Tequila & Lime Tuna Tacos

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We are getting antsy for grilling season here in North Carolina. That’s not to say that it has been entirely too cold to grill. My husband and I have a 60°F cutoff—we are good to go with grilling as long as the temperature is in that range but so far this “spring,” it has been hit or miss. I put some burgers on the grill just last Wednesday but over the weekend, an unexpected blast of wintry mix left my already-in-bloom daffodils shivering in the beds out front, and a freeze warning last night forced me to lay blankets and towels over my emerging peony shoots. Just when we thought it was warm for good—go figure!

My blooms are sitting on ice!

Until we get some consistency in the weather department (feel free to yell “amen” if the skies are screwy at your house, too), we are stuck cooking indoors. Luckily, we have one of those “griddle in the middle” things on our gas range, which affords us an easy indoor option for light grilling. The heavy cast-iron griddle is removable (and reversible), intended as a swap-in for the grate that would normally cover a wide gas burner, but we use the griddle so frequently that it has become a permanent fixture. The flat side is perfect for making pancakes, reheating pizza slices or crisping up a grilled cheese sandwich. The flip side is great for quick grilling jobs, like the mouth-watering, marinated tuna we put on these tacos.

Sometimes we get better grill marks indoors!

Though I grew up eating tacos and other Mexican cuisine, I had never heard of fish or shrimp tacos until I was an adult, and it was a marvelous epiphany! Unlike the greasy ground beef-and-cheese tacos of my childhood, these beauties are light and flavorful, and I love dressing them up with fresh veggies and a squeeze of citrus. For us this time, it was shredded cabbage tossed with bottled avocado ranch, pico de gallo, scallions, avocado and cilantro. It’s a whole new category of comfort food—easy and fresh, with lots of great texture! Les likes a little dollop of cool sour cream, too, and it sure makes for a pretty picture.

You only need a few minutes for perfectly grilled tuna!

The most important flavor component of this meal was, of course, the tequila-lime marinade. Besides the namesake ingredients, I whisked in fresh garlic, red wine vinegar, chili powder and agave for a bright, punchy flavor on the tuna, and another departure from the heavy flavors I had always associated with Mexican food.

Agave is a great sweet touch for this marinade, as it echoes the tequila spirit.

The critical rule for marinating in citrus juice is simple: keep it short and sweet because the acids in the lime juice will turn seafood into ceviche if they mingle too long. I gave it 30 minutes in the marinade, which was just long enough to pour a Mexican lager, prep all my toppings and pre-heat the griddle.

Mix and match toppings to suit your own taste.

Fresh tuna is best (and most tender) when cooked to medium rare, and you should let it rest a couple of minutes before slicing or chopping it for tacos.

Yes, Nilla, we see you peeking! ❤

While the tuna is resting, toss your corn tortillas onto the hot grill long enough to warm them and apply some grill marks. Store-bought tortillas are fine, but if you have some time and a little bit of patience, it’s worth the effort to make them yourself. I shared a post for handmade corn tortillas a while back; feel free to check that out for some tips to make it a little easier (and in fun flavors).

If you don’t have an outdoor grill or in-range griddle, or if unexpected wintry mix shows up out of nowhere, cast-iron grilling can save the day. If your range doesn’t have this option, a grilling pan or range-top griddle are both good options. I don’t recommend using them indoors for very high-fat foods (unless you enjoy degreasing your entire kitchen after a meal), but for veggies, fruit, pancakes, eggs and light seafood, cast iron on the stovetop produces excellent results.

Tequila & Lime Tuna Tacos

  • Servings: Up to 4
  • Difficulty: Easy
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The marinade is the star of this recipe, which brings freshness and flavor to Taco Tuesday!


Ingredients

  • Up to 16 ounces fresh tuna steak (marinade will cover this much; plan for 4 ounces per person)
  • 2 Tbsp. silver or reposado tequila* (see notes below)
  • Juice of 1 small lime
  • 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. chili powder blend
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt (less if your chili powder includes salt)
  • A few twists black pepper
  • 1 tsp. agave syrup* (or sugar)
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil or avocado oil
  • White corn tortillas, for serving
  • Desired accoutrements (we used shredded cabbage, thin radish slices, cubes of avocado, bias-cut scallions, cilantro leaves, pico de gallo, sour cream and lime wedges)

Note: Silver tequila is clear and has a very clean, crisp flavor; reposado is golden in color and has a slightly smoky flavor. We used reposado tequila for our tacos, and it was delicious. Agave is my preferred sweetener for this marinade, as it is the same ingredient that powers the tequila. But in a pinch, sugar is an easy substitute.

Directions

  1. In a glass measuring cup, combine the tequila, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, seasonings and agave. Whisk in olive or avocado oil to create a cohesive marinade.
  2. Place tuna steak(s) into a shallow glass dish or plastic zip-top bag. Pour marinade over steaks, turning several times to ensure good coverage. Let the steaks marinate for 30 minutes while you prep your accoutrements.
  3. Pre-heat a grill pan to medium-high. Oil the grates, and then remove tuna from marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Place the steak on the grill and cook about 2 minutes, until first side is seared and displays nice grill marks. Turn steaks over and cook the other side the same amount of time. Transfer to a warm plate to rest 5 minutes while you heat the corn tortillas on both sides on the same grill pan.
  4. Move tuna steaks to a cutting board and chop into bite-sized pieces. Assemble tacos and enjoy!

Honey-Mustard & Onion Pretzel Crusted Salmon

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My husband, Les, and I love taking road trips, and since COVID began, that’s how we have done all of our travel. Our trips may be lengthy, like our 10-day tour of Jersey, Connecticut and New York back in 2021, or quick weekend getaways to one of our beautiful North Carolina beaches. Regardless of length and destination, our trips all have a few things in common; we always have good music and snacks for the drive.

And then, there’s the ritual of departure from our home, which for me always goes something like this:

  • Load our main bags into the car (Les does this part, and I do the rest) 
  • Do a walk-through of every single room of the house to be sure we aren’t forgetting something important
  • Set out instructions for the pet sitter
  • Give the dog a pat on the head and tell her she’s in charge of the house while we’re away
  • Wink at the cat, who knows she’s actually going to be in charge
  • Do another walk-through of the house to be sure nothing electric is plugged in
  • Make a quick trip to the bathroom
  • Confirm with husband that my bag is already in the car
  • Double check on pet supplies to be sure my notes for the sitter match what’s in the cabinet
  • Argue with husband, who keeps yelling from the garage to “COME ON!”
  • Confirm the front door is locked
  • Get in the car (finally)

My backpack goes behind Les’s seat (so I can reach it), and it usually includes a couple of food magazines, my iPad, laptop, charger cables, bottled water and whatever road snacks Les picked up at the convenience store when he stopped to gas up the car. All of this, even for a four-hour car ride!

When we make one of these road trips, we throw dietary caution to the wind and load up on some junky snack foods that we would never eat any other time. I mean, junk— like pizza-flavored Combos, cheap chocolate bars, bold and zesty Chex mix, or these honey-mustard and onion pretzel pieces (one of my faves). 

I’d never eat these at home, but they always taste so good in the car!

I have no good excuse for loving these things. It’s the kind of ultra-processed snack I avoid 99% of the time. But I was raised to waste nothing, so after we get home from wherever we went, I don’t want to just throw the remains away. The leftover candy might go into Les’s lunchbox during the work week, but in the case of pretzels, chips or crackers, I can almost always crush them up and use them to coat a piece of fish or chicken.

The pretzel bits got so crunchy in the oven, and these flavors worked great with salmon!

The balance of sweet honey, salty pretzel and savory mustard works really well on salmon fillets, and it’s easy to prep this and pop it into the oven while you steam or pan fry a side vegetable. In past times, I’d simply brush a little bit of mayonnaise onto the fish before pressing it into the pretzel crumbs, but I’ve invested some time this past year learning new culinary techniques. I’ve made no secret of my crush on Kenji López-Alt for the scientific approach he takes in the kitchen, and his technique that I call the “miraculous mayo marinade” has become one of my go-tos.

This mayo trick has taken some of my go-to recipes to a new level!

A tiny bit of baking soda added to a seasoned mayonnaise mixture creates a chemical reaction that delivers more flavor into the protein you coat with it, and also helps to keep the protein (in this case, salmon) super moist and juicy after cooking. I used this simple chemistry trick to infuse my skinless salmon fillets with fresh garlic and dill, then I pressed both sides of the salmon into the crushed remains of the honey-mustard and onion pretzels. 

Keep the crumbs a little bit chunky for terrific texture from the oven.

About 20 minutes in the oven, and the salmon emerged with a golden, crunchy coating and moist, juicy interior. The fresh dill in the marinade was a perfect complement to the tangy mustard in the pretzels, and the flavor was so tantalizing, it may be tough for me to wait until our next road trip to make it again!

Honey-Mustard & Onion Pretzel Crusted Salmon

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
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This recipe is very simple, and makes the best use of the crumbs at the bottom of a snack food bag. If you don't have these pretzels, try it with tortilla or potato chips!


Ingredients

  • 2 portioned fillets of salmon, skin removed
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic, grated on microplane
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/8 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 cup honey-mustard and onion pretzel pieces

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F, with oven rack in center position. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner.
  2. Combine mayo, garlic, dill, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add baking soda and stir for a few seconds to ensure it’s evenly distributed in the marinade.
  3. When the mayo mixture appears frothy and bubbly, spread it evenly over both sides of the salmon, and let the salmon rest for about 20 minutes.
  4. Place pretzel pieces inside a paper bag or between layers of parchment. Use a rolling pin to gently crush the pieces into smaller pieces, but not to the point of powder. Spread the crumbs out onto a plate or the parchment. Press the salmon into the crumbs on both sides.
  5. Arrange salmon fillets onto lined baking sheet. Scatter any leftover crumbs onto the salmon pieces and gently press to adhere.
  6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on size and thickness of salmon fillets.

Queso Fundido Potato Skins

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Ah, Spring! It’s difficult to narrow down what’s best about this time of year— is it the warming temperatures and longer days? The cheerful daffodils that are already in full bloom in the beds in front of our house? I am already envisioning donning my garden gloves and putting down soil for this year’s garden. Easter will be here before we know it, and that’s always a sign of a fresh start. It’s all so exhilarating!

But the thing that everyone around these parts is excited about has nothing to do with weather, flowers or new beginnings. Nope— this month, it’s all about March Madness, baby!

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

Many years ago, in what seems like a different lifetime, I worked in the main branch of a large, North Carolina-based bank. The “madness” that I witnessed included executives from the bank clearing their calendars so that they could stand in the lobby of the bank, focused on portable TVs that someone had plugged in right there along the teller line (this was all before the internet and smartphones, of course). Customers who came in to do their routine banking would stop for a few minutes, enjoy snacks that the bank staff brought in for a potluck table, and watch some of the games. Someone kept up with the brackets, to report to visitors which teams had advanced to the next rounds. 

Weird, I thought, for all of this to occur in a business setting on a weekday— but I was the newcomer who had not yet learned that North Carolina has five key religions— Southern Baptist, Methodist, NASCAR, pulled pork barbecue and ACC hoops.

Thirty five years later, It no longer seems weird to me to see people interrupt business as usual to watch a basketball game in the middle of their workday. During my years in radio, I even sat courtside for a couple of those games and it is indeed a thrill. We have plenty of that excitement around here this week, too, as the rivalries intensify at the ACC Tournament, happening right now in nearby Greensboro.

If you need a hearty snack for your own March Madness viewing, consider it done with these zesty Mexican-inspired potato skins, with all the flavors of queso dip inside a split-and-scooped baby russet potato. These little guys can be prepped in advance for the most part, then popped into the oven at the last minute so the toppings— chorizo, fire-roasted corn, queso dip and jalapeño—all melt together in a melty, gooey self-contained snack that’s easy to eat while you’re watching the games. These skins would have really wowed the gang at the bank!

The first step in making them, of course, is prepping and baking the russet potatoes. I chose smallish ones for this recipe so the skins would be better suited to game day snacking. My secret trick with any baked potato recipe is the brine. Yes, I soak my scrubbed potatoes in heavily salted water before baking, and it ensures a crunchy, flavorful skin that is just as tasty as the fillings you put in them. The brining step only takes about half an hour, and the outcome is well worth it. I browned up the chorizo in cast iron while the potatoes soaked, and kept the drippings in the skillet.

When the spuds were cool enough to handle, I split them in half and scooped out some of the filling, keeping enough to hold the fillings without leaking. You can do whatever you like with the scooped out part; I added them to the current batch of homemade food for Nilla. To give the skins a bit of extra flavor, I fried them briefly (face-down) in the chorizo drippings, just long enough to get those edges crispy. From there, it was just a matter of filling them up with shredded cheese, queso, corn, chorizo and jalapeno.

A second trip through the oven melted all the tasty fillings together, and I finished them with a quick scatter of sliced scallions.

Queso Fundido Potato Skins

  • Servings: 16 skins
  • Difficulty: Average
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This is a fun game day snack that puts a Mexican queso dip twist on classic potato skins.


Ingredients

  • 8 smallish russet potatoes, scrubbed
  • Hot, but not necessarily boiling, water
  • 1 Tbsp. kosher salt (for brining the potatoes)
  • 6 oz. fresh Mexican chorizo sausage* (see notes)
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil, if needed
  • 1/2 container Land o Lakes queso dip*, cold from fridge
  • 1/2 cup fire roasted sweet corn
  • 1/2 cup Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese, shredded
  • 16 pickled jalapeno slices
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (optional), for serving

*Notes: This recipe uses the fresh, crumbly style of chorizo, not the hard Spanish variety. Our neighbor turned us on to the Land o Lakes queso dip, and we love it! If you don’t find it in your supermarket, substitute something similar from the fresh dairy case.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F, with oven rack in center position. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Place scrubbed potatoes in a large, heatproof bowl. Sprinkle kosher salt over the potatoes, then fill with enough hot water to cover the potatoes. Swish the water a bit to dissolve the salt. Let them soak for 30 minutes.
  3. Brown the chorizo in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Scoop the chorizo out into a separate bowl and keep the drippings in the pan.
  4. Dry potatoes with paper towels and arrange on the foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 35 minutes, until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out some of the soft potato, leaving about 1/4-inch around the edges and bottom. Use the excess potato in another recipe.
  5. Place the chorizo skillet back onto medium heat. If the drippings are skimpy in the pan, swirl in a little olive oil. When hot, place the scooped potato skins face down in the pan, to crisp up the exposed edges. Arrange the skins on the foil-lined pan and prepare to fill them.
  6. Divide about half of the shredded cheese among the skins and top each with a teaspoonful of the roasted corn. Transfer the queso cheese into a glass measuring cup and microwave about 20 seconds to loosen it up. Pour the queso over the filling in the skins, up to the edges. Top with chorizo, jalapeno slices and the remaining shredded cheese.
  7. Place skins back into the 400°F oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and skins are heated through. Sprinkle with sliced scallions and serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chunks

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Any child of the 70’s will likely remember the TV ad for Reese’s peanut butter cups, in which characters crashed into each other to accidentally merge their respective favorite treats. 

I could always relate to that kid eating his peanut butter straight from the jar, and I still do that today, though my preference for peanut butter has shifted toward the natural variety that contains only peanuts and salt. It’s true that chocolate and peanut butter are a natural pairing, but so are and peanut butter and banana— the King of Rock and Roll certainly knew this; word has it his favorite sandwich combined the two (and it is unexpectedly delicious).

So when I had to come up with a plan to use up the brown-speckled bananas that were taunting me from the counter, I figured there’d be no harm in putting all three flavors together, and wouldn’t you know, I came up with a winner!

This flavor combo was appreciated by my husband more than the last banana bread I made, with dark chocolate and ginger (Les is not a fan of the ginger), and we both found this one delicious for breakfast, dessert and afternoon snack. Les said it was especially tasty straight from the fridge, with a light smear of butter.

The only consideration I needed to make when adapting my usual banana bread recipe was how to adjust for the peanut butter. The sticky, dense texture of my natural-style peanut butter might make the batter heavy, I thought, so I inched forward just a bit on the Greek yogurt to compensate and add some moisture to the mix. A Jif or Skippy style would probably be easier, and would also make the bread sweeter. To ensure that my peanut butter blended evenly, I creamed it together with the sugar at the start of the recipe, then proceeded with beating in the eggs, mashed banana and yogurt. Finally, I blended in melted butter and then gently folded in the dry ingredients and the dark chocolate chunks.

I always hold back about a tablespoon of the sugar from the recipe to sprinkle over the top just before baking. I love the delicate, sparkly crunch it gives the finished loaf.

It’s two great tastes that taste great together— wait, it’s three! Every bite flaunts the peanut butter and banana flavors, and those pockets of chocolatey goodness make my taste buds very happy. Thank you, thank you very much.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chunks

  • Servings: About 10
  • Difficulty: Average
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If peanut butter and banana are good together, and peanut butter and chocolate, then why not combine all three? This banana bread is a winner!


Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup organic cane sugar, plus 1 Tablespoon for sprinkling before baking
  • 1/3 cup natural peanut butter (see ingredient notes)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe banana
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or large chips)

My natural peanut has only two ingredients, organic peanuts and salt. This type of peanut butter is stored in the fridge, very firm and not easily mixed with other ingredients. If your peanut butter contains palm oil and sugar, you may want to consider dialing back the amounts of butter and sugar ingredients to keep those flavors in check.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F, with oven rack in center position. Prepare a loaf pan by buttering or oil-spraying the bottom and sides.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
  3. Add sugar and peanut butter to a mixing bowl. Beat until evenly combined with no visible clumps of peanut butter. Beat in eggs.
  4. Smash the banana and blend it into the sugar-egg mixture. Take care not to obliterate the bananas; it’s nice to have a few visible chunks of it in the finished bread. Gently fold the melted butter into this mixture.
  5. Add the flour mixture, half at a time, and fold gently to incorporate the flour. Fold in the chocolate chunks, taking care not to overwork the batter.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Jiggle the pan slightly to even out the batter. Sprinkle the extra tablespoon of sugar all over the top.
  7. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (you may have to poke in a few spots, because there’s so much chocolate in the recipe).
  8. Cool banana bread in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let it cool completely before enjoying.

“Double Rainbow” Trout & Chard

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Regardless of one’s religious bent, the season of Lent presents plenty of opportunity to try new seafood dishes. For those abstaining from meat, a fresh idea on the dinner table can help prevent boredom with the same fish dishes over and over for 40 days. For everyone else, it’s simply a healthier meal option—never a bad idea, and especially when we are headed into Spring.

This nutritious, colorful dish has lots of flavor (and heat, if you want it), but is easy on effort, calories and budget. You can have it on the table in under half an hour, too!

Rainbow chard is one of nature’s superfoods, a leafy green packed with vitamin K (good for our bones), iron (for healthy blood cell production), antioxidants (to reduce inflammation) and manganese (for brain and nerve support). On top of the health benefits, chard is very versatile in the kitchen. It can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, sautéed or braised. You can add it to everything from soup to an omelet, or even use its leaves to wrap up other ingredients, the way you might use cabbage leaves. I braised it this time, and made it a bed for a crispy, pan-fried trout fillet.

I used the whole chard in this dish, but I separated and chopped the hard stems to give them a 5-minute head start in the pan. To save time chopping the leaves, I stacked and rolled them, and then sliced the roll like a giant chiffonade.

I love the vibrant color of rainbow chard!

The stems were sautéed in a bit of extra virgin olive oil along with a couple scallions (the only onions I had in the house that day), and then I lined up three of my favorite complementary flavors—coconut milk, spicy Asian Reds pepper flakes and ginger. One of my favorite freezer-section discoveries has been these little cubes of crushed ginger. I can never use up a whole root (even a small one), and these come in very handy.

This flavor combination puts an Asian-inspired twist on my double rainbow!

When the chard stems were tender, I added the leaves a handful at a time and cooked them until they wilted. My coconut milk had a ton of oil solids floating on top, so I scooped those out for another use* (see my note about this after the pictures)—and only the liquid went into the pot to braise the chard. After only a few minutes, the coconut milk softened up and absorbed some of the color from the chard stems. I love the way these ingredients merge together!

The colors of the chard stems may fade, but the flavor doesn’t!

*You may as well know, when I say that I set aside some portion of an ingredient “for another use,” it often means I put it into the refrigerator and flat out forget about it. I cannot count the times I have dug around in there, looking for something else, and realized that I missed the freshness deadline on some ingredient I was sure I’d use. If I’d had a can of “light” coconut milk, this would not have been an issue. The full-fat version of coconut milk tends to add a stronger coconut flavor (not what I was going for). Anyway—

I sprinkled the trout fillets with salt and pepper, and then gave them a flip in flour sprinkled with more of the Asian Reds pepper flakes. I fried them in a little oil until crispy and browned, and then plated the fish on top of the chard and spooned the lingering coconut milk over the top. If you don’t mind a few carbs alongside, this would be great with steamed rice.

Trout is a delicate fish that cooks very quickly.

So, I’ve called my dish “double rainbow” because the fish counter at my supermarket had labeled this trout as “rainbow trout,” though I didn’t notice any signature rainbow stripes on these fillets. Sometimes, I get the feeling my supermarket is fibbing a little bit, or maybe they don’t know the difference, or they think we don’t. The bottom line is that any trout will be fine for this dish, and of course, another delicate flaky fish could also be substituted.

But I went with it because who doesn’t love a double rainbow?

Double Rainbow Trout & Chard

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Rainbow trout + rainbow chard = A doubly delicious weeknight meal that is inexpensive, easy to prepare and packed with nutrition.


Ingredients

  • 1 small bunch rainbow chard
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (one for cooking greens and the other for frying trout)
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion (sweet, yellow, leek, shallot or scallion would all work)
  • Salt and pepper
  • A shake or two of crushed red pepper, to taste (I love the Asian Red blend from Flatiron Pepper Co.)
  • 1 tsp. finely minced ginger (or a shortcut, like the frozen cubes of ginger)
  • 1 cup coconut milk (the canned culinary variety, preferably “light”)
  • 2 fresh trout fillets
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for dusting the trout fillets)

Directions

  1. Cut out stems of the chard and chop into small pieces. Stack the leaves and roll up tightly like a cigar, and then slice into strips.
  2. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chard stems and onions, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for about five minutes, until slightly tender. Add chard leaves to the pan, along with red pepper and ginger. Cook a few minutes, until leaves are wilted.
  3. Add coconut milk, reduce heat and cover. Allow chard to braise about 15 minutes while you prepare the trout fillets.
  4. Pat fillets dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour onto a plate or paper towel, and add a few more shakes of red pepper flakes if you like spicy flavors. Press the flesh side of the fish down onto the flour to coat, and then shake off excess.
  5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, add the remaining oil and twirl the pan to coat. Place trout fillets, flesh side down, into the hot skillet and cook until fish is crispy and golden, about 4 minutes. Carefully turn fillets and cook the skin side for 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. Plate the braised greens and top with trout. Spoon extra coconut milk sauce over the top of fish and serve at once.

Sazerac

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I’ll admit it, I love a good, thoughtful cocktail. Back in the day— and I’m referring to the days I was barely old enough to drink, and then wasn’t, because legal age changed in New York State  during my young adult years— I would belly up to the bar and order something that my current self would recognize as disgusting. Something like an Alabama Slammer, which is a sickeningly sweet bar drink with one primary goal— getting you rip-roaring drunk in as short a time as possible. Bleh.

Today, my grown-up self wants a sipping drink, one that tells a story, and this story is set in New Orleans. The rest of the story’s details are, well, a little sketchy.

Meet the Sazerac. Official drink of New Orleans, and perfectly apropos for Mardi Gras!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Walk into any respectable cocktail bar in New Orleans, and you might learn that the Sazerac was originally crafted there in 1838 by an apothecary (old-fashioned term for pharmacist) named Antoine Peychaud. The tale might include reference to a concoction he stirred up for medicinal purposes (also my favorite excuse), using his favorite French cognac (Sazerac de Forge et fils) and his own tincture made from gentian bark and other botanicals. A bartender across town, however, might claim that the drink was created 20 years later in a New Orleans coffee house, and it included pre-rinsing the glass with absinthe, a French liqueur that was banned half a century later for being “hallucinogenic.” Yet another barkeep might tell you with great conviction that this drink is much older than both of those versions, with written recipes as far back as 1806.

The truth may lie somewhere in the middle— whatever that means— and if you want to get technical about it, the Sazerac only became the “official” cocktail of New Orleans on June 23, 2008. Thank God the internet was around by then, so we at least have record of that much! 

However the drink originated, the French-rooted Sazerac has been Americanized in several ways, and none of them bad. The cognac was eventually replaced with American rye whiskey, which brings a terrific spice to the cocktail. There is even a rye named Sazerac today, presumably so that it would be considered “official” for this cocktail. Peychaud’s bitters lend a vibrant red color and herbal flavors, and Herbsaint, an herbal liqueur that plays understudy to absinthe but actually is not as easy to find as modern-day absinthe, gives the drink an air of intoxicating mystery (as if it needs any more of that).

All these details make my head spin a little bit, and that brings me back to the Sazerac I’m sharing today for Mardi Gras. Having only been to New Orleans in my dreams (at least, so far), my experience of the Sazerac is limited to having enjoyed it in other places, and most recently in a swanky steakhouse bar in Virginia. I like that the Sazerac is strong, bold and definitely meant for sipping more than drinking. My only personal preference is for it to be a bit colder, given that it is typically not served on ice. For my version, I have chosen to marry the old Sazerac story with the new, by keeping a touch of French cognac in the background of spicy American rye whiskey. Peychaud’s bitters are easy to find wherever quality cocktail ingredients are sold, and I reverted back to absinthe for rinsing my glass. There’s a sugar cube involved, too, or you can sub in a bar spoon full of caster sugar or even simple syrup if you have it.

Whew. That’s a lot of information! Who’s ready for a cocktail??

The Peychaud’s bitters lend a rosy color to the Sazerac.

The first step is chilling down the double rocks glass that you’ll serve the drink in. A Sazerac traditionally is not served on rocks, so getting the glass cold is a must. Fill it with ice while you gather up the rest of your ingredients— rye, cognac (if you wish), Peychaud’s, a bit of sugar and absinthe. Muddle the sugar with bitters in a cocktail mixing glass. Add the rye (and cognac, if using) and stir to blend with the sugar-Peychaud’s mixture.

Mixing with ice is decidedly not traditional, but it suits my taste.

I like my drinks nice and cold, so I tossed some ice into the mixing glass for a few spins, though this is not traditional. I considered (for about one second) using an absinthe that my husband’s son, Alex, brought home from his travels in Europe, but this stuff is 184 proof and I feared that it might melt my liver. Whew, I had no idea something this strong even existed!

Those yesteryear claims of absinthe having hallucinogenic properties probably had more to do with the crazy high alcohol content. Rather than risk it, I went with a lesser proof absinthe that I picked up at our state-run liquor store. Same flavor— very potent, medicinal and licorice-like, almost like Formula 44 cough syrup, if you remember that stuff. Now, before you get grossed out at that reference and vow to never try a Sazerac, please consider that it’s a miniscule amount of absinthe that ends up in the cocktail because it is only used to rinse the glass before the mixed drink is poured into it. Nobody would drink Worcestershire sauce either, but a touch of it in a recipe makes a world of difference. I’m just saying.

Here’s how to do the rinse: empty the ice from the rocks glass and swirl about a tablespoon of absinthe into it— tip the glass every which way to ensure that it touches up the sides, and then empty it out. Strain the drink into the glass and garnish.

The lemon strip that usually accompanies the Sazerac is meant to entice rather than flavor, so don’t squeeze or drop it into the cocktail glass. I used a peeler to strip two thin pieces of lemon peel— one is strictly for expressing over the glass (and nobody would mind if you swiped it around the rim), and the other is trimmed and slit so it can be perched like a flame on the edge of the glass.

Fancy flame not required. You can garnish the drink with a straight lemon peel, just don’t drop it into the glass.

Sazerac

  • Servings: 1 serious cocktail
  • Difficulty: Big Easy
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Though its exact origin is still the subject of heated debate, this strong drink is undisputedly the official cocktail of New Orleans. Enjoy one for Mardi Gras!


Ingredients

  • 2 oz. rye whiskey (or bourbon, if you prefer a softer drink)
  • 1/2 oz. French cognac
  • 1 sugar cube (or 1 tsp. superfine sugar or 2 tsp. simple syrup)
  • 3 generous dashes Peychaud’s bitters
  • 1/4 oz. absinthe (for glass rinse)
  • 1 wide strip lemon peel for garnish

Directions

  1. Chill double rocks glass with ice, or place in freezer.
  2. Drop sugar cube into mixing glass. Add bitters and use a muddler to crush and dissolve the sugar.
  3. Add rye whiskey and cognac to mixing glass and stir to combine.
  4. Empty ice from cocktail glass. Pour absinthe into glass and swirl it around to rinse the inside. Pour out excess absinthe.
  5. Pour cocktail into chilled, rinsed glass. Express lemon peel over the top of the drink, but do not drop it into the glass. Rest it on top edge of the glass, or create a “flame” by trimming the ragged sides of the peel and cutting a long slit into the middle of it. Position the lemon flame onto the edge of the glass.

Bacon & Bourbon Waffles

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The countdown to Easter will begin next week, and for many people who follow religious tradition, that means giving things up for Lent. I don’t participate in the observance of Lent myself, but I always know that it’s coming because all the fast-food chains start advertising their fish sandwich options again. When Ash Wednesday arrives, those who do observe will “fast” until Easter from any number of things— whether food, habit or activity— to mirror the fasting and spiritual introspection that the Bible says Jesus modeled during the 40 days he wandered in the wilderness before his trial and crucifixion.

But before that period of fasting and self-restraint, we eat and we party! 

According to this article on Food52, the old-time religious faithful observing Lent would spend the day ahead (which they called Shrove Tuesday) ridding their homes of luxury ingredients such as eggs, sugar, butter and milk, so they wouldn’t give in to temptation during those 40 days of self-deprivation. It just so happens that pancakes are an easy way to use up all of those tempting ingredients, and the tradition of eating pancakes the night before Lent was born. 

This tradition of indulging the day before Ash Wednesday is also evident with the festivities of Mardi Gras, which translates literally from French to “Fat Tuesday.” Is there a better way to observe a day called Fat Tuesday than chowing down on thick, fluffy pancakes, drenched in butter and sweet syrup? Possibly. If you want to shake things up this year, either for Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, ditch the plain old pancakes and whip up a batch of bacon and bourbon waffles instead.

These are darn near sinful!

My waffles have crispy bacon and smoky, maple-infused bourbon— on the inside and the outside. This meal feels perfectly appropriate for Mardi Gras, in the spirit of indulgence and with a whisper of New Orleans— bourbon whiskey, after all, was likely named after the same French ruling family that gave Bourbon Street its name. I put a tablespoon of my smoked maple bourbon right into the batter of my waffles, and kissed the syrup with a splash of it as well. If you can’t get your hands on this bourbon, any quality bourbon will work fine. But for the syrup, you owe it to yourself to use real maple. For waffles this indulgent, supermarket syrup just won’t do.

The smoked maple bourbon is exquisite, and does fine things for cocktails, too!

The waffles make use of my sourdough discard, and the batter includes a bit of cornmeal, for texture but also as a friendly nod to the corn in the mash bill of the bourbon. Start building the batter overnight if you’ll be enjoying the waffles for breakfast (hey, if you’re down with a splash of bourbon at breakfast, you are definitely my kinda people), or in the morning if you want them for Fat Tuesday dinner. Stir together the flour, cornmeal, buttermilk and sourdough starter, then cover it and leave it on the counter til you’re ready to waffle.

If you don’t have sourdough starter, try adding the bacon and bourbon to your favorite waffle recipe.
It’s about the flavors, not the ingredients!

When it’s time to eat, cook up some bacon pieces until they’re crispy, and add the drippings to the melted butter that will be mixed into the batter. We use uncured bacon at our house, and I love the natural flavor. The smoky bacon emphasizes the smoked maple flavors in the bourbon as well, and it’s a nice offset to all the sweetness that hits you in the syrup.

The bacon drippings lend another layer of savory smokiness to the waffles.

Get the waffle iron going, and then mix the rest of the ingredients into the batter. Whisk the butter into the beaten egg, then half of the bourbon. Sprinkle the salt and baking soda over the bubbly overnight batter, then stir in the egg mixture and fold in about half of the crispy bacon bits. Within a couple of minutes, the batter will expand as the soda interacts with the acidic buttermilk. This chemical reaction is what gives the waffles their loft and fluff.

Finish building the batter, and then you’re ready to waffle!

When the waffle iron is hot, add the batter and close the lid. Depending on your model and baking temperature, it may take 5 to 8 minutes for your waffles to be ready. Resist the urge to open the iron before the indicator light comes on, and feel free to give them an extra minute if you prefer your waffles more golden.

Sourdough waffles work great in either a Belgian waffle maker, or a standard one, as I’ve used here.

If you’re making a large batch of waffles, you can keep the first ones warm by placing them on a rack over a baking sheet, inside a 250 F oven. While mine were baking, I warmed up real maple syrup with the remaining tablespoon of bourbon and a pat of butter. Plate the waffles with a quick scatter of the remaining crispy bacon and the syrup.

Melting the butter into the syrup eliminates a step at serving time.

Bacon & Bourbon Waffles

  • Servings: About 4
  • Difficulty: Average
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Ditch the boring pancakes and shake up Shrove Tuesday with these sourdough waffles, accented with bacon and bourbon from the inside out!


Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (85g)
  • 1/4 cup medium grind cornmeal (40g)
  • 1 cup cultured buttermilk (227g)
  • 1/3 cup sourdough starter (75g; discard is fine)
  • 2 tsp. maple (or granulated) sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3 Tbsp. salted butter, melted and cooled (or swap in some of the bacon drippings for extra bacon flavor)
  • 5 slices uncured smoked bacon, cut into pieces and cooked until crispy (use half in the batter and reserve the rest for topping the waffles)
  • 2/3 cup real maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. Knob Creek smoked maple bourbon, divided (use half in the batter and half in the syrup for serving)

I made these waffles using a standard, non-stick waffle maker and they were delicious. I expect that a Belgian waffle maker would produce a lighter, crispier waffle. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions regarding oiling the plates, temperature and baking time.

Directions

  1. The night before, combine flour, cornmeal, sourdough starter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir it well to ensure no pockets of dry ingredients. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight (about 8 hours).
  2. When you’re ready to make the waffles, prep the bacon and set up the waffle iron to preheat. Set oven to 250 F and place a rack inside a baking sheet for keeping waffles warm. Take the egg out of the fridge to bring to room temperature.
  3. Whisk the melted butter into the egg. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the bourbon.
  4. Sprinkle the salt and baking soda over the overnight starter, which should be nice and bubbly. Pour the egg mixture into the batter and stir vigorously but briefly to get the chemical reaction started. Fold in half of the crispy bacon pieces. Let the batter rest until the waffle maker is fully preheated.
  5. Pour batter into waffle iron and close the lid. Avoid the temptation to lift the lid until your waffle iron indicator says it’s time. Keep waffles warm in oven while you prepare the next batch.
  6. Combine maple syrup and remaining bourbon in a small saucepan and heat until warm. If desired, melt a teaspoon or two of salted butter into the syrup.
  7. Scatter remaining crispy bacon over finished waffles and drizzle maple bourbon syrup over for serving.

My Chicken Marsala

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My husband doesn’t ask for much. We have a terrific give-and-take kind of relationship, and I love that when I’ve had a hectic day, or don’t feel in the mood to prep a meal, he happily steps up to the plate, either by grabbing some takeout on his way home, dragging me out to a restaurant, or sometimes taking a turn at the stove himself. And he’s a really good cook, too—one of many things that kept me around in our earliest days together. I couldn’t be with someone who doesn’t enjoy the simple pleasures of food.

So when Les asked me recently to put chicken Marsala back into the meal rotation, I took it to heart. The “rotation” is a running joke at our house—it takes a while for most dishes to cycle back around. I attribute this in part to my having worked 15 years as a deejay at a Top 40 radio station, where every single day was a rearrangement of the same songs I played the day before. We referred to our playlist as a “rotation,” and that’s exactly what it was—‘round and ‘round, over and over. If you think it gets old to hear the same songs every day, well, imagine having to play them! I crave variety, and most of the time, my cooking style is more like a big stack of one-hit wonders than a greatest hits album. Some dishes never get another play in my kitchen, and when they do, they often appear with changes or twists, almost like a “cover” of the original.

I couldn’t distinctly remember the last time I had made chicken Marsala for Les, so I was happy to revisit this dish. It deserves a spot in the Sunday Supper category, not because it requires extra time or a ton of effort (it doesn’t), but because there is a specialness about it that comes from the gentle mushroom gravy that envelops the tender, pan-fried chicken cutlets.

I’m happy to play my hubby’s request!

I went off-script a bit with this Italian classic, beginning with the flour coating. Rather than using plain all-purpose flour to dredge the cutlets, I mixed it half and half with semolina flour—the same kind I use when I shape my pizza dough. My reason for this is that all-purpose flour on its own tends to get soaked by the natural moisture in fresh meat, and that can give it a somewhat gummy texture after frying. Semolina remains drier and creates more of a natural barrier to the hot oil in the pan. I was pleased with the result of this substitution and will likely use all semolina next time this golden oldie comes up in “the rotation.”

Purchase thin cutlets or pound between sheets of parchment to 1/4 inch thickness.
I seasoned my 50/50 flour mixture with salt, pepper and onion powder.
The semolina felt drier than regular flour alone, and created a better barrier to the moisture.
Rest the dredged cutlets on a plate while you heat the oil.

Which kind of Marsala is correct for this dish? Depends on who you ask, as some cooks like the sweet version. Marsala is a fortified Italian wine with warm, gentle flavors of dried fruit and it is frequently paired with chicken and veal. Even the dry version has subtle sweetness, almost like a touch of honey. “Sweet” is not my favorite genre in an entrée course, unless it is balanced with hot, salty or sour—say, Asian food or barbecue sauce. So I found a lovely, dry Marsala in a wine shop rather than the grocery store (which only carries the cheapest bottles). This was an excellent choice and it’s a good quality Marsala that I plan to use again soon—maybe as a sipper with a plate of cured meats, dried figs and salted almonds. Am I teasing an upcoming record in my next quarter hour? 😉

I’m looking forward to enjoying this again!

My other twists on the classic preparation were shortcuts—If time had not been an issue, I would have slow-simmered some chicken parts to make my own rich stock, but I was a bit rushed, so I used a store-bought stock. I definitely recommend stock over broth, because the result is richer and more flavorful. My other shortcut helped me save time on slicing all those plump mushrooms. I needed a whole carton of mushrooms sliced into perfect, ¼-inch slices, so I dug out my trusty egg slicer. It’s the simplest way to make quick work of this part of my recipe.

I’m not partial to this brand, but stock is definitely the way to go.
My sturdy, metal egg slicer is also great for strawberries!
I had my entire carton sliced in under a minute!

Ready to get cooking?

Pan fry the floured cutlets in a little olive oil, just until golden on both sides, then transfer them to a plate. Brown the mushrooms in a touch more oil, then add garlic and splash in the Marsala—watch out for the steam! Whisk the pan to release the stuck-on bits, then add stock and let it come back up to a gentle boil.

Return the chicken cutlets to the skillet, turning to coat them lightly in the Marsala sauce. Cover the pan and turn it down to low heat to simmer. I used this 25-minute simmering time to prep my side veggies—a quick, pan-fried and then steamed broccolini with garlic and red pepper flakes. This vegetable can be hard to find (or easy to miss) in the supermarket, but it’s worth a look as a great alternative for people who don’t enjoy the bitterness of broccoli. Count my hubby among them!

When you’re ready to serve, plate the chicken cutlets and veggies and then, off the heat, quickly whisk in cold butter—one teaspoon pat at a time—into the mushroom sauce. This method creates a silky, emulsified sauce. Spoon the mushroom sauce over the cutlets, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and this dinner is a certified hit!

You can see the sauce getting richer with each teaspoon of butter. A sprinkle of parsley is a nice finishing touch.

My Chicken Marsala

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Average
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I have taken a few liberties with this Italian classic, which is both elegant and easy. If you are feeling extra fancy, swap the chicken for veal cutlets.


Ingredients

  • 2 large boneless chicken breasts, split into cutlets and pounded thin
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup semolina flour
  • Salt and pepper (to season the flour mixture)
  • 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (most for chicken, remaining for mushrooms)
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 10 oz. cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup dry Marsala (preferably not “cooking wine”)
  • 1/2 cup rich chicken stock
  • 1 Tbsp. cold salted butter, cut into three pats (keep cold until the end)
  • Chopped Italian parsley, to garnish

Directions

  1. Combine flours, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge cutlets in the dry mixture and set aside on a plate.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet (if you have one that is not non-stick, that’s best) over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, arrange the cutlets in the pan and cook just until golden on each side, about three minutes each side. Transfer cutlets to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
  3. Add remaining oil to the skillet and saute the shallots until softened. Add the mushrooms, half at first then the rest. Avoid overloading the skillet as this will cause the mushrooms to steam in their own moisture. When the mushrooms are sufficiently browned and excess moisture has cooked off the pan, stir in the garlic.
  4. Add the Marsala wine all at once. This will probably create a big cloud of steam! Use a whisk or utensil to loosen any browned bits in the skillet. Stir in the chicken stock and bring the mixture back up to a slight boil.
  5. Return cutlets to the skillet, reduce heat and cover. Allow the chicken to simmer for 25-40 minutes, depending on what else you have going on. The longer it simmers, the more moisture will reduce, so check on it periodically and add a splash of stock if needed. Turn the cutlets once during simmering as well.
  6. Transfer the tender cutlets to serving plates. Swirl in cold butter, one teaspoon pat at a time. This will blend with the pan juices to create a thickened, luxurious sauce. Immediately spoon over cutlets. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired, and serve at once.

This dish is terrific on its own with a vegetable or salad, or you can place the cutlets on top of polenta, risotto, mashed potatoes, rice or buttered pasta.

Handmade Beet Ravioli Hearts 💕

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I’m so glad I didn’t give up on homemade pasta. My first few attempts were equal parts disaster and comedy, as I naively believed it might be as simple as TV chefs made it seem. Don’t get me wrong, it is not difficult to make fresh pasta dough. But unless or until you are a pro with many years experience doing it, I do not recommend the method some of those chefs follow— building up a mountain of flour on a counter and then using your hands to mix in the eggs that are cracked right into the top of the pile. The likely outcome is a big mess, and I am definitely speaking from experience.

Those early failures prompted me to suspend my efforts, and I didn’t have the gumption to try again for a few years, until after I’d purchased my first stand mixer. Let me tell you, a high-sided mixing bowl and the squiggly dough hook attachment make far easier, cleaner work of homemade pasta dough. I was still rolling it out by hand with a wooden rolling pin, which is perfectly acceptable, but when I found my hand-crank pasta machine, I was on my way to making sheets of pasta for homemade linguine and fettuccine. Fast forward another year, and I picked up a three-tray set of ravioli molds, finding my way to all varieties of sweet little pillow pastas, including the handmade spinach ricotta ravioli I shared in another post.

One day, I hope to improve my technique for hand-shaping some of the special pasta, like oricchiette and casarecce. Practice makes perfect, right? There is so much to learn in the world of handmade pasta, and my most recent obsession has been adding big flavor and color to pasta dough through the addition of pureed vegetables and other natural ingredients. This book, Pasta, Pretty Please, by Linda Miller Nicholson has inspired me to try fun new combinations, including beet-infused pasta dough, which is featured in the top left of this color chart in Linda’s book.

How long will it take me to make all these pasta colors?

You can see that my pasta dough, which was made with roasted beets, has a soft pink color— not the bright magenta hue that Linda makes. I realized too late that Linda uses frozen pureed beets for her pretty pasta. I love that vibrant color she achieves, but you know what? My soft pink, heart-shaped pasta is still perfectly appropriate for Valentine’s Day, and the beets in the dough are good for cardiovascular health, so there’s that. You hardly taste the flavor of the beets, but the nutritional benefit is still in there.

The beets and egg whites are pureed and added to the flour mixture.

This pasta would be lovely as fettuccine, farfalle or linguine, but I whipped up a quick filling and turned it into ravioli. The filling is a simple, lemon zest-scented ricotta mixture, and to keep the pasta front and center, I topped the ravioli with a simple, browned butter walnut sauce and a last-minute sprinkle of our beloved parm-romano blend.

You don’t need a heart-shaped ravioli cutter. These would be just as good as simple squares!

If you have ever dreamed about making your own pasta at home, my advice is simple— start doing it! You may not get it perfect the first time, and that’s OK. This is one of the most rewarding kitchen adventures and once you get the feel for it, you’ll surprise yourself with the creative ideas that come to you. Every once in a while, you may also get a good laugh, as I did when I realized while rolling this dough that it looked weirdly familiar to me, and not necessarily in a good way. 😂

OMG, It looks like a tongue!

Thank goodness, it turned out delicious! If you’re interested in purchasing Linda Miller Nicholson’s book, which is filled with instruction for making every color and shape of pasta you could possibly imagine, search for it on Amazon or check at Barnes & Noble.

Handmade Beet Ravioli Hearts

  • Servings: About 4
  • Difficulty: Intermediate
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Roasted beets bring a sweetheart color to my homemade pasta. If you've ever wanted to make your own pasta, I hope this inspires you!


Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup fine durum (semolina) flour
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 4 small beets, roasted and peeled
  • 2 egg whites at room temperature

Directions

  1. Combine flours, salt and onion powder in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Place beets and egg whites in the small insert bowl of a food processor and blend until pureed. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup. Add water if necessary to measure 3/4 cup.
  3. Pour beet-egg liquid into flour ingredients. Use the dough hook attachment of the stand mixer to blend the liquid into the dry ingredients. Dough should be somewhat shaggy and not quite sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured countertop and knead by hand for about 5 minutes until it’s smooth and supple. Shape it into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Let it rest at least 30 minutes.
  4. Roll pasta dough by hand or through pasta machine to thickness about 1/16-inch. If making ravioli, proceed with filling as described below. This pasta dough would also make beautiful fettuccine.

If you’re making ravioli, I’ve included ingredients below for the filling and browned butter-walnut sauce. It’s easy to make the filling ahead. The sauce should be made just before serving.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup full-fat ricotta, strained to drain off excess moisture
  • Zest of one organic lemon
  • 1/4 cup grated Parm-romano blend (or Parmesan)

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. salted butter
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted until fragrant
  • A few leaves of fresh thyme
  • About 2 Tbsp. Parm-Romano blend, for serving

Directions

  1. Combine all ravioli filling ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to fill pasta.
  2. Lay one sheet of pasta dough on a floured counter. At evenly spaced intervals, place a dollop of ricotta mixture. Using a thin pastry brush or your fingertip, moisten the dough around the ricotta with cold water. Place a second sheet over the sheet with ricotta filling. Gently close the pockets of filling, pushing out as much extra air as possible. Use a pasta cutter or stamp to separate raviolis. Place on a semolina-dusted sheet until ready to cook.
  3. In a small skillet, heat butter until melted and bubbly. Add walnuts and toss to coat. Continue cooking until butter is browned and very fragrant. Add thyme leaves and remove from heat.

Bring a pot of water to boil and season with a tablespoon of kosher salt. Cook pasta gently for about 4 minutes. If making ravioli, reduce heat somewhat and turn pasta carefully to avoid breaking the pillows. Top pasta with butter-walnut sauce and sprinkle with Parm-Romano blend cheese. Serve immediately.

Jalapeño Popper Pizza

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Most pizza lovers would agree that there’s never a bad day for pizza. But someone somewhere decided that February 9th should be “National Pizza Day,” and I am here for it with a pizza that is not only delicious, but also especially appropriate for snacking during Sunday’s Super Bowl, er, “Big Game!”

Everything you love about a jalapeno popper, on a pizza!

This pizza, which is built on my go-to homemade sourdough crust, is a fun interpretation of the classic jalapeño popper, which is usually a hot pepper, stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar, then wrapped in bacon and baked.

What are they feeding these peppers?!
Cook the bacon to not-quite-crisp.
Cook the jalapeno chunks until blistered.
My pimento cheese includes roasted poblanos!

We focused on those same ingredients, spread them out onto a pizza crust and turned it into a delicious slice. Two game day favorites, one tasty bite!

Arrange the ingredients so that every slice has all the flavors!

If you aren’t into making your own pizza dough, choose a store-bought dough from the deli department, preferably one that is about 11 ounces, and shape it by hand into a 14-inch round. There’s no sauce on this pizza—it doesn’t need it. Only mozzarella on the base, but also multiple cheeses in a homemade pimento cheese mixture (don’t worry, I’ll share that recipe, too), thumb-size pieces of smoky, salty bacon and fat chunks of fresh jalapeño, which I blistered in the same skillet I used to par-cook the bacon. You know what else would’ve been great on this pizza? Sautéed onions. Next time!

It’s worth the effort to shape your pizza dough by hand rather than rolling it out.

The pizza is surprisingly not all that spicy, despite having those two enormous jalapeños scattered all over it. If you desire more heat, keep some of the seeds on the jalapeños or consider adding some crushed pepper flakes at the table. Personally, we thought the pizza was just right.

The pizza steel has been a total game changer for our home pizzas. I highly recommend it!

We bake all our pizzas on a thick pizza steel, preheated for an hour at 550°F, the hottest our home oven will go. At this temperature, and with the steel, the pizza takes only 6 minutes to achieve blistered, bubbly perfection. If you’re using a stone or a pan, adjust temperature and baking time accordingly.

Jalapeño Popper Pizza

  • Servings: 6 to 8 slices
  • Difficulty: Average
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All the flavors you love in a jalapeño popper, tossed onto a homemade pizza dough. It's two game day favorites in one delicious bite!


Ingredients

  • 1 ball pizza dough, at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup low moisture mozzarella, shredded
  • 2 large jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 4 slices thick smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup pimento cheese (see recipe notes about this)
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

Use a sturdy pimento cheese that does not have a lot of mayonnaise. If it drips or slides off a spoon, it is too runny for this recipe. Look for an artisan brand or make my Roasted Poblano Pimento Cheese for this recipe.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 550 F, with a pizza steel on the oven rack about 8 inches from top heat element. From the time the oven reaches 550, set a timer for one hour. If using a pizza stone or pan, adjust heat and baking time accordingly.
  2. Cook bacon over medium heat in a cast iron skillet, until most of the fat has rendered but the bacon is just shy of crispy. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Drain off excess grease.
  3. In the same skillet, toss jalapeño chunks until they are slightly softened and the skins are somewhat blistered. Transfer to the same plate as the bacon.
  4. Shape pizza dough by hand into a 14-inch round and transfer it to a floured, cornmeal-dusted pizza peel. Drizzle or brush olive oil onto the crust, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  5. Scatter mozzarella all over dough, then arrange the jalapeño and bacon pieces. Place small dollops of pimento cheese onto the pizza, so that every bite will have a little bit of every flavor. Sprinkle minced garlic onto the pizza.
  6. Slide the pizza from the peel onto the pizza steel and bake for about 6 minutes, until crust is blistered and golden and the cheeses are melted and bubbling. Serve at once.

Roasted Poblano Pimento Cheese

  • Servings: About 10
  • Difficulty: Average
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The joy of making your own pimento cheese is that you can spike it with any flavor you like! Here, I've used oven-roasted poblano chiles to complement the tangy pimentos.


Ingredients

  • 2 medium poblano peppers, cut in half and seeded
  • Olive oil spray (or 1 tsp. olive oil)
  • 3 oz. cream cheese or neufchâtel, softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
  • A dash or two of hot sauce, to taste
  • A few quick shakes onion powder or garlic powder (about 1/2 tsp. total)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. drained jarred pimentos
  • 3 packed cups shredded or grated cheese (see recipe notes)

For best results, mix all the ingredients and adjust seasoning before blending in the cheese. Purchase whole blocks of cheese and shred it yourself, as the bagged varieties have a coating to prevent sticking and they won’t blend as well. Several varieties of cheese work great in pimento cheese, and I used a mix of Monterey Jack, American, Colby jack and extra sharp cheddar.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven on low broil setting. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (not parchment) and use the heel of your hand to press and break the poblano halves until they’re flat. Arrange them, skin side-up, on the foil. Brush or spray them with oil, and then broil until the skins are blistered and peppers are softened (about 10 minutes). Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover for 20 minutes until they’re cool enough to handle. Peel as much of the skin from the peppers as possible and then chop fine.
  2. In a fairly large bowl (you’ll need plenty of room to stir), blend together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and onion powder. Mix until smooth. Stir in pimentos and chopped poblanos. Season to taste with salt and pepper, perhaps a bit saltier than you like because the cheese will dull those flavors somewhat.
  3. Stir in the shredded cheese, one cup at a time, blending really well each time until all cheese is mixed in. Cover and refrigerate a day for best flavor.