Tag: salt and pepper

The Shooter’s Sandwich – Tally Ho Indeed

Even though this trendy shooter’s sandwich has been requested many times, I’ve resisted making one because I’ve always felt there were better handheld delivery systems for steak and mushroom ingestion. Like a panini for example, or maybe even a cheesy quesadilla; but pressed into a cold, hard wedge?

Then, I had an incredibly small epiphany. I ran across the origins of the shooter’s sandwich online, and realized I might have been missing the point. This wasn’t something you make for just any lunch; it was something you make to take on a foxhunt (or what you Americans call a “tailgate party”).

I can’t remember the last time I was on a foxhunt, but after giving this a try, I can see the advantages of this very filling, very flavorful, and very sturdy sandwich. But, as I stressed in the video, you really need a couple huge steaks to make this work. Even cooked slightly pass medium, this was okay, but another half-inch of tender, pink meat would have made the whole affair significantly better.

So, I guess if I were going on a long hike, or out for a relaxing day of shooting innocent foxes, I would consider making this again, but while I tucked in, I have to admit, I’d probably be dreaming about a steaming hot, steak and mushroom hoagie. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 Portions:

(Note: I didn’t measure anything, ‘cause it’s a sandwich, but these should be close enough.)

For the mustard sauce:

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp extra hot horseradish

1 tbsp mayo

For the mushrooms:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter, divided

1 1/2 pound button mushrooms

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

1/2 cup minced shallots

2 tbsp brandy or sherry

The rest:

2 at least 16 to18-oz well-trimmed beef steaks (rib eye, NY strip, or top-sirloin are best choices, in that order). Seared in some vegetable oil.

salt and pepper to taste

3-4 oz fine pate, optional

1 round loaf of crusty bread

Ceviche in Cucumber Cups and My Tour of the CIA

This very popular Peruvian dish is made with fresh pieces of raw fish (or shellfish) marinated in lime juice, onions and cilantro which slowly causes the fish to “cook”, in very much the same way that heating does. The results are bright and refreshing with an opaque appearance and firmed texture of cooked fish. This dish is also gluten-free, paleo friendly and low-carb.

A few weeks ago I went on a fun tour to one of the world’s best professional culinary colleges – the Culinary Institute of America^[1] in Hyde Park, NY.

Pictured from left to right is me, Jennifer from Bake or Brake^[2], Kita from Pass the Sushi^[3] and Russ from The Domestic Man.^[4] I loved the tour and meeting new food bloggers – the group was small which was perfect to watch the classes in progress without interfering too much.

Lucky for me, that day they happened to be making ceviche in their Americas cooking class and I got to eat it for lunch. I LOVE a good ceviche, and I order it any chance I get when I go out to eat, so I was excited that they shared this recipe with me.

The good news – this is really easy to make and it looks so impressive if you’re having guests over. Their original recipe was made with scallops, but I opted for some fresh Striped Bass which I picked up at my local fish store. You can use any type of ocean fish or shellfish to make ceviche, the only rule of thumb is that it should be as fresh as possible, preferably caught the same day. This would make a wonderful appetizer for Christmas eve if your family likes to have fish. While you can prepare the cucumber cups and the vegetables for the ceviche a few hours ahead, ceviche tastes best when it marinates no more than an hour or two before you serve it.

Funny where life takes you, I went to art school and studied graphic design at Pratt in Manhattan which led me to become a graphic designer/digital photo-retoucher prior to Skinnytaste. I believe those experiences helped me and my love of food photography, but if I was to go back to school now, I would LOVE to attend the CIA^[5] or at least take some classes their. They are teaching our next generation of leaders – chefs such as Anthony Bourdain, Duff Goldman, Micheal Simon, Cat Cora, just to name a few are all CIA graduates. I mean, doesn’t this chef jacket and hat belong on me?

What’s really cool about the school is that all students work in 3-week course rotations, the senior class works at one of three CIA’s restaurants^[6]
– both the front and back ends. So during our first night there we
were served by the graduating students, with meals that the students
prepared. We ate at the new French Bocuse Restaurant^[7], and the food was
phenominal. The highlight of my meal was watching the students make ice
cream in 30 seconds with a hand cranked mixer and dry ice – amazing!

If you’re ever in the Hudson Valley, you can go on a group tour and
dine at one of their three award winning student-staffed restaurants. And if you’re thinking about pursuing a career in the the culinary arts, or have kids that are trying to decide their future, check out the CIA^[8] . A 4 year degree is completed in 3 years, they have new classes starting every 3 weeks and offer classes in culinary arts, baking, nutrition, and culinary science. What’s more, they boast about their 99% job rate in leadership positions after graduating which is unheard of these days!

Ceviche in Cucumber Cups
Adapted from The Culinary Institute of America’s Entertaining Cookbook
Servings: 15 • Size: 2 cups • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 1 pt
Calories: 31 • Fat: 1 g • Protein: 4 g • Carb: 2 g • Fiber: 0 g • Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 16 mg • Cholesterol: 8 mg

Ingredients:

8 oz fresh raw fish fillet such as striped bass, finely diced
1 medium seeded tomato, finely diced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp minced red onion
1/2 jalapeño, minced
1/4 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 drops tabasco sauce
3 tbsp fresh lime, (1 or 2 limes)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
2 large cucumbers (thirty 1/2-inch-thick slices)
fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the sea bass, tomato, chives, chopped cilantro, jalapeño, bell
pepper, oil, and Tabasco.

Add the lime juice and toss to coat the scallops. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour depending on the size of the fish cubes, stirring occasionally. Look at the fish and you can see the flesh changing over
time in the marinade, you are looking for a solid appearance in the
flesh vs. an opaqueness all the way through the center of the fish.

Trim the cucumber slices with a round cutter to remove the rind. With a melon baller scoop
out a shallow pocket in the middle of the cucumber slices—do not cut all the way through the
slice.

Just before serving, fill the cucumber cups with the ceviche. Garnish each ceviche cup with a
small dot of sour cream and a cilantro leaf, if desired.

The Culinary Institute of America provided me with travel, lodging,
and a tour of their campus; all opinions expressed in this post are my
own.

References

^{^} Culinary Institute of America (www2.ciachef.edu)
^{^} Bake or Brake (www.bakeorbreak.com)
^{^} Pass the Sushi (passthesushi.com)
^{^} The Domestic Man. (thedomesticman.com)
^{^} CIA (www2.ciachef.edu)
^{^} CIA’s restaurants (www.ciarestaurants.com)
^{^} Bocuse Restaurant (www.ciarestaurants.com)
^{^} CIA (www2.ciachef.edu)

Incoming search terms:

https://gordon-ramsay-recipe com/preparation/ceviche-in-cucumber-cups-and-my-tour-of-the-cia html

Spaghetti Squash Sausage Lasagna Boats

If you’re craving something decadent and delicious without overdoing the calories, you’ll love these delicious spaghetti squash boats filled with everything you love about lasagna – chicken sausage, tomato sauce, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

I even used whole milk mozzarella cheese because I wanted it to melt nice, I just used it in moderation. The whole thing is way under 300 calories and 8 points plus if you’re on Weight Watchers, and it’s filling! It’s also gluten free – if you prefer to use part-skim mozzarella, the WW Points would be 7 pp.

Spaghetti squash when cooked has a lot of liquid, so I find it helpful to place it in a colander over paper towels to help get red of the excess moisture and it works perfectly.

You can prep this ahead of time, then put it on the oven just before you’re ready to bake. If you happen to only find large spaghetti squash, you can place the mixture in a 9×9 baking dish instead of the shells. Enjoy!!

Spaghetti Squash Sausage Lasagna Boats
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 boat • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 246 • Fat: 13 g • Protein: 17 g • Carb: 17 g • Fiber: 2 g • Sugar: 7 g
Sodium: 701 mg • Cholesterol: 71 mg

Ingredients:

3 small to medium spaghetti squash (about 5 cups cooked)
salt and fresh pepper, to taste
1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley (or basil)
3/4 cup whole milk shredded mozzarella cheese

For the sauce:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz Italian chicken sausage
14 oz (1/2 can) crushed tomatoes (I prefer Tuttorosso)
salt and fresh pepper, to taste
2 tbsp chopped basil

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membrane. Season lightly with salt and black pepper; bake about 1 hour, or longer if needed on a baking sheet, cut side down.  If you prefer the microwave, cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and fibers and place on a microwave safe dish and cover. Microwave 8-9 minutes or until soft.

In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, 2 tbsp parmesan cheese and parsley.

 In a large deep sauté pan, heat oil and add onions and garlic; sauté on medium-low for about 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces until browned and cooked through. When cooked, add the crushed tomatoes and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add the bay leaf and cover, reducing heat to low. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes, then add in fresh basil at the very end.

 When spaghetti squash is cooked, let it cool for about 10 minutes keeping the oven on. If you microwaved this, preheat the oven to 400°F.

When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to remove flesh, which will come out in spaghetti looking strands reserving the shells. Drain the squash on a paper towel to soak up any excess liquid, then toss with half of the sauce. Place the spaghetti squash back into the 6 shells and place on a baking sheet.

Top each with remaining sauce, 1 tbsp ricotta cheese mixture, and 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes or until everything is hot and the cheese is melted.