garlic & herb "green" rice

after dining at Suzanne Goin's new restaurant, Tavern, jDub told me her favorite thing of the whole meal was the "green rice". when she also told me that the recipe was in Suzanne's book, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, i knew i had to try it.

i made the rice my own with a couple of changes. i didn't use fennel or fennel seeds and i added garlic. because i looove garlic. nonetheless, the rice turned out perfect and herb-a-liciously delicous! i'm not a huge mint fan and was weary of using it, but am glad i did. it doesn't overpower but adds to the combination of flavors. next time you need a side dish to accompany your meal, you must try this rice!

mise en place

garlic & herb "green" rice
inspired by the Green Rice recipe from Sunday Suppers at Lucques
serves 4 (generously) - 6
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup packed flat leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/4 cup mint
2 tablespoons minced chives
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted

add 1 1/4 cups water to the chicken stock and bring to a boil and then turn off the heat.

place the parsley, cilantro, mint and chives in a blender. add 1 cup of the hot stock and purée. pour in the rest of the stock and purée on high until you have a very smooth and beautifully emerald green broth. about 2 minutes.


in a medium-large pot, heat the olive oil. add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onions are soft and translucent. add the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. stir well to coat the rice with the oil and onions. sautee the rice until it just starts to turn lightly golden brown. add the herb broth and another 1/2 teaspoon salt.

bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. add the butter, mix it in then cover the pot and cook the rice for 15-20 mins, until tender. it's ok to lift the cover and check! turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for 5-10 mins. fluff the rice w/ a fork, taste for seasoning and serve!

bon appétit~!

new orleans bbq shrimp

contrary to its own name, there is no bbq sauce in this recipe nor it is grilled on a bbq grill. i have no idea why they call it bbq shrimp but i dont care. its freakin good. its super easy to prepare and makes a great appetizer. i have to admit, i love making this dish just so i can soak up the juices with crusty bread. i have to warn you, its not the healthiest meal you've ever had.

new orleans bbq shrimp
4-6 servings
2 pounds of raw shrimp, deveined and peeled with tails on
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 stick of butter
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

drizzle a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. when the skillet is hot, add the shrimp in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. as they begin turn pink, turn them over. when they turn opaque remove from the skillet and set aside. you can do them in batches if they all don't fit on the skillet at once.

reduce the heat to medium and saute the garlic, about 2 mins. add wine and cook until it reduces to about half. add the butter, paprika, cayenne pepper, and worcestershire sauce and stir well. when the butter is melted, toss the shrimp back into the skillet and mix well.

top with parsley and serve with crusty bread for dipping. since i lovvvvvvvve me some garlic, i served with garlic bread! i just cant get enough =)


bon appétit~!

potato & leek soup

last week i shopped the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. it's a great market. known as the market "where all the chefs shop", it boasts some of the most amazingly fresh produce you'll find in LA. if you live in LA and haven't been yet, i urge you to check it out!

i came across a booth selling an assortment of root vegetables. the farmer had everything from jerusalem artichokes, fingerling potatoes, to a wide variety of carrots and baby carrots. when i saw the pile labeled "french fingerling potatoes", i had to buy some. they looked so creamy just as is, i knew they'd make for a fabulous soup. i've been wanting to try making potato & leek soup so i picked up some leeks as well and my menu was set.


fingerling potato & leek soup
serves 4 (generously) - 6
2 large leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. fingerling potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup cream

*reserve some of the leeks to use as garnish. see instructions below.

you only want to use the white and pale green parts of the leeks. cut off any dark green part and discard. leeks have a lot of layers which hold a lot of dirt so it's really important to clean your leeks well. to do so, split the leeks length wise and rinse under water. then dice them and put in a large bowl with water. rinse and strain. repeat a couple times until leeks are clean and free of all dirt.

in a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter. when the butter melts and starts to foam, add the leeks, salt and pepper. cook until tender but not brown, about 8-10 mins.

add the garlic and diced potatoes and mix in well with the leeks. add the wine, bring to a boil and simmer for approx 3 mins. the wine will mostly absorb into the vegetables. add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 30 mins or until the potatoes become extremely soft. add the cream and simmer for a couple more minutes.

blend 4 ladle fulls of the soup in a blender and return back to the pot. i wanted a chunky soup so i only blended 4 ladle fulls. if you want a smooth, pureed soup, you can of course blend all of it.

for garnish, julienne the leeks, approx. 2-3" in length. heat a small skillet with enough oil to coat the bottom. once the oil is hot, add the leeks and fry until lightly golden brown. make sure to keep an eye on them as they will brown quickly.

remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

serve the soup with freshly ground black pepper and the fried leeks!

bon appétit~!

fish w/ parsley lemon sauce

do you ever buy parsley for a recipe only to use less than 1/4 of the bunch? don't let that bunch of parsley wilt away and go to waste in your fridge! make this sauce to serve with your favorite fish! it's simple, it's fresh, it's delightful, it's delicious! it's also oh-so-EASY. i promise.

i used tilapia which is great because it's relatively inexpensive, not fishy, soft and flaky yet strong enough that it doesn't fall apart in your skillet. i've also made this w/ salmon and it goes well together too.

mise en place

fish w/ lemon parsley sauce
serves 4-6
6-8 filets of tilapia (mine were small - medium)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
fleur de sel & freshly cracked pepper
lemon parsley sauce - recipe below

lightly season fish filets with fleur de sel and pepper.

in a large skillet, heat the olive and butter. when the butter melts and starts to foam, add the fish. cook each side until nicely golden brown. approx. 3-4 mins per side.

serve with parsley lemon sauce (recipe below).


parlsey lemon sauce
zest of one lemon, preferably meyer, grated
juice of one lemon, preferably meyer
1/2 cup packed parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel
couple dashes of freshly cracked pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

put the first 6 ingredients in a blender and blend just until almost smooth. add the olive oil in 3 batches, pulsing a little in between each batch. you can of course use a food processor and drizzle in the evoo while blending.

bon appétit~!

anchovy sun dried tomato appetizer

the hubs and i went to greece for our honeymoon. needless to say...greece was awesome. if you ever get a chance to go, i highly recommend it. one of our favorites meals was at this rustic italian place called Bandanna in Mykonos. we had this amazing anchovy and sundried tomato appetizer and since we've been back, we have made it at home multiple times. again with my baguettes, but its so good with toasted slices of baguette. we usually make this for wine and cheese night.

anchovy sun dried tomato appetizer

1 tin of anchovy fillet

10 pieces of sun dried tomatoes, in oil

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

2 pinches of freshly cracked pepper

roughly chop the anchovy fillets, tomatoes and garlic. this can be done in a food processor. mix well and place into a small serving bowl. pour in olive oil and add pepper. spread on top of toasted baguette or even slices of mozzarella cheese.

bon appétit~!