Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Hasselback Potatoes

     Ever wanted to have a baked potato served up differently? I love potatoes, but versatility is a must with these little spuds when it comes to baking them.
     I've seen hoards of recipes for baked potatoes, but I've never had one made quite like this before, so I decided to give it a go, and this is my version of the 'Hasselback Potato'. 

 Ingredients:  

2 large baking potatoes, washed and dried
4 Tbsp. Garlic Infused Olive Oil (for baking and frying)
2 Tbsp. minced onion
Sea Salt to taste
Coarse ground black pepper to taste
 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese
A few sprigs of curly leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
 Preheat oven to 450°

     After washing potatoes and drying them, slice in a parallel direction, but not all the way through.  The easiest way to do this is to lay the potato on a large serving spoon and then slice so as not to cut down to the bottom of the potato.  You want to leave at least 1/4 inch of the base in tact. 
     In a small bowl, mix the oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Next, spread the potato open carefully and brush the oil over the potato, making sure to get the onion and parsley in between the wedges also. 
     Bake in oven on cookie sheet for 45 minutes or until done.  Carefully remove potato to serving plate and top with cheese.  Serve with sour cream or favorite topping.  Enjoy!

Next time:  
     I'm going to try this by wrapping it in aluminum foil and baking it at 450° for a half hour or so for a more moist potato. 

White Fish with Salsa on a Bed of Spinach

 


      My husband and I love fish, but we get tired of eating the same old thing.  I came across a few different recipes and chose the ones I liked the most and then combined them adding an 'ingredient here, and eliminating another there', and so forth.  This is what I came up with.  
     Hopefully you will want to try it.  It is a very versatile recipe, and you could probably make a mango and peach salsa to go on top, not only for taste, but for a beautiful presentation also.

Ingredients:
1 lb. white fish fillets
1 Lemon
Tomato Salsa (recipe follows)
 2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinaigrette 
 1/8 tsp. Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Coarse Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (for frying/Baking)
2 c. Fresh Spinach Leaves, optional (place on platter and top with cooked fish)

Recipe for Salsa:
2 large Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/4 c. red onion, diced
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and diced (use gloves for this please)
1 Tbsp. fresh Parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh Basil, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
Juice from 1/2 Lime

Directions for Salsa:
Combine all ingredients, cover, and refrigerate for 2-4 hours so flavors can come together.  

Directions for Fish:
Wash and dry fish fillets. Salt and pepper both sides.  Add olive oil to pan and heat on med-high heat.  When pan is hot, add fish fillets and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on size of fillets you may have to cook for a shorter or longer time.  While fish is cooking, squeeze lemon juice over fish and slice lemon and throw in pan with fish. Next add some of the salsa to the pan, not on the fish, but around the fish, like you would in a wok.   When fish is nice and honey brown on one side, turn and continue frying till the other side is also nicely browned.  
Place fresh spinach on platter, if desired, and place fish on top of spinach.  Top with salsa and enjoy! 
      
Nicely served with Hasselback Potatoes, A mixed berry and Spinach Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing, and a sour dough roll with a glass of your favorite white wine. 






 

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Grilled Corn On The Cob













Ingredients:

6 ears corn, peeled
Olive oil for drizzling over corn
McCormick's Perfect Pinch Vegetable Seasoning
6 pieces of aluminum foil for wrapping corn


Directions:
Pre-heat grill to medium heat (I use a gas grill)
Peel and wash corn. Lay corn on piece of foil, brush corn with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning.  Wrap corn up in foil and lay on grill.  Cook for -15 min. but do not let burn.  Must turn occasionally, about every 5 minutes,  to heat through thoroughly. 
Carefully unwrap and serve...no need for butter and salt with this recipe!

Grilled Pork Baby Back Ribs

     If you love barbecuing like I do, you will appreciate the process of slow grilling and the patience it involves.  Remember in the 1970's, the catsup commercial 'anticipation is making me wait'? Same concept with grilling.  In the end, the result is worth waiting for and fulfilling. 
     Family picnics were always fun, because you always knew there was going to be a barbecue,  but no matter what the occasion or what meat was being grilled, barbecued ribs rocked! and dad always said ' if you didn't have sauce up to your elbows and all over your face, then it wasn't good enough'. 
     Growing up, my uncle owned a restaurant and I learned my appreciation for good food from watching him and my aunt cook, not to say that my parents were not good cooks, as they were.  My dad and his brother were fabulous at cooking. Everyone cooked from scratch back then, and I do too, but every so often I improvise on the ingredients when I am short on of some of my seasonings, or sauces. 
     Today I am sharing a different version of my BBQ Pork Baby Back Ribs.  Later on, I will share with you the recipe for homemade BBQ sauce with baby back ribs. 

Grilled Pork Baby Back Ribs
Recipe by Alisa Soderstrom 

Ingredients:

A  3-5 pound slab of baby back ribs
1/4 cup original Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup  Memphis BBQ Sauce
1/8 cup regular BBQ Sauce
Weber N'Orleans Cajun Seasoning

Utensils Needed:
Aluminum Foil
Baking Pan
Small Bowl
Basting Brush
Large grilling fork

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Combine all 3 BBQ Sauces.  Set aside. 

     Lightly sprinkle Cajun seasoning on both sides of ribs.  Place ribs on baking sheet and cover with foil.  Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.  Remove ribs from the oven and drain off any liquid and discard. 
     ** See note below if you are using the oven instead of grilling.     If you are grilling, now would be the time to pre-heat your grill.

     Now that the grill is pre-heated, place ribs on grill rack.  Baste with the mixed sauces and close grill lid; grill ribs on low for 35 minutes, turning every 10 minutes to baste ribs.  If ribs are showing signs of burning, move to upper rack of gas grill, or if using a charcoal grill; raise grill rack up and continue grilling.   After 35 minutes, your ribs should be very sticky and fall apart tender.  Serve with BBQ Sauce for extra dipping. 


**In the oven BBQ Ribs:
     After baking for 1 hour at 400 degrees, remove ribs from oven and  increase  temperature to 'broil'.  Drain liquid from baking pan and baste ribs with BBQ Sauce.  Do not cover.  Place ribs under broiler on lowest level, so as not to burn ribs.  Check every 7-10 minutes, making sure to turn ribs and re-baste to create a thick saucy layer.  After 20 minutes, remove ribs from broiler and cool slightly.  Ribs should be 'fall apart' tender and juicy.   Serve with extra BBQ Sauce for extra dipping.