pretzel crusted jumbo lump crab cakes

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
3/4 cup finely ground pretzels
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. vegetable oil

in a large bowl whisk the mayonnaise with the egg, dijon mustard, old bay, paprika, and worcestershire sauce. gently fold in the crab meat and 1/2 cup of the ground pretzels. refrigerate for 1 hour so that the pretzels are moist.

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. for the crab mixture into 6 equal patties. coat the crab cakes with the remaining 1/4 cup of ground pretzels. in an oven proof non stick skillet melt the butter in the oil. add the crab cakes and cook over medium high heat for 4 mins. or until browned. turn over the crab cakes and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. bake for about 5 mins. or until they are browned all over, and serve.

enjoy :)

justin

organic heirloom grape tomato tartlets

all purpose flour for rolling
1/2 pound all-butter puff pastry
30 organic heirloom grape tomatoes (halved)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. thyme
1/2 pound fresh ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. on a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to about a 9"x17" rectangle. transfer the pastry to the baking sheet and poke all over with a fork. top with another sheet of parchment paper and another baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 mins. or until brown. transfer the pastry to a cooling rack to cool.

in a large bowl toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. place the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet, and bake for about 15 mins. until lightly softened. let cool.

in a food processor, puree the ricotta cheese until creamy. spread the ricotta cheese over the cooled puff pastry and season with salt and pepper. arrange the tomatoes cut side up on the ricotta covered pastry, and cut into bite size pieces. garnish with thyme, and serve.

enjoy :)

justin

goat cheese and edamame dip with spicy pepitas

dip:
1 pound shelled edamame
1 cup non fat sour cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese (crumbled)
1-3 chipotles in adobe (chopped)
1-2 tbsp. adobo sauce from the can
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves roasted garlic (recipe below)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. chopped oregano

pepitas:
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. red pepper powder
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
1 tsp. chopped oregano

roasted garlic:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

making the dip:
bring a medium pot to a boil, and cook the edamame according to the directions (about 5-8 mins.). drain well and transfer to a food processor. add in the sour cream, goat cheese, chipotles and adobo sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and puree until smooth. stir in the oregano and transfer to a serving bowl.

making the pepitas:
preheat the oven to 375 degrees. toss the pumpkin seeds with the olive oil, salt, coriander, and red pepper powder. spread out on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 mins. or until the seeds begin to turn brown. transfer the pumpkin seeds to a bowl and toss with lemon zest and oregano.

top the dip with the spiced pepitas, and serve with pita chips.

enjoy :)

justin

simple sopressata pizza

pizza dough (recipe below)
simple marinara sauce (recipe below)
fresh basil
fresh mozzarella
sopressata
pecorino cheese

pizza dough (recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas):
1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. olive oil

in a bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water and set aside to proof, about 5 mins.

combine the 2 flours together, and pour onto a working surface. make a well in the middle of your flour pile and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil. start working all ingredients to together until you start working it into a large ball. after all the ingredients are incorporated, cut in half, and make 2 balls. i wrap 1 in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for another time. and for the other 1 i place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge over night.

simple marinara sauce:
1 28oz. can san marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1 28oz. can san marzano diced tomatoes
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
15-20 leaves basil (chopped)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sugar

heat oil in a medium sauce pan on medium high heat. add in garlic and onion, and cook for 5 mins. add in the caned tomatoes, basil leaves, and the sugar. bring to a boil, then cover reduce heat and simmer to 2 hours. place half of the marinara into a blender and blend until smooth. return sauce back into the sauce pan. lasts 3-4 days in the fridge, or can be frozen and saved for a later time.

pizza:
preheat the oven to 500°F. with a pizza stone left in the oven to get hot.

roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface into a nice 12", and sprinkle a bit of corn meal on the bottom of the pizza dough. start layering your pizza with marinara sauce, basil, mozzarella, sopressata, and top with pecorino cheese. when the oven gets to 500°F the turn it down to 450°F and transfer your pizza onto the pizza stone and cook 12-14 mins.

remove from the oven when done and drizzle with olive oil.

enjoy :)

justin

linguine with walnut and broccoli rabe pesto

3/4 pound linguine
1/2 pound broccoli rabe
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
2 cloves roasted garlic (recipe below)
pinch of red chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

roasted garlic:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

linguine pasta dish:
preheat the oven to 350. spread the walnuts onto a pie plate and toast in the oven for 14 minutes. let cool, and chop 2 tbsp. and set aside.

bring a large pot of water to a boil to blanch the broccoli rabe. when the water is boiling put the broccoli rabe in and boil for 3 minutes. drain and cool under cold running water. squeeze the excess water out of the broccoli rabe, and coarsely chop.

in a food processor, and in the garlic, and the remainder of the toasted walnuts, and pulse until coarsely chopped. add in the broccoli rabe, red pepper flakes, and olive oil and process until the broccoli rabe is finely chopped. add in 1/3 cup of the pecorino cheese, pulse until everything is evenly mixed together. season with salt and pepper.

bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the linguine according to the directions. drain the pasta and save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. add the linguine with the reserved pasta water back into the pot, and mix with your pesto mixture. serve on a plate or bowl of your choice, and top with chopped toasted walnuts, and grated pecorino cheese.

enjoy :)

justin

mamaw's chesapeake bay crab soup

1 pound bacon
1 pound beef sirloin (cubed)
1 large bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 onion (chopped)
4 potatoes (cubed)
1 large cabbage (chopped)
1 64oz. v8 juice
1 64oz. clamato juice
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
old bay seasoning
2 pounds crab meat

in a large pot add in the bacon and cubed sirloin and cook through. when browned, remove out the pot, keeping the juices, add in the v8 and clamato juice. season a bit with old bay, then add in the onion, potatoes, cabbage, cooked bacon, cooked sirloin, and bay leaves. bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 30-40 mins. add in the bag of mixed frozen vegetables and season a bit with old bay. simmer for another 30 mins. then add in your crab meat, salt and pepper to taste, and a bit more old bay seasoning to taste. simmer until ready to serve.

enjoy :)

justin

butternut squash soup with jumbo lump crab meat

2 pound butternut squash (halved lengthwise)
1 tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cup dashi broth
3/4 cup creme fraiche
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 small onion (finely diced)
1 roasted garlic clove (chopped)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
heavy cream
chives (finely diced)


preheat oven to 400F degrees, in a buttered baking dish and place squash face up and bake for 1 hour or until soft. peel squash and place in blender with honey, dashi broth, creme fraiche, cinnamon, chopped onion, roasted garlic, thyme, salt, and blend until creamy. transfer to saucepan and heat over a medium to low heat. place a few pieces of jumbo lump crab meat into each bowl, and ladle the soup over the crab meat. garnish with a dash of heavy cream, a piece of jumbo lump crab meat, and chives.

enjoy :)

justin

(PICTURE COMING SOON)