Tag Archives: Techniques

Fishy Fish . . . Got Milk??

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Orange - Ginger SnapperI had a great weekend spending time with my brothers and sisters, something we rarely get to do together. We laughed, we drank and we reminisced . . . but most of all we ate.  My brother and his lovely new bride started us off with Saturday breakfast of French toast casserole, frittata and fresh orange juice while my little sister nailed Huevos Rancheros for Sunday’s breakfast. One of my older sisters made fabulous dinner reservations at a local little Italian eatery which left Saturday lunch for me.  Now those of you with siblings understand the rivalry and competition that occurs, especially, when adult children get together. This left me little room to prepare a so-so meal.

With a busy work week, a lovely visit with a high school friend and a long drive to Arnold ahead of me I didn’t have time to go to my favorite little fish monger where the fish is fresh and the selections amazing.  Instead I was left to shop at the local supermarket and the only “Fresh” option available to me was Red Snapper.  (I probably do not need to point out that I placed the term Fresh in quotes, meaning of course . . .) So here I was with this great recipe for Orange Cilantro Marinated Snapper with an Onion, Zucchini and Yellow Squash salad and my snapper was not very snappy.

What to do?

Got milk??Fish on the Grill

Time to pull a rabbit out of my hat. Now technically the fish I bought was fresh only because it hadn’t been frozen but unfortunately it had not been stored correctly in the butcher’s cooler leaving it slightly ripe.  Thankfully I paid attention in culinary school and a little hand-me-down from my French Cuisine chef Brian Mattingly came in handy. “If your fish is a day or two old, soak it in whole milk.”  So along with my 3 pounds of fish I purchased a quart of whole milk.  After rinsing and de-boning the fillets I laid them in a Pyrex dish and covered them with the cold milk. Plastic wrap over the top and the dish went in to the refrigerator for an hour.  Fingers crossed I set to the marinade.

Snapper Marinade

1 bunch    Cilantro, leaves only – no stems
4               Red Jalapenos, seeded and chopped
3 tbsp.      Ginger, peeled and chopped
2 cups      Orange Juice

Place the first three ingredients in a blender and and start them blending on low. Pour the OJ into the blender in a thin stream just until all the ingredients begin to chop evenly. Blend for about 30 seconds then slowly add the remaining OJ. Reserve.

1 Hour Later – Time to check the fish.

Out of the fridge I uncover my dish and pour off the milk and voila, no more fishy fish. Thank you Chef Mattingly!
I let the fillets drip dry for about a minute, rinsed out the dish then poured a bit of marinade into the dish, laid in the fillets, covered then back in the fridge for another hour.

With the snapper soaking up all that Orange-Ginger goodness I set about making the Squash Onion salad. I thinly sliced the zucchini and yellow squash on a mandolin then cut them int thin julienne strips. Next I Lyonnaised an onion. (This is a style of onion slice that gives julienne thin threads.) A bit of olive oil in a saute pan and in go the onions. After they begin to soften I added the julienne of squash cooking them al dente. After seasoning with salt and pepper I set them aside to cool while I made the salad dressing.

Orange Ginger Salad Dressing

1/2 bunch   Cilantro, leaves only – no stems
4                 Red Jalapenos, seeded and chopped
3 tbsp.       Ginger, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup       Orange Juice concentrate
1 cup          Olive Oil

Place the first 4 ingredients in a blender and blend for about 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until fully incorporated.

Time for lunch!

I fired up the grill and set to cooking.  Delicate fish will often stick to the grill so I use aluminum foil pans with a bit of olive oil.  The grill adds a lovely smokey flavor that the oven just will not give.

Plating

A bit of Romaine lettuce on the plate, toss the onion squash salad with the dressing and place on the lettuce.  Next the Grilled Snapper and a garnish of avocado and Voila!  (Trust me, my reputation was saved.) Even my sister who does not like fish liked this dish.

All in all it was a great weekend with family.  I hope you have many like this as well.

 

Eat Well and Smile Often!!

tj

p.s. The whole fish in milk thing . . . just another version of surf and turf.

Fish on the Grill

3 Little Words . . . Nobody Wants To Hear!!

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I have an friend Melani Robinson who writes a blog 1 Year of Online Dating at 50. She’s an amazing writer and has done much to encourage me with regards to my blog. Melani is openly in search of her next great love, blogging about every up and down she experiences, waiting to hear those 3 little words.

Blossom End Rot. No, these are NOT the words that Melani wants to hear. In fact, nobody wants to hear them. Certainly not me with all the love I’ve put in to my garden. But yesterday they rang in my ear like a bell that can’t be unrung. “I’m sorry to tell you Tom, you have Blossom End Rot.” Thank goodness it was my advice gardener and not any other professional. Blossom End Rot. Really??

Blossom End Rot

It seems I have been taking too good a care of my plants in one respect and not in another. Here, you tell me, don’t my plants look healthy? They look great! In fact that is one of the symptoms. It seems that my plants are overcharged with nitrogen, the stuff that makes them leafy green. But they are sorely lacking in calcium and water. Who knew? Not me. So my first little pushes of fruit have Blossom End Rot. Shucks.

 

7/1/12 Garden

Luckily I caught them in time and began watering heavily; giving them a really good drink then following up daily with a regular soaking. This may seem contrary to the gardener who says, “Once the tomatoes come cut back on your watering.” I did and I got . . . Blossom End Rot. Also I need to up my soil calcium levels. Since I don’t eat a dozen eggs everyday, eggshells are a great source of calcium, I’m off the the garden supply to pick up a small bag. I am saddened because my first few peppers were destined to become Pepper Jelly. My Jalapenos are doing great and I will harvest this week and set them to dry but it will be another few weeks before I’ll have peppers again.

Patience and learning, isn’t that what parenthood is all about? (I feel like such a failure.)

 

Eat Well and Smile Often,

 

tj

 

p.s. Really??

The Perfect Food?? – Twice Baked Potatoes!!

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Twiced Baked PotoatoMy mother, rest her soul, was a lovely, giving woman generous with her time, love and affection.  She could burn water.  Did it! Saw her!  Boiled that pan dry.

I remember one holiday dinner  as a young man when I offered to help in the kitchen. She asked me to please cook the green beans.  Of course, says I and troddled off to the freezer I did. Fresh and local were not watchwords of the 70’s.  A box of frozen green beans in hand, I prepared a pan of boiling water and placed the frozen brick gently amongst the bubbles. After a few minutes the block had thawed and the green beans were heated through and through.  “Mom, I think the green beans are done.” Their pale green pallor being a dead giveaway. “Let’s give them a few more minutes just to be sure.” came the loving, generous reply.  My career path was set that day – Learn to cook – by people who know how to cook.

Now please don’t think of me as an uncharitable son. I loved my mother mightily and miss her to this day.  I have a great many reasons to thank her and my father.  One of those reasons is Twice Baked Potatoes!!

As a family we would often have regular baked potatoes.  They were easy for mom to make, just through them in the oven for and hour and put some margarine, salt and pepper on the table.  Feeding five rambunctious little monsters was no mean feat but my mother pulled it off every night.  One night in particular I noticed that the baked potatoes looked a little different.   As soon as the blessing was said I tucked right in and was pleasantly surprised.  If mothers receive validation for the efforts in the kitchen, from the praise of the family, my mother got free parking for a year that night. “Twice baked potatoes, Tom, that’s what they are.”  Yummmitty, yum yum.  All filled with cheese and bacon bits and  . . .  YUM!!

In honor and memory of my loving mother I share with you my approach at:

Twice Baked Potatoes

2  each       Large Russet Potatoes, bake at 350F for 1 hour

1/2 cup      Small Onion, diced and tossed into a saute’ pan with a little olive oil
3  each      Cloves of Garlic, smashed and minced – toss into saute’ with onions
1/2 cup      Diced Prosciutto – toss into saute’
1/4 cup      Dried Figs, diced – toss into saute’

Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes then deglaze with

1/2 cup     Dry white wine

Reduce about 1 minute then add

1/2 cup      Sour Cream

Grate and add

1/2 cup      Manchego cheese – add to mix
1/4 cup      Parmesan cheese – add to mix

Cook for 1 minute then remove from heat

Salt and pepper as desired

When potatoes are done baking remove from oven and set a side to cool.  When cool split open tops and remove the flesh into a bowl. Reserve the skins intact. Add the contents of the saute’ pan to bowl and mix.  Spoon mixture into reserved potato skins and bake at 350 until brown on top – about 15 minutes.

Serve hot!!

Eat well and Smile Often,

tj

 

p.s. I believe that was the night I uttered those now infamous words, “Food is my habitat!”

p.p.s. Well it is!!

 

 

 

 

 

Golden Pepper Jelly!!

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Golden Pepper JellyI love me some pepper jelly.

One of the very best things about having your own backyard garden is the overabundance of fresh produce.  When those little plant guys start to pop they just go crazy. Even last year with low yields it was bucket after bucket of – small – but tremendously flavorful produce. I had tomatoes galore, some eggplant, more than a few spaghetti squash and peppers, lot of peppers.  There were green bells and red bells and yellow bells and many, many, many of those spicy little serranos. (I actually took a bite out of a fresh one, right off the vine. One word: Tears!)

These were not tears of pain, but ones of joy . . . and pride, of a parental nature.  My life has been one lived in the pursuit of wanderlust.  I have enjoyed many careers, traveled to distant lands doing many things.  My experiences range from mushing sled dogs in the Yukon to spending 10 weeks cooking on Easter Island to traveling Europe by – very small – car with my best friend.  I’ve worked with amazing people from around the world and have learned that I only need enough for food, shelter and a pint at the pub with friends.  One joy and adventure I have not had is in becoming a parent.  I see many of my old high school classmates sharing stories of amazing children, many of whom are now graduating from college. Wow!! I’m not that old!!

While I have chosen not to have children I still recognize that desire to protect, to nurture and to share with the world the pride I have in my offspring.  So I garden. And when the garden bears fruit . . . I can.  Yes I can. That is to say, I preserve.

Cans!

I take my little pride and joys and stuff them into jars.  All boiled and pickled and put up when they are just right and ripe. I slap a label on them, show them off to my friends and enjoy their goodness into the cold winter months of my old age.  Such good thoughtful children they are.  Never forgetting a birthday or Father’s Day.  Always there when I need a little pick me up, never complaining and always at their best.  Hmmm . . .

Pepper Jelly

4 yellow, orange or red bell peppers, finely chopped (about 3 cups)
5  large red serrano peppers, seeded, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1  cup cider vinegar
1  pkg. SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
5  cups sugar, measured into separate bowl (See tip below.)

In a large pot place canning cars, opening up and lids and cover completely with water.  Jars must be full of water. Place on stove over medium heat and bring to a slow boil. Boil for about a minute then turn off heat leaving jars in the hot water.

Place all the peppers in a blender with 1/2 of the cider vinegar and blend to a rough puree.  Pour peppers in to a 6 – 8 qt spot, add , pectin and remaining vinegar and bring to a slow boil then add sugar. Return to a boil and skim foam as needed.   Cook for  5 minutes then reduce heat to a slow simmer.Turn off heat when starting to fill jars.

Turn off heat to jars and lids but leave them in the hot water.  Dip a clean ladle in the hot water and let sit for 30 seconds.  Remove one jar at a time from the water and place on a baking sheet on the counter.  With the clean sanitized ladle, scoop the very hot pepper jelly into the very hot jar to within 1/2″ of the lip of the jar.  Remove a lid from the boiling water with tongs and seal the jar immediately.  Repeat until all the jelly is put up.

Eat Well and Smile Often!!

tj

p.s. My hat is off to all the parents out there who have given so much of themselves tot he lives of their children.  And to my old friends, I invite you over for some freshly roasted coffee, a slice of freshly baked bread smeared with Golden Pepper Jelly in my garden.  And if you stay long enough I’ll break out the whiskey and you can tell me the real story about parenting!!