Cherries are so popular this time of year! Make this great tasting Cherry Chutney with fresh Bing Cherries.

In a small skillet place 2 tbs butter, 12 Bing cherries – pitted & halved, 1 mango – peeled & chopped small, 1 pear – peeled & chopped small, 4 sprigs of fresh thyme and 2 green onions – sliced all the way to the top. Saute over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add 1 tbs fancy  balsamic vinegar (such as balsamic/ pomegranate or balsamic/ black currant,) 2 tbs Sherry, 1/8 tsp of sea salt and a dash of white pepper.  Cook for 5 more minutes.  Discard sprigs and serve over grilled fish, steak or chicken – garnished with toasted & sliced almonds.  OR mix into 2 cups of cooked gourmet rice – like Himalayan Red Rice or  Lundbergh Gourmet Blend of Whole Grain Rice.

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia

I was honored to be included as a guest speaker at the Taste of San Francisco Conference – June 4, 2010.

I presented the following 5 simple and effective selling concepts with a fresh and tasty point of view.

BREAD Cook, Eat, Laugh… Claudia

B Buy In:  Customers are persuaded when they are part of the process.  Engage them as much as possible.

R Rocket Science: Selling is not rocket science – keep it simple.

E Expert: Be the expert on your product/service.

A Assertive:  Make the Ask. Sell yourself first, your company second, and your product will sell itself.

D Differentiate: What makes your product unique. Know the advantages and sell them.

When I was invited to do a “chef challenge” on the TV show View by the Bay in San Francisco last Tuesday, I was every exited, but when I found out I had to make a Turkey Taco Salad, I was not that exited anymore and I thought to myself, why would they ever invite an Italian chef to make a Mexican dish? But a challenge is a challenge and like you, I do not pass up the opportunity. I accepted and started planning my Turkey Taco Salad. Of course I ended up loving it, and why not? It is fresh, healthy, tasty it has all the prerogatives of a wonderful meal! The moral of the story is that all I had to do was to be open minded and go for it. From now on, I will make it for my family and I hope you will too! So here we go: 

For turkey 1 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 2 tablespoon butter, 1 lb ground turkey, 1 (4-oz) can tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. For Salsa 2 large tomatoes, 1 garlic clove finely chopped, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh serrano chile, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and 2 tablespoons water. For salad 1 firm-ripe avocado, 1 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced, 2 tomatoes chopped, 1/4 lb coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups) and 1 (15- to 19-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed.  Garnish with tortilla chips (or for a healthier option strips of grilled tortillas.)

Cook turkey: in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat , melt the butter.  Add turkey and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up lumps, until meat is no longer pink, about 7-8 minutes, add garlic, cook stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper and tomato sauce, to turkey and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Prepare Salsa: Coarsely chop tomatoes, then purée with remaining salsa ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth. Assemble salad: Peel and pit avocado, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Spread lettuce over bottom of a shallow 4-quart dish. Spoon turkey mixture evenly over lettuce and continue making layers with tomatoes, cheese, beans and avocado. Drizzle salsa over salad.

Cook with your heart! Rima

During my recent guest chef appearance on Sacramento & Co. I prepared Sea Scallops with Asparagus Tips and Litehouse Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette.  You can easily substitute chicken breast tenders for the scallops and snow peas for the asparagus in this delicious dish. Begin by steaming 2 pounds of asparagus tips. Drain after 3 minutes. Place 4 finely chopped green onions, 1 clove minced garlic and a few tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Begin cooking over medium heat then add 1 pound sea scallops. Season with sea salt & pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes then turn each scallop. Add steamed asparagus tips, 1 chopped tomato and ½ cup Litehouse Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette.  Stir until thick and serve over cooked rice.   watch the video on www.sacandco.net

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia

Our 5 Minutes Focaccia (see Cooking Dinner Cookbook page 33 or find it packaged at your grocery store) in addition to being the easiest Focaccia ever, is also very versatile. In tune with the season here we made it with fresh Asparagus. Try it, you will love it!

Cook with your heart!  Rima 

To make good risotto you NEED good broth. I made the Asparagus and Strawberry Risotto with store bought stock and the risotto turned out just ok. I knew that Asparagus-Strawberry was a good combination so I tried it again, but this time I made my own stock. The risotto turned out absolutely delicious! So here you go…

2 quarts of water

3 carrots peeled and cut in 3 pieces

1 onion cut in half

2 celery ribs cut in 3 pieces

2 tablespoons sea salt

Put water in a large pot. Add vegetables and salt and boil. Cover and cook for 30 to 45 minutes.

Cook with your heart!  Rima

When I was thinking of something different to do for the Asparagus Festival, I remembered that at Gambero Rosso (the most famous cooking school in Italy) I had a wonderful risotto with berries. This is how I came up with this deliciously different recipe! This is a recipe for two, with two aphrodisiac ingredients, but mostly with two of the most beloved Spring time produce.

2 ¼  cups hot vegetable broth

½ pound Asparagus

6 Strawberries

2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup Arborio Rice

4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and pepper

Heat broth. Clean Asparagus and cut 2 top inches off the tips and set aside. Chop the bottom part in ½ inch pieces.  Chop strawberries in small pieces, add Balsamic vinegar, mix, cover and set aside. Cut asparagus tips in half lengthwise.  Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small pan and sauté asparagus tips for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Place oil in a large saucepan over low to medium heat. Add chopped asparagus and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add rice and sauté until each grain is toasted, stirring gently.Add enough stock to barely cover rice. Keep mixing. Allow liquid to evaporate, then add another ladleful, about 1 cup of broth. Repeat. Add salt and pepper to taste. When rice is tender but not mushy, in about 18 minutes, add Strawberries and stir. Add 2 tablespoons butter and Parmesan cheese. Serve and decorate with asparagus tips.

Cook with your heart! Rima.

Springtime means fresh asparagus in California’s Central Valley. For the sixth year in a row, Rima and I will be guest chefs at the Stockton Asparagus Festival. I will be demonstrating a quick diner idea using Litehouse Balsamic Vinaigrette. The basic recipe is easy to adapt for a variety of meats and vegetables. Begin by steaming 2 pounds of asparagus -tips only. Drain after 3 minutes. Place 2 finely chopped green onions, 1 clove minced garlic and a few tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Begin cooking over medium heat then add 1 pound tri-tip steak sliced into bite-sized pieces. Stir and toss so that meat cooks on both sides. Season with sea salt & pepper. After 3 minutes, add steamed asparagus tips and ½ cup Litehouse Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Stir until thick and serve.

Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia