Seafood Cioppino

I followed this recipe pretty closely. I did add extra ginger and cloves....I don't really like green peppers, so I did use potatoes instead. For the diced tomatoes I got the kind that is mixed with jalapenos. I really enjoyed this dish, it had a good amount of heat to it, probably because of the added jalapeno content on top of the crushed red pepper flakes. I also used Italian seasoned tomato paste...on accident really, I thought I grabbed the plain stuff and I had not. I will definitely make this dish again. I'm sure it would be great with only fish, or only shrimp, but its really nice with the variety of seafoods too. I've adjusted the directions to reflect how I made it.

Seafood Cioppino

2 inch length of fresh ginger
12 garlic cloves
1 large yellow onion (it weighed a pound!)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
8 very small red potatoes (about 2lbs worth I think)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
28oz of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
16oz of clam juice
1 cup white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio)
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1lb haddock
1lb scallops
1/2lb shrimp

1. Mince garlic, onion, and ginger in a food processor
2. Add to pot on medium heat with oil and red pepper flakes
3. Cook until onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes or so
4. Cut potatoes into 1inch cubes
5. Add diced tomatoes juice and all, clam juice, wine, oregano, salt, pepper, and potatoes
6. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender
7. Mix in Haddock and cook till just done, about 5 to 7 minutes
8. Add Scallops and Shrimp, cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Shrimp should be pink, and scallops opaque
9. Serve :)

Hungarian Goulash

I combined a friend's recipe with a few more traditional ones to try this for the first time. I wanted to try and get an authentic flavor. A lot of goulash recipes have tomatoes, green peppers, and other things that an authentic goulash should not contain (so I have found out). I used wolfgang puck beef stock because its high quality and doesn't have MSG in it. Overall I found the dish slightly bland...although the sour cream really did help with flavor. The pickles give it a niceness too, which I never would have thought. If I make it again I think I will add the marjoram and caraway seeds that my friends recipe called for (most others did not) because it may make the flavor stronger which would be nice. The traditional recipe also calls for beef chuck and to cook it for nearly 3 hours in a crock pot. I didnt want to wait that long, and the hamburg was ok. Next time I'll probably do it in the crock pot and use the beef chuck. I also used red potatoes because that is what I had on hand. But I think that yukons would work better.

Hungarian Goulash-beef and potato soup

1 1/2 pound ground beef or beef chuck
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium potatoes
3-4 tablespoons of Hungarian Paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 cloves garlic minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup dill pickles, chopped
320z beef stock
oil
sour cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Put a large skillet or pot on medium heat

2. Add meat, oil, garlic and paprika and cook for 5-10 minutes

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about a half hour, longer if using beef chuck.

4. When potatoes are soft, and meat is fully cooked. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Mexican Spice Rubbed Ribeye, Asparagus and Red Potatoes

Mexican Spice Rubbed Ribeye with Lime Butter, Roasted Asparagus and Red Potatoes

This steak is relatively hot because of the mexican rub, but it has lots of flavor. The bread is a garlic italian loaf that was purchased at the bakery. Roasting the veggies is one of my favorite ways to have them. The spice and butter mixtures are enough for 4 steaks. I split them between two and that worked fine as well.

Mexican Spice Rubbed Ribeye:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Light the grill or preheat large grill pan

2. First small bowl, combine softened butter, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.

3. Second small bowl, combine the paprika, cumin, chipotle, and cayenne pepper.

4. Rub mixture all over the steaks

5. Oil the grate and grill the steaks over moderately high heat, turning once, until slightly charred and medium-rare, about 12 minutes.

6. Transfer the steaks to plates and top with the Lime Butter. Use about a tablespoon per steak.

7. Let the steaks stand for 3 to 4 minutes before serving.

Roasted Asparagus and Red Potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Asparagus
Red Potatoes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Cayenne Pepper

1. Evenly coat Asparagus with salt, pepper, and oil.

2. Spread out evenly in baking dish.

3. Evenly coat Red Potatoes with salt, pepper, and oil. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper.

4. Spread out evenly in baking dish.

5. Bake both dishes for 45 minutes.

Note: If you like the asparagus to be a bit more crunchy decrease the baking time by 15 minutes. If you want your potatoes less crisp decrease the time as well.