Spinach Salad (Jason's)

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Salad Ingredients:

4 cups baby spinach greens

1/2 cup thin sliced red onion

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup candied walnuts

Balsamic Vinaigrette:

1 part honey

1 part balsamic vinegar

2 parts olive oil

Pinch of salt & pepper

Preparation:

In a bowl, place salad ingredients.  Add enough vinaigrette to lightly moisten leaves and toss.

Candied Walnuts:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbs. butter

4 Tbs. water

2 cups raw walnuts

Place sugar, butter and water in skillet and heat on medium heat.  When water has evaporated and sugar starts to  caramelize, add nuts and toss to coat well.  Work fast because sugar sets up fast.  Turn out on foil and separate nuts with two forks.

(I use my Nu-Wave Copper colored pan, which is a high temp non-stick skillet.)

Sausage Puffs

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Ingredients:

1/2 recipe puff pastry, cold

1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

1 ounces soft sun-dried tomatoes

2 ounces provolone, grated

2 ounces fontina, grated

1/4 cup parsley, coursely chopped

3 tablespoons grated parmesan

Preparation:

Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet.  Remove casings from sausage and crumble into pan and cook, stirring until browned.  Transfer to a bowl to cool then finely chop.  Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to skillet and sauté onion and tomatoes until onions are tender.  Stir into sausage and cool.  Fold cheeses and parsley into sausage, taste and adjust for salt.

Roll puff pastry out to a 18 inch by 18 inch square.  Cut into 3 inch squares.  Place a square into each hole of mini cup cake pans (36 total).  Place tablespoon of filling into each pastry shell, sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 425 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.

Sausage puffs can be frozen and reheated in an oven directly from the freezer.

History:

Basic recipe comes from Chef Tech Cooking School in Long Beach.  I varied the recipe from 5 inch square sausage pockets to the appetizer size.  

Grilled Black Cod with Cucumbers and Ginger

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Ingredients:
2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
3 Tbs. chopped pickled ginger
1 to 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
3 Tbs. canola oil
4 black cod fillets, about 1 1/2 lb.

Preparation:
In a bowl, combine the cucumbers and onion and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Let stand for 15 minutes.. Stir in the ginger, vinegar, and 2 Tbs. of the canola oil. Set aside in the refrigerator. Brush the fillets on both sides with the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Sprinkle on both sides with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Prepare barbeque grill or a stovetop grill pan. Oil grill and heat until hot. Place the fish, skin side down, over fire and grill, turning once, until just opaque throughout, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the fillets to a serving platter and top with the cucumber salad. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion: 
Black cod is a very rich fish so I enjoy it with Tomate Provençal and a green vegetable such as a warm artichoke.

History: 
I found this recipe in a cookbook called Cooking from the Farmers' Market which cookbook was a gift from my granddaughter, Ellen.