Fast Food for Fish Lovers

While I do love to cook I just sometimes want it to be quick and easy. Many nights I just don't have the energy to be creative but I do want to eat good food. My husband and I are "trying" to cut down on red meat so we wanted to do a week with no red meat involved and I was feeling a bit lazy this week…The first thing that comes to mind for fast home cooking is Trader Joes. While I lived in MA TJ's was very hard to come by. Out here in CA they are like Dunkin Donuts. You can spit in any direction and hit one. I avoided TJ's as much as I could when I moved here because it was small, the selection wasn't great for my entire shopping list and it was always freakin crowded! I figured out the time to go (first thing in the morning) and I slowly go through the market and I find these little gems. So far this week I have managed to cook Shrimp Stir Fry and Fish Tacos all from TJ's and some Clam Chowder. All super fast (that's under an hour to me) and easy.


**We had this shrimp stir fry at a friends house for dinner one night. He bought the marinated veggies at Whole Paycheck, errr… I mean Whole Foods. Just added precooked shrimp and it was elegantly served. Of course I thought he slaved all day marinating and chopping, devaining and peeling. NOT! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and adapted it.


Shrimp Stir Fry
Serves 4

2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
3 green onions, chopped
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (TJ FIND)
1 cup frozen Oriental mixed vegetables, thawed (TJ FIND)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
**if you like heat to your stir fry add in ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir in the soy sauce, garlic powder and ginger; set aside. If you want extra sauce to go over the rice then double.
In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry broccoli in oil for 2 minutes. Add red pepper and onions; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the shrimp, Oriental vegetables and garlic; cook 3 minutes longer.
Stir cornstarch mixture and stir into shrimp mixture. Add the peanuts. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.


I serve with Jasmine rice which you should make extra put in the fridge and make Fried Rice with a few days later.


**My husband and I travel to Mexico a lot and we love the country, not so much the food. I know, how could we live in California and not love Mexican Food? Hey, its not the only thing to eat out here! We do however LOVE fish tacos! Like croissants in Paris, Fish tacos just taste better in Mexico. I have eaten them with grilled fish and fried fish and to my hearts dislike my favorite is the fried. If I was doing a taco party I would have no problem frying or grilling up some fish but for an easy meal I love these batter fried fish pieces I found at Trader Joes.


Fish Tacos

Serves 2

4 tortillas soft or 6 taco shells hard
1 package frozen fried halibut fillets cooked according to package (on foil lined pan) (TJ FIND)
Fish Taco Sauce
Shredded cabbage (I like fine shredded just cabbage not coleslaw)
Shredded cheese (I like Mexican)
Limes
Chopped cilantro


Fish Taco Sauce (my brother in law invented this…OMG!)
Serves 4
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup mayo (I like the olive oil one)
1 tablespoon of hot sauce (adjust to your taste)
Juice from half a lime
Pinch of cumin

 Wisk ingredients until smooth and refridgerate. Can do up to 24 hours in advance.

 I like to heat my tortillas under a wet paper towel in the microwave for about a minute. Then spread on the sauce, 2 pieces of fish, cabbage, cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

 I also MUST have these with a margarita. I have tried a million different concoctions but to me the best has been equal parts Tequila (your favorite), Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and a splash of simple syrup. Remember your margarita will only be as good as the Tequila you use. My current favorite is 1800. There are smoother out there I know but I actually like the taste of tequila. I like mine on the rocks with only half the glass rimmed with salt. Shake it up, stirring is for sissy's and drink!

 **Being from New England I am pretty picky about my clam chowder. I like it so that a spoon can stand up in it. This recipe is like that so if you like it thinner add less flour. I have also done this recipe with bacon in it and its really good but that's not traditional NE Chowda. I have access to some amazing sourdough bread bowls and I like to serve it in that, it just makes it that much more fun to eat! This is actually better the next day. Heat slowly you don't want to overcook the clams they get chewy.

 Clam Chowda
Serves 4 for dinner

3 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams (unless you have access to fresh)
1 bottle of clam juice
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream (I use the fat free)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste

Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery and potatoes. Add juice from bottle and enough water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and canned clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.


GADGET!
The Vidalia Onion Chop Wizard http://www.amazon.com/vidalia-chopper/dp/B000MVGYOI
So, I hate chopping. Especially dicing onion. It kills me. I will do anything to avoid this but I just cannot bring myself to purchase pre-diced veggies. I discovered this in Bed Bath and Beyond and I use it a few times each week. It has 2 different chopping sizes and you just put your veggie on the grate and press down. It has a measuring guideline on the side and everything goes into the dishwasher. LOVE IT!

Stewing up a Storm

Well, here I am sealed up tight waiting for this HUGE storm to blow through the Bay Area and my husband is out of town for the evening. Usually when he is out of town I make all the things that he doesn't like. Well, he isn't a fan of beef stew so I am on a mission. It's cold, wet, windy and gray. A perfect combination for some hearty stew. Whenever I think of stew I think Beef Bourguignon and then I think Julia Child. What a perfect time to try it… I have yet to see the movie Julie and Julia but I was always a huge fan of Julia Child. While the other kids were watching cartoons on weekend mornings I would either be watching the WWF or PBS cooking shows, yes, I was sort of an odd child. My favorites were Julia Child and Martin Yan solely for their entertainment aspect. Also, I was smitten with Julia Child because at that age she was the only celebrity that I had ties to.

Here is my "tie" to Julia Child…I know it's a stretch but at 10 years old it was like she was my BFF. I spent so much time at my grandparent's house in East Cambridge and in one of the flats lived my Uncle and my Great Grandmother. Well, my Uncle was a cab driver (I think he is going on 40 years). In any event it was his job to pick up Julia Child from her home in Cambridge every day and deliver her to the PBS studios for the taping of the shows. There you have it…my connection to the professional culinary television industry.

Back to my point. …I took one look at the recipe and said "not today Julia". I needed to make do with what I had cuz there was no way I was heading outside. I finally found a recipe on allrecipes.com that looked good that I could adapt to what I had "in house"…While this recipe has wine in it, I don't think it can officially be called Beef Bourguignon. To add to the confusion in this "stew" I discovered that I do not own a covered casserole dish. I do intend to invest in a Le Cruset eventually though. What I did however have was an All Clad Tagine. I know, weird. I LOVE my tagine and don't use it all that often because I think about it only when I want to make Moroccan type dishes. In this economy we need to start thinking out of the box because no way in hell will my husband be OK with me spending 350$ on a pot! I browned the meat and basically did everything in the pan and then simmered it on the stove for a couple of hours with the cone top on it and it came out FANTASTIC! You SHOULD do this a day ahead of time if you can, it does taste better. Heat it slowly.
The gadget: Tagine: I have the All Clad Emerileware one. I love that it's nonstick, the size is perfect and it's not heavy BUT you cannot put the top in the oven.

Beef "kind of" Bourguignon
2.5 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
1 pound bite sized beef (I use sirloin)
2.5 tablespoons of butter
1 medium onion sliced
2 carrots sliced or 1 cup of the mini's
½ clove garlic minced
¾ cup red wine
½ cup beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons parsley
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
10 oz pkg of sliced mushrooms optional


Put flour, salt and pepper into a Ziploc bag and shake to mix. Then add beef and shake to coat.
Heat butter in pan and add meat to sear on all sides
Remove meat from pan and put aside.
Add onion and cook until soft about 5-10 minutes
Add carrots, mushrooms, and garlic and cook another 5 minutes. Do not burn garlic
Add wine, broth, bay leaf, parsley, thyme and stir, bring to boil.
Add beef and drippings, cover, and turn down to simmer for 2 hours.

Vegetarian Menu

We have been trying to get a dinner on the calendar for a very long time with this one super fun couple and this weekend it finally happened. We had such a great time and they were supposed to come up early to watch sunset since October weather is notoriously beautiful here in the hills…NOT this year! To our dismay it was cold and we were totally fogged in. I always ask my guests in advance if there were any dietary restrictions and most often than not there is. One of our guests only eats fish as their meat and is also allergic to garlic.

The Menu

Crostini with blue cheese and fig jam

Stuffed Shrooms

Pecan Crunch Salmon

Israeli Couscous

Salad w/Vinaigrette (see earlier post)

Apple Crumb Pie

Vanilla ice cream

In prepping for a dinner party I always do the dessert first if I can. It’s not a special technique I swear by its really just because if all else fails you WILL have dessert finished!

THE Crostini
I got this idea from the caterer we usually use for my husband’s work events he holds at the house. Of course, our caterer makes his own jam but I still have yet to find a recipe that compares and caterers usually don’t share their “IP”. This is so simple it’s hardly a recipe. It has an amazing combination of the salty and the sweet with the smooth cheese and the crunch bread, basically heaven. Feel free to make the crostini up to a week ahead of time and store in a baggie. I usually buy my fig jam at the local gourmet market http://www.dalmatiaimports.com/Product.aspx . I have seen it several places and it’s always with the cheese. Speaking of cheese use any blue/gorgonzola that you LOVE. My current favorite is Pt. Reys Blue Cheese http://pointreyescheese.com/ .

CROSTINI WITH FIG JAM AND BLUE CHEESE

Thin Baguette

EVOO

Fig Jam

Gorgonzola

To make the crostini, slice the bread about ½” thick. Brush (or spray) EVOO and pop into 375 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. At this point you can let cool and put away or prepare.

Spread jam and sprinkle cheese on top. Put under broiler for 1 MINUTE! DO NOT STEP AWAY FROM THE OVEN!

Best served immediately.

I chose to prep these several hours before my guests arrived. I put it on a foil lined baking sheet (no clean up) and put plastic wrap over it until I was ready to bake.

STUFFED SHROOMS

I have been making these I feel like my entire life. Every Christmas Eve my mom does an open house and every year the Shrooms make an appearance and then a quick disappearance. As I got older and my sister did as well she took over these little morsels of heaven. You can easily stuff them the day before and then just let them get to room temp and pop them in the oven. Remember the bigger the mushroom the longer the cooking time. So if you get “stuffing” mushrooms be prepared to cook them for about 35-45 minutes. These are best served hot as well. I am lucky enough to have a warming drawer so I baked them about an hour before the guests arrived and kept them in the drawer with foil over them. I also like to use baby bella or basically anything but white. I love the earthy flavors of the darker mushrooms (for this dish anyway).I also like to use my garlic oil for this recipe (Last night was the exception), I only use Stonehouse oil for my cooking (unless I am frying in Peanut oil) http://www.stonehouseoliveoil.com/ There is really nothing fancy about this recipe but no matter how many my sister and I make there are never more than a couple leftover. The recipe below is for 1 pkg of 10 oz mushrooms. Don’t even bother, just double it.

Gadget: The Alaskan ULU. I came across this when we were in Alaska. They were everywhere and they looked kind of weird to me since I have been using my straight Wustofs for a very long time. I couldn’t imagine what you could do with an ULU. WELL I certainly found out after a salesperson spent 30 minutes with me showing me all the different uses of an ULU. I was sold. This knife is incredible! I have attached a link to show you something similar to what I have. I cut nuts, herbs, skin fish, slice raw meat, etc. I was all about my Santoku before I found this tool! You have so much more control of the knife too. In this recipe I minced up the stems of the mushrooms.

Stuffed Shrooms

10oz pkg mushrooms

2 Tablespoons EVOO

2 teaspoons parsley fresh if you have it

1 clove minced garlic

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup Italian Style bread crumbs

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Clean the mushrooms (in any way you see fit, I put them under water)
Cut off end of stem and pull stem out of cap. I find that if you wiggle it the whole thing comes out.
Place stems aside and mince them up.
Heat oil over medium heat in small sauté pan and add stems, parsley and sauté until stems are fully cooked. Add garlic towards the end and sauté for another minute or two.
Put salt, bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl and mix.
Add stem mixture to bowl and mix well. The consistency should be wet but not too wet. If you can squeeze it together to form a ball it’s good.
Stuff mushrooms and place on foil lined baking sheet sprayed with oil.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Pecan Crunch Salmon
I came across this recipe on allrecipes.com and OMG its amazing! I enjoy salmon but I am kind of picky about it when it’s in its “naked’ state. I am spoiled living in California and being able to get all this different type of salmon. Also my recent trip to Alaska allowed me to taste many different types of salmon. The biggest lesson I walked away with is “friends don’t let friends eat farmed fish”. It’s kind of like eating Maine lobster your whole life and then going on vacation to the Caribbean and eating gulf lobster. It’s an OK substitute but no way near like the real thing (IMHO). I have been known to try 3 different markets before I find fresh fish that I am looking for. For all you locals, Piedmont Grocery on Piedmont Ave, in Oakland, CA is where I buy most of my fish. Yes, they are overpriced but they do have an amazing selection of meat and fish and they are real butchers and fish mongers. Meaning, they don’t sit behind a glass wall and you self serve the meat. NO you tell them what you want and how you are preparing it and they will prep the meat for you. I made a salmon appie and I needed it to be skinned and cut into 1” cubes, not a problem. Of course, this is one reason you pay a higher price probably. Sorry, digressing…in any event buy fresh. Right now, I am all about the fresh, wild caught Coho Salmon, its delicate, and has that bright red color.
For this recipe you can make the wet mixture several days ahead of time and put in the fridge, same with the dry ingredients (keep them separate). I always leave the skin on when I cook it and DO NOT spray the aluminum lined pan. That way when the fish is done I slip the spatula between the flesh and the skin and the skin is left behind easily.

Pecan Crunch Salmon
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons butter
2 ½ teaspoons of butter
¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
¼ chopped pecans
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
4 4-6 oz salmon fillets

Preheat oven to 400.
Mix mustard, butter and honey. Put in fridge a minimum 20 minutes so it’s thick.
In another bowl mix panko, pecans and parsley.
Season salmon with salt and pepper and place on baking sheet (greased or ungreased, see above). Brush with wet mixture then sprinkle with dry mixture
Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness.
Serve with lemon.

Israeli Couscous with Parsley and Shallots
I discovered Israeli Couscous at a friend’s wedding in Sarasota, odd I know. I am part Syrian and traditionally my grandmother made couscous with her Tabhouli like everyone can picture it. Israeli Couscous is different. They are tiny little beats and need to be boiled. They are in between traditional couscous and pasta. It’s in my supermarket “sometimes” but it’s always at Trader Joes. When adding the water I actually take the pot OFF the stove and add only a few tablespoons (eyeball it) at a time. When the directions say to add it slow they didn’t specify how slow…VERY slow is what it should say. It’s kind of like adding a chicken wing to a fryer. This is also an easy recipe. You can easily sauté the shallots the day before and then bring them to room temp or nuke them and add them to the couscous when it’s hot. I usually complete the entire dish about an hour ahead of time and keep in my warming drawer. This tastes amazing the next day too so feel free to cook the entire dish ahead of time and reheat in a pot on the stove. Low and slow though, while there is oil in this dish it still could stick.

1 package of Israeli Couscous (usually 1 1/3 cup)
1 ½ cup water HOT
2 tablespoons EVOO
Salt pepper
8 (~ ½ lb) Shallots thinly sliced
Parsley
Lemon juice

Heat oil in sauté pan and add shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent and golden, about 10 minutes. Put aside.
Heat oil in pot and add couscous. Sauté couscous until lightly browned about 5 minutes. Add water VERY SLOWLY. Bring to boil and then turn to simmer for 12 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and add shallot mixture and parsley. Just before serving add lemon juice to your taste and adjust salt and pepper.

APPLE PIE A LA MODE!
My husband and I traveled to Placerville, CA on the motorcycle about a month ago. We do this every year to go white water rafting. We have our favorite spots but just discovered Apple Hill. It’s this place that has all different market stalls and everything that has to do with apples. We obviously got apple pie and it was pretty amazing. I tried to duplicate and came pretty close. My apple of choice is Cortland. I have yet to see them out in the bay area unfortunately. I also made my own crust for this pie. I enjoy making my own crust and I am totally lazy about it. I remember the days I made 20 pies during apple season and I would cut the lard into the flour by hand! Then I discovered that my food processor was way better at it. I have tried many recipes for pie crusts and this one is the best. Ruth Reichl’s recipe…The egg wash on the crust is to prevent the bottom crust to become soggy. Also, the lower that you place the pie in the oven the better the chances of the bottom crust cooking. Make this pie the day before, TRY not to eat it. Reheat it in the oven if you want it slightly warm. I just put it in my warming drawer for a few hours and it was perfect. As for the ice cream, well, this one is the best base I have come by. I found it to scoop like name brand ice cream, not come out in chunks. I have a

For the “single” crust
1 ¼ cups flour
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cold shortening (Crisco)
¼ teaspoons salt
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Put flour, butter, shortening and salt in food processor with steel blade and pulse until pea sized lumps form.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of ice water evenly over mixture and pulse until your dough ball forms. Depending on weather you might need that extra tablespoon of water.
Do not overwork dough
Flatten dough into 5” disk sprinkle with flour and wrap in plastic
Put in fridge 2 days max 1 hr. min. Or frozen

For the Pie
1 (9 inch) pie shell
Egg wash
5 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly brush pie crust with egg wash and put in fridge while peeling apples.

Place apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix well, and then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.

Remove pie shell from fridge. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

While filling is baking, make Streusel Topping

In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats. Mix thoroughly, and then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.

Reduce heat to 375 degrees Bake an additional 40 to 45 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.

Vanilla Ice Cream (This is for French Vanilla but substitute for regular creamer and use it for a base for any flavor)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

2 cups half-and-half cream OR French Vanilla Creamer

2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract (omit if using flavored creamer)

Beat eggs, yolks, sugar and salt until light and fluffy.

In a heavy saucepan heat cream to simmer (until bubbles form around edges.

Pour 1 cup of cream mixture into egg mixture stirring constantly. (Temper the eggs)

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches at least 170 degrees F.

Remove from the heat; Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours. When ready to freeze, pour stirred custard and vanilla into the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Equipment: I have had my little Cuisinart ice cream maker for about 10 years now. I use it regularly. It’s easy, small and affordable. http://www.cuisinart.com/products/ice_cream/ice-20.html IF you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, spend the extra 20$ and get the ice cream attachment.