Category Archives: Proteins

Crispy Roasted Cilantro-Lime Chicken Thighs

cilanto-lime chicken thighsEASY, TANGY, FLAVORFUL MARINATED CHICKEN THIGH OVEN-CRISPED AND SERVED OVER ROASTED DICED VEGETABLES.

We’ve all had those long days at work. You want (or need) something delicious and comforting, but the last thing you want to do when you get home is be on your feet another hour prepping and cooking dinner. Even passionate home cooks need a break sometimes, and so this recipe was born with those days in mind.

All you have to do is toss the marinade together the previous night or the morning of, and let the refrigerator do the rest of the work for you! You can come back home, move the chicken from the fridge to the oven, and relax for 45-55 minutes until you have a juicy, succulent, tangy chicken with a crispy skin waiting for you. If you want to round out the meal with some vegetables and starch, Pea and I found that roasting up a couple diced bell peppers and potatoes (2-3 extra minutes!) worked amazingly with this. So with simple, comforting dinner that you can look forward to through a tough day, hopefully you can turn your frown upside down 😀 – Boo

Yield: 4 chicken thighs
Difficulty: 1 star

Oven: 400 F, 45-55 minutes

Marinade:

  • 0.25 c cilantro, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 0.25 tb cumin
  • 0.25 tb coriander
  • 1 ts salt
  • 3 limes, zested and juiced
  • 3 tb olive oil

Directions:

  1. Thoroughly coat chicken thighs with marinade. Seal/cover and refrigerate, at least 8 hours.
  2. Shake off excess marinade, and place chicken thighs skin-side up on baking tray. Bake on upper-middle rack until cooked through, 45-55 minutes. Serve.
  3. Optionally, boil excess marinade in a saucepan for 2 minutes, and spoon over chicken or side dishes.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Blueberry-Lemon Reduction

pork tenderloin medallions with blueberry lemon reductionROSEMARY-RUBBED PORK TENDERLOIN MEDALLIONS FINISHED WITH A REDUCTION OF BLUEBERRIES, LEMON JUICE, AND RED WINE. OVER GARLIC SAUTEED GREENS.

When we hear “filet mignon”, most of us think of the fork-tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef steak without a match. But interestingly, in France, “filet mignon” generally refers to the steak cut off the pork tenderloin. And though I love a good beef steak, using pork gave this a different steak-eating experience. A little more neutral in taste than beef, a pork steak pairs well with sweet and tart ingredients such as apples, grapes, berries, and honey. It might sound odd, but I think this recipe has an almost-dessert-like quality to it – in the best possible way! I even added a dash of cinnamon to the sauce to help bring out the sweetness even more. With a lean serving of protein, almost a whole serving of fruit, and a red wine-based sauce, this recipe was our fun experiment and turned out to be a healthy and exciting way to use pork tenderloin. – Boo

pork tenderloin medallions blueberry reduction

Servings: 3 (main portions)
Difficulty: 2 star

Pork medallions:

  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • Seasoning
    salt and black pepper, coarse
    2 ts dried rosemary
  1. Cut tenderloin into 6 medallions. Flatten medallions to a thickness of 1-1.5 inches.
  2. Rub seasoning over pork.
  3. In a large pan, sear pork medallions in olive oil on both sides until browned. Remove from pan, and prepare sauce.

Blueberry sauce:

  • Liquids
    0.25 c red wine
    0.25 c chicken stock
    1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 c blueberries
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • Seasoning
    0.25 ts salt
    0.25 ts cinnamon
  1. In the same pan, add all sauce ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer.
  2. Mash several blueberries, and add tenderloin medallions back into sauce to finish cooking, ~5-7 minutes for medium.
  3. Remove pork, and reduce sauce to desired consistency.
  4. Serve pork medallions with sauce, and optionally garnish with blueberries and lemon zest.

Asian Honey-Glazed Salmon

honey glazed salmonCRISPY FILLET OF SALMON GLAZED WITH HONEY AND SEASONED WITH FRESH MINCED AROMATICS. BOK CHOY STIR-FRIED WITH GARLIC AND SESAME OIL. CINNAMON-ANISE STEAMED RICE.

As much as we love our comforting, spicy stews and hearty broths through the winter, we felt it was time to bring in the light, fresh, and crisp flavors to hit off the start of spring. And so we bring you our very quick and easy honey-glazed salmon, where the natural tanginess of the fresh green onion and the just-barely-cooked ginger and garlic mince were the life of the dish, maybe even more so than the salmon itself! Since this worked so well with the lightly salted bok choy dashed with sesame oil and the fragrant rice, we’re including the sides in the recipe, too. If you’re just feeling the salmon, though, feel free to go straight down to that part of the recipe. Hope you give this a try! – Boo

P.S. If you want some curly green onions for garnish, slice them into thin strips about 4 inches long, then put them in ice water for several minutes.

honey glazed salmon top-downServings: 2 (full courses)
Difficulty: 1 star

Anise rice:

  • 1.2 c water
  • Spices
    3 star anise
    4 cloves
    0.25 ts salt
    0.25 ts cinnamon
  • 1 c white rice, washed
  1. In a small saucepan, bring water with spices to a boil.
  2. Add rice to boiling water. Cover and steam over low heat until cooked through, 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare bok choy and salmon.

Garlic bok choy:

  • 4-6 heads bok choy, halved lengthwise
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 0.5 tb sesame oil
  • 0.5 tb cooking wine
  • 1 ts vinegar
  • salt and black pepper
  1. In a pan/wok, saute bok choy with garlic in vegetable oil over medium-high heat until slightly softened, ~3 minutes.
  2. Add sesame oil, and toss to coat vegetables.
  3. Add remaining ingredients, and cook to desired doneness, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Cover to keep warm, and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare salmon.

Glazed salmon:

  • 2 (6-8 oz) salmon fillets
  • Seasonings
    salt
    white pepper
  • 1.5 tb corn starch
  • Toppings
    2 green onions, minced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 tb grated ginger
  • 2-3 tb honey
  • Garnish
    green onions
    roasted salted peanuts
  1. Salt and pepper salmon on both sides, and sift a thin layer of corn starch onto both sides.
  2. Sear salmon in olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked pink halfway up, ~4 minutes, and flip over. Spread toppings on seared side, and drizzle honey over fillets.
  3. Continue searing second side until crisped and cooked to desired doneness, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Remove salmon from heat to rest, 3 minutes.
  5. Serve, optionally with green onions and roasted salted peanuts.

Saffron Crab Cakes

saffron crab cakesTENDER, CRISPY, CREAMY CRAB CAKES BODIED WITH SAFFRON AIOLI AND ALMOND MEAL. WITH BAKED PARMESAN CRISPS, FRESH PARSLEY, AND OLIVE OIL.

The blue crab is Maryland’s official state crustacean, a tidbit I took for granted during the 10 years I grew up there. Not until I moved away did I realize what I was missing. Finally, I decided my craving was due, and I picked up a can of quality lump crab meat for a nostalgic taste of a Maryland classic.

Usually, crab cakes use mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, and other seasonings that are quickly mixed together before being pan-fried until golden-brown and crispy on the outside. And while these simple ingredients already make crab cakes absolutely delicious, I wanted to add just a touch of luxury by whisking up a saffron aioli in place of mayonnaise and using almond meal instead of breadcrumbs. A touch of smoked paprika and cayenne also gives the cakes a spiciness that isn’t “hot”, but brings an extra layer of excitement. To keep the shape a little better, I folded some aluminum foil into a ring mold and tied it in some twine before frying them. You can serve it with a lemon wedge and tartar sauce like many restaurants do, a quick drizzle of nice olive oil and some cheese, or just eat it plain. Whatever you do, these are a guaranteed hit as an appetizer, lunch, dinner, or snack! – Boo

Yield: 6 (3-inch diameter) crab cakes
Difficulty: 2 star

Ingredients:

  • Saffron aioli (or 1 c mayonnaise)
    0.25 ts saffron, ground
    1 tb hot water
    1 egg yolk
    1 lemon, zested and juiced
    0.5 c olive oil
    1 clove garlic, grated
  • Slurry
    0.75 c almond meal (or breadcrumbs)
    1 tb Dijon mustard
    1 tb Worcestershire sauce
    1 tb lemon juice
    1 egg
  • 1 lb crab meat
  • Seasoning
    4 green onions, minced
    3 tb cilantro, minced
    0.5 tb thyme
    1 ts salt
    0.5 ts black pepper
    0.5 ts smoked paprika
    0.5 ts cayenne pepper
  • Garnish
    olive oil
    parsley
    parmesan cheese
    lemon wedge
  1. For aioli, soak saffron in hot water, 5 minutes.
  2. In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolk with saffron water and lemon zest/juice until slightly thickened.
  3. Gradually add olive oil to egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking until thickened. Stir garlic into mixture.
  4. Stir slurry ingredients, crab, and seasoning into aioli. Refrigerate mixture, ~30 minutes.
  5. Fold 6 3-inch diameter rings from aluminum foil, and set on a baking sheet.
  6. Fill each aluminum ring to the top, and optionally tie twine around the middle of the ring.
  7. In a pan, fry cakes in olive oil over medium heat until browned, ~4 minutes per side.
  8. Remove onto serving plate, and remove string and foil.
  9. Garnish as desired, and serve.

Curried Lamb Shanks

curried lamb shanksLAMB SHANK BRAISED WITH CURRY SPICES AND HERBS. SERVED OVER WILTED SPINACH AND SAFFRON BASMATI RICE.

Braising has to be one of the greatest cooking methods ever invented, letting you turn the cheapest cut of meat into something juicy and fall-off-the-bone succulent. And not only does the broth flavor the meat as it simmers, the meat gives the broth a velvety, intensely savory texture as the gelatin melts into it. For this dish, I decided to take caramelized onions past the standard golden-brown stage and into deeply sweet and smoky dark brown territory. Together with the natural sweetness of the onions and the caramelization of the lamb shanks in the oven, this gave the dish a complex sweetness (maybe even sophisticated!) without a grain of added sugar. And it was also the perfect complement to the earthy spices we threw in with the lamb. You could just as easily use beef chuck or pork shoulder and belly. Hope you give this braised dish a try! – Boo

Oven: 475 F, 30-40 minutes
Difficulty: 2 star

Ingredients:

  • 4 lamb shanks
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • Spices
    1.5 ts smoked paprika
    0.75 ts curry powder
    0.5 ts turmeric
    0.5 ts cumin seeds
    0.5 ts fennel seeds
    0.25 ts ginger powder
    0.25 ts cardamom
    0.25 ts dried mint
    pinch cinnamon
  • 2 tb butter
  • 2 tb flour
  • Herbs
    1 bay leaf
    1 sprig rosemary
    1 sprig thyme
  • Braising liquid
    1.5 c chicken broth
    0.33 c red wine
    2 tb balsamic vinegar
    1.25 ts salt
    0.5 ts black pepper
  • (optional) Garnish
    cilantro, chopped
    sumac

Directions:

  1. In a roasting pan, drizzle olive oil over shanks. Roast on top rack until browned, 15-20 minutes per side. Meanwhile, prepare onions. Set aside lamb shanks after browning on both sides.
  2. In a large pot, stir onions in vegetable oil over medium-low heat until dark golden-brown, 40-45 minutes.
  3. Add spices into pot. Toast, 2 minutes.
  4. Stir butter into pot until melted. Stir in flour to coat evenly.
  5. Stir herbs and braising liquid into pot.
  6. Add lamb shanks, and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, 2.5-3 hours, basting occasionally.
  7. Serve, and garnish as desired.

Turkey Apple Meatballs and Pico de Gallo Salad

turkey apple meatballs pico de gallo saladHOT, TENDER TURKEY AND FUJI APPLE MEATBALLS TOSSED WITH A ZESTY APPLE PICO DE GALLO AND SHREDDED PURPLE CABBAGE.

More than a month ago, I found Pea a couple huge Fuji apples (her favorite!) from the farmer’s market. But after bringing them home and putting them in the back of the crisper, we forgot about them. Fortunately, fresh apples can last up to months if properly kept, and we decided to finally dig into the juicy, sugary-sweet goodness – by incorporating them into some turkey meatballs. Not only did the turkey and apple work deliciously well together, but the apple and breadcrumbs helped keep the meatballs super tender while developing a crispy exterior in the oven! For some temperature and texture contrast, we tossed the hot meatballs with a chilled apple pico de gallo and some shredded cabbage so we could call it a salad. And while we ate this happily as a meal, it would make a perfectly good appetizer, too! – Boo

Servings: 4-5 (main portions) or 8-10 (appetizer portions)
Difficulty: 1 star

Oven: 400 F, 20-25 minutes

Meatballs:

  • 1 lb turkey
  • 1 c grated apple
  • 1 c breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 0.5 tb grated ginger
  • 1.5 ts salt
  • 2 sprigs thyme, de-stemmed
  1. Mix all ingredients until homogenized.
  2. Form into small meatballs (diameter 2 cm), and place onto greased baking sheet.
  3. Bake on upper-middle rack until browned, 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare salad.

Pico de gallo salad:

  • 1 apple, diced 0.25 inch
  • Diced vegetables, 0.25 inch
    4 c tomatoes
    1.5 c onions
    1.5 c cucumbers
    0.75 c serrano (or poblano) peppers
  • Seasoning
    0.33 c cilantro, minced
    1 lime, zested and juiced
    0.5 ts garlic powder
    0.5 ts salt
    0.5 ts black pepper
  • 1.5-2 c shredded purple cabbage
  1. Place diced apple into ice water to prevent browning while preparing other ingredients.
  2. Toss all ingredients together.
  3. Toss with baked meatballs, and serve.

Duck Breast with Orange-Blueberry Sauce

duck breast orange and blueberry sauceSEARED DUCK BREAST WITH A SWEET, TANGY BLUEBERRY AND ORANGE SAUCE. OVER CARAMELIZED MUSHROOMS AND FENNEL.

For the second course of our Valentine’s Day dinner, we stuck with the sweet, tangy theme and decided to include some blueberries we had sitting in our fridge. We rendered down the fat on the duck breast before turning up the heat to crisp it up in an infused butter, then served it with some slowly caramelized mushrooms and fennel for some earthy contrast to the otherwise sharp and sweet dish. – Boo

Servings: 2 (main portions)
Difficulty: 2 star

Oven: 350 F, 4-6 minutes

Orange-blueberry sauce:

  • 2 navel oranges, juiced
  • 4 oz blueberries
  • 2 tb honey
  • Seasoning
    0.25 ts salt
    2 pinches ginger powder
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 sprig thyme
  1. In a small saucepan, bring all ingredients to a simmer. Discard rosemary and thyme sprigs after simmering for 2 minutes.
  2. Stir and reduce by 25-33% to a thin syrupy or desired consistency.
  3. Keep warm while preparing duck breast.

Duck breast:

  • 2 duck breasts
  • sea salt and black pepper, coarse
  • Herb-garlic oil
    1 tb butter
    0.5 tb olive oil
    1 sprig rosemary
    1 sprig tarragon
    1 clove garlic
  1. Score each duck with 6-8 shallow diagonal cuts on skin side. Season duck on all sides with salt and pepper.
  2. In an oven-safe skillet, simmer herb-garlic oil ingredients until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Discard rosemary, tarragon, and garlic.
  3. Over medium heat, saute duck on skin side in infused oil until rendered, 2 minutes.
  4. Increase heat to medium-high, and sear until crisp, 4-5 minutes.
  5. Flip duck breasts skin-side up, and transfer to middle rack of oven to finish cooking, ~5 minutes for medium-rare.
  6. Remove to a plate to rest, 5 minutes.
  7. Serve with orange-blueberry sauce.

Sea Scallops with Tarragon Pea Purée

sea scallops pea pureeSEA SCALLOPS SEARED IN HERB-INFUSED BUTTER. PEAS PURÉED WITH BUTTER AND TARRAGON. PARMESAN CRISPS AND SALMON ROE.

Sometimes – in this case, when you’re swamped with exams and try to make a reservation for Valentine’s day a little too late – it’s nice to stay in and cook with your special someone. I wanted to make a dessert with some of my Boo’s favorites: chocolate and passionfruit. Boo complemented the rest of the “menu” with tangy flavors – seared scallops with pea puree, and duck breast with a orange-blueberry sauce. Over the next few days we are going to post the recipes of our home cooked three-course Valentine’s day meal, starting off with the appetizer. – Pea

sea scallops pea puree 2

Servings: 2 (appetizer portions)
Difficulty: 1 star

Oven: 350 F, 4-6 minutes

Parmesan crisps:

  • 3 tb grated parmesan (or parmigiano-reggiano)
  1. Onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, divide cheese into six oblong mounds.
  2. Bake until browned, 4-6 minutes, while preparing scallops and pea puree.

Seared scallops:

  • 6 sea scallops
  • Seasoning
    sea salt, coarse
    black pepper
    garlic powder
  • Seasoned butter
    2 tb butter
    0.5 tb olive oil
    1 sprig thyme
    1 sprig tarragon
  • 0.5 lemon
  1. Pat scallops dry.
  2. Sprinkle and press seasoning into both sides of scallops.
  3. In a pan, heat butter and olive oil with thyme and tarragon over medium heat until fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Discard thyme and tarragon.
  4. Sear scallops in hot butter until browned on both sides, ~1-2 minutes per side.
  5. Remove to a warm plate, and sprinkle lemon juice over scallops. Rest, 2 minutes, while preparing pea puree.

Pea puree:

  • 0.5 tb butter
  • 0.5 tb olive oil
  • 0.25 c peas
  • Seasoning
    4 leaves tarragon
    0.25 ts salt
    pinch black pepper
  1. Saute peas in butter and olive oil until just cooked through, 1 minute.
  2. Blend peas with seasoning and any accumulated juices from resting scallops.
  3. Serve scallops over pea puree.

sea scallops pea puree 3

Eight-Spice Leg of Lamb

eight spice leg of lamb

LEG OF LAMB ROASTED MEDIUM-RARE WITH A FRAGRANT LEMON AND SPICE RUB. PAIRED WITH LUXURIOUS, BODIED RED WINE REDUCTION. SIDES OF SAFFRON BROWN RICE PILAF, SAUTÉED BABY BELLAS, AND ROASTED GRAPE TOMATOES.

Easily a centerpiece holiday roast, leg of lamb can also be a pretty low maintenance treat of a dinner that looks and tastes like a whole day’s work. It has such a great natural flavor that even just salt and pepper turns out a delicious roast. We decided to mix together an earthy spice rub for a little extra kick and made a red wine sauce from the spicy onions that soaked in the pan drippings that rendered as the lamb roasted. While you could cut up a leg into two or three pieces to make it more manageable, we decided to roast it whole and enlist the help of some friends and their tummies! – Boo

eight spice leg of lamb 3

Servings: 8-10 (main portions)
Difficulty: 2 star

Oven: 400 F, 35 minutes; 350 F, 40 minutes

Lamb roast:

  • 5 lb boneless leg of lamb, room temperature and rolled
  • 4 tb olive oil
  • 1 tb lemon juice
  • Spices
    1 tb rosemary, minced
    2 ts paprika
    1.5 ts salt
    1.5 ts turmeric
    1.5 ts cumin
    1 ts cayenne pepper
    1 ts cinnamon
    1 ts black pepper
  • Aromatics
    1 onion, sliced
    3 cloves garlic, minced
  1. Pat meat dry. In a baking pan, drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over lamb.
  2. Combine and rub spices over lamb. Spread aromatics around baking pan.
  3. Roast on middle rack at 400 F for 35 minutes. Lower to 350 F, and roast to desired doneness, ~40 minutes for medium-rare (internal temperature 130 F).
  4. Set aside lamb to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Optionally, remove onions and 1-2 tb rendered fat to a pan to prepare red wine reduction.

Red wine reduction:

  • reserved onions and rendered fat
  • Herbs and vegetables
    2 cloves garlic, sliced
    2 sprigs rosemary
    2 sprigs thyme
  • Liquids
    1 c chicken or beef stock
    1.5 c red wine
  • Seasoning
    0.5 tb sugar
    0.5 ts salt
    0.25 ts black pepper
  • 3 tb butter
  1. In a wide pan, saute reserved onions in rendered fat with herbs and vegetables over medium heat until fragrant, ~1 minute.
  2. Add stock and red wine. Stir and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half.
  3. Sieve sauce into a bowl, and return liquid to the saucepan. Discard sieved solids.
  4. Stir and simmer until reduced by 33-50%.
  5. Remove from heat, and stir in seasoning and butter.
  6. Serve over lamb.

eight spice leg of lamb 2

Pork Tenderloin à la Diable

pork tenderloin a la diableSIMPLY-SEASONED AND ROASTED PORK TENDERLOIN OVER A BED OF SHREDDED PURPLE CABBAGE. WITH A BUTTERY, SPICY DIJON SAUCE. GARLIC-SAUTÉED VEGETABLES.

There are probably a hundred (if not many, many more) ways to prepare a pork tenderloin, one of the most versatile cuts of pork or red meat anywhere. As its name implies, it’s so tender that you can cut it with a fork – try it for yourself! Of the ways Pea and I have tried, this has to be one of the easiest and most flavorful. Literally just seared with salt and pepper, and roasted just long enough to prepare a side of veggies,  this can be a quick and easy weekday dinner. It goes so well with the sauce, which is smooth and creamy, yet tangy and smokey from the Dijon mustard and paprika and adds a comforting warmth, even eaten a little cold like we did after taking our pictures. But as I said before, pork tenderloin tends to go well with a lot of different things, so hopefully this recipe helps make it one of your staple proteins, too! – Boo

Servings: 3-4 (main portions)
Difficulty: 1 star

Oven: 375 F, 23 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • salt and black pepper
  • Sauce
    0.5 c chicken stock
    0.33 c white wine
    1 tb heavy cream
    1 tb Dijon mustard
    1 ts smoked paprika
    0.25 ts cayenne pepper
    2 tb butter, cold

Directions:

  1. Salt and pepper the tenderloin on all sides.
  2. In an oven-safe pan, sear tenderloin in olive oil on one side, ~4 minutes.
  3. Flip seared-side up, and transfer to oven to roast, ~23 minutes for medium-well (internal temperature 150 F).
  4. Remove from oven, and set tenderloin aside to rest.
  5. In the same pan, bring chicken stock and wine to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  6. Add Dijon, paprika, and heavy cream. Stir and reduce by half or until slightly thickened.
  7. Remove from heat, and stir in butter until melted.
  8. Slice tenderloin, and serve with sauce.

pork tenderloin a la diable 2