Cod, Chorizo And Charred Beans

When Chef Aaron Bashy opened his Brooklyn seafood restaurant, The Minnow, four years ago, he fulfilled a life-long dream of owning a place where his New England roots and French training could exist side by side.

Now, Chef Bashy has opened a casual annex next door to his popular restaurant, called Bar Minnow. And Saturday morning, he plans to have fun preparing a casual summer meal with the Chef on a Shoestring budget of $40.

His menu includes: Charred Green Bean and Sweet Onion Salad, Foil Pillows of Chorizo, Cod and Mussels, and Caramelized Summer Fruit Smoothies.

Food Facts
Pearl Onions: In addition to being much smaller than regular onions, pearl onions have a much milder flavor. They are often creamed and served as a side dish or pickled.

Cod/Scrod: This fish's mild-flavored flesh is white, lean and firm. This texture means you can prepare it almost anyway you like. You can also buy scrod for Aaron's dish. Scrod is simply young cod that weighs under 2 1/2 pounds.

Chorizo: Highly seasoned pork sausage that's widely used in both Spanish and Mexican cooking. Mexican chorizo uses fresh pork while Spanish chorizo uses dried.

Mussels: The meat from this shellfish is tougher than that of oysters or clams, with a slightly sweet flavor. Fresh mussels are generally available year-round.

Rhubarb: This is an extremely tart food; its thick, celery-like stalks are the only edible portions of the plant, and they can reach up to two feet long. It's at its peak from April to June. Because it's so tart, rhubarb is usually prepared with a lot of sugar.

The following are Chef Bashy's recipes:
Grilled Green Bean and Sweet Onion Salad

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds green beans
1/2 pound bulb onions or pearl onions
1 tbs rosemary
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste

Method

1. Mix oil, vinegar and lemon juice together to make a vinaigrette.
2. Bring water to a boil with a pinch of salt to taste. Add green beans to water and blanche until "al dente." Reserve the cooking water for the main course.
3. Peel onions and repeat blanching process.
4. If using a barbecue grill, pre-heat until very hot.
5. Toss beans with a little oil and lightly grill - about 30 seconds. Once beans are lightly charred, place into bowl with pearl onions and toss with vinaigrette while hot.
6. Let cool to room temperature and arrange in bowl to serve.

Ingredients
4 ears of corn, silks and husks removed, blanched
1 bag of greens / 1 head of green leaf lettuce, torn into small pieces
2 red onions, (or 1 large onion) sliced very thinly
2 large russet potatoes, sliced and blanched in green bean water reserved from previous recipe
4 5-ounce codfish fillets
1/2 pound chorizo, minced
3-4 mussels per person
1 tomato, sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Splash of white wine
3 sprigs rosemary, leaves chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
4 tsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
4 squares of doubled foil sheets, lightly buttered

Method

1. Place equal amounts of greens on bottom of foil squares.
2. Layer blanched potatoes on top of greens and then the fish fillets on top of the potatoes.
3. Add 3-4 mussels to each pack and layer sliced onions and tomato on top of fish, alternating onions and tomatoes so they slightly overlap and resemble shingles. Place one slice of lemon on top of onions and tomatoes.
4. Finally, sprinkle minced chorizo, wine and chopped herbs over each pack, top with 1 tsp butter, and wrap foil into individual purses/packs.
5. Place on hot grill for approximately 8-10 minutes.
6. Pull from grill, carefully unwrap and serve with side of buttered corn on the cob.

Caramelized Summer Fruit Smoothies

Ingredients
1 cup strawberries
2 bananas, sliced
2 stalks of rhubarb, peeled and diced
4 drops vanilla extract
Juice of 2 oranges
1 1/4 cups of yogurt, plain or vanilla flavored
Berries to garnish

Method

1. Sauté rhubarb in small amount of butter until soft and slightly translucent.
2. Add sautéed rhubarb, berries, sliced bananas, vanilla extract and juice of 2 oranges to blender, and purée until smooth.
3. Stir yogurt into blended mixture by hand.
4. Spoon into serving dishes or glasses and garnish with berries.