Vacation Roundup - Tastes of July Fourth

Every year my family gathers to celebrate Fourth of July Weekend. This year we did one better, and extended our Long Island vacation for an additional week - a week in which we did almost nothing but spend time together, relax by the water, cook, eat, and enjoy. 

Independence Day started off with a delicious bang thanks to great company and my brother and sister-in-laws outstanding Clam Bake/Seafood Boil which can be done on the stovetop if you choose. It's everything good about summer on a plate. Get the simple recipe HERE.

Stovetop Clambake, Photo: NK

The remainder of our sojourn was dominated by more of our favorite summer fare - dishes that are simple, seasonal and driven by just a few exceptional ingredients. 

There was no shortage of culinary inspiration either. We were fortunate enough to head out for a special evening out at Tom Colicchio's Topping Rose House (read about last years visit to this lovely and scenic New American restaurant HERE).

Pappardelle with Burrata, Pancetta and Sweet Corn
and  at Topping Rose House, Bridgehamton
 Photo: NK 

The Composed Salad as beautiful as it was delicious,
 at Topping Rose, Bridgehampton, NY

We enjoyed a great dinner and a few well-crafted cocktails. In fact, that glass to the right was a Margarita made with with Beet Juice! A Beet-a-Rita.Talk about farm to table, right? Believe it or not, it was delicious, even if you don't love Beets as much as I do. 

I know that I don't have to tell you that it just wouldn't be July without grill-time. Since we had time a day ahead for an easy and quick blender marinade, it just seemed to me make sense that we grill one of our favorite easy yet wildly delicious Tacos Carne Asada. 

The recipe, which uses flavorful Skirt Steak, works wonderfully on your outdoor grill (and equally well on your indoor grill pan). With both the Marinade and the Pico De Gallo being make ahead, this dish also lends itself to parties. The recipe multiplies easily and it's fun for guests to assemble their own Taco creation. For the Tacos Carne Asada recipe click HERE.

Tacos Carne Asada, Photo: NK 

What's for dessert, you ask? None other than this luscious Pretzel and Strawberry Sundae (inspired by Tom Colicchio's Topping Rose House as well). For the recipe, head to Neurotic Kitchen's version HERE. 

I am happy to report that as our seaside vacation drew to a close, we were relaxed, happy and well fed.  As it always does, the East End of Long Island inspired our cooking. I am excited to share yet another recipe for our latest obsession, Crudo, in next week's post. Until then, CHEERS to the weekend! 

Domaine Sautereau Rose Sancerre, my favorite wine to pair with Oysters!
Photo: NK 

Weeknight Dinner In Minutes - Fast & Healthy Tuna Burgers + Homemade Wasabi Mayo

When it comes to weeknight dinners, the easier (and faster) the better. If you are looking for a new classic that your family will request over and over, and one that takes less than 15 minutes to prepare (start to finish), look no further than today's delicious and uber healthy Tuna Burger.

Delicious Fresh Tuna Burgers, Photo: NK 

Tuna Burgers on the grill pan, Photo: NK 

We will be presenting the recipe portioned for two, as one 8-10 ounce Tuna Steak is the perfect amount for two hearty burgers, but this is easily adaptable for your family, just double or triple the amounts as your needs dictate. 

Recipe Tips:

We cook our burgers on a non-stick grill pan but this would be fine in any sort of skillet. Since the Burgers use no binding agent (breadcrumbs, egg, etc) which adds to the healthy factor,  I would be hesitant to try making these on an outdoor grill as they would undoubtedly break apart. 

Don't skip the Wasabi Mayo! A little hit of spice really makes the recipe. 

Serve these open-faced to save even more on calories. They are still very satisfying. 

Enjoy and here's to less time cooking, more time enjoying.

Fast & Healthy Fresh Tuna Burgers With Wasabi Mayo

Serves 2 

Burger Ingredients: 

Easy Wasabi Mayo, Photo: NK

10 Ounces of high quality Tuna Steak, coarsely chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives, plus a whole chive sliced into 2-inch pieces, reserved

2 teaspoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Salt 

Pepper

Non-stick Cooking Spray or a teaspoon of Canola Oil spread 

with paper towel over the pan

Burger Buns (1 for open faced, 2 for a burger with a full bun)

Thinly-sliced cucumbers, optional

Black Sesame Seeds, optional

For The Wasabi Mayo

1 Tablespoon Light Mayo 

2 teaspoons Low Fat Sour Cream (you can also omit Sour Cream and Double Mayo if you so choose)

Wasabi Paste (such as this) or Wasabi Powder to taste (keep adding it and tasting until you get desired spice level)

Method:

1. In a bowl, combine the chopped Tuna with Chives and the Low Sodium Soy Sauce, a sprinkle of Salt and Pepper and the Optional Sesame Seeds. Form two evenly sized patties.

2. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high flame.

3. Cook Burgers 2-3 minutes on each side. They can be slightly pink in the middle if the tuna is high quality.

4. Meanwhile, make the Wasabi Mayo by combining Mayonnaise and Sour Cream with the Wasabi Paste. Adjust spice level to your liking and add a dash of Salt if you choose. Mix well. 

5. To serve, place a Tuna Burger on top of the bottom half of a bun. Top with Cucumbers and dot with Wasabi Mayo. Affix two of the two inch chive slices to the Mayo. Enjoy!! 

Father's Day Grilling - Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak

We hope you had a wonderful Father's Day Weekend. Dads are worth celebrating and their importance cannot be overstated. From dads in the traditional sense to those who raise other people's biological children with love and care (to mothers who serve as fathers too) you make a difference! 

Ask any American Dad what their idea of a good meal is and you'll inevitably hear "beer and beef." 

Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak, Photo: NK 

My dad is no longer with us and even after almost ten years, I miss him nearly every day. He'd definitely have loved a dish like today's Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak with Cucumber Salad. He was a great cook in his own right, and he taught me to be casual in the kitchen and not take myself so seriously (ok, that part is a work in progress!).  Dad also truly appreciated good food. We made and enjoyed countless fantastic meals together- always along with many laughs. My wonderful memories of him sustain me. To this day, I still can't make a bowl of Linguine and Clam Sauce (his specialty) without thinking of him. 

There was one really bright spot this Father's day - celebrating my husband who is an amazing father too!

This Vietnamese-style Flank Steak from the New York Times Diner's Journal 

was his idea entirely. I was excited to try making it because it's also wonderful exemplar of Neurotic Kitchen's much repeated mantra - fancy looking food need not be hard to make! 

Let's chat a bit about this dish.

Marinade & Dressing, Photo: NK

This is a really smart recipe. 

The Steak Marinade also serves as the zippy and delicious dressing for the accompanying Cucumber and Radish Salad that helps make this dish's presentation exceptional. More importantly, the result is as delicious as it looks. 

Since we did not adapt this recipe, I would like to share my experience making it in the hopes that it will be helpful to you so you can nail it on the first try (it's pretty foolproof!).

Our Recipe Notes: 

Timing the Marinade: The recipe recommends you marinate the meat between a half hour to 24 hours. We marinated this for 3 hours and the flavor was fantastic. I thought it was just right, actually. I don't know that it would benefit from much more time, not that I'd quibble with a recipe in the New York Times Diner's Journal.

Cook Time: Melissa Clark presents several options for cooking this Steak but we had to go

Perfect Medium Rare, Photo: NK 

with the instructions for grilling. Since the weather wasn't on our side, we saved the charcoal and fired up my favorite double-burner grill pan (with griddle) instead. The Flank Steak, about 1.75 pounds came out a perfect medium rare (to the rare side) with a cook time of 4 minutes per side. The recipe recommends 3 minutes per side on a very hot grill for rare. 

Portion Size: Admittedly, my husband and I are overly enthusiastic eaters but if you serve this without any other side dishes (entirely possible since the salad is included), I would say it is closer to 3-4 servings, rather than what the recipe says is 4-6. 

Serving: Allow steak to rest about 5 minutes and the slice the Flank Steak against the grain. 

Here's the recipe as originally published in the NYT:

**ENJOY AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE GREAT DADS OUT THERE!**

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!