Poached BOULDER BLUES Salmon Crostinis

An easy, fun and healthy appetizer to make a party of twenty or two.

Poached BOULDER BLUES Salmon Crostinis

Yields: 12-16 appetizers                 

Cooking with Tea Technique: Poaching

Ingredients:

- 1 whole wheat baguette, 12 -16 crostinis

- 1 lemon, 8 slices 1/4 in thick

- 1 TBS Boulder Blues green tea, loose

- 1 TBS parsley, leaves finely chopped, stems reserved

- 1 TBS tarragon, leaves finely chopped, stems reserved

- 1 shallot, minced

- 1 cup dry white wine

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 lb salmon fillet (1 1/2 in thick), medium diced

- 1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream, low-fat 

- 1 TSP Dijon mustard

- 1/2 lemon, juice & zest

- Salt & Pepper to taste

- Garnish: capers

Preparation:

1. Crostinis: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice baguette (1/4 in thick). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Reserve.

2. Arrange lemon slices in a single layer at the bottom of a 10 in skillet. Scatter, Boulder Blues, parsley stems, tarragon stems and 1/3 of minced shallot over lemon sliced. Add wine and water.

3. Lay salmon fillets in the skillet, skinned side down, on op of lemon. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the sides of the salmon are opaque and thickest part registers 125, about 8 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Using a spatula, transfer salmon and to a paper towel lined plate. Combine crème fraiche, Dijon, lemon juice & zest.

4. To serve: Spread lemon crème fraiche on crostini. Place salmon on top and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and tarragon leaves.

5. Garnish with capers.

Hojicha Green Tea Chile Sauce

Photo by Third's Eye Cooking 

Being Hispanic, Chile Verde sauce, aka Green Chile sauce, is in my blood and is always in my refrigerator. It's actually very easy to make and should be a staple in your cooking repertoire because it is such a versatile condiment. Spoon it over eggs, grilled chicken, steak or fish. It also makes a great dipping sauce for chips or veggies. 

Photo by The Tea Spot

The twist of tea in my recipe brings a basic Chile Verde sauce to another level. The nutty flavor and roasted aromas in Hojicha (or houjicha), a roasted Japanese green tea, melds perfectly with the roasted Anaheim and Poblano green chiles.  

Hojicha Green Tea Chile Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS Hojicha green tea
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 TBS flour,
• 2/3 cup Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled & chopped
• 2/3 cup Poblano chiles, roasted, peeled & chopped
• 1 TBS Boulder Blues Tea-soning
• salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Roast Anaheim and Poblano chiles, see how to roast chiles below.
2. Bring chicken stock to a boil and let cool for 3 minutes. Add Hojicha green tea to the chicken stock and let steep for 3 minutes. Strain tea leaves and reserve stock.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Stir in flour and cook mixture until flour turns golden brown, 3-4 minutes. 
4. Slowly stir in reserved tea stock and green chiles. Add Boulder Blues Tea-soning.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Season with salt & pepper.
7. Refrigerate for up to 7 days.

How to roast chiles:

1. Oven: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chiles on baking sheet and roast until skin darkens and bubbles, about 10-15 minutes. Flip sides and roast another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cover immediately to allow the chiles to steam which will make it easier to remove the skin.
2. Grill: Preheat grill to high. Place chiles on grill and cook until skin darkens and bubbles, about 10 minutes. Flip sides and grill another 10 minutes. Remove from grill and cover immediately to allow the chiles to steam which will make it easier to remove the skin.

Tea-soned Maté Limon Shrimp Stir-Fry

A quick, easy & tea-licious meal that takes 20 minutes to make...

Ingredients:

•  1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
  
•  1 1/2 TBS Maté Limon Chai* Tea-soning
  
•  4 TBS canola oil, divided
  
•  1 red onion, diced
  
•  1 clove garlic, minced
  
•  1 zucchini, chopped
  
•  1 yellow squash, chopped
  
•  1 red bell pepper, chopped
  
•  1 can corn, drained & washed
  
•  3 TBS teriyaki sauce
  
•  1/8 cup cornstarch or arrowroot
  
•  3/4 cup chicken broth
  
•  salt & pepper to taste
  

Preparation:

1. Combine shrimp and Tea-soning in a large plastic food storage bag and refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

2. Heat 2 TBS oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add red onion & garlic and sauté until slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add Tea-soned shrimp and cook until opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove shrimp and reserve.

3. Heat 2 TBS oil in wok. Add zucchini, squash, red bell pepper and corn to wok and sauté until slightly soft, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the reserved shrimp and add teriyaki sauce.

4. In a bowl, whisk cornstarch and chicken broth together add to wok; cook, stirring until mixture boils. Reduce heat and serve.

Serving Suggested: Vintage Oolong Rice Pilaf. Visit teaspotchef.blogspot.com for recipe.

Stir-fried Shrimp & Veggies Sprinkled with Tea-sonings

This dish is so easy to make it is tea-diculous...I know it's not a word, it's a play on words...

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS oil
• 2 TBS garlic, minced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 yellow squash, cubed
• 1 green zucchini, cubed
• 1 red bell pepper, choped
• 1 can corn, drained
• Tea-sonings, blend the following ingredients together:  

o1 TBS Roasted Green Mint, finley grounded

o 1/2 TBS salt

o 1/4 TBS cilantro

o 1/4 TBS basil

o 1/4 TBS thyme

o 1/4 TBS cayenne pepper

o 1/2 tsp cardamom

o 1/2 tsp oregano

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add onion and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle 1/2 of teas-soning mixture over garlic and onion, about 1 1/2 TBS. Add shrimp and saute until pink, about 3-4 minutes, remove & reserve. Note: The shrimp don't have to cook all the way because they will continue to cook after they are removed from heat.
   
2. Add zucchini, squash, bell pepper and corn to wok. Sprinkle the remaining tea-soning mixture and cook until soft but still crispy. Add reserved shrimp and cook to combine for another 1-2 minutes.

Serve with Oolong Fragrant Rice, for recipe visit Tea Spot's Chef Blog 

MILKY COCONUT OOLONG BOUILLABAISSE

A perfect pair...

MILKY COCONUT OOLONG, a smooth and creamy oolong blended with roasted coconut...

BOUILLABAISSE, a provencal seafood stew with mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp & calamari...

MILKY COCONUT OOLONG BOUILLABAISSE

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 qt fish stock

2 TBS MILKY COCONUT OONLONG

2 TBS olive oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 cups leeks, finely sliced

1 tsp garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp fennel seed

1 lb shrimp, shelled & deveined

8 clams

12 mussels

8 scallops

1 lb calamari

8 oz diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup white wine

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 TBS parsley

salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Bring fish stock to a boil. Add the MILKY COCONUT OOLONG and steep for 5-6 minutes. Strain the tea leaves and reserve tea stock.
2. Heat oil in a straight side saute pan. Add the onions, leeks, garlic and fennel seed and sweat until soften.
3. Add shrimp, calamari & scallops, cover & cook for 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add clams & mussels. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. 
   
5. Add tomato, tea stock, wine, bay leaf, thyme & salt & pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until clams & mussels open.
6. To serve, place equal parts of mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, calamari and broth in 4 bowls. Garnish with parsley and serve with crostini & rouille.

Roasted Harvest Roots served in a Jack-o-latern

Roasted Harvest Roots served in a Jack-o-latern

Harvest roots blanched in tea and roasted in tea-sonings. A great side dish for any holiday dinner.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1.5 lb beets - roasted, peeled & cut (large dice, ¾ x ¾  x ¾ )
• 2 TBS Harvest Spice loose tea, for blanching water
• 2 lb Sweet Potatoes – peeled & cut (large dice)
• 2 lb Butternut Squash - peeled & cut (large dice)
• 2 lb Rutabaga – peeled & cut (large dice)
• 1 lb Carrots, peeled & cut (large dice)
• Cheese cloth & string
• 2 cups Maple syrup
• 8 TBS butter, divided into ½ TBS pieces
• Harvest Spice Tea-soning: To make tea-soning, hand blend the following ingredients...
• 1 TBS Harvest Spice, finely grounded
• 2 TBS Brown sugar
• 1 ½ TBS Salt
• ½ TBS white pepper
• Optional - Jack-o-lantern serving bowl: 1 large Pumpkin, hallowed 

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven for 375. Place whole beets on tin foil. Oil beets with canola oil and sprinkle salt & pepper. Cover and place in oven for 30-40 minutes, until soft in center. Take out beets and let cool. When cool, peel with damp tea towel. Cut into large dices ( ¾ x ¾  x ¾ ).
2. While the beets are roasting, blanch & shock the rest of the roots in tea infused water. Place 2 TBS of Harvest spice in cheesecloth and tie with string. In a large pot, bring salted water & tea to a boil. Place sweet potatoes in boiling water and let cook until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Stain and immediately place in ice water to shock, stop cooking. Take out of ice water bath and strain to dry. Following the same process, blanch & shock the butternut squash (blanch about 8-10 min), rutabaga (blanch about 5 min) and carrots (blanch 3 min) all separately since they cook at different time.
3. In a large bowl, mix all the roots together. Place all the vegetables on oiled baking sheet and drizzle with maple syrup. Sprinkle tea-soning. Evenly place butter pieces on top of the vegetables.
4. Place veggies in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Rotate baking sheet and let cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste.
5. Optional - Jack-o-lantern serving bowl: While the roots roast, hallow out a pumpkin and place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes to let it warm and soften. Place the roasted roots in the pumpkin and serve.

Tea Seasoned Goat Cheese, an easy and delicious appetizer

Ingredients: Tea-Sonings

Tea + Seasonings = Tea-Sonings

Mix the following ingredients

• BOULDER BLUES Teasonings (Tea + Seasonings = Tea-sonings)

Note: Tea-soning yields about 8 TBS: Use 2-3 TBS for goat cheese and store the rest in an air-tight container

•2 TBS BOULDER BLUES, finely ground


•2 TBS Chipotle Chile Pepper


•1 TBS orange peel, dried

•1 TBS salt

•2 tsp back pepper

•2 tsp cilantro flakes

•1 tsp thyme, dried

•½ tsp cumin, ground

• 4 - 6 oz semi soft Cherve (goat cheese)

Note: I recommend Haystack Mountain Boulder Chevre. This classic fresh semi-soft cheese is rich and creamy and is Haystack’s flagship product. 

Serving Suggestions: Serve with crostinis, or cut into discs and warm in the oven as a salad topping, add to pasta dishes, spread on sandwiches and served as part of a cheese plate with any kind of salty olive or sweet dried fruit. 

Complete this statement: If I were an ingredient I would be _____________...

Hint: My answer is below...

Why would you be that ingredient? 

After water, Tea is the world’s second most popular beverage. Legend has it that tea was discovered in China in 2737 BC by the Emperor Shen Nung, when the leaves of a wild tea bush accidentally fell into a pot of boiling water. By the time of the Tang Dynasty tea had become China’s national drink. This legend sounds like many of my recipes, accidental yet amazingly flavorful and resilient.

Almost all countries have their own tea culture just like all cultures have their own style of cooking. The ability to use tea as a culinary ingredient allows me to honor and unite the world in my individual way while incorporating the healthful benefits of tea into any meal.  

Tea, a frequently overlooked cooking ingredient, is one of infinite flavor profiles. Tea should play a role in everybody's kitchen as a teasoning, marinade, sauce, smoking agent, braising, poaching and brining liquid. Tea enhances the flavor of a dish in a totally different way than any other spice in your cupboard. Chances are you probably already have a full cupboard of tea that is going stale; just cook with it.

How do you pair tea with an ingredient?

The first step is to smell the tea. Close your eyes and let your senses lead you . What foods would taste good with that tea? What flavors would complement or contrast the flavor profile of the tea. The next step is to decide how to use it. Will you grind it for a rub? (Tea should have its own grinder, so it won't pick up notes from coffee or other spices.) Or would it work better in a brine, as a smoking agent, in a marinade, etc?  For example, you can take almost any recipes and substitute brewed tea for any liquid (chicken stock, veggie stock, veal stock, water) or you can throw in the pot of water when cooking a starch. 

The Following recipe uses tea as a base for a seasoning and to flavor the quinoa as it cooks. 

Corn off the cob Quinoa Salad

Serves: 4 - 6

For the teasoning:

1/2 tablespoon Mate Limon Chai, finely ground

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

For the quinoa:

3 cups red quinoa

2 tablespoons Mate Limon Chai

6 cups water

For the sauteed vegetables:

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 red onion, sliced

1 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced

5 ears corn, roasted and cut off cob (of 1 can of corn, drained)

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cups edamame

1 pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons agave

1 lime, zest and juice

1 cup olive oil

13/4 teasoning

Directions: For the teasoning: Mix tea and spices together.

For the quinoa: Place quinoa in medium pot. Sprinkle Mate Limon Chai over quinoa. Add 6 cups water to pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Cook until soft but still a little crunchy.

For the vegetables: In a sauté pan over medium--high heat, add the canola oil. When the oil is hot add the onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shiitakes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add the red pepper, edamame and corn and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn stove off and mix in cherry tomatoes.

For the dressing: In a mixing bowl, whisk the agave, apple cider vinegar, lime zest and lime juice. Slowly add the oil whisking vigorously to emulsify the dressing (may be done in a food processor). Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the teasoning and mix to combine. Add more to taste

In a big serving bowl, coat the quinoa with half of the dressing. Add the sautéed veggies and mix to combine. Add more dressing to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh basil.

What ingredient would you be?

By the way, I didn't have time to cook Lenny Martinelli's Lapsang Souchong Braised Lamb, which is why I didn't write about it. I promised my husband that it will be Sunday's night dinner so stay tuned to hear how it comes out...

Who’s My Daddy?

To a man that taught me how to crawl before I run…

How to lead with my heart, then my mind…

How to add, subtract, multiple and divide…

How to hug, laugh, scream and cry…

How to swing a bat, make a foul shot and run a mile…

How to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start over…

How to be a giver, not a taker…

How to make love, war and eventually peace…

How to think for myself and (sometimes) listen to others…

Hot to be loyal, loving and loud…

How eat a slice of NY pizza, a bagel with lox, a burger with French fries and an infamous tuna melt…this recipe if for my daddy…

My dad has been watching his weight and eating healthier yet I know he’ll sneak in a tune melt every now again. The NY style tuna salad with tons of mayo, melted cheese on thick white bread is definitely a guilty pleasure. Not wanting him to give it up but wanting him to somehow change it into a healthier sin, I decided to create this recipe for my daddy…

An Asian Twisted Tuna Wrap

Dressing

• ¼ Dijon mustard
  
• ¼ apple cider vinegar
  
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
  
• 2 TBS fish sauce
  
• 2 TBS soy sauce
  
• 2 TBS Marin
  
• 1 TBS agave
  
• 1 TBS wasabi paste
  
• 1 TBS fresh ginger, minced
  
• 1 TBS GREEN ROASTED MINT, finely grounded
  
• 3 TBS avocado oil
  

Tuna Fish Mixture

• 3 - 6 oz cans of tuna, no salt / packed spring water
  
• 3 TBS capers, drained
  
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
  
• ¼ cup silvered almonds
  
• ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
  
• salt & pepper to taste
  

Wrap

• 4 cups Arugula
  
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
  
• 1 avocado, sliced
  
• 2 cups feta cheese
  
• 4 large whole-wheat tortillas wraps
  

 

1.   In a food processor, pulse to combine Dijon, vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, Marin, agave, wasabi paste, ginger and GREEN ROASTED MINT. While processor is pulsing, slowly pour in avocado oil until integrated. Set aside but keep in processor.

2.   Drain tuna fish. In a large bowl, mash tuna fish until chunks are completely separated. Mix in capers, cranberries and almonds. Pulse dressing for another 5-10 seconds. Fold dressing into tuna fish and combine. Sprinkle dill into tune fish and gently stir. Salt and pepper to taste.

3.   In a large skillet, heat 1 tortilla over medium-high for 1 minute flip and heat other side for another minute. Place tortilla between 2 paper towels and repeat with rest of tortillas.

4.   To assemble wrap, place heated tortillas on cutting board, evenly place avocado slices down the middle, Arugula, add tuna, sprinkle feta and top with tomatoes. Fold lengthwise over, fold widthwise in and wrap lengthwise, leaving an opening at one end. Serve with a pickle and baked sweet potato fries.

At times an emotional roller coaster, other times a happy man, all the time my daddy… In the words of my younger step-brother, Davis (named after my grandpa Dave), ‘he’s soooooo crazy’…Happy Father's Day Daddy...