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Make The Best Steak Of Your Life!

Make The Best Steak Of Your Life!

Hi Friends,

I’m excited to introduce the first video of our Basil and Roses YouTube Channel!

I team up with my cousin Kam to make the best steak of your life. Impressive doesn’t have to mean fancy. All you need is great ingredients and technique, fabulous company and wine doesn’t hurt either.

The recipe is below. Check us out and feel free to comment, share, try the recipe and give us feedback.
Happy cooking!

 

 

 

Vibrant and Colorful Mango Salsa

Vibrant and Colorful Mango Salsa

This colorful salsa is fun to make, fun to eat and a feast on the eyes! The gorgeous colors make the table festive and the sweet and sour flavors are explosive! Great on fish tacos or as a dip.

 

 

 

 

 

Nani’s Guacamole

Nani’s Guacamole

I think avocado is the most magnificent fruits in the world! It is rich, creamy, earthy, nutty, and savory. Avocados also have great health benefits. The list is long but to name a few they are high in potassium, good fats and they are one of the few high protein fruits. I love it’s creamy texture and use it as a substitute for butter or oils often. And of course, nowhere is the beautiful avocado highlighted more than in a classic guacamole! I don’t use garlic or tomato’s in my recipe, but feel free to add them if it makes you happy…

P.S. This recipe also works really well for avocado toast. It’s excellent on toasted sourdough bread with a couple of slices of tomato and a pinch of sea salt. Yum!

 

 

 

Persian Stuffed Peppers (Dolmeh)

Persian Stuffed Peppers (Dolmeh)

The term “Dolmeh” can be traced back thousands of years in the form of various stuffed vegetables and was popular all over ranging from the Middle East, to Central Asia, and surrounding areas. The vegetables stuffed could include tomato, pepper, onion, zucchini, and eggplant.  Stuffed grape and cabbage leaves were also part of this tradition and can be traced back even further in culinary history. One explanation for etymology of the word dolmeh is from the Turkish verbal noun  dolmak,  which means “to be stuffed.” Makes sense.

In the Persian Empire, references of dolmeh are traced back to the 17th century and the courts of the Shah (king). According to Wikipedia, Alī-Akbar Khan Āšpaz-bāšī,  chef to the court of Nāṣer-al-Dīn Shah, recorded dolmeh as a special category of Persian cuisine and gave recipes for stuffing grape leaves, cabbage leaves, cucumbers, eggplants, apples, and quinces.

My beloved late Grandmother made dolmeh combining green stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage leaves in a large pot. She used tomato sauce and the end result was delicious! This is a picture of the dolmeh she made for us when my mom and I visited her in 2009. Those beautiful hands made many lovely dishes for us on that trip. And they all had the common ingredient of love incorporated. Many of my cooking inspirations are connected to that trip. Since my family immigrated from Iran when I was a child, this was the only time I cooked with her as an adult and I cherished every moment.

It seems the popularity and timelessness of this dish, is due to it’s simplicity. Stuff any vegetable with other vegetables, herbs and/or meat and you have a rich dish that satiates any palette.

I made my version of dolmeh for Nowruz (the Persian New Year) and they were a hit! The only dish with no leftovers and that says a lot for any meal in an Iranian home where abundance is the key ingredient to any feast.

It is a relatively easy recipe and quite healthy. You can make it meat-less by eliminating the ground turkey or chicken for a vegetarian option, nothing will be lost. The fresh herbs add such great flavor and aroma! Serve it up as a main or side dish and enjoy!

 

 

Green Garden Herb Basmati Rice with Dill, Cilantro, Rosemary & Chive and an unexpected trip home

Green Garden Herb Basmati Rice with Dill, Cilantro, Rosemary & Chive and an unexpected trip home

Thanks everyone for the feedback on this recipe! Many of you asked for instructions on how to make our fragrant basmati rice without a rice cooker. We gave it a go and the results were equally wonderful with delicious tahdig (crunchy bottom) to boot!

The recipe utilizes the same ingredients as the rice cooker version. Here, I used a nonstick standard pot. Instructions are below. Feel free to share your results and happy cooking!

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Versatile Salmon, done 3 ways

Versatile Salmon, done 3 ways

Beyond being nutritious and tasty, salmon is also an incredibly versatile ingredient to work with. I only use wild caught salmon. Stay away from the farmed variety.  The diet the fish are fed are is bad for our bodies and pollute the water. They also have 1/10 of the omega-3 fatty acids which is one of the main reasons I like to have this nutritious protein in my diet.

Here I highlight a few simple but elegant ways to prepare this wonderful protein:

Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche Canapes with Fresh Dill

Sesame Crusted Salmon Fillet

Cold Salmon  Salad

I love to entertain often, but don’t always have time to prepare extravagant menus. The smoked salmon canapes with creme fraiche are easy to make yet quite elegant. Simply place small pieces of smoked salmon on a thin cracker of your choice or pumpernickel cocktail bread. Top with a dollop of creme fraiche and sprig of fresh dill and voila! These are a hit every time.

Smoked Salmon & Creme Fraiche Canapes with Fresh Dill

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Sesame Crusted Baked Salmon

This recipe is great for dinner any night of the week or on a large salmon fillet for entertaining.

 

 

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Cold Salmon Salad or Sandwich

What’s better than a fabulous dinner? A new fabulous lunch with the leftover.

I love cold salmon sandwiches or salmon topped on a bright and colorful salad.

You can choose any veggies you like in your salad.

Here I  mixed arugula and spinach with chopped tomatoes, raw cauliflower, red beats and chopped onion.

Toss with lemon juice + good olive oil, then top with leftover salmon.

An important final step: delight in a healthy, colorful, nutritious  and fabulous salad while you reflect on the beautiful food you’ve made and the people you’ve shared them with…

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Rosemary & Sea-Salt Baked Potato Chips

Rosemary & Sea-Salt Baked Potato Chips

These baked potato “chips” are great as a snack on their own dipped in ketchup, or work well as a side dish to any weeknight dinner. They’re super easy to make too!

 

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Beer + Basil Braised Brisket

Beer + Basil Braised Brisket

Brisket is one of my favorite dishes to cook for my family. It’s warming and satisfying and one of those meals that’s wonderful to share. As we bunker down for the cold days of winter in NY, it’s the perfect hearty meal for a family dinner or for entertaining during the holidays.

There are many flavor combinations you can use for the braising liquid and aromatics. In this recipe I combined beer an basil and it was fabulous!

Tonight’s menu also included Rosemary Sea-Salt Baked Potato Chips and a Cucumber-Onion Salad with Thai Basil. Meat and potatoes are always a good compliment and the lightness of the cucumber salad is a nice contrast to the richness of the meat and potatoes. The Thai bail echos the sweet basil from brisket and it all comes together nicely.

 

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Rosemary Skewered Chicken

Rosemary Skewered Chicken

This recipe is simply delicious, healthy and fun to make!

The rosemary stems replace regular skewers for a beautiful presentation while adding another layer of flavor. Just add chicken and veggies to the skewers, bake and voila! A healthy meal awaits.

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