Cuisine Eric

Creamy salmon and crusty buttery bread. All in one bowl. Define heaven better. 1/4 lb bacon, diced 1 leek, cleaned and diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup all purpose flour 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup heavy cream 1 tsp dried tarragon weed season to taste with salt and pepper 1-1/1/4 lb salmon fillet, skinned 1/2 lb shrimp, deveined, about a dozen, cut in half at the waist 8 oz good sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 3 Tbsp butter, melted 1-2 Tbsp capers for garnish fresh parsley, minced, for garnish Preheat oven to 400F.  Sauté the leek and bacon in a skillet for about 10 minutes.  Add a dash of water if the leek seem to burn - the water will evaporate and cook the leek without burning.  Cook under gentle heat until both leek and bacon are nicely softened. Add the flour and cook another 3-5 minutes, until the flour is incorporated and smelling nutty. Add the broth and cream and whisk vigorously and the sauce thickens...

Guacamole is a fantastic mash-up of avocados and so many other things.  First, get and manage nice avocados - that is the biggest trick; they should be just ripe.  Then manually mash with so many other ingredients - the better the avocado - the better the guacamole. 2 ripe avocados, peeled and cubed 1/4 tsp ground coriander 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste 1 clove garlic, pushed through a press 1 palmful fresh parsley, finely minced (you can use cilantro if your audience likes it - watch out for DNA differences) Juice of 1/2 lime (depending on juiciness - adjust accordingly) Gently fold all ingredients together and allow flavors to meld for about 20-30 minutes, in a cool place.   Makes a nice bowl of dip for chips and veggies.

A hearty, mostly plant-based meal, hearty enough for a North American fall and winter. Omit the chorizo for a vegetarian preparation. 1/2 onion (I used Purple), finely diced 1/2 lb butternut squash, cubed 1/2-inch 2 links cooked Chorizo sausage, diced 1/2-inch (I used Aidell’s) 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 5 oz fresh kale, diced 1 quart chicken broth plus 2 cups water 1/4 tsp coriander 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg dash red pepper flakes, to taste 8 oz cooked Beluga lentils (I used Fresh Promise) 1/2 cup Israeli couscous (I used Trader Joe’s couscous lentil mix) 2 dozen grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise 1 cup carrot matchsticks 1/2 cup frozen peas Garnish: Plain Greek yogurt, sliced green onion and parmesan cheese to garnish Heat a dash of olive oil in a large pot and add the onion and squash.  Cook about 5-8 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften.  Add the chorizo and continue cooking another 5 minutes, stirri...

Turkey gets a bad rap for chili - probably because it needs a bit more jazzing up.  Here I use lots of beans and veggies, but also amp up the spice and flavorings with soy sauce, Worcestershire, cocoa and vanilla. Tell me this turkey chili doesn't have flavor.  G'ahead. 1 red pepper, diced 1 green pepper, diced 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced 1 sweet yellow onion, peeled and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb ground turkey 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp chili powder dash red pepper flakes, to taste salt and pepper to taste 2 Tbsp tomato paste 2 cups water 1 can black beans, drained 1 can pinto beans, drained 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp powdered cocoa powder 1 tsp vanilla extract Sauté the peppers and onion in a large pot with a dash olive oil.  When the veggies have softened, and ...

This is a great way to use leftover meat.  The gravy is rich with Asian flavors and the stir fry comes together very quickly for a fast weeknight meal. Miso gravy: 2 Tbsp red miso 2Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1Tbsp fish sauce (I used Red Boat) 1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar 1/2 lb beef cut into 1-inch strips (I used flank steak) 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 medium yellow sweet onion, sliced 1/2 orange pepper, diced 1/2 red pepper, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced celery leaves, optional Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir fry beef in a dash of canola oil over high heat until just browned and cooked through.   Stir in the Worcestershire sauce to the beef and allow to evaporate.   Set beef aside in a bowl and keep warm (I keep in 100 degree oven). Sauté the onion and peppers in the same pan with a dash more canola oil.    Cook about 5-7 minutes until the veggies are crisp tender.  ...