Cuisine Eric

Here is a quick and delicious chopped salad or slaw sweetened with apple. Use whatever crunches you have - see below for a variety with kale. 1 apple, cored, peeled and diced 1/2-inch (I used Honey Crisp) 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, stemmed and shredded 2 cups green cabbage, shredded 1 carrot, shaved with a vegetable peeler (or matchsticks) 2 cups very small broccoli flowerets 1/4 cup red onion, sliced 2 green onion sliced palmful fresh cilantro leaves, minced (optional) palmful fresh parsley leaves, minced black toasted sesame seeds, for garnish Dressing: juice of 1 lemon 1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp Kosher salt freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp dried dill weed 2 Tbsp canola oil 2 Tbsp olive oil crushed red pepper flakes to taste Toss apple with 1-2 tablespoons rice vinegar or lemon juice to keep them from browning. Whisk together the dressing ingredients...

This is a fairly standard preparation of ribs.   You bake them first at high temperature, dry with a rub, and then cover with sauce and bake at low heat, covered, for a much longer time. Some people actually add a third cooking either in the microwave at first, or on the grill to finish.  It's an art form. 1 rack meaty pork spare ribs Dry Rub: 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp Spanish smokey paprika 1 tsp chili powder 1 bottle favorite BBQ sauce (I used Stew Leonard’s) Mix dry rub together.  Rub all over rack of ribs.  Ideally, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Otherwise, at least allow rub to work in for an hour or so. Preheat oven to 350F.  Transfer rack to a rimmed baking sheet.   Bake rack uncovered for 30-45 minutes. until nicely browned.   You can c...

This is a rich vegetarian dish, though honestly, I sometimes add a dash of bacon as a spice to kick it up!  Hearty and warm for winter and largely plant based no matter what. 1 zucchini, cubed 1/2 onion, finely diced 2 thick slices bacon, finely diced (optional; leave out for vegetarian) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced 2Tbsp tomato paste 1 can diced tomatoes, drained - liquid reserved  2 cans beans, rinsed and drained (I used pinto and cannellini) 1 cup grated cheese (I used Monterrey Jack) fresh parsley for garnish Preheat oven to 375F.  In an oven-going (ideally cast iron) skillet, sauté the onion and zucchini (with the bacon if using) with a dash olive oil until the veggies are browned.   Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Set veggies aside. Add a dash of olive oil to the skillet and cook the tomato paste for about 5 minutes, until...

1 tub tofu, drained and cubed ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp onion powder ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp corn starch 1 orange pepper, sliced ½ sweet yellow onion sliced 2 cups small broccoli flowerets 1 red jalapeno pepper, sliced 3 stalks choy sum 2 cloves garlic, minced ½-inch fresh ginger, minced 2 Tbsp Thai red chili paste 1 tsp fish sauce 1 can coconut milk Mix the garlic and onion powders with the salt and cornstarch in a medium bowl.   Stir in the tofu cubes to coat generously.   Heat a thin film of canola oil in a skillet.   Brown the tofu on each side until nicely browned and slightly crisp. Set tofu aside on paper towels. Stir fry the veggies in a skillet in a dash of canola oil.   Cook until just crisp-tender. Set veggies aside in a bowl. Make the curry sauce by sautéing the garlic and ginger in the skillet for about 1-2 minutes.   Whisk in the chili paste, fish sauce and coconut milk to the aromatics and bring...

Salmon cakes are easier to make than you might think. Spice them up with your favorite flavorings and ditch the ground beef. palmful fresh dill palmful fresh Italian parsley 1-1/2 lb salmon, skinned, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 serrano pepper, stemmed and quartered (optional) 1 egg 1/2 cup panko 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1 Tbsp favorite hot sauce 1 tsp kosher salt 1/2 cup panko for coating Pulse first two ingredients together in a food processor to mince.   Add next nine ingredients and pulse just until the salmon is about the size of peas. Form salmon mixture into four patties and dredge them in additional panko crumbs.  Chill patties in fridge at least 20-30 mins. Heat about 1/4-inch canola oil in a pan to medium high.   Add salmon patties to pan. Brown lightly on each side - about 2-3 minutes per side, or until done. Serve cakes on a bed of greens or in bu...