Pork Chops with Ginger Pear Sauce

Method

1 Salt the pork chops well and let them sit at room temperature while you chop all the vegetables and the pear. Make a few cuts in the outer fat layer of the pork chops, all the way through to the meat, to prevent them from curling up when you cook them. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2 Working in batches as to not crowd the pan, when the oil is hot, pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and lay them in the pan. Sear the chops until nicely browned, about 3-5 minutes depending on how hot your burner is. Turn the pork chops over and sear on the other side for a minute or two. Then lower the heat and cook until done, 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops. Remember you no longer need to cook pork well done. The recommended minimum temperature for cooked pork is now 145°F in the U.S.  (Use the finger test for meat if you don't have a meat thermometer.) When done, remove the pork chops from the pan to a plate to rest.
3 When the pork is done, remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Add the butter, shallots and ginger and toss to combine. Cook this for 1 minute, then add the chopped pear and toss to combine. Cook another minute. Add the chicken stock, vinegar and honey and bring to a rolling boil. Boil vigorously until the liquid is reduced by 2/3, about 4-6 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the rosemary and some black pepper. Add salt to taste.

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops
• Salt
• 2 Tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup minced shallots
• 2 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1 large pear (anjou, bartlett, or bosc), peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• Freshly ground black pepper

Tuna Salad Sandwich

Method

Mix all of the ingredients. Serve on toast, either open faced, or in a regular sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes. For a low carb option, serve on sliced lettuce.

 

Ingredients

• 1 (6 ounce) can of tuna fish (if packed in water, drain it, and add a teaspoon of good quality olive oil)
• 1/3 cup of cottage cheese
• 2 Tablespoons of mayonaise
• 1/4 purple onion, chopped finely
• 1 celery stalk, chopped finely
• 1 Tablespoon of capers
• Juice of half of a lemon
• Pinch or two of dill
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

• (optional - lettuce and sliced tomatoes)

• Slices of French bread, lightly toasted

Tuna Patties

Method

1 Drain the liquid from the tuna cans. If you are using tuna packed in water, reserve a tablespoon of the tuna water, and add a teaspoon of olive oil to the tuna mixture in the next step.
2 In a medium bowl, mix together the tuna, mustard, torn white bread, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, parsley, chives, and hot sauce. Sprinkle on salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the mixture before adding the egg to see if it needs more seasoning to your taste. Mix in the egg.
3 Divide the mixture into 4 parts. With each part, form into a ball and then flatten into a patty. Place onto a wax paper lined tray and chill for an hour. (You can skip the chilling if you want, chilling just helps the patties stay together when you cook them.)
4 Heat the olive oil and a little butter (for taste) in a cast iron or stick-free skillet on medium high. Gently place the patties in the pan, and cook until nicely browned, 3-4 minutes on each side.
Serve with wedges of lemon. You can also serve with tartar sauce on slider buns for a tuna burger.

Ingredients

• 2 6-ounce cans tuna
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup white bread torn into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp water (or liquid from the cans of tuna)
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives, green onions, or shallots
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A couple squirts of Crystal hot sauce or tabasco
• 1 raw egg
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon butter

Tuna Macaroni Salad

Method

1 In a saucepan, add 1 cup of elbow macaroni to 1 quart of boiling water with an added teaspoon of salt. Simmer either covered or uncovered for about 10 minutes until the macaroni is just a little more cooked than al dente. When ready, remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water.
2 While the macaroni is cooking, assemble the other ingredients. In a large bowl mix the green onion, bell peppers, parsley, tuna, celery and lemon. Add the cooked and drained macaroni. Fold in the iceberg lettuce and mayonnaise until well mixed. Add the paprika. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.
Eat up. This salad does not make good leftovers as the lettuce will eventually get soggy.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 quart water

• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup chopped red, orange, and or yellow bell peppers, seeded and de-stemmed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, packed
• 2 cans of tuna, packed in olive oil (do not drain), or if you get tuna packed in water, drain the water out and add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil.
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
• 1/4-1/3 a head of lettuce (preferably iceberg lettuce), sliced first and roughly chopped into 2 inch long strips
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (we use sweet Hungarian)
• Fresh ground pepper

Tilapia with Pimento Sauce

 

Method

1 In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute more. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring sauce to boiling.
2 Gently place the fish fillets in the pan and scoop some of the sauce over the fillets. Return to boiling. Reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. With a wide spatula, lift fish from skillet to a serving dish. Spoon sauce over fish. Serve with rice, and/or crusty bread.

 

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup sliced cremini or button mushrooms
• 3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 6-8 ounce tilapia fillets

Tempura Squid

Method

1 Slice the squid tubes into rings about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch wide. Leave the tentacles whole.
2 This recipe was designed for a deep-fryer, but you can also fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot (keep a lid nearby, for safety reasons) halfway with oil, about 3 inches deep. Heat the oil to 360-370°F.
3 While the oil is heating, mix all the dry ingredients together well.
4 Once the oil has reached 360°F, take the sparkling water out of the refrigerator and mix it with the egg yolk. Immediately mix it in with the dry ingredients. Mix quickly. Do not worry if there are clumps or lumps. Over-mixing may cause the batter to become chewy when cooked.
5 Working in small batches at a time (about 8 pieces), dip the squid pieces in the batter. Pick them up one by one and gently put them in the hot oil. (Note if your fingers are coated with the batter, it will help protect them from splatter.) When the squid pieces are in the oil, use a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon to dislodge any squid pieces that may have become stuck from the bottom of the pot or fryer. Fry for 45 seconds to 1 minute, and remove to paper towels to drain. Note that when done, they will NOT be golden brown, but more of a pale yellow or tan. Repeat with the rest of the squid. Working in batches will help keep the oil temperature from falling too far while you are frying the squid.
Serve immediately with lime or lemon wedges, soy sauce, ponzu sauce, Tabasco or another hot sauce.
Once the cooking oil has completely cooled (after about 2 hours), strain it through a paper towel-lined sieve, and save it to reuse the next time you want to deep fry seafood.

Ingredients

• 1 pound cleaned squid
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup ice cold sparkling water (the colder the better)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 3/4 cup rice or regular flour
• Canola oil or peanut oil for frying (high smoke point vegetable oil)

Special equipment recommended:

• A deep fryer

Swordfish with Smoked Paprika

Method

1 Remove the skin from the swordfish and cut it into cubes. Salt the fish well and dust the cubes in flour. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan large enough to hold all the swordfish chunks in one layer. Sear them well on at least two sides. Give the first side 1-2 minutes, then sear other sides for 30 seconds to 1 minute each.
2 When the swordfish is cooked, remove it to a bowl and reserve. Add the garlic slices and sauté 30 seconds or so — the second it begins to brown, add the tomatoes, parsley, white wine, pine nuts and paprika. Toss to combine and cook 1 minute, then add the swordfish back to the pan, toss to combine and cook another 30 seconds or so. Serve at once.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound swordfish or other firm, white fish
• Salt
• Flour for dusting
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 Tbsp white wine
• 4 Roma or other paste tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
• Black pepper