Week of August 30th

Provençal Salmon with Fennel, Rosemary and Orange Zest

Cook Time: 20 minutes | Servings: Yield 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 6-ounce, skinned salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced orange zest
2 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butter

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Grind fennel seed coarsely in a coffee or spice grinder, and mix it with the rosemary and orange zest. Press this mixture onto the top of each fillet.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the oil or butter called for in the recipe and, when it shimmers, place the fillets, coated side down, in the pan. Cook about 1 minute, or until the spice mixture forms a nicely browned crust.
Turn the fillets and cook about a minute more, then transfer to the oven. Cook about 4 minutes for rare salmon, 5 to 6 minutes for medium rare and 8 minutes for well done.

Skillet Tortellini with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes

Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:
Ingredient check list
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
4 cups chicken broth
12 ounces dried cheese tortellini
6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing

Directions:
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking meat into small pieces with spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and pasta and bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve with Parmesan.

For some reason the Giant Eagle didn't have shelf stable tortellini so I used a 20oz "family sized" bag of the refrigerated kind. As such, I only used about 3 cups of broth, and brought it to a boil before I dumped in the tortellini.

Coconut-Gochujang Glazed Chicken with Broccoli

Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar or 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons gochujang paste
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 pound broccoli florets, cut into 2-inch pieces
Cooked rice, for serving
Sliced scallions or chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden all over, about 3 minutes. Add ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add coconut milk, sugar, gochujang and soy sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring until gochujang dissolves. Gently simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch broccoli until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Drain.
Divide chicken and broccoli among plates; spoon with sauce. Serve with rice.

I have mentioned this before, but gochujang "sauce" is not the same as gochjang "paste". Make sure to get this right, because gochujang "sauce" sucks. I get this kind, which I have found in most chain grocery stores. I pretty much always have a jar of this in my fridge.

Zucchini Pancakes

Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 12 pancakes

Ingredients:
3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), shredded
Salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 scallions, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped dill
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed
2/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place zucchini in a colander over a bowl, and mix with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Allow to drain for five minutes. Transfer to a cloth kitchen towel, and squeeze hard to extract as much moisture as possible. Squeeze a second time; volume will shrink to about half the original.
In a large mixing bowl, combine zucchini and eggs. Using a fork, mix well. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, olive oil, feta, scallions, dill and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well, add baking powder, and mix again.
Place a cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Place heaping tablespoons of zucchini batter in pan several inches apart, allowing room to spread. Flatten them with a spatula if necessary; pancakes should be about 3/8 inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. Fry until golden on one side, then turn and fry again until golden on other side. Repeat once or twice, frying about 5 to 6 minutes total, so pancakes get quite crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and keep warm in oven. Continue frying remaining batter, adding more oil to pan as needed. Serve hot.
For yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic and salt. Mix well, and serve on the side or on pancakes.

Shout out to everyone with 20lbs of zucchini from the garden.

Sesame Tofu

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 (14-oz.) block extra-firm tofu
1 large head of broccoli (about 1 lb.)
1 scallion
1 (1") piece ginger
1 garlic clove
¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp. light or dark brown sugar or pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1½ tsp. plus ¼ cup cornstarch, divided
1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided, plus more
1 Tbsp. plus ¼ cup grapeseed oil or vegetable oil, divided
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Steamed white or brown rice (for serving)

Directions:
Drain one 14-oz. block extra-firm tofu and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Cut tofu in half horizontally through the equator (like a hamburger bun), then cut into 1" cubes and pat dry again. Arrange tofu cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or large plate and set aside.
Cut 1 large head of broccoli (about 1 lb.) into small 1" florets. If your broccoli has a long stem, peel tough outer skin to remove the lighter fibrous layer, then slice stem ¼" thick. Finely chop 1 scallion and set aside for serving.
To make the sauce, scrape skin from one 1" piece ginger with a spoon, then grate on a Microplane into a small bowl. Smash and peel 1 garlic clove and grate into bowl with ginger. Add ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. light or dark brown sugar or pure maple syrup, 2 Tbsp. tahini, 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil, 1½ tsp. cornstarch, a pinch of kosher salt, and 3 Tbsp. water and whisk to combine. Set sauce aside.
Sprinkle 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt over tofu and toss to coat. Scatter remaining ¼ cup cornstarch over tofu a tablespoonful at a time, tossing after each addition and gently pressing into the tofu pieces, until well coated on all sides.
Warm 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil or vegetable oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, season with ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer broccoli to a plate. Wipe out skillet.
Heat remaining ¼ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil in same skillet over medium-high. When oil is hot (it will start to shimmer), reduce heat to medium and add tofu in a single layer (work in batches if needed). Cook, turning every 3–4 minutes, until golden brown all over, 10–12 minutes total. Transfer crispy tofu to a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and let drain.
Pour out any remaining oil in pan and wipe out. Return pan to medium heat. Whisk reserved sauce if it has separated, then pour into pan and cook until thickened and bubbling, about 20 seconds. Immediately remove pan from heat and add broccoli and tofu; toss to coat.
Garnish tofu and broccoli with 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds and reserved scallions. Serve with steamed white rice or brown rice.

I bought the sesame seeds for the tofu dish last week and the hyperbolic "I can't believe it's not chicken" the week before, and I'll damned if I can't find a use for the rest of the jar. And since we're at it, I included a bonus breakfast recipe here that uses tahini and sesame seeds. You're welcome.

Look for a 16oz block of tofu. They're out there. 14oz is a little light.