Category: recipes

A Single Fish Cooked Fish-Soup Style

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (simplified)

1 to 1 1/2 pounds fish steaks or fillets (recommended: sea bass, red snapper, mahi mahi, monkfish, flounder, halibut, grouper, tilefish, mako shark, swordfish)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 Tbsp chopped parsley (plus extra for garnish)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes, with juice
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until the garlic has turned pale gold. Add the parsley and cook for about thirty seconds, then add the white wine.

Let the white wine simmer for about a minutes, then add the tomatoes and the red pepper flakes (optional). Adjust the heat so the mixture is at a moderate simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put the fish in the pan, making sure the steaks or fillets do not overlap each other. Sprinkle liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust the heat to medium low and cover the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, then carefully turn over the fish and cook for another 5 minutes. (If your fish is thick, it may take 7 or minutes per side.)

Transfer the fish carefully to a warmed serving dish and pour the liquid over it. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Channa Matar

1/4 cup ghee or vegetable oil
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Pinch of salt
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of cumin seeds
2 1/2 Tbsp Spiced Onion Puree
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garam masala
Dash of paprika
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
2-2 1/2 cups chicken stock
3-4 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 recipe of Channa, fried and drained, ghee or oil from frying reserved

Using the leftover ghee or oil from frying the channa, fry the potato cubes with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Fry cubes until golden and almost entirely cooked. Remove and set aside to drain.

Heat 1/4 cup ghee or oil in the skillet. Add the cumin seeds and spiced onion and fry gently for about a minute. Add the potatoes back to the pan along with the turmeric, cayenne, ground cumin, salt, and sugar. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add garam masala and paprika and stir to blend well. Remove from the heat and mix in the yogurt. Return to the heat, add the peas, and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the channa cubes. Sprinkle with the chopped cilatro and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Variation: Tofu would probably work pretty well in this recipe instead of the channa. It’ll still need to be cut into a half-inch depth and pressed to get out the extra liquid, then fried. I have no idea whether firm or soft tofu would be used.

Channa

1/2 gallon milk
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water

If using for Channa Matar:
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup ghee or vegetable oil (for frying)

Combine the vinegar and water, and line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth or paper towels. Bring the milk to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. When a boil is reached, remove from the heat and slowly stir in the vinegar-water combination until the curd and whey just separate. If you use too much vinegar, the resulting cheese will be tough. Pour the curd and whey into the colander and let drain.

If using for Channa Matar, add salt to taste. Take the drained channa and pat it out into about a 1/2 to 1-inch thick rectangle. Put it on a plate or cutting board covered with a paper towel, and place another plate on top with a weight on it. Leave in the refrigerator until hardened enough to cut into 1/2-inch cubes (approximately). In a large skillet, fry the channa cubes in the ghee or oil until browned. Set aside to drain while preparing the rest of the dish.

Spiced Onion Puree

2 medium yellow onions, quartered
1-inch cube of fresh ginger
4-5 cloves garlic
1 large peeled tomato
2 green chiles
1/4 cup tomato juice
1 Tbsp white vinegar

Puree in a blender. Use in curries. Kept in a container with the lid tightly closed, will keep one week in the refrigerator, or a really long time in the freezer. Also tastes good mixed with scrambled eggs.

Zingerman’s Peppered Pecans

12 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper (or more)
1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt (I used 2 tsp kosher salt)
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground cardamom
2 large egg whites
2 pounds raw pecan halves

Heat the oven to 325. In a large bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, pepper, salt, and spice (a pastry blender works well for this if your butter’s not quite at room temperature). Add the egg white and mix well. Add the pecans and mix thoroughly to coat well.

Spread the spice-coated nuts in a large roasting pan (or deep jelly-roll pan). Roast for 18 to 25 minutes, or until they are toasted through, turning every 5 minutes or so with a spatula.

Remove from the oven and continue turning every five minutes until the nuts reach room temperature. Will keep in airtight containers for 4 to 6 weeks.

Autumn Soup

from The Inn at Little Washington

1 stick butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup peeled and chopped Granny Smith apple
1 cup chopped rutabaga
1 cup chopped butternut squash
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped sweet potato
1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Lemon slices and chives for garnish (optional)

Melt the butter in a large pot set over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Puree using a blender, food processor, or stick blender. Strain through a fine sieve. Add the cream, maple syrup, cayenne, and salt. Bring to a bare simmer and serve.

Makes 2 quarts. Can be made in advance and frozen.

Death By Broccoli

A recipe from Karen F.

6-7 heads of broccoli, florets only, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb. Velveeta
8 oz. Ritz crackers, crushed
2 sticks butter, melted and separated

Unwrap the Velveeta and freeze. This is the most important step. Once frozen, shred.

Blanch the broccoli for 60-90 seconds in boiling water, then plunge into ice water. Dry thoroughly. This is the second most important step.

Heat the oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, Velveeta, and half of the butter (it’s a little tricky stirring it in the baking dish, but if you don’t want to dirty another bowl, go ahead). Empty the broccoli mixture into the baking dish. In the same bowl, mix the crushed Ritz crackers with the other half of the butter. Spread evenly over the top of the broccoli.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until brown and bubbly. You’ll hate yourself by loving it.

Aloo Matar (Potato and Pea Curry)

2–4 Tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
Pinch of punch-phoron seeds*
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or use a drained can of same)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4–1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 cups fresh (or frozen, really) green peas
1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) coconut milk or warm water
3–4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp paprika

*Punch-phoron is a mixture of five whole spices mixed in equal proportions- cumin, black cumin, mustard, fenugreek, and fennel. I think I used cumin, fennel, and coriander (mistakenly), because those were the only ones I had in whole form.

Heat vegetable oil or ghee in a large saucepan. Fry punch-phoron seeds, bay leaf, ginger, and onion for 3 minutes. Add potatoes and continue cooking another 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt, ground cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, garam masala, and peas and cook for another 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and boil rapidly for 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to a bare simmer, cover, and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cilantro and paprika.

Mousse de Fois de Volaille (Chicken Liver Mousse)

from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

1 lb chicken livers
2 Tbsp minced shallots or green onions
2 Tbsp butter
1 stick butter, melted
1/3 cup Madeira or congac
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp pepper
Pinch of thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Look the livers over and remove and greenish or blackish spots. Cut the livers into 1/2-inch pieces.

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the livers with the shallots (or green onions) for 2 to 3 minutes or until the livers are just stiffened, but still rosy inside. Scrape into a blender or food processor.

Pour the Madeira (or cognac) into the skillet and boil it down rapidly until it has reduced to approximately 3 Tbsp. Add this to the blender.

Add the cream, salt, allspice, pepper, and thyme to the blender. Blend at top speed for several seconds until the liver is at a smooth paste. Add the melted butter and blend several seconds more.

Force the mixture through a fine sieve and taste for seasoning. Pack the mousse into a bowl, cover, and chill for 2-3 hours or overnight.