Cooking Naked with Chef Cisero: Making Organic Cooking Sexy

Black Facts.com

By Chef Meshach Cisero

My name is Meshach Cisero and most of my folks call me Shaq, and you all can call me Chef Cisero. I’m originally from Massachusetts and I cooked naked! Wait a minute… not in the way you’re probably thinking. I really mean I cook organically. When I say naked, I mean stripping all the BS, fillers, and artificial stuff away and leave nothing, but the raw sexy stuff Mother Nature intended us to eat. People always say, “you are what you eat”, and I am trying to keep it sexy over here! With this cooking philosophy of mine, I recently launched a spice dedicated to make to bringing the sexiness into organic preparation and cooking of our favorite dishes from scratch. The Naked Spice Collection features three organic blends: the popular Latin American inspired Adobo Seasoning, The sweet and earthy Coffee Rub, and the rich and herby Creole Spice Blend. In this feature and ones to come, I will be giving you some of my most favorite recipes using each of the spice blends. I hope you enjoy!

For some time now I’ve been in absolute love with pasta. Who doesn’t love a really good Alfredo Pasta? It’s the perfect mix comfort food meets date night meets almost any other occasion (except potlucks – we don’t do those from where I come from lol). However, have you good Alfredo is hardly ever found in a jar found on a supermarket shelf – you really have to make it from scratch. Trust me, you will TATSE the difference. Making Alfredo is easier than you think. However, even your best Alfredo is naked (pun intended) without the accompany of a good piece of meat or some hearty veggies!

In this recipe, we’re going to remix the traditional Alfredo with a Cajun inspired Blackened Salmon using The Naked Spice Collection signature Creole Blend. This dish is sure to make any novice chef seem like a pro! Make sure you follow the directions and get ORGANIC everything on this list. That’s the only way to cook and eat NAKED around these parts.

Creole Blackened Salmon over Alfredo Pasta. #CookingNaked #EatNaked.

Ingredients
Blackened Salmon:
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 4 salmon filets 6-8 oz.
* 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning 1 ½ teaspoons per filet
* 1 tablespoon rosemary chopped
* 4 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 shallot diced
* 2 garlic cloves minced
* 1 zest of lemon
* 1 tablespoon of capers
* 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
* 2 tablespoons capers drained
* ½ cup Italian parsley chopped
Alfredo:
* 1 lb. fettuccine pasta cooked
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup shredded parmesan plus more for garnish
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Instructions

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn.

Whisk in heavy cream and allow to bubble up to a simmer, then simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Vigorously whisk in the parmesan until melted and bring to a simmer – do not boil – for about 3-4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Add fresh cracked black pepper to taste and toss with fresh, hot pasta. Garnish with fresh minced parsley.


* Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and lightly and rub over both sides of salmon. Season salmon evenly on both sides with Naked Spice Collection Creole seasoning, sprinkle rosemary evenly on all fish.
* Heat a non-stick skillet over high heat, once the skillet is hot place 2 tablespoons of butter in skillet add salmon skin side down, and cook for 2 minutes, flip and cook for 1 minute. Remove and set to the side. (If you have a small skillet repeat this step and sit salmon to the side.)
* Reduce heat to medium add shallots to skillet and cook for 1 minute, stir in garlic, lemon zest, capers, chicken stock, and capers. Cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce begins to thicken, add salmon back to skillet and baste with sauce. Cut off heat and let rest while you make alfredo.
* In a saucepot over medium heat add all ingredients to pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium heat, mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Reheat pasta over medium heat for 1 minute then stir in pasta sauce, coat evenly and serve garnish with parsley, parmesan, and enjoy!

Find out more/ Get the spice collection

Social Media

Instagram

Facebook

Black Facts.com