MIDWEEK SUN - Perfect Beach Days - Bass & Tomatoes

The ocean is pale blue & warm & flat.
The grren flags are still out on the life guard towers. Swimming inside the reef is like a friendly pool.

Election wise, the Republicans seem desperate because their only strategy is a defensive plea
that their opponents are not really good and everyone should just hang in and trust the republican wisdom (an oxymoron) will be good for all. Yet, they never ever come up with a specific cure or a plan to help the national problem and a disasterous economy. Gas will go higher and the dollar will keep plummeting.

Here is a great simple recipe to clean your mind of the evil that greedy men do.

BASS – TOMATOES & PEPPERS
This will serve 6


Bass – about 4 pounds, cleaned – cut into 1” pieces
Fresh Tomatoes – ½ dozen – cut into quarters
Red sweet peppers, 3 – chopped
Olive oil - ½ cup
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
parsley flakes, dry – 1 TBL
Basil leaves, dry – 1 TBL
Kosher salt
Black Pepper – fresh ground

Cook the peppers over medium heat in a large deep pan in olive oil until shiny.
Add the bass pieces with a couple pinches of salt and after about a minute add the
tomatoes, basil, parsley and all the other seasonings including the pepper. Only need to cook for a couple more minutes while you stir. When the fish is firm, serve with crusty bread, a good salad and chilled pinot gregio.

SOUTH FLORIDA SUNDAY - KEY LIME PIE

Green flags are flying and the ocean is calling. It is a great summer weekend for the Hollywood Broadwalk. You can take advantage of the South Florida experience by enjoying a chilled Mojito and some cool key lime pie.

KEY LIME PIE

A very simple recipe

Fresh eggs, 4 – separate yokes from white
Condensed milk – 14 oz. can (room temp)
Key Limes - 4 tsp. zest
Key Lime juice – ½ cup (takes about 1 doz.)


Carefully crack eggs and separate four yokes into a large mixing bowl.
Let them sit to come up to room temp.

Use a 9 inch pie crust (already made). Bake in a preheated oven at 325 for about 15 minutes,
until light brown. Remove from oven and let it return to room temp.

Scrape the zest from enough limes to get 4 tsp. and save. Grating enough zest is very important.

Squeeze the lime to get ½ cup of juice.

Whisk the yokes until they are blended, then whisk in the condensed milk along with the zest. When these are all blended add the lime juice and whisk until evenly blended.

Pour the lime filing into the crust and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes

Remove pie from oven and cool to room temp befor putting it in the refer for sn over night stay.

Some people like the pie as a plain wedge others like whip cream on top. It is an individual choice and you can just use a can of Miracle Whip.

Some people want a meringue made from the egg whites and 4 TBL of granulated sugar, but this can be difficult to whip up.

If you have trouble obtaining fresh little Key Limes, you can substitute fresh Persian limes which are readily available.

BEACH BLANKET BINGO - SHRIMP & VEGETABLE SALAD

Little waves from the east and a high midday tide make swimming just great. Hollywood Beach is full schoolyard winners. They are getting their total supply of vitamin D as they stretch out in the sun.

Here is a great salad to keep the bikinis fitting right

SHRIMP & VEGETABLE SALAD

Ingredients:

Boston lettuce, 1 head
Shrimp – 2 doz. 21 count – peeled
Tomatoes 3, – vine ripened –quartered
Green beans, trimmed and cut– 6 oz.
Mushrooms, Baby Porto Bella, sliced – 6 oz.
Granny Smith apples, 2 –peeled and diced
Corn, canned – 4 TBL

Dressing:

Lemon – 1 – juice
Egg yoke -2
Olive oil – 1 TBL
Mustard, Dijon – 1 TBL
Heavy cream – ¼ cup
Tabasco sauce – to taste
Kosher salt – to taste
Black pepper – fresh ground – to taste


Sautee the shrimp quickly in olive oil (maybe 5 minutes) – set aside in fridge.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on four plates
Divide up the tomato wedges, beans, mushrooms, corn and apple pieces. Then layer on the shrimp.

After whisking the dressingtogether, drizzle it over the four salads.

SUMMER COMFORT - CAESAR SALAD with WHITE BEANS

Blue skies and clean water after a light rain while it was still dark this morning. school is out so the beach is lively at mid-day.

Here is an easy tasty salad to keep you in shape.

Caesar Salad with White Beans

Romaine – 1 head torn into bite sized pieces
White Beans – great northern or cannelini beans – 1 15oz. can drained
Tomatoes – diced – 1 cup
Sweet Onion – medium – Maui or Vidalia. Sliced into thin rounds
Garlic – 3 cloves – minced
Worcestershire sauce – 1 TBL
Mayonnaise – 2 TBL
Olive oil – 2 TBL
Kosher salt
Black pepper, fresh ground
Croutons – a good handful
Parmigiano cheese – fresh grated
Lemon Juice – 1 lemon

Toss together – romaine beans, tomatoes & onion
Make the dressing – combine the mayonnaise, olive oil minced garlic, lemon juice , Worcestershire sauce. Whisk together

Toss the salad with the dressing
Lay the croutons on the salad servings. Season with salt & pepper.
Sprinkle about a TBL of grated parmigiano cheese on each serving.

TROPICAL SOUTH FLORIDA - Shrimp Longhi

Clear blue skies and flat turqoise water.
Gentle breezes off the ocean keep things very comfortable. The mid-day tide is just right for swimming. Then after, here is a simple recipe for shrimp from the famous Bob Longhi of Lahaina, Maui.


Shrimp Longhi

From Bob Longhi. Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

7 Shrimp per person…35 to 45 count
Flour
Butter
Lemon juice
White dry wine or vermouth
Fresh tomatoes, chopped
Fresh basil leaves – big chop
Garlic toast


Peel and devein shrimp. Drag shrimp through flour for a light covering. Sautee in butter at medium heat until golden brown. (very fast)

Remove shrimp from pan and raise the heat.

Whisk the sauce ( lemon, chopped tomatoes, & basil} in a pan at medium heat with white
White wine or vermouth. Return shrimps to pan for about 10 seconds and serve immediately, with garlic toast, after a shake with the basil leaves.

LAZY BEACH DAYS - PEPPER STEAK

Comfortable sunny days and rain showers in the middle of the night. The ocean has a low tide around mid-day, in case you just want to wade out to cool off. The summer schedule leaves a lot of room for parking.

Here is a great quick recipe for Steak au Poive (Pepper Steak, the French way) from the chef at the Lahaina Yacht Club in Maui.

PEPPER STEAK ala Chien-Homme

Classic Steak au Poive recipe fromLahaina Yacht Club – Lahaina, Hawaii

Steak – about 10 oz. (only ¾” thick, thicker doesn’t work)

Black peppercorns – about 20 – freshly cracked

Beef stock – 1 cup

Sour cream - 1cup

Dijon mustard – 1 TBL

Cognac – 2 shots

Lemon Juice – ¼ lemon

Press peppercorns into one side of steak. Pan fry steak to rare than remove from pan and hold in a hot oven on a plateNow add to pan drippings – beef stock, sour cream, Dijon mustard, then cognac. Whisk and reduce until semi thick. Blend in the lemon juice.Pour over steak on heated plate and serve immediately.

SUMMER AT THE BEACH - MANGO CHICKEN

Typical tropical summer days.

In the morning the beach is empty, the ocean flat , the skies are blue and the sun is bright.

by mid-day the breezes start to fill in and the clouds form. Thunder showers are always possible. If that happens and your beach day gets cut short, you can just duck inside and put together a quick Caribbean style summer treat.

Chicken Breasts with Mango Salsa

Chicken breasts – 4 - boneless, skinless – pounded

Marinade

Vidalia Onion 1 – diced ( about ½ cup)

Garlic – 2 cloves – diced

Olive oil – 2 TBL

Limes - 2 squeezed

Black Pepper – fresh ground

Mango Salsa

Mango 1 large – peeled and chopped into ¼” pieces (about 2 cups)

Red Bell Pepper – chopped ( about 1 cup)

Jalapeno Pepper 1 – remove seeds and dice

Vidalia Onion – diced ¼ cup

Lime Juice – 2 limes

Lime zest - ½ tsp

Olive oil – 2 TBL

Flat parsley – chopped - ¼ cup

Fresh Mint leaves – chopped – ¼ cup

Combine the ingredients for marinade in a ceramic or glass bowl. Add the chicken breast and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Mix together the salsa ingredients into a ceramic or glass bowl and refrigerate.

Grill the chicken breasts at medium heat for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side.

Serve on a plate with the chilled mango salsa over the top.

BEACH HOLIDAY - SCALLOPS & PASTA

The sky is clear again
and the ocean is calm.
Today is a holiday in France so why not enjoy the mediterranean style here. Try some nice chilled white wine and very quick scallops with pasta.

Scallops with Bowtie Pasta (Farfalle) and fresh green peas

Scallops - ½ lb. 100/150 count
Bowtie pasta – ½ lb. (bowties hold onto a lot of sauce)
Green peas – about 1 cup
Lobster Sauce base: -
1 tspVermouth – ½ cup
White wine – ½ cup
Parsley, dry flakes - 2 TBL
Butter – ¼ lb
Flour - 2 TBL
Soy milk – ½ cup

Melt the butter in a 2 qt. sauce pan at low temp. whisk in the flour, stirring constantly. As it thickens add the vermouth, lobster sauce, and soy milk.Add the parsley and cook at a very low temp, covered and stir occasionally so nothing burns.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water for about 9 minutes or until aldente.

Mix the peas with the pasta, just after you have drained it. The heat of the bowties should do as much as you want to the peas.

When the pasta and peas are just about ready, poach the bay scallops in a pan of white wine. This is very fast, just until they are translucent but still very tender. This only takes about a minute.

Now fold in the scallops and sauce with the pasta and peas. Serve in a big shallow bowl.

Bastille Day and Tahitian Onion Soup

It is Sunday and warm and the beach is filling with weekenders, but ths sky is a little iffy, with a lot of clouds around it could be wet or dry.
The green flags are flying so the water should be great. Monday is Bastille Day so you might as well celebrate with some red wine and a bowl of Tahitiian Onion Soup.



Onion Soup with Cheese

From Acajou Restaurant – Papeete, Tahiti
Serves 4

Chicken broth - 2 - 14 oz cans
Onion – medium 2 thin slices
Garlic – 2 cloves – crushed
Butter 2 TBL
Flour 2 TBL
Toast – 12 small pieces
Gruyere cheese – 2 oz. grated
Kosher Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Bring the broth to a boil with an equal amount of water and salt & pepper and garlicReduce heat.Sautee onion slices in butter until golden brown. Add flour and stir until mixture begins to thicken. Blend in broth. Simmer for about ½ hour.

Pour soup into four bowls. Plaace 3 pieces of toast on top of each and sprinkle with the gruyere cheese. Place in a hot oven (450 degrees) until cheese browns.

Serve while hot

AT THE BEACH IN JULY - SHRIMP & LINGUINI

Bertha might be blowing heavy out in the mid Atlantic, but here in Hollywood the skies are clear The breezes are light as they come on shore from the East and just enough to cool things down

into the mid 80's. The water is warm and the tide is up at noon. After a refreshing plunge and

toasty sun dry here is a great simple shrimp dish for two that will leave plenty of time for romance.

Shimp and Linguini for 2

1/2 lb. 50/60 count shrimp peeled

½ cup peas

½ cup sliced mushrooms

½ cup clam juice

1 tsp chili stuff chili mix

½ lime squeezed

0live oil

1/3 lb linguini

This is easy. Do the chopping and prep work ahead.

Boil the salted water and put in about a 1/3 pound of linguini.Stir it around for a minute so it doesn’t clump. Cook for about 8 minutes.

Heat a big pan to medium add a couple glugs of olive oil. Start with the mushrooms and sauté them. When they change color add the peas.

After a minute add the peeled shrmp. Stir everything and sprinkle on a tsp of chili mix.

Add the clam juice and stir again and squeeze in the lime juice.

Drain the linguini and add it to the shrimp pan. Mix it around and split the order into two bowls. Spoon some of the juice over the pasta and serve.

Excellent with a crisp chilled wine and crusty bread.

4 TH OF JULY BEACH FIREWORKS - CUBAN PORK

Easterly breezes and holiday crowds are filling the beach on this warm sunny 4th of July.

Tonight there will be plenty of fireworks; either aerial displays fired up from the beach or lightning fired down from the clouds. Either way you can enjoy the explosive thrills with a big glass of Sangria, a fresh green salad and Cuban style roast pork. Very easy and very tasty.

ROAST PORK – CUBAN STYLE

Fresh pork – about 3 lbs.

Cuban Style Marinade

Garlic cloves 10 – minced
Oregano, dry, crushed -1 tsp
Black pepper – fresh ground ½ tsp
Kosher salt – ½ tsp
Thyme – 1 tsp
Bay leak, crushed – 1 tsp
Onion small/ medium – diced
Lime juice – 2/3 cup
Olive oil - 1 TBL

Mix ingredients together in a dish. Poke holes in pork with a sharp knife and place the pork in the marinade. Roll it over so it gets covered liberally. Let meat stay in refrigerator for at least a couple of hours or even overnight. Recoat with marinade occasionally during this time.

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Place pork into a shallow baking pan, coated with olive oil, fat side up. On the middle rack of the oven. Reduce heat to 325 and cook for about 1 ½ hours or until internal meat temp is 155. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let roast sit for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

JULY DAYS AT THE BEACH - POTATO SALAD

Hard to believe it might rain in the afternoon, The ocean is 85 , with the air at about the same. Very light easterly breezes. The waves are calm and will be at a good tide level mid-day. Here is an easy potato salad recipe submitted by the Irving, Texas Fire Dept. It is perfect if you are having friends over to watch the fireworks show at Hollywood Beach on the 4th.


Potato Salad for Hungry Firemen

Submitted by M.H. Evitts, asst. chief
Irving Fire Dept – Irving, Texas

Idaho potatoes – 4 t0 6
Eggs -2 , boiled & chopped
Dill pickles -3 or 4 chopped
Onion – chopped
Miracle Whip – about 2 to 3 TBL to start.
Yellow mustard – about 1 TBL to start
Worchestershire sauce – a couple of shakes
Tabasco 2 or 3 drops
Salt
Pepper


Potatoes can be skin on or off. Boil them until they are soft.
Use a big bowl. Break up the potatoes and add the chopped aggs, pickles and onion, mix together. Mix in the Miracle Whip, mustard and seasoning.

Just experiment until you get it the way you want. Be sure you have a big bowl and some hungry firemen.

Go in low and stay with your buddy when it‘s smokey.