Its still February, which here in Norway means WINTER.  I’ve found that there’s no better way to kick the winter blues than some fresh greens. In this house, pesto is automatic family favorite.  The arugula pistachio pasta idea popped up because I had some trouble finding pine nuts and basil.  It seemed to me that if you had a decent herb and a delicious nut it might be an acceptable substitute.

So I began experimenting. My son Calvin came up with the idea of adding pistachio.  Arugula can be a bitter herb and the pistachio is a sweeter nut. Together it is a perfect balance. This pesto recipe is quick and easy, just remember that better the cheese and olive oil, the better the pesto.  We have used fine aged parmesan as well as a nutty manchego.  My favorites are a good Cypriot or Greek olive oil. Delicious!

This pesto can last for quite along time if stored properly in the fridge. Ours never seems to last more than a couple days…

We put it on pasta, as a topping on salmon, on toasted sandwiches with melty cheese and chicken, and for breakfast on toasted artisanal bread with a fried egg. Leave a comment and let us know what else the pesto would be good on!

Pistachio Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• Bag of fresh arugula (or rocket salad)
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups toasted, unsalted roasted pistachio nuts
• 1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup high quality olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

Put garlic, pistachio nuts in a food processor and pulse a couple of times.  Add arugula, basil, parmesan and blend.  Once they are blended together, begin to drizzle in the olive oil.  Adjust the amount of olive oil depending on the consistency you’d like the pesto to be.  Add more oil for a more liquid-y pesto, add less if you want it more like a paste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over pasta, on bread, meats and fish. Or if you’re one of my kids, eat it with a spoon right out of the food processor. Its that good.

You can also absolutely make it with only arugula or only basil,  just be sure to use a better quality parmesan cheese and olive oil.

One of our absolute favorite rubs is Dizzy Pig Seasonings – Dizzy’s Red Eye Express Coffee Infused BBQ Rub.  We used to get it at Whole Foods, but have taken to ordering it on-line.  This is a great rub that can be used on burgers, steak, chicken…It gives meats that right amount of kick!  Stick a can of beer up the middle of a whole chicken and cook it over a low heat on the grill for a perfect summer meal.

Ingredients:

Whole chicken washed inside and out

1/2 stick butter

one can Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (or something similar)

Grill seasoning (I recommend Dizzys)

Recipe: 

1. Rinse and dry whole chicken inside and out.
2. Baste with melted butter.
3. Liberally coat with grill seasoning.
4. Drink half a can of beer, place the can with the remaining beer up the middle of the chicken.
5. Place on grill over low or indirect heat.
6. Cook until done (1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the size of the chicken).
7. Carve and serve!

Enjoy your weekend!

– Mo

My son Calvin, 14, is always hungry.  Trying to find something that he would love to eat, but that wasn’t too much of a hassle to make was a bit of a challenge.  A few over ripe bananas got me thinking about banana bread, which really was never my favorite.  How could a I make a really delicious banana bread???  Chocolate!  Lots of chocolate.  My daughter Kara suggested adding cinnamon and Demerara sugar for a crusty topping.  This is now a family favorite.  We make one every Sunday and eat it all week long.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar (Muscovado if you can find it)
1tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla
3-4 ripe mashed bananas
2 eggs
3/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks
cinnamon
Demerara (or granular brown) sugar

I have now started adding in a TBSP dark chia seeds.  My son loves the addition!

Recipe:

1. Pre-heat over to 350.
2. Grease 9″ by 5″ bread loaf pan.
3. Add all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, to a large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until well mixed.
4. Stir in chunks.
5. Pour into loaf pan.
6. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and Demerara sugar which will form a lovely crunchy crust on top
7. Bake for 55-65 minutes.  Until a knife inserted in comes out clean.
8. Cool for 15 minutes.
9. Remove from pan.
10. Enjoy!

Homemade fresh salsa!  Great with chips, on eggs, in soups, on toasted slices of baguette rubbed with garlic, the possibilities are endless…

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes 4 or 5 large ripe tomatoes chopped into small pieces (I like to try to mix them up, throw in a couple of heirlooms for color)
•  One large red onion chopped
• Garlic – 2 cloves finely chopped
• Fresh Cilantro or Basil
• Lemon – 1/2 to 1 lemon (to taste)
• Olive oil 2 tbsp high quality olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• If you like it spicy – add diced jalapeno or Thai pepper to taste (start with a small amount and increase for heat)

Recipe:
In a large bowl, add tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro or basil.
If you want it spicy, add a small amount of hot pepper here, 1/4 tsp to start.
Add olive and lemon – start with 1/2 a lemon and add more to taste
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Let salsa sit a room temperature for half and hour for flavors to blend.
Add more salt, pepper and lemon to taste.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 large Cucumbers (6-8 medium cucumbers) peeled and sliced into chunks
•  1 large red onion chopped
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:
-Put cucumber, onion, avocado and stock in a food processor or blender.
-Puree until smooth (or desired consistency – less time if you want it chunkier!)
-Add salt and pepper to taste
-Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving
-Garnish with homemade salsa and sour cream.

Perfect for a hot summer day!  Best served with Mo’s Fresh Salsa

My daughter Kara, a phenomenal cook, kindly let us share her delicious recipe for Pulled Brisket Sandwiches.  This recipe requires a handful of ingredients that take a short time to pull together to make a delicious culinary delight.  In the 4 hours it takes to cook, your home will be filled with the most unbelievably delicious smells….

Ingredients:

For the Rub:

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Chipotle Chili
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Celery Salt
• 1 tsp Ground Pepper

For the Brisket:

• 1 large brisket
• 2 large onions (white or red)
• 1 can of beer
• 2 cups beef bullion

Recipe:

1.Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients for the rub in a small bowl.  Rinse and dry the brisket. Then cover the meat with the dry rub either in a ziplock bag or baking dish. Our cuts of brisket have been too large for a plastic bag so we have been using a glass baking dish.  Be sure that the rub is massaged into the meat and covers it thoroughly.  

3. Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into a large dutch oven.  Heat at medium high temperature over stove top

4. Place meat into the heated oil, searing on each side for approximately 2 minutes.  This will lock in the juices.

5. Once the meat is seared on both sides, add 2 diced onions, one can of beer, 2 cups beef stock.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the dutch oven with large spoon to loosen delicious seared bits!

6. Cover dutch oven and place in the oven for approximately 4 hours.  Check after 2-3 hours, adding additional beer/beef stock as necessary.  There should be  a good reserve of liquid in the pot.

7. After 4 hours, remove the dutch oven.  Shred brisket on a separate cutting board, using two forks and pulling against the grain of the meat.

8. Place shredded brisket in a serving dish and pour some the reaming liquid from the dutch oven to add moisture and flavor.

9. Serve on toasted rolls with bbq sauce and cole slaw! Enjoy!!

Best served with Cilantro Fennel Coleslaw and Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sauce!

It is very easy to make a good crab cake, however, I have certainly been served some terrible ones in my time. There are a few simple rules for making good crab cakes, and they are as follows:

1. DO NOT over bread. Crab cakes need bread crumbs as a binder but they should be mostly crab.
2. DO NOT over mix. Be gentle with your crab cake mixture.
3. DO NOT over salt. Seafood is naturally a bit briny so use caution when applying extra salt.
4. DO NOT over cook. I saute crab cakes and I have heard rumors that some people bake them. No matter what cooking method you decide to use, keep an eye on them. Over cooked crab cakes are dry and rubbery.

Southwestern Crab Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce

1 lb crab meat
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1/2 – 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 chopped Serrano chili (or to taste)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4-1/3 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the Serrano chili, garlic and onions in olive oil until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool a bit. When vegetables are cooled, gently fold all ingredients together. Gently form into 4- 6 cakes, depending on how large you like them. If you have time, place the raw crab cakes in the fridge for an hour to allow them to set, if not, no big. Heat a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a couple of teaspoons of canola or other vegetable oil to medium high. Add the crab cakes being careful not to crowd the pan. Allow the crab cakes to brown thoroughly on one side before turning. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat level. The crab cakes should brown but not burn. If they start getting too dark too soon, turn down the heat. To check for doneness, poke the middle with your finger. The center should give but be firm.

Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce:

1 cup of sour cream (low fat works fine)
2 canned chipotle chilies in adobe sauce, chopped (or to taste)
1-2 tablespoons cilantro
1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of sugar (a powdered sweetener works well, as it dissolves nicely)
salt, to taste.
Grate the zest of the lime. Mix all of the above ingredients adding as much lime zest and lime juice as you like.

Asian Crab Style Crab Cakes with Wasabi Sour Cream Sauce

Just a few substitutions to the recipe for the Southwestern version are necessary give your crab cakes an Asian twist. Instead of using red onions, thinly slice 3 green onions, using all of the white and most of the green. Do not saute the green onions but add them raw to the crab cake mixture. Saute the garlic and Serrano chilies with 2 teaspoons of fresh, chopped ginger. Omit the cayenne pepper and cumin. Add 1/2 teaspoon, or more if you like, wasabi sauce. Otherwise, use all the other ingredients as listed above and proceed accordingly.

Wasabi Crab Cake Sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon wasabi sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped, pickled or fresh ginger
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
lime juice, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients and serve with crab cakes.