Author: Gary Bechard

Trust me officer “Baked” is a relative term…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I am sorry but yes, it is yet another fish recipe and this after I thought it was going to be “chicken week”. However this is a very easy recipe and won very high marks from one of my most discriminating critics (my daughter). The name of the recipe was kind of joke because nobody would EVER cook while they were fully baked…right? Not that I have ever been that way but I was just referring to the state of the fish at the end of the recipe…Yah, that’s the ticket. You believe me right? Okay, even if you do not believe me, this is still really good fish.

This recipe was born while I was watching chocolate chip cookies being made at the same time I was trying to figure out how to make faux fried fish for dinner. I think I was watching Alton Brown on the Food Network, but that is neither here nor there, and as I was watching the vanilla extract being added to the cookie batter (after Alton’s requisite aside on actual vanilla beans, where they come from, how they grow, what we do with them, etc.) I wondered how it would taste on breadcrumbs and ultimately the fish. I quickly made a crumb test batch to try out on my family first. The test was a success and the rest, as they say, is history. The best thing about grouper is that it takes on virtually any flavor you put on it and the better the outside flavor the better the fish. I know that grouper is expensive right now but if you get the chance you should try this recipe. Haddock or most any other mild, flaky white fish would also work.

I’m Totally Baked
Vanilla Grouper
(makes 4 – 5 servings)

2 ½ lbs – Grouper fillets (skinless, about 8 ounces per person)
1 ½ cups – Canola Oil
1 ounce – Pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp – Sugar
7 ounce package – Panko breadcrumbs

Combine canola oil, vanilla extract and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk together thoroughly and set aside (for now). Next, in a big ass skillet, pour about half of the oil/vanilla mixture in the bottom and start it on low heat. After about 2 to 3 minutes of letting the oil/vanilla mixture heat up add about 1/3 of the breadcrumbs and mix together until the breadcrumbs absorb the oil. Repeat this same process until you have run out of breadcrumbs and the oil/vanilla mixture. Move the heat to just below medium and toast the breadcrumbs for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, then lower heat and toast some more at low for another 2 to 3 minutes. After this remove the breadcrumbs from the heat and set aside to cool.

After the breadcrumbs have cooled a bit, wet grouper fillets (I did it with water but you can also use buttermilk but if you do I would soak the fillets for the entire time you are making the breadcrumbs) and roll them in the mixture fully coating them. Spray the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish with a non-caloric cooking spray and arrange the fillets in the bottom of the pan. Bake the fish at 380 to 400 degrees for about 35 minutes or until the fish starts to flake easily. The breadcrumbs should have a “toasted marshmallowesque” look to them. (I always start checking my fish at the 30 minute mark because sometimes fillets can be of different thicknesses and the thinner ones take less time. You do not want to overcook them.)

I served this with steamed fresh green beans garnished with almond slices and wild rice pilaf with Cremini mushrooms and petite peas.

Enjoy!

It’s a Saturday Evening post…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Literally, it is a post that is happening on Saturday evening. Get it?  Bad joke I know but I am full of them because  the whole day today was devoted to cleaning the house while it rained 2 plus inches. However,  I am stoked!  Well not really about cleaning but I am excited to put out a new recipe.

I guess you could say that this is “chicken week” but that originally was not the intent since I was thinking about finishing out my fish recipes. We can always go back to those when I am off my chicken kick (I guess my Cooking Attention Deficit Disorder (CADD) kind of kicked in.). Chicken is one of the staple proteins at my house and they are normally done in one of a few ways, fried, faux fried, baked, broiled or grilled. This particular recipe is for shallow frying and should be reasonably healthy because it uses boneless/skinless chicken breasts and olive oil.

This recipe is the product of my cooking CADD because I was thinking of one thing and watching another and came to the conclusion that they could be done together with good result. You see, I was there in this restaurant having ordered chicken over greens while thinking of other ways I could use the Prosciutto I had leftover at home and it hit me (well not really) that if you could attach the Prosciutto to one side of the chicken it would provide salt and a savory flavors which I could compliment with other parts of the meal. The result is this recipe. Oh, I can attest to the quality of this recipe because bona fide Italians who were staying at my house loved this meal.

Fugetaboutit
Chicken over Greens
(makes 4 servings)

4 – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz – Prosciutto (sliced very thin)
1/3 – Medium sweet onion (diced fine)
8 (or more) – Cloves garlic, (diced fine)
1 tbsp – Coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)
10 – Fresh basil leaves (fine shredded also called a chiffonade)
8 – Romaine lettuce leaves
Handful – Italian parsley (chopped fine; use dried if you must about 1 ½ tablespoons)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar (get the good stuff)

Ready – Preparing the chicken:
Pound the chicken breasts to about ¾ of an inch using the flat side of a meat tenderizing hammer. Next place thin slices of Prosciutto on the “smooth” side of the chicken breast enough to cover the entire top in about one layer. Then take the “prickly” side of the meat hammer and pound the Prosciutto on to the chicken. It should stick with no problem. Take and gently set these aside Prosciutto side up.

Set – Revving up the oil
In a large skillet, cover bottom of pan with olive oil (a little better than a third inch deep or enough that it would be up to half way up the edge of one of the pounded chicken breasts) and over low/med heat sauté onion and garlic until softened and onions become translucent. Add basil and parsley continue sautéing until basil and parsley have wilted.

Go – Cooking the chicken
Take prepared chicken breasts and place in the pan Prosciutto side down and lower heat (low – medium is good here). Now…drop your tongs and step away from the chicken! You will have to resist the urge to constantly flip the chicken breasts and will only flip them over once for this recipe. That is why the heat is kind of low. Cook these on the one side until you can see that they are almost fully cooked (about 5 to 7 minutes) you will see the top edges of the chicken breasts begin to turn lighter. After you see that they are almost done carefully flip them over to have them Prosciutto side up and complete the cooking (another 4 to 7 minutes). The chicken breasts will be done when they are firm when you press on them with the tongs. You will notice that small bits of garlic and onion will stick to the chicken and this is perfectly okay. Note: I can usually do 3 chicken breasts in my pan and set the ones that are done in the oven on warm until the others are ready to serve.

Prepare the plates
Take about 3 romaine lettuce leaves and place them flat on each plate and drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar. When each chicken breast is done place them Prosciutto side up on the lettuce.

-Meal served with either angel hair pasta dressed with just olive oil and Italian seasoning or a cold pasta salad with roasted red pepper and olives (a recipe for another time) and green beans done with onion and Portobello mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Lest there be any doubt…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

You will notice the picture today is NOT food.  But, it IS my food furnace!  Regarding athletics, I am a first and formost a cyclist and built my first when I was 13 years old. Eat well, exercise, and commune with your inner cyclist, I always say. Yesterday I mentioned that we were changing the way we eat and just like that, Wham! we were hit with a 36 hour power outage and ended up losing all of the food in the refrigerator. Gone with the power were all of those food items that were contributing to not eating clean, slugishness and a general physical malaise.  I guess that the Power (no pun intended) in the universe was giving us a nudge in the right direction.  However, we were able to head to Trader Joe’s and fill the fridge with only the good stuff.  Since I did not have a whole lot of time since the power finally came on, here is one of my older posts. It is kind of aprapos since yesterday’s recipe was a fish recipe.  I hope you enjoy!

No harm no Fowl…

Sorry about that campers but work kind of got in the way again and I was not able to post any recipes for the past few days (needed to calculate those stats and do final reviews on contracts and other items). Things are a bit less hectic now and I have a few minutes to get something out on the site. I hope you like it.

I know that you have most likely been looking at the fish recipes and saying to yourself “Self?” you are saying, “This fish stuff is DAMN expensive! So, what in the world am I supposed to do make one of these recipes a year?” I would like to let you know that I have other fish recipes with less expensive types of fish but I thought you people could use a break. You also may be yelling “Foul!”, so for today, here is one of my favorite chicken recipes.(terrible pun I know) It still has an ocean type theme (if you can call it that). And, without further adieu, here is the recipe.

Baywatch Stuffed Chicken Breasts

(makes 3-4 servings)

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 – Small jar (3 oz.) artichoke hearts (use 3 or 4 finely shredded)
½ (or less) – fine diced red pepper
2 ¼” slices – sweet onion, fine diced
5 – Cloves garlic, fine diced
4 – Baby bella mushrooms, fine diced
Coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
Small handful fine shredded fresh parsley (use dried if you must about 1 ½ tablespoons)
Good olive oil

Filling:
In a large skillet, cover bottom of pan with olive oil and over low/med heat sauté pepper, onion, garlic until softened and onions become translucent. Add mushrooms and artichoke hearts, sauté on low heat for about 2-3 minutes, season to taste with pepper. Add parsley and keep on heat for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
Take chicken breasts and, from the side, make a pocket by cutting the long way the entire length and almost all the way through (should look like a pita pocket). Take a spoon and stuff chicken with filling (do not overfill) enough so that edge can be closed with a toothpick, cooking string or skewers. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (add a bit of white wine to bottom of baking dish to keep moist).

Sauce:
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chicken stock
Whole wheat flour
Fresh chopped parsley
Diced portabella mushrooms
2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter (or Smart Balance)
Diced sweet onion or green onion
Coarse ground black pepper

Use pan that filling was sautéed in, add white wine and cook on low heat for about 5-10 min. Add chicken stock and other ingredients and cook for another 5-10 min. I thicken with whole wheat flour to desired consistency.

-Meal served with garlic mashed baby red potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower florets.

Enjoy!

Gotta hate coverups…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday, I was writing about the Meddeteranean style diet and the health benefits of going that direction. I will say that it is very difficult to stick to a diet like that when there is an abundance of “easy”, albeit, unhealthy alternatives. However, I believe that if you keep the ingredients fresh and watch the added sugars and such you should be fine.  There is a blog that is dedicated to fresh and healthy called “Peeled” here on WordPress and you should really check it out. She has a lot of good ideas to “keep it clean”.

I know that I was remiss in my duties about posting the pork recipe I did with black cherries and lime last week but I hope I can make amends with this fish recipe (the pork recipe is not yet in electronic form). So, I hope you will forgive me this one time and I will try to not let it happen again. I do have quite a few fish recipes left in my kitchen notebook so you may be seeing fish for a while and I hope that does not bother anyone.

This was a recipe I thought of while dreaming of a blue water sail through tropical waters to an island of choice. No, it was not at night while I was sleeping but while I was perusing a Condé Nast Traveler magazine on a Saturday about island destinations which included Hawaii. For me, the sailing part would just be a really cool way to get to any of the destinations listed.

This recipe was also a way to address one of the things I dislike which is when people do not even taste the food in front of them before they cover it up with some sort of sauce or “ketchup type” thing (I mean you work to make sure the flavors in the meal are balanced and such and they should at least taste it right?) So, it goes without saying, I was kind of tired of watching while some of the people for whom I cook slathered their fish with cocktail or tartar sauce so I was trying to come up with something they could use that would enhance the flavor of the fish instead of cover it. Thus, The Salsa, a tartar sauce alternative, was born. Since this recipe, I have come up with a bunch of other salsas to be used in a wide variety of dishes.

Here is the recipe:

Tropical Dream Flounder
(makes 4 servings)

2 lbs – Flounder fillets (skinless) (I try to have 6 – 8 ounces of fish per person)

The Salsa (the tartar sauce alternative)
1/3 – Fresh pineapple (diced fine)
1 – Mango, no skin, (diced fine)
1 – Orange (diced fine) (I try to make sure that I have just the meat of the orange and not any of the skin on the inside)
1/3 – Medium sweet onion (diced fine)
½ – Red bell pepper (diced fine)
½ – Green bell pepper (diced fine)
A couple of healthy splashes of white balsamic vinegar (if you have to measure 2 ½ tablespoons)
Coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
Ground cayenne pepper (to taste)
½ tsp – Sea Salt (it’s a fish it deserves ocean stuff)
7 – Mint leaves (finely shredded) (I used spearmint because that is what is growing under my deck)

Salsa assembly:

In a medium to large bowl put pineapple, mango, orange, onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and mint leaves and toss thoroughly to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Splash with the balsamic vinegar and toss again. Place mixture in the fridge to that all those nice flavors can get acquainted.

The fish:

Use salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to season both sides of each piece of fish. (The idea is to have mildly (or very, it depends on your taste) spicy fish play off of the sweet and minty in the salsa.) Place fish on a cookie (or baking sheet) that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray and bake at 380 degrees for about 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Serve the fish with salsa on the top (or on the side).

Note: Flounder fillet are notoriously thin and they will cook very fast so it is best to keep an eye on them. (They become hard almost rubbery messes if you do not)

With this fish I served wild rice and a fresh fruit salad (you kind of have to use the remainder of the pineapple for something). The wine was Toasted Head, Viognier.

Enjoy!

Early in the morning, uh huh, before you eat your breakfast, uh huh…gotta run around, round, round

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Sorry, old Army PT running song was kind of in my head and I had to get it out and, yay, verily a title for this blog post was born. Before I get into the food part of this, I remember vividly when I was first in the Army, almost 40 years ago, and sometimes miss it terribly.  Back then, the Army food used to get a bad rap but I met some soldiers who were the cooks that would match even some of the best chefs I see in this area.

Exciting things happening here on the old ranch especially when it comes to the way we are eating and possibly to the way I will do my future recipes. Now, as we ease into the Mediterranean inspired food and away from what we were eating on a regular basis (Pittsburgh “chunk-o-rama” type food), I feel a whole lot better.  My son and daughter would say that we were “eating clean”, not quite paleo but good enough, and we should have done this much, much sooner.  Besides having a ton more energy, the side benefit is the 5 pound drop in weight and one inch off the waist since starting this a week and a half ago. Climbing hills on the bike will be much easier without having a 3 year old strapped to my front. That is not to say that my other recipes are bad but they are not quite as clean as the ones we have been having lately. I am going to start today with a quick recipe for my version of cole slaw which uses three types of cabbage and NO, that’s right, NO mayonnaise. It is terrbly simple but oh so good.

My Way (mixed cabbage cole slaw)

Ingredients:

Slaw:

5 – Tuscan cabbage leaves, fine shred

1/2 –  Savoy cabbage head (very small), fine shred

1/2 – Red cabbage head (very small), fine shred

1/2 – Sweet onion, sliced very thin

2 – Whole carrots, peeled and sliced very thin, or run them through the “spiralizer”

1/3 cup – White raisins

Dressing:

1/4 cup – Olive oil

1/8 cup -White balsamic vinegar

1 tsp – Thyme leaves

1/2 tsp – Coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp – Lemon peel

1/2 tsp – Soy Sauce or liquid aminos (the stuff that tastes like soy sauce but has no salt)

1 tsp – Toasted sesame seeds

Construction Instruction:

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients and fold them together so that everything is evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Toss the slaw with the dressing until evenly coated and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  The time in the fridge will help all the ingredients get to know each other and will help break down the Tuscan cabbage a bit.

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist

What is that I see on the horizon? Could it be?!, maybe…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I have been mulling over a recipe idea for about a week now since one of my work colleagues came in with a cherry-limeade slushy. So, I kind of deconstructed the flavors in my head, cherries in their own right have a bit of a bite to go along with the sweetness and mixed with the tart of the lime and the sugar I thought they might play well with some types of proteins.   I dismissed my original thoughts as silly but wrote them in my food notebook anyway just in case. Then I happened to walk by the cherries in the produce section of the grocery store  and again began thinking that I needed to do something with those flavors…but what?  Tomorrow will bring another grand experiment in flavors and will be done with pork, which tends to be a good canvas when trying new flavor combinations. There will be a pan seared pork chop which will be then baked with macerated cherries done with limes and Key Lime juice and  a bit of brown sugar.  We will just see how this works out but in the mean time here is another of the older blog posts that was almost lost on the old site. This was a pretty tasty bake and served quite a few.

Mom always said to look both ways…

Ah yes, yesterday I experienced the dangers of walking in a city crosswalk. (And, by the way, yes, I did have the light). It is not bad enough that I have to drive for four hours a day on my commute submitting myself to the vagaries of cell phone addicted youth and people who are really just too stupid to live but no I have to endure the casual city drivers who have forgotten all of those cute little rules you learn in Driver’s Ed. There I was minding my own business (I even looked both ways mind you) in the crosswalk when an idiot in a small Pontiac hit me! I know it was a Pontiac because I ended up on the hood of the vehicle as he tried to make his “right turn on red”. Not that I would not make a stunning hood ornament, but getting hit is one of the last things I needed after a very stressful day. Luckily, his speed was such that I was able to roll up on the hood and not get injured but it did make my drive home that much more “special”. Enough of my whining because I have to get to today’s recipe.

This was the product of a “food dream”. I was on my hideous commute thinking of other ways to prepare eggplant and this is the result because I happened to be thinking of shrimp at the same time. Don’t ask me why I was thinking of shrimp. I just was. It also may be because I was trying to figure out a totally different way to do shrimp (and to use up the rest of the eggplant I had in the fridge before it turned into a science experiment). I hope you give it a try.

Shrimp and Eggplant Bake
(makes 4 to 6 servings)

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 pounds of 31-41 count shrimp deveined and peeled
Fine bread crumbs Coarse grained salt
1/3 cup (there about) Shredded Parmesan, Romano and/or Asiago cheese1-3 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 (28-ounce) can peeled and crushed, or diced tomatoes 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, optional Salt and coarsely ground fresh black pepper 1/4 cup basil (about 10 leaves), torn
2 tablespoons of dried basil
8 oz of angel hair pasta

Place eggplant in a colander and season generously with salt. Fill a 1-gallon plastic bag with water, seal tightly and place over eggplant to weigh down. Let stand for 40 minutes. Rinse the salt off the eggplant, and pat dry. Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add eggplant and cook, stirring often, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 to 10 minutes, maybe less. I lose track. Add garlic, tomatoes and their juice to the pan. Stir in the sugar and salt. Simmer until sauce has slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes or longer depending on how juicy your tomatoes are. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the basil and cook 1 minute more. Spread half of this mixture on the bottom of a 91/2 by 13 baking dish and set to the side.
Take shrimp, wet with water and roll lightly in breadcrumbs. Lightly coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil bring to a low heat and add dried basil. Stir lightly for about 2 minutes. Cook shrimp so that they are slightly brown on either side (about 30 seconds per side). Lay the slightly cooked shrimp in one layer on top of the eggplant and tomato mixture then cover with the remaining mixture. Sprinkle the shredded cheese mixture over the top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

During the last five minutes of the baking process cook the angel hair pasta according to package directions, drain well and put into a large mixing bowl. Toss with dried basil, oregano, pepper and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Make sure the pasta is coated well.
Serve the Shrimp bake with the side of angel hair pasta and a nice dry Chianti.

Enjoy!

Getting something to come out of the closet…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

Did you ever look at things in your pantry and wonder, “what in the world was I thinking when I bought that?” I know that I have and that is what happened before this recipe was created. You see, there was a time when I was thoroughly enamored of the “South Beach Diet”. I decided to do that diet after gaining about 10 pounds eating from recipes that came out of Paula Dean’s cookbooks (she has gotten better, however, because I think her sons are making her). There I was kitchen cruising one Saturday looking for something different to have with grilled fare and ran across a box of couscous tucked way in the back behind some random cat treats. Thinking that cat treats really would not go with grilled anything, I decided on the couscous. I remembered couscous from my South Beach phase and also remembered that it was something the South Beach diet was in love with because of its being whole grain and such. The box was leftover because we rapidly found out that eating the South Beach way costs an extra couple hundred dollars a week, if you are doing it correctly and that is all I have to say about that.

Couscous on its own is pretty nondescript and has a sort of nutty taste to it. It is very easy to prepare and most of the times will only take about five minutes. I figured a good way to dress it up would be to add some roasted or grilled vegetables to it. I like this recipe warm or cold so the decision would be up to you depending on what you are having. If you are having burgers and such, cold is most likely the way to go. You can even prepare it a day ahead so the flavors REALLY get to know each other (a veritable vegetable orgy, if you will). I like it warm when I am serving chicken or roasted pork. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Revved up Roasted Vegetable Couscous
(makes 4 to 5 servings)

1 – Red bell pepper
1 – Green bell pepper
2 – Sweet onion slices (kid of on the hefty side)
5 – Large Portobello mushroom slices
15 to 20 – Asparagus stalks
Kosher salt – to taste
Coarse ground black pepper – to taste
Rosemary – to taste
Basil – to taste
Garlic powder – to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 – Box of couscous (normally the box will have a bit more than a cup of stuff in it and a serving is ¼ cup dry)

There are a couple of ways you can go here with the vegetables. I normally do them inside on a cookie sheet but if you are feeling froggy and want to do them outside on the grill that is okay too.

Oven instructions:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees (you can do 400 but sometimes the vegetables roast too fast) and take out two regular sized cookie sheets. Slice the peppers (I normally cut mine into 8 pieces to do the roasting) and place on a cookie sheet (or baking pan) with the onions and Portobello mushrooms. For the other cookie sheet, prepare the asparagus spears by taking one spear and gently bending it while holding the ends until it breaks. Where it breaks is the length you will cut the remaining spears to. Doing this gets rid of the hardened and bitter ends. (Think the curmudgeonly old man parts of the asparagus.) Place the spears in a single level on the cookie sheet. Over each set of vegetables drizzle (don’t drown) with olive oil and toss to make sure they are all coated (you going to sort of tan them), season with your desired amount of herbal goodness and place in the oven until done. If you are like my daughter, you will want to know what “done” looks like. So to that end, the peppers will soften and blacken around the edges, the mushrooms will become soft shrink and darken, the onions will become translucent and soft and the asparagus spears will shrink, become softer and blacken at the ends. After the vegetables are done, set aside to cool.

Grill instructions:
I have a perforated stainless steel cooking sheet that I use for vegetables on the grill. The difference between the oven and the grill is that I brush them with olive oil and season as I am grilling them but they will look the same when they are done. The grill I normally try for between 350 and 400 degrees and do all the vegetables at the same time and take them off as they get done.

Next, prepare the couscous per the package instructions and while that is happening medium chop the vegetables. When the couscous is done add vegetables and mix until all vegetables are evenly distributed.

If you want this can be served warm (you will most likely need to heat the vegetables up after chopping them while the couscous is cooking) or you can cool everything in the refrigerator for about a half hour and serve tossed with a couple splashes of white balsamic vinegar (or your favorite Italian oil and vinegar dressing).

Enjoy!

Well there you go…

~ Gary Bechard ~ 1 Comment

Ah, a phrase I came to know and love in the different areas I  lived in the southeastern United States. It was kind of  a tacit acceptance of a situation even though parts of it may be contradictory. For example, Bubba shot a deer on a cliff but it fell on him and killed   him, “Well, there you go”.  I guess it takes the place of  the “oh well” you hear in other parts of the country. It ranks right up there with another common phrase I used to hear, “Y’all watch this” which was normally followed by an action so insane that you question the intelligence of the individual who is performing that action. (I once heard this phrase uttered just before a guy tried to jump from the second floor balcony of a motel to his tarp covered truck bed below. It did not end well.) But, I digress. I really had the intention of trying to post at least a few times a week with some of the 200 recipes I have in my food notebook but staring, not quite longingly, at a computer screen for up to 12 hours a day for work (this is play, by the way) is not conducive to firing up the computer at night and posting.  Well, there you go.

Today I thought that doing a double post would be a good idea.  Below, locked in the deep recesses of the ether you will find a relatively new recipe to the corral, Smoked trout turnovers and one of the follow on posts to “Burger Week” (you know kind of like “Shark Week” but instead of being eaten you are eating) which is one of my goto recipes as a side, my black bean and roasted corn salad.

This first recipe was thought of when I was cruising the dairy aisle and happened to have some smoked trout in the basket which I like to have on bagels sometimes. I always wanted to see if I could even do turnovers so, yes, this was an experiment.  It turned out great!  You will notice that there are no other seasonings, salt, pepper and the like because the smoked trout takes care of that.

Smokin’ T’s

Smoked Trout Turnovers

(makes 6 servings) (2 turnovers per person)

Ingredients:

16 oz – Smoked Trout filets, flaked, no skin

3 – Roasted Red bell peppers, diced

5 – Green onion greens, chopped

1/2 cup – Fresh Parsley, chopped

4 1/2 cups – Cooked Basmati rice blend (1 ½ cups dry yielded the cooked amount and I used Trader Joe’s Basmati rice blend)

3 regular containers – Pillsbury Crescent Roll sheets (or the crescent rolls if you cannot find the sheets)

6 – Eggs, done over easy (this will become your “sauce”)

1 – Egg, beaten (this will be your egg wash for sealing the turnovers)

Note: I have also done these with a white wine cayenne pepper sauce

Construction Instruction:

In a large bowl combine trout, roasted red bell peppers, green onions, parsley and cooked rice and fold together until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Chill this mixture for about 15 minutes so that it firms up a bit. Take the dough and cut into 4 inch sheets and lay on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam or some other non-caloric cooking spray. Fill each of the dough sheets with enough filling to cover only half of each sheet and leave about a ¼ inch around the edges. Take the egg wash and with a small brush put egg wash on the edges of the turnovers and fold the top over and crimp the edges with the filling inside. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crescent rolls are a nice golden brown.

This was served with sautéed haricot vert in olive oil with sweet onion and mushrooms.

This second recipe has been a favorite since the first time I trotted it out as a side dish.  I have been known to make triple batches of this salad that never survived to become leftovers.

It’s the B.B.C! (salad that is)

(Black Bean and Corn Salad)

1 – Can of golden sweet corn (I like the yellow and white because it makes the salad more colorful) (regular size can, 15 oz))

1 – Can of black beans (regular size can., 15 oz)

½ – Red bell pepper (fine diced)

½ – Green bell pepper (fine diced)

¼ – Sweet onion (fine diced) (more if you like that sort of thing)

1 – Handful of fresh parsley (chopped fine) (dried works but you do not get the full flavor)

1 – Tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

1 1/2 – Turns around the bowl of extra virgin olive oil (a little less than ¼ cup, you do not want to drown the salad)

3 to 4 – Splashes of white balsamic vinegar

In a large colander, pour in can of beans and rinse with water. Then, take can of corn and pour over the beans and drain well. Add these items to a large bowl and lightly mix together. Next add red bell pepper, green bell pepper and onion. Mix these items together until all ingredients are evenly disbursed. Add parsley, black pepper and do the rounds with the olive oil, splash with balsamic vinegar and mix well making sure all of the ingredients are coated well. Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours and serve.

This is good as a salad but it also makes GREAT quesadillas. For this you will need some burrito size tortillas (I use whole wheat but white is fine. Whatever turns your crank) and about 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar or mixed Mexican cheese.   Take a large cookie sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray and place one tortilla down, layer some of the salad at about “one bean’s depth” making sure that there is one layer. (Note: on a normal size cookie sheet you can usually fit one large and a half and that is about it.) Take cheese and spread evenly over the top of the salad mixture. Make sure that the cheese in not overly thick. Add the next tortilla(s) to the top and place in a 350 degree pre-heated oven. Heat until you can see the cheese melting on the inside and serve.

As a side note, I have also been known to add shredded cooked chicken to make black bean and chicken quesadillas for your meat eating friends or serve as a warm entrée without the tortillas.

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist – Gary Bechard

Daughters can challenge you…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

This particular burger was the last one from “Burger Week” on the old site. I also included a bonus recipe for those who may be eating with you that may not really get into the whole meat and fish thing.  I hope you enjoy the burger and the sub as much as I did making them.

Ah the final installment of burger week. I hope those of you who have tuned in will try some of these recipes over the 4th of July and let me know how they turned out. On a final note for Burger Week, I wish I could say I had perfected the black bean burger but sadly I have not. There is something with the consistency that is giving me fits but that is neither here nor there. However, I wanted to make sure and include something that any vegetarians out there may like so this entry is going to have 2 recipes. One of these days I will conquer the BBB consistency challenge and will include it here hopefully in not too long a time.

As the title states, daughters can challenge you and mine did. She told me to try and come up with a salmon burger that would be on par with my other fish recipes and (no pressure here) could we have it for dinner tomorrow night? NO Problem! I really enjoyed this challenge and the result was terrific! However, I did have a fight with the blades of my new food processor during this burger’s creation…and lost. So be careful those things are sharp!

The second recipe is something I came up with during my kid’s high school days. A couple of their friends were vegetarians and usually showed up for barbecues at the house with their own cheese pizza (or nothing and ended up eating a bun) and they never really felt a part of the festivities. This recipe is for a grilled vegetable hoagie (grinder or sub depending on the part of the country you are from). My greatest satisfaction was having these vegetarian kids tell me that they had never eaten anything at a barbecue before and that they finally felt like they belonged to the group.

It’s So Damn Good For You Salmon Burger
(makes 6 – 8 servings)
Gary Bechard

2 lbs – Fresh salmon fillets (wild caught if possible) chopped fine (I put mine in the food processor)
1/3 – Red bell pepper (fine diced)
1/3 – Green bell pepper (fine diced)
1 ¾ inch slice – Sweet onion (fine diced)
1 handful – Fresh parsley (chopped fine) (about 2 tablespoons)
6 to 8 leaves – Fresh sage (chopped fine)
1 tbsp – Lemon pepper
1 tsp – Thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
2 – Eggs
½ cup (more or less) – Panko bread crumbs
½ – Lemon, juiced

Take salmon fillets, take skin off and put in the food processor to chop. A few pulses should get you there and what you want to see is the consistency of ground beef. Take salmon and place in a large bowl and add red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, sage, parsley, lemon pepper, thyme, eggs, breadcrumbs and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly making sure that all ingredients are distributed evenly. Form mixture into 7 to 8 patties and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

I use a well lubricated (Weber’s Grilln’ Spray works well) stainless steel cooking sheet (perforated) and Cook the patties on a medium hot grill (400 to 450 degrees) flipping every 4 to 6 minutes until desired doneness. (about 35to 40 minutes)

Serve the burgers on a toasted bun with your favorite seafood (cocktail) sauce or make your own dill seasoned mayonnaise.

Here is the second recipe:

Yes You’re Included! Vegetable Hoagie
(makes 4 – 6 servings)
Gary Bechard

3 – Small to medium zucchini (halved and sliced thin)
3 – Small to medium yellow squash (halved and sliced thin)
1 – Red bell pepper (cut into strips about ¼ inch wide)
1 – Green bell pepper (cut into strips about ¼ inch wide)
1 – Sweet onion (halved and sliced)
Dried Italian seasoning
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
12 – slices provolone cheese
2 cups – shredded mozzarella
4 to 6 – 6 inch hoagie rolls

I use a well lubricated (Weber’s Grilln’ Spray works well) stainless steel cooking sheet (perforated) and Cook the vegetables on a medium hot grill (400 to 450 degrees) turning every 4 to 6 minutes until vegetables are tender. Brush the vegetables with olive oil and season with the Italian seasoning to taste. (about 10 to 15 minutes) When the vegetables are done place in a bowl and mix together. Take a couple of slices of provolone cheese and line the inside of the roll and place hot vegetables right over top put mozzarella on top and serve.

Now that IS a “Proper Burger”…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I interupt this blog post with a very important message. No, I do not believe you will see the emergency warning symbol on your television but I wanted to remind you of the meaning of this holiday, Memorial Day.

I have a certain thoughtfulness  every Memorial Day. Having been a soldier, both enlisted and officer, I have a soft spot in my heart for all of those that currently serve or have served and for all of the families that supported them in their endeavors.  I know, I know, I should be more upbeat as in my other posts, and I will get to that, but I believe that everyone should pause at least one moment to reflect on the freedoms we have today, the men and women currently serving, their families and those that have gone before us.  With that complete, fire up the grill, crack open a cold one and let’s get ready to eat!

As an aside, it is with a bit of sadness I  say that the rescue effort from the old blog site was only partially successful. Trapped in the ether are quite a few posts which I was not able to salvage from the oldest site but I was able to retrieve the more recent (or semi-recent) and will be able to post them here.  This post was another one from “Burger Week” and it is not quite the healthiest of recipes but sometimes you just have to “Throw Caution to the Wind” which by some coincidence is the title of the former post.

Throwing caution to the wind…

I would like to consider myself a pretty healthy eater (not in quantity but in quality) but today’s offering does not quite fit in the healthy eating category. This burger is more the decadent, throw caution to the wind, hope I do not have a cardiac arrest category. The ingredients are not really that bad but I use a fattier kind of beef more cheese and some bacon to round it out with a bread that has enough sugar to power a hundred toddlers for a couple of days. Why, you may ask, would I do this? Well, first, because I can and second, sometimes you just have to have something that just tastes really good without worrying about all that diet stuff. It’s okay once in a while, right? Just don’t tell your doctor and I will surely never tell. Your secret is safe with me because I am as trustworthy as the Bush bean dog. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more)

The recipe for this burger was first thought of on a drive home from work on a Friday, stuck behind a cattle truck, in the summer while the Highway patrol was clearing an accident knowing that I was going to have to feed some real “meat eaters” (you know Marines, English footballers and the like). I wanted something decadent (in the “meat eaters” sense) but something that would taste good. The idea for what to use as the bun kind of hit me as I was trying to figure out how I was going to balance out the savory flavors in the burger and voila the Hawaiian sweet bread hit me! Well the idea hit me not the actual sweet bread but you probably already knew that. The burger was named by Simon (the English footballer). It was after his first bite and he exclaimed, ”Now THAT is a proper burger!”

Here is the recipe:

A “Proper” Burger
(makes 4 – 5 servings)

1 1/2 lbs –Ground sirloin (I did 90/10)
1/3 – Medium sweet onion (medium diced)
½ tsp – Garlic powder
¼ tsp – Kosher salt (if you are into measuring things and if not a couple of good pinches)
1 tbsp – Coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 tbsp – Worcestershire sauce (don’t be stingy with this and make sure it is a generous tablespoon)
1/ cup – Cabernet wine (make it a good one because I give you permission to have the rest)
10 slices – Crispy bacon (I used some apple smoked bacon)
Sliced Vermont white cheddar cheese
Sliced provolone cheese
Romaine lettuce leaves
Hearty tomato slices
Loaf of Hawaiian sweet bread (this will become the bun) cut into 1 1/2 inch slices

*Note – a loaf of Hawaiian sweet is kind of round and you may have to start in the center and work your way out with the slices but you want them to be about bun or regular loaf of bread sized.

In a large bowl combine beef, onion, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt and your luscious Cabernet. Mix thoroughly making sure all ingredients are distributed evenly through the mixture. Take and make into 4 to 5 patties (depending on who you have eating) and refrigerate for about 15 to 20 minutes (you want the flavors to get to know each other). I made the patties pretty thick. Cook these on a low heat grill (300 to 350 degrees) to slow cook them to desired doneness. Also, don’t get all “flippy” on these burgers because you can let them sit on one side for about 5 – 7 minutes before flipping. Melt one slice of each type of cheese on each burger

Serve the burgers on grilled slices of the Hawaiian sweet bread topped with a couple slices of bacon, a slice of tomato and some lettuce.

Enjoy!