Tuna Poke

Aloha my Hy-Vee friends!

With this damp, gray weather outside, my thoughts wander to Hawaii. Sure, the weather is always great and the islands are truly beautiful, but I'm thinking about Hawaii's amazing seafood, specifically Tuna Poke (rhymes with okay). 

At its most basic, you simply small dice the freshest tuna you can get your hands on, toss it with some soy sauce, dark sesame oil and thinly sliced sweet onion and you are good to go. But that is only the beginning—you can mix in and top it with whatever your heart desires. I love to mix in edamame, cucumber and jalapenos and put that over white rice topped with sriracha mayo, sweet teriyaki sauce, tempura crunchies and toasted sesame seeds. So ono (that means delicious in Hawaiian for all you main landers)! 

Tuna Poke

All you need:
12 ounces raw sashimi-grade tuna, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 a sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white or black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

All you do:
1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Toss to combine.
3. Enjoy!

Eat some Poke and as always, Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex

Colcannon

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Okay, I have to get this off my chest. Corned Beef is not Irish. Even worse is people who think Reubens are Irish. That sandwich was actually invented by a Jewish gentleman in Omaha, Nebraska. There are cows in Ireland but a majority of them produce milk so they have plenty of butter. And lots of potatoes. And lots of cabbage. Put those three things together with some onions and bacon and you have Colcannon, the tastiest mashed potato dish you have ever tried.

Colcannon

All you need:

3 slices bacon

2 pounds small red potatoes, chopped into 1" pieces

1/2 small head of cabbage, about 4 cups chopped small

1 small yellow onion, about 3/4 chopped small

1/3 cup milk

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

All you do:

1. Place the potatoes in a pot, along with enough water to cover them. Add 2 teaspoons salt to the pot and bring to a boil. 

2. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15-18 minutes.

3. While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat. 

4. When the bacon has browned and is slightly crisp, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve about a tablespoon of the bacon grease and drain the rest. Leave the rest of the drippings in the skillet. 

5. Add the onions to the hot skillet with the bacon grease and saute over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes, until they are lightly browned. 

6. Add the cabbage and toss lightly while it sautes and wilts, about 5 minutes. 

7. Season generously with salt and pepper as it cooks.

8. Drain and place the potatoes back in the hot pot. Place the pot back over the still-warm burner (or if your stove is gas, set the heat to the lowest setting). 

9. Mash the potatoes over very low heat and add the milk, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. 

10. Fold in the cooked and crumbled bacon, cabbage, and onions. 

11. Transfer to a serving bowl, form a small well in the center and fill with the butter.  

12. Enjoy!

If you want to truly embrace St. Patrick's Day, forget the green beer, put down your Rueben and make something authentic.

Erin Go Bragh and Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex

Scallop Aguachile Ceviche

Hello my Hy-Vee friends,

It is lent and with lent my mind turns to fish. If you are familiar with ceviche, and I hope you are, you are aware that it is seafood that has been “cooked” in an acid such as lime juice. You can find this dish all over South America with the epicenter of ceviche coming from Peru. Mexico, however, has its own unique twist with aguachile—literally meaning chile water, serrano chiles are pureed with lime juice and cilantro and tossed with local seafood. For a modern twist, I like to add pineapple and fresh mint. It is spicy, sour, slightly sweet and oh so delicious.

Scallop Aguachile Ceviche

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

All you need:

1 pound bay scallops

4 serrano or jalapeno chiles, stemmed and rough chopped

Juice of 5 limes

1/3 cup cilantro

1/2 cup mint

1/2 cup pineapple

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 small red onion, finely sliced

1 avocado, small diced

All you do: 

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. 

2. Add scallops and cook 5 minutes. 

3. Drain and cool.

4. In a blender puree the chiles, lime juice, cilantro, mint, pineapple, olive oil and salt.

5. Combine the scallops with the puree, red onion and avocado. 

6. Let it sit for 15 minutes and serve.
7. Enjoy!

Eat some fish but as always, Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex

Mardi Gras Pasta Salad

Hello my Hy-Vee friends!

Mardi Gras is just around the corner and as much as I love sharing recipes for all food Cajun and Creole, today’s idea is a bit more "colorful." The colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. While I won’t bore you with what the colors mean, I did want to represent them in a dish. After some thought, I created a pasta salad that simply screams Mardi Gras. 

All you need is 3 one pound boxes of your favorite pasta and a box of food coloring. In one pot add the bottle of yellow, in the second pot add the bottle of green and in the third add ¾ bottle of blue and the entire bottle of red food coloring. Boil each pound of pasta separately in each pot of water. Drain and combine. At that point add what you want! I mixed in a red wine vinaigrette with olives, salami, ham, and provolone. Delicious and festive!

Let the good times roll and as always, Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex

Caramelized Onion Bacon Dip

Hello my Hy-Vee friends!

Oh the memories of the big game growing up...can I remember any of the stats? Of course not. But I can remember the first dip I made. I was about 8 years old and it was French Onion Dip. I opened a pack of that French onion dip powder, poured it into a bowl and mixed in sour cream. Voila, it was done! It was cool, creamy and delicious. I still love that dip but a little over 35 years later, my taste buds are craving something a little more sophisticated.

I now caramelize the onions, mix in bacon and add asiago cheese. I am no longer that nervous 8 year old boy but tasting this new improved version of the dip still brings me back to that that small kitchen in Chicago helping my mom make food for the big game.

Caramelized Onion Bacon Dip

All you need:
1 tablespoon oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened 
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 

All you do:
1. In a medium sized skillet add oil, brown sugar and onions. Cook over low heat until onions are brown and caramelized.
2. Combine onions, cream cheese, mayonnaise, 1/2 cup grated asiago and bacon.
3. Spread into a baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes of until top is nicely golden brown.
5. Enjoy!

We also sell this dip on the shelf across from our Produce department!

Enjoy the big game and as always, Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex

Miso-Marinated Salmon

It’s a new year which means it's time to explore bold flavors in your kitchen. Today we talk miso paste, a delicious fermented soy bean paste (trust me it tastes much better than it sounds). Miso paste is rich in glutamates, which gives foods that meaty bold taste known as umami. We carry miso in the Health Market refrigerator section.

Miso is delicious in soups, whisked into mayo, mixed into salad dressing and one my favorite applications is in a marinade for salmon (see recipe below). 

Miso Salmon

All you need:

-¼ cup miso (a little goes a long way)

-2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

-2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

-2 teaspoons sesame oil

-A pinch of sugar

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-4 eight ounce pieces of salmon

-Sesame seeds

All you do:

1. Whisk together the miso, rice wine vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and garlic in a bowl. 

2. Pour the mixture over the salmon and marinate for about an hour. 

3. Grill to desired temperature.

4. Top with sesame seeds.
5. Enjoy!

Delicious, simple and bold.

Keep cooking with big flavors in this new year and as always, Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex

New Year, New Flavors

Happy New Year my Hy-Vee Friends!

I could tell you how to start the new year by eating healthier. You know the pitch—eat more grains, drink more water, skip the bacon...while that is all sage advice, you can visit our dietitians for that! I am here to talk to you about new flavors in the new year! With the new year I propose you try new bold flavors that you might not have not done in the past. Think outside the box.

Our line of Food Trk Fusion sauces is a perfect example. Inspired by the bold flavors of food trucks, Food Truck Fusion has a variety of sauces that include ingredients like gochujang (a fiery Korean bean paste) and sambal (an Indonesian garlic chile paste). Simply grill up a steak, splash some sauce on and you have an exciting new dish to welcome the new year!

Stay tuned for more bold ideas for your new year and as always, Praise the lard!

-Chef Alex