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Creating recipes isn't a pastime—it's a passion. And a lot of fun.

The rules are few: Use 99% fresh ingredients (or thereabouts); make the dish simple but flavorful; make the dish flavorful but simple; be creative, not silly.

With this blog, I want to share new recipes, along with tips on ingredients and preparation, and, hopefully, show new cooks (and non-cooks) the pleasure in setting the table with a delicious homemade meal. The Briny Lemon is about fresh, simple, flavorful ingredients and easy cooking methods that help you bring the best to your family table. Your comments are welcome!

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Skillet-Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs


Add a new twist to your next spaghetti and meatballs with deliciously gooey fresh mozzarella baked golden brown on top in the same skillet everything is cooked in. (Actually, the skillet goes under the broiler, but we’ll count that as baked.) The meatballs are easy to put together, the crushed tomato sauce couldn’t be simpler, and it takes only six ounces of quick-cooking thin spaghetti to fill up four.

Tip: I sliced six ounces of fresh mozzarella from an eight-ounce ball. You can also use smaller balls, thinly sliced—however many it takes to equal about six ounces. And another tip: Don’t worry about cutting pretty, perfectly round slices. Fresh mozzarella balls can be unwieldy when slicing, and that’s just fine.

Mozzarella Ball
Sliced Mozzarella
Serves 4

Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/3 cup soft breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-1/2 cups crushed tomatoes (from a 28-oz can)
  • 2 tsp dried oregano, divided
  • 1/2 tsp dried red chile flakes
  • 6 oz thin spaghetti
  • 6 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Preparation
  1. Preheat the broiler.
  2. Place the ground beef and next 5 ingredients (through shallot) in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix lightly to combine and form the mixture into 12 equal meatballs (about 1-3/4 inches in diameter).
  3. Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook, turning until lightly browned on all sides, 6-7 minutes total.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and chile flakes and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the meatballs are tender and just cooked through, 10 minutes.
Ready to Mix 
Meatballs Ready to Cook
Beginning to Brown 
Browned Meatballs 
Tomato Mixture Added
Cooked Sauce
  1. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water until al dente, 5 minutes. Drain.
  2. Stir into the sauce and spread the mixture evenly in the skillet.
  3. Arrange cheese slices on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
  4. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and broil until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes. Remove and let rest 5 minutes.
Spaghetti Added 
Cheese Added 
After Broiling
 Divide among 4 plates and serve.

Skillet-Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Pan-Seared Chicken and Spring Onions in Apricot Sauce


Spring onions are one of my favorite delights of the season—fresh, sweet bulbs with bright green stalks, ready for eating raw in a salad or pan-searing, as in this recipe. A little golden brown color brings out the onion’s natural sweetness and deepest flavor—and it takes only a few minutes.

Spring Onions
Here, everything cooks in one pan—chicken, onions, and sauce. Apricot preserves melt into sweet, buttery goodness along with orange juice and a little soy sauce for a quick, easy, and very flavorful sauce for the meat and vegetable. It’s not a “saucy” sauce, however—more like a slightly thick glaze. Whatever you call it, it tastes good!

Note: To trim the spring onions, simply cut off a thin slice from the bulb, then cut off a couple inches of the long green stalks.

And a tip: The key to great searing is a heavy pan. A large, cast-iron skillet works best.


Serves 4

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 spring onions, trimmed and cut lengthwise in half
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup apricot preserves
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Trimmed Onions 
Halved Onions
Sauce Ingredients
Preparation
  1. Heat a large, heavy (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, swirling to coat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook until golden on the bottom, 7-8 minutes.
  2. Turn the breasts over and scatter the spring onions around them. Sear the chicken until golden on the other side and just cooked through, 7-8 minutes longer. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until softened and golden, 7-8 minutes. (Tip: Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly over the skillet to help retain moisture as the chicken finishes.)
  3. Transfer the chicken and onions to a plate. Do not wipe out the skillet.
Chicken Beginning to Cook 
Onions Added 
Cooked Chicken and Onions
  1. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the apricot preserves, orange juice, and soy sauce and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary.
  3. Return the chicken and onions (and any accumulated juices) to the skillet and stir into the sauce, turning the chicken breasts to coat.
Sauce Beginning to Cook 
Rosemary Added to Cooked Sauce 
Plate the chicken, onions, and sauce and serve right away.

Pan-Seared Chicken and Spring Onions in Apricot Sauce

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Grilled Steak and Peach Salads with Balsamic-Fig Vinaigrette


Grilled fruit highlights a summer salad with a sweet balance for juicy steak, tangy blue cheese, and nutty pecans. Peaches are great for grilling, taking on just a little smokiness to complement the sweetness.

For this recipe, I continued the fruity theme with a rich, slightly creamy dressing made with balsamic vinegar and fig jam. It comes together quickly and adds a scrumptious sweet-and-tart finish for the salad.

For a similar dinner salad with grilled fruit, check out Grilled Steak and Pear Salads with Basil Vinaigrette.

Serves 2

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp fig jam
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for rubbing
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 8-oz New York strip steak, about 3/4-inch thick
  • 2 firm-ripe peaches, cut into large sections, pits discarded
  • 4 cups mixed baby greens
  • 1 oz blue cheese, cut into small pieces (or crumbles)
  • 1/4 cup toasted pecan pieces
  • 2 tbsp thinly sliced red onion
  • 2 small radishes, thinly sliced
Vinaigrette Ingredients 
Salad Ingredients
Sliced Peaches
Preparation
  • Light a grill for medium-high, direct-heat grilling.
  • Place the fig jam, vinegar, garlic, and mustard in a small food process and process until combined. Add the olive oil and process until creamy smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Ready to Process 
Combined Vinaigrette
Balsamic-Fig Vinaigrette
  1. Rub the steak with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Separately, rub the peach pieces with oil and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Grill the steak until lightly charred outside and pink in the middle, for medium doneness (or until desired degree of doneness), 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
  3. While the steak rests, place the peaches on the grill cut-side down and grill until char marks appear, about 3 minutes. Transfer to another cutting board. (Keep the fruit separate from the resting steak to prevent meat juices from dampening it.)
  4. Cut the steak across the grain into thin slices. Cut the peach sections into bite-sized chunks. Place the lettuce in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette.

Ready to Grill 
Steak Beginning to Grill 
Grilled Steak 
Peaches Ready to Grill
Peaches Beginning to Grill 
Grilled Peaches
Sliced Steak
Divide the dressed lettuce between 2 plates and top each evenly with steak, peaches, blue cheese, pecans, red onion, and radishes. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve.

Grilled Steak and Peach Salads with Balsamic-Fig Vinaigrette



Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Ham and Spring Vegetable Frittata


Frittatas are like pizzas—with eggs added: a multitude of possible ingredients (meat or meatless), and with as few or as many as you can stuff on or in it. For both dishes, I think simple and few bring the best results.

Here, the frittata is a little celebration of spring with some seasonal favorites—leek, asparagus, peas, and chard—fresh mint, and a little moist, sweet, brine-cured ham. Get everything chopped up, whisk the eggs, grab the cheese, and you’ll have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes.

Note: I used mild, creamy, slightly nutty Jarlsberg, a light-yellow Norwegian cheese that was coarsely shredded. Shredded provolone or Swiss would be good too.

Coarsely Shredded Jarlsberg

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
  • 8 large eggs
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 12-oz brine-cured ham steak (“city” ham), trimmed and small-diced
  • 1 medium leek (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
  • 4 oz asparagus, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 2 oz snow peas, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 3 cups chopped rainbow chard
  • 3/4 cup shredded Jarlsberg cheese
  • chopped fresh mint, for garnish
Ham Steak 
Diced Ham
Frittata Vegetables 
Prepared Vegetables
Preparation
  1. Preheat the broiler.
  2. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until well blended.
  3. Heat a 12-inch, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the ham and leek cook until the ham is slightly browned and the leek is tender, 7-8 minutes.
  4. Add the asparagus, snow peas, and chard and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 5-6 minutes.
Whisked Eggs 
Ham and Leek Beginning to Cook 
Cooked Ham and Leek 
Asparagus Mixture Added
Cooked Mixture
  1. Increase the heat to medium-high and pour the whisked egg mixture over the skillet ingredients. Tilt the skillet gently in a circular motion to allow the eggs to cover the ham and vegetables in an even layer. (Some ingredients will still be visible above the eggs.)
  2. Cook until the bottom and sides of the frittata are nearly set and the top is still runny but beginning to set along the edges, about 3 minutes.
  3. Scatter the cheese on top and transfer the skillet to the broiler. Broil until the top is set and begins to brown, 3-4 minutes, depending on your broiler. Remove and garnish with chopped mint. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Eggs Beginning to Set 
Ready to Broil
Broiled Frittata
Cut the frittata into 4 large or 6 smaller wedges. Serve warm.

Ham and Spring Vegetable Frittata