Hawaiian Poke Stack

There is an outdoor shopping complex in the KC area called The Legends at Village West. That place is full to the brim with restaurants and retail (most outlets, like for Ann Taylor and Banana Republic and BCBG... me likey). It's a place we head to any time we need some retail therapy or just some window shopping, and of course a nice meal.

There are a plethora of restaurants to choose from, but we always seem to find ourselves at The Yard House. Hubs wants to go there for the beer, but I want to go there because the food is outstanding for a chain beer place. Namely (and something I get almost every single time), I go for their Hawaiian Poke Stack.

Spicy raw Ahi tuna served with crispy lavash crackers, avocado, and a wasabi soy sauce. When I have this beautifully-plated dish in front of me, I usually immediately dismantle it and give a good stir once around the plate, to mix all the components. Then it's just dipping up the spicy, buttery (and crunchy from the veggies) concoction with crackers. Heaven!

When I found out the Daring Bakers were making Lavash Crackers in September, I was totally stoked. Finally an excuse to try to recreate this dish at home! Then I was crestfallen - our dip had to be not only gluten free (yay, pass!) but also vegan (um, raw tuna? FAIL). So I made sure to save back a few crackers anyway, and do this dish for another post.

I kinda researched online about making your own poke, and read the menu description closely the last time we went to this restaurant (I also tried to pay attention to all the flavors going on). All in all, I think this is a very close copy of what is served at The Yard House. You might want to cut down a bit on the wasabi mixture; I went a little crazy (looooove that spicy wasabi). And don't marinade too long, or your veggies will lose that crispy texture! Mmmm, though: this will definitely get me through when it's been a long stretch between visits to Hubs' (second) favorite restaurant.

Hawaiian Poke Stack

(by Nemmie, inspired by Yard House)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. water
3 Tbsp. wasabi powder (horseradish powder)
1/3 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 Tbsp. dry Sherry
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
4 green onions, very thinly sliced
Sesame Lavash Crackers (see here)
6 oz. sushi-grade tuna, finely diced
1/2 c. julienned carrots
1/2 c. bean sprouts
1 avocado, diced

Sesame seeds, for garnish

For the sauce: Whisk 1/2 cup water and wasabi powder in medium bowl to form smooth paste. Whisk in soy sauce, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, Sherry, sesame oil and ginger. Stir in green onions. Set aside.

Mix the tuna with half of the wasabi soy sauce mixture. Stir the carrots and bean sprouts with the remaining mixture. Allow both to marinade at least 20 minutes.

To create the stack: Mound 1/4 of the marinated vegetables and a few chunks of tuna on the center of two plates (reserve the sauce for end of plating). Place a cracker on each mound, then top with tuna. Top with another cracker. Place remaining vegetable mixture on top of this, and drizzle reserved soy mixture around outside of plate. Slice the avocado, and fan on the other side of the plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to garnish.

Dig in!

Capellini with Salmon and Lemon-Dill Sauce

This is more of a winter dish: it simmers down for a long time, making a thick, rich sauce. And keeps the room warm (not really something necessary in September in Kansas, but whatever). The sauce tastes so deeply of cream, with a hint of the lemon and dill. And in honestly, while rich, the sauce quotient is low so is just enough to coat the pasta and salmon (no puddles of sauce on the plate, hurrah!). Something I tried once and loved, so keep making even when the weather is more than warm outside.

Quick note: Gourmet piggy-backed this with a recipe for roasted salmon, recommending that you use the leftover salmon for this pasta recipe. I'll make it when I have salmon leftover from a meal, but more often than not I will just pop a few foil-wrapped fillets in the oven for 20 minutes. Works like a charm.

Capellini with Salmon and Lemon-Dill Sauce

(adapted from Gourmet, June 2005)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/3 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped fresh dill

1 1/2 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

2 c. flaked broiled salmon

10 oz. capellini (angel-hair pasta; about two thirds of a 1-lb box)

Cook onion in oil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (but not browned), about 6 minutes. Add broth, cream, and salt and boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to 2 cups, 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in dill, lemon zest and juice, and pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce, then add salmon to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat until fish is just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

While fish is heating, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander. Return pasta to pot, then toss with reserved sauce and cooking water. Serve pasta immediately with fish and sauce spooned over the top.

Catfish Po' Boy

Cheap, easy, and good for you. Oh, and really really yummy. Can't beat that, can you? Thank goodness for Louisiana, folks.

I had Po' Boys on our Labor Day weekend menu well before Gustav reared its ugly head, but eating these after seeing its path on the news made for a good, filling, yet melancholy dinner. Thank goodness this hurricane was not another Katrina, but there was still a lot of damage. So to the people of Louisiana: you're in my thoughts and prayers, here's to a quick recovery. God bless.

Catfish Po' Boy

(from Cooking Light, October 2002)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. fat-free milk

1 lb. catfish fillets, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. yellow cornmeal

1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning (such as McCormick)

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. fat-free sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

Dash of crushed red pepper

2 c. bagged broccoli coleslaw

4 kaiser buns (French bread if you want to be traditional!), split and toasted

Combine milk and catfish in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Remove fish from bowl; shake off excess milk. Sprinkle fish with salt. Combine cornmeal and Cajun seasoning in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag. Seal and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

While fish cooks, combine vinegar and next 4 ingredients (vinegar through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add broccoli coleslaw; toss well to coat. Spoon 1/2 cup slaw mixture onto bottom half of each roll. Arrange fish evenly over each serving, and top with top halves of rolls. I also doused the fish liberally with Tabasco sauce. Yum!

Salmon Rotini with Roasted Garlic and Lemon

Oh, for the love of garlic. This recipe was loaded with the stuff, so if you're not a fan, no need to read on.


What I love about this pasta is the sheer amount of garlic - not only roasted, smashed, and dissolved into the sauce - no, it also has chunks of that sweet, roasted bulb throughout as well.


Roasted garlic is such a different animal from its raw counterpoint - it is mellow and sweet, slightly caramelized, and adds such a fantastic buttery flavor to a dish. This recipe uses 2 heads of roasted garlic, so it is full of that toasted, warm flavor that is so much more subtle than raw garlic. The lemon gives a nice contrast, and the salmon plays second fiddle to the other flavors going on.

Salmon Rotini with Roasted Garlic and Lemon

(from Everyday Pasta, 2007)

Ingredients:

2 whole heads of garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 lb. rotini

1/2 c. Marsala or white wine

1 c. chicken broth

1 lb. salmon, cut into 1-in. cubes

1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. drained capers

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut the heads of garlic in half crosswise and place on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil up and around the garlic, making sure it stays flat, and fold the edges to seal into a tight packet. Roast until soft, about 60 minutes. Let the garlic cool slightly, then squeeze the cloves out of the skin. Mash half of the roasted garlic cloves into a paste with the back of a knife. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still al dente, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine the wine and chicken broth in a large, heavy skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the mashed roasted garlic and stir to dissolve. Simmer uncovered for 4 minutes, then add the salmon, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and add the remaining whole roasted garlic cloves, the lemon zest and juice, rosemary, and cooked pasta. Stir to combine; add the olive oil, capers, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Stir once more. Serve immediately.

Garlic Shrimp

This was a recipe I originally tried while hosting a tapas-themed Cooking Club. It was so good, I decided it was worthy of center stage at dinnertime :)

The garlicky, spicy shrimp is just amazing, and all-in-all this is a very healthy version of shrimp (as long as you go easy on that red chile oil). I served it with wild rice and steamed veggies, it was pretty darn good if I do say so myself :)

Garlic Shrimp with Red Chile Oil
(from Bobby Flay)

Ingredients:
24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Red Chile Oil (recipe follows)
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place the shrimp in a cazuela or an ovenproof casserole and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle olive oil over shrimp, add crushed garlic, and toss to coat. Roast in the oven until pink and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle generously with Red Chile Oil and sprinkle with thyme. Serve with crusty bread.

Red Chile Oil:
1 c. olive oil
6 dried chiles de arbol, lightly toasted and crushed
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Pinch salt
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed

Blend all ingredients including the thyme leaves in a blender until smooth.. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.

Shrimp Pad Thai

I am the type of girl that buys her pad thai sauce in a jar. Yup, it just always seemed like it would be a complicated thing to make from scratch. One afternoon, though, I was baking to my little heart's content (with Food Network on in the background), when a program came on where they were going to make pad thai and spring rolls. I was curious and kept it on - and lo and behold, it's not hard at all! So I decided to give it a shot; besides: the jarred sauce is always a bit on the sweet side, and I like the way my favorite restaurant makes it: tart, light on sauce, and dry.

This recipe is right on the money. Rice noodles are tossed in sauce with bean sprouts, scallions, lots of cilantro, egg, and shrimp. Not too sweet (instead nice and tart from the lime), with a lovely flavor in the background from the pungent soy and fish sauce, the spicy ginger/garlic. The sauce soaks into the rice noodles, making for a light meal. Bliss. I love a good pad thai, and this is it.

And best of all: for the cost of a jar of pad thai sauce, I was able to buy the fish sauce and rice wine vinegar. Which will provide many, many more meals of pad thai in this house.

Shrimp Pad Thai

(from Food Network)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. ginger, minced

16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. red crushed pepper flakes

1 tsp. brown sugar

7 oz. rice noodles, soaked in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes then drained

1/2 c. bean sprouts

3-4 scallions, sliced

1 c. freshly chopped cilantro leaves

1 lime, zested and juiced

Chopped peanuts for garnish (optional)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or a large frying pan. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute until golden brown. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until pink, tossing from time to time. Remove and set aside in a bowl.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the same pan and add the eggs. Stir to scramble the egg into small pieces, remove and set aside with the shrimp.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine, red pepper flakes, and brown sugar. Stir briefly, add the drained noodles, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the bean sprouts, chopped scallions, and cilantro. Mix well and continue to cook until noodles are heated through. Season, if necessary, with a little more soy sauce or fish sauce, add shrimp and egg, then sprinkle in lime zest and juice. Serve while hot!