Memorial Day BBQ: Salmon with Ginger and Cumin
This salmon, sitting there on a burntish plank which I didn’t soak for as long as I myself have specified below, looks unassuming and not particularly enticing. But it has converted the salmon-averse to salmon avariciousness! (more…)
Chicken Soup With Asian Twist and Matzo Balls (Plus Bonus Chinese Rice Dish)
Is there a fragrance more enticing than that of a home-brewed chicken soup? Everyone I know attests that their own mothers and grandmothers make the best chicken soup (top prize in my case goes to my mum-in-law). I grew up having lots of chicken soup, although much of it was the sort that goes into, and with, a dish called Hainanese chicken rice - a big hit with my family from our days in Southeast Asia.
Fish and Fennel Pie
This is a favorite recipe from Jamie Oliver, and one which Him Indoors had added to his repertoire a while ago. I don’t know why my husband picks the not-so-direct recipes for when he decides to cook. Such as risottos and then this one above, and excluding the baked beans on toast – excellent as well – which he occasionally produces with a flourish for a weekend lunch 
With the risottos, I gather that half the attraction is drinking the wine that’s meant to go into the pan, making the whole process very enjoyable for him, and no doubt, fortifying the reserves of patience he (and anyone) needs to cook a good risotto.
Perhaps this recipe may be of use for anyone leaning fish-wise and looking for ideas over Lent, when many try to abstain from luxury food. Although eating fish is a ‘hardship’ I would enjoy on a daily basis! To be absolutely strict, substitute fish or veg stock or milk for the cream, and eat a very small sliver of the final product (I dare you to stop there though).
Blackened Chicken by Justin Gaines, Winner of TV’s Chopped (Food Network)
Classically-trained chef Justin Gaines, born and bred in Montclair, whom I mentioned in my MLK Day post earlier this week, won the Jan. 19 episode of the Food Network’s Chopped series!
The show pits the skills of four ostensibly skilled chefs against the clock, each other, and baskets of mystery ingredients.
“There was a lot of drama in that episode,” Gaines said, describing the pre-recorded show which, contractually, he couldn’t discuss until after it had aired. “I had the attitude of going in to win it, but now, I’m humbled by everyone’s response to it.”
His mom Cathy said, “I am elated and so proud! This is the fruit of my labor as a single parent, and of what I’ve worked for, for the last 29 years – to see my kids become successful.”
Gaines, 28, who was “cooking every day after school, then doing homework,” and who started out as a student who washed the dishes at Enzo’s pizzeria, performed consistently throughout the courses, demonstrating his classical training at the Culinary Institute of America, from which he graduated in 2003.
Currently executive head chef of the SaZa Italian restaurant in Montgomery, Alabama, Gaines said his immediate plans comprise setting up five to ten more restaurants under the SaZa umbrella this year, while continuing with food consulting and private catering in the tri-state area. He has, since his win, been overwhelmed with calls from TV and radio stations.
Said Ellen Rothman, a friend of the family, who joined other friends and Cathy Gaines at a local restaurant, The Office, to watch the nail-biting episode, “We were jumping up and down, we were so excited. His mom and I were remembering Justin as the skinny little boy he used to be. It’s just amazing how he has turned out; we are so proud and happy for him.”
Chicken Stirfry with Red and Yellow Peppers and Cashew
Cajun Chicken Wrap with Roasted Peppers
For those times when you’re clean out of ideas, here’s a no-fuss one-dish meal. All you have to do is grill the veg and chicken. I particularly like having the oven do all the work so I can multitask – by doing the laundry, cleaning up after the kids or updating this blog!
- chicken fillets, 2
- red and green peppers, 1 of each
- large red onion, 1, sliced
- thick Greek yoghurt or sour cream, as needed
- smoked paprika, for seasoning
- cummin, 1 tsp
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- First, marinate the chicken fillets with a squeeze of lemon juice, some paprika, cummin and salt and pepper – or use ready-prepared cajun seasoning
- Preheat the oven with the grill setting on High or bake at 425F
- Grill the chicken and sliced red and green peppers and onions together on a tray lined with tin foil, drizzling them with olive oil first
- The chicken will be done in 10 minutes. Depending how you like your peppers, either start grilling them with the onions 20-30 minutes earlier or together with the meat, if you like a bit of crunch
- Allow the filling to cool a little
- Toast a wholewheat wrap on a heated pan, slather it with some sour cream or thick yoghurt and bung the chicken and grilled peppers and onions on top
- Roll it up and allow the yummy juices to dribble down your chin!
(All text and photos or images are copyright protected. Please do not reprint any stories, recipes or photographs without the author’s permission.)
Wrap of Lamb
Now that you’ve roasted a whole leg of lamb, how does one make the refrigerated leftovers look appetising again? Stick them in a wrap for lunch in a snap!
- roast lamb leftovers, sliced
- tzatziki, a few tablespoonfuls
- salad leaves or spinach, handful
- wholewheal wrap/s, as needed
- If eating immediately (as opposed to packing a school or work lunch), the lamb may be heated gently in a 200C oven for 10-15 mins, in aluminium foil. When done, slice thinly
- Prepare the wraps – spread tzatziki over the wrap
- Dot with tabasco if desired, arrange salad leaves on top
- Top with meat and roll up
- As an alternative to the tzatziki, yoghurt may be used, flavoured with some fresh, chopped mint leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice
(All text and photos or images are copyright protected. Please do not reprint any stories, recipes or photographs without the author’s permission.)
Peter Piper picked.. a Pita Pocket with Falafel
Not the tidiest looking of meals but certainly one of the speediest to put together – quicker, even, than a McDonald meal. This protein-packed pita pocket is delicious and will do one a lot more good than a production-line burger.
Falafel is a popular street food which hails from the Middle East. They are deep-fried veggie balls made of fava beans, chick peas (garbanzo beans) or a mixture of both.
- wholegrain pita pockets, 2 (to serve one)
- crisp romaine leaves, handful – torn or chopped
- falafel, 2 or 3 per pocket
- spicy tomato salsa, 1 generous tbsp
- tabasco sauce, a couple of drops
- hummus, 1 1/2-2 tbsp per pocket
- Lightly toast pita pockets or zip in microwave a few seconds to warm them
- Warm the falafels in the oven or microwave for 25-30 seconds on high
- To assemble, spread hummus in a pita pocket, layer romaine on top
- Add some salsa and stuff with falafel
- A couple of dashes of tabasco (if you like the heat) and you’re off!
(All text and photos or images are copyright protected. Please do not reprint any stories, recipes or photographs without the author’s permission.)
Quick Fish Sandwich
We go through a small pond of fish every week in this household. One of the boys’ favourite sandwiches is what they call a fish burger – basically some fish I’ve breaded, baked and thrown between a burger bun or wholemeal bread for them. An easy kiddy meal to put together
- Fish fillet, 1 (tilapia, haddock, cod, salmon)
- Soy sauce, 2 tbsp
- Honey, 1 tbsp
- Egg, 1, whisked
- Breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup
- Wholemeal bread, 4 slices
- Baby spinach, handful, washed
- Mayonaise, as required
- Preheat the oven to 220C
- Whisk the honey and soy sauce together and dip the fish in it
- Then dip in egg and finally, coat in breadcrumbs
- Place on greased sheet, spritz with Pam and bake for 13 mins
- Lightly toast the bread, spread with some mayo
- Layer the spinach onto it, followed by the breaded fish
- Luscious and delicious, what’s not to like?
(All text and photos or images are copyright protected. Please do not reprint any stories, recipes or photographs without the author’s permission.)
How to Make Thai Green Curry
That was a long wait for Part II, wasn’t it? Any Thai curry, pungent in aroma and a cacophony of flavours, is usually worth it. Besides, that recipe for the curry paste was hanging about with no closure and I need to get it out of the way before the holiday items make their appearance. Accept my apologies please and don’t be shy about licking that pan clean. That sounds ludicrous but it’s exactly what one of our friends did during an infamous dinner party some years ago 
- Garlic, 6 cloves, sliced
- Lime leaves, about 6
- Lemon grass, 2 sticks each cut in half (no ends)
- Thai holy basil, several stalks of
- Galangal, four or five thick slices of
- Fish sauce, 2 tbsp
- Brown sugar, 1-2 tsp
- Coconut cream, 1/2 cup
- Canola oil, 2 tbsp
- Chicken, fish or beef, diced, about 200g (2 fillets)
- Green curry paste (click on the title for details) – 1 tbsp
- Stock or water, 1/2 cup
- Green aubergines, small ones – three of them, cubed
- Lemon juice of about 1/3 lemon
- Optional – for added heat, add 2 chopped chillies
- In a pan, saute the garlic till fragrant and add the curry paste
- In a separate pan, warm up the coconut cream. Do not boil
- Add the coconut cream to the curry paste mixture, stir till it thickens
- Add fish sauce, galangal, lemon grass, sugar and allow to simmer
- Throw in the diced chicken, fish or beef
- Add lime leaves, basil, stock and aubergines
- Take off the heat when the meat is cooked. If you’re using fish, this will take just a few minutes.
- For added richness, add a few tablespoons of cream!
- Remove solid bits of lemon grass, galangal and unwieldy bits of herbs if necessary before serving
- Further vegetables may be added when the meat goes in – try courgette/zucchinni, peas, pea aubergines, red or green peppers, sweet potatoes
- This amount will feed 2-4 people
(All text and photos or images are copyright protected. Please do not reprint any stories, recipes or photographs without the author’s permission.)
