An Inspired Kitchen

Catfish with Ras El Hanout Collard Greens and Beluga Lentils

The beluga lentils are what make this a delicious side dish.  They are higher in amino acids than French, green, or red lentils and don’t need to soak, so they are a quick 30 minute side dish.  They also don’t break down like other legumes and hold their shape.  Start by cooking the lentils in salted water for 25-30 minutes while you are making the rest of the dish.  When the lentils are halfway cooked, start sauteing an onion and garlic and add some collard greens, kale or spinach, a few capers and some ras el hanout. Ras el hanout is a Middle Eastern spice mix and there are many variations. It traditionally has cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika, mace, nutmeg, peppercorn, turmeric, dried rosebud, lavender, ajawan seeds and even more spices in some recipes.  You can usually find the blend at a gourmet store or Amazon.  In another skillet, lightly coat the catfish with salt, pepper, ras el hanout and rice flour and cook the catfish or any fish filet until lightly browned and turn over and cook until the fish flakes, about 6 more minutes.  Add the lentils to the collard mixture and add some lemon zest and juice and taste for seasoning.  Place some lentils on a serving plate and top with the fish and some capers for garnish.  Click here for the recipe….

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 This spice cake epitomizes the perfect fall pumpkin spice cake and the cream cheese frosting takes it over the top. The cake is made with vegetable oil which makes it super moist and a great soft texture and is really a no fail cake.  It makes an 8-inch cake but you can also make it in a square 8×8 pan, and if you needed a little larger cake, you could also make it in a 9-inch pan.  I suppose it would also work for cupcakes and just reduce the cooking time.  I made it to take along when I was invited to go trick or treating with my friends 4 1/2 year old, and thought she might like the cake decorated like a pumpkin.  I combined cinnamon, powdered ginger, fresh ground nutmeg and a pinch of cloves for the flavor base of the cake.  Delicious if I do say so myself!  Click here for the recipe….

Apple Cider Ginger Smash

Ginger Liquor

I served this fall cocktail before Thanksgiving dinner last year and made the ginger liquor and apple syrup for Christmas gifts for friends and it was delicious.  It combines the wonderful fall flavors of apple, cinnamon, ginger and fresh apple cider.  You need to make the ginger liquor and apple simple syrup ahead of time, but they are easy to make.  You make the apple syrup with fresh apples, sugar, water and cinnamon and simmer it for an hour and then store it in a sterilized sealable glass container. The ginger liquor starts out by combining fresh ginger root, a vanilla bean, water, and simmering for 20 minutes and letting it cool.   Grate orange zest and add some brandy to the mixture and steep for one day before straining it out.  After 2 days remove the vanilla bean and strain the mixture through a coffee filter into a sterilized glass container and store in the refrigerator.   To make the cocktail, add ice to the glass along with vodka, some apple syrup, fresh apple cider, and a splash of the ginger liquor and stir well.  Garnish with a fresh apple slice and some candied ginger.  You can also make ahead a pitcher so your guests can serve themselves and just pour it over a glass of ice.  Click here for the recipe….

Salmon with Asian Glaze

This salmon can be grilled or roasted in the oven.  You cook the glaze in a saucepan with shallots, hoisin, garlic ketchup, honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sambal oelek.  Sambal oelek is a slightly chunky Southeast Asian chili sauce made from red chilie peppers, rice vinegar and can often have shrimp paste, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, shallot, palm sugar and lime juice for an even more flavorful sauce.  You can find sambal oelek in most grocery stores now and it is different from sriacha because it less acidic and adds a little more heat because the chilie pepper seeds are left in the condiment.   A little goes a long way!  Cook it all together for 5 minutes and you have the glaze which is full of flavor and a little kick of heat.  You can make the glaze several days before.  I like to cook the salmon on a piece of foil that has been scrunched all around the edges for easier cleanup.  Brush some of the glaze on the fish before you bbq or roast it and then heat the sauce back up and glaze it with the salmon when it is finished just before serving.  If you put too much glaze on the fish as it’s cooking it can burn.  I like to serve it with some Japanese rice and snap peas and keep the salmon the star of the show.  Click here for the recipe….

Za’atar Chicken and Israeli Couscous with Asparagus and Lemon Compote

The lemon compote is really the star of this dish and it is easily made by combining lemon segments with some agave syrup or honey and garnishing it over the chicken.  Sounds really simple I know, but it really adds a light, bright and slightly sweet note to the chicken.  Lemon and chicken go so well together and the hint of lemon in the couscous brings it all together.  Trader Joe’s had pink lemons this year which was a really nice addition.  They have a beautiful light green stripe and a gently pink tinged flesh which is acidic, but has a nice sweet under tone.  Any kind of lemon would work, and Meyer lemon might be easier to find.  Israeli couscous or Pearl couscous is a really creamy and risotto-like textured side dish and this one has the addition of kale, asparagus and Parmesan cheese.  I like to cook the couscous in chicken broth, but you can use water or vegetable stock, and when it is done I added sautéed kale and asparagus, a little lemon zest and juice and Parmesan cheese to taste.  The chicken is easily made by sprinkling za’atar spices with a little Aleppo pepper over each breast and cooking it.  To make the za’atar spice blend, combine toasted sesame seeds, sumac and thyme.  I garnished the dish with chives.   Click here for the recipe….

Blueberry Smash

This has been my favorite summer drink this year – a Blueberry Smash.  It has elderberry syrup, blueberries, lime, fresh mint, vodka and a splash of sparkling water.  It’s a good drink to serve at a party because you can make the base of the drink in advance, put it in a pitcher, and allow guests to add vodka or not and a splash of sparkling water over a tall glass of ice.  I buy the elderberry syrup at Ikea, and then you muddle fresh mint, blueberries and lime slices in the pitcher.  It is so refreshing and such a beautiful color and I love the addition of elderberry syrup which gives it a slight sweet floral taste.  Click here for the recipe….

Shakshuka – Baked Eggs on a Bed of Tomatillo, Zucchini, and Za’atar Spices with Feta Cheese

This dish is great for breakfast, brunch or dinner.  Shakshuka is a traditional Middle Eastern dish that is usually made with tomatoes, but this recipe uses tomatillos, zucchini, potatoes and onion for a unique twist on the well known dish.  You start out by roasting the tomatillos and sauteing the onion, potato, garlic with some za’atar spice blend (a spice mixture of toasted sesame seeds, sumac and thyme).  When the tomatillos are cooked through, you add them to the potato and onion mixture with a little water and then nestle some eggs in the middle, sprinkle with feta cheese and place the skillet in the oven until the eggs are done to your liking.  I served the dish with some pita bread that had been toasted in the oven with a sprinkling of za’atar mix so you can dip them in the runny egg centers.  This would be a good dish to make for a crowd in a really large skillet and the base can be made ahead of time and the eggs placed on the mixture and popped into the oven just before you want to serve.  Click here for the recipe….

Lebanese Lamb and Beef Arayes with Roasted Broccoli with Middle Eastern Spices and Parmesan Cheese

The incredible flavors of the Middle Eastern spices in these arayes really make this simple meal very special.  You mix lamb and beef (or you could use all beef or even turkey) with a sautéed onion and garlic with a spice mixture of allspice, coriander, cardamom, and cumin.  After it has cooled, you add it to the meat with some roughly chopped golden raisins, lemon zest and parsley and stuff this mixture into pita pockets.  You bake them in the oven for 12-15 minutes and serve them with a yummy sauce of Labneh cheese or Greek yogurt that has some fresh garlic, lemon zest and juice for a dipping sauce.  I made some roasted broccoli that I sprinkled with Za’atar spice blend to serve with the dinner.  Click here for the recipe….

Roasted Mexican Corn with Cotija Cheese

This corn is elevated by the quick sauce you spread over the corn and then after it is cooked, you roll in Cotija cheese, which is a semi-hard Mexican cheese that is slightly salty and delicious.  You shuck the corn but leave the husks in tact and tie them with some cotton string and gently remove the silks.  You can roast the corn in the oven or even grill them on all sides and after they have cooked, brush on a mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, chipotle sauce (or cayenne pepper), garlic, lime juice over the corn and roll them in the grated Cotija cheese.  I sprinkled them with fresh cilantro before I served them and they are delicious.  You could also do a Mediterranean twist on the corn by adding oregano and lemon juice and rolling the cooked corn in Parmesan or Romano cheese and garnishing with chopped fresh basil.  Give it a try this summer!  Click here for the recipe….