fresh oyster rockefeller

baker city, oregon (our now home) is definitely closer to the west coast than bozeman, montana (our before here home), but let's be honest...do we really get to the coast as often as we'd like...no we do not.  therefore, it's a good thing our friend let us in on some valuable info: a guy known around here as, "seafood willie."  willie makes the drive from the coast to baker city almost on a weekly basis and always delivers some of the best and freshest oysters i've eaten.  i will happily slurp these salty and tender little sea creatures out of their shells whenever i get the chance.  thanks willie!!

recipe: serves 2 for dinner; 4 as an appetizer

- 16 fresh-shucked oysters, small-med size

- 4-5 slices thick, peppered bacon (cook ahead and crumble)

- 2-3 c fresh spinach

- red onion, diced

- fresh garlic, minced

- fresh dill, chopped

- pecorino-romano, shredded

- splash of dry white wine (use a wine you'd actually drink & then drink w/ the meal)

- fresh lemon juice

- evoo

- pat of salted amish butter (any butter really, i just happen to love salted amish butter)

- s&p

so hopefully you have the most amazing and wonderful husband like me who will do all the shucking while you prep the spinach and bacon filling.  

while your hubby is shucking away, star by sautéing red onion and garlic in a little evoo and a pat of butter until translucent and fragrant.  add in the spinach and wilt, and then add in the dry white wine.  season w/ salt and fresh cracked pepper, and then add the bacon and fresh dill to the spinach mixture, and stir to combine.  

once you have all the oysters shucked, lay them on a rimmed cookie sheet and start assembling.  top each oyster w/ a sprinkling of cheese, and then add the spinach and bacon mixture on top.  bake the oysters for approximately 10 minutes on the bottom rack in a preheated oven @ 475 degrees - you do not want to overcook these little gems!!  top w/ more fresh fill and a good squirt of fresh lemon juice and dive in.

andoullie hash w/ yams, black beans & smoked gouda

it appears it has been just over a year since my last post - holy cow!! the ironic thing is that my last post was in regards to some mexican breakfast food i whipped up, and well, that's exactly the same type of fare that i fixed this morning. i have prepared a mexi-style hash w/ some nice and spicy andouille sausage. see below:

        ~recipe: fills up 3-4 happy tummies~

- 2 andouille sausage links (uncooked), chopped

- 1 very large organic yam, diced w/ skin on

- 1/2 can black beans, rinsed

- 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, minced

- red onion, diced

- smoked gouda, shredded

- farm fresh eggs

- 1-2 ripe avocados

- roasted tomatillo salsa (trader joe's in da bomb)

- fresh cilantro

- smoked paprika

- s&p

- olive oil

start by cooking the yam in olive oil over med-high heat in an oven-proof skillet (i prefer cast iron b/c the flavor is amazing). next, add sausage and then finally the red onion and black beans. season w/ smoked paprika and s&p. create "nests" within the hash, and crack your eggs into the nest being careful to retain the yolks as a whole (see pic - i broke one). sprinkle cheese over the top and place in a preheated oven @ 375 degrees-ish. as soon as the eggs are cooked to your liking, remove the skillet, top w/ more s&p and fresh cilantro. garnish w/ avocado and tomatillo salsa, and have a happy sunday.