Tag: recipe

Homemade Corned Beef and Cabbage

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn RecipesLeave a comment

Every year on St. Patrick’s Day, we cook corned beef and cabbage. Usually, we will just buy corned beef from the local grocery store and slow cook it with potatoes and cabbage, but a couple of times we have made our own corned beef. The name corned beef comes from the large rock salt, also called corns of salt, that are used to brine the beef. It takes about 10 days to brine the beef brisket and give it that distinctive flavor, but otherwise it is pretty simple to do. Not only is it a great dinner, but using the leftover corned beef to make Rueben sandwiches afterwards is almost even better than the original meal.

Brining Liquid

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 to 4 lb Beef Brisket
  • 1 cup Kosher Salt
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 6 tbsp Pickling Spice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Black Peppercorns
  • 1 tsp Dried Marjoram
  • 4 Bay Leaves
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 8 cups Cold Water for the brine
  • 1/2 lb Potatoes (fingerling if possible)
  • 1/2 head of Green Cabbage
Slow Cook the Brisket, Potatoes, and Cabbage

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large pot, combine the salt, sugar, 4 1/2 tablespoons pickling spice, peppercorns, marjoram, 2 bay leaves, and water. Heat on medium-high heat until the salt and sugar completely dissolves. Remove from the heat and let completely cool to room temperature. In a large brining bag or casserole dish, submerge the beef brisket and refrigerate for 8 to 10 days. We flipped the brisket daily in order to ensure that it brined evenly. When ready to cook, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse completely with cold water. Place the corned beef, fat side up, in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the remaining pickling spices, bay leaves, and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium heat on the stove and reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 3 hours. Add the potatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes. Add the cabbage and simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

Brine for 10 days
Finished Meal

 

Tilapia with a White Wine Sauce

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes2 Comments

Pairing fish with a white wine sauce is quite common as they naturally compliment one another. It also works great with clams, mussels, or scallops, but we chose Tilapia as it takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with. We did it as a weeknight meal for two, but it certainly can be done for a larger group, although pan frying fish filets for more than four or five would require cooking them in batches. We have certainly had seafood with white wine sauce in many different European countries as well as in cities here in the United States. Any time you cook with wine, it is always important to cook with a wine that you would want to drink on its own as, even the alcohol will cook out, the flavor of the wine will clearly remain and intensify.

Clams with White Wine Sauce in Amsterdam

INGREDIENTS

  •  2 Tilapia Filets
  •  1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  •  2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  •  1/3 cup Shallots – finely chopped
  •  1 cup Dry White Wine (we used a chardonnay)
  •  1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
  •  1/3 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 tbsp Dried Parsley
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Sautéed Tilapia

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the flour on a shallow plate, mixing it with salt, pepper, and the paprika. In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat and sauté the shallots for 2 to 3 minutes until they are translucent. Add the wine and vinegar and simmer until reduced by half and the alcohol has cooked off, about 6 minutes. Add the cream and cook for another 5 minutes and then add the parsley, salt and pepper. Pour the sauce into a bowl and then add the remaining butter and oil into the pan. Dredge both sides of the Tilapia with the flour and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned and flakey. Place the fish onto serving plates and spoon the white wine sauce over top.

Cooking the Shallots
Reducing the White Wine
White Wine Sauce
Tilapia with White Wine Sauce

 

Fish and Seafood Recipes for All Seasons

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes3 Comments

We enjoy eating seafood whenever we travel to places, especially those located near the ocean. Our choices for fresh seafood can be somewhat limited at times, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy trying to recreate some of the meals that we’ve had throughout our travels. Regardless of the time of year, we can always find a seafood recipe that meets the need of the season. Although we often think of eating seafood during the summer months when we’re looking for lighter meals, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t recipes that work perfectly for the cold winter nights as well. Here are a few of our favorite recipes that we have created in the past.

  1. Pan Fried Tilapia – Lightly breaded with herbs and lemon, this dish can be paired with just about any side-dish. It is great for a weekday dinner, but is versatile enough to serve for a special occasion.

    Pan Fried Tilapia with Oven Roasted Asparagus
  2. Seared Scallops with a Lemon Butter Sauce – Sea scallops make for an easy and elegant meal, especially when sautéed with lemon, butter, and little bit of saffron. Served over a bed of pasta, it is a delicious meal for any time of year.

    Seared Scallops with Lemon, Butter, Caper Sauce
  3.  Pumpkin-Sage Shrimp – If you are looking for a seafood recipe that is perfect for autumn, then pumpkin-sage shrimp is a perfect solution. It is also a meal that works perfectly with scallops as well.

    Pumpkin-Sage Shrimp
  4.  Crab Lasagna – Using a béchamel sauce with crab meat to create a lasagna is an excellent way to take a new twist on an old favorite. Since it is warm and cheesy, it is a perfect meal for a cold winter night.

    Cheesy Crab Lasagna
  5. Salmon Oscar – Serving a breaded, crab mixture over steak or flounder is quite common, but we had Salmon Oscar in Old Town Alexandria in Virginia. We loved it so much that we had to create it ourselves for a wonderful dinner at home.

    Our Version of Salmon Oscar with Asparagus
  6.  Shrimp and Grits – Grits are very similar to palenta and it pairs perfectly with shrimp. We have had shrimp and grits in several places, including our recent trip to New Orleans. This one is a little unique as it is paired with a soft-boiled egg.

    Shrimp and Grits with a Fried Soft Boiled Egg
  7.  Salmon with an Herb and Honey Sauce – Sweet and savory sauces work great with salmon and we have tried several different styles. This is a perfect meal for a warm summer day or even a cold autumn night.

    Enjoy the Salmon with the Capers and Honey Sauce
  8.  Shrimp Frittata – This was a recipe that we did not that long ago and it was a great way to do something different with shrimp. Frittatas are so versatile and can be a perfect vehicle for serving whatever vegetables are in season at the time of year that you are cooking.

    Plated Portions of Shrimp Frittata

Having had so many unique seafood dishes around the world, taking a look back at our recipes has reminded us that we have not recreated nearly enough of them. It really is one of our favorite things to do, to recreate a meal from someplace we’ve visited and letting the flavors take us back to the time we were traveling. Tastes and smells are as much of a reminder of places as the photographs that we have taken.