Guinness soaked bratwurts with green grapes and sweet souerkrauts

Things you will need :

1 pkg of bratwursts

2 bottles og guinness beer

1 cup of chicken broth

1 1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced

10 to 15 pieces of green grapes cut in halves

1 green apple ( pulp only)

1 tbs agave

1 1/2 cup of souerkrauts, drained

1tbs olive oil

Cooking instructions:

Let the bratwursts marinate in the beer for about 1 hour in the refrigerator and 30 minutes at room temperature.

Heat the olive oil in a skillett and add the bratwurts when it sizzles. Keep turning them untill they are evenly browned on all sides. slowly add the guinnes that you used to marinate the meat and let it cook down a little bit, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Turn the heat down to MD - Low and add the chicken broth, the onions and the grapes. Cover and cook with the lid on for about 40 minutes.uncover and cook for an additional 15 minutes untill some of the juices are evaporated.

In a mixing bowl combine the sauerkrauts, agave and the grated apple pulp and serve over the brats using some of the juices left in the pan.

Enjoy :)

Spicy apple jam glazed tilapia tacos with mango and chipotle pepper salsa

Things you will need:
4 Tilapia filets
White corn tortillas
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 mango
1 to 2 cups of shredded napa cabbage
1/4 large brown onion
1 leek
1/2 navel orange
1 lemon
cilantro
extra vergin olive oil
1tbs MAX's Chipotle peppers in oil
1 tbs sriracha chili/garlic sauce
4 tbs spicy apple jam
Black Lava Salt  and pepper
...For the salsa, cube the mango and cut the orange in pieces of equal size. Add a pinch of salt, the juice of 1 lemon, the chili/chiopotle peppers and the sriracha chili/garlic sauce. Add the minced garlicand the leek. Add  1 tsp of extra vergin olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper, a few leaves of chopped cilantro mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the tilapia, preheat the oven to 425. Heat up a tbs of olive oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot enough that you can hear it sizzle, add the tilapia filets and brown them on both sides, about 2 minutes per size. When done transfer all the filets to a greased baking sheet. Coat the top side of the tilapia with the spicy apple jam and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle black lava salt on it according to tastye.
Heat the corn tortillas directly on the oven rack for about 4 minutes per side. Place the heated tortillas on a plate and fill with the shredded cabbage, mango salsa, tilapia and a little more salsa and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Apples, Apples and more Apples!

Granny smith apple and Moscato wine Risotto paired with apple italian sausages.



For the Risotto you will need :

6 handfulls of Arborio rice

1 cup of moscato wine

1/2 cup to 1 cup of chicken broth or stock

1/2 diced granny smith apple

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 small yellow onion,inced

1 1/2 TBS of extra vergin olive oil

In a saucepan combine the olive oil, rice,garlic, onion, apple and cook on MD heat for a couple of minute while stirring until  they are all evenly coated. Add about 1/2 cup of broth and 1/2 cup of the moscato wine and cover. Let a few minutes go by and check to make sure the rice stays in liquid untill cooked. Slowly add the remaining liquids, little at the time. Occasionally stir to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the pan. it should take about 20 minutes for t he rice to be fully cooked .Do not overcook,you don't want the rice to be a mushy mess, and a little liquid should still be in the pan to create a creamier dish. Garnish with a few leaves of fresh mint.

For the italian sausages you will need :
1 pkg of ground turkey
1 pkg of ground pork
1clove of garlic minced
2 tbs of  minced onion
1apple sliced thick
2 to 3 tbs fennel
salt and pepper to taste
agave to coat the patties
balsamic reduction to garnish the patties.
in a large mixing bowl combine the pork, turkey,the galrlic, onion , the fennel, salt and pepper and mix until all the ingredients are evenly combined. mince a couple of the apple slices and add to the mixture.
by hand form circular sausage patties about the size of the apple slices.
Pre heat the oven to 425
in a skillet heat 2 tbs of olive oil and brown each side of the patties ( about 2 minutes per side)
Place the apple slices on a baking sheet and coat them with a little agave and some pepper, place each patty on an apple ring and coat with a little more agave.
bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Garnish the top with a little balsamic reduction if desired.

Lazy Day Fish tacos

there's always a night when we're in the mood for something delicious but also do not feel like cooking for hours and hours....well that's when you pop open a nice bottle of wine and poke around in the pantry and freezer for some inspiration. This recipe is for that kinda night. Main ingredient...FROZEN FISH STICKS, we all should have those handy!
Other INGREDIENTS:
Corn tortillas
1/2 Mango, diced
1 bunch fresh spring garlic

fresh cilantro

1/2 stick of butter
1 lime
2 lemons
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 roma tomato

1TBS sriracha chili/garlic paste and 1 TBS of MAX'S chili sauce (Chipotle or medium hot )

1/2 lb cooked shrimp

7 kumquats(cut in halves)

ok so this is super easy:

while your oven is defrosting the fish sticks grab a sauce pan and add 1tbs of extra vergin olive oil.Turn the heat on MD, add the 2 cloves of minced garlic, let is simmer for about a minute.add the 7 kumquats,the juice of 1/2lime and 1/2lemon and 1/2 stick of butter.Turn the heat on low and cook for about 10 minutes untill the sauce thickens.

turn off heat and add the shrimp and cilantro, satl and pepper to taste.

In a mixing bowl, combine the diced mango, spring garlic(thinly sliced), chili and garlic sauce, the remaining lime and lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

heat up in the oven the corn tortillas, 2 per tacos, about 2 minutes per side.
fill them with 3 fish sticks, some shrimps,1 or 2 TBS of the kumquat/citrus reduction and some of the spicy mango salsa....ENJOY :)



key products every Kitchen should have

I am very aware that in today's world what's keeping us out of the kitchen isn't fear or lack of interest but rather Time. We are out of the house  8 to 12 hours of the day working and we have families that demand our attention and energy once we get back home. However I remember looking back at my childhood and both my parents worked full time and somehow my mother managed to create amazing dinners every night. Perhaps they weren't gourmet dinners, she did not make fresh pastas,her sauces were not made from scratch but a combination of pre - made sauces and home made sauces but they were amazing dinners. I can't remember any incidents when me or my brother and sister were not happy to eat her food...or dad's actually, both my parents loved to cook. and beyond the food...it was the whole Dinner Time Experience, the family time around the table, the arguments, the joy,the discussions...the Discovering Each Others while sharing amazing foods.....
I know that finding the time to cook dinner every night seems hard but, with the right recipes and well, the right products available to our pantries, it can be a nice time to relax from the stress of our demanding jobs, a place for us to be creative and free.
So what are some key ingredients I always have at home? Well let me add that I work in a grocery store so I am lucky to have access to amazing things daily but come on, we all have a store near by!
Extra Virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper,chillies....chili sauces, glazes, I usually roam the grocery store and pick a different sauce every time i go. Other staple items should be frozen meat and fish for lazy nights, canned tomatoes both diced and sauces, these are amazing bases for many sauces and an easy and inexpensive substitute for fresh tomatoes.And of course fresh veggies and fruits according to the season. I will share with you some of my favourite products and spices along with my recipes. Enjoy !

Here's the first product you should try:

MAX'S CHILI/OIL SAUCE



This is one of my favourite newly discover sauce I have used in quite a few dishes, Max's Chili sauce, it comes in 5 different flavors, some mild, some hot, smoky, chipotle....I will post a full vendor profile to help you find the product and try it. Trust me it's delicious! and to those in the San Diego area it is also LOCAL.