If you’re a New Yorker, you may remember a time when Nobu restaurant’s miso-marinated black cod was all the rage. Black cod is also known as sablefish.

Sablefish, with its rich, fatty and buttery texture, is my favorite go-to fish when it is available, typically starting in March.

A high-quality source of protein, sablefish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids (a good fat that our body and brain needs!) and a good source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, B, iron, potassium, selenium and magnesium.

I like to prepare sablefish in the simplest way possible. I poach it, then drizzle high-quality olive oil over it and top with a generous amount of thinly sliced scallions. Every buttery mouthful is a treat in and of itself.

Poached Sablefish (Black Cod)

1 to 1-1/2 pounds of sablefish (black cod).

1 bunch organic scallions, sliced into thin rounds

High quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Cut fish into 4 to 6 4 oz pieces. Slice through the middle of each piece so that the size of the piece (still held together in the middle) doubles. Rinse well in filtered water. Set aside.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a 12-inch skillet that is apx. 2 inches high.

Add sablefish pieces to the boiling water. Bring water to a boil again. Turn heat to medium low and cover. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until tender.

Using a slotted stainless steel spatula, transfer to plate. Sprinkle with Celtic sea salt. Drizzle sablefish with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle a generous handful of scallion rounds over fish.

Serve with a few slices of avocado and an organic arugula salad.

Enjoy!

Pasture-raised lamb is an often overlooked—and under-appreciated—rich source of omega 3 fat. With its stellar omega 6 to omega 3 ratio (.77:1), you can think of grass-fed lamb as “land salmon”!
 

Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb with Garlicky Lemon-Rosemary Rub

 
3 pounds pasture-raised, boneless, butterflied leg of lamb
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons rosemary, minced
3 tablespoons tarragon, minced
Grated zest of 1 large organic lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 cup filtered water
Juice of (zested) organic lemon
Purple sweet potato, sliced into rounds

Season leg of lamb with Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place garlic, rosemary, tarragon, lemon zest and Celtic sea salt in a mortar and pestle. Add the olive oil.  Using the pestle, crush all ingredients together until it forms a paste.

Spread rub over both sides of the butterflied leg of lamb.

Arrange leg of lamb in a single layer in the slow cooker. Add 1/2 cup of filtered water + juice from the lemon you zested. Add purple sweet potato rounds.

Turn setting on slow cooker to HIGH for 1 hour; then, turn to LOW for 2 hours. Check lamb for desired doneness.

Once lamb has reached desired tenderness, cut into slices and arrange on serving platter (or plates). Drizzle jus over lamb.

Enjoy!

Avocado-Spinach Dip

1 Haas avocado, peeled, pit removed, cut into chunks
2 packed cups raw baby spinach
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 clove organic garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 lemon, juiced
Optional: 1/3 cup basil leaves
Optional: cayenne pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor and puree until ingredients are thoroughly mixed and creamy.

Serve with baby carrots, zucchini, celery, red peppers, cauliflower, endive, or other desired vegetable.

In my fantasies, I was in Peter Mayles’ Provence—lounging poolside, glass of rosé in hand, basking in sunshine, the scent of rosemary, thyme and lavender perfuming the air. All the while…daydreaming about my next meal.

My reality, however, was much less elegant. Ensconced at our old farmhouse in upstate New York—sans air conditioning, sans pool—I sweated bullets and felt overdressed in a bikini. In addition to taking cold showers every night, I resorted to scrubbing out our refrigerator (a long overdue project) for cool relief.

Oddly, despite the physical exertion involved, I felt urgently compelled to make aioli.

In the south of France, aioli is a quintessential warm weather condiment.  Aioli pairs beautifully with everything and anything—grilled fish or meat; as a dipping sauce for pommes frites ; smeared on grilled bread or heirloom tomatoes.  In Provence, “aioli”, as a traditional dish, is served with boiled vegetables, boiled fish and boiled eggs.

On this particular sweltering Sunday, I was envisioning an early supper of cold poached chicken and corn on the cob, both slathered with aioli.

The irony of this craving?  Traditional aioli calls for raw egg yolks.  Truth be told, I have egg “issues”. Omelets, frittatas and scrambled eggs are just fine.  But I balk at hard-boiled or soft-boiled eggs because of the sulfuric smell and rubbery egg white texture.  Eating raw eggs?  Well, that felt inconceivable!!

One advocate of raw egg consumption is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, M.D., a Russian-trained neurologist and neurosurgeon, who created the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet, which focuses healing the gut.  As the parent of an autistic child, and in her work with children who had various learning and behavioral problems (from ADHD and dyslexia, to dyspraxia), Campbell-McBride saw a clear link between digestive abnormalities and brain health.

Eggs, especially the yolks, feed the brain. Campbell-McBride points out that eggs are one of the most nourishing and easy-to-digest foods. Especially raw egg yolk.  Like human breast milk, raw egg yolk can be absorbed 100% without requiring digestion.  Nutrient-dense egg yolks provide most essential protein-building amino acids; essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, K and B-complex; as well as zinc, magnesium, iron and phosphorus; and carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin.  Eggs from free-roaming, pasture-pecking hens are also rich in vitamin B12, vital for normal development of the nervous system and immunity.

Are you having more “senior moments” then you care to admit?!  Egg yolks are one of the best food sources of choline, an amino acid and building block for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps the brain learn, process and remember information.

Properly sourced, eggs are a near-perfect superfood, provided, of course, you do not have a true egg allergy (in which case, you are most likely reacting to the egg white).

How did I overcome my apprehension of a condiment made with raw eggs?

–By remembering a phenomenal meal at La Bastide de Tourtour, a gastronomic restaurant tucked away in the hills of the Haut Var (eastern Provence), to which a winemaker and his wife had whisked us away to sample his wines: aioli had been a delectable, spotlight-stealing highlight.

–By using pastured-raised eggs from local farms. Salmonella is a real concern—especially if we are talking about eggs from commercially bred, factory-farmed chickens. I have personally visited local farms to see how the animals are raised. When I can see for myself that chickens are actually outside and “free-range”, I feel confident thatt what I am consuming is from a healthy bird.

–And…by stumbling upon David Lebovitz’s authentic Provencal-style aioli recipe.
My version of Lebovitz’s aioli recipe ramps up the garlic and uses two pastured egg yolks instead of one.  When I make aioli, I buy the freshest eggs possible; ideally, eggs gathered that morning.  It’s also best to consume all of the aioli within 24 hours after making it (hardly a challenge in our house!).

Whisking aioli works up a sweat!  The end result is well worth the effort. Smooth and creamy with a distinct garlicky tang and golden color, aioli is a luscious indulgence that gives you a true taste of “real mayonnaise”.

My personal bottom line: Don’t eat raw eggs unless you know—and trust—the source. I will only eat eggs raw if they are from pasture-raised hens—and from a farm that I have personally visited.  Just because eggs are labeled “organic”, “vegetarian-fed”, or “all natural” does not ensure that they are safe to eat raw .  Connect with a trusted source for pastured eggs, if only because this hand-made aioli rocks!

Aioli

4-5 cloves organic garlic
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
2 large egg yolks from pastured hens, room temperature
1 cup of quality, extra-virgin olive oil

Place garlic and Celtic sea salt in a mortar or medium bowl; use a pestle to crush and mash well until the mixture forms a paste.  (If you don’t like your aioli “too” garlicky, set aside some of the mashed garlic mixture and add back later, if desired.)

Add the egg yolks.

Anchor your bowl by wrapping a dish towel tightly around the base of your bowl, and place on a wooden cutting board—or other non-slip surface.

As you whisk egg, garlic and salt, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, adding approximately 1/4 cup at a time.  The aioli will emulsify and thicken.  Vigorously whisk until all of the olive oil has been incorporated.

Serve with poached chicken, shrimp, cod or  vegetables.

Bon appétit!

Sources:
Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD, MMedSci (neurology), MMedSci (nutrition)
Eat Your Eggs and Have Your Chickens Too

So, up until a year ago, I almost never cooked with butter—baked, yes; cooked, no.  What about toast? (I can hear you ask).  I eschew wheat and gluten now, but when I used to eat toast, I slathered it with EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)—not butter!

Then, I discovered grass-fed butter…

My epiphany:  Yes, butter can make it better!

Certainly, grass-fed butter elevates summer squash from good to lip-smacking delectable.  Again, I emphasize—only if the butter is from pasture-raised cows.  Butter from grass-fed cows is a lovely deep yellow, reflecting a high beta carotene content—never to be confused with the anemic white-yellow hue of commercial butters from grain-fed cows.

Grass-fed butter is nutritionally superior to commercial butter.  It is a rich source of important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K and K2 and antioxidants, including vitamins A, D, E, K2, beta-carotene and selenium.  Grass-fed butter also contains conjugated lineolic acid (CLA), another antioxidant and cancer-fighter type of fat. Research suggests that when adequate CLA is ingested, it can help toward reducing total body fat.  Unfortunately, the CLA in milk from conventional feed-lot cows is greatly reduced or non-existent.,

Pregnant women can benefit from grass-fed butter consumption because vitamin A plays an important role in skeletal development, bone formation and the development of sex characteristics.  Want to prevent osteoporosis?  Consider eating grass-fed butter, rich in vitamins A and D, both of which are needed for the proper absorption of calcium, a synergistic trio necessary for strong bones and teeth.  Butter helps keep joints lubricated.  And it has anti-cancer properties, particularly, strong anti-tumor effects.

These days, I enjoy grass-fed butter—in moderation.  My occasional slice of sprouted toast is generously smeared with grass-fed butter.  I bake with grass-fed butter.  Now and then, I add butter to certain vegetables. Summer squash is one of them.
In this braised summer squash dish, grass-fed butter lends creamy charm that flavors and tenderizes the squash.
 

Grass-fed Butter-Braised Summer Squash

2-1/2 to 3 pounds mixed summer squash (zucchini, yellow squash, and zephyr squash), ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
2 medium onions (about 1 cup), finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons grass-fed butter (such as Kerrygold or Organic Valley  Pasture Butter)
1/2 to 3/4 cup homemade chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons fresh herbs (basil, mint or oregano), or mixed herbs
Pink Himalayan salt or Celtic sea salt, to taste

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  When butter begins to sizzle (but not smoke), add onions, coating with butter.  Reduce heat to low and sauté about 8-10 minutes or until soft.  Add garlic slices, stirring 1-2 minutes.  Raise heat to medium and add squash, stirring to coat with onions and butter for approximately 2 minutes, or until squash begins to stick to the pan.  Add chicken broth.  Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.  Cover squash and simmer about 15 minutes, or until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated (you may need to simmer squash—uncovered—for a few minutes to reduce excess liquid).

Before serving: stir in chopped herbs and sprinkle pink Himalayan salt (or Celtic sea salt) to taste.

Sources:
Why Butter is Better

Health Benefits of Grass-fed Products
Perspective on the safety and effectiveness of conjugated linoleic acid