I Can Make You Hot! (35 page)

Sea and Teddy’s California Sushi Burritos

My daughters decided they wanted to make sushi, but they seem to have inherited cooking ADD from their mom. Making the rice was easy, and taking the crabmeat out of the shells was fun, but making those precise, tightly packed sushi rolls bored them. So, we decided to make sushi burritos instead.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

One 8-ounce package imitation crabmeat or 4 frozen king crabs legs, thawed
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6 nori sushi wrappers

2 cups cooked Uncle Ben’s rice

1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced

If using the crab legs, pick out the meat, making sure to remove any cartilage. Cut the nori wrappers in half.

Scoop 3 generous tablespoons of rice onto each half wrapper. Divide the crab and avocado equally among the rolls and roll them up burrito style.

hasta la vista taco bell

I confess: the love of my childhood life was Taco Bell. I was obsessed with bean burritos and cinnamon twists. When I was doing a little online research the other day, I discovered that my favorite food choices added up to 580 calories. Of course, at the time I was swimming sometimes two hours a day, so unless I’m planning to return to competitive swimming, I guess that means my Taco Bell days are over—unless I decide to change Sunday Funday into Fatso Food Day. Probably not! But I do love my sushi burritos just—well, almost—as much.

mild-mannered mexican-tempeh burritos

Tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans that have been formed into a cake or patty. As you know, I love meat, but I also love trying new things. Cubed tempeh stir-fried with vegetable broth, onions, and jalapeños, makes a great burrito filling. Really—you should try it.

Spicy Sultry Shrimp and Mango Stir-Fry

This was one of the first dishes I made when I started to cook—as a science experiment. My “method” was to think of foods I loved and which ones I thought would go well together. I love cooked fruit, and I especially love mango. Pairing it with shrimp and vegetables tasted good in my imagination and turned out to taste even better in reality.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
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12 asparagus spears, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium carrot, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced, slices cut into half moons

½ yellow, red, or orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into julienne

1 cup snow peas

6 scallions, cut in ½-inch pieces

4 teaspoons Roland’s Thai-style Sweet Chili Sauce

1 mango, peeled, flesh cut off the pit, and diced

16 cooked jumbo shrimp

4 tablespoons water

In a wok or a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat.

When the oil shimmers, add the garlic and ginger and sauté until soft, being careful not to burn the garlic. When the garlic begins to give off an aroma, add the asparagus and carrot. Sauté a couple of minutes and then add the zucchini, pepper, snow peas, and scallions. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the chili sauce and toss to coat all the vegetables.

Add the diced mango and the shrimp and toss briefly. Add the water and simmer a minute or two. Remove from the heat and serve.

Kelly’s Kalamari

The first time I ever ate calamari was when I was seventeen years old and modeling in Los Angeles for the summer. My sister came to visit me and we went to Malibu for brunch. I ordered the fried calamari and was sitting there with the little suction cups hanging out of my mouth. My sister and I were both hysterically laughing. I still love fried calamari, but it doesn’t love me. Whenever I eat it, it goes right to my stomach and makes a little pooch—
eww
! So I came up with this equally tasty but totally “pooch-free” version instead.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

For the Vinaigrette:

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Cayenne pepper

For the Calamari:

2 pounds cleaned calamari

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ cup dry white wine

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 whole garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
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1 teaspoon dried oregano

A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)

To make the vinaigrette: Combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette except for the cayenne and mix well. Add cayenne to taste and set aside while you prepare the calamari.

To prepare the calamari: Cut the bodies crosswise into ½-inch-wide strips and the tentacles into bite-size pieces. You should have about 3½ cups total.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the calamari, wine, salt and pepper to taste, garlic, and oregano, and sauté, tossing occasionally, for 2 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, if using, remove from the heat, and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette.

Shrimp Taco Tuesdays

I conceived this dish on a drive to the Hamptons, which the locals call “the beach.” When there’s a lot of traffic, the trip can take up to three hours, as it did this particular Tuesday. I wanted tacos, but not just any old tacos, so I spent my time dreaming up this “ultimate taco.” I happen to love hard-shell tacos, but you can also make this with soft tortillas—and call it Shrimp Tortilla Tuesdays. The cinnamon may sound unusual, but it’s delicious in this dish.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

24 small shrimp, fresh or frozen
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4 cups baby spinach

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons white wine

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 soft corn tortillas or corn taco shells

½ cup candied walnuts

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

In a large pan, sauté the shrimp and spinach with the garlic and white wine for no more than 5 minutes—just until the shrimp turn pink. Remove from the heat and season to taste with the pepper flakes and cinnamon.

If using tortillas, lay them on a flat surface, spoon a portion of the shrimp and spinach mixture down the center, and roll up. If using tacos, just stuff them with the mixture. Sprinkle with the nuts and garnish with the cilantro.

food ready to go

For a great quick meal, fill a taco or tortilla with cooked, crumbled turkey sausage or with grilled veggies, top with mozzarella cheese, and put it in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Eric Ripert’s Fluke Ceviche

Eric says, “The sexiest food is food that you can share easily with a partner, that doesn’t give you bad breath (LOL!) but does give you a tingling in your taste buds. These foods can be anything from spicy or something earthy like black truffles to something sensuous like dark chocolate.” I’m not about to argue!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

12 ounces fluke fillets, skin removed

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons minced jalapeño pepper

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

3 limes

Warm toast, for serving

Slice the fluke on the diagonal as thinly as possible. The slices should be about 2 inches long by 1 inch wide.

Place the fluke in a large bowl, add the red onion, cilantro, and minced jalapeño and toss to combine. Generously season the fish with salt and pepper. Squeeze the limes over the fish and toss to combine. Marinate the ceviche for 2 minutes to allow the juices to be extracted from the fluke. Divide the ceviche evenly among six chilled bowls and serve immediately with warm toast.

Mexican Dancer Tortillas

There’s a great Mexican restaurant around the corner from where I live called La Esquina where all the hipsters hang out. Sometimes I just want to channel my inner hipster at home, so I make these tortillas in my very own kitchen.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds skirt steak

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Four 6-inch corn tortillas

Dash of Goya Cilantro Cooking Base
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Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan. Season the steak with the Lawry’s salt and nutmeg. Add to the pan, and sauté until cooked to your taste. Cut the steak into ½-inch-thick slices.

Place the tortillas on individual plates and top with a portion of the steak. Season with the Goya Cooking Base, wrap up the tortillas, and serve.

Tuna Tacos

I first had these tacos in Tulum, Mexico, one of my favorite vacation destinations, and they contain everything I love—pure, creamy deliciousness! And even more good news is that the recipe contains only 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

One 4-ounce tuna steak

1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

Pinch of sesame seeds

1 scallion, white part only, minced

1 teaspoon prepared white horseradish

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Two 6-inch corn or flour taco shells

2 leaves romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces

½ tomato, seeded and finely chopped

Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat until very hot. Add the tuna and sear on both sides for 3 to 4 minutes; it should still be pink inside.

Flake the tuna into a large bowl and stir in the teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and minced scallion.

In a small bowl, combine the horseradish, mayonnaise, and olive oil until amalgamated into a dressing.

Mound the tuna in the taco shells, drizzle with the horseradish dressing, and top with the lettuce and tomato.

try tilapia

Tilapia is a farm-raised, generally inexpensive fish. You can make it delish by grilling it with some shaved fresh ginger and serve it with ginger-and-mint-infused rice and grilled asparagus spears.

Easy Baked Salmon with Fennel

This is my version of cooking in an Easy-Bake Oven. It’s about as easy as cooking can get!

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and sliced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Two 4-ounce skinless salmon fillets

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the fennel on a sheet of aluminium foil large enough to enclose it entirely and brush with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Fold up the foil and place the fennel in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the salmon fillets on a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to enclose them entirely. Brush the salmon with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and sprinkle with the dill. Fold up the foil to enclose the salmon, put it in the oven next to the fennel, and bake for about 20 minutes more, or until the fish flakes easily when prodded with a fork.

Unwrap the fennel and divide equally between 2 dinner plates. Top each portion with a salmon fillet and serve.

fish delish

For an equally easy and equally delicious fish dish, top a tilapía or other white-fleshed fish fillet with tomatoes and basil, sprinkle with a little olive oil, wrap it in aluminum foil, and bake as you would the salmon.