There is just one thing to be careful of while cooking:  Scallops cook fast!  Don’t walk away from the stove.  If you do, you’ll end up with rubbery scallops, a very expensive and not-so-tasty dish. Also use a large pan, and don’t crowd the scallops; if anything, just cook in two batches.

Feeds 4-8 (generous portions)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops, 10 to 20 per pound
2. Salt and pepper
3. 2 tbsp vegetable oil
4. 2 tbsp butter
5. Lemon wedges (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place scallops on paper towels and use second paper towel to blot liquid.   Let scallops sit at room temperature 10 minutes while towels absorb moisture.
2. Sprinkle scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of scallops in single layer, flat-side down, and cook, without moving, until well browned, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
3. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet. Using tongs, flip scallops; continue to cook, using large spoon to baste scallops with melted butter (tilt skillet so butter runs to one side) until sides of scallops are firm and centers are opaque, 30 to 90 seconds longer (remove smaller scallops as they finish cooking).
4. Transfer scallops to large plate and tent loosely with foil. Wipe out skillet with wad of paper towels and repeat cooking with remaining oil, scallops, and butter. Serve immediately with lemon wedges or sauce.

Since it’s already getting very hot here in Texas, I was in the mood for a chickpea salad.  Alas, upon searching in DailyChef’s recommendation engine, I couldn’t find a recipeI loved.  Only one thing to do – submit a new recipe to DailyChef  here.   I’ve always liked chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans for those of you who prefer the Spanish name. There are many more names for these tasty legumes- not surprising given that the oldest (and probably inedible) chickpeas have been found to be ~7000 years old!

Anyhow, although there are several ways to cook chickpeas, I usually find them either dried or in cans.  I’ve tried reconstituting dried chickpeas into a fresh version, but for some reason mine never seem to obtain the appropriate level of moisture.  Thus I always end up with GOYA chickpeas from a can.  (Note to GOYA: this is free advertising!  Send me chickpeas in return!)  Do any of you have thoughts or tips on getting high-quality fresh chickpeas?

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Feeds 6-8 as appetizer/ salad.

1. 1/4 cup olive oil
2. 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
3. 2 15 1/2-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained
4. 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
5. 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
6. 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained
7. 1/4 cup  lemon juice
8. 1 garlic clove, minced
9. 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

I sometimes dream of creamy potatoes on the side of a large steak.  Unfortunately, I rarely execute on this dream, mostly because my arteries will hate me.  Sometimes, though, any cook just has to give in to decadence.  This recipe was particularly notable because I managed to also blow off my work out to make this meal.  Maybe if I share the recipe with you, my dear readers, the common good will rectify my wayward ways.

These Potatoes Au Gratin were my side to the New York Strip Steak.  It’s also a classic side dish to any meat-based main course.  Although not as healthy as a salad or corn on the cob (without butter or Parmesan cheese), this creamy soft roasted potato dish makes a decadent meal.

I also noticed that potatoes au gratin, also known as scalloped potatoes, were not part of the DailyChef database.  It is now! (https://beta.dailychef.com/recipes/show/1090).  Since we’re still building the site into the premier recipe destination on the web, I guess I’m not surprised.  Rather than copying down every single recipe out there like some other recipe sites, we’re trying to limit our database to high quality recipes that we or other chefs have actually tried.   Do any of you have good recipe suggestions?  Please let us know!

I’ve found that the quickest way to make Potatoes Au Gratin is to use a mixture of cooking methods.  First, simmer potatoes on the stove.  Then, finish them in the oven to give you the best texture and color.  Also, make sure that you cut the potatoes to the right thickness .  Too thin and you end up with something like the potato galette; too thick, and your sauce has to be super sticky and creamy to make things stay together.

Serves 4 to 6

Prep Time: 30 min

Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 1 medium onion, minced
3. 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
4. 1 tablespoon  thyme leaves, chopped
5. 1 1/4 teaspoons  salt
6. 1/4 teaspoon  black pepper
7. 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
8. 1 cup chicken broth, low -sodium
9. 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Slice potatoes 1/8″ thick, using either food processor or knife.

1. Melt butter in pan and add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
2. Add garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add potatoes, chicken broth, cream, and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are almost tender (~ 10minutes).

1. Transfer mixture to 8-inch-square baking dish (or other 1 1/2-quart gratin dish).  Press to make it an even layer. Bake until cream is bubbling around edges and top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Hi readers!  For those of you who haven’t been following along, this is another in a long series of posts as we explore the DailyChef recommendation engine. I’ll be actively testing new recipes by cooking them while we refine and improve the DailyChef recipe recommendation service.  Explore the service with us and send us feedback, either directly on our site, or by posting comments.

As you can tell, we’ve been busy improving the DailyChef site, which has really taken away from my cooking.  However I am back, and as a big celebration, my first act is to eat steak. A fancy New York Strip Steak from my favorite bulk store Costco – it has such great meat! I also added steak to our recommendation engine, as I realized that we hadn’t properly categorized tenderloins, porterhouses, ribeyes, etc. all under the master ingredient “steak.”  Now you can find this recipe there too.

It doesn’t take much effort to get a near restaurant quality steak.  A high quality cut of beef and an oven safe pan is all you need.

Feeds: 2
Cook/Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

1. 2 New York Strip Steaks ~3/4lb each
2. salt and pepper
3. 2 tbsp rosemary chopped
4. 2 tbsp butter
5. 1/4 onion, diced
6. 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
7. 2 tbsp orange juice

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 400.
2. Heat oven safe pan on high until smoking.
3. Salt and pepper steak and then add directly to pan.
4. 
5. Sear for about 3 minutes and then turn.
6. Put pan directly into oven for 5 minutes for medium rare, 7minutes for medium well
7. Remove from oven and put onto plate
8. Tent with Foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes
9. In separate pan, add 1 tbsp butter onion, and rosemary.  Saute until fragrant.  Reduce for ~ 5minutes.
10. Add orange juice and remaining butter.  Whisk until smooth.
11. 
12. Pour over steak and eat!

I’ve been looking for a quick salmon recipe for the days when I crave fish – something that doesn’t take a lot of time, but gives a nice brown exterior and moist center.  Unfortunately, I’ve had some bad experiences with roasting fish before.  When roasting goes wrong, the center of the salmon can be chalky dry…as bad as salmon from a can!  Fortunately, I discovered a way to get a nice crust combined with a moist center: use two different oven temperatures and a really hot oven pan.

To finish off the recipe, I top the whole thing with a delicious relish.  In this case, I used some tangerines I had around the house.

This recipe is also in our main DailyChef database.  If you haven’t checked out the DailyChef site yet, please do!  We’re recommending recipes to you based on your tastes, so   if we discover that you are into seafood and citrus, hopefully you’ll quickly find this recipe recommended to you.  (End shameless plug)

Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients

1. 2 lbs skin-on salmon fillet, about 1 1/2 inches at thickest part.
2. 2 teaspoons olive oil
3. salt and pepper
4. 4 tangerines , segments cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
5. 1 scallion , sliced thin (about 1/4 cup)
6. 1 1/2 teaspoons  fresh ginger, grated
7. 2 teaspoons lemon juice
8. 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.  Prep fish by making 4-5 shallow slashes along skin side of fish.  This allows the fat to render and help create a brown crust.   Be careful not to cut into flesh.
2. Pat salmon dry with paper towels.   Cut large filled into serving sizes.  Rub fillets evenly with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees and remove baking sheet. Carefully place salmon skin-side down on baking sheet.
3. Roast until centers of thickest part of fillets are still translucent when cut into with paring knife or instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of fillets registers 125 degrees, 9 to 13 minutes. Transfer fillets to individual plates or platter.
4. Place tangerines in fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl and drain for 15 minutes.

1. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon tangerine juice from bowl; whisk in scallion, ginger, lemon juice, and oil. Stir in tangerines and season to taste with salt and pepper.

1. Top with relish (see related recipes) and serve.

Ingredients

1. 2 large lemons, 1 sliced, the other juiced
2. 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts sliced into thin slices.  Boneless skinless
3. 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4. 4 tablespoons olive  oil
5. 1 stalk scallion diced.
6. 1 can chicken broth, low-sodium
7. 2 tablespoons small capers , drained
8. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter , softened
9. 2 tablespoons  fresh parsley leaves, minced
10. Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Salt and pepper both sides of cutlets generously  Measure flour into bowl, and coat cutlets with flour.  Shake to remove excess

1. In 12-inch skillet over medium-high, add oil and then sauté cutlets, without moving them, until lightly browned on first side (~2 minutes).  Flip and cook for another 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Turn cutlets and cook until second side is lightly browned, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes longer. Remove from heat to plate.

1. Add scallions to pan and saute until fragrant (~15 seconds).  Add chicken stock and lemon slices and  scrape skillet bottom with wooden spoon or spatula to loosen browned bits. Simmer until liquid reduces to about 1/3 cup, about 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and capers and simmer until sauce reduces again to 1/3 cup, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter until butter melts and thickens sauce; swirl in parsley.  Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Welcome to the DailyChef Beta!

https://beta.dailychef.com/

Hello fellow foodies, cooks, chefs, and food bloggers!  Thanks for joining me over the past 1.5 years and sharing my trials and tribulations in the kitchen as well as my love of food.

Over the years, I’ve noticed how hard it is to find recipes.  Oftentimes I wanted  to cook , but I didn’t know exactly what.  No recipe site on the web knew what I liked to eat and nothing could recommend a recipe catered to my tastes and food preferences.  And even when I knew what I wanted to cook, I’d get 100+ recipe choices for a dish as basic as lasagna.  The effort required to sort through all the recipes might have led me to abandon cooking altogether if it weren’t for inspirational posts and great stories from all of you, my fellow food bloggers.

With all this in mind, today I’m proud to announce that DailyChef has become more than just a food blog.  For the last year and a half, our team of engineers – all friends and fellow foodies – has been hard at work trying to solve this problem.  We’ve built a revolutionary new product with the goal of helping you make the food you love.  After consulting with professional chefs in San Francisco and New York, we think we’ve built an amazing recipe recommendation engine that will change the way you find recipes.  In short, we are proud to introduce the DailyChef beta!

When you first sign on, you can start by telling us a few ingredients you like or don’t like.  Even better, start browsing recipes and rating them “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down.”  After every rating, our engine gets smarter and finds recipes that are better and better suited to your tastes.  Now you don’t have to know exactly what you want to eat to find a recipe – DailyChef can help provide the inspiration.

We know that we have a lot of work ahead, but please join us as we figure out our next steps.  After you’ve had a chance to try out DailyChef, click the Feedback link and tell us what would make the site work even better for you.  We’d love to get food lovers like you involved.  Create accounts, find new recipes and upload your recipes– if they mesh well with other user’s taste and flavor profiles, we’ll recommend it to them!

Thanks for being along for the ride.  Onwards to a better cooking and eating experience!

James

Despite the recipe’s name and liberal usage of such left-wing ingredients such as raisins, nuts and tofu, I will vigorously deny any politics that may be associated to me by this recipe.  If anything, I am an equal opportunity cook and eater.  And perhaps my politics reflect that as well – I’ll probably listen to any idea that looks, smells and sounds tasty!  Anyway, we can thank Mr. Bittman at the NYTimes for this recipe.  This is an interesting way to make a healthier but still-flavorful modification on the familiar fried rice, albeit with nuts, raisins, tofu and broccoli.

Now if I can only get someone to sing kumbaya with me…

Hippie Rice

Makes: 4 servings

Time: About 45 minutes

1. 1⁄3 cup sunflower seeds
2. 1 cup brown rice
3. Salt
4. 1 head broccoli (about 1 pound), roughly chopped
5. 2 tablespoons olive oil
6. 1⁄3 cup raisins
7. 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8. Lemon wedges
9. 1 pck extra firm tofu, cut into 1″ cubes.

1. Toast the sunflower seeds in a medium saucepan over medium-low. Shake the pan often so they don’t burn.  Let cool in bowl.
2. Put the rice in the pan and add water to cover by about 1 inch. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cover and cook until most of the water is absorbed and the rice is just getting tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

1. Pan fry tofu until browned on all sides.

1. Pack the broccoli into the pan on top of the rice—don’t stir; just leave it on top—and add a little more liquid if the water is evaporating too quickly. Replace the lid and continue cooking, adding a small amount of water if the pan boils dry, until the rice and  broccoli are both tender, 5 to 10 more minutes. Add tofu.  Toss everything with sunflower seeds. oil, raisins, and red chile flakes.

1. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately or at room temperature with the lemon wedges.

I’m back!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.  Sorry it took so long to start posting again, but January has been quite hectic.  Today, I tackled a classic spicy Italian dish: Shrimp Fra Diavolo, or “brother devil.”  Red pepper gives this recipe a nice kick.  However, I’ve had this dish when it just doesn’t quite taste right – the shrimp can easily get a little bland and overcooked.  This often happens if you just add the shrimp raw to the sauce.

If you’re going to add shrimp to a dish, it shouldn’t be just be a condimentor just a “protein;” it should be the star of the show.  In this variation, I cook the shrimp separately.   But I don’t just pan fry it first, I add some dark rum and flambe the shrimp!  As an extra bonus, I managed to catch a nice shot of my flame below.  This preparation gives the shrimp a unique taste that stands out in the spicy tomato sauce.  Enjoy!

Serves 4

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound shrimp (31 to 35 count), peeled.
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons table salt
• 1/4 cup Cognac or dark rum
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained
• 1 cup medium-dry white wine , such as Sauvignon Blanc
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1pound linguine or spaghetti

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil pasta.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat heavy skillet over high heat for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, toss shrimp, half of red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl.
3. Add shrimp to skillet and quickly spread in single layer; cook, without stirring, until bottoms of shrimp brown.  Remove from heat and flip shrimp by stirring.  Add cognac or rum.    Return pan to high heat after 5 seconds.  Wave lit match over skillet until pan ignites.  Shake skillet until flames subside, transfer shrimp to medium bowl, and set aside.

1. Cool now-empty skillet; return to burner and reduce heat to low. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons garlic.  Cook slowly, until garlic foams and is sticky ~7 to 10 minutes.  Add remaining red pepper flakes, 3/4 teaspoon salt, sugar, tomatoes, and wine.
2. Increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until thickened and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

1. Stir in  shrimp and accumulated juices, remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, and parsley.  Simmer until shrimp have heated through, about 1 minute longer.

1. Divide pasta among warm serving bowls, top with a portion of sauce and shrimp, and serve immediately!

Until then, go forth and eat some delicious food!