Egg Fetucinni with Garlic Shoots and Morels

1/2 Lb Fresh Garlic Shoots, sliced into 1 inch segments

1/4 Lb Fresh Morel Mushrooms, finely chopped

3 shallots, finely chopped, 1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup chicken broth (or for a vegetarian alternative, use vegetable broth)

grated cheese

1 Lb Egg Fettuccini

Cook Fettuccini until it is al dente. Drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add the shallots and sautee until golden. Add mushrooms and sautee until they release their juices, about three minutes. Add Garlic shoots and sautee until they turn bright green, about two minutes. Add Chicken broth and stir to remove browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the broth to reduce until it has almost (but not entirely) evaporated. Turn off heat and stir in the butter. Return the cooked pasta to the pan and toss until the pasta has absorbed all of the sauce. Serve with your favorite grated cheese. You can of course use Parmigiano-Reggiano, but I prefer an aged gouda or Parano (a nutty aged cheese available at Whole Foods).

Recipe Notes: If fresh morels aren't available, reconstitute 1/2 oz dried morels in the broth and proceed accordingly. If I have time, I would make homemade pasta (recipe coming soon!)

Rhubarb Cobbler (adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookbook)

For the Filling:Mixing the filling and the topping

3 Lbs Rhubarb, peeled and diced

2 Quarts Strawberries, sliced

2 Tbs corn starch

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup white sugar

For the Biscuit topping:

2 1/3 cups (11 1/3 oz) flourSpoon the topping onto the filling

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

2 Tbs sugar

4 Tbs cold butter (1/2 stick, 2 oz)

3/4 cup (6 oz) buttermilk

1 large egg

Its ready when it is goldenPreheat the oven to 350.  Mix together Rhubarb, Strawberries, sugars, and corn starch in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Allow to rest while you mix the topping.  Mix the dry ingredients and work in butter until you form a crumbly mixture.  In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and the egg.  Fold the liquid into the try ingredients just until mixed (do not over mix or else the biscuits will be tough)! Spoon biscuit batter over filling and place into oven.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping turns a golden brown.  Serve warm (or cold) with ice cream and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:  The original recipe calls for less fruit, but I prefer a higher fruit to topping ratio.  If you had more fruit, add more cornstarch (this will prevent the filling from being too runny) and possibly more sugar.  Rhubarb is extremely sour.  If you are using all strawberries or other sweeter fruits decrease the amount of sugar.

 You don't have to lick the bowl clean, but enjoy!

Balsamic Glazed Grilled Chicken

2 whole chicken breasts split in half

 1/4 Cup Kosher Salt

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mix Salt and Sugar in 2 quarts of water. and add the chicken breasts.  Allow the chickens to soak in the brine for at least two hours.  Remove the breasts, rinse off, and pat dry.  Prepare a grill and coat the breasts in the balsamic vinaigrette.  Place chicken on the hot grill and cook until grill marks appear, about 5 minutes.  Flip the chicken and brush a final coat of the glaze onto the chicken.  Cook until grill marks appear on the second side and the chicken is cooked through, about an additional 3 minutes.  Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Notes:  This is a basic brine.  I brine all of my poultry.  It imparts a ton of flavor and leaves the meat very, very juicy.  If you don't use the vinagarette as a glaze, add additional spices to the brine, coat the chicken lightly with conola oil, grill and enjoy!

Shrimp on the Barbie with Lemon Aioli

1/2 pound large shrimp with the shell on

Canola Oil

Salt and Pepper

Using a sharp knife, make a slit through the back of the shrimp.  Remove the vein, eggs, and any other remaining gooey mysterious remnants.  Toss the shrimp in oil, salt and pepper and throw on a hot grill.  The shrimp will cook very, very quickly.  When the shrimp begin to curl and turn slightly pink (after about 1 to 2 minutes depending on how hot your grill is) flip the shrimp and cook for about 30 seconds on the other side until the shrimp are cooked through.  Chill and serve with the lemon aioli or your favorite cocktail sauce.

Lemon Aioli

Juice of 2 lemons

4 gloves of garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

Smash the garlic and add to olive oil in a small sauce pan.  Over low heat bring the oil to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for three minutes or until you can smell the garlic.  Turn off the heat and cool the oil to room temperature.  Strain the oil and add lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Mix vigorously.

Recipe notes: alternatively you can buy raw deveined and generally deshelled shrimp, but I promise this step is easy and I think that the shrimp have a better flavor if you cook them with the shell on!

Grilled Baby Artichokes with a Balsamic Vinagarette

12 baby artichokes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil plus additional oil to toss artichokes

3 shallots, finely minced

2 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 Tbs honey

salt and pepper

Pluck outer leaves of the baby artichokes until you see the pale green tender center shoots.  Trim the tip and bottom of the artichoke and cut in half.  You'll have a nice flat service to place on the grill.  Toss artichokes in olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Place on a hot grill until grill marks are visible, about five minutes.  Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve the vinaigrette with the artichokes and enjoy!

Recipe Notes: The dijon mustard imparts a wonderful flavor, but it also acts like an emulsifier so your vinaigrette does not separate before you serve it.  There will probably be extra vinaigrette.  Use it as a delicious homemade salad dressing or I used it as a marinade for my balsamic glazed grilled chicken.