Celebrating Dad - Sweet & Savory Watermelon Wedges

Considering how important good dads are to our lives, it's kind of crazy that we only set aside one day a year to honor them. Plus they're so easy to please. Dad enjoys the simple things: a burger, a beer, some time to putter around the lawn or tap at golf balls, even just a few hours to watch sports all by himself. Let him do these things and he's a happy guy. 

Father's Day Starters: Shrimp Ceviche, Fresh Mango Margaritas Sweet & Savory Watermelon Wedges, Photo: NK

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It was only fitting that our easy-to-achieve Father's Day Barbecue began with the world's easiest summer appetizer, Savory Chili Lime Watermelon Wedges. How many summer starters can be ready in under five minutes? Before we share the ever so simple recipe, 

Check out our Father's Day BBQ Menu:

Cocktail Hour: Assorted Beer + Frozen Mango Margaritas
Sweet & Savory Chili Lime Watermelon Wedges (recipe follows)

Shrimp Ceviche with Tortilla Chips (a Neurotic Kitchen fave, recipe HERE)

Simply Grilled Ribeye Steaks 

Green Salad With Grilled Peaches and Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette

Assorted Ice Cream and Sorbet with Dark Chocolate Brownies & Strawberry Compote

Now, for your new go-to summer app, I give you this fresh spin on a barbecue favorite- a savory, sweet, tart and a little spicy slice of in-season Watermelon. 

Sweet & Savory Chile Lime Watermelon Wedges, who knew? Photo: NK

Sweet & Savory Chile Lime Watermelon Wedges
Serves About 10

Ingredients:
1 Small to Medium very ripe Watermelon (preferably seedless variety)
Zest of 4 Limes
Ancho Chile Powder 
Sea Salt 
Optional Cilantro for garnish

Method:
Slice Watermelon into wedged sized as you desire

Lay on a flat surface and sprinkle liberally with Lime Zest. Next sprinkle lightly with Ancho Chile Powder. 

Slice one of the Limes and squeeze a few drops of juice over the Watermelon Wedges
Sprinkle a bit of Sea Salt all over and serve chilled. Garnish with Lime Wedges and optional Cilantro.

~

It all went together wonderfully with the main event, a simply grilled Ribeye below. Until next year, here's to dad!

Easy Main Course: Ribeye with Green Salad & Grilled Peaches, Photo: NK

Sweet Days of Summer - Cucumber Margaritas & Fluke Crudo

Cucumber Margarita, Photo: NK 

Ever have a really fabulous weekend from start to finish? 


This past weekend was like that for me. 


Beautiful weather and wonderful scenery (we stayed at my family's home on Long Island) came together with a few fun activities, plenty of relaxation time and a nice meal. 

Let's not forget a drink or two.

The only thing I had to remember on Saturday morning was to begin steeping my Cucumber Infused Tequila for the next 24 hours so it would be ready for cocktail time.

Priorities, people! 


Next we attended the most lovely baptism for a dear friend's little girl. The ceremony was beautiful and the after party was great fun, not to mention beautifully styled:

A lovely baptism, Photos: NK

Here are her sources:

Plantable Pink Lamb Paper Seed Favors (you plant them and they grow into wildflowers!) - Etsy.com

Supremely delicious and beautiful custom Cake from famous Tate's Bake Shop, Southampton

Hand Monogrammed White Tin Pails filled with rocks painted with a cross. So simple and pretty! 

+ lovely seaside venue Cowfish Restaurant. 

It was a wonderful event!

Sunday was set aside for family time so naturally I wanted to plan a menu.
Since we were by the sea, I opted for a quick and classic fish meal. 

Fluke Crudo with Radishes & Cubanelle Peppers, Photo: NK 

We have so many seafood menus here on NK (like this, this and this). That's because seafood is my favorite food and when it comes to making a fast and elegant meal, nothing is better. All you need is a really trustworthy fishmonger and half the work is done. 

I decided to prepare a simple main of Red Snapper & Asparagus on the grill pan, preceded by an appetizer of Steamed Clams as well as a quick Local Fluke Crudo (what's quicker than raw?) inspired by Esca in NYC. 

Crudo actually means raw, and when the word follows the name of a fish, what you're about to eat is basically the equivalent of Italian Sashimi. As with many simple preparations, the key to Crudo is very high quality fish and accompanying ingredients (such as great Olive Oil and specialty Flaked Sea Salt). This article from NPR.com is where I found the inspiration for the below adaptation for Fluke Crudo. It is a great read!! 

Before you cook, you'll need to have Cocktail Hour. For that, we went for the simplest and most refreshing Margarita of them all - no Triple Sec needed! The Cucumber Margarita made with your own house-infused Cucumber Tequila - just let Cucumbers sit in Tequila for 24 hours and voila. Get the recipe on Food and Wine. 

Now, without further delay, here is our Fluke Crudo recipe. Truly delicious and as simple as it gets. 

Here's to another wonderful weekend and many more sweet days of summer to all! 

Choose thin Cubanelle Peppers if possible, Photo: NK

Fluke Crudo with Radish & Pepper
Lightly Adapted from David Pasternack /Esca  
Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients:
4 Ounces of Radishes, cut into match sticks
1/2 Cup thinly sliced Cubanelle Peppers

8 Ounces very fresh Fluke filet, sliced in half lenghtwise and then again into 1/4 inch thick slices (cut against the grain)

2 Limes 
High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Specialty Flaked Sea Salt (or other good quality coarse grained Salt. (we used French Grey Salt). 

Method: 
In a small bowl, toss the Radish Matchsticks and Sliced Peppers with the juice of half a Lime and a sprinkle of salt. 

Prepare each serving plate by squeezing about a teaspoon of lime juice on it. Place the slices of Fluke side by side or in a fan shape.

Top with equal portions of the Radish and Pepper mix. 

Drizzle each plate a few times with high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

Finish with a sprinkling of Salt and serve with a Lime Wedge. 

Serve right away and enjoy!

Asian-Inspired Meatless Monday - Fast Veggie Soba + Garlicky Greens

We may be omnivores here at Neurotic Kitchen but we sure talk a lot about Meatless Monday.  I mean it when I say that vegetables are truly among my favorite foods.  Just look at how I feel about the onion! I don't know about you but after a weekend of excess, a meatless meal always seems like a great idea. All the better if it happens to be flavor packed and incredibly easy. Today's Asian-Inspired Meatless Monday includes a fast-as-heck main course of healthy Soba Noodles with raw veggies and nuts, followed by a foolproof side dish of garlicky greens kissed with Asian flavors.  

A Raw Veggie Soba Noodle Dinner that comes together in minutes, Photo: NK

Both courses are also easily customized to your tastes and definitely lend themselves to your imagination. Master the method and the have a blast putting your own spin on things. With dinner ready in far less than a half hour, you'll have plenty of time to think up next time's new and exciting menu additions sans meat! Enjoy… 

Easy & Quick Raw Veggie Soba
Serves 3-4 

Noodle Ingredients:
8 Ounces Soba Noodles
1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds, toasted until golden
4 Scallions, slice 1/4 inch thick, both green and white parts
1 large Carrot, peeled and julienned or sliced into very thin coins then roughly chopped

Sauce Ingredients:
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger (or a Tablespoon fresh Ginger)
Zest of 1 Lime
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
5 Tablespoons Canola or Grapeseed Oil 
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce (plus extra if desired)

Method:
1. Mix sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. 
2. Boil water for Soba Noodles. Once boiling, add noodles and cook for 4 minutes (they should remain al dente) before draining. 
3. Return drained noodles to pan and toss in Carrots, and Scallions and then combine everything together with sauce. Plate the Soba Noodles and top with Toasted Almonds. Serve with extra Soy Sauce on the side if desired. 

Next up, a delicious Asian veggie side that works with all types of greens and is ready in minutes. We like Bok Choy so we decide on that, but you could certainly use Chinese Broccoli, Chard, or even Mustard Greens. The sky's the limit and the results of this easy cooking method won't disappoint. Don't skimp on the Garlic either. I promise it's as tasty as it looks. 

Garlicky Boy Choy, Photo: NK

Garlicky Asian Greens 
Adapted from Auria's Malaysian Kitchen
Serves 3-4 as a light side dish

Ingredients:
1 Lb Baby Bok Choy (about 5 heads)
8 Cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced and then lightly chopped
3 Tablespoons Peanut or Canola Oil
3/4 Tablespoon Vietnamese Fish Sauce or Soy Sauce 
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
Crushed Red Pepper to taste, optional

Method:
1. Slice the Baby Bok Choy lengthwise into thin strips. 
In boiling water, blanch the sliced Bok Choy until bright green, about 1 minute or more. Drain greens and set aside. 

2. In a medium saute pan or wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the Garlic and lower the heat to medium. Stir Garlic constantly and move the pan about until Garlic becomes golden in color, about 2 minutes. Take great care that Garlic doesn't burn and become bitter. 

3. Now add the Fish Sauce, Rice Vinegar, and optional Crushed Red Pepper. Turn Heat off.

4. Plate the Bok Choy and pour the garlic and oil mixture over each portion. Serve warm and enjoy! 

Blue Point Brewery Tour + Uncle George's Local Mussels in Beer

Oatmeal Stout fresh from the brewery, Photo: NK

Don't you just love it when a plan falls into place? Actually ... never mind.

Let's try this again:

Don't you just love it when you can work BEER into your plans?

Yeah, that feels right. 

This very thing happened to us a few weeks ago when a random errand brought us to Patchogue, New York. What joy was ours when my intrepid husband remembered that Patchogue is also the site of Blue Point Brewing Company - a place we'd been talking about visiting forever. That guy continues to surprise me ... and he sure knows how to entice me into chores as well! 

Beer Tasting at Blue Point Brewing Co! Photo: NK

Our little tasting session and brewery tour was a blast. Blue Point tasting room is kinda like visiting your best friend's basement - if said basement was filled with tasty beers, cool t-shirts and other merch, a fridge full of freshly filled growlers, and a super friendly staff of knowledgable beer mavens. 

Now, wait for it ... you can taste three kinds of beer FOR FREE. Seriously, how friendly can you get? 




Sufficiently buzzed from a tasting of Blue Point Oyster Stout, Oatmeal Stout, and the limited release "Wet Hop Experiment," it was the perfect time to take a little tour of the facilities. While most of the production of Blue Point beer takes place in Upstate New York, there's still some action at their original Patchogue hub, and we got to see it all. Michelle, our tour guide, was both funny and adorable. She shared a wealth of information on Blue Point's origins, as well as on brewing in general. Among the many facts we picked up (like that home-brewing was illegal until Jimmy Carter legitimized it - thanks, Prez!), I learned that hops are related to the marijuana plant (no comment:)) and that for much of the past century, the crop of hops that had been readily available in the Northeast were blighted by disease, which is why most of today's brewers ship their hops from the West Coast. 

The good news is that our Northeastern soil is starting to bounce back, and as a result, the future looks brighter for locally sourced hops. Want proof? Look at the autumn crop that my BFF, Natalie (one of the original urban farmers for the better part of the last decade), grew at her parent's gorgeous farm in Pennsylvania: 

Black Krim Tomatoes, a Red Pumpkin, Chilies, and Dank Hops (foreground)
Grown By & Photo By: Natalie Brickajlik

She's talented, what can I say? 

Upon leaving the brewery, my head was spinning. For the usual reason, to be sure, but also, for others; all I could think about was cooking with beer, preferably Blue Point Beer. And then, just like that, an opportunity presented itself:

Toasted Lager, Photo: NK

I returned to our weekend home to find that our neighbor had stopped by to drop off some freshly harvested Mussels that he plucked from the local bay. Using what I had on hand, and of course, some widely available and uber drinkable Blue Point Toasted Lager, I came up with the following recipe that I hope you'll enjoy. 



Very special thanks to my Uncle George and his wife, my Aunt Freddie for being super sweet and thoughtful - the mussels were delicious and the freshest I've ever had. I hope I did them justice. Enjoy the recipe!

Spicy Mussels Cooked in Blue Point Toasted Lager and Thai Chilies + Lime and Cilantro, Photo: NK 

Uncle George's Local Mussels Cooked in Toasted Lager
Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a light appetizer

Ingredients:
2 Pounds fresh scrubbed and debearded Mussels
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 a large White Onion, chopped
2 large Garlic Cloves, sliced
1/2 cup Cilantro, roughly chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
8 Ounces (2/3 bottle) Blue Point Toasted Lager (or other dark beer)
3 dried Red Thai Chilies,(or other) finely chopped (discard seeds if you don't like extra spicy)
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice 

Method:
1. Heat butter in a very large pot over medium-low flame. Next, add the garlic and sauté until slightly golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes, taking care not to burn.

2. Add the chopped onion and sauté another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the beer and chilies and turn up the flame to medium to bring the liquids to a boil. 

4. Put the mussels in the pot, cover, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes. 

5. At this point, mussels should begin opening. Remove them from the pot one by one as they open and place in a large, communal serving bowl. Take care to remove them as they open so they do not become tough. Discard any mussels with broken shells or those that have not opened in a reasonable amount of time. 

6. Add the tablespoon of lime juice to the broth remaining in the pot. Taste for seasoning and add a tiny bit of salt and pepper if needed (mussels should have plenty of natural saltiness already so taste before you add!). Pour the broth over the mussels and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Turkey Piccata & Pinot Grigio - An Elegant Budget Pairing

The Wine Lover's Cookbook, Photo: NK

When you think about a dinner with wine pairings, wallet-friendly is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. We've done food and wine match-ups on NK before (check out the last one HERE), but today, we're doing one with an eye towards budget. Who says elegant and delicious has to equal super expensive? You can create a top-notch, company-ready meal with wine without spending an arm and a leg. We'll be adapting an innovative take on Turkey Piccata found in Sid Goldstein's, The Wine Lover's Cookbook. The book was gifted to me by my thoughtful friend, Missy, who, as with all things, has been incredibly supportive of my cooking and blogging obsession. She's also undoubtedly noticed my love affair with wine!

I highly recommend this cookbook for its exhaustive yet simple presentations on various wine types and styles, explained straightforwardly alongside comprehensive lists of the "base" and "bridge" ingredients that pair best with each varietal. The result is a book that makes it easy to create fantastic food and wine pairings. Also, to save you the guesswork, every different chapter also offers multiple recipes that pair with the type of wine highlighted in each. 

Turkey doesn't get much attention here on NK, so I figured I'd give the bird a chance, and it didn't hurt that Goldstein's recipe looked positively elegant. I, for one, tend to forget that Turkey really is a great option when you are looking for a healthy, budget friendly protein. Take this recipe for a spin and I hope you'll find the results are, indeed, fantastic. Even better, this dish is done in a flash - 25 to 30 minutes should cover all the chopping, prep and cooking. Trust me, you can't mess this up. 

It doesn't look too shabby either:

Turkey Piccata with Mustard-Lime Sauce Garnished with Fresh Thyme, Photo:NK

Before we fire up our burners, here are your Recipe Pointers and of course, your Pairing.

Recipe Pointers: 
Today's dish comes together quickly, so it is important that you chop and prep everything in advance: prepare the Spice mix and dust it on the Turkey Cutlets, premix the Wine, Mustard, Worcestershire, Lime and Caper mixture, and only then, turn on the stove. From there, you'll be all ready to serve dinner in only about 5 or 7 minutes.  

This recipe calls for wine in it as well as with it. You are more than welcome to use an even cheaper bottle for cooking, though you can certainly use part of the pairing bottle as the dish only calls for a third of a cup. 

Kris 2011 Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, Photo: NK

Now for our Wine Pairing:
As Goldstein's book will tell you, this dinner's best pairing is a nice Sauvignon Blanc, yet because of the piquant, citrusy character of our Turkey dish, it is also a natural match for a boisterous Pinot Grigio. The recipe will pick up some of the herbaceous aromas of Citrus, Thyme, and other fresh herb aromas often found in the Pinot Grigio varietal. I opted to serve Pinot because it's what I had on hand, and I happen to really enjoy the budget bottle I am about to recommend. 


Our Pinot Grigio Recommendation:
I often purchase Kris Pinot Grigio because it is a great, widely available, value bottle. As noted by Food and Wine's critic, Ray Isle, Kris Pinot Grigio offers more "personality" and I think, complexity, than other bottles in its similar price range.  

Kris Pinot Grigio retails for 13 to 14 dollars but you can also find it on sale as well. 

Our adaptation of Goldstein's Piccata includes more fresh herbs rather than dried. My thinking was that fresh herbs would more effectively draw out the wine's character while adding extra personality to the dish. I also incorporated a bit more wine and spice in the recipe itself. Our version of Turkey Piccata should still be acceptable for spice-sensitive palates nonetheless. Now, off we go:

Turkey Piccata with Mustard-Lime Sauce
Recipe adapted from Sid Goldstein's The Wine Lover's Cookbook
Serves 2

Ingredients: 
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
1.5 teaspoons chopped Fresh Tarragon
1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried Rosemary, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Heaping Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
1 Lb Turkey Breast Slices, pounded to a similar thickness, if necessary
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Chopped Shallots
2.5 Tablespoons Fresh-Squeezed Lime Juice
1/3 Cup White Wine + 3 Tablespoons, divided
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard or Hot, Sweet Grain Mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce 
9 Drops Tabasco Sauce 
1 1/2 Tablespoons Capers, drained

Ingredients, Photo: NK 

Method:
In a small bowl, mix Basil, Tarragon, Thyme, Rosemary, Salt, Pepper, and Flour. Mix well.

Place Turkey on waxed paper, parchment, or another surface and dust the Spice and Flour mix on both sides of the cutlets. 

In another small bowl, mix the 1/3 cup of Wine, Dijon Mustard, Lime Juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco and Capers. Mix well. 

In a very large non-stick saute pan, heat the Olive Oil over medium-high heat.  Add Shallots and Turkey Cutlets and cook for about 2 minutes before turning. 

Add the Lime Juice, Wine and Caper Mixture to the pot and continue to saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove Turkey to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. 

Deglaze the pan with 3 Tablespoons of White Wine, scraping the bottom and mixing. Simmer the sauce for an additional two minutes so that it can reduce a bit more. 

To serve, plate the Turkey Slices and top with Pan Sauce. Garnish with Fresh Thyme and Lime slices. Don't forget to serve that lovely wine. 

Enjoy!
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An App Fit For Fireworks - Fourth of July Shrimp Ceviche

Happy Birthday, America! Though July Fourth has quickly come and gone, this year's memories of great food and family fun should last us a while. Our Independence Day cookout was a hit, and everyone delivered big time with some excellent food offerings. Highlights included a delicious grilled skirt steak courtesy of my mom and a really fantastic Grilled Peach, Bacon, and Onion salad made by my very talented sister in law. Check out the recipe she used here: Grilled Peach Onion and Bacon Salad with 

Buttermilk Dressing

Photo by John Kernick, Food & Wine Mag

Now my BBQ assignment was to come up with a great starter, and Ceviche was the first thing that popped to mind. Ever since our honeymoon in Belize, my husband and I have been partial to serving ceviches with tortilla chips just as they do there. Ceviche served this way makes a great communal appetizer. Best of all, the Rick Bayless Ceviche recipe that I adapted below calls for the shrimp to be cooked, unlike most ceviches which call for raw fish. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love raw fish ceviches, but when serving a crowd and especially in hot weather, I often err on the side of caution with uncooked ingredients - it's the neurotic in me. Do enjoy this really easy, super citrusy and stupendous Shrimp Ceviche. We sure did!

Shrimp Ceviche - Ceviche de Camaron 

Adapted from Rick Bayless

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2/3 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice

1 1/4 Lb Shrimp, Peeled, Deveined, Tails off. I prefer smaller sized shrimp -35 count/lb. 

(Note: buying cleaned, deveined Shrimp is a huge timesaver. Our fishmonger cleaned them for us for 2 extra bucks - money well spent if you ask me)

1/2 a large White Onion chopped into quarter-inch pieces

1/3 Cup chopped Fresh Cilantro plus extra sprigs for garnish

1/2 Cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Mexican Vinegary Hot Sauce - We used Cholula Brand Chili Lime Flavor

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Cup diced, peeled Cucumber

1 small ripe Avocado, peeled and cubed 

Coarse Salt

Photo, NK 

2 Limes cut in quarters for garnish

Good Quality, Study Tortilla Chips for Serving

Method:

Make the Shrimp

Bring one quart of salted water to a boil. 

Add 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice. 

Scoop in the Shrimp and cover until water returns to a boil.

Immediately remove pot from the heat. 

Pour off the water leaving the Shrimp in the pot. 

Return lid to pot and let Shrimp steam for 8 to 10 minutes. 

Once steamed, lay the Shrimp in a large glass, high-sided dish to cool completely.

Once cooled, remove Shrimp to cutting board and cut into thirds or bite-sized hunks.

Boiled Shrimp, Photo: NK

Return Shrimp to the glass pyrex and pour 2/3 Cup Lime Juice over them.

Cover the dish and refrigerate for about an hour.

Once the Shrimp has marinated

Combine Onion, Chopped Cilantro, Avocado and Cucumber in a large bowl. 

Pour in the Shrimp with its Lime Juice.

Add Ketchup, Hot Sauce, and Olive Oil. 

Mixing the Ingredients, Photo: NK 

Mix gently until the wet ingredients are fully incorporated.

Taste for seasoning and add Coarse Salt if needed.

To Serve

You may serve the Ceviche individually in Sundae bowls with Tortilla Chips on the side for a more formal gathering, but I opted to pour the Ceviche into a communal bowl set on a tray with the Tortilla Chips around it. Garnish the dish with lots of Lime wedges and a few Cilantro sprigs. Add a spoon in case folks would like to spoon on the mixture instead of dip the Tortilla Chips.

Enjoy! 

Shrimp Ceviche! Photo: NK

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