Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

Fish!

(A little early again this week, to get ahead of Mom's Day; but here is your weekly cookin' thread :-)

I am not much of a meat-eater; in fact, I was largely a 'veg/fish-itarian' until I met and married my husband.

I like a good hamburger now and then, or my husband's barbecued pork chops; and I like chicken pie and chicken and dumplings. But I'm not one to go into a restaurant and order a 'slab o' meat'. Steak, for instance, isn't near the top of my list.

But I do love FISH! along with all the other 'beautiful swimmers'.

We have two recipes that we 'go to' when we have some really good fish.

The first recipe is one originally designed for Bluefish; but it works with any firm, oily fish (I'm not sure where we found it, but it may have been in a Chesapeake cookbook). I personally think the sauce would make a great, simple pasta sauce, leaving out the fish:

Bluefish baked with Tomatoes and Capers

1/4 cup Olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 T. chopped garlic

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1-1/2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and chopped, with juice (3 cups) OR 1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes

1 Cup dry white wine

3 T. capers, drained and chopped

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

Juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

4 Bluefish fillets, 6 to 7 oz. each.

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a heavy pot, heat the oil and saute the onions, celery, garlic and green onions until limp.

Add tomatoes, wine, capers, thyme, bay leaf, and lemon juice. Simmer 45 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.

Make a layer of 1/2 the hot tomato sauce in the baking dish. Arrange the fish on top. Spoon the remaining sauce over the fish.

Butter one side of a sheet of waxed paper that is cut to fit the top of the baking dish.

Place the paper, butter side down, on top of the dish.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until the fish flakes.

Remove fillets to a heated platter. Spoon the sauce over, and serve at once. Good over rice.

Second Recipe: here is a recipe we first received from either one of Jacques Pepin's books, or his television show. My husband thought that Jacques made it look so easy, that he tried it. Somewhere I have a pic of husband proudly showing off his rendition of this Stuffed Salmon in Pastry; but you don't have to do it so fancy. It can be done in the pastry with small fillets for individual portions; and the fish and stuffing alone would also be wonderful 'en papillote'.

But for a big shindig, the entire whole-fish presentation is impressive, and not very difficult to pull off:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/stuffed-salmon-in-flaky-dough-recipe.html

I think I've seen more detailed instructions on how to simulate the fish's scales, using a small round cutter, so that it looks more like this:

http://www.cakestudent.com/decorating-with-puff-pastry/

-JT

[MistrX]

Sorry about the F word, but other than that, did you like the video?
Cheers

[MistrX]

Why would you want to eat rice all day?

[JRandomFreeper]

As I said. I got spoiled this last summer with the rice steamer that my son-in-law has.

I'll eventually find it. It is racking my brain, and I'm having to look at every picture now. lol! lots of work.

Besides, with the way things are going, and trying to get 4000 calories a day, I don't really have a schedule, except to eat. It's like a full-time job.

/johnny

[Roos_Girl]

PS I ran across a delicious recipe for rice that substituted coconut milk for the water. No butter needed. Spice to your taste. It was intended as a “Caribbean” recipe to be paired with red beans and included throwing a whole scotch bonnet pepper in and then removing after cooking.

[JRandomFreeper]

Not all day. Just anytime during the day. 4000 calories a day is like a real full-time job. ;)

It really does settle my stomach without using the harsh chemicals of medicines to do the same job. And I do get a few calories out of it. Win-win as far as I'm concerned.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

throwing a whole scotch bonnet pepper in and then removing after cooking.

Wowza! talk about a flavor profile...

/johnny

[MistrX]

As an exiled Michigander, I am intensely jealous.
Here in SoCal, when we can get it, Walleye is $20/lb.!
Not to mention Lake Michigan smelt.
I paid $17/lb. for some whitefish today.

[Roos_Girl]

Haha, yeah, I never used the pepper, just the coconut milk, which makes the rice so lovely and creamy. Would go a ways to helping you reach your 4000 calories. Can you even taste anything after that much food? :)

[JRandomFreeper]

I try. It's a good thing that I graduated from 2 different culinary schools. I don't think I could do it without cooking for myself. Besides, things like butter and real cream have a large caloric content, and I use them a lot.

My home-made ice cream is 110 calories per ounce. Lotsa calories in a 4 ounce desert. ;)

/johnny

[Roos_Girl]

And I bet it’s deeeeelicious!

[greeneyes]

Blackened Catfish.

Take the fresh catfish fillets and rub both sides with the seasoning mix.

Heat a small bit of olive oil and larger amount of cocoanut oil in an iron skillet when a speck of bread crust sizzles, it is hot enough.

Cook on one side and then the other. I have never timed it, just go by the look of the filet (or use a meat thermometer - it tells you what temp for fish).

Seasoning mix is Creole Blackened Seasoning, Sometimes I add some Seafood Magic to the blend (Chef Paul Prudhommes).

Like most of my cooking, I don’t really have a recipe, just season and taste, then add whatever.

[MV=PY]

It is. Johnny posted his recipe here.

It’s the first homemade ice cream I ever made.

I cold-smoked half of it and served the two together in a dish with a chocolate wafer between. Quite the fancy desert.

And obscenely good. :)

[greeneyes]

I don’t suppose you could refrigerate it for a while, and then put it in the crock pot or rice cooker on warm or low a couple of hours before supper?

I just don’t see how rice could be good held from Morning to supper time and still be good.

[MV=PY]

Desert = dessert. Need to go to bed...

[Roos_Girl]

Thanks! I’ll have to look and see if I can find it.

[MV=PY]

Here ya go.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3262023/posts

Post 3

[JRandomFreeper]

That's the reason I want that machine. The rice was good from breakfast until dinner.

It spoiled me. Especially now that I don't really have a schedule, and 'supper' could be anytime from 4:30 pm until midnight.

Just depends.

I'll figure it out. I don't often get spoiled by a machine. ;)

/johnny

[bonfire]

I knew a patient at my clinic who said she made hers in a rice cooker and kept in on low all day. I have no idea what brand she used. I just make rice in a pan every few days and keep in the fridg. I eat it almost every day as chemo tends to give most of us tummy problems.

btw, You could simply make rice the normal way and dump into a slow cooker on “warm”.

[greeneyes]

Now you need to just give yourself a better talking to!

Do you think that a person using a washing machine instead of a creek and some rocks to wash clothes should feel like a loser?

I certainly don’t. I feel like a winner, cause I can wash clothes quicker and read a gardening book or some other more enjoyable activity or maybe I just get some extra time with people I love like grand kids etc.

I love the cookbook that my Granny got with her first microwave - She was a great cook, and owned a couple of very successful restaurants in Springfield Mo.

It tells how to make all sorts of extraordinary stuff in the Microwave - beyond what most of the microwave cookbooks that come with them today.

One of my favorite quiche recipes is in that book. And BACON! I love the way the bacon turns out and soooo fast too.

[bonfire]

btw, I nuke my refrigerated rice. Takes about 40secs to 1 minute. (and yes...lots of butter, salt and pepper!)

Make it as easy as possible for yourself.

Also, if you have some good days, cook some meals ahead and freeze. Meatballs, spaghetti sauce, etc.

Oh, now that you have a microwave try cooking scrambled eggs in there. Just make sure to butter the bowl first so it easier to clean.