Roasted Garlic Lemon Tapenade

This makes a great under-the-skin preparation for roasted chicken.

1 bulb garlic
few drops EVOO
zest of 1 small lemon
4-6 large black olives, diced fine
pinch kosher salt
pinch white sugar

Preheat oven to 300F. Cut off the root (pointy) end of the garlic bulb, exposing the cloves. Drizzle on a few drops of olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Squeeze the bulb in your hand and the garlic will squirt out like toothpaste. Mix well with the other ingredients.

Seared Tuna Salad with Wasabi Vinaigrette

Dressing

1 Tbsp wasabi powder + 1 Tbsp and a bit water or 2 Tbsp prepared wasabi paste
1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tsp rice vinegar

1 T honey

1/2 tsp garlic powder

pinch powdered ginger

pinch salt

Mix wasabi powder and water to form a paste. Slowly whisk in olive oil. When thoroughly combined, add vinegar, adjusting amount to taste. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Allow to sit at room temp for at least 1 hour for flavors to blend. Taste, adjust sweetness with additional honey and spiciness with a pinch of cayenne pepper if desired.

Salad

1 8 oz bag lettuce or greens, your choice.

1 dozen calamata olives

1 dozen grape tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, cubed

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled (optional: substitute 2 oz bleu cheese for half the feta)

handful sliced almonds

Toss together lettuce, olives, tomatoes, avocado, cheese. Sprinkle with almonds.

Tuna

1-12 oz or 2-6 oz tuna steaks

2 T toasted sesame oil

1 T chili oil (“Mongolian Fire Oil” is good)

corn or canola oil

sesame seeds

Buy only tuna steaks that are still cryo-sealed and frozen hard. Do NOT accept partially thawed steaks from the display case. Thaw in the refrigerator for 36 hours.

In a bowl whisk together the sesame and chili oils. Open the tuna and roll around the bowl to coat well; cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Get a cast-iron or nonstick skillet burning hot over highest heat. Put a little corn or canola oil in the pan. Sprinkle the tuna with sesame seeds, place seed-side down in the pan and sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Cook for 90 seconds only - DO NOT MOVE the steaks until it’s time to flip them. Flip, sprinkle cooked side with sesame seeds, and cook for 60-90 more seconds. The sides should be just completely grey. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Slice tuna thinly (about 1/8 inch) along the grain. It should be nicely pink in the center. Arrange atop the salad. Drizzle the dressing over. Serve.

Cumin Tilapia Salad

1 lb tilapia fillets (or other white, not-oily fish: sole, flounder, etc.)
EVOO
cumin
sesame seeds

Arrange fish on a half-sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with cumin and then sesame seeds. Bake in a 350F oven until done, 10 minutes for very thin fillets, maybe 15 for thicker. Allow to cool, flake the fillets and top the  salad mix of your choice. A light mustard vinaigrette makes a good dressing.

Kosher Fish Sauce

This is a home-made kosher substitute for Vietnamese (nuoc mam) or Thai (nam pla) fish sauce. To be honest it's not a great substitute, but it's acceptable if you need a kosher alternative or if you just can't find it in your neighborhood.

1 tin anchovies in oil
1/4 c olive oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp dry mustard
3 Tbsp soy sauce
dash Worcestershire sauce

Warm the olive and sesame oil gently in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the anchovies and let them simmer. They will start to break apart; as they cook break them up futher with a stiff spatula. Cook 8 minutes then remove from heat and allow to cool. Whisk in the powdered mustard, followed by the soy and Worcestershire.

Pour into a blender and blend a few seconds until smooth.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

1 dozen heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
4 pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced
2 oz cooked pasta, thoroughly drained and chilled
1 pepperoncini pepper
grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1 oz extra-virgin olive oil
fresh-ground black pepper

Saute the garlic in the olive oil over very low heat until it is aromatic. Allow to cool.

Combine tomatoes, olives, and pasta in a bowl, and drizzle on the garlic oil. Break open the pepper, sprinkle on the vinegar juice, and add the pepper halves. Sprinkle on the shaved or grated Parmesan cheese. Top with fresh-ground black pepper to taste.

Onion soup avocado pasta

Yeah, yeah, another pasta dish. I got a bunch of shells and linguine on sale.

1 large onion

garlic to taste - I like a lot, about half a bulb

1 t turmeric

1 t toasted sesame oil

1 T olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

broth or stock or fond or bouillon

handful olives

half an avocado

a nice fat lemon wedge

parmesan cheese if desired

8 oz linguine

Slice the onion and smash and dice the garlic fine. Put the sesame and olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. When the oil starts to shimmer add the onion, garlic, turmeric, with a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Let the onion cook down for a good forty minutes or an hour, tossing occasionally.

If you're the kind of person who keeps stock or fond in your freezer, well, good on you. Thaw half a cup or so. If not, dissolve a beef bouillon cube in however much water the instructions say, and reduce it down to half a cup or so. Then add it to the onions and let it simmer down further until it will coat a spoon.

Meanwhile cook half a pound of linguine. Chop the olives, whatever kind you prefer. I've got some mild black ones and some garlic-stuffed green ones. Scoop out half an avocado in one piece and slice it lengthwise.

Drain the pasta and toss together with the onions. Plate, sprinkle on the olives, arrange the avocado on top, squeeze lemon juice on to it and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese if desired.

The onions are piquant, the stock or fond gives you a darkness and together with the avocado you get a luscious mouth-feel, and the olives and lemon juice add a lovely bright note that rides on top of it all.

4 side dish or 2 entree servings.