Bouillabaisse

Oh hell naw... You don't even know about this yummy concoction. I can't say how happy I am about this dish. I'm jumping out of my pants excited! You MUST make this!

For dippin':
12 to 16 (1/2-inch-thick) baguette slices
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, halved

For soup
1 (1- to 1 1/4 -lb) live lobster
2 large tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb boiling potatoes
1/3 cup finely chopped fennel fronds (sometimes called anise)
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
9 cups white fish stock (or store-bought)
1 pound white fish fillets (such as monkfish, turbot, red snapper, striped bass, porgy, grouper, and/or cod), cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound cockles or small hard-shelled clams, scrubbed
1 pound cultivated mussels, scrubbed and any beards removed
1/2 pound large shrimp in shells

Preparation:

Make croutons:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250°F.

Arrange bread slices in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan and brush both sides with oil. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes. Rub 1 side of each toast with a cut side of garlic.

Make soup:
Plunge lobster headfirst into a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling water, then cook, covered, 2 minutes from time lobster enters water. Transfer lobster with tongs to a colander and let stand until cool enough to handle. Discard hot water in pot. Put lobster in a shallow baking pan. Twist off claws with knuckles from body, then crack claws with a mallet or rolling pin and separate claws from knuckles. Halve body and tail lengthwise through shell with kitchen shears, then cut crosswise through shell into 2-inch pieces. Reserve lobster juices that accumulate in baking pan.

Cook tomatoes, onion, and garlic in oil in cleaned 6- to 8-quart pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Stir potatoes into tomatoes with fennel fronds, bay leaf, saffron, sea salt, and pepper. Add stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are almost tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add thicker pieces of fish and cockles to soup and simmer, covered, 2 minutes. Stir in mussels, shrimp, lobster, including juices, and remaining fish and simmer, covered, until they are just cooked through and mussels open wide, about 5 minutes.

Arrange 2 croutons in each of 6 to 8 deep soup bowls. Carefully transfer fish and shellfish from soup to croutons with a slotted spoon, then ladle some broth with vegetables over seafood.

Oyster Sauce Chicken with Bok Choy

Fresh Direct sent me two big containers of bok choy on accident. I turned my lemon into a bangin' chicken dish. Oddly enough, the sauce smelled like it would be super strong but came out tasting mild and my sous chef described it like a "brown gravy". I've never made this before. I hope that's how it's supposed to taste! Either way, it was yummy!

What you need:

2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch cubes
Pinch salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch

SAUCE:
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon black bean sauce with garlic

STIR-FRY:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tsp Mirin
6 baby bok choy, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces leaving green parts whole


DIRECTIONS
For the chicken: In a large bowl, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the cornstarch and toss to coat.

For the sauce: In another smaller bowl, combine the stock, cornstarch, oyster sauce, soy sauce and black bean sauce. Mix well and set aside.

For the stir-fry: Heat a wok over high heat and, when the wok starts to smoke, add the oil. Add the chicken, let settle for 1 minute, and then stir-fry for 3 minutes more. As the chicken starts to turn opaque, add the Mirin and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the reserved sauce and bring to a boil. Add the bok choy stalks and cook for 1 minute. Then stir in the bok choy leaves and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a serving dish, serve immediately.

Mio Tio's

 Another Queens pick! Came here on Xmas Eve with my good friends, Doug and Shawn, and I had the filet mignon. Yes, it came with lettuce and tomato garnish. Yes, my salad dressing was in a plastic pouch (spied in the background). Let me explain. This place is nicer than a diner but not quite there when it comes to nice restaurant. I mean, it's clean. The staff is friendly. They have filet mignon. But they also have soccer playing on a wide screen and burger toppings as garnishes. If you're not snobby you'll realize after your first bite - hey, they cooked my steak exactly medium rare. Good job guys. And then after you swallow it you'll think - man, this is a $20 filet mignon. This would cost me $40 in the city. And then each bite thereafter becomes more and more sweet. 

This is mayonnaise salad. Kidding. It's potato salad. Russian potato salad to be exact. It's really uh, mayonnaisey. But all the guys woofed it down. I took a bite that was less mayonnaisey and it was good. The reviews on Yelp said they were famous for this and the chimichurri sauce on a skirt steak. My sous chef got the half skirt steak. Good thing. The half was as big as his plate! And the chimichurri sauce was authentic. I would definitely come back.

Healthy Cream of Asparagus and Carrot Soup

I looooove soup. This one was so super tasty (thanks to my NEW hand blender). AND it was good for you! How about that? It's not everyday you get a creamy soup that's good for you. Merry Christmas!

Ingredients
3 cups (1/2-inch) sliced asparagus (about 1 pound)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, divided
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
Dash of ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind 

Preparation
Combine asparagus, carrot, broth, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, bay leaf, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Place asparagus mixture in a blender; process until smooth.
Place flour in pan. Gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add puréed asparagus and ground nutmeg; stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/4 teaspoon thyme, butter, salt, and lemon rind.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 117, Fat: 3.5g. Word.

Grilled Lamb Chops

This is how the Williams's did Xmas this year. Lamb chops with a little sauteed string bean and roasted red potato with rosemary and garlic. Mmm Mmm Mmm....

Ingredients
8 (4-ounce) lamb chops
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 lemon, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat a hot grill and the oven to 400 degrees F.
Rub the chops with oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon, salt, and pepper. Place on the grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Put on a baking sheet and finish in the oven, about 5 minutes, or until desired doneness.

Diablo Chicken Wings

You can never have too many chicken wing recipes! My sous chef loves to make up a random sauce with everything but the kitchen sink. Make this recipe the next time you have a football Sunday!

Serves 2 - 3. For bigger portions, double the recipe.

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds chicken wings

1 cup flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup vegetable oil

Sauce for the wings:
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp garlic minced
3 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp Grey Poupon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Sriracha

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Pat wings dry with paper towel. In a bowl, combine flour with salt and pepper. Toss in wings. Shake off excess flour then place wings into the hot oil carefully. Cook for 10 minutes then turn and cook an additional 10 minutes. Skin on wings should be crispy and golden brown, if not - cook another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from frying pan and set on paper towels to remove excess oil. Add wings to the bowl of wing sauce. Toss and coat till all pieces have sauce. Remove wings from bowl and serve with celery and blue cheese. These wings are spicy so the blue cheese will be recommended!

Steamed Crab Legs

We are having our fair share of crab legs this holiday season! We spent the other day with friends and ended the evening with yummy crab legs. Crab is so delicious and totally worth it.

Ingredients:
4 lb frozen crab legs
4 cups water
1/2 lemon, quartered and squeezed
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 tbsp Old Bay
1 1/2 sticks butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. In a large aluminum baking dish (like the kind you cook a turkey in) or in a giant roasting pan add 4 cups water. Add 2 to 3 bay leaves and lemon. Add your crab legs one by one and then gently sprinkle with a hint of Old Bay. Cover in foil. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes. (For 2 lbs of crab legs you can cook for about 20 minutes). 1 pound is about 2 to 3 clusters. Serve with melted butter. Enjoy!!!