Mozzarella Caprese

Alex introduced me to this delicious salad a few years ago, and it has quickly become one of my favourites! It is by far the easiest salad I have ever made, but has that 'exotic' touch that impresses people when you serve it!
I made this particular recipe with Pearl Bocconcini (small round pearls of fresh mozzarella) and sweet cherry tomatoes, but it is traditionally served with large pieces of fresh mozzarella and large vine ripened tomatoes. Either way, it tastes Delizioso!

Mozzarella Caprese
(individual serving)

1/2 cup sweet cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup Pearl Bocconcini
3 TBSP sliced fresh basil
1 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half, slice up the fresh basil, and combine the ingredients in a small bowl, stir to incorporate. Serve.
Enjoy!
(yep, that's all there is to it!)

Asiago-Garlic Panko Crusted Salmon

Lately I have been so busy finishing up school work for the year, I have not had time to cook any good or healthy meals for myself. I can sure tell the difference in how I feel when all I eat is fast food - lethargic, heavy, just plain 'yucky'. Now that school is over, I have no more excuses, it's time to get back on the healthy and home-cooked food wagon!

Tonight's recipe I have never made before but I must say it turned out quite well, and I will definitely make this one again! I got the idea for this recipe somewhere online, but I changed a few things so it is my own recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Asiago-Garlic Panko Crusted Salmon

1 salmon fillet
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1/4 cup shredded fresh Asiago cheese
1 TBSP + 1 tsp olive oil
1 TBSP chopped fresh garlic
1/2 fresh lemon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

For the Panko crust, put crumbs, cheese, garlic, 1 TBSP of the oil and salt and pepper in a bowl and stir until mixed well. Put the salmon fillet on an oven safe dish and spread the remaining 1 tsp of oil over it. Top the salmon with the crust and squeeze the fresh lemon all ove the top of the crust.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Oven-Roasted Blue Cheese Tenderloin

Living in, what I consider at least to be, one of the coldest, wintery-est cities in all of Canada, I have come to realize I need to get creative if I want steak between the months of November and April! Over this past winter I figured I would try roasting steak in the oven at a very high temperature, trying to mimic that of the BBQ, because I find that frying steak gives it a wierd flavour, like burnt oil or something, yuck! Well, let me tell you, as much as I love BBQ, I have never had a better home-cooked steak than the one I did in my oven! That, I realize, is a bold statement, so I better be able to back it up with a good recipe!
If you try this recipe, you won't regret it!

Oven-Roasted Tenderloin 

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Rub a little olive oil over the steak and sprinkle with your favourite steak seasoning. I have a new favourite, Roasted Garlic and Peppers by Clubhouse. It almost seems to melt and form a bit of a crust on the steak, and it's mild, buttery flavour works SO WELL with the meat! I use quite a bit of the spice, maybe 2 TBSP for 1 steak.
After you've seasoned your steak, place it on a wire rack over a pan (to catch the drippings). Put in the pre-heated oven, and flip it every 5 minutes, cooking until it is as done as you like it. I prefer my steak medium (cooked all the way through, but still pink and juicy), so I cook it for about 20 minutes, you can base your timing on this I guess depending if you like it rareer or more well done.

I love blue cheese on my steak, and I prefer Rosenborg blue cheese slices over having to cut off crumbly bits off a large chuck of blue cheese (I buy this at Safeway). When your steak is done, turn on the broiler to high, put the oven rack to the top level, put the cheese on the steak and put under the broiler. Don't close the oven door when you are broiling, and stay right there watching it or else it will burn. Let it sit there until the cheese is just melting, this only takes a minute or two.

*Do not ever cut into your steak to see if it is done, this releases all the juices and your steak will be 'dry', get yourself a meat thermometer, they are cheap and well worth it!

Enjoy!

Braised Beef Shortribs

Braising is a good way to cook meat because it relies on time and moist heat to make it mouth-watering-fall-off-the-bone-tender. First, you sear the meat in a pan on high heat, with a little bit of high-heat oil, this seals in the juices, then you slow roast the meat at a low temperature for a few hours, and VOILA, the best ribs (or roast) you've ever had!

Beef Shortribs
For the ribs, I used a rub that Alex uses all the time on his ribs, it is too delicious to pass up! I used brown sugar in mine instead, his recipe calls for white sugar (hope he doesn't mind me sharing it with you!)

4 TBSP cumin
3 TBSP brown sugar
4 tsp salt
1 TBSP cracked black pepper
3 TBSP smoked paprika

Mix the spices in a large bowl, then after you sear the ribs and let them cool, coat them in the spice rub. I used my slow cooker (on low for 7 hours) for this recipe, but if you don't have one your oven is just as good. Put them in a small shallow dish that you can cover with foil, at 225 degrees for at least 6 hours. Use a shallow dish so the ribs can roast in their own juices as they cook. I basted the ribs once an hour with the juices.
Once you are ready to eat, spread your favourite BBQ sauce over them.
Enjoy!

Garlic & Caper Aioli Poached Salmon Sandwich

Like I said in the Sesame Salmon post, I love, love, love salmon and have quite a few recipes I am stockpiling to add to my blog! Today's salmon recipe is a poached salmon sandwich with homemade garlic and caper aioli. Aioli is a classic French garlic-mayo dressing.
This was pretty easy to make, and did not take long, about 15-20 minutes. I served mine with sweet potato fries. I only had Rye bread on hand, but this would have been a hundred times better if I had fresh ciabatta as it is a heartier, stronger bread (the rye bread I used fell apart quickly under the weight and moisture of the salmon).

Poached Salmon Sandwich

1 Salmon fillet
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP fresh minced garlic
salt and pepper
2 slices Ciabatta bread

Rinse salmon, pat dry and sprinkle with the olive oil and salt & and pepper.
In a small pan, add the lemon, wine, and garlic and bring to a simmering boil, add the salmon. Cook until it is as done as you like it. Set on the bread and cover in the aioli, top with your favourite toppings.

Garlic & Caper Aioli

1/4 cup light mayo
1 TBSP fresh minced garlic
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1-2 TBSP capers with juice (use more or less depending on how many capers you want, I love them so I used 2 TBSP)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.