicken

I made this recipe up. One morning, I woke up thinking about apricots and wondered when they’d come into season again.

Recently, I found some fresh apricots at the supermarket, so I tried this out.

Ingredients

·         CHICKEN THIGHS, 8-10, deboned, skin trimmed

·         APRICOTS, 5 fresh, seeded, quartered

·         APRICOT JAM, 3 tablespoons

·         HONEY, 1 teaspoon

·         WATER, ¼ cup

·         WHITE WINE, ¼ CUP

·         GARLIC SALT and PEPPER, to taste.

Directions

1.       Prepare the fresh apricots, mix with the jam, water and honey, then cook slowly over medium low heat in a sauce pot, stirring until the apricots are cooked and semi-soft.

2.       Salt and pepper the chicken, then brown the chicken in canola oil, skin side first, in batches. Remove to a bowl.

3.       Deglaze the pan with the white wine and return the chicken to the pan, covering and cooking at medium heat for five minutes or so, until the internal juices run clear.

4.       Arrange the chicken in a serving dish, and pour the apricots over.

5.       Garnish with chopped greens (any kind will do, the last time I made this, I used some celery leaves).

Split Pea Soup

I first had split pea soup during a lunch meeting of the Monterey Park (California) Lions Club. The cook – Jessie – had made a huge potful of the delicious soup and I could tell it was a popular item because when I went back for seconds, there was none left.

This is not my own recipe; I got it off the ‘Net a while back and fiddled around with it. I really regret not asking Jessie for her recipe 40 years ago. Darnit.

Ingredients 

·         DRIED SPLIT PEAS, 1 pound bag

·         COLD WATER, 2 quarts

·         HAM BONE, 1½ pounds

·         ONIONS, 2, thinly sliced or chopped

·         SALT, ½ teaspoon

·         BLACK PEPPER, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground

·         MARJORAM, dried, 1 pinch

·         CELERY, 1 stalk, chopped

·         CARROT, 1, chopped

·         POTATO, 1, diced (or, half-cup of mashed or equivalent) 

Directions 

1.       Soak the peas for at least a couple of hours with the water in a large stock pot.

2.       Add the ham bone, onion, salt, pepper and marjoram.

3.       Cover, bring to boil and then simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.

4.       Remove the bone. Cut the meat off the bone, dice and return meat to the soup.

5.       Add the celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook slowly, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

6.       Turn off the heat and let cool for a bit before serving.

Karen's Kitchen Recipe Books

My sister, Karen Ono, is an excellent cook, and we all look forward to family dinners at her house, whether it be a pot luck, a family gathering, or some kind of celebration.

She's an avid recipe collector and tries all kinds of yummy creations. I'm not sure if she's practicing on us, but I have to say I haven't been disappointed yet.

The reason I mention this is because she used to file the recipes in three-ring binders, protected in plastic sleeves. She might still do that, but a few years ago, she compiled them in a little booklet that she distributed to family members.

Last year, she came out with volume two. The cookbook covers were designed by our cousin, Gale Okumura, of Okumura Design in Sacramento.

Want to follow some of her recipes? Tell you what ... I'll post some occasionally just for you.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Soup is such a warming, satisfying, delicious comfort food, and when you make something like this Pasta Fagioli soup, it’s totally vegetarian without any of the baggage that goes with the label.

“Pasta” of course means pasta – whatever kind you like, although I tend to use rotini (y’know, the corkscrew pasta) because I can buy a whole package of it, use what I want, and save the rest in a Zip-Lok bag for some other time. “Fagioli” is Italian for beans. You can get dried beans and rehydrate them yourself, but the canned beans are perfect already.

This version is pretty heavy on the tomato sauce, which means the flavor is going to be pretty intense. If you want a slightly milder soup, cut the tomato sauce in half and add about a quarter-cup of water during the cooking.

Ingredients

·         CELERY, 2 stalks, chopped

·         ONION, 1 medium, chopped

·         GARLIC, 3 cloves, minced

·         DRIED PARSLEY, 2 teaspoons

·         ITALIAN SEASONING, 1 teaspoon

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         CHICKEN BROTH, 1 14.5-ounce can

·         TOMATOES, 2 medium, peeled and chopped

·         TOMATO SAUCE, 1 8-ounce can

·         PASTA, ½ cup uncooked (rotini is great)

·         CANNELLINI BEANS, 1 15-ounce can with liquid

·         PARMESAN CHEESE, grated

Directions

1.       In a large saucepan, cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, and salt until the onion is translucent.

2.       Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.

3.       Add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes until pasta is tender.

4.       Add the undrained beans (I smash half first) and heat through.

5.       Serve with grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

Creamy Cauliflower

I’ve made a few adjustments to this recipe that I downloaded from the Internet, because the first time I made it, the flavor wasn’t as intense as I hoped it would be.

For the cheese, the recipe originally called for a cup of grated Parmesan cheese. What I did was substitute half of it with grated sharp cheddar for an additional layer of flavor. Be aware that if you use cheddar, the sauce will thicken and won’t be as creamy.

You can use whatever bread crumbs you have available. I like to use Progresso Italian-flavored crumbs mixed with Japanese panko for an additional crispy crunch.

Ingredients

·         CAULIFLOWER, 1 head

·         PANCETTA, 4 ounces

·         BUTTER, ¼ cup

·         FLOUR, ¼ cup

·         MILK , 2 cups

·         GARLIC, 2 cloves, crushed

·         NUTMEG, ground

·         CHEESE, grated, 1 cup

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         BREAD CRUMBS

Directions

1.       Cut up the cauliflower into florets and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish.

2.       Cut the pancetta into lardons and crisp them in a frying pan. Sprinkle over the cauliflower.

3.       Make a béchamel sauce: Melt the butter, add the flour to make the roux, stirring constantly, and then whisk in the milk.

4.       Add the garlic, nutmeg and cheese. Add the garlic salt to taste.

5.       Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and then top with bread crumbs.

6.       Bake 30 minutes in 350-degree oven.

7.       (Optional) Brown for 3-5 additional minutes under a broiler until the bread crumbs on top become golden.