Summer Salad Nicoise with Fresh Grilled Tuna

Mr. Tom is the catch of the day

Mr. Tom was invited to an evening of fishing on Glenn Lake with one of his service techs, Shannon. Sounds great and off the two went in pursuit of the big one that wouldn't get away. Little did Shannon know that his companion, the man with more endearing nicknames than fish stories would himself  become the big catch of the day.

This then becomes Shannon's story. As he tells it, he and Mr. Tom were spending a peaceful evening on the water with a smidgen of activity on their lines when Mr. Tom felt the need to relieve himself. The boys were fishing from Shannon's 17 foot watercraft when Mr. Tom moved toward the edge of the boat.

Just a moment later Shannon heard a willful outburst and turned just in time to watch the 2 foot tall running light at the rear of the boat accompany Mr. Tom into the dark and chilly lake. With an enormous splash from Mr. Tom aka ("Big Dog" "T-Bone" "Jimmy T") whatever your favorite nickname happened to be at the time... the fact was, Mr. Tom was now swimming with the fish.

Now what? There was Mr. Tom swimming with he fish and the boat had no provision for loading a new passenger from the water. No ladder, no ski deck, no way, how would Mr. Tom Get back in the boat? After a few futile attempts on Mr. Tom's part to hoist himself boat side failed... Mr. Tom suggested Shannon tow him to shore with a rope tied to his waist! Can you just see this!

Surely this would work but Lord have mercy Mr. Tom was having a difficult time keeping his head above water and this plan was quickly scrapped. Shannon at this point with the rope attached to Mr. Tom exclaimed that he thought he could pull Mr. Tom into the boat. Mr. Tom was skeptical and put a small wager on the outcome of this new exercise. Sure enough Shannon was able to get just the right lift and pull and with Mr. Tom's help slid him over the edge and into the boat, not unlike a 250 pound tuna.

The whole experience had some sense of seriousness until Shannon saw Mr. Tom sitting safe on the shore pulling  his shoe off and pouring the water out... he then scrapped his phone and pager along with the drying of his wallet. Now this was more than Shannon could take and finally broke into uncontrollable laughter. As the story spread around the office and a good laugh was had by all...well you guessed it, the man with all those endearing nicknames just added another, Aqua Man.

Summer Salad Nicoise with Fresh Grilled Tuna

Serves 6

 

1 lb. fresh tuna pan seared medium rare on your new grill from Proctor Gas

3/4 lb. small new potatoes boiled and sliced

3/4 lb. string beans/ blanched

2 heads romaine hearts/ chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

3 hard boiled eggs quartered

6 oz. flat anchovy filet

1 small red bell pepper/ sliced thin

3 vine ripe ripe tomatoes /quartered

1/2 cup kalamata black olives pits removed

3 tablespoons mixed minced fresh herbs

Thyme, parsley, basil chervil, tarragon and chives

Salt & Pepper

 

Mix together in layers and toss with your favorite herb infused balsamic vinaigrette garnish with anchovy crossed on the egg

Lake Bomoseen Brown Trout

Memories of Lake Bomoseen.

Mr. Tom almost sleeps with the fish!

There are few places that can evoke the wonderful childhood memories of summer like Lake Bomoseen. Growing up as a kid in my house we heard stories of the times that My Uncle Peter owned the open air Casino. It was here that my Uncle played host to some of the biggest names in Music from those days. Duke Ellington, Louie Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie. It was here that he forged the friendships that later would be his contact to those stars. He used those contacts to promote events in the Virgin Islands, raising the funds to start Little League in St Thomas.

I had a number of friends with camps at the Lake, I was never without an invitation to visit. It was great fun and there was never any competition from an x-box or play station to keep me from going. Once I married Mr. Tom, his family owned a Hotel on the Lake and that became our base of operation.

Somehow we avoided an operation and Mr. Tom having to sleep with the fish. As the story goes and I'm afraid there are a few different versions. My "Best Friend" Ron and for those of you who know him as an accomplished storyteller was on the banks of the lake where there were many horrified spectators watching Mr. Tom bare-footing behind our new speed boat. Ron seems to remember the story this way!

As Mr. Tom released both skis (not) maybe one and Mrs.Tom made a final pass around the bay as to let Mr. Tom display his water skiing talents for the crowd, Mrs. Tom the driver of the boat at the time was finding Mr. Tom's antics to be quite entertaining. It was dusk on the lake and visibility had become difficult. Much to the horror of the bank full of spectators and our very own Mr. Ron... there in the fading light of day appeared a floating dock. As the horde of people looked on in terror the group of onlookers tried to alert Mrs. Tom.

The speedboat was at warp speed and the floating dock some 50 yards off the shoreline appeared like a stealth submarine surfacing. Without even a moment to react Mrs. Tom braced herself for impact. To the fear of the entire lake bank they had collided, the speedboat, Mr. Tom and a floating dock. One could only imagine the grizzley aftermath of carnage. But wait there is Mr. Tom and he is ok and waving to the crowd while Mrs. Tom sits at the helm of her water vessel perched right on top of the dock, jerk, lift and sit. Searching her body for places that might have left a mark, it seemed that Mrs. Tom also was unharmed.

A few minor adjustments to the water craft and it was a good as new. I wonder how long it took for Mr. Tom to get back on skis with Mrs. Tom sitting in the captains seat. I believe the next visit to the lake brought with it an opportunity to bring home something for the Grill a little fishing and here Mrs. Tom shares with you what to do with the catch of the day.

              Shannon one of the many "Fish Whisperers" stationed at Proctor Gas

Lake Bomoseen Brown Trout, lemon, basil and toasted pine nuts

4 whole cleaned boneless 10 oz trout or whatever size you caught use this as a guide

about 4 lemons... 3 lemons sliced thin kept round 16 each / 1 lemon cut/reserved to squeeze in the sauce

12 nice fresh basil leaves

cracked black pepper

pinch of sea salt for each

extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

2/3 stick of butter

1/4 cup white wine

3 tablespoons fresh basil chopped fine

2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Equipment

clasping grill basket large enough for the trout or an iron skillet

Prepare a two zone fire one side at medium high and the other low

1 Open the trout up and brush with virgin olive oil on the inside. Place 3 slices of lemon and three basil leaves on the inside of each trout. S&P to taste. Close the trout place two slices of lemon on the top of the trout so the lemon  chars with the fish and becomes part of your presentation, then  put them side by side in your grill basket.

2 In a sauté pan toast the pine nuts about 5 minutes on a medium heat stirring until they are light brown and release their nutty flavor. Put them in a small bowl and add the cheese and 1 tablespoons of chopped basil, pinch of black pepper... mix/ reserve

3 Put the fish on the grill lemon side down on the medium high heat about five minutes on each side but keep watching, remove from the grill lemon side up for presentation. When you turn the fish start make your sauce.

4. For the sauce, use the same little sauté pan as you did the nuts in. Place the butter in the pan and heat add the juice of 1 lemon, and the white wine a touch of black pepper and 1 tablespoon of basil and reduce until you have a nice lemon butter basil sauce. Don't get so hot that it breaks if it does add a little whole butter and bring it back.  Pour about 2 tablespoons of sauce on a white plate in the center, place the trout on top of the sauce and sprinkle the pine nuts on the top of the charred lemon.

Mrs. Tom 's Secret

There are a couple of real secrets here one has to do with cooking the other deception. Through the years when fresh fish was on everybody's mind and Mr. Tom would head out to the lake or river, pole in hand, Mrs. Tom would use the phone to call for backup. Your local fish man should be able to get you the farm raised variety from Idaho or Maine.

Make sure you have your ingredients ready right beside your pan when you are ready to make the sauce, it all happens fast and you cannot leave the sauce, you must tend it and it will only take a couple of minutes less than the time it takes to cook the other side of the trout.

If you need to use the iron skillet then heat the skillet on the medium high heat and pour a little oil in the pan or spray the pan with Pam olive oil,

Char Grilled "Day Boat" Atlantic Swordfish

Grilling with Mrs Tom

There are very few people who know that Mrs Tom has such a diverse and colorful culinary background. She has kept her outdoor grilling acumen secret for many years, yet well known to a close group of friends. Her mother a legendary chef, her brother an international award winning chef, her nephew a certified chef and culinary artist and Mr. Tom himself was a genius on the outdoor grill.

Yes we were a restaurant family, mother aunt, brother and my uncle was the local butcher. When you opened a refrigerator at our house food fell out on the floor and we had multiple ice boxes. Are you sick...no... of course you are shut up and eat this! Eat we did, it was the end all to all things and you were not allowed to leave the table unless you could convince mother you were not full but stuffed and in a bit of pain so that it would take two hands to push yourself up from the table. Most of the conversation during dinner was about what we were going to eat next.

The best things about our house were the hidden treasures in the basement, a dirt cellar  with an old wine press where my Grandfather made the wine from our own grapes. Every real Italian had a grapevine and made wine in their cellars...we were no different. My friends found this intriguing it was just normal to us and all the cousins.

Although we owned a restaurant we very seldom went out to a restaurant, my mother didn't trust them! She never liked the food anywhere else so why bother. The only time we went out was if there was some kind of occasion and my Uncle Peter would take us out. Mother would always order a steak exclaiming they couldn't mess that up. She would order it well done because she didn't trust the meat either.

Mrs.Tom has decided it was time to let the cat out of the bag and to share her outdoor grilling secrets with y'all. Look for the Mrs Tom's grilling secret at the end of every recipe, now get off the couch and try some of Mrs. Tom's wonderful ideas for your grill and we'll keep the flame burning for ya.

Mrs. Tom always says the less you mess with a truly fresh piece of fish the better. You can always dress it up with a side of grilled vegetables or a fresh salsa of some kind.

Char Grilled "Day Boat" Atlantic Swordfish, Black Pepper Lemon Basil Butter

Serves 4

Rub

1 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fine chopped rosemary

Butter

1/4 LB fresh unsalted butter... room temp

1/2 a lemon peeled, seeded and chopped small

2 teaspoons coarse black pepper

5 leaves of chopped basil

one piece of wax or parchment paper

4-10 oz swordfish filets

virgin olive oil

the other half of the lemon cut thin with the skin on

For the butter

Once the butter is soft mash in lightly the lemon, pepper, basil don't let your butter get too soft, just soft enough to add your ingredients.

Transfer the butter to the paper and roll into a nice even log. Refrigerate...the butter will last for days in the refrigerator.

When the butter is hard again remove from the paper and slice silver dollar size medallions about 1/4 inch thick, keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to add them to the fish.

Heat your grill to a high heat

Drizzle the olive oil and coat the fish, then season with the rub evenly. Once the fire is ready make sure your grill grates are clean, start the fish on the hot part of the grill and turn one time only after 4-5 minutes on each side. Once you turn the fish place a medallion of butter on the center of the fish with a thin slice of lemon on top of the butter...close the lid

Mrs Tom's secret

Do not turn the fish more than the one time be patient with it. If you want to be sure you have fish a day old and you don't have time to catch it yourself call Mrs's Tom's nephew Chef Peter at Wulfs Fish Market in Brookline Mass, he will cut the fish just right for your grill and ship it to you next day. All the fish at Wulf's comes in daily from boats that are out one day only.

Wulf's # 617-277-2506

Good grilling Mrs Tom