Cuisine Eric

Spring is coming and so grilling is in the air. This is a fantastic steak dinner, much less expensive than the big steak restaurants, even if you buy the best prime (or 100% grass-fed) beef. My father always said "Give me a quarter of what you would expect to spend in a restaurant and I'll go to the grocery store, and then give to your mother, who would prepare a feast you couldn't touch at a restaurant". That may be the case, and this is good evidence for his hypothesis. 2 NY Strip beef steaks (I used 100% grass fed) 2 broccoli crowns 1/4 cup favorite vinaigrette   3-4 thick pads butter (or herbed compound butter, see notes) Steak Marinade: 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tsp herbes de Provence, Italian herbs or thyme or rosemary   2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp kosher salt A generous dash of freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp Dijon mustard   Whisk together the steak marinade. Pour marinade into resealable plastic bag or a casserole. Add steaks. Flip several...

This delicious stuffed sole strikes all the right chords. It's filling combines wilted spinach, moist succulent shrimp, toasted Italian breadcrumbs, lemon zest, garlic and butter. What's not to like? The sole fillets are rolled around this generous moist ball of filling and roasted with lemon. Light, flavorful, and oh so comforting. This is sure to please. 8 Dover sole fillets, about 1-1/4 lb 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 slices Italian bread, toasted 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved 2 Tbsp butter Zest of 1 lemon 2 5-oz bags fresh baby spinach leaves 3 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 lemon, quartered Dried dill weed Paprika Preheat oven to 375F. Lay out the sole on a clean flat work surface.   Break up the toast into a small food processor. Add the garlic. Pulse the processor until you have coarse crumbs. Tip crumbs into a medium bowl. Thinly slice half of the shrimp and add to the bread crumbs.   Quarter the other half and place in the ...

This is a delicious way to prepare shrimp flavored with a rich smokey cajun dry rub. The deep shrimp flavor is coupled with the smoothness of creamy orzo, featuring a flavor infusion from sun-dried tomatoes, balanced with fresh spinach. I've prepared this many times and it always gets rave reviews. If your crowd likes shrimp, they should love this dish. 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells retained 1 Tbsp smoked paprika 1 Tbsp favorite cajun seasoning For the shells: 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup dry white wine For the orzo: 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup orzo 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped 4-5 oz fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped For the shrimp: 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp butter 1 shallot, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced Toss the shrimp well with the paprika and cajun seasoning in a bowl. Tip the shells into a small pot along with the olive oil. Fry the shells over medium-high heat, stirring very often. Cook for about 5 minutes, ...

This is a delicious home-made tomato soup I made quite a while ago at my sister's house (scanning the archives) that is simple to make and so rewarding! Tomato soup is comfort food - especially if accompanied by a grilled cheese sandwich, for example! We should all make this more often. 2 pints grape tomatoes 2 medium onions, peeled and diced 6 whole cloves garlic, peeled 1 tsp dried herbes de Provence (or Italian herbs) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp kosher salt A good dash black pepper, to taste 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste Preheat oven to 400F.   Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread evenly.  Roast for about 30 minutes, or until tomatoes have wrinkled and onions are cooked through. You can stir half way through.   Extend cooking time as necessary. Slightly blackening the tomatoes will only give greater depth and flavor to the soup! Meanwhile, bring the sherry to a boil in a small pot on the stove.   C...

This is a simple yet suculent way to roast fish. Here I use haddock, but you could use most any fish including cod or tilapia, or as I did on the west coast, wild-caught Rockfish (delicious). The tomatoes offer a fresh flavor complement to the fish slathered with a rich aioli topping. This is a quick, easy way to prepare fish on a busy weeknight. 1-1/2 lb haddock fillet (Captain’s cut preferred - thicker), patted dry Aioli: 1/4 cup good real mayonnaise 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp favorite hot sauce 1 pint grape tomatoes 1/2 tsp dried dill weed Fresh parsley, minced, for garnish Lemon wedges for garnish Preheat oven to 375F. Oil a medium baking dish (about 7x10-inch). Lay haddock fillet in dish. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, cover the fillet evenly with the aioli sauce. Toss the tomatoes with a dash of olive oil and scatter them over the fish. Season with dill and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bake fish for about 20 mi...