Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise Crusted Catfish & on Veggies

April 17, 2016 by Mary 3 Comments

Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise is a wonderful new product from the people who brought us the great ketchup. They are changing the condiment space with all natural, non-GMO products made with real ingredients, like egg yolks in this one, just like you would use to make homemade mayonnaise. Definitely refrigerate this after opening, although it’s so good with so many uses, it won’t last long.

This combination of mayo and Dijon mustard with some mustard seeds thrown in is super delicious!! The consistency is not goopy but rather thick and sauce-like which means you don’t put too much of it on your sandwich and you really can use it as a yummy, luscious sauce.

It is terrific on any steamed vegetable. I’ve used it on steamed Brussels sprouts, sugar snap peas and green beans. And then there’s this roasted catfish recipe that is just divine. I’m sure you’ll find a myriad of uses for this stuff – it’s that good!!

While this was in our spring MARY’s secret ingredients spring box and there are a few left so you can still purchase one, you may be able to find this product in some stores but it is not yet up on their site shop.

SIR KENSINGTON’S DIJONNAISE CRUSTED CATFISH – serves 3

1½ lbs. catfish fillets
½ tsp. coconut oil
French Grey salt, finely ground, or sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
6 tsp. Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise
2/3 cup panko
1 Tbs. unsalted melted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slick the coconut oil on a rimmed baking sheet.

Wash and dry the fish with paper toweling. On bottom side of fillet, salt and pepper to taste. Spread 1 tsp. of Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise on top of each fillet with a knife. Sprinkle some panko all over the top to cover.

Turn the fish over and do the same thing on the other side. Drizzle the melted butter over the top of all 3 fillets.

Roast in the oven on the top shelf for about 12 minutes, until fish is completely white and flakes but is still very moist.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

SIR KENSINGTON’S DIJONNAISE ON VEGGIES – serves 3

½ lb. sugar snap peas or Brussels sprouts
2 Tbs. Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise

Wash and clean your vegetables. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half. Steam until crisp tender and bright green. For the sugar snap peas, steam about 2 minutes and longer for the Brussels sprouts – 5 -10 minutes, depending on their size.

Remove steamer from the pan for a minute or two to let the vegetables air dry. and toss with Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise. Total yum!!

For the sugar snap peas, it’s best to lay them out on a linen towel, cover and dry, before tossing with Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise.

All easy peasy and SO good – and good for you!

Kale & Farro Salad with Spicy Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Radishes & Cashews

April 10, 2016 by Mary 10 Comments

There are so many snack boxes out there — Graze, Love With Food, Snack Nation and Nature Box to name a few. I went to a food conference last Saturday called Founder Made, where numerous new food product founders participated. A lot of discussion was had about how millennials eat, much of it revolving around snacking. And Graze was there touting their “healthy” snacks.

Well I’m here to tell you that while their snacks may not be fried potato chips – they are “healthier” than that – but they are high in calories and sugar just the same. And if you eat three well-balanced meals, you should have no need to snack at all. Come on – one of their snacks was pecan pie pecans – that’s full of sugar and super fattening! That is not a healthy snack.

So the millennials will be overweight and even more detrimental, not understand the value of eating right, balanced meals in the first place. This is like the “low fat” craze of the 80’s – total hogwash!

So what we aim to do with MARY’s secret ingredients is to introduce you to new healthy products that will easily turn a ho-hum ordinary meal into a special gourmet “company” meal. We want to show you how to create fantastic dishes, super easily, with the new healthy products we have curated for you. It might be a new flavored natural jam or a condiment that can be used on steamed vegetables to create a sauce that gives it a wow factor, or creating a unique marinade with tea or how to make a spectacular sauce for grilled fish. Suddenly, “ordinary” moves to “extraordinary” with a few simple moves utilizing our new natural products. And you will know EXACTLY that what you’re putting into your body is good for you, wholesome and will make you feel terrific!!! And we want to eradicate hunger with our partnership with Feed The Children.

All good things!

The spring box shipped last week and I’m excited to share with you the recipes for those new products starting later this week.

I found this today on The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation site – one of my faves:

The first wealth is health. – RALPH WALDO EMERSON

When you regard your life as a trust, you realize that the first resource you have to take care of is your own body. This can be startling. Even your body is not really your own. It belongs to life, and it is your responsibility to take care of it. You cannot afford to do anything that injures your body, because the body is the instrument you need for selfless action. That is the fine print of the trust agreement: when we smoke, when we overeat, when we don’t get enough exercise, we are violating the terms of the trust.

If you want to live life at its fullest, you will want to do everything possible to keep your body in vibrant health in order to give back to life a little of what it has given you.

So on to my recipe of this Kale & Farro Salad with Spicy Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Radishes & Cashews, which was super delicious!

I always think of butternut squash as a winter vegetable so I want to tell you about this dish I made up the other night before spring really gets here, even though it should be here already. All of us on the East coast are still wearing scarves and winter coats. It’s crazy!

This was totally yummy with a lot of ying and yang – cool and hot, spicy and not, crispy and soft textures – a beautiful symphony of flavors and a very satisfying vegetarian dish. Make it tonight – with LOVE – and all will be right in the world.

Promise.

KALE & FARRO SALAD WITH SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BROCCOLI, RADISHES & CASHEWS – serves 4

4 oz. chopped kale leaves
1 cup farro, cooked
1 small butternut squash, cut in generous ½” squares
1 large onion, cut in ½” squares
2 Tbs. coconut oil
3 Tbs. spice rub* (recipe below – also great for pulled pork)
1 bunch of organic broccoli
1/3 cup chopped roasted, salted cashews
4 thinly sliced radishes
Olive oil for drizzling
2 wedges of lemon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

*SPICE RUB RECIPE:

1½ Tbs. sweet paprika
½ Tbs. garlic powder
½ Tbs. brown sugar
½ Tbs. dry mustard (Coleman’s)
1½ Tbs. coarse sea salt

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl.

This makes more than you need and is also great to rub on a pork butt to make pulled pork. Double it if you’d like to have some extra on hand. Keep in a tightly closed container

Combine the squash and onions with the coconut oil and spice mix on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss all to combine and roast in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes until tender. Toss at the halfway point, at about the 20 minute mark.

Meanwhile, cover the farro with about 3 inches of cold water. Salt with a little coarse sea salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 – 40 minutes. Taste test with a fork for tenderness. It should be a bit chewy. Strain in a fine mesh colander when done.

Wash all the kale in a lettuce spinner, removing any large stems. Spread on a clean counter to air dry, then chill in a paper towel lined plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Wash and peel stems of the broccoli. Cut each stem into 4 or 5 smaller stems and steam for about 10 minutes, until bright green and crisp tender. When done, remove the steamer of broccoli from the pot so it can air dry a bit.

Wash and trim the radishes. Using a hand mandolin, slice into very thin slices.

Coarsely chop the cashews.

Everything should be done all around the same time, so now you’re ready to assemble!

Line low flat bowls with the kale leaves. Place ¼ of the cooked farro in the middle, with the kale forming a ridge around the edge. Place a scoop of the butternut squash on top of the farro.

Chop the steamed broccoli into 2” lengths, leaving the flowerets intact and place them around the edge of the farro. Tuck in sliced radishes in four places around the bowl as shown.

Place chopped cashews on top of the squash. Drizzle some olive oil on the kale edge of the bowl, and follow that with a squeeze of lemon juice around that same kale edge.

Serve with LOVE, a Vouvray and enjoy!!!

Flounder Fillets with Garam Masala, Avocado & Mayo

April 3, 2016 by Mary 12 Comments

I love fish. But, it can get boring. I mean, it’s delicious roasted with a little olive oil, French Grey salt and fresh ground pepper but you know, after so much of that, it becomes ho hum. So, I am always on the lookout for something different, something new and not fattening. (Ok, so the mayo’s a little fattening.)

So the other day on the way home from work I was reading the dining section of The Times. They had an article about making your own masalas – Indian spice mixes. Sounded great but I didn’t happen to have any fresh curry leaves in the house. That, I’ll definitely have to go hunt for or order online. But then I read the shrimp recipe where they said you could also use Garam Masala and that I had, along with my flounder fillets. Success!

Then, I also remembered this dish my friend Margaret makes – I think it’s a Bittman recipe – of salmon with an avocado topping.

And then, I’ve been reading about coconut oil and how it’s supposedly so good for your brain. I’m for that!

Additionally, I had made the Sauerkraut Salad and had some leftover mayo from that recipe.

So here’s what I did. This was SO good – like a restaurant meal!!

FLOUNDER FILLETS WITH GARAM MASALA, AVOCADO AND MAYO – serves 2

2 tsp. coconut oil
2 flounder fillets
French Grey salt
Fresh ground pepper
Garam masala
1 avocado, cut into chunks
2 schmears of homemade mayo

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Slick a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tsp. coconut oil.

Wash and pat dry your fish fillets. Lay on the oiled baking sheet and rub 1/2 tsp. of oil on the top of each fillet. Salt and pepper to your taste, then sprinkle with Garam masala.

Roast in the preheated oven 10 – 12 minutes, until it flakes and is white in the thickest part.

Place on warm plates. Top with the avocado cubes and the smear of mayo as shown. Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!!

I served this with simple roasted asparagus topped with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a spoonful of leftover baked ziti. You can roast the asparagus at the same time as you’re roasting the fish and voila! This is an easy delicious 30 minute meal!!! (you don’t really need the ziti – I was just trying to clean out the fridge.)

Best Corned Beef Dinner

March 15, 2016 by Mary 8 Comments

My mother was funny about St.Patrick’s Day. She’d always make a corned beef and cabbage dinner (all about the food!) yet she wouldn’t let us wear green. She’d say. “You are not Irish. You’re Polish – wear red.” Yes, she was very proud of her Polish heritage and wanted us to be too. Many of my girlfriends were Irish so boy did I look like an outsider.

This past Saturday, I made this pretty awesome dinner if I may say so myself. It was an early St Patrick’s Day celebration with our friends, Margaret and Wayne. My corned beef didn’t come with a spice packet so I did some reading on what those spices might be and threw in my own and then some.
Margaret has a bit of Irish blood in her and she made the most beautiful and deliciously light Irish soda bread.

We served it with this new super fresh simple soup that I’ll tell you about later, because I will make it again and again.

Here you go on THE BEST CORNED BEEF!

BEST CORNED BEEF – serves 8 or 4 plus corned beef hash for 4 plus a lunch!

4.25 lbs. corned beef
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. allspice seeds
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
10 juniper berries
1/4 tsp. whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 dried bay leaves.
10-12 small red skinned potatoes
10 carrots, peeled and cut into 3 – 4″ lengths.
One head of cabbage, cut into 6 or 8 wedges.
Grainy mustard for serving
Horseradish for serving

Cover the meat completely with water, throw in the spices and bring to a boil in a very large soup pot, covered. Skim any dirty foam and reduce heat so that it just simmers for about 3 hours or until fork tender.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking add the potatoes and carrots.

Remove the meat, let rest on a board and add the cabbage wedges to the pot to cook for about 15 minutes.

Slice the beef in thin slices against the grain. Arrange in the center of a warm platter. Place the potatoes, carrots and cabbage artfully around the meat. Spoon a little warm cooking liquid over everything.

Serve with the mustard and horseradish

This corned beef was so flavorful and delicious! My piece was a little over 4 pounds as I wanted leftovers, because on Sunday morning, I made homemade corned beef hash with most of the leftover meat and potatoes!! Brilliant, right? While I need another go around at this before I share, this was a good beginning. It was flavorful but I didn’t achieve the crispy crust I was looking for and I think it would have been better if I had used a griddle pan, rather than a skillet. Just as soon as I perfect this recipe, I will share. It’s just not quite ready for prime time yet.

But isn’t this just luscious!?!

Our oldest son appeared at our apartment tonight for dinner and while he was waiting for us to come home, he had some of the leftover corned beef hash and said, “Mommm, when did you make this? It’s really great – just like a diner!”

Oh the luck of the Irish – two meals in one! Happy St. Patrick’s Day to EVERYONE!!! Spread LOVE through a great corned beef meal!

The BEST Meatballs

March 6, 2016 by Mary 32 Comments

I made 52 meatballs last Sunday. 52!!! I thought we’d be eating them forever. And I couldn’t freeze them again – I was working with meat that had been frozen, so that wouldn’t have been right.

And then both boys were home, with their girls. I served 10 as an appetizer for a special birthday dinner with 5 of us. OMG – everyone LOVED them!!

Everyone spent the night. The next morning, one boy had 6 or 8 for breakfast and one girl took some amount for lunch. And then I kept trying to sell them – take more for your dinner – you know – I have so many – we’ll never eat all of these…

So now it was Wednesday and this was our dinner for just the two of us. I opened the pot — ooops. Not many left. I have four and my husband has six for dinner and there are just 9 left!

This is a really good recipe. They really are THE BEST meatballs.

It is based on a recipe by Seamus Mullin of Tertulio, an award-winning restaurant here in NYC that has fond memories for me. Several years ago, as one of my Christmas presents, my two boys took me there for dinner and said I could ask them ANYTHING I wanted. That was their gift.

Isn’t that so cool? So cute!!!

I did not abuse it then. I didn’t ask anything untoward. Nothing outrageous. I was a bit nosey but respectful.

But then afterwards, sometimes I’d forget. I thought we were in the same mode and they’d say, “un uh – no, no – time’s up. We’re not there anymore. You can’t ask that.”

They are so cute.

Back to the meatball recipe. This was published in Food & Wine some years ago and I just recently discovered it and of course, as usual, I have changed it. And oh by the way, the recipe says it takes an hour and a half. Don’t kid yourself. Plan on more like three hours. By the time you wash and chop all the herbs and make and fry the meatballs, then make the sauce – it’s a long time.

But boy, these are really, really good.

My French bookkeeper at the office once told me that her grandmother always mixed a little veal into things to make them sing. So here Seamus calls for 2.5 lbs. of ground lamb. I made these with 2 lbs. of lamb and 1 lb. of veal, bumped up all the herbs and used heavy cream with a touch of water, instead of milk to soak the almonds in.

Try these. You will be so super satisfied when you hear the deep sighs and murmurs of delight while watching your crew devour them.

You will never feel more LOVED. Promise.

THE BEST MEATBALLS WITH RICH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICOTTA – serves 8 – adapted from a Chef Seamus Mullin recipe

FOR THE SAUCE:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup lightly packed basil leaves, torn
2 heaping Tbs. fresh oregano leaves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Two 28-ounce cans whole Italian tomatoes with their juices, crushed
6 large anchovy fillets, chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

FOR THE MEATBALLS: – makes 52 meatballs
1/2 cup raw almonds, finely chopped in a food processer
6 Tbs. heavy cream + 2 Tbs. water or 1/2 cup whole milk
2 lb. ground lamb
1 lb. ground veal
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped basil leaves, packed, plus whole leaves for garnish
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, packed
2 heaping Tbs. finely chopped mint
1 heaping Tbs. finely chopped oregano
2 tsp. finely chopped thyme
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. dry red wine (or white wine)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 3/4 tsp. ground coriander
3/4 tsp. ground fennel
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Ricotta cheese, for serving
Extra olive oil for serving

MAKE THE SAUCE:
In a large heavy enameled pot – such as a Le Creuset – heat the oil until shimmering. Add the garlic, basil, oregano, bay leaves and red pepper and cook over moderately high heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring, until the tomatoes are saucy, 1 hour. Stir in the anchovies and season with salt and black pepper.

MAKE THE MEATBALLS:
In a bowl, cover the almonds with the heavy cream and water or whole milk and let stand until most of the milk has been absorbed, 30 minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the whole basil leaves, olive oil and ricotta and mix well. Form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

In a skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Working in batches, cook the meatballs over moderately high heat, turning, until nearly cooked through, 7 minutes per batch. Drain the meatballs on paper toweling on a platter.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer until cooked through, 8 minutes. Spoon into bowls, top with ricotta and a drizzle of olive oil on the ricotta. You can also add some basil leaves as garnish.

The meatballs can be refrigerated in the sauce overnight. Warm in a covered ovenproof dish at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Serve with LOVE and toasted bread, and you’ll be in heaven!!

Weeknight Chicken Tacos

February 21, 2016 by Mary 21 Comments

My parents were traditionalists, especially my father. Dinner was always a protein, a carb and a vegetable, (unless it was a homemade soup or stew that had all of those things). We had to have the three things on the plate and dinner was a sit-down affair, around the kitchen table with no TV. But we always had music. My father played the violin, loud, to Gershwin, André Kostelanetz, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, or show tunes. I know all the lyrics to Camelot, My Fair Lady, Gigi, The Music Man and The Sound of Music songs. (oh yes) This was his way of relaxing while having a cocktail (usually a Scotch on the rocks), when he got home from work. And he always took his shoes off and put on his leather house slippers. I know because I was supposed to fetch them for him. Shoot, we missed having our kids do that for us. 🙂

But I digress. Back to food. We NEVER had takeout or deliveries. We never had pizza or Chinese food or tacos for dinner. We never went to any fast food joint, not even Steak ‘n Shake which was sort of an in-between – in between a restaurant and fast food – in those days. No, we always had a three-item dinner every night.

Our friends’ families had pizza or other fast food at times, which was all fairly new then. We would beg and whine to be able to do that, but no, my mother insisted on a healthy home cooked meal.

So that‘s the way I was raised.

And that’s the way our kids were raised.

Our oldest still proclaims that I used to always say, “It’s not a dinner unless it has a green vegetable.” I don’t remember saying that but it sounds pretty good.

So now the kids are gone and it’s just my husband and me. And I have started making chicken tacos for dinner – with a green vegetable! Yes. All totally homemade, they’re fun and delicious!!!

This dish is roughly inspired by an old Food & Wine magazine recipe and the neatest thing about it is about how to cook the chicken. You roast thighs at a high heat (425 degrees) on a rack, so all the fat drains out. The chicken actually comes out practically fried, with no breading. The original recipe has you rub vegetable oil on the skin of the thighs, before roasting but that makes for a lot of smoke and creates a very messy oven. So I roast without any oil and the chicken has turned out equally good, without the smoke and interior oven splattering.

The skin gets crispy and is very tempting to eat a bit of it while you shred the meat off the bone. Delicious! – but we all know it’s not good for you.

So what I’ve been doing is roasting my thighs on a Sunday when I have more time, shreding the meat and having it all ready for a quick weeknight meal of amazing tacos. Makes the whole thing easy-peasy on the night you’re serving. I know the toppings take a bit of time to prepare but roasting and shredding the chicken ahead of time makes this doable for a weeknight. I made this last Wednesday night with both boys home (Yes! Zach is visiting from Poland!) and it was a HUGE hit!

Try this – you will LOVE it!!

WEEKNIGHT CHICKEN TACOS – serves 4 – 6 – makes about 14 tacos

8 chicken thighs with skin and bones – about 3 lbs.
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, cored and finely chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of scallions, trimmed, washed and chopped
11/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, preferably homemade
Large handful of cilantro, chop the stem portion from the leafy parts, and mince the stems
Warm corn tortillas

FOR SERVING:

Chopped white onion, soaked in ice water for 10 minutes and drained
Sliced radishes – about 3
Thinly sliced jalepeno pepper – 1/2 – 3/4 of one
Feta cheese, broken into chunks
Sour cream or crème fraiche
Diced avocado – we used 1 whole and another half
Cilantro leaves
Salsa – optional or chopped plum tomatoes
Fresh lime wedges

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry chicken thighs, trimming off excess skin and fat. Salt and pepper both sides of the thighs and place on a rack positioned on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast for 40 – 45 minutes. Let cool, remove and discard skin, shred the chicken from the bone. You could make a stock from the bones and skin. This is the step that I do on a Sunday afternoon to have a quick taco meal during the week. Store shredded chicken in the fridge in a covered container and take out the night you’re having the tacos as soon as you start making the rest of the meal to take some of the chill off as soon as you can.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the finely chopped tomatillos, garlic and scallions. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the tomatillos are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes.

While sauce is cooking, prepare all your toppings in separate little bowls. A hand mandoline is best to thinly slice the radishes and jalepenos. Soak your chopped white onions in the ice water bath for 10 minutes and drain.

Additionally prepare the corn tortillas. Place stacks of 6 tortillas in aluminum foil that is lined with a damp paper towel on the bottom and the top of the corn tortillas. Seal the aluminum foil tightly around and warm in a 350 degree oven for 5 – 10 minutes.

Add the shredded chicken to the tomatillo sauce. Simmer until the chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes. Then fold in the chopped stems of the cilantro and a few whole leaves. Taste to see if it needs any salt and pepper.

Serve everything immediately. I like to assemble my taco with a smear of sour cream or crème fraiche on the corn tortilla first, then the chicken tomatillo mixture, then the cheese, followed by jalepeno, onion, avocados, radishes, a tiny bit of salsa and finished with cilantro leaves.

Total yum.