Asparagus with Mustard Sauce

The mustard sauce adds a bite to the smooth taste of asparagus. Best when served immediately after cooking the asparagus, while it's still warm. The sauce can be made ahead of time - cover and keep refrigerated until serving time.

Recipe

2 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1-1/4 lbs. asparagus
salt
1 T. minced fresh chives for garnish

MUSTARD SAUCE
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. water
1 T. red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the hard boiled eggs, one at a time, in an egg slicer. Cut through them, then rotate 45-degrees in the slicer and cut through them again to create strips. If you don't have an egg slicer, chop with a sharp knife. Set aside.

If your asparagus are thick, peel the lower third with a vegetable peeler and snap off the ends, otherwise cut off the tough bottom part of the stalks. In a large saucepan, bring 3 c. salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus in one layer, cover partially and bring back to a boil; cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on thickness of the asparagus) until tender but still firm. Remove from the pan with a slotted spatula and put on a platter.

For the sauce put all the ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

At serving time, arrange the spears so the bottoms are close together and the tips are fanned out. Coat the lower third of the asparagus spears with the sauce and sprinkle the eggs and chives over and around them.

– Jacques Pepin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Chicken Tikka Masala

I'm always on the lookout for a good Indian restaurant but in the last few years I have been unimpressed. My brother's favorite dish is chicken masala so I decided to make it at home. This recipe is fabulous, a real keeper! Serves 3 to 6, depending on how hungry you are. If you like more heat, increase the amount of cayenne and/or add a chopped jalapeno pepper with the onion.

Perfectly spiced chicken tikka masala, served with basmati rice, naan, and cucumber-mint raita.

Recipe

2 T. ghee
1 finely chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1 T. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 T. fresh grated ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
14-oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. heavy cream
1-1/2 tsp. paprika
1 T. sugar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 tsp. curry powder
Cilantro for garnish (if desired)

Heat ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the cumin, salt, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon and turmeric, stir, and fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix in the cream, paprika and sugar, bring back to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for about 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, heat 1 T. peanut (or vegetable) oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, sprinkle with curry powder, and sear, stirring, until the chicken is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the chicken (and any juices) to the tomato sauce. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with basmati rice.

Cucumber Mint Raita

A very refreshing yogurt-cucumber-mint mixture, this is a perfect complement to Chicken Tikka Masala. It would also go well with grilled lamb, chicken, or salmon, or as a dip with pita bread.

Recipe

1/2 large English cucumber (unpeeled), halved, seeded, and coarsely grated
1 c. plain yogurt
3 T. chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Wrap the grated cucumber in a kitchen towel and squeeze dry. In a medium bowl whisk the yogurt, mint, cumin, and cayenne to blend. Add the cucumbers and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Makes about 2 cups.

Stuffed Summer Tomatoes

This is the perfect recipe for summer tomatoes, stuffed with zucchini and mushrooms. It's still too hot to turn on the oven. I'd rather have a cool salad of refreshing vegetables anyway! It was surprisingly easy to transport – stuff and store stuffing side up in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Recipe

4 firm tomatoes
1-1/4 c. diced (1/4-inch) white mushrooms
1-1/4 c. diced (1/4-inch) zucchini
1/3 c. chopped red onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. diced (1/4-inch) baguette
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. red wine vinegar

GARNISHES:
1/3 c. diced red onion
1/3 c. diced kalamata olives (or 16 pitted olives)
crumbled feta cheese
olive oil
Fleur de sel or coarse salt
4 sprigs fresh basil

Put the tomatoes in boiling water for 45 seconds, drain, and peel off the skin. Cut about a 1/4-inch slice from the stem end of each tomato and dice those slices for garnish.

Hollow out the tomatoes, removing the flesh, seeds and juice, which I did very carefully because the tomatoes I used were fairly ripe and not hard, so be careful! A serrated spoon would have worked well I think.

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. Spread the diced mushrooms and zucchini on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 3-4 minutes to sweat and soften (I assume you could use a microwave for this step but I don't own one!). Transfer the softened veggies to a bowl and stir in the onion, garlic, walnuts, bread, salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. Mix well and spoon the stuffing into the hollowed out tomatoes. Refrigerate, stuffing side up, until ready to serve.

To serve, place the tomatoes stuffed side down on the plate and scatter the reserved diced tomatoes and garnishes around the plate and sprinkle with the olive oil and fleur de sel. Poke a tiny hole in the top of the tomato (I used a toothpick) and insert a basil sprig, and serve.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Shrimp & Scallop Pillows

A fun recipe with a shrimp, scallop and sour cream puree stuffed between two round wonton wrappers. Steamed and sautéed, these are crunchy outside and creamy inside. Figure one each for an appetizer, and three each for a main course (this recipe is enough for 12 potstickers). These paired well with a Rex Hill Shea Pinot.

Recipe

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled
1/2 lb. scallops
1/3 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
(24) 3-inch potsticker rounds
2 T. peanut oil

Cut the tail ends off the shrimp and add to a food processor with the scallops. Cut the remaining shrimp into pieces and set aside. Process the shrimp and scallops for 15 seconds. Add the sour cream, salt and pepper, and process until smooth, about another 15-30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the reserved shrimp pieces.

For the potstickers you want the tops to be larger than the bottoms so they can enclose the puree. Stack 3 high at a time and use a rolling pin to enlarge them to about 4" diameter. Lay out 12 regular size (3") potstickers and put a heaping spoonful of puree in the middle of each one. Brush the larger tops lightly with water and place them, wet side down, on top of the puree. Pick them up and press all the way around to seal the edges. 

In a large non-stick skillet pour about 1/2 c. water and 1 T. peanut oil in the pan. Add as many of the potstickers to the pan to create one layer (don't let them overlap or they will stick to each other). Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated. Uncover and cook over medium-high to high heat until all the liquid is gone and the potstickers start to brown. Flip them over and be sure to brown on both sides. Repeat with the rest of the potstickers.

Serve over torn Boston lettuce leaves (5-6 cups loosely packed) that have been lightly dressed with 2 T. olive oil, 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp. salt.

– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"

Pineapple in Dark Rum Sauce

A five ingredient, do-ahead dessert that gets better the longer it marinates.

Recipe

1/2 of a ripe pineapple
1 lime
3 T. dark rum
1/2 c. honey
4 T. mascarpone

Cut the top and bottom of the pineapple off and peel the outside with a knife, cutting out the dark 'eyes.' Cut in half lengthwise and remove the tough core. You only need half the pineapple for this recipe to serve four people.

Place the cut side down and slice thinly. Arrange the slices in a large dish. Grate the zest of the lime over the pineapple, then add the juice of the lime. Add the dark rum and drizzle the honey over the pineapple. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, arrange slices of the pineapple in a circle, pour a little of the sauce over, and spoon some mascarpone in the middle. Using a vegetable peeler make a garnish of the lime skin.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"