Cooking With Sue - California Central Coast Style
Welcome to my cooking blog! I like to cook and I hope it shows. I was lucky to grow up in a restaurant family that thought nothing at all about putting together an easy to make but delicious meal on a regular basis. I remember my mother and grandmother each making five to six pies a day! Then on top of that, they would work at our restaurant making meals with my dad and grandfather for our customers until late evening. Thinking back, I really appreciate and marvel at their endurance and dedication!
What I learned from my parents is cooking is NOT something that you should dread. It’s very straight forward and logical. It can be really fun and relaxing and I hope to make you see that side of it too. Learn a few recipes and a bit about wine and you will enjoy quality dining every night at home for a mere fraction of the cost of dining out!
California Central Coast Style Recipes are my passion. These recipes are easy and elegant, and based upon three principles:
- Whenever possible use fresh ingredients. preferable locally grown.
- Use minimal cooking preparation to enhance the featured ingredient. Keep spices and additional ingredients to a minimum -use just enough to bring out flavors of the main ingredient not change it into something else.
- The presentation of the dish should be simple but elegant.
Enjoy!
Glorious May is Here with Some Great Breakout Recipes
2012-05-10 02:26:37 ID=665:1
© 2012 The Romantic Table
It's May! One of the best months to live here and enjoy the perfect weather and delightful fruit and vegetable bounty of this prime month of Spring. May is a fun month too, with Wine Festivals, Mothers Day, Memorial Day and Car Shows to use as a reason for get-togethers with your friends and family. And we've got some new recipes that are worthy for your celebratory mood.
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Living Well With Calcium
2012-05-05 21:35:53 ID=664:0
© 2012 The Romantic Table
There's a lot of hype going around about calcium. The ads on TV constantly scream the importance of getting enough calcium in our aging bodies -and the best way to do that is with their specified product. Now most of us realize the importance that calcium has in keeping our bones and bodies healthy, and as a result allow us to continue an active lifestyle. But REALLY what IS the best way to absorb calcium and WHAT way is it the easiest most comfortable to do it? Supplements or foods directly? And can one get enough calcium absorbed each way?
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April's Recipes: A Time for Transitioning and Gearing up for Spring and Summer
2012-04-28 02:07:15 ID=663:1
© 2012 The Romantic Table
April for me, has always been a "transition month" food-wise. April has also always been one of my funkier months personally. (I would physically "hit bottom" for some reason in April, only to do a "re-set of my system" then get up and out, and back on track for the rest of the year!) It was also always a hard month for my family because the first Friday after Easter -usually at the beginning of April, was the day that we'd re-open our seasonal restaurant, "The Country Cousin," for the Summer through Early Fall. There were a lot of preparations to do and everyone had their responsibilities, expectations and desires.
It is now Spring and by month's end we will start to feel the warmth of the improved outdoor weather that leads us into the summer months of May and June. So April is the month I usually start craving and cooking a little lighter and tempting fare with the flavors and aromas of the delicious late Spring produce.
We've got some real "keepers" for you this month that you can enjoy right through the the fourth of July -if not for the whole year!
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The Anti-Inflammation Diet: Cooking for Good Health
2012-03-26 16:54:33 ID=662:0
© 2012 The Romantic Table
If you or someone you love is dealing with illnesses such as Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke, Diabetes, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Arthritis, Lupus, Gout and other Autoimmune Diseases, by augmenting your cooking style could dramatically improve your state of health and well-being.
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Our March recipes will Prepare us for a Celebratory Easter
2012-03-10 22:01:00 ID=661:1
© 2012 The Romantic Table
Our March recipes are designed to satisfy those watching their diet according to the Lenten calendar as well as for those who wish to have recipes that will help purge them from the excesses of the previous holiday season.
These recipes will help get us back into shape for the coming Spring and Summer weather months without being dull and unsatisfying --in fact they are ones that you will look forward to enjoying.
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Festive Foods for February
2012-02-09 20:09:06 ID=660:1
© 2012 The Romantic Table
Now that February is here and we're past the brunt of our coldest winter days, it's time to celebrate with some favorite festive recipes on two fun occasions: Valentines Day and Mardi Gras.
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Grilled Lamb Chops Romantic Table Style
Posted: 2012-05-13This is how we do simple Lamb chops Romantic Table Style (Spring's best red meat!) We like to also use our own homemade Mint Pesto - much more interesting and flavorful than the traditional mint jelly.
The trick to turning out delicious, tender lamb is simply keep it simple, using a marinade of fresh rosemary, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and freshly-cracked black pepper.
The mint pesto, the recipe is elsewhere on our website. It uses a combination of fresh mint and Italian parsley, with fresh walnuts, garlic, olive oil and a little salt and pepper. At most this takes about ten minutes to make up. And it really has a dimension of good accent flavors for that fantastic lamb.
Grilled Lamb Chops Romantic Table Style
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
MAKES 2 SERVINGS.
Ingredients.
4 Lamb loin chops
1 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Rosemary
1 Tablespoons Chopped Garlic
1/4 Cup Extra virgin Olive oil
Several grinds Black Pepper
Preparation Directions.
1 Mix the spices and and olive oil together.
2 Place the olive oil mixture and lamb chops in a sealable plastic bag. Invert several times to coat the lamb chops well, then refrigerate for a few hours or more. Occasionally invert the bag while marinating. Before grilling, set the lamb chops and bag out to bring to room temperature.
3 For medium rare chops (recommended!) grill first side over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, rotating 90degs once midway. Flip the chops and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes to finish. Remove from the grill, cover and let rest for a few minutes.
4 Serve with our Mint Pesto Romantic Table Style on the side.
Serving Suggestions.
Serve with a young Syrah or a Cote du Rhone style wine (Syrah - Grenache blend) at cool cellar temperature 58-60F.
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Mint Pesto Romantic Table Style
Posted: 2012-05-13Our homemade Mint Pesto Romantic Table Style is much more interesting and flavorful than the traditional mint jelly. Made with fresh mint and fresh Italian parsley it's very cooling to the palate. Then we added our ranch-grown walnuts, a little garlic and California Extra virgin Olive oil and of course salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, the flavors meld deliciously -and memorably for so many dishes!
Mint Pesto Romantic Table Style
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time:
MAKES 6 SERVINGS.
Ingredients.
1-1/4 cup Fresh Mint leaves , rinsed, blotted and packed
1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves , rinsed and blotted
1/3 cup Walnuts
2 cloves Garlic , peeled and pressed
1/2 cup Extra virgin Olive oil
1/2 teaspoons Salt
Few grinds freshly Cracked Black peppercorns
Preparation Directions.
1 Place mint, parsley, walnuts, garlic in a food processor. Process until coarsely chopped.
2 With machine running, add olive oil until right thickness.
3 Add in Salt and Cracked black pepper to personal taste.
4 Serve in Pesto compote dish at table.
Serving Suggestions.
Serve with lamb, seafood, vegetables, sandwiches, or anything else that needs a little kick and a fresh accent.
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Lamb Shanks Romantic Table Style.
Posted: 2012-04-24Lamb Shanks Romantic Table Style is a very country style method of preparing lamb shanks. Lamb shanks are very flavorful, but unless fully and slowly cooked, they can be pretty tough. Slow and leisurely roasting with aromatic root vegetables result in lamb that is not only tender, but very flavorful.
This recipe has a bit of twist to it. After a quick browning in a hot skillet, the skillet is put aside and the lamb shanks are placed in a roasting pan with turnips, parsnips, carrots, onions and white wine, then covered and roasted SLOWLY at 300 degrees for about two hours. When done, the roasting pan juices are returned to the skillet then reduced. Oh! My God! The heavenly flavors and aromas are unbelievable!
Lamb Shanks Romantic Table Style.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
Ingredients.
4 Lamb Shanks , if large, cut into two pieces each
1/2 cup flour
2 Large Turnips , rinsed and peeled
3 Large Parsnips , rinsed and peeled
3 Large Carrots , rinsed and peeled
1 Large White onion , peeled
2 Small Sprigs Rosemary
1-1/2 cups Dry White Wine
2 Tablespoons Extra virgin Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
Preparation Directions.
1 If your lamb shanks are fatty, trim-off excess fat. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour.
2 In a large skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Place cut shanks in pan and brown on all sides, you may need to add a little more olive oil to finish your browning. (About 10 minutes.) Remove shanks from pan and set the pan aside until later.
3 If there is a lot of lamb fat, drain off excess fat but do not scrape out meat residue from bottom of pan.
4 Preheat your oven to 300F.
5 Cut the vegetables into 4 or 5 pieces each and place with the rosemary in a roasting pan large enough to hold the vegetables and lamb shanks. Place the lamb shanks on top, and pour the white wine over the shanks and vegetables. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place into the hot oven. Cook covered for two hours. If the shanks are large, after 1 hour uncover and rotate the shanks, then cover and finish roasting for 1 hour more or until till done.
6 When done, drain the contents of the roasting pan into the reserved skillet. Place the skillet over high heat, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan well to reduce the liquid until it thickens. (If there is not much liquid in the roasting pan, add a little extra white wine to the skillet.) When reduced down to a thickened sauce, remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter. Taste and correct the seasoning.
7 Serve the lamb shanks on warm plates with a bit of the reduction sauce on top, surrounded by the roasted root vegetables.
Serving Suggestions.
This dish pairs very well with a lamb friendly red wine. Since the root vegetables are a bit on the sweetish side, a simple non-oaked Syrah (or Shiraz if you prefer) would accompany the meal very well.
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Mamie's Pickled Beets and Eggs
Posted: 2012-04-10Mamie's Pickled Beets and Eggs is one that's been in our family for generations. Based on the classic, these are SO good and easy to make and perfect for most holiday buffets and summertime barbecues and picnics. My father absolutely savored these! Though my dad was more the promoter in the family and a "grill-man" than cook, he always couldn't wait to make these family-favorites. --"What's a holiday-gathering without Mamie's beets and eggs!" He'd always exclaim! The secret is to make a sweet-sour milieu with finely sliced white onion, whole peppercorns and dried Tarragon added for accent and flavors. If possible use week or two old eggs.--Fresh-fresh eggs are very hard to peel.
Mamie's Pickled Beets and Eggs
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
MAKES 6 SERVINGS.
Ingredients.
1 dozen hard boiled eggs , boiled 10 minutes, rinsed in cold water and shelled
3/4 cup Cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 medium White onions , peeled and thinly sliced
4 to 5 Cans Pickled Beets
1 teaspoons Whole Peppercorns
1/2 teaspoons Dried Tarragon
Preparation Directions.
1 Boil the eggs until hard-boiled (about 10 minutes). Drain off hot water and rinse with cold water to make shelling easier. Shell eggs, rinse under water to clean off ruminants of shell and place in a deep bowl or covered pan. Set aside.
2 Drain the beet juice from the pickled canned beets into a medium saucepan. Add the cider vinegar, water, and sugar to the beet juice and stir well and heat over medium-high heat until boiling.
3 To the hard-boiled egg pan, add the sliced white onions.
4 Pour cooked hot sweet-sour juice over peeled hard-boiled eggs and onions. Stir well. Add in drained beets and stir again.
5 Add in the whole peppercorns and the dried Tarragon. Stir well to combine and distribute evenly. Taste and correct seasonings to personal taste.
6 Refrigerate the beet-egg mixture for a few hours to develop flavor. For best color, let refrigerate over-night. The eggs will be so much more appealing color-wise when cut.
Serving Suggestions.
Serve these side-buddies with some spinach leaves for a quick salad combo or as an "accent flavor" to any buffet or barbecue.
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Shrimp with Angel Hair and Saffron
Posted: 2012-04-07Shrimp with Angel Hair and Saffron is a trito based pasta dish. Unlike some of our other shrimp pastas like Shrimp Scampi Style, this is a very mellow pasta dish. There is something very mellow about a trito -onion, carrot and celery, with saffron, that agrees with me especially when I am down and a little bit off. When combined with melt-in-your-mouth angel hair pasta, I am in heaven!
The key to this recipe is a really good shrimp stock-reduction. To get an intense shrimp flavor, you really need to use preferably whole shrimp with heads, or at least shrimp with shells. Shelling the shrimp takes a little effort (or you can train your husband to do this -men like playing with knives!), but the results are really worth it. If you are pressed for time, you can make the stock in advance, then quickly finish the pasta later when you are ready to serve.
Shrimp with Angel Hair and Saffron
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
MAKES 2 SERVINGS.
Ingredients.
2 pounds Shrimp with heads on
3/4 cup Celery chopped
1 cup White onion chopped
3/4 cup Carrot peeled and chopped
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups Dry White Wine
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoons Black Pepper Corns
1/4 teaspoons Saffron Threads
1/2 teaspoons Dried Thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Italian Parsley chopped
4 oz Angel Hair Pasta
Preparation Directions.
1 Rinse off the shrimp. Remove and reserve the heads and shells
2 In a large stock pot over medium high heat add 1/2 the olive oil. Add the shrimp and saute until just pink, about 1 to 2 minutes -do not over cook! Remove the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrot, celery and half the onion and saute until soft and sweet, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, and turn up the heat and bring to boil for a minute or two, then add the water, saffron, garlic, thyme and shrimp heads and shells. Bring just to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. At this point you can stop and refrigerate all the preparation for finishing later.
3 When ready to finish the pasta, Reheat the reserved stock. In a large saute pan over medium heat, add the remaining olive oil and onion. Saute the onion until just soft sweet and golden. Add in 1/2 the reserved stock, turn up the heat to high and reduce down by 1/2 to 2/3 (About 10 minutes). When reduced, turn the heat to low and correct seasoning. Then add the shrimp and cook just enough to warm through.
4 Meanwhile, while the stock is being reduced , in a large pasta pan or stockpot, boil water. Just before adding the angel hair, add a tablespoon of salt to the boiling water. Add the angel hair, and cook until al dente (about 4 to 5 minutes). If the angel is in nests, be sure to stir frequently to release the pasta threads.
5 Remove the pasta, drain well and add to the shrimp reduction. Toss well with the chopped parsley, adding a little of the heated reserved unreduced stock as you toss the pasta to create a nice juicy coating.
6 Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions.
This is a very mild pasta, and will pair well with a simple dry Pinot Gris or a Pinot Grigio
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