Pan Seared Tuna with Squid Ink Pasta & Asparagus Tips!
Menu: Pan Seared Tuna with Squid Ink Pasta and Asparagus tips
Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Ingredients:
2 Yellow fin Tuna steaks
1 small shallot
1 clove of garlic
Truffle salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 pkg Squid ink pasta
1 bunch of asparagus spears
Fill medium pot with water, bring to a boil while, on a plate drizzle tuna steaks with olive oil, crack a generous amount of fresh black pepper and sprinkle with truffle salt, let stand. Cut tips off of asparagus, set aside. Chop the rest in small slices, do not put this part in the pasta to boil only the tips.
Cook pasta as directed, add asparagus tips also. 
Drizzle olive oil in medium frying pan, heat and place tuna steaks in when it is good and hot. Sear each side to just get a little color, you want the middle to remain pink. It takes very little time to do this so do not leave it. Remove and set on plate.
In the pan add sliced asparagus and a chopped shallot along with the garlic, add a tiny bit of the truffle salt and saute until tender. Add pasta and tips to the pan and toss to coat. Add a little olive oil if it is a little dry.
Slice Tuna and place on top and serve.
Et Viola! Another delicious summer masterpiece.
Recipe compliments of Katie Mahanes head chef at Don’t Forget To Kiss The Cook!
Grilled Mahi Mahi with Porcini Pasta & Sauvignon Blanc
Super easy, yet delicious, light meal for these hot summer evenings.
Menu: Mahi Mahi w/ Porcini Pasta & Salad
Wine: Sauvignon Blanc
What You Will Need
Fresh Mahi Mahi fillets, porcini pasta, Italian dressing, garlic, shallots, olive oil and salad ingredients of your choice.
Marinate fillets in Italian dressing for several hours. Place fillets on a greased grill rack over hot charcoal. Cook until fish flakes when tested.
Place on top of a bed of boiled porcini pasta.
Pasta
In saute pan saute garlic and shallots in olive oil, then drain & toss the pasta in it.
Add a fresh salad
Et Viola! A delicious summer masterpiece.
Recipe compliments of Katie Mahanes head chef at Don’t Forget To Kiss The Cook!
Pan Seared Seasoned Cod, Black Pepper and Smoked Paprika Topped with Pan Roasted Corn
Menu: Pan seared Seasoned Cod, Black Pepper and smoked paprika topped with Pan roasted corn
Wine: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir
What You Will Need:
2 cod steaks or filets
1 large corn on the cob
First take the large corn on the cob, cut into two and boil until corn is cooked, set aside to cool. Next, lightly coat cod with olive oil, rub all over so it is evenly coated, it’s easier if you do this on a plate. Next, you want to sprinkle with your favorite seasoning, cracked pepper and smoked paprika. Spray pan with non stick spray and heat pan. Set cod in and cover. Reduce flame to medium, turn over when you have a good crusting, do the same on other side.
Now, cut corn from cob. Remove cod from pan and plate and cover. Place cut corn in same pan you cooked your fish in. Turn up heat and cook just until you 
get a nice coating on the corn and you can smell it has been roasted, add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over cod and serve with a crisp cool salad .
Bon Appetite!
Recipe compliments of Katie Mahanes head chef at Don’t Forget To Kiss The Cook!
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cold Asian Noodle Salad
Recipe: Grilled Pork Tenderloin w/ Cold Asian Noodles
Wine: A crisp, refreshing Viognier like the one from the Viognier Queen, Morgan Clendenen, of Cold Heaven Cellars. You can’t go wrong with the 2008 Le Bon Climat Viognier| $30 bottle with flavors of peach, pear, apricot and vanilla. On the nose and in the mouth there is wet stone and stone fruit pit. The structure is completely natural and is the product of Santa Maria’s long cool growing season.
Recipe compliments of Jennifer Cox, head chef at Occasions By Jennifer.
This culinary trip found me visiting the far off land of 
Vietnam, which is actually the birthplace of my husband, who was adopted by an American family at the age of 6 month – right at the very end of the war. Having been integrated into all things American, my husband had never so much as tasted foods from his native culture until I made this dish for the first time a few years back.
To his delight, the flavor profile was not as foreign as he had imagined it and he enjoyed the meal immensely. Well, there was one thing. The fish sauce. Of that ingredient he was not a fan. I tried to explain to him that it added depth to the marinade – a complexity that you couldn’t get from anything else – but it didn’t matter. From that point forward it was requested that any Asian dish I cooked be “fish sauce free”.
Well, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I snuck it in there, but just to the point where if there were one more drop he’d pick it out. Sneaky, I know – but so worth the outcome. My personal ingredient confusion was with the combining of cilantro, mint and basil. I couldn’t figure out how those three could possibly marry and make sense. I think you’ll agree with me once you’ve tried it that it is one of the most surprisingly amazing trio of tastes your tongue has ever met!
This dish is the perfect summertime meal as it utilizes the ease of outdoor cooking (no hot kitchen!) with clean and bright ingredients that come together beautifully. The contrast of the sweet and spicy pork with the light, cool flavors of the noodle salad is just right, especially with the combination of the fresh cilantro, mint and basil. Pair with a Gewurztraminer to keep the whole thing harmoniously refreshing.
Cheers!
Jennifer
(Side note: Make sure you make enough for leftovers as this dish is even better the next day – and you will want more – trust me . . .)
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Marinade
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced or 1 teaspoon hot chili oil
- Asian fish sauce, to taste
- 2 teaspoons toasted or black sesame seeds, optional
Place pork tenderloin in heavy duty zip-top storage bag. Mix together all nine marinade ingredients and pour over tenderloin. Seal bag and refrigerate for at least an hour. Remove bag from refrigerator and let pork come up to room temperature before grilling.
Heat grill to 400. Remove pork from bag* and place on grill grate. Grill for approximately 4 minutes on each side or until desired doneness is reached. Remove from grill and let rest for approximately 5-10 minutes before slicing.
*You can either discard the remaining marinade or you can bring it to a boil in a sauce pan until it reduces by about ½ and then you can use it to glaze pork as it cooks on the grill.
Cold Asian Noodle Salad
- 1 package rice noodles (vermicelli)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hot chili oil, optional
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced or julienned
- 2 green onions, greens and whites, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced or julienned
- 3/4 cup julienned English cucumber
- 1 cup bean sprouts, optional
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh mint
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh basil
Optional
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish
- 4 tablespoons unsalted peanuts, for garnish
Boil noodles according to package directions and drain. Rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process. Gently toss noodles with the first 4 ingredients, coating thoroughly. Add the remaining eight ingredients, distributing as evenly throughout the noodles and dressing as possible. Refrigerate for approximately 45 minutes to an hour or until chilled through.
Environmentally Friendly Cooking: GRILL | Grilled Chicken Portabello Jack Burger
As we all know, summer temperatures can be down right brutal and some states get a double whammy with humidity that make curly hair go straight and an edgy woman postal. So why slave over a hot oven and waste precious energy when you can stoke up the grill, chill and have a nice relaxing, home cooked meal right from your grill?
Recipe: Grilled Chicken Portabello Jack Burger
Wine: For starters I recommend Avanthia Godello | $30 bottle, or I would grab a South African Bay Sauvignon Blanc | $11.33 bottle (this is the $11.00 bottle of wine that taste like $50.00) while your chillin and preparing your grillin. This is a very crisp, fresh, wine that is sure to wet your whistle while your waiting for the food to cook.
Dinner is ready, either stay with your white or if you like me, you’ll pull out some reds. I would go into my cellar and grab me a Syrah like Rockblock Syrah|$45.00 bottle from Domaine Serene or perhaps maybe a Pinot Noir like Ici La-Bas “Les Reveles” Pinot Noir | $26.00 bottle, a little less expensive but equally delightful.
Now sit back relax and enjoy and realize this is the good life!
What You Will Need:
2 chicken breasts seasoned and grilled
1 clove garlic minced
2 medium portabello mushrooms sliced
2 pieces of Monterey jack cheese or your favorite
2 whole wheat buns
Add a little olive oil to a medium saute pan, add garlic and then add portabellos, season lightly salt and pepper. Saute them until they are a nice golden brown. Grill chicken and then toast buns. Add cheese and then portabello. Serve immediately with your favorite salad I added BBQ beans and corn on the cob on the side. If you have a side burner on your grill you could easily do all of this outdoors and keep the house cool 
Recipe compliments of Katie Mahanes head chef at Don’t Forget To Kiss The Cook!
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