Chili Roasted Swordfish

Wondering what to cook this holiday weekend? This swordfish makes for a special main course, or, appetizer. Preheat your oven to 400 then season your swordfish steaks liberally with salt and chili powder. Heat a teaspoon of oil in an oven proof pan over medium heat then brown the swordfish steaks for about a minute on each side. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness. Serve with lemon or lime.

And if chili powder isn’t your thing, try using paprika, Old Bay, black pepper, or nearly any other ground spice.

Squash Risotto

With some cool nights in the forecast it still feels right to be stirring up a risotto, and roasting the squash first really brings out the nutty flavor.  Peel, seed, and cube a medium butternut squash, toss with some oil and salt, and roast in a 400 oven for 45 minutes or until it’s tender.

While the squash is cooking, heat up five cups of quality chicken or vegetable stock in a small pot.  In a large pan over medium heat, sauté a large chopped onion in a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil.  Once translucent, stir in a cup and a half of rice, and cook for another few minutes.  Next, add a cup of your stock, stirring occasionally, until completely absorbed.  Repeat with another cup of stock, after that’s absorbed, stir in the squash. 

Continue adding the remaining stock in one cup increments until the rice is al dente and creamy…approximately 25 minutes in total.  You may not end up using all of the stock. To finish, stir in another tablespoon of butter, a cup of grated parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Spicy Beef with Cumin

This one is going to change your mind about cooking Chinese at home; it’s as good as the real thing. Put a 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pound flank steak in the freezer for twenty minutes, and then slice it thinly across the grain into two to three inch pieces. Next, peel and halve a large onion and slice into quarter inch wide pieces.

In a large bowl, combine approximately two tablespoons of ground cumin, a tablespoon each of soy sauce and cornstarch, two teaspoons of sesame oil, a teaspoon each of sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper, half a teaspoon of kosher salt, and three tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the meat and onion to the bowl and mix together until well coated. Set aside for fifteen minutes.

Put a bit of oil into a hot pan then add the meat and onions. Stir occasionally for about six minutes, and then add a quarter cup of chicken broth and a handful of cilantro leaves. Use a spatula to toss and scrape the bottom of the pan while cooking for another few minutes. Serve immediately.