Fish Tacos

On Thursday, I discovered a new fish monger in downtown  Passaic Park. It is a small shop owned and operated by a local Hasidic Jewish family. For religous reasons, it is only open 4 days a week, so you know the fish is going to be very very fresh. This day I purchased Salmon, and Tilapia. 
I saved the Tilipia for today and looked through my recipes and found one for Fish Tacos written by Ellie Kreiger. You may recall that Ellie had a show on the Food TV Network, but the show was never renewed. I loved the show, as it featured light and healthy recipes.

It features a sauce made from chipotles in adobo sauce, yogurt and a tiny bit of mayo. I'm sure you could omit the mayo and just go with the yogurt, to may it even more less caloric. It has just the right kick to make these tacos well worth making them. If you like it a bit more spicy,feel free to add more chipotle and adobo sauce.

Ingredients

Fish:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound white flaky fish fillet, like tilapia or halibut
•  

Chipotle cream:

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce
•  
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage or lettuce
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime wedges

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the fish fillets and let marinate for 20 minutes. Put the yogurt into a strainer lined with apaper towel and place over a bowl to drain and thicken for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill or nonstick grill pan over a medium-high heat until cooked thorough, about 3 minutes per side. Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the thickened yogurt, mayonnaise, and chipotle pepper.

Heat the tortillas on the grill or grill pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork. Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream. Top with fish, cabbage, corn and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Black Bean Soup

I usually wouldn't think of making Black Bean Soup. Soaking the beans overnight, and all that, is just too much work for me. However, I was watching an episoide of Dr Oz and he showcased a really quick version, that was really, really tasty....and healthy, too!

I played around with the recipe, using different chili powders ( Chipotle and Ancho ), and liked it when I added a little bit of each. They gave the soup an earthiness that you wouldn't get with just regular chili powder.  Do try to use at least one of these in your soup. You'll be glad that you did.

Black Bean Soup

4 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

· 1 tablespoon canola oil

· 1 small onion, chopped

· 3/4 tablespoon chili powder

· 1 teaspoon ground cumin

· 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

· 3 cups water

· 1/2 cup prepared salsa

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1 tablespoon lime juice

· 4 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1.     Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add beans, water, salsa and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice.

Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). Stir the puree back into the saucepan. Serve garnished with sour cream and cilantro, if desired

Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

I know it's a little late to be posting this.  Since, if you were going to bake for your Thanksgiving Dinner, it's been done by now. However, I consider this one a keeper, so, print it off and save it for another time. Hopefully, NOT next year.

One ingredient that sets this recipe apart from others is the addition of sour cream. It gives the filling a wonderful silky texture. The apricot preserves on the bottom crusts keeps it from getting soggy, as it sometimes does, with pumpkin pie.

Butter crusts are very delicate, and can tend to shrink while baking. Popping it in the fridge for 15mins or so, can help with this.

The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

Crust

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream

Filling

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon packed golden brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
• 1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs, beaten to blend

• 1/4 cup apricot preserves

Preparation

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 3 ingredients in processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream and process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball, flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 15 minutes.

Roll out dough on floured surface to 14-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold overhang under. Make cut in crust edge at 1/2 inch intervals. Bend alternate edge pieces inward. Freeze 30 minutes.

Line crust with foil, pressing firmly. Bake until sides are set, about 10 minutes. Remove foil. Bake crust until pale brown, about 10 minutes more. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Spread preserves over crust; pour in filling. Bake until filling puffs at edges and center is almost set, about 55 minutes. Cool on rack. Cover; chill until cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

For filling:
Using whisk, mix first 6 ingredients in bowl until no lumps remain. Blend in pumpkin, whipping cream, sour cream and eggs.

Spread preserves over crust; pour in filling. Bake until filling puffs at edges and center is almost set, about 55 minutes. Cool on rack. Cover; chill until cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

Sauteed Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary

This is a recipe taken from another cookbook of mine: Bon Appetit: Fast, Easy, Fresh.

It's takes very little time to prepare and is perfect for dinner on a weekday.




1 1/2 - 2 lb. chicken thighs

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled

1 c. chicken broth

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Fresh rosemary sprigs; optional

Season breasts with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet on high. Add chicken. Saute until brown, about 5 minutes a side. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and fry until chicken is cooked through, 15 minutes. Put chicken in a bowl. Keep 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add garlic and rosemary to skillet. Cook and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add broth and vinegar. Increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, scraping up brown bits, 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put chicken juices in skillet. Cover. Cook over low heat until chicken is heated, 3-4 minutes. Spoon sauce over the chicken on a platter. Garnish with rosemary. 4 servings.

Roasted Beets and Oranges

I just love Ina Garten's recipe for Roasted Beets with Orange Vinaigrette.

Her recipe calls for canned beets, but, instead, I prefer to roast fresh beets with herbs, so they are more aromatic. The cooked beets are tossed with sectioned oranges and a flavorful orange vinaigrette.  This makes a wonderful side dish., that can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients


3-4 medium beets

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons herbs de provence

2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

3 Tablespoons good olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large seedless oranges, zested

Segments of 2 large seedless oranges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 Degrees farenheit.

Wash and dry the beets, then toss them with the oil and herbs de provence.  Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil, and place the beets in the pan. Cover  the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil, and bake until the beets are tender, about one hour, depending on the size of the beets. Poke a  knife in them, and once the knife goes through them easily, they are tender and cooked.  Remove them from the roasting pan and let them sit until they are cool, in the foil.

Remove the skin from the beets and dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Place the beets in a mixing bowl and add the raspberry vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, salt, pepper. Zest the oranges and then segment over a bowl to catch the juices. Add the orange zest, orange segments, and any juices and mix well. Taste for seasoning and serve cold or at room temperature

You may add a bit of diced red onion if you wish.

Steamed Mussels for a Steamy Summer Day..

Since it's been way too hot to put the oven on, and I can't grill out on my Condo Deck (Condo By Law), I decided to review my recipe files for something I could cook over the stove. Stews and soups were out,but I did find a recipe on Epicurious that would fit the bill: Mussels with Shallots and Thyme.

Adding thyme and cream are a change up from the typical Steamed Mussel recipe. And who doesn't love a little cream??? Serve this with some nice crusty bread and you have a nice meal for a steamy summer day.



3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 shallots, finely chopped
8 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup bottled clam juice
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed, debearded


1.Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2.Add shallots; sauté until they are just softened, about 8-10 minutes. 3.Add thyme, bay leaves, wine, clam juice and cream; bring to boil. 4.Reduce heat; simmer until mixture is reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. 5.Add mussels, cover and simmer until mussels open, about 7 minutes;

Please discard any mussels that do not open, as these should NOT be eaten.

6. Using tongs, divide mussels among bowls. Season broth with salt and pepper. Ladle broth over mussels.

Serve with a nice crusty french bread.

Beans, Beans....and Corn

A few months back, I picked up a book called  Raising the Salad Bar.  I found this book to be a wonderful resource for anyone looking to incorporate more vegetables into their diet.  It features salads of all types, each in its own chapter. There is a chapter on seafood salads, one on chicken salads, one on potato salads, Leafy Greens, Beans, etc.
I've been working my way through the book and almost every one has been a winner.  This week, I made a Corn, Edamame and Bean Salad that I'd like to share with you.  I substituted  black beans for the kidney beans and it still worked.

1 cup frozen shelled edamame beans.
Kernels from 3 ears of fresh corn (about 2 cups)
1 cup cooked Kidney Beans, or from a can, rinsed & drained
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:
2 tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
2 T minced red onion
1 t ground cumin
3 T fresh lime juice
2 T olive oil
Salt to taste

 1. Cook the edamame, as directed on the package, and set aside.
 2. Briefly cook the corn til just tender.  An easy way to do this, is to place the corn, still in its husks, in the microwave for 3 mins. Remove from the microwave and when it is cool, take off the husks and the silk, and cut the kernels from the corn.
 3. Prepare the dressing by placing all the ingredients into a bowl and stir til combined, adding salt to taste.
 4. Combine the edamame, corn and beans in a bowl. Add the dressing to the salad. Mix in the chopped cilantro and serve.

This salad tastes best at room temperature..  If it sits a while or is stored in the fridge, perk it up with some more lime juice.

Serves 6 to 8

Ginger Rules!

There are those who love the taste of ginger and those who hate it.

  I put myself in the category of those who absolutely love it.    I will buy anything I see that has ginger in it,.. ginger preserves, ginger cookies, ginger chews candy, ginger beer....you name it..I buy it.!

 Did you know that even Hagen Daz  has come out with a Ginger Ice Cream in their Five Ingredient line?  If you haven't tried it, and you love ginger as much as I do, you just have to run out and get it..!    Well, not right this minute.. Right now,  I'm about to tell you about the most delicious ginger cookie that was posted on FB, recently. 

Nick Malgieri, author of those fabulous baking cookbooks posted a recipe for Ginger Bar Cookies, this past weekend.  They are laced with candied ginger and topped with a thin veil of luscious lemon icing.

As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to run out to buy all the necessary ingredients that I didn't already have in my pantry.  and, um, well..I had also run out of candied ginger!

The recipe was not at all difficult and they turned out to be my new favorite.

To keep myself from eating them all, I decided to freeze some and that turns out, is a great way to store them, because if you're like me, you'll eat them up, if left  sitting on the counter in a cookie tin.  I  found that layering them between sheets of waxed paper, did the trick.  Now when I want one, I can just pop it in the microwave for 9-10 seconds and have a cookie that tastes exactly like the day I baked them.  The icing stays intact and the texture is nice and crumbly.  Please..if you love ginger..try them. You won't be disappointed.

  

LEMON GINGER BARS

Makes 24 2-inch bars

GINGER DOUGH

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons ground ginger (more if you like)...add more!!

2 teaspoons baking powder

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 large egg

1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger  (  I increased it to 1/2 cup..  )

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

LEMON GLAZE

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted after measuring

3 tablespoons lemon juice, strained before measuring

One 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan lined with buttered foil

1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, ground ginger, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

3. Melt the butter over medium heat and immediately add to the dry ingredients; use a large rubber spatula to stir to a smooth, shiny dough. Add the egg, crystallized ginger, honey and lemon zest and beat vigorously to make a smooth dough.

4. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and use the floured palm of your hand to evenly press it over the bottom of the pan. Don’t be concerned if the dough looks greasy after pressing it onto the pan – the butter will be reabsorbed while baking.

5. Bake the bars until well risen, firm, and lightly golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

6. While the bars are baking, use a small rubber spatula to beat the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice together. Add water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, if it’s too thick to spread.

7. As soon as the bars are baked, place a cutting board on the pan and use oven mitts to invert the hot bars to the board. Remove the pan and foil. Immediately use a small offset spatula to evenly spread the lemon glaze on the bars. It will set as the bars cool.

8. Use a ruler and a sharp knife to mark, then cut, 2-inch squares.

9. Store the squares in a tightly-covered tin or plastic container between sheets of wax paper.

Fit for a BBQ

One of my favorite BBQ side dishes is from a recipe I found on the Food TV Network website.

 It is a salad that combines roasted corn and jicama with mango, red onion and cilantro. It's best when made a few hours before, so the clean fresh flavors of the orange/ lime vinegarette can soak into the salad.

I'm sure this will become one of your backyard BBQ standards.

                                            Roasted Corn, Jicama and Mango Salad




Ingredients

• 4 ears fresh corn, unshucked

• 1 large jicama, peeled and thinly julienned

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

• Citrus vinaigrette, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the ears of corn , with the husks still attached, onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool. When the corn has cooled, shuck it and stand it on end. Using a sharp knife, run the blade down the cob to cut the kernels off. Rotate the cob and repeat until all the kernels have been cut off.

Combine the jicama, mango, red onion and cilantro in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled corn, and toss with the vinaigrette. Chill until ready to serve.

Citrus Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

2 teaspoons sugar

Dash hot sauce

1/2  cup olive oil

Salt pepper

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

In a large bowl combine the lime juice, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and hot sauce. Whisk together and slowly add the olive oil, whisking as you go. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and cilantro and whisk until combined. Yield 1 ¼ cups Serves 6

Birthday Dinner

Last week was my brother's birthday.

Birthday dinners are a big thing in my family. A lot of time and effort goes into planning the menu, even if the dinner is for a small group. If you don't already know, my brother is a chef.  That puts a little more stress on me, when it's my turn to host the dinner...sigh.

When I asked him what he wanted this year, he chose stuffed lobster, champagne and an italian rum cake.  Thankfully, I didn't have to make the cake, as he specified that this cake should be purchased at Rispoli's in Ridgefield Park. I just had to order it and pick it up.

The Stuffed Lobster was another story.

The thing about this particular recipe is that it calls for female lobsters.  Why female lobsters, you may ask? Well, inside a female lobster is the coral roe and tamale( liver) that gets incorporated into the stuffing, along with bread crumbs, butter and tarragon.  It sounds gross, but it actually tastes quite delicious.

Finding 4 female lobsters was a bit of a feat. I had spoken to a few fishmongers, but none could guarantee that they would have them on Sunday, never mind have four of them. In this economy, I was told, people are not splurging on lobsters, so, they are not carrying the kind of inventory they used to.  But, as luck would have it, the day before, I just happened to pass a seafood store on Rt#9 with a giant sign of a red lobster overhead.  Wohoo!! On my way home, I stopped in, and they had a huge tank of lobsters, and they were able to pick out four 2 lb lobsters for my dinner. I know, this may sound crazy, to you all..but you have no idea how relieved I was to find them.

Now to make these lobsters.

Well. first you have to split them, while they are alive.  This, I tell you, I cannot do.  So, I waited for Bro Chef to arrive and he took care of that part. I prepared the stuffing, and into the oven they went. Then, the birthday guy and the rest of our group feasted on some Pol Roger Champagne and an assortment of cheeses, while the lobsters cooked.

Dinner was served, and it was splendid.  The rum cake was great, too. He made a good choice on that one.

Anyway, here is the recipe for the Stuffed Lobster.. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Four  1 1/2-2 lb lobsters
1/4 lb butter
1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup oil
4 T melted butter
2 T finely chopped tarragon

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Split lobsters in half and remove  the intstinal tract and the small hard sac near the eyes.
Arrange the lobsters split side up, in a roasting pan.  Cut off the claws and put in a separate pan.
Remove the coral roe and liver and place in a mixing bowl.
Add butter and  the bread crumbs.
Beat mixture with a spoon until blended, and mix in tarragon.Add salt & pepper taste.
Fill each cavity with the stuffing mixture, being careful not to cover the tail meat.
Sprinkle the tail meat with salt & pepper and drizzle 2 T oil over each half.

Bake 20-30 min.  Drizzle with melted butter and serve.

Macerated Oranges and Moscato

Happy New Year!

After all the eating and celebrating these past few weeks, I decided to make something light for dessert.  I had some oranges left over from the Holidays, so I scoured my cookbooks and came up with this simple recipe from Eating Well.

Served up along side a 2009 Bartenura Moscato, it was the perfect foil for the sweet wine.  Try them both and I think you'll agree.

Macerated Oranges

4 Navel Oranges
2 T orange juice
2 T lemon juice
1 T sugar
1/4 t  cinnamon
Sprig of mint (optional)

Cut away the rind and the white pith from the oranges.  Slice the oranges in half, lengthwise, and then cut each half into 5-6 slices. Place them in a serving bowl.
Whisk together the next ingredients  and pour over the orange slices.

Soooo easy and delicious.

Another serving suggestion would be to lay the slices on a platter and drizzle  the mixture over the oranges.  Place a sprig of mint in the middle of the platter.

Fig and Almond Cookies

I recently came across this recipe from Gina DePalma, who is the pastry chef at Babbo, one of Mario Batali's restaurants. It has all the wonderful flavors of Italian cookies, that I remember eating as a child.

The recipe calls for soaking the figs in orange juice to soften them a bit, before incorporating them into the dough.

I made them for our Christmas Eve dinner and got rave reviews. The texture of these cookies is soft and light and the wonderful flavors linger in your mouth..

Fig and Almond CookiesRecipe By :Gina DePalma

8 ounces dried figs -- (about 10 medium) golden-Sicilian or Calimyrna

1/2 cup orange juice1 cup sliced almonds -- toasted and cooled
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 ounces unsalted butter -- (1 1/2 sticks) softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 small orange -- freshly grated zest of
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Additional granulated sugar for coating the cookies

Remove the stems from the figs and cut them into quarters. Place them in a small saucepan with the orange juice and bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow the figs and juice to cool completely.

At the same time, spread the almonds in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toast the almonds until they are golden brown and aromatic. Remove them from the baking sheet and allow them to cool completely.

Chop the nuts finely in a food processor, transfer them to a small bowl, then chop the figs along with the juice until they are a chunky purée.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together and set aside.

Place the softened butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat them together until the mixture is creamy and light, about a minute.

Beat in the egg yolk, scraping down the sides of the bowl, followed by the orange zest and vanilla.

Beat in the dry ingredients to make a homogeneous dough, then beat in the chopped almonds and figs.

Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic, wrap it tightly and chill the dough until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into three even pieces. Roll each piece into a log, about 15 inches long. Cut each log into 3/4-inch pieces.

Roll each piece into a ball, coat the ball with granulated sugar and place on the baking sheet, spaced 3/4 of an inch apart. Flatten the balls slightly with your fingers.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are golden brown, cracked slightly and firm. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheets, then remove them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies are baked.

Source:"Babbo"Yield:"5 dozen cookies"- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : Store the cookies in an airtight container up to a week.

Pomegranate Martinis

Here's a few recipes I found that make great use of pomegrante juice.



Pomegranite Martini
3 oz. Absolut Citron
2 oz. Pomegranite juice
1 oz. of Cointreau
Mix like a regular martini, strain into champagne glass.
Add a few pomegranite seeds and a curl from a lemon peel for a nice presentation.
Serves 1.


POM-TINI 1
2 ounces pomegranate or citrus vodka
2 ounces pomegranate juice
Juice of one lemon
1 ounce simple syrup
Simple syrup is 1 part sugar 1 part water heated til the sugar disolves
Shake well with ice until condensation begins to form on shaker, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Karen Cooks

Hi,

Yes, Karen does actually cook!

In these times of convenience food, it's nice to actually cook.


I'll be posting about the weekend meals that I cook at home, as well as those for special occasions. Hopefully they will interest you and encourage you to try them. Recipes will be posted.

Check back later for the first posting.