Thursday, December 11, 2008
Quick Fish Tacos
1 pound frozen cod fillets from Trader Joe's
Coarse kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons lime juice
Corn tortillas
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
1/2 small head of cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Cilantro
Salsa Verde
Lime wedges
Whisk mayonnaise, milk, and lime juice in small bowl. Stir in cabblage, chill. Cook fish as directed on box. Coarsely chop fish; place on platter. Serve with lime mayonnaise cabbage mixture, tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro, avocados, Salsa Verde, and lime wedges.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Sicilian Sardine Sauce
4-6 Servings
8 oz, net weight, drained choice canned sardines packed in olive oil
2 c finocchio leaf tops or 1 3/4 cups fresh wild fennel
salt
1 Tb black raisins
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
2 Tb chopped onion
4 flat anchovy fillets, chopped fine
1/3 c pignoli (pine nuts)
1 1/2 Tb tomato paste, dissolved in 1 c luke-warm water together with a large pinch of powdered saffron or 1/2 tea crumbled saffron threads
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 to 1 1/2 lbs pasta (best with bucatini or perciatelli, but thick, hollow tubes work)
1/2 c dry, unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted in the oven or in a skillet
Wash the finocchio tops or the wild fennel in cold water. Bring 4-5 quarts of water to a boil, add salt, and as the water resumes boiling put in the greens. Cook for 10 minutes with a cover set on askew. Off heat, retrieve the cooked fennel greens using a colander spoon, but do not pour out the water in the pot. Save it for cooking the pasta later.
When cool enough to handle, squeeze the greens gently in your hand to force moisture out, then chop them.
Soak the raisins in several changes of cold water for no less than 15 minutes, then drain them and chop them.
Put water in a saucepan and bring it to a lively simmer.
Choose a saute pan that can subsequently accommodate all the ingredients except the pasta. Put in the olive oil and chopped oniion, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the onion, stirring, until it becomes translucent. Place the saute pan over the pot with simmering water, add the anchovies, and stir them constantly with a wooden spoon, mashing them from time to tiem with the back of the spoon.
When the anchovies are nearly dissolved to a paste, return the pan to the burner over medium heat, add the greens, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Add the pignoli, the chopped raisins, the tomato paste and saffron solution, salt and a few grindings of black pepper, and turn over all ingredients to season them evenly. Continue to cook at medium heat, letting all the liquid in the pan bubble away. (The sauce can be prepared several hours in advance up to this point.) Add sardines, turning them over in the sacue two or three times, then remove from heat.
Bring the water in which you cooked the fennel greens to a boil, add a little salt, and in it cook the pasta.
Toss the sardine sauce with the cooked drained pasta. Add the bread crumbs and toss again. Allow the pasta to settle several minutes before serving.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Padd Thai Bann Gog (Bangkok-Style)
makes one generous serving
1/4 c vegetable oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2-3 oz dried wide rice noodles, softened in warm water
1 c water (or as needed)
2 Tb rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1 tea fish sauce
1/3 c diced fried tofu
1 Tb salted Tien Jing cabbage or salt-packed capers, rinsed and dried
2 Tb unsalted peanuts dry-roasted and ground
1/2 tea Roasted dried chili powder or chili flakes
1 Tb sugar
1/4 lb fresh bean sprouts (1 c)
10-12 blades Chinese chives or 2 whole scallions, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 large egg
Heat a wok over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add 3 Tb oil and the garlic and cook, stirring to prevent burning, until the garlic is golden. Lower the heat to medium, add the noodles, and cook, stirring with two spatulas to separate the noodles. If the noodles start to clump, lower the heat and add 1 Tb water, stirring and tossing. Continuing to add water 1 Tb at a time if necessary, stir-fry until the noodles are cooked by not soggy. Add the vinegar, fish sauce, tofu, and salted cabbage and continue to cook, stirring for 1 minute. Sprinkle the peanuts, chili powder and sugar on top of the noodle mixture and stir to mix, then quickly mix in the bean sprouts and Chinese chives. Push the noodle mixture to one side of the wok and add the remaining 1 Tb oil to the center of the skillet. Break the egg directly in to the oil and scramble it lightly. When the egg begins to set, push the noodle mixture back on top of the egg, then slide the noodle mixture onto a serving platter.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Grilled Fish Tacos
* 2 cups chopped white onion, divided
* 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
* 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
* 1 pound tilapia, striped bass, or sturgeon fillets
* Coarse kosher salt
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon milk
* Corn tortillas
* 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
* 1/2 small head of cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
* Salsa Verde
* Lime wedges
Stir 1 cup onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil, 3 tablespoons lime juice, orange juice, garlic, and oregano in medium bowl. Sprinkle fish with coarse salt and pepper. Spread half of onion mixture over bottom of 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop onion mixture. Spoon remaining onion mixture over fish. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Turn fish; cover and chill 30 minutes longer. Whisk mayonnaise, milk, and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl.
Brush grill grate with oil; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill fish with some marinade still clinging until just opaque in center, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Grill tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.
Coarsely chop fish; place on platter. Serve with lime mayonnaise, tortillas, remaining 1 cup chopped onion, remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, avocados, cabbage, Salsa Verde, and lime wedges.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Carrot Thing
Ingredients:
1 C grated carrots (4-5 med)
2 C brown sugar
1-1/2 sticks margarine (3/4 C)
3 eggs
1-1/4 C flour
2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 T lemon juice
1 T water
Directions:
Cream sugar and margarine and add 3 eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add sifted flour mixture. Then add lemon juice, water and carrots. Mix well.
Put in greased casserole and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Other Info:
Another one of those recipes that my mother got when I was a little girl and I=ve been making for years. Actually it=s more of a carrot bread than ring or pudding as my mother used to call it. Lenny says we should just call it “Carrot Thing”. Use fine side of grater in grating. Can be fixed in am and put in refrigerator and baked before serving. However, you must allow enough time for it to reach room temperature before baking or else it will not get done.
I usually make it several days before I=m going to serve it and stick it in the freezer. The key is to defrost it early enough so that it=s at room temperature before baking, otherwise it takes forever for the inside to get done. I also use a food processor to grate the carrots and this gives it a somewhat different texture. Either way works fine and the result is delicious.
Cinnamon Scones
3 C all purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
2-1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 C unsalted butter, at room temp
1 C cinnamon chips
1 C buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425 & butter a baking sheet. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & baking soda. Blend the butter into the dry ingredients, using your fingertips or a pastry blender, until the mixture is crumbly. Add the cinnamon chips and mix to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough is tough and shaggy.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto buttered baking sheet. Bake until puffy and golden, 15-18 minutes. (approx 28 - 30 scones, depending on size - cinnamon chips made by Hershey)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Chocolate Chip Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (16 oz)
PREPERATION
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl and add 1 3/4 tablespoons of it plus 2 remaining whole eggs to butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips.
Scoop 1/4 cup batter for each cookie, arranging mounds 3 inches apart, on 2 baking sheets. Flatten mounds into 3-inch rounds using moistened palm of your hand. Form remaining cookies on additional sheets of parchment.
Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue making cookies in same manner using cooled baking sheets.