Fish fillets with lemon and coriander, The Best of Casual French Cooking: Bistro, by Gerald Hirigoyen, pg 58
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T water
¼ cup roasted, peeled, chopped red peppers
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp ground white pepper
4 firm white fish fillets such as cod or sea bass
2 T chopped fresh parsley
Roast the peppers under the broiler until skin is blistered. Place in a paper bag and let steam for a few minutes, until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop the peppers.
In a blender, add the coriander seeds, lemon juice, water, bell peppers, olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Blend on high speed until thick and smooth, about 1 minute.
Rinse the fillets and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a steamer rack over gently boiling water. Cover and steam until opaque, about 6-7 minutes. Transfer to plates and spoon the sauce over the tops and sides of the fish. Garnish with chopped parsley.
How I did it: I have no idea. I have this recipe marked as completed and noted it was good. I don’t own a fish steamer, so I have no idea how I cooked this. I know I would have used tilapia because it’s readily available and I like it.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Fennel, Zucchini and Tomato Soup
Fennel, Zucchini, and Tomato Soup
12 Months of Monastery Soup, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, pg 135
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
2 medium-sized zucchinis, sliced
6 tomatoes, peeled, sliced and chopped (or 1 28 oz can)
8 fresh basil leaves
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil for garnish
If using fresh tomatoes, blanch them in hot water to make peeling easier.
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Sauté the onion for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for one additional minute. Add the fennel, zucchini, tomatoes and basil. Stir well, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock or water and the wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook slowly for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve soup hot. Garnish with chopped fresh basil.
How I did it: I used vegetable broth and it was very light. I like fennel so I really enjoyed this soup.
12 Months of Monastery Soup, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, pg 135
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
2 medium-sized zucchinis, sliced
6 tomatoes, peeled, sliced and chopped (or 1 28 oz can)
8 fresh basil leaves
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil for garnish
If using fresh tomatoes, blanch them in hot water to make peeling easier.
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Sauté the onion for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for one additional minute. Add the fennel, zucchini, tomatoes and basil. Stir well, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock or water and the wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook slowly for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve soup hot. Garnish with chopped fresh basil.
How I did it: I used vegetable broth and it was very light. I like fennel so I really enjoyed this soup.
Zuppa di Pasta e fagioli
Zuppa di Pasta e fagioli
12 Months of Monastery Soup, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, pg 93
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-oz can Italian tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp fresh or dried basil, chopped
4 springs fresh Italian parsley
4 cups precooked white beans or 1 15 oz can cannellinii beans
6 cups water
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz dried pasta
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, rosemary, basil and parsley. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the precooked beans or can of beans (drained), water, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, covered, over medium heat. Do not overcook. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the soup rest for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve hot, topped with grated cheese.
12 Months of Monastery Soup, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, pg 93
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-oz can Italian tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp fresh or dried basil, chopped
4 springs fresh Italian parsley
4 cups precooked white beans or 1 15 oz can cannellinii beans
6 cups water
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz dried pasta
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, rosemary, basil and parsley. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the precooked beans or can of beans (drained), water, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, covered, over medium heat. Do not overcook. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the soup rest for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve hot, topped with grated cheese.
Minestra Tuscana (soup)
I haven't cooked anything since last Tuesday. Just haven't been in the mood. I ate out way too much, so here are a few old recipes that were very good.
Minestra Tuscana
12 Months of Monastery Soup, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, pg 139
½ cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups white wine
1 bouquet garni (sprigs of thyme, oregano, bay leaf tied together)
salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots, julienned
1 red pepper, julienned
1 zucchini, diced
16 spinach leaves
½ cup olives (black or green, pitted), sliced
½ cup Italian rice or equivalent
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute onion for about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, bouquet garni, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low-medium.
Add the carrots, pepper, zucchini, spinach and olives. Cover the pot and cook slowly for 1 hour. Add the rice and more broth or water if needed, simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked. Remove the boquet garni. Serve hot. Top with grated cheese.
How I did it: I used vegetable broth which made the soup very light. Using chicken broth would make it heartier.
This is a nice light vegetable soup. Very good. Worth repeating.
Minestra Tuscana
12 Months of Monastery Soup, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, pg 139
½ cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups white wine
1 bouquet garni (sprigs of thyme, oregano, bay leaf tied together)
salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots, julienned
1 red pepper, julienned
1 zucchini, diced
16 spinach leaves
½ cup olives (black or green, pitted), sliced
½ cup Italian rice or equivalent
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute onion for about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, bouquet garni, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low-medium.
Add the carrots, pepper, zucchini, spinach and olives. Cover the pot and cook slowly for 1 hour. Add the rice and more broth or water if needed, simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked. Remove the boquet garni. Serve hot. Top with grated cheese.
How I did it: I used vegetable broth which made the soup very light. Using chicken broth would make it heartier.
This is a nice light vegetable soup. Very good. Worth repeating.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Braised chicken thighs with "pizza" spices
August 16, 2010
Braised chicken thighs with “pizza spices”,
Cuisine a Latina, by Michelle Bernstein & Andrew Friedman, pg 180
½ cup plus 3T olive oil
8 chicken thighs
kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium Spanish onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced
1 shallot, minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup tomato sauce
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp crushed red peppers flakes
4 jarred peperoncini, drained and chopped
Heat the oven to 350°.
In a very large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat 1 cup of olive oil. Season the flour with salt, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour. Shake off any excess. Working in batches, brown the chicken in the hot oil, skin side down, turning once and cook in until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper toweling.
Pour out the oil and gently wipe the pan. Add 3 T oil to the pan and heat over medium. Add the onions, bell peppers, and shallot. Cook until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cook, for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, parley, oregano and pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pot, skin side up and spoon the sauce over it. Add the peperoncini and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, transfer it to the oven and braise until the chicken is cooked through, 35-40 minutes.
How I did it: I used two legs and thighs, Mexican oregano, one green bell pepper and one red bell pepper. I coarsely chopped the vegetables instead of dicing them because I like them better that way. I used tapioca starch for the dredging and it was very good. I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I used 2 T tomato paste diluted with water.
I really liked this. It was very good and pretty easy to make.
I served it with Mexican Rice:
1 cup long grain white rice, soaked and rinsed
1 ½ tsp whole coriander seeds
1 ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
salt and pepper
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion diced
1 T olive oil
1 T tomato paste
Toast the cumin and coriander in a dry skillet until fragrant and slightly brown. Grind in a spice mill or coffee grinder.
Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until soft, add the spices and stir well. Add the rice and stir to cover with the oil. Stir in the tomato sauce and add 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover. Cook until the water is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.
You can add chopped tomatoes, corn, carrots, peas to this, if desired.
Braised chicken thighs with “pizza spices”,
Cuisine a Latina, by Michelle Bernstein & Andrew Friedman, pg 180
½ cup plus 3T olive oil
8 chicken thighs
kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium Spanish onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced
1 shallot, minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup tomato sauce
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp crushed red peppers flakes
4 jarred peperoncini, drained and chopped
Heat the oven to 350°.
In a very large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat 1 cup of olive oil. Season the flour with salt, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour. Shake off any excess. Working in batches, brown the chicken in the hot oil, skin side down, turning once and cook in until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper toweling.
Pour out the oil and gently wipe the pan. Add 3 T oil to the pan and heat over medium. Add the onions, bell peppers, and shallot. Cook until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cook, for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, parley, oregano and pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pot, skin side up and spoon the sauce over it. Add the peperoncini and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, transfer it to the oven and braise until the chicken is cooked through, 35-40 minutes.
How I did it: I used two legs and thighs, Mexican oregano, one green bell pepper and one red bell pepper. I coarsely chopped the vegetables instead of dicing them because I like them better that way. I used tapioca starch for the dredging and it was very good. I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I used 2 T tomato paste diluted with water.
I really liked this. It was very good and pretty easy to make.
I served it with Mexican Rice:
1 cup long grain white rice, soaked and rinsed
1 ½ tsp whole coriander seeds
1 ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
salt and pepper
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion diced
1 T olive oil
1 T tomato paste
Toast the cumin and coriander in a dry skillet until fragrant and slightly brown. Grind in a spice mill or coffee grinder.
Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until soft, add the spices and stir well. Add the rice and stir to cover with the oil. Stir in the tomato sauce and add 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover. Cook until the water is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.
You can add chopped tomatoes, corn, carrots, peas to this, if desired.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
stir fried strips of lamb with peppers and pineapple
August 14, 2010
This is easier if you’ve already been to the Indian Market and bought coriander powder and mango powder. I don’t know what you’d substitute for that.
To know if a pineapple is ripe, pull on one of the inner leaves. If it gives easily, it’s ripe. But the core might still be too hard to use. If you have time, leave it on the counter for a couple of days. If in doubt, when you are cutting the pineapple, stab a fork into the core. If it penetrates easily, you can use it. If not throw it the core away.
Stir fried strips of lamb with peppers and pineapple,
Healthy Indian Cooking, by Shehzad Husain, pg 96
8 oz boned lamb, cut into strips
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mango powder
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tsp hot chili sauce (Sriracha—with the rooster on the label)
1 tsp garlic pulp
1 tsp ginger pulp
¼ tsp tumeric
sea salt
Combine all the ingredients. Add the lamb slices and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2 T corn oil
½ red bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
12 chunks of pineapple
2 T fresh chopped cilantro
1 T sesame seeds (optional)
Heat the corn oil to very hot. Add the lamb. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add 2/3 cup water. Simmer for 7-10 minutes until tender and the liquid is reduced (longer if too much liquid). Increase the heat and add the peppers and pineapple. Cook until crisp-tender. Add the cilantro. Serve with sesame seeds.
How I did it: I have been unhappy with the ginger puree over many recipes, so I substituted chopped fresh ginger. I also substituted chopped fresh garlic for the garlic puree. I liked it much better.
There seemed to be too much liquid, so I let it simmer longer, but after it cooled, the liquid was absorbed--also a good reason to serve it with rice, it absorbs the liquid. I like more vegetables with everything, so I used one whole green pepper and one whole red pepper and doubled the pineapple. I bought the pineapple today at Trader Joes and juiced what I needed. The core was not ripe enough and I should have tossed it. I served it over rice (below) with steamed green beans.
African (inspired) rice (from a refugee family I knew):
4-6 cardamom pods
2 shaves of cinnamon (cinnamon sticks)
4 whole cloves
1 tsp sea salt
1 T olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
Heat the oil, add the spices and cook until fragrant (about two minutes). Add the rice and sauté until coated. Add 2 cups of water. Boil for one minute. Reduce heat and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove the spice bits and crush or chop them. Add them back into the rice. Good on day one, better after it sits for a day and absorbs the spices.
This is easier if you’ve already been to the Indian Market and bought coriander powder and mango powder. I don’t know what you’d substitute for that.
To know if a pineapple is ripe, pull on one of the inner leaves. If it gives easily, it’s ripe. But the core might still be too hard to use. If you have time, leave it on the counter for a couple of days. If in doubt, when you are cutting the pineapple, stab a fork into the core. If it penetrates easily, you can use it. If not throw it the core away.
Stir fried strips of lamb with peppers and pineapple,
Healthy Indian Cooking, by Shehzad Husain, pg 96
8 oz boned lamb, cut into strips
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mango powder
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tsp hot chili sauce (Sriracha—with the rooster on the label)
1 tsp garlic pulp
1 tsp ginger pulp
¼ tsp tumeric
sea salt
Combine all the ingredients. Add the lamb slices and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2 T corn oil
½ red bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
12 chunks of pineapple
2 T fresh chopped cilantro
1 T sesame seeds (optional)
Heat the corn oil to very hot. Add the lamb. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add 2/3 cup water. Simmer for 7-10 minutes until tender and the liquid is reduced (longer if too much liquid). Increase the heat and add the peppers and pineapple. Cook until crisp-tender. Add the cilantro. Serve with sesame seeds.
How I did it: I have been unhappy with the ginger puree over many recipes, so I substituted chopped fresh ginger. I also substituted chopped fresh garlic for the garlic puree. I liked it much better.
There seemed to be too much liquid, so I let it simmer longer, but after it cooled, the liquid was absorbed--also a good reason to serve it with rice, it absorbs the liquid. I like more vegetables with everything, so I used one whole green pepper and one whole red pepper and doubled the pineapple. I bought the pineapple today at Trader Joes and juiced what I needed. The core was not ripe enough and I should have tossed it. I served it over rice (below) with steamed green beans.
African (inspired) rice (from a refugee family I knew):
4-6 cardamom pods
2 shaves of cinnamon (cinnamon sticks)
4 whole cloves
1 tsp sea salt
1 T olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
Heat the oil, add the spices and cook until fragrant (about two minutes). Add the rice and sauté until coated. Add 2 cups of water. Boil for one minute. Reduce heat and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove the spice bits and crush or chop them. Add them back into the rice. Good on day one, better after it sits for a day and absorbs the spices.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Braised fish steaks
August 8, 2010
Braised fish (salmon, halibut) steaks
The New Mediterranean Diet, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, pg 361
2# fish
A little (non-gluten) flour for dredging
3 T olive oil
3 medium yellow onions, sliced
1 glove garlic, minced
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp sweet paprika
juice of 1 lemon
Dredge the fish in 1 T of flour. Heat 2 T olive oil. Sauté the fish in the hot oil until slightly brown on each side. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375°.
Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to the pan. Stir to mix. Cook until the onions are soft, about 10 mintues. Remove the bay leaves. Add the paprika and lemon juice. Place the fish in a baking dish, cover with onion/sauce. Cook until done, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.
How I did it: I didn’t dredge the fish with flour. I made it with Swai, my new favorite white. Everything else was according to recipe. The onions are wonderful.
Braised fish (salmon, halibut) steaks
The New Mediterranean Diet, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, pg 361
2# fish
A little (non-gluten) flour for dredging
3 T olive oil
3 medium yellow onions, sliced
1 glove garlic, minced
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp sweet paprika
juice of 1 lemon
Dredge the fish in 1 T of flour. Heat 2 T olive oil. Sauté the fish in the hot oil until slightly brown on each side. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375°.
Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to the pan. Stir to mix. Cook until the onions are soft, about 10 mintues. Remove the bay leaves. Add the paprika and lemon juice. Place the fish in a baking dish, cover with onion/sauce. Cook until done, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.
How I did it: I didn’t dredge the fish with flour. I made it with Swai, my new favorite white. Everything else was according to recipe. The onions are wonderful.
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