Savory Chicken Stew

Hi everyone cold and windy weekend after weekend so no fishing rough seas out there so stew it is to warm us up this is a lighter stew because I use chicken and white wine but very filing and will most definitely warm your bellies up!!
Savory stew
Chicken Rosemary Wine Stew
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless chicken breast cubed
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
3 carrots peeled and sliced
5 small potatoes cubed any kind you like
1 cup rutabaga cubed
8 oz. mushrooms
1 small onion finely chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley
2 rosemary springs
2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
2 ½ cup dry white wine
On medium high heat on stove top add ¼ cup oil to a Dutch oven. In mixing bowl mix flour, salt and pepper add chicken cubes to flour and coat chicken well.
Add chicken cubes to the Dutch oven but do not crowd the pan and braise chicken cubes in olive oil on both sides just until a nice crust forms on the chicken you may want to do this in two batches.
To the braise chicken add tomato paste, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, rutabaga, onion and parsley. Mix until chicken and veggies are well coated with the tomato paste. Add chicken broth, wine and rosemary. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 hours or until vegetables are fork tender.

Happy New Year Florida Style Awesome appetizers.

Tropical Ceviche
This one screams fresh and in season. We are spoiled here in Florida with our fresh seafood and tropical fruit and citrus locally grown and I fully take advantage of it call me spoiled. This recipe is very special to me as I actually caught the snappers and grew the pineapple so I decided to give a good old ceviche some Florida flair.
2 pounds mangrove snappers filets chopped small(any snappers will do)
1/3 cup chopped red onions
½ cup chopped tomatoes
1 Serrano chili pepper deseeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch sea salt
4 limes juiced
¼ cup cilantro
½ cup pineapple
¼ cup green bell pepper
In a Pyrex glass dish mix together the first 7 ingredients cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. After an hour mix once to coat all sides of fish cover and leave in refrigerator for 4 hours. Mix in cilantro pineapple and bell pepper before serving. Serves 6 large or 8 small portions.
Tropical Ceviche
Tropical Smoked Salmon Crostini
Bring the Tropical Islands to your party with these scrumptious creamy smoked salmon crostini top with fresh mango and lime flavors. These little crostini are perfect party appetizer whether you are having an outdoor party by the pool or an elegant indoor evening party and yet simple to make. Making them the perfect appetizer! These pair up with a simple crisp Pinot Grigio or bubbly Champagne sure to impress everyone!
1 French baguette
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 oz smoked salmon
4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese onion & chives
1 mango
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
Put oven on broil. Slice baguette in 1/8 thick slices to make 20 crostinis and place on a line cookie sheet drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt toss to coat well and arrange crostini so none over lap. Broil two to three minutes turn and broil another minute or two, make sure you do not burn them.
Peel and chop mango in small cubes and add to a mixing bowl add lemon juice and finely chopped cilantro season with fresh cracked black pepper mix well and set aside.
Chopped salmon in fine pieces and add to separate mixing bowl add cream cheese mix until well blended. Spread a thin layer of creamy salmon mixture over each cooled crostini utilizing entire mixture top each with a half teaspoon chopped mango. Enjoy!
Tropical Smoked Salmon Crostini 1
Fire Cracker Shrimp with Spicy Mango Ramoulade
Serves: 6
1 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup instant potato flakes
1 cup crushed Ritz Crackers reduced Fat
Canola oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon Creole mustard
1 green onion chopped fine
½ mango peeled and chopped small
Pinch Salt & pepper
Preheat oil to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl beat egg, water and cayenne pepper together. Toss shrimp in egg mixture and let sit 15 minutes. In a separate bowl combine potato flakes and Ritz crackers. Next toss shrimp in Ritz cracker crumbs to coat well.
Deep-fry in batches, but do not overload the fryer. Fry for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper towel lined baking tray.
In a small mixing bowl add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve shrimp with mango roulade while shrimp are still warm.
Fire Cracker Shrimp with Spicy Mango Ramoulade

Beer Maple Glazed Ham!

Just in time for the Holiday season and perfect for a winter meal! To celebrate the holidays we gather with family and fabulous foods some traditional and some not so traditional. The good old ham always a favorite but why not make it a little easier for you by buying a precooked/smoked ham there is nothing wrong with that. Three simple ingredients and you will have a fabulous and super delicious ham. What you will need.

Ingredients

Ingredients


Roasting pan, Precooked ham, 1/3 cup Pure maple syrup, 1 beer(any) and 30 cloves. with a sharp knife cut through the outside fat of the ham and push cloves into ham like you see below.
ham scored with cloves
Place ham on a rack in a roasted pan and pour 1 beer into the pan.
ham pouring beer
Brush the ham all over with maple syrup and repeat this step a few time while ham is cooking I did this twice while the ham was cooking.
ham   maple brusing
Preheat oven at 325 and bake 15 minutes per pound mine was 9 pounds so 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Beer Maple Glazed Ham
Serve with your favorite roasted vegetables. I love serving the main course all on one huge plate to pass around the table for everyone to serve themselves family Style! Bon Appetit!
Beer Maple Glazed Ham Plated

Thanksgiving Turkey with a new approach!

This week it’s all about turkey! Roasted turkey fried turkey and smoked turkey! We are trying to go a little bit healthier in my house for the holiday feasts. Having said that why not just buy the turkey breast all white meat much leaner. So I came up with the perfect combo for a rub using our fresh local grown oranges and ancho chili for a little kick and three fresh herbs. Let me tell you it’s fantastic I gave myself a pat on the back with this one and so moist and juicy it melts in your mouth.

After turkey roasted for an 1 hour brush the rub on.
Ancho Chili Citrus Rub Turkey Breast rub

Perfectly roasted let it rest for 20 minutes.
Ancho Chili Citrus Rub Turkey Breast

Pull out the citrus wedges and add additional rosemary to the sliced turkey for a colorful presentation.
Ancho Chili Citrus Rub Turkey Breast rub plated
Ancho Chili Citrus Rub Turkey Breast
1(6 to 7 pound) Turkey breast
2 oranges quartered plus juice of 1 orange to equal 1 tablespoon
1 rosemary clipping
4 basil leaves
1 fresh oregano clipping
1 large ancho chili pod mild
½ cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Rinse turkey breast well and pat dry with paper towels. Stuffed cavity of breast with orange pieces, rosemary, basil leaves and oregano.
Brush turkey breast with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place turkey breast in a roasting pan on a rack. Put about ½ inch of water in the pan. Place in oven.
Place Ancho chili pod in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes to softened the chili. Remove seeds and roughly chopped the chili.
Add to a food processor the chili, remaining olive oil, garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, and juice of 1 orange, seas salt, paprika and pepper. Pulse until forms a thick sauce.
After turkey has cooked for 1 hour remove from oven and cover with chili sauce using a brush. Return to turkey breast to oven and bake an additional 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours or according to package instructions.
Remove from oven place a loose piece of aluminum foil on top of turkey breast let rest 20 minutes before slicing.

Fall is in the air!

That’s right we are getting cooler temperature and it is very much welcomed here in Florida after our long summers. The red tide is still thick out in the Gulf of Mexico and this happens every year so no offshore fishing for over a month and we are banking on at least a few more weeks for the water temperature to drop and kill that red tide. Well that doesn’t mean I can’t share another off the hook recipe with you all!
Can you all say pumpkin season ummmmmmmmmmmmmm I love pumpkin season don’t you all? This is a new twist on a regular pumpkin cheesecake that I think you are going to love and sure to impress your guest this holiday season.

Pumpkin Caramel Almond Cheesecake
Pumpkin Caramel Almond Cheesecake.
1 ½ cup crushed graham crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
2 (8oz) packs cream cheese softened
¼ cup sour cream
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup pumpkin pure
½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ caramel topping
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
In a small bowl mix first three ingredients. In a 9 inch spring foam pan sprayed with non stick cooking spray add graham cracker crust and pat down tight.
In a large mixing bowl add the next 7 ingredients and with hand mixer mix well until nice and smooth batter. Pour on top of crust bake for 45 minutes.
Let cheesecake cool for 15 minutes top with caramel topping and almond slices. Refrigerate 8 hours.

Spicy Fish Soup

Baby it’s cold outside! It’s our winter season and we experience many cold days in a row and it feels like you just cannot get warm well rest to sure I have the perfect remedy for you My awesome spicy fish soup not only will it warm you right up but your entire family will love it and is another fabulous way to add fish to your diet. You are going to love this one it’s super easy go ahead try it out use any white fish available to you in your area!

Serve: 4
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 celery branch chopped fine
1/2cup yellow pepper chopped small
2 garlic cloves chopped fine
¼ cup chopped Spanish onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
¼ cup cilantro chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped fine
1 jalapeño deseeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon garlic pepper sauce (Tabasco)
4 cups fish stock
1 cup clam juice
½ lemons juiced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup Ditalini pasta
½ pound firm white fish cubed in 1 ½ inch cubes
Pinch sea salt & cracked black pepper
½ cup shredded parmesan
In a large pot on medium high heat add first 10 ingredients and sauté for 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients mix well bring to a boil and cook until pasta and fish is cook about 15 to 17 minutes. Serve hot topped with shredded parmesan.

Lighter Fish Cakes

Well my friends I’m starting the New Year with a lighter version of my original fish cakes you will love these! I’m wishing you all a Happy New Year and good health and happiness in 2014!


1 pound cooked white fish shredded any will do (I used grouper)
¾ cup panko style bread crumbs
¼ yellow onions finely chopped
¼ cup yellow bell pepper finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
¼ teaspoon crack black pepper
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons light virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
In a large bowl, combine the cooked fish, bread crumbs, onions, bell pepper, cilantro old bay seasoning, crack black pepper and mayonnaise. Mix until will incorporated. Form into 8 small cakes. Cover cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Place the flour on a sheet of wax paper and lightly coat the cakes with flour.
In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Cook fish cakes until golden brown and crispy 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

An Off the Hook Holiday Appetizer Recipe!


The Perfect Holiday Mini Bites
1.9oz Athens mini fillo shells
1 cup prepared stuffing
1/4 cup whole cranberry sauce
3 oz. brie cheese cut in 15 cubes
¼ cup walnut
Turn oven to broil
Place mini fillo shells on a cookie sheet. Fill each shell with ½ teaspoon of stuffing top with ¼ teaspoon cranberry sauce and with 1 piece of cheese. Place on the very top oven rack and broil 2 to 3 minutes just until the cheese has started to melt. Remove from oven and sprinkle each mini bites with walnuts. Serve immediately.

Off the Hook recipe competition I was in at the World Food Championships Las Vegas, NV

Ya’ll even though I didn’t win it was so much fun and what an experience I will never forget it! My dishes were turned in on time I was solo with not help and had to turn in two dishes within 2 hours 15 minutes! I reunited with old foodie friends and met some fabulous new foodie friends it was the best time of my life ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Another Off the Hook on the Plate recipe! Smoked Fish Spread

This is one you can serve as an appetizer for your holiday parties and impress your guess you can smoke your fresh catch of the day a few days ahead of time and this fish spread will last in the refrigerator for 1 week or take it with you to a party you have been invited to either way you are going to impress them all I guarantee it! You can use also Spanish mackerel, trout, mullet or king fish for this spread.
HOW TO SMOKE YOUR FISH –

Josee’s Smoked Fish Spread
• Servings: 10
• 1 1/2 cup(s) of Smoke fish
• 8 ounce(s) of Philadelphia cream cheese
• 2 tbsp. of sweet relish
• 1/4 cup(s) of sweet onion chopped small
• 1 Celery stalk chopped fine
• 1 tbsp. of worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. of fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. of fresh lemon juice
Steps
1. Mix all together well. Serve with crackers you may garnish with parsley and a slice lemon