Gluten-Free Pan Fried Catfish

Golden pan fried catfish fillet with crisp baby greens and brown rice.

One of the juicy, inspiring gifts of an empty nest is the big sky freedom to pull up roots and wander. And Darling, have we been wandering. We are gypsies. Moving six times since selling our family home back on Cape Cod five years ago, each time moving south, migrating west. Each time selling off more books, discarding the outworn. Until we reached the sea again.

After years of oceanic dreaming I finally call the beach my home.

I wake to the rhythmic crash of the waves. I open windows and fill the rooms with sea glass sunlight and salt air. My pillows and bedding smell like surf.

I can breathe here. I can paint here. I can cup my hands and carve the space to imagine new things.


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Portuguese Skillet Haddock Recipe

Portuguese Skillet Haddock is another extremely healthy dishes from the Old Farmer's Almanac Garden Fresh Cookbook. Most of the flavor in this dish comes from a simple combination of sautéed vegetables along with the traditional Portuguese ingredient, port wine. We prepared this dish with haddock but it would work well with other varieties of white fish.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. Madeira wine
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tspn dried basil
1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 tspn. dried tarragon
1/8 tspn. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 1/2 pounds haddock, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sliced, pitted black olives
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil and sauté the scallions, celery, mushrooms, and garlic for 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that the garlic doesn't turn brown.
   
2. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, wine, basil, tarragon, and pepper.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the fish, cover the pan, and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the black olives.
7. Serve over rice, garnished with chopped parsley.

Makes 5 servings.

Recipe courtesy of The Old Farmer's Almanac Garden-Fresh Cookbook.

Portugal

You Down with IACP? Yeah, You Know Me!

The travel craziness continues as I'm heading to Austin for the IACP 33rd Annual Conference. This year's theme is: "Light Your Fire: Sparks from the Culinary Edge." 

I'll be doing a session entitled, "DIY Video Production for Food Bloggers," and will be joined by the lovely and talented Sara, from Average Betty, and Daniel Klein, chef and traveling food documentarian from The Perennial Plate. By the way, if you think I travel a lot, check this guy out.

I'm pretty excited to be doing a little teaching, as that's the one thing I do miss most about working at a culinary academy. I love the thought that folks may actually leave the session and be so inspired that they start filming and uploading food videos to their own blogs. Then, in a few years, there will be so many high-quality food videos online that their value will plummet, and I'll be out of business. Damn it! I didn't think this through.

On a related matter, here is a recipe by a new video recipe friend of mine, Marie Lévesque (aka PlatypusGuitar) from Montréal, Canada. She's the host of the Insanely Sexy Potato Show, and this is her Easy Salmon Croquette Recipe. Enjoy!

Cream Cheesy Cubed Zucchini with Lemon and Oregano

Those of you expecting some kind of char-grilled hunk o' meat, fat-glistening-in-the-sun-type video for Memorial Day will probably be disappointed to see this humble zucchini dish. I really can't blame you. It is zucchini for heaven's sake.

I've been busy traveling on some secret business trips recently, so while I'd normally have a hard time feigning such excitement over squash, considering how much time I've had, I'm actually quite thrilled with how this came out.

I didn't start out trying to make a creamy zucchini recipe, but when I glanced in the fridge and saw the last crumbled remains of fresh cream cheese, I knew those green cubes sizzling away in the skillet were about to get enriched.

Like I said in the video, this would make a pretty nice side dish for all that grilled meat you are going to tong this summer, or as an impressive base for grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp. Also, to get extra fancy, use crème fraiche (preferably homemade) instead of the cream cheese. Enjoy!

I want to wish you all a delicious and safe Memorial Day. Hopefully you'll join me in taking a few moments to remember all those who gave their lives protecting our freedom and way of life.

Ingredients:

3 or 4 cups cubed zucchini

2 tablespoon olive oil

red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

2 tablespoon cream cheese

1 or 2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

All Up In Your Grill! Eight Great Ideas for Your Holiday Cookout

Memorial Day weekend is here! Time to dust off the grill, and find that "Kiss the Cook" apron everyone loves so much. Is there anything so empowering (for us simple-mined males at least) as standing in front of a flaming grill, foam-wrapped can of beer in one hand, giant grill tongs in the other?

I've posted eight of my favorite grill recipe videos below. All are proven crowd-pleasers, and none require any special skills or equipment. By the way, don't forget the side dishes, everyone knows they are the real secret to a great backyard meal. Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, enjoy!

Santa Maria Tri-Tip	Grilled Lamb Chops
Grilled Flank Steak	Grilled Lemon Chicken
Cornell Chicken	Grilled Barbecue Chicken
Grilled Pork Tenderloin	Grilled Asian Skirt Steak

How to Cut a Sandwich Like Bobby Flay

I'd like to start by saying this video demonstration on how to cut a sandwich like Bobby Flay may be the most anti-climatic video we've ever done. After the big build up I did in my Hellmann's Club Sandwich post a few months ago, about this revolutionary technique, something tells me the vast majority of viewers may be underwhelmed.

Regardless, I think it's kind of a neat trick, and an interesting glimpse into how the mind of a chef works. Even something as basic as cutting a sandwich in half can be optimized for maximum effect. Thanks, Chef Flay. Enjoy!

Disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in Hellmann’s Club Sandwich Program.

Corazón de Camarena Recipe

If you are looking for a easy to make cocktail that features some of the classic ingredients of Summer, look no further. The Corazón de Camarena features the unique combination of tequila, strawberry, and fresh basil.

Recommended Equipment:
cocktail shaker

Ingredients:
2 oz Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila
1/2 cup strawberry simple syrup (*see recipe below)
2 oz fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tspn agave nectar
fresh strawberries, sliced

Ingredients - strawberry syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
5 sliced strawberries



Preparation:

1. Place the basil in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, pour in the tequila.
2. Use the back of a spoon (or muddler) to mash the basil leaves into the tequila.
3. Fill the shaker with ice and add strawberry simple syrup, lime juice and agave nectar.
4. Fill with ice, shake and strain into a high ball glass over ice.
5. Garnish with sliced strawberries on the rim and ribbons of basil mixed in the drink.

Preparation - Strawberry Syrup Recipe:

1. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 5 sliced strawberries in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Cool the syrup, then strain the liquid through a sieve, pressing the strawberries to extract all liquid.

Mexico

Quinoa Taco Salad

Quinoa taco salad- light, fresh, fabulous.

Looking for a fresh idea for a summer picnic or backyard get-together? This cool and breezy quinoa taco salad might be just what you're craving. Laced with lime juice and sea salt, the combo of fluffy quinoa and ripe avocado, spiked with red onion and sunny sweet pepper, served on a crisp bed of romaine lettuce, is a light and healthy twist on the salsa drenched bean and cheese heavy taco salads so ubiquitous years ago. It's a total win for gluten-free vegans and vegetarians. And let's face it.

Quinoa is much more hip than canned re-fried beans.

The inspiration for a quinoa taco salad was sparked over on the Gluten-Free Goddess Facebook page. Reader (and long distance friend) Patsy commented on a thread about Memorial Day picnic salads, mentioning her current fave, quinoa taco salad. We all perked up. 

Quinoa? As a taco salad? Brilliant. 

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Top Chef Fabio Viviani Makes Me Breakfast in Aspen

Last year, while at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, I was invited to a private, early morning cooking demonstration by Fabio Viviani, one of the most popular and entertaining Top Chef contestants of all time.

For obvious reasons (including, but not limited to, long nights of drinking, eating and more drinking), early morning events at the Aspen F&W are usually not high on my list, but despite a pretty impressive hangover, I decided this up-close and personal demo was too good to pass up.

By the way, In case you're wondering why I'm posting this now, I thought I'd lost this footage in a hard drive crash shortly after the event, but just recently found the files on a memory card.

The event was sponsored by Bertolli, and Chef Fabio was there to show us the differences between, and best practices for, using their three main styles of olive oil; light, classic, and extra virgin.

When I heard "breakfast," I was thinking something like a simple frittata, but we were treated to a beautiful plate of food featuring a seared beef tenderloin filet, with an avocado feta salad, pan-roasted tomatoes and green onions, finished with aged balsamic.

This was shot on my cell phone, so please pardon the sound and video quality, but I think any fan of Fabio's will still enjoy this glimpse into what a private class with the gregarious Italian chef would be like. He's one of those teachers that no matter how much fun you're having listening to him, he's having twice as much fun explaining it.

If you happen to be in Southern California, Viviani is the chef and owner of Cafe Firenze in Ventura Country, and Osteria Firenze in Los Angeles. As I mentioned in the video, he also teaches private cooking classes, and if you'd like more information, you can check out his official website for details. Enjoy!

Bonus Italian Chef Coverage: Victor Casanova’s Spaghetti Alla Chitarra Recipe by Average Betty

Since we have an Italian chef theme going on today, I thought I'd add this great video recipe from Average Betty featuring Chef Victor Casanova from Culina in Beverly Hills. Thanks to my buddy Sara for sharing, and for providing the written recipe here! For the original video post, click here. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cranberry Trifle Recipe

I made up this recipe for Caramel Apple Cranberry Trifle last month for a recipe contest. I wanted to create a dessert that features some of the many great flavors of Autumn. The top layer is a miniature Waldorf salad which includes fresh apples. The next layer is butterscotch pudding which approximates the flavor of caramel. A layer of bread pudding is next with a rich vanilla flavor. At the very bottom is a layer of cranberry jello that provides a tart finish to this rich and creamy dessert.

Ingredients:
bread pudding
2 packets of Jello brand cranberry gelatin
2 packets of Jello brand butterscotch instant pudding
1 container of Cool Whip sugar-free topping
1 apple, diced (do not remove the skin)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup marshmallows (small)
1/4 tspn celery salt
1/2 tspn sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Preparation:

1. Prepare the bread pudding and then let it cool to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the diced apple, 1 cup of Cool Whip topping, the mayonnaise, celery salt, marshmallows, and sugar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. In separate bowls, prepare the cranberry Jello and butterscotch pudding according to the directions on the box.
4. Assemble the trifles by adding the ingredients in the following order: First, add the cranberry Jello and refrigerate.
   
5. After the gelatin has become firm, add a layer of bread pudding to each trifle..
6. Next, add a layer of butterscotch pudding.
7. Next, add a layer of the apple, marshmallow, whip cream mixture.
8. Top each trifle with a layer of Cool Whip topping and fresh ground cinnamon. This recipe makes about 7 large trifles.
   

England

Food Blogger Festival Etiquette and Tips

Hi, I love your blog, wanna trade links?

There's been a proliferation of food blogger festivals over the last few years. Some of the reasons are obvious, like the explosion in the number of food blogs being published. Everyone now knows that food blogging is incredibly fun, almost no work, and extremely profitable, with most bloggers making six-figure incomes from their ads.

Some reasons are less obvious, like how much money these events net for the promoters. These people are making out like Goldman Sachs. My sources report that the just concluded BlogHerFood brought in an estimated 765.3 million dollars. Of course that's not all profit, as they spent a couple hundred dollars on the food. Also, I believe that's all tax free, since they clearly qualify as a religion.

It's all about the Benjamins.
Photo (c) yomanimus

Anyway, since there's a pretty good chance that you, or someone you know, or someone you would like to know, will be going to one of these events soon, here are some friendly tips and a few pointers on festival etiquette:

1.) Never approach a blogger who has more traffic than you. You can do nothing for them. Besides, they have more important things to do than listen to you drone on about finding your "voice." They don't give a crap about your voice, and 30 seconds in, are probably wishing you didn't have one.

2.) Never approach a blogger who has less traffic than you. These parasites just want to suck from the sweet teat that is your referral traffic. Screw them and the sustainably raised, heritage breed hog they rode in on.

3.) Only approach bloggers who have the exact same traffic as you. Of course, it's a huge breach of etiquette to ask someone what their traffic is, so just assume everyone at the festival has the same numbers as you do.

A huller!! Score!

4.) Never complain about the swag bag. There's a reason all that junk is free. Did you think they were going to throw a Kitchen Aid in there? Just happily take your strawberry huller, your silicon-coated whisk, and your little rice sample (is there anything sadder than rice for one?), and do what any experienced, self-respecting blogger would do…re-gift it!

5.) When drunk tweeting, NEVER use the phrase, so and so was "kicking ass during the panel." After three cocktails before noon, that "L" key is waaay too close to the "K" key for comfort.

That bald guy sure likes the sound of
his own voice.

6.) Only ask questions at a panel discussion that directly relate to how awesome the panelists' blogs are. That's why we, oops, I mean they, are up there. You're lucky to be in the same room as they are, so consider listening to them answer your off-topic question that was actually a self-serving statement, as gravy. 

7.) When deciding who's exclusive after party to attend, just use the following system to rank the events. Take the number of celebrity bloggers hosting, times that by the number of books they've written, then add the number of times David Lebovitz has mentioned them in a tweet. Compare these numbers, and then go have a drink at the hotel bar where you're staying. You're not getting into any of the good parties anyway.

Hi, my name is John, and
I'm a food blogger.

8.) Take pictures of everything. You'll want to be able to look back and remember those three bloggers you posed with in the lobby, you know, the ones you don't remember. Sure, you can close your eyes and imagine how epic Hank Shaw's beard was, but why not pull up that picture of him and make sure?

I sincerely hope this list of tips helps you enjoy your next big food blogger festival experience! By the way, this post was not a parody. There is no way I wrote this post with tongue-in-cheek. My tongue was nowhere near my cheek. In fact, it was sticking straight out the whole time. :-P

Disclaimer: I did not attend the BlogHerFood event. I was in town for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, but partied with a bunch of BH attendees (btw, most with far less traffic than me). This post was NOT a review of BlogHerFood. I was making light of the food blogger festival-going experience in general.

White-Balanced Brie with Ripe Pear and Black Pepper

It only took me like a year to realize there was a way to adjust the white balance on the video settings for my camera. Not bad. I knew about this adjustment for still photos, but until recently never figured it out for video.

I was testing my new found skills on a recent late night snack, and when I was done I realized I had a halfway decent video recipe to post. The color still isn’t great, and I'll continue to practice and adjust, but it's much better than the yellow-orange cast I used to suffer with.

This simple and delicious ripe brie and pear appetizer is inspired by one of my favorite meatless sandwiches. A couple times a year, I like to take a warm piece of crusty French baguette (now that's redundant!), spread it with a little butter, add some soft, very ripe brie cheese, and a few slices of juicy, equally ripe pear.

This masterpiece of French engineering is finished with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper, and eaten in close proximity to a glass of red wine; truly one of life's great culinary pleasures.

Here we've taken the same idea and turned it into a very quick appetizer that will work nicely when the occasion calls for something a bit more sophisticated than beer and pretzels. Enjoy!

Chả Giò (Minced Pork Roll) Recipe

I learned how to make Chả Giò from my friend and lab partner Hanh Tran during my graduate studies at Oregon State. It is a simple recipe but it is better if you have a friend or two help you with the rolling since this can be quite labor intensive on your own. Also, this is another great dish to make for parties as you can roll the Chả Giò the day before, then refrigerate them overnight, and fry them an hour or two before the party begins. You can serve Chả Giò with many different sauces but be sure to include Nước Mắm as this is a perfect combination with this dish.

Recommended Equipment:
deep fryer

Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
2 tspn sugar
1/2 tspn MSG (optional)
1/2 tspn Kosher salt
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
2 packs of Lunkow brand bean thread

1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 egg
2 carrots, minced
1 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, diced
4 green onions, diced
1 box Lumpia wrappers


Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground pork, sugar, MSG (optional), garlic powder, and Kosher salt.
2. In a separate bowl, soak the bean thread in cold water for about 20 minutes. The thread will become soft and malleable. Remove the thread from the water and pat off any excess moisture using a paper towel. Dice up the bean thread and add to the ground pork mixture.
   
3. Dice up the onion and garlic and add to the ground pork mixture.
4. Mince the carrots and dice the green onions and cilantro. Before adding these ingredients to the ground pork mixture, be sure to squeeze out any excess water.
   
5. After you have added the carrots, cilantro and green onions, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
   
6. Heat up the oil (I used canola) in the deep fryer. When the oil has reached frying temperature, test a small amount of the pork mixture by making a small ball and dropping it into the deep fryer. After 4 minutes, remove the ball of pork and test the flavor. If you need to adjust the flavor, do so now.
7. Using the Lumpia wrappers, roll out the chả giò. See the photos below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Next, drop 3 to 4 of the rolls into the deep fryer and cook until the chả giò begin to turn golden brown. Do not cook more than 4 at a time to ensure that the chả giò cook evenly.
   
9. Remove the chả giò from the oil, and set them on a paper towel to dry. Keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven until you have cooked all of the chả giò.
10. Serve hot with Nước Mắm fish sauce.
    

Vietnam

Heading Home from Atlanta Fat and Happy

I'm getting ready to jet back to San Francisco after a great stay in Atlanta. As you probably know, I was here for the 1st Annual Atlanta Food and Wine Festival, which was a lot of delicious fun, and considering this was their inaugural year, I thought everything was really well done. Of course, I'll have a more detailed recap coming, and a couple festival-inspired video recipes, so stayed tuned! In the meantime, here are a couple shots to tease you with. Enjoy!

If you could eat gluten, would you? The option is one step closer.

Dining out is a minefield if you have to be gluten-free. 
Would a vaccine make life easier?

There may be a celiac vaccine in our future.

That's the word from Down Under this month. An Australian biotechnology company called ImmusanT, Inc. is developing an immunotherapeutic vaccine for celiac disease. And guess what? The Phase 1 clinical trial went swimmingly.  Read about their positive results here at the NFCA's Celiac Central.

It's a very odd feeling to imagine eating gluten again, after almost ten years of banishment. A decade of shunning gluten is no small feat. In a food culture that worships wheat, and elevates the gentle science of baking to both a high art (think crusty, fresh baked baguette) and a low art (say, pizza pockets), living gluten-free is akin to attempting to mambo in a minefield. Gluten lurks everywhere. Not only where you’d anticipate it (pizza, bagels, beer) but in sly, coy disguises, hiding in plain sight (soy sauce, broth, herbal tea). And even the most modest of amounts (a few stray crouton crumbs, perhaps) can trigger one’s hyper-vigilant immune system and ignite a fiery swath of digestive destruction, albeit mostly invisible to the naked eye (unless, like me, you are doubly blessed with symptoms and sport the eruptive skin rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis on your butt).

Feelings akin to those sticky, fluttery uncertainties (if not subtle panic) one feels dodging the unbidden proposal of matrimony (or tip-toeing backwards on a Sunday morning walk of shame) begin to trickle in.

Is this something I really want?

And would I, if I could?

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Just Ham and Eggs

Hello from Atlanta, where I'm hard at work eating and drinking my way around the 1st Annual Atlanta Food and Wine Festival. Been having a great time, and can't wait to share some of the great things I've tasted with you, hopefully in video form.

In the meantime, here is a little Ham and Eggs video I did before I left.  Sure it tastes the same as if you cooked them separately, but that's really not the point. This looks cool, and besides, you only need one pan. Enjoy!

Black-Eyed Susan Recipe

Drinks of the Triple Crown
The second jewel in the triple crown, The Preakness, is being run tomorrow in Baltimore, Maryland. The race was first run in 1873 and was won by a horse named Survivor. The signature drink at the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course is the Black-Eyed Susan and is named after Maryland's state flower. In recent years, this drink has been made with Bourbon instead of rum due to the influence of corporate sponsors like Early Times Whiskey. However, the Black-Eyed Susan recipe listed below is an older version of the drink that existed prior to the scourge of corporate advertising.

Ingredients:
1 shot Cointreau
1 shot white rum
1 shot vodka
1 6oz. can of pineapple juice
3/4 cup orange juice
crushed ice
lime (for garnish)

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a shaker.
2. Shake until your arm hurts.
3. Pour the mixture into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lime.

Related posts:
Kentucky Derby - Mint Julep
The Belmont Stakes - Belmont Breeze
Maryland Steamed Blue Crabs

United States Maryland